Maxing Out Charisma, Inheriting Game Assets Chapter 523: All the Female Leads I've Played Are Jealous of Me Now

4:00 p.m.

Modu Film Base.

Even though it was daytime, the entire studio was set up to look like nighttime.

Thick blackout curtains blocked out the daylight from outside, leaving only artificial lighting to create the night scene.

At the center of the studio was an elaborately constructed set of a luxury suite interior.

Soft light diffusers were hung all around, adjusting the lighting to a warm, gentle yellow hue.

Staff bustled around the studio—the props team, lighting technicians, makeup artists, and styling team—all moving quickly but in perfect order.

Tang Song, dressed in casual clothes, sat quietly in the rest area, his gaze fixed ahead.

He hadn't seen Su Yu for over an hour. According to her assistant, Cheng Xiaoxi, she had been busy getting her makeup and outfits done.

Li Chu returned home, pushed open the bedroom door, and discovered the proposal scene set up by her boyfriend, Gu Heng.

This little scene was actually part of the heroine Li Chu's imagination—a simple flashback segment used as an illusory snapshot during the film’s climax.

"Ring ring ring—" The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

【Sun Jiayue】

Tang Song picked up the phone and answered in a low voice, "Hello, what’s up, Jiayue?"

On the other end, Sun Jiayue hesitated for a moment, then spoke apologetically, "Tang Song, I have something to tell you. Is now a good time?"

Hearing her voice, Tang Song raised his eyebrows, "Sure, go ahead."

"It’s like this," Sun Jiayue took a deep breath, her tone slightly heavy, "there’s been a small change for the 'Investor Night' event on the 8th. I have an important client who wants to attend, and I only have two invitations, so... about the thing I asked you to help with before, let's forget it."

Tang Song frowned slightly, but quickly relaxed, not really angry.

From Sun Jiayue’s perspective, if a client requested it, she couldn’t very well refuse.

In truth, if it weren’t for the fact that he was already planning to attend, plus Liu Qingning’s encouragement, he wouldn’t have agreed in the first place.

Given his current status, pretending to be some “tech rising star” was a bit beneath him.

If he truly wanted to help his old classmate, he could just throw some money her way—a few million meant nothing to him now.

Choosing to accompany Sun Jiayue was partly to give an old classmate a lesson, but also genuinely to offer support.

After all, he would be attending as a representative of Rongliu Capital, and with him, the people and networks Sun Jiayue could access would far exceed her current level.

It was a rare opportunity.

Thinking it over, Tang Song said casually, "If that’s the case, then forget it."

Hearing that he wasn’t angry, Sun Jiayue let out a long sigh of relief, her tone much lighter, "I'm really sorry, Tang Song. There’ll be lots of chances like this in the future. Next time you’re free, let’s meet up again. Oh right, are you still staying at the JW Marriott? Once I’m done with this, I’ll treat you to a fancy meal to make up for it."

"No need. It wasn’t anything serious anyway," Tang Song said lightly.

"I just... feel bad..."

Just then—

"Tap tap tap—" Footsteps approached.

Cheng Xiaoxi appeared in front of him, followed by two crew members.

Tang Song said in a low voice, "Alright Jiayue, I have something to do here, we’ll talk later."

"Okay, talk later, bye-bye."

He hung up.

Cheng Xiaoxi bent down and whispered, "President Tang, Sister Yu is ready. We're about to start shooting."

"Alright."

Tang Song stood up and followed them into the shooting area of the studio.

When he lifted his head, the first thing he saw was Su Yu after her costume change.

She was wearing a silver haute couture mermaid gown, the tailoring perfectly outlining her curvy figure.

Her makeup was exquisite but not overly heavy, and the gloss on her lips shimmered under the lights.

She radiated a kind of indescribable nobility and elegance, like a brilliant star.

Su Yu was speaking softly with the director, a faint smile at her lips, her aura bright and lively.

When she turned her head, her amber-colored eyes lit up slightly, smiling warmly at Tang Song.

