After getting married, Wen Ke’an suddenly gained some bride price money and dowry. Since she didn’t have to work, she started looking at houses everywhere. Whenever she found one she liked, she would buy it. At that time, there were no restrictions on buying houses, and the housing prices continued to rise rapidly over the next few years. Buying a house was surely a guaranteed profitable investment.
Wen Ke’an renovated several houses to turn them into homestays. She also bought two storefronts in a nearby mall and opened a café and a milk tea shop.
When the weather was nice, Wen Ke’an often took her computer to her café to write.
Recently, Wen Ke’an’s luck had been pretty good. Some of her previously completed books were suddenly picked up by film companies, which bought the rights at a high price. Now, with many TV series and movies being adapted from novels, the film companies were moving quickly. They started preparing for casting as soon as they purchased the rights.
So, besides writing new stories, Wen Ke’an also needed to discuss adapted plots with the screenwriter. This time, she encountered a very good screenwriter. The screenwriter, Sun Yu, seriously considered Wen Ke’an’s suggestions and was very responsible.
Sun Yu happened to work in the same city, and Wen Ke’an often invited her to the café to work together.
After completing today’s tasks, Sun Yu picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and stared at Wen Ke’an.
“An’an,” Sun Yu called softly after a while.
“Hmm?” Wen Ke’an, deeply immersed in her writing, looked up at Sun Yu, “What’s up?”
The more Sun Yu looked at Wen Ke’an’s face, the more satisfied she felt. She smiled and said, “An’an, the director has started casting. Do you want to try out?”
Wen Ke’an was good-looking. Sun Yu felt that the female lead in the novel should have a face like hers. Moreover, Wen Ke’an had previously participated in variety shows and was a dance influencer, so popularity wouldn’t be an issue.
“Huh?” Wen Ke’an was taken aback, “But I’ve never acted before.”
“No worries, many actors who switch careers haven’t acted before,” Sun Yu laughed, “It’s not urgent now anyway. Why don’t you consider it?”
If it were other productions, Wen Ke’an wouldn’t have considered it at all and would have refused directly. But this time was different; this drama was adapted from her book. The idea of playing a character she created was somewhat intriguing.
“Alright, I’ll think about it.”
Back at home, Wen Ke’an thought it over. She only wanted to have fun and didn’t want to play a character with a romantic storyline. Conveniently, the third female lead in the book had no romantic plots and fewer scenes, and she really liked that character.
Wen Ke’an talked to Gu Ting about it, and he didn’t object.
The TV series was just a low-budget web drama, so if she wanted to have some fun, Gu Ting certainly wouldn’t stop her.
After dinner, Wen Ke’an came out of the bath and saw Gu Ting reading her novel on his phone. She took his phone, pinched his cheek, and reassured him with a smile, “Don’t worry. No kissing scenes, no romantic plots, and this character doesn’t even have a relationship arc.”
“………….”
On the day Wen Ke’an prepared for her audition, she had just stepped out of her neighborhood when she ran into Chu Han, who had come to see her.
Chu Han was wearing a beautiful floral dress and sunglasses, looking very summery.
Chu Han took off her sunglasses and asked, “Are you heading out? You’re even wearing makeup.”
Wen Ke’an usually didn’t wear elaborate makeup unless she had something special to do. She looked exquisite even without makeup, easily surpassing the average person’s looks.
“I’m going for an audition. Want to come along?” Wen Ke’an asked with a smile.
“Audition? For what?” Chu Han was puzzled. Wen Ke’an had just told Sun Yu yesterday about this urgent audition, so she hadn’t had the chance to tell Chu Han yet.
Since they had bumped into each other, Wen Ke’an explained the situation briefly as they walked towards the community gate together.
After hearing Wen Ke’an’s explanation, Chu Han exclaimed with excitement and joy, “Ah! It’s your book! I want to go too!”
Chu Han had nothing else to do today, so she went along with Wen Ke’an to the audition location.
The audition was being held at a school, and likely because it was Sunday, there were many people there for the audition, most of whom looked like they were students from nearby acting academies.
Chu Han had read Wen Ke’an’s book before. Besides the protagonist, her favorite character was a minor villain. She was there to audition for that role.
With so many auditioning, Wen Ke’an and Chu Han got their numbers and waited in line. It seemed many of the actors knew each other, as they chatted quietly in small groups. Not far ahead of Wen Ke’an stood four girls conversing softly.
“Did you see the beautiful girl who just went in? She’s an actor from Anyu Entertainment.”
“I didn’t expect such a big company to send actors to audition here.”
“They might have some free time recently.”
