Scott Turner crossed his arms. “It’s really lucky you didn’t faint on stage, otherwise those fans in the audience would have gone crazy.”

Brian Foster nodded, was pushed by Eric Grant to sit down in front of the sofa, and a glass of water appeared before him. Looking up, he saw it was handed over by Chad Sullivan.

He softly said thank you, took the water, and sipped it slowly, his mind racing to recall the plot.

Suddenly, the sound of high heels clacking came from the doorway.

Luke Harris whispered, “Mama Yun is here~”

As soon as he finished speaking, a woman in her thirties with a capable and professional air walked in. Brian Foster looked at her—this woman’s presence was truly powerful.

Right, this was Soulmate’s manager, Emily Thompson.

Brian Foster spoke weakly, “Sister Yun…”

Emily Thompson said to the other team members, “Hurry up and get ready, we’ll be heading to the concert after-party soon.” Then her gaze landed on Brian Foster’s face. “How are you feeling?”

Brian Foster: “Much better.”

“That’s good. Amy, help Ethan tidy up again, the faster the better! When you’re done, come find me.” The last sentence was directed at Brian Foster.

Brian Foster nodded, followed the staff into the lounge, took a shower, and when the hairstylist wanted to restyle his hair, Brian Foster only let him blow it dry.

But the makeup artist Amy still gave him a touch-up—truly a special profession.

The other members quickly finished up and got in the car with the assistant, while Brian Foster was pulled into another car by Emily Thompson.

After getting in, Emily Thompson tossed him a stack of papers. “Take a look.”

It was a movie script. Brian Foster quickly realized that in the novel, after the Shanghai tour ended, Ethan Carter was pulled in for a last-minute audition. It was precisely because of this audition that he later crossed paths with Adam Bennett—a key turning point in the plot.

Jumping straight into the main storyline—what progress.

“By the way, Mr. Xu.” The system’s voice sounded again. “In addition to the main quest, you must also complete a side quest that runs through all system worlds. If you complete it successfully, you’ll receive extra points and items from the system, which will help you with the main quest. If you fail, even if you’re resurrected after returning to the real world, your brain’s nerves will be damaged, which may affect your normal life.”

…Isn’t this a bit much?

“So, what’s the side quest?”

Chapter 2: The Ultimate Showdown of Beauty and Acting (Part 2)

0901: “The side quest is that you must perfect the romantic storyline between the top and bottom in each world. The richer and sweeter it is, the more points and items you’ll be rewarded with.”

Brian Foster was now starting to suspect that this system was a revenge product created by some top-tier reader out of long-standing resentment and dissatisfaction.

It was all his fault for being too naive, thinking that if he just glossed over the romance and wrote a BE, at worst he’d get a few razor blades in the mail. He never expected it would become a matter of life and death.

But as someone who’s been single since birth and is hopeless at relationships, even with a god’s-eye view he had no idea how to handle the feelings between two people. Now he had to put himself in the shoes of his own character and fall in love with someone he created—this was really asking too much.

Brian Foster opened the script. Back when it was serialized, only fragments of the play-within-the-play appeared in the original text. Now, seeing the fragmented ideas turned into a complete script, he actually found it quite interesting.

“This is Director Alan Brooks’s new film. If it weren’t for Paul Reed’s bad luck and something happening to him at this critical moment, we wouldn’t even have a chance to audition.”

Paul Reed was a powerful cannon-fodder character he’d created—debuted in a famous director’s film, became famous overnight, and his subsequent works all had good reputations. He was on the rise and just needed a high-profile, award-worthy film.

And now, the opportunity had come. To be able to work with the Chinese-American director Alan Brooks and the up-and-coming Best Actor Adam Bennett—there was no way this wouldn’t be a hit.

But at this very moment, Paul Reed was exposed for having improper relationships with several young internet celebrities. The evidence was overwhelming, and the once squeaky-clean image Paul Reed had built was instantly destroyed by gossip-hungry netizens. Years of good reputation vanished overnight.

The director had chosen him for his image, which matched the role. But now that his true colors were revealed, the flood of negative press was enough for the investors to replace him without hesitation.

Emily Thompson crossed her arms and looked at the silent Ethan Carter. “You’re not going to the after-party. We’re heading straight to the audition now—I’ve arranged everything.” She glanced at her watch and continued, “It’s obvious that Alan Brooks wants to use this film to compete for awards.”

Of course. These days, films aiming for international awards need both cultural depth and buzz. The only way to quickly gain traction is with an LGBT theme. Even if it doesn’t win, the level of discussion and hype will definitely pay off.

That’s exactly what Brian Foster had in mind when he wrote it.

Who would have thought he’d one day end up inside his own novel?

“I read the script. For the role of Yu Ning, no one fits the appearance better than you.”

Appearance… Brian Foster gave a wry smile. “But I can’t act.”

Emily Thompson glared fiercely. “Let’s just get there first. With your popularity, the opportunities that come to you aren’t good enough. Good resources have to be fought for.”

This woman was even tougher than he’d written her.