Chapter 58: Chapter 28: The Scum Doctor's Sweet Dream

Chapter 58. The Worthless Doctor's Sweet Dream

In the early morning, the crimson-haired girl stood before the full-length mirror, inspecting herself and constantly smoothing out the edges of her clothes. She took a deep breath, gently stroked the wooden box slung across her back, and silently gave herself a mental pep talk.

Turning around, she was surprised to see that her manager, Nana, was also up bright and early. In her impression, Nana was not a diligent person; sleeping in on a winter morning was the most normal thing in the world.

She thought to herself that it must be because something important was happening today.

"Is little Red Bean heading out so early?"

The manager asked with a smile. Her voice sounded somewhat muffled—could her allergic rhinitis be acting up again?

Red Bean didn't think too much of it: "I'm going to see a friend today."

The manager didn't press further: "Come back early, and don't stay out too late."

"Got it, got it. What's wrong with you today? You're as nagging as an old lady."

Red Bean asked in confusion: "What on earth is going on? Why have you become so strange?"

"It's nothing. I was just thinking about the performance schedule, and the band needs to practice more to handle emergencies. Who knows, we might encounter even more complicated situations in the future."

The manager counted future events on her fingers, as if trying to convince herself with them.

"You're definitely hiding something from me. I don't have time today, but I'll properly interrogate you when I get back."

Red Bean decided to temporarily put the matter aside, quickly put on her boots, and headed out. With the sound of the security door closing, the manager Nana's dim eyes regained a glimmer of radiance. They surely still had plenty of time left.

……

Zhou Jinru emerged from his room looking utterly haggard. After just three hours, he hadn't slept at all. Pulling an all-nighter had left his mental state on the verge of collapse.

"Mister Ah-Guang, you're awake?"

Wei Hua also looked listless, with a towel draped around her neck, preparing to wash up.

"The plan for a day lies in the morning." Wei Hua forced herself to perk up, though unfortunately, it had no effect at all.

"Waking up early ruins the whole day."

"……"

Zhou Jinru yawned and turned back toward his room: "Don't call me for meals; I'm going to sleep a bit longer."

He simply couldn't compare to his twenty-year-old self anymore. Back then, staying out carousing all night with roommates still left him full of vigor, but now staying up past midnight felt like death itself. He had heard that frequent late nights lead to an untimely demise and hair loss.

Collapsing onto the bed and pulling the quilt over his head, he fell soundly asleep. In his dream, he found himself recruiting all the operators and driving Rhodes Island to slaughter the opposition across the board. The Reunion Movement, the Confessors, Rhine Life—they were all utterly pathetic, mere scum. Ursus, Laterano, Syracuse—he crushed them all the way, advancing in triumph, effortlessly conquering the entire Terra.

With Kal'tsit and Pramanix by his side, SilverAsh used his True Silver Slash to peel apples for him. Sora performed Arts while singing on stage, while Istina and Zima danced the Ursus war dance. The Forest Keeper demonstrated throwing flying knives into apples, and Vigna wielded a massive hammer to smash Saria's defensive shield while chanting battle cries. Gummy and Bison bustled away in the kitchen, while Wei Yenwu, the Rat King, and Grand Duke came to the door to kowtow and pay their respects...

"Doctor, I like you." Kal'tsit confessed affectionately.

Just as he was wondering how to deal with this love-struck lynx, he suddenly heard Kal'tsit continue: "We all like you very much, but since we can't all possess you at the same time, we've unanimously decided to pickle you in formaldehyde..."

Ah!

Zhou Jinru woke up with a start, covered in sweat. Everything in the dream was fading away, leaving behind only a vague framework.

"Terrifying."

Zhou Jinru wiped the sweat from his brow. The hands on his wristwatch pointed to two o'clock in the afternoon.

Opening the door, he happened to see Cuora walking toward him.

"Doctor, what's wrong?"

Still shaken, Zhou Jinru panted and changed the subject: "Nothing, just had a nightmare. How's everyone getting ready?"

"We're just waiting for the Doctor to come eat. Once we're done eating, we'll head to the Financial Building together."

Turtle was truly the best.

Zhou Jinru's heart settled somewhat, telling himself that a dream could only ever be a dream, not reality.

"Doctor, I thought I heard you shouting Doctor Kal'tsit's name just now. Did you dream about her?"

Cuora's voice suddenly rang out, and Zhou Jinru guiltily replied, "Don't talk nonsense. How could I possibly dream of Doctor Kal'tsit? Even if I did, we must have been saving lives together."

"Oh, the Doctor is still as kind as ever. The Doctor is the best."

……

Bai Qiyuan stood in front of the Lungmen Financial Building, surrounded by a large crowd of people, a brilliant smile on his handsome face.

"Mister Bai, Mister Bai, I heard you were scolded for poor acting skills during the filming of the movie. Is that true?"

Dressed in a white overcoat, Bai Qiyuan raised his hand, signaling the media reporters present to quiet down. He smiled softly: "I view the director's scolding as a form of encouragement. He did it for my own good, to elevate my acting skills to the next level. I am very grateful for this, because an outstanding actor's skill is not achieved overnight. The path of acting is filled with hardships, and no one can take shortcuts."

"Mister Bai, we saw a photo of an injury circulating in your camp. Is all of that true? Do you encounter danger during the filming process? Does it pose a threat to your life?"

The smile on Bai Qiyuan's face remained unchanged, but his tone became much more solemn: "This question can be divided into three parts. I'm not very clear about the situation in the camp because those matters are handled by my assistant. As for the answer to the second question, yes, especially in action movies. Audiences enjoy the thrilling experience in theaters, but actors must assume certain risks during the performance—some come from harsh environments, and some from the unintentional actions of colleagues."

At Bai Qiyuan's response, the crowd broke into an uproar. Someone hoisted their microphone high and asked loudly, "Is Mister Bai implying that someone is deliberately targeting you? Or perhaps the safety measures on the set were inadequate, which is why you faced life-threatening dangers during filming?"

"Sir, I was merely stating that it is possible to encounter similar situations; I did not claim that it was caused by any specific individual. Please do not take my words out of context."

"Mister Bai's answers are concluded. There is filming coming up next, so please do not interfere with his work."

Nearby bodyguards immediately stepped forward to block the reporters' further inquiries and escorted Bai Qiyuan into the Financial Building.

The production crew had rented the thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth, and thirty-sixth floors. They would shoot a chase sequence here, where the male lead Bai Qiyuan would engage in a life-or-death battle with robbers, ultimately taking a leap of faith from the thirty-sixth floor, using equipment to crash into the thirty-fourth floor, rescuing the female lead, and finally defeating the robber leader to pull off a god-tier reversal in an astonishing heist.

The final frame would freeze on the male and female leads embracing and kissing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, just as the tardy police inspectors broke open the sealed doors.

Without a doubt, such a plot was very Lungmen, very lone-hero, and extremely thrilling. Just the scene of leaping down from the height of the thirty-sixth floor alone would be enough to make audiences in the cinema scream.

Exiting the elevator, Bai Qiyuan immediately spotted several unfamiliar faces chatting and laughing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. These people were not part of the production crew at all, yet they had somehow managed to enter the set—it was utterly absurd!