Their eyes met, and Tang Song’s heart shook violently.

The scene before him instantly reminded him of Christmas in 2018—Su Yu’s birthday.

She had worn a similar silver gown, sitting on his bed for four hours, waiting silently for his response.

Tang Song had just broken free from dream memories then, and that image was deeply imprinted in his mind.

He also remembered the hesitation, disappointment, and sadness when she turned and left.

Tang Song took a deep breath, emotions swirling inside him.

Movie star, I’m sorry.

....

"Action!" With Director Lin Mouchuan’s command, the entire set instantly fell silent.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the scene to unfold.

The camera slowly moved in, starting with the door being gently pushed open.

The heroine, Li Chu (played by Su Yu), stepped lightly into the room, her movements graceful and elegant.

The camera shifted, focusing on her face.

First surprise, then daze, and finally, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

Each change of expression unfolded like a slowly unrolling scroll, deeply moving.

Su Yu walked forward carefully, as if afraid of disturbing the scene before her.

The scene gradually shifted to her back—her tall, slender figure made even more striking by the candlelight.

The room’s layout was revealed little by little with her steps.

The floor was covered in vibrant red roses, forming a carpet leading deep into happiness.

At the end of the rose path was a large heart-shaped pattern made of red and white roses, dotted with flickering candles, the shadows dancing on the walls.

Moonlight poured through the windows, blending with the soft mist inside, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

Su Yu stepped into the center of the heart, her gaze hazy, her expression dazed.

Her gown flowed like water to the ground.

Her dark, silky hair floated lightly, brushing against her snowy white shoulders and exposed back—every frame looked like a work of art.

"Step, step, step—" A steady rhythm of footsteps sounded, and Tang Song’s figure appeared on screen.

Su Yu turned around, her fair, proud chest gleaming under the candlelight with a pure porcelain sheen.

Su Yu looked up, her eyes misty with tears.

At that moment, she looked almost otherworldly in her beauty.

Tang Song was stunned by her beauty once again, momentarily forgetting his actions, just standing there, dazed, staring at her—

As if the whole world had condensed into the presence of this movie star.

Director Lin Mouchuan tactfully did not interrupt, instead signaling the cameraman and lighting crew to lower their heads, avoiding the scene.

The room was enveloped in absolute silence, only the faint flicker of candle flames could be heard.

After a long while, Tang Song finally came to his senses. He dropped to one knee among the petals, pulling a diamond ring from his pocket.

His movements were genuine and firm, as if he had completely merged with the character.

Su Yu lowered her head to gaze at the ring in Tang Song’s hand, her amber eyes flickering with indescribable emotion.

The hazy lights shrouded them both.

Tang Song reached out and took her left hand, slowly slipping the ring onto her ring finger.

Su Yu’s eyelashes trembled slightly, tears sliding down her cheeks, but a brilliant smile lit up her face.

Joy, emotion, and happiness intertwined, layered beautifully through her performance.

Every subtle expression change was executed with perfection, carrying immense emotional power and charm.

"Cut!" Director Lin Mouchuan stood up, his eyes bright, speaking with excited affirmation, "Excellent! That was amazing! Even though there were some pauses, with a bit of editing and post-production, it'll be absolutely perfect!"

Tang Song’s cameo as Gu Heng was only for a flashback scene.

Even though this scene was filmed quite long, it would probably be trimmed down to just two or three shots.

However, the performance just now from Tang Song and Su Yu far exceeded his expectations.

That pure love and deep emotion were vividly captured through the lens.

He felt that at this very moment, Su Yu had reached the peak of her acting career.

She had breathed soul into the character—every expression, every movement conveyed the layered joy and emotion inside "Li Chu."

If this footage were posted online, it would definitely go viral.

Tang Song slowly stood up, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the actress, reaching out to wipe away her tears.

Su Yu took a deep breath, her snow-white skin flushed faintly pink with excitement,

breathtakingly beautiful.

"Come on, let’s go check the footage," Su Yu tugged his arm and led him over to the monitors.

The screen began playing the playback.

