Truly Dedicated to Art (Lily ABO) - Chapter 3

The trees outside the window rustled loudly in the wind. Soon, scattered tapping sounds followed as fine raindrops slanted across the glass. The entire night was shrouded in a curtain of rain, and the howling wind began to slap against the windows.

Yu Shuinao curled up on the sofa, absently stroking the cover of the book in her hands. Her gaze lingered on the line: “Weilan, I cannot promise you marriage, nor can I promise you love. I can only promise you pleasure.” The window was struck by the wind again, producing a slight tremor. Suddenly, she felt her throat tighten.

The contract she had signed that afternoon lay on the coffee table, like a fallen leaf that could be swept away by the wind at any moment. Yu Shuinao ran her thumb along the edge of the book page, and the printed words seemed to jump out at her as if they had suddenly come alive: “They had no choice. I am willing.”

Yu Shuinao closed the book.

Tomorrow she would go to Xie Corporation to sign the artist contract. She would have a new agent, a new assistant, and would move to a residential area with better security. She would have a brand-new life, act in more scripts she truly wanted, meet seniors who had once been out of reach, and become the actress she had always dreamed of being.

That was enough, wasn’t it?

Yu Shuinao got up to pour herself a glass of water and looked out at the stormy night.

Tomorrow night… she would have dinner with Xie Yixuan.

Thinking of that woman and her seemingly cold, emotionless face, an inexplicable sense of fear rose in her heart. Looking back, she still didn’t understand how she had dared to hug her directly last night and say those words.

Maybe she really had been drunk.

…

Stepping into the lobby, the matte metal background panel at the front desk displayed the gilded words “Xie Culture Media.” On the left wall, more than a dozen electronic screens rotated through promotional posters of recent Xie-produced films and TV shows, posters of projects featuring their signed artists, and various advertising posters. On the right, a transparent display case was filled with replicas of various award trophies, with small text below detailing the winning works.

Yu Shuinao couldn’t help but look at them for a few extra seconds.

She took the elevator to the sixteenth floor and entered the appointed lounge, staring blankly out the transparent window.

“Miss Yu?”

Yu Shuinao turned her head. A woman wearing a charcoal-gray pinstripe suit walked into the lounge.

“Hello. Unless there are any unexpected changes, I will be your agent throughout the contract period.” She smiled, her earrings glinting beneath her short ear-length hair. “Let me introduce myself. My name is Cheng Lingheng. The artists I’ve managed before all call me Sister Heng. If you don’t mind, you can call me that too.”

Cheng Lingheng — a gold-medal agent whose name was known throughout the industry.

Any single line from her resume was enough to turn an ordinary agent into a top-tier one: she had signed the once-scandal-plagued traffic star Zheng Ling, who had been caught “interfering in someone else’s marriage.” Within a year, she reversed her reputation and turned her into the “beautiful, strong, and miserable” female lead who now held top-tier scripts. Zheng Ling was now a leading actress with both massive popularity and a Best Actress award. She had also spotted the unknown extra Chen Ning on set, who was now the youngest Triple Crown Best Actress and hailed as the Queen of Literary Films. There were countless such success stories.

Yu Shuinao smiled slightly. “Sister Heng, I’ve long admired your reputation. Becoming one of your artists is probably every actor’s dream.”

Cheng Lingheng was amused by her earnest flattery.

“Alright, enough with the empty compliments. President Gao told me that the artist I’m signing this time should give me a completely new experience.” President Gao was the vice president in charge of artists.

She looked at Yu Shuinao with interest. “Indeed, you are very beautiful. Even in this industry, you stand out as exceptionally beautiful and unique. With these conditions, it’s very easy to secure a place in the entertainment circle — there are many ways to do it. But I want to know what you think. Which path do you want to take?”

Yu Shuinao’s smile faded. She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind about something.

“Ever since I entered this industry, many people have told me and reminded me that I have many choices. But I’ve always remembered why I wanted to take the drama academy entrance exam and why I wanted to enter this industry.” Recollection surfaced in Yu Shuinao’s eyes.

Her high school had a tradition of year-end performances, usually organized by the drama club. In her first year, the drama club president was the girlfriend of her childhood friend Jiang Shu. The three of them had eaten together. During rehearsals for the year-end show, the president approached Yu Shuinao and said there was a female lead role in a script that seemed tailor-made for her — no one else would fit it better. After repeated persuasion, Yu Shuinao agreed to take the role.

At first, she only treated it as a task — memorizing lines and attending rehearsals. But when she truly stood on stage, she forgot it was a performance. She simply followed her instincts and immersed herself completely. Only when thunderous applause erupted from below and Jiang Shu rushed onto the stage to present her with flowers did the spotlight shining on her head stir up an unprecedented surge of emotion in her heart.

At that moment, Yu Shuinao seemed to understand.

She liked this.

“At first I thought I was truly gifted. It wasn’t until I entered drama school and studied further that I realized how far I still was from being a real actress.” She worked even harder to learn acting techniques, practiced fundamentals, and observed life and ordinary people’s emotions more carefully. She even tried dating a few times to experience love more deeply. While not neglecting her studies, Yu Shuinao took on supporting roles in some film and television projects.

