Lin An'an: So Arrogant

A high-end French restaurant specializing in romance.

"The ambiance here is nice, isn’t it?"

Lin An'an said with a hint of pride.

She rarely visited romantic restaurants like this.

It was on a friend’s recommendation—

praised for its exquisite dishes,

charming atmosphere,

and perfect for conversation.

Clearly, Lin An'an seemed to have misunderstood something.

As the saying goes,

a woman in love has an IQ of zero.

A woman deeply in love? Her IQ plummets straight into the abyss.

The corner of Xu Mo’s lips twitched, but he nodded with a smile.

"It really is nice."

"See? Told you!" Delighted by Xu Mo’s agreement, Lin An'an’s mood instantly brightened.

And just like that, the floodgates opened.

She chatted with Xu Mo about all sorts of things.

They were seated in a VIP private room.

Fine wine, steak, French-style raw oysters, escargots, foie gras...

An array of gourmet dishes lay before them.

Lin An'an wasn’t sure what Xu Mo liked,

so she ordered a little of everything.

At least none of it was the kind of bizarre, inedible "otherworldly" fare.

Besides, leftovers could always be packed.

"Have you been filming anything lately?"

Xu Mo casually asked as he cut into his steak.

Lin An'an took an elegant sip of red wine before shaking her head.

"After our collaboration went viral, tons of big studios sent offers. But I turned them all down. Just not in the right headspace lately."

Xu Mo nodded in understanding.

The film had netted over a billion in profit.

A star like Lin An'an didn’t settle for a flat fee—she took a percentage cut.

The more the movie earned,

the more she pocketed.

One film might not set her up for life,

but it could easily cover a year or two.

Especially since she ran her own media company, with plenty of mouths to feed.

Xu Mo had also secured a percentage deal.

In fact, before filming even began,

Liu Yong had offered Xu Mo double Lin An'an’s cut.

Anyone could see the shrewdness behind it.

Director Liu knew the difference between

a one-time meal and a lifetime feast.

Aligning with the Xu family was a guaranteed win.

Some investors had initially hesitated,

thinking the offer was absurdly generous.

"He’s already loaded.

What’s Liu Yong playing at, treating us investors like fools?

How much would even be left for us?"

But then the film exploded.

Xu Mo’s star power alone drew massive crowds,

coupled with his award-worthy acting.

Every penny he got was justified.

If anything, Liu Yong and the team profited even more.

The investors were left humbled, awed by Liu Yong’s foresight.

When it came to casting male leads,

you could always trust Liu Yong’s razor-sharp instincts.

His picks were guaranteed hits—

an industry-wide consensus.

His track record was near-flawless, and Xu Mo was clearly another gem.

Of course, the billion-plus cut Xu Mo received?

Just pocket change to him.

Hardly worth a second thought.

Usually, it just sat in the bank.

"Rest well now, and you’ll work better later. A sharpened axe chops faster."

Xu Mo smiled, raising his wine glass.

Lin An'an lifted hers,

and they clinked.

She speared a slice of foie gras with her fork and savored it.

Today’s foie gras was exceptional—

rich, buttery, decadent.

Lin An'an closed her eyes in bliss.

Not hearing Xu Mo’s inner thoughts

left her feeling a little down,

but the exquisite food filled the void,

easing that quiet disappointment.

"Even if I’m not filming right now, I still need to write new songs. Ugh, it’s tough—I’m stuck."

Lin An'an sighed ruefully.

Somehow, the conversation had drifted to work.

True, Lin An'an was a megastar at her peak.

Beyond her acting chops,

songwriting and singing were also her forte.

In her heyday,

every release was a chart-topper,

sending waves across the internet.

Now? Well, not as much.

At least compared to before.

Still miles ahead of her peers, though.

"What’s so hard about it? Just ask me."

Xu Mo paused mid-bite and grinned at her.

Lin An'an rolled her eyes. "Songwriting isn’t like acting. There are way more factors to consider."

"Same difference to me."

Xu Mo took another bite of steak.

Damn, it was good!

(Though still not as good as his own cooking, obviously.)

But eating someone else’s food—without lifting a finger? Priceless.

As for songwriting,

Xu Mo wasn’t bluffing.

Though this world mirrored his past life in many ways,

with hit songs existing under slightly altered names or melodies,

not everything overlapped.

Some gems slipped through the cracks.

Plus, as someone who’d lived an extra life,

he’d heard the future hits before they even existed here.

And with his eidetic memory—far beyond any normal human’s—

thanks to that damn system’s "supercharged mental stats" upgrade upon binding.

(That damn system’s excuse: "Had to buff you up so you wouldn’t collapse mid-plot.")

Lin An'an blinked her eyes. Skilled in acting and capable of composing songs? Isn’t that just over the top?!!!!

“You’re not lying to me, are you?”

Xu Mo glanced at her. “Do I look that bored to you?”

“You said it yourself.” Lin An'an gave a playful smirk and quickly pulled out a pen and notepad from her bag.

She always carried them to jot down sudden bursts of inspiration.

“Anyone can write a song—even a three-year-old. But crafting a good song? That’s something only a rare few can pull off.”

Lin An'an chuckled as she handed the pen and paper to Xu Mo.

She wasn’t wrong.

Hell, even a one-year-old could do it.

All it takes is some off-key humming and scribbling nonsense.

Who cares if it’s out of tune?

It’s still technically a song.

Well… more like a self-indulgent mess no one understands.

"Men rule the heavens, men rule the earth, men never shed tears… Devouring skies, devouring lands, devouring parents’ hard work… Jini tai mei?"

Xu Mo smiled at her. “The only songs I write are hits. Nothing else.”

How arrogant is that????

Arrogant!!!!

Unbelievably arrogant.

I, Lin An'an, have never in my life met someone so shameless.

“Fine. I’ll be waiting to see it, then.”

Lin An'an bit her glossy red lips, forcing a tight-lipped smile.

She knew exactly how hard songwriting was!!!

Beyond just lyrics, there were melodies, notations, and all that.

But forget the technicalities for now.

Just the song itself—

Even with her skills as a top-tier diva, Lin An'an wouldn’t dare guarantee another hit.

Yet here was Xu Mo, bragging without a shred of humility.

Xu Mo wiped his hands with a handkerchief, flipped to a fresh page in the notebook, and picked up the pen.

Right as he was about to start writing—

He paused.

“Any preferences for the song’s theme?”

Lin An'an’s attention had been fixed on Xu Mo the whole time.

Her beautiful eyes were practically drilling into him.

And then he hit her with that question.

She was done. !!!!!

------------------------------------------------