Wen Ke’an and Chu Han, finding time to kill, casually introduced themselves to the four girls and joined their conversation.
“By the way, did you know the CEO of Anyu Entertainment is very handsome, but unfortunately, he married young?”
Hearing this, Chu Han burst out laughing, “Haha, married young?”
“Yes, he got married right after college. I heard the CEO and his wife were childhood sweethearts!”
“His wife is also very beautiful but rarely seen in public.”
They chatted for a while until it was their turn to audition.
Everyone suddenly got a bit nervous, preparing earnestly.
Since Wen Ke’an and Chu Han were just there for fun, they felt less pressure about the outcome.
Wen Ke’an went in before Chu Han. After a brief introduction, the director asked her to act out a scene. Being the book’s author, Wen Ke’an knew the characters well, and despite some inexperience, she performed the scene effectively.
“Alright, not bad.”
After Wen Ke’an finished her performance, the director’s mood noticeably improved. He asked her to fill out a form and then told her she could leave and wait for further notice.
Chu Han’s performance also went smoothly. After both of them completed their auditions and were preparing to leave, they were unexpectedly called back by the director.
The director observed Wen Ke’an for a moment before saying gently, “I think you’re very suitable for the lead female role. Would you like to give it a try?”
Wen Ke’an thought that if she played the lead female role, Gu Ting might directly invest in the production to play the leading male role. However, she knew he was overworked recently and didn’t want to add to his stress. So she declined, “Sorry, director. I only want to play the third female lead.”
Hearing Wen Ke’an’s words, the staff present were all stunned.
The director had personally extended the offer for the lead role, and she actually refused?
Since Wen Ke’an didn’t want the role, the director didn’t press further.
Wen Ke’an had the kind of presence that suited the lead role, but the director also thought Chu Han was good. He turned to Chu Han, “Would you consider the lead female role?”
Chu Han only had a strong affinity for a small supporting role. She shook her head firmly and said, “Thank you, director, but I only want to play that small supporting role.”
The director was turned down twice, and this incident quickly spread among the crew.
Soon, it was the day of the first shoot. Wen Ke’an didn’t have many scenes and often came by to offer support. In less than a month, her scenes wrapped up.
After filming, Wen Ke’an spent a few days back at her parents’ house. During this time, Wen Qiangguo was on vacation and prepared delicious meals every day.
After dinner, Wen Ke’an and Liu Qing sat on the sofa watching TV and eating fruit.
Wen Ke’an noticed her mother frequently glancing at her belly. She took a bite of an apple and asked puzzledly, “What are you looking at, Mom?”
Liu Qing looked at her, equally puzzled, and asked, “Still no news?”
Wen Ke’an and Gu Ting had been married for over a year, yet they still hadn’t conceived.
Liu Qing hesitated a bit before suggesting, “Should you both go to the hospital for a check-up?”
“No need, Mom, we’re both healthy,” Wen Ke’an replied with a smile.
Gu Ting didn’t want to rush into having kids. Wen Ke’an was only 23, and she felt there was no problem waiting a few more years to have children.
But it was clear that Liu Qing didn’t think that way. She reached out and patted Wen Ke’an’s leg, speaking earnestly, “An’an, if there’s something going on, just tell Mom. We’ll figure it out together if there’s really a problem.”
” ”
Seeing that Wen Ke’an wasn’t speaking, Liu Qing lowered her voice and asked quietly, “Is it Xiao Gu who isn’t up to the mark?”
” ”
Wen Ke’an didn’t dare tell Gu Ting about her mother-in-law’s suspicion. She had been busy and went out of town for a couple of days.
When she returned, it was Gu Ting who picked her up. As soon as they got home, they saw a pile of traditional Chinese medicine and health products at the door, along with various strange little boxes.
“What is all this?” Wen Ke’an picked one up and looked at it.
When she saw the list of ingredients, she suddenly understood. She looked up at Gu Ting in confusion.
After a moment, Wen Ke’an slowly said, “Actually, you don’t have to be insecure. You’re just fine.”
Gu Ting was taken aback, then smiled and asked, “Really?”
” ”
But Wen Ke’an quickly realized something was off. She asked again, “Could it be that you didn’t buy these?”
Gu Ting didn’t say anything, which was as good as an admission.
Wen Ke’an immediately understood, “It must have been my mom.”
Her mom had the keys to their house, so she probably bought these things and dropped them off today.
Just as Wen Ke’an was about to walk into the living room, she was suddenly pulled by the waist.
“There’s something I don’t understand.”
Wen Ke’an stiffened and heard Gu Ting speak from behind her.
“Why would Mom send me these things?”
The author’s note: An’an: Pulls her hair out