“On set, directors rarely gave me specific guidance on my acting — they would just say it was good or not right. In most productions, the only discussions about me were about my face. It wasn’t until later… during my graduate studies in Country A, when I performed in theater, that many directors and senior teachers gave me guidance on my acting that was worth pondering over and over again. During that time, I once again truly felt the joy of acting and thought I was getting closer and closer to truly being an actress.”

She had already made up her mind to become a theater actress. Many seniors praised her performances, and after theater shows, audiences often presented her with flowers to express their appreciation. Until the theater’s formal assessment — she believed she had done well enough, but she failed to pass. Afterward, many people subtly hinted that there were other reasons behind the failure.

“Even though I knew there were other factors, I couldn’t help but wonder — am I really that bad? Am I really not worth keeping?” Yu Shuinao’s eyes were already glistening with moisture. She looked directly at Cheng Lingheng. “I know I have many other paths I could take. Objectively speaking, they might all be more suitable and easier for me than the path of being an actress. But I still want to become an actress. Sister Heng, that is everything I think.”

Cheng Lingheng let out a soft sigh. She stepped closer, placed her hands on Yu Shuinao’s shoulders, and patted them comfortingly.

“Good child.” A smile of appreciation appeared on her face. “From now on, you only need to trust me, alright?”

…

The hands of the clock ticked around and around without anyone noticing.

Yu Shuinao sat quietly on the sofa.

Yesterday, when she learned she would have dinner with Xie Yixuan tonight, she had assumed it would be at a restaurant. She hadn’t expected it to be at Xie Yixuan’s home. Though it could hardly be called a “home” — none of her family lived here. “Residence” was a more accurate description.

While she was lost in thought—

“Miss Yu, you don’t have to wait anymore. Please go ahead and eat first. Assistant Lin just called me. President Xie has some urgent matters to handle tonight and probably won’t be able to have dinner with you.” The speaker was Aunt Zhou, the housekeeper at Xie Yixuan’s residence.

“Alright.” Yu Shuinao smiled politely.

Even though thinking of Xie Yixuan still made her feel a little scared inside, learning that they wouldn’t be having dinner together tonight left her feeling inexplicably disappointed.

Although no one had asked about her taste preferences, the dishes prepared by the chef surprisingly suited Yu Shuinao’s palate perfectly.

Lotus-scented drunken fish slices — rich, tender, and fragrant with a delicate wine aroma. Crab roe lion’s head meatballs — fresh and savory crab roe with melt-in-your-mouth meat that wasn’t greasy. Pingqiao tofu soup — salty, fragrant, and silky smooth. Ice-chilled lotus root slices stuffed with shrimp paste — sweet and fresh shrimp with crisp, refreshing lotus root.

Yu Shuinao usually didn’t eat much at night, but tonight she couldn’t help but eat a bit more.

After dinner, a bolt of lightning flashed outside the window, followed by a rumbling thunder. Soon the sound of rain poured down like drumbeats. The heavy rain came suddenly, yet showed no sign of stopping for a long time.

Whether it was the oppressive feeling caused by the sudden downpour or just an illusion, Yu Shuinao inexplicably felt her heartbeat was a little faster than usual.

“Looking at this rain, it won’t stop anytime soon, and it’s getting late. Miss Yu, why don’t you stay here for the night? The room has already been prepared.” Aunt Zhou looked at the sky and suggested.

With no reason to refuse, Yu Shuinao obediently followed Aunt Zhou to the room prepared for her.

It was very thoughtful — the wardrobe was already stocked with various nightgowns, intimate clothing, and everyday outfits.

Yu Shuinao picked a white silk nightgown and went to take a shower.

After showering and drying her hair, the rain outside had gradually lessened, but the accelerated heartbeat she had felt earlier became even more pronounced. She randomly picked a classic novel from the bookshelf in the room, leaned against the headboard, and started reading. Perhaps because of the warm, dim bedside lamp, drowsiness soon overtook her. She turned off the light and fell asleep.

…

Tonight’s sudden change of plans from the business partner had disrupted Xie Yixuan’s schedule. Although she was inwardly displeased, she endured it for the importance of the cooperation and calmly instructed Lin Xu to tell the other party not to wait for her for dinner.

By the time she returned home, it was already late at night. Just after taking a shower, she felt a slight heat in the gland at the back of her neck.

It seemed… there was a strong Omega pheromone scent in the house that didn’t belong here — the fragrance of tuberose.

All the servants in the house were Betas.

Following the tuberose scent, Xie Yixuan walked out of her room and slowly made her way to the door of the room where the fragrance was strongest.

Her hand gently rested on the doorknob, the veins on the back of her hand faintly bulging.

After standing still for a moment, she still opened the door.

The scent of tuberose surged over her like a tide.

It clearly looked so pure and harmless, yet the pheromone carried such an aggressively sweet fragrance.

“Mmm……” The person on the bed turned over uncomfortably.

Xie Yixuan closed the door behind her, walked to the bedside, and turned on the bedside lamp.

Fine beads of sweat had dampened Yu Shuinao’s temples. The white silk nightgown clung tightly to her body from the sweat, revealing her perfect curves.

The moment the light turned on, it finally woke her.

Yu Shuinao opened her eyes and met Xie Yixuan’s gaze directly.

Her eyes seemed to hold a pool of clear spring water, glistening and rippling, even her lashes sparkling with tiny silver flecks.

Eyes full of tender affection, a face soft and pitiable.