Chapter 7: Dudu Is Actually a Weeb?

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Chen Du Ling lay face down on her bedroom bed, her smooth calves raised, swinging absentmindedly. Outside, the summer night in Xiamen was hot and humid, while the air conditioner’s cool breeze made the wisps of hair on her forehead flutter gently.

“Dudu,” her mother, Lin Hongying, softly pushed open the door, carrying a plate of sliced mango. “The crew has a rare day off tomorrow. Do you want to go out with some classmates?”

“I don’t want to move…” Chen Du Ling buried her face in the soft pillow, her voice muffled. “Filming is so exhausting; I just want to sleep at home.”

Her mother smiled and shook her head, placing the fruit plate on the bedside table. “You’ve always been like this since you were little—turning into a little turtle whenever you get tired.”

She gently stroked her daughter’s hair. “Remember to eat the mango.”

The door closed quietly. Chen Du Ling turned over and picked up her phone, scrolling aimlessly. Suddenly, a long-dormant QQ group erupted with notifications.

[Xiamen Anime Fans Club]

“@All members, this weekend, that is, tomorrow, there’s a convention on Zhongshan Road! Anyone interested in going as a group?”

“I’ll be Asuka! Looking for a Shinji pairing!”

“@Child Your Highness, big shot, will you come? You haven’t joined any events for ages!”

The legendary Child Your Highness—that was Chen Du Ling. Her fingers hovered over the screen, her heartbeat suddenly quickening.

Happy memories from high school flooded back: staying up late making props with classmates, helping each other put on wigs, being surrounded by fans taking photos at conventions…

On a whim, she opened her photo album and found cosplay pictures from high school. Wearing a pink wig and black glasses, the lucky star Takayoshi Miyuki flashed a peace sign before the camera, her smile dazzling beyond words.

“I really want to go…” she whispered, absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair around her finger.

But going to the convention alone would be awkward; contacting former classmates felt too last-minute!

Chen Du Ling tossed and turned on the bed. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

She sat up abruptly, grabbed her phone, and typed “Jiang Ye” into the search bar, then frustratedly turned off the screen.

“I should have added him earlier…” she murmured, tossing the phone aside.

A few days ago during a break in filming, that annoying guy had cheekily come over. “Hey Chen, add me on WeChat, it’ll be easier for work communication.”

“No.” She hadn’t even looked up, continuing to flip through her script.

“Well, what if there’s an emergency…”

“Find the script supervisor.”

From “Dudu” to “Little Chen,” he called her by different nicknames that hit all her sensitive spots.

Lately, being called that way by him almost made her chest ache with frustration.

Chen Du Ling picked her phone back up, her fingers tapping lightly on the screen. Suddenly, inspiration struck. She opened the crew’s work group chat, found Jiang Ye’s avatar—a goofy Shiba Inu.

[Send Friend Request]

Verification message: “Send me tomorrow’s call sheet.”

Right after sending, she regretted it. Just thinking about him lowered her IQ.

The reason was too forced; the crew’s call sheets were always posted in the group daily…

And tomorrow was a day off…

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Her phone vibrated suddenly, making her nearly toss it across the room.

Jiang Ye had accepted your friend request.

Immediately followed by a message:

“Comrade Little Chen finally came around?”

With a mischievous Shiba Inu emoji.

Chen Du Ling bit her lip and quickly typed, “Don’t overthink it, just work-related.”

After sending, she felt it was too stiff, so she quickly added a period to sound more formal.

The other party was typing…

“Got it, got it. Teacher Chen is swamped every day!”

“Should I personally deliver tomorrow’s call sheet to your esteemed self?”

With a salute emoji.

Chen Du Ling slammed her phone onto the pillow in frustration, yet a smile crept up at the corners of her mouth.

Taking a deep breath, she picked up her phone again:

“No need, just send the electronic version.”

After a pause, she added:

“Also, don’t call me Little Chen.”

“Understood, Little Chen!”

“…”

Her fingers hovered over Jiang Ye’s chat window, hesitating.

What should she say next?

“Director Su asked me to go scouting for inspiration…” she muttered, then her eyes lit up.

Her fingers flew across the screen:

“Director Su wants me to scout for inspiration and needs a production assistant to tag along. Meet at the hotel lobby at 9 a.m.”

Immediately followed by:

“Remember to bring a camera and notebook.”

At a basketball court,

Jiang Ye had just completed a smooth layup when Ou Hao whistled from the sidelines. “Assistant Jiang, your leading lady just got a mission!”

The friendship between the two had begun to rekindle.

Ou Hao had noticed that Jiang Ye had no interest whatsoever in his crush, Chun Chun, and seemed to have set his sights on Chen Du Ling instead.

He himself liked Chen Du Ling too; she was indeed beautiful.

But he was pragmatic. Recently, his relationship with Ma Sichun had eased somewhat, thanks in part to Jiang Ye’s clear rejection.

Still, it left him feeling conflicted!

Taking the phone, Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow. “Scouting? Director Su mentioned at today’s crew meeting that we’ll be filming school scenes in a few days…”

He quickly replied:

“Little Chen, there’s no scouting on today’s call sheet.”

Soon came the response:

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“Just decided. Little Ear’s school scenes need fresh inspiration. (Exact words from Director Su)”

Followed by:

“If you don’t come, I’ll find someone else.”

Ou Hao leaned over to watch the drama unfold. “Whoa, turning down the chance to be the lead actress’s exclusive assistant?”

Jiang Ye stuffed his phone back into his pocket, grabbed the basketball. “Director Su said she needs to adjust her state recently…”

“Give me a break,” Ou Hao bumped his shoulder. “Scouting with a camera? That’s obviously a date!”

“What’s up, Ou? Jealous? Why don’t you go?”

“Not that I can’t…”

“Then I’ll go report to Teacher Ma!”

“Damn… bro, my bad!”

…

In her bedroom, Chen Du Ling frowned at her phone, muttering incessantly.

“That little bastard, why hasn’t he replied? Did he fall in the toilet?”

“Or does he not want to come?”

“Hmph, I don’t care! Who wants to hang out with him anyway?”

“If he doesn’t want to go, fine… I’ll find someone else!”

Just then, her phone buzzed. She hurriedly checked Jiang Ye’s latest message.

“Got it. Need any special equipment?”

Biting her lip, she typed: “No. Just wear casual clothes, don’t stand out.”

Then more seriously added: “It’s work-related, don’t overthink!”

“Understood. Assistant Jiang will be on duty punctually tomorrow.”

“Phew…”

Chen Du Ling breathed a sigh of relief, finally settling down.

Three seconds later, she picked up her phone again and sent him the address of the convention she would be attending tomorrow.

“Let’s meet directly here! Don’t come back to the hotel, don’t bother me if it’s nothing!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Ye, who had just returned to the hotel and was about to shower, was utterly baffled.

A convention???

Going to a convention to scout for inspiration?

How could he have forgotten there was a convention scene in the script?

Could it be…

Dudu is a fan of anime and cosplay???

This…