Chapter 1

Lou Xianyue, head of the Lou family, liked beautiful people. A pretty face could always win a little more tolerance from me.

Sometimes I even gave resources and opportunities, no strings attached, to performers I found pleasing to the eye.

It had happened less often since Duan Yujing came into my life, but a past everyone knew was no secret.

The director’s eyes brightened. “He’s Mr. Duan’s stunt double. His name is Bian Xun.”

I nodded. “Since Duan Yujing isn’t here, film the other scenes first. How capable is Bian Xun?”

The script supervisor brought over a laptop and played several of his audition clips.

His movements were crisp, his presence vivid. He was a pleasure to watch.

I glanced at my assistant, Jiang He. She had worked beside me for years and knew my tastes perfectly. Without waiting for instructions, she murmured a few words to the assistant director.

The frozen set thawed at once. Everyone became busy again, as though production had never stalled because its star had walked off the job.

Bian Xun was called in to perform.

From across the set, the tall, striking young man looked faintly surprised. He lifted his head and met my gaze exactly.

His dark eyes shone like stars.

Then he smiled at me.

Beautiful enough to make a heart stumble.

Jiang He brought Bian Xun to Constellation Entertainment.

The company occupied one of the tallest buildings in the city, a hundred stories high, and the entire top floor belonged to my offices.

When they arrived by elevator, I had just finished a video conference and was staring through the window. The sky was clear and cloudless.

Several thin pages lay on my desk: Bian Xun’s entire history.

Less than half an hour after I showed interest in him, everything there was to know had reached my hands.

He had grown up in an orphanage. His grades had once been good, but for some unknown reason he left school and began working as an extra. With his martial-arts training, he gradually became a favored stunt double among directors at the film studios.

His auditions showed a performer without formal training but with unmistakable instinct. Every gesture looked natural on camera.

Yet the industry was crowded. Talent alone did not guarantee success.

Bian Xun had spent years in bit parts without attracting notice. Becoming Duan Yujing’s personal stunt double was still the finest line on his résumé.

He was, frankly, exceptionally handsome. Photographs did him no justice. Though he shared some resemblance with Duan Yujing, their temperaments were so different that no one would mistake them in person.

I assessed his value as an investment.

My conclusion: S+.

The last person I had rated that highly was Duan Yujing.