I, Luo Yiren, drew up a set of “Dating Rules” for Lan Xiu, the hotshot genius director.
On set, he had to stay at least five feet away from me. He had to reply to my messages within two hours. Any contact with another woman had to be reported.
He signed, wearing an insouciant smile. That very night, he overstepped his bounds and pinned me against the door of his suite.
Everyone said Lan Xiu had really fallen for me. I'd taken a few simple rules and turned him into the director with the best reputation for fidelity online.
In public, he kept his distance. In private, he reported his whereabouts and turned down every flirtation and temptation for my sake.
I thought I'd won this game of taming him, fair and square.
Until the wrap party that night
I opened the door myself and found him passed out drunk on the sofa, his clothes disheveled, while my “innocent” assistant nestled against him in a decidedly intimate pose.
The world fell silent in that instant.
I didn't scream or demand an explanation. I simply blocked him everywhere, calmly, right in front of him.
The next day, as the producer, I kicked him off the project for good. Then I personally blacklisted my assistant from the industry for “seducing the director and leaking confidential information.”
He came after me like a madman, trying to explain. He waited outside my apartment until the night dew soaked his shoulders.
I opened the window and tore up a copy of the “Rules” he'd signed, piece by piece, scattering them into the wind.
“Game over, Director Lan.” My voice was colder than the night breeze. “You're permanently off the list.”
Later, the studio I founded became a major name in the industry. Beneath the spotlights at the awards ceremony, I no longer needed anyone else's rules.
He moved abroad and vanished without a trace, becoming little more than a hazy legend in the industry.
Until we met again at a bidding session for one of the industry's top projects...