Su Yu stood there, repeatedly watching the scene where Tang Song knelt down and placed the ring on her finger, her eyes filled with emotion.

Director Lin Mouchuan said, "Congratulations, Su Yu. I feel like this might be your best on-screen performance yet."

Although he sometimes threw out compliments, when it came to film artistry, he did have high standards—so this time, he made no suggestion to reshoot.

This version, with good editing, would be absolutely stunning.

Su Yu nodded, "It’s indeed very good."

Hearing this, the staff all quietly sighed in relief. Over the past two days, every cameo scene Su Yu and Tang Song shot had taken two or three hours and countless retakes.

Just when everyone thought this scene was about to wrap up, Su Yu suddenly paused, then looked up at Director Lin Mouchuan and calmly said, "Director Lin, actually, I have a suggestion, if you don't mind."

"Oh? Go ahead," Lin Mouchuan quickly leaned in.

Su Yu pointed at the monitor screen, "Maybe we could film some additional follow-up scenes. It might make the whole segment more complete. These could be used to supplement the movie’s climax or cut into behind-the-scenes footage for promotion later."

Hearing this, the crew exchanged glances, and someone couldn’t help sneaking a peek at Tang Song.

Lin Mouchuan’s eye twitched slightly.

Alright, you’re the financier and the producer—whatever you say, goes.

He then solemnly nodded, "You’re right. My suggestion is, let’s go straight into a bed scene. That’ll make the emotional transition smoother and add more emotional resonance to the film."

Hearing the word "bed scene," Tang Song’s heartbeat suddenly sped up.

He glanced meaningfully at Lin Mouchuan—good grief, you really know your stuff!

With directors like you, Huaxia cinema is in good hands!

Su Yu’s lips curved slightly, pretending to hesitate, "Hmm... okay then, let’s go with the director’s idea."

Immediately, Lin Mouchuan started explaining the scene to them while having the crew rearrange the set.

There were no injuries to speak of.

Abi had been running the whole time and didn’t even lock eyes with a gnoll for two seconds. His only issue was a slight strain in his right arm muscles from a rash move at the start.

Berg broke a sweat.

Having used his acceleration combat skill to kite two gnolls for the entire fight, he had consumed a fair amount of stamina but didn’t suffer a single wound.

In comparison, it was Adeline, the stronger one, who took a light injury that needed some bandaging—because before Xia Nan rushed in to help, she had to hold off two gnolls, including the "Flesh-Eater," all by herself.

After the battle, it naturally moved into the classic phase of cleaning up the battlefield.

Unlike in games, where you just click the mouse a few times and your character magically loots a whole pile of treasures—or a loot chest suddenly spawns out of thin air—

in reality, you had to literally search every bloodied, foul corpse inch by inch, strip armor and clothes off with your own hands, endure the stink of rotting flesh all the way back to town, and haggle for half a day with the stingy, miserly general store owner.

Only then would you finally get some fragrant gold coins in your pocket.

It wasn’t easy at all.

Maybe because he felt guilty about being of little help, or even holding the team back during the fight,

Abi was unusually eager.

Without needing anyone to tell him, he proactively stepped forward to handle the dirty work of cleaning up the corpses.

It was worth mentioning that the enemies they had worried about on the return trip finally showed up and were defeated,

which briefly restored Berg’s nerves after two days of subtle unease.

It was obvious he would gradually return to normal as they left Mistveil Forest and approached the safer River Valley Town.

The haul was mediocre.

This was typical for gnoll tribes that roamed the wastelands without settling down.

They rarely saved up anything.

All they had of value were second-hand gear looted from other adventurers.

But these upright beasts had no concept of maintenance.

Their crude usage and the harsh conditions of Mistveil Forest meant most of the gear was already falling apart after just a few days.

Even if they hauled everything back, the total might fetch only a dozen or twenty gold at most—not much.

Across the whole battlefield, the most valuable item turned out to be the head of the "Gnoll Flesh-Eater."

——It had a bounty of 120 gold on the Guild’s bounty board.

