Yixuan Shifu auditioned for the role of antagonist: Li Mochou, and it had to be said—her performance was outstanding. She vividly expressed all the resentment she had long suppressed in her heart toward Arden.
When Yixuan looked at Arden, it was exactly like Li Mochou gazing at Lu Zhanyuan, who had once abandoned her.
Because of this, Arden was a little worried. He was afraid that Yixuan Shifu might get too immersed in the role and, in a moment of impulse, wipe him out—the rebellious disciple.
If he really got wiped out after being abandoned, that would be one thing. But getting wiped out before even marrying her? That would be a huge loss!
Next came Ju Fufu, who was cast as the "Divine Tiger."
At first, Ju Fufu was rather unwilling. She wanted to play a great hero, but the Divine Tiger in the script was more like a pet, which made her very unhappy.
Arden painted her a big picture, promising that he'd let her star as the protagonist in a Tiger Hero spin-off in the future. Only then did Ju Fufu reluctantly agree.
Many of the other junior brothers and sisters from Yunkui Summit also had their own roles—at worst, they were background extras.
As for Arden's own audition, it earned praise from the director, who said he was naturally suited to play both "Yin Zhiping" and "Lu Zhanyuan." [TN: Both are tragic villains who meets miserable ends ngl]
As for that, Arden couldn't tell whether the director was complimenting him or insulting him. Either way, he felt completely speechless.
Seriously, do I look like the kind of person who can't control his desires, falls for beauty at first sight, and then abandons his longtime lover?
Arden would never abandon Ju Fufu. As for Sweety, Yiji, Yixuan Shifu, Astra Yao, Evelyn, Miyabi, Ellen... and so on—although the number was indeed a bit large, Arden would never force any of them to do anything. Everything was based on mutual consent.
[AN: You don't realize it until you count—Arden really has come into contact with quite a few girls. Even the author broke into a sweat.]
[AN: Everyone can rest assured; this novel has a perfect harem ending. No weird twists.]
The release of the theme song and insert song sparked a massive wave of attention. After that, once preparations were complete, the TV drama officially began filming. From shooting to post-production editing and finally preparing for release, everything progressed quite smoothly.
Three months later, it was finally time for the release of Divine Tiger Companions Season One.
Due to the high production costs and the length of the script, Arden took inspiration from Netflix-style series and split Divine Tiger Companions into four "seasons," filming and airing them in segments.
As the premiere ceremony for Season One approached, everyone was fully prepared and carrying out their respective duties. However, Evelyn—who was both manager and bodyguard—seemed unusually uneasy.
This day has finally come… sigh~~!
Sighing inwardly, she found herself caught in a difficult dilemma.
Evelyn was not her real name. Codename: "Scheele's Green." She was an elite operative with a renowned spy organization.
The "Organization" had been hired by Odeum HAE and sent her to pose as Evelyn, planting her as a mole within Suibian Film & Media.
For a long time, there had been no orders from above. But until yesterday, Odeum HAE finally lost patience and decided to activate Evelyn, instructing her to sabotage the premiere ceremony of Divine Tiger Companions Season One.
On one hand, the Organization demanded that Evelyn sabotage the screening equipment during the premiere. On the other hand, they wanted her to attempt a honey trap against Suibian Film & Media's chairman, Arden Xu, and assassinate him when the opportunity arose.
Sabotaging the screening equipment was no big deal—a standard hostile tactic. But seduction and assassination of Arden… Evelyn believed that was completely impossible.
From her observations over the past few months, Evelyn could feel that Arden had some interest in her—no, rather… he had interest in all beautiful women!
But relying on that alone to assassinate him was pure wishful thinking.
Not to mention whether the seduction would even succeed. Even if it did, Evelyn didn't believe she could assassinate Arden.
He was the second senior brother of Yunkui Summit, the personal disciple of Grandmaster Yixuan. His skills in divination and avoiding calamity were renowned throughout Waifei Peninsula. She feared that the moment she even formed the thought of assassination, Arden would sense it and take precautions. On top of that, his unfathomable spells made him practically impossible to guard against.
Me assassinating Arden? Him assassinating me is more like it!
"Evelyn, are you feeling unwell?"
As her close friend, Astra Yao noticed something was off about Evelyn.
"Uh… I'm fine. I've just been a bit busy lately and haven't rested well."
A hesitant look surfaced on Evelyn's face, but it vanished in an instant as she brushed it off.
"Is that so? You should get more rest. If you collapse from exhaustion, I'd be really sad." Astra Yao said playfully.
Looking at Astra Yao's innocent and radiant smile, Evelyn felt her heart melt at that very moment.
I must never hurt Astra Yao. I want to protect her smile!
Finally, Evelyn made her decision.
...
That very night, Evelyn went to find Arden.
Of course, it wasn't to seduce and assassinate him—but to confess everything.
Evelyn had already prepared herself to sacrifice even her own life, if necessary, just to protect Astra Yao and ensure that the premiere ceremony went off smoothly.
Such feelings were just that great—so powerful that one could fall into them without realizing it.
"Very good. Extremely good!"
After hearing Evelyn's confession, Arden did not restrain her for interrogation as she had expected. Instead, he patted her on the shoulder with a look of satisfaction. "I knew keeping you by Astra Yao's side was the right choice. You truly didn't disappoint my expectations."
"Y-you knew all along that I was a spy!?"
Evelyn instantly understood what Arden meant. Her eyes widened as she stared at the man before her—clad in a dark blue Daoist robe, unfathomable and reserved—as if seeing him for the first time.
"Hehe, nothing can escape my eyes."
Finally getting a chance to show off, Arden wasn't about to let it slip.
"How did you know?"
If she didn't get an answer to this, Evelyn felt she wouldn't be able to sleep at all.
She had believed her disguise was flawless. To think she had been seen through from the very beginning—this was extremely hard for her to accept as a professional.
"Recruiting a bodyguard naturally involves background checks. And when it comes to intelligence, Yunkui Summit is quite professional as well."
Arden was referring to Yiji—she truly was excellent in intelligence work. "Not to mention, I also inherited Yixuan Shifu's divination techniques."
"But… mm~!"
Evelyn wanted to say more, but Arden pressed a finger to her lips.
"This is destiny… the secrets of heaven must not be revealed, must not be revealed~~!"
Putting on a mysterious air, Arden transformed into a fortune-teller and attributed everything to "destiny."
"D-destiny…? Me and Astra Yao—is it destiny?"
Evelyn revealed an expression of sudden realization, as if she truly believed in this so-called "destiny."
"That's right! There's no need for self-blame. Everything you've done is destiny—just go with the flow."
Destiny was destiny, but the actual work still had to be done by people.
After a long night of detailed discussion, Evelyn told Arden everything she knew in full detail—about the Organization, about Odeum HAE, and about their plans to sabotage the premiere ceremony.
She held nothing back. As long as Arden asked, she answered.
===BREAK===
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