The situation was the opposite of their usual goblin-clearing missions:

this time, the loot was mediocre, but the bounty became the main source of income.

Of course, following Green Blood’s usual payment distribution rules,

Xia Nan, who made outstanding contributions and played a critical role in the fight, would be entitled to at least half of the bounty when they returned to River Valley Town.

Though it still wasn’t as much as his previous missions, it was definitely a nice payday.

"These gnolls... did they already fight a bunch of adventurer teams before us? Why are they all injured?"

Abi busily picked up scattered corpses off the ground, frowning in confusion.

The wounds caused by Green Blood were easy to distinguish.

Ignoring himself, Adeline dealt blunt damage with her hammer, Berg preferred arrows, and Xia Nan exclusively went for decapitation.

Any other wounds on the gnoll corpses were clearly from before the battle and had nothing to do with them.

Hearing this, Xia Nan found it strange too.

He had already noticed during the fight.

Almost every gnoll had large burned areas on their bodies, as if they'd been scorched by fire.

A few even had their backs almost entirely singed, leaving only blackened, charred patches.

The injuries weren’t minor.

It had clearly weakened the "Flesh-Eater" elite, whose strength was supposed to rival that of a Bugbear,

allowing Xia Nan, who had just leveled 【Fang Hunt】 to lv3, to take him down effortlessly.

"Maybe... it was the 'Iron Hand' team’s doing?"

Xia Nan grew more certain of his earlier guess.

After all, that team was strong.

Setting aside his own temporary membership, their overall strength was way above Green Blood’s.

Even facing a gnoll ambush, they wouldn’t have been defenseless.

The capture and brutal death of their captain George must have cost the gnolls something too.

As for the burn marks on the gnolls...

it was unlikely caused by spellcasters—low-tier adventurer teams like theirs couldn’t possibly afford a magic user.

But things like "Fire-Oil Bombs" were readily sold at stores in town.

He himself had three tucked in his pocket.

Nothing unusual.

"Hurry up and finish cleaning the bodies. We need to move camps before dark."

Right now it was the dead of night, the most dangerous time in the forest,

when many nocturnal monsters roamed about.

Gnolls didn’t bathe, and the stink off their bodies could be smelled dozens of meters away.

Adding the fresh blood scent, it was very likely to attract nearby predators.

For safety, Green Blood definitely couldn’t stay here.

Fortunately, thanks to her rich experience, Adeline had already thought about this before setting up camp and memorized several backup spots.

The terrain was decent.

Now all they had to do was deal with the corpses a little, pack up, and leave immediately without even bothering to put out the campfire.

It would still be risky during the half-hour walk, but far safer than randomly picking a spot in the woods to camp.

Not a second was wasted.

After the fight, Adeline only briefly bandaged the urgent wounds on her body before rushing back to help clean up the battlefield.

Only then did she get a good look at the few gnoll corpses at her feet—

the ones that could’ve wiped out their entire team not long ago, now lying there utterly motionless.

"Decapitation, decapitation, decapitation..."

A flash of iron-gray light crossed her vision—

it was Xia Nan nearby, carefully scraping a bit of flesh off his sword.

Adeline couldn’t help but mutter inwardly,

wondering if he had some strange obsession.

Then again, it wasn’t unusual.

This line of work was brutal; after so many years in River Valley Town, she had seen plenty of adventurers develop minor psychological issues.

Compared to alcoholism or gambling,

being obsessed with "decapitation" was barely even a problem.

As she continued tidying up, her gaze fell onto the "Flesh-Eater’s" riddled corpse.

Her mind involuntarily replayed the scene of that ghostly wolf-shaped shadow roaring past her earlier,

formed from mere air and grass debris.

For the first time, Adeline seriously doubted her own judgment.

She subconsciously lifted her head and glanced toward Xia Nan.

Her eyes scanned over him.

"This kid..."

"Is he really still without a Professional Rank?"

Rose petals were scattered across the bed, and the candlelight was adjusted to an even softer glow.