Silver Moon City, Inner District.
"Why haven’t I heard anything yet?" Deviant couldn’t sit still. He shot up from the sofa and started pacing, frequently raising his hand to check his terminal. "If he’s not going to call, he could at least send me a message so I can plan my next move."
Idelos took a sip of coffee to stay awake. "I’m on vacation today. Can you not spend the entire day here? Either go back to your own place or go back to the company."
Deviant said, "A vacation? Fine. Then give me back the photo."
As he spoke, Deviant reached out to snatch the photo from his hand.
Before he could touch it, Idelos pulled his hand back, dodging the attempt.
Deviant chuckled, resting his hands on the back of the sofa behind Idelos. "Look at his sincerity. He even went out of his way to send us a picture of Yuanbao from the Fox Clan—a white fox, no less."
Deviant opened his chat with Gu Demiao Ning and admired the photo he had sent, sighing in appreciation as he looked at it. "If only Yuanbao were real. This guy... his virtual modeling skills are just too good. How is this any different from a real female?"
"And this background." Deviant’s gaze shifted from the little female in the photo to the background. "Looks like this guy has been living the good life these past few days he’s been gone. The background looks so much better. The background in his previous videos screamed Lower District Beastman."
Hearing this, Idelos also shifted his gaze from the "virtual female’s" face to her background.
"It has a very Second District style," Idelos said. "This person’s photography skills are excellent."
"Second District style?" Deviant pinched his chin. "Now that you mention it, you’re right. That guy asked me for three Second District residence permits last time. He must have been studying the district."
Then, Deviant added, "You say his photography skills are excellent? A photo like this doesn’t need to be shot, right? You can just digitally composite it on a terminal."
Idelos said, "The photo was shot. Everything except the virtual female in it is probably real."
Having been in movies since he was a child, he could tell the difference between a real shot and post-production work.
This photo was likely made by shooting a real scene and then compositing the virtual female into it. This isn’t a new technique; many films and TV shows use this technology now.
Most of the real females they hire don’t act opposite other actors. They’re filmed separately and then edited in with the other actors in post-production.
But this Gu Demiao Ning’s skills were truly impressive. If he didn’t already know that the female named Yuanbao was virtual, he would have thought she was real.
"This guy’s a real talent," Deviant said. "Once we get the license for Yuanbao, companies like Feixing and Shengyang will have to bow to us."
Deviant clapped Idelos heavily on the shoulders. "Silver Moonlight will reach new heights. Come next spring, you might even get a chance at the matching rights. Perform well, and don’t get eliminated again."
Idelos said flatly, "You should worry about yourself. You’re in your early thirties and still no female has taken a liking to you. In a few more years, you’ll lose your chance."
"So what if I lose my chance? There are so few females anyway." Deviant snatched the photo from Idelos’s hand and clutched it to his chest. "I’ll just have to spend the rest of my life hugging Yuanbao."
Idelos: "..."
"Since when are you into virtual females?" Idelos was disgusted by Deviant’s expression. "You’re so eager to get Yuan... this virtual female’s license. Don’t tell me you’re just trying to..."
"Trying to what?" Deviant said. "Do you take your own uncle for that kind of person?"
Deviant sat down next to him, placed the photo on the table, and picked up Idelos’s cup of coffee. "My number one priority is making money. With Yuanbao, not only can we make a profit, but we’ll also be her agent. It’s a win-win."
Idelos shook his head. ’This won’t be that easy,’ he thought.
"Send that guy a message and see what’s up." Deviant took a large gulp of coffee. After receiving Yuanbao’s photo, he had been so excited he’d barely slept all night. ’But I didn’t expect the guy to be so patient, not contacting me after all this time.’
"What’s the rush?" Idelos said, looking at the photo. "Since he asked you for Second District residence permits and sent you a photo with Second District-style decor, it means he’s determined to work with us. He’s just smart and isn’t falling for your tricks."
Deviant raised an eyebrow and grinned. "No matter how smart he is, he won’t escape my grasp. The conditions I offered him before still stand. However, to prevent him from going back on his word and bailing on me, I need to add some extra conditions. After all, you can tell he’s from the Lower District. He won’t play by the rules like we do."
Just as he finished speaking, his terminal vibrated. Someone was calling him.
Deviant didn’t bother to look at the caller ID and answered immediately.
"Deviant, ah, can you get in touch with Idelos?"
Hearing this voice, Idelos frowned, giving Deviant a look that said he’d better not drag him into this.
’Even if I weren’t on vacation, I have no desire to take on any scripts from Feixing anytime soon.’
"It’s you?" Deviant’s smile froze. He glanced at the caller’s profile picture—it was a high-level manager from Feixing.
"It’s me, it’s me." The Beastman on the other end of the line had a fawning tone, a complete departure from his recent arrogant, confrontational attitude.
"Spit it out," Deviant said impatiently. "What do you want with him? He’s on vacation. Also, anything about the virtual female is off the table."
"It is about the virtual female."
Deviant was about to hang up.
"But it’s not about having him act with the virtual female," the voice on the other end said quickly. "We just need him to make an appearance."
Deviant and Idelos exchanged a look. "Make an appearance? What, did you guys create a new virtual character and you need him to help promote it?"
"Something like that. We just need Idelos to film a video welcoming a newcomer, and then show up with us..."
"He’s not doing it." Deviant knew something was off. Promoting something didn’t require all this. It was obvious they had either signed a new actor or were launching a new show and wanted to use Idelos as a figurehead.
"Deviant, even though our contract has expired, Idelos was still made famous by our Feixing. People say Idelos is our representative actor, that’s why they’re gracing us with their presence..."
Deviant ended the call.
"That old bastard. He must be dreaming."
Just then, another call came in. Deviant looked closely—it was the public line for Shengyang.
He found it a bit strange, but answered.
"Hello, may I ask if this is Mr. Deviant?"
Hearing the polite tone, Deviant’s expression softened. "This is he."
"Mr. Deviant, I am the vice director of Shengyang Company. We would like to sincerely invite Mr. Idelos to collaborate with us at Shengyang. The terms are negotiable."
Deviant paused. "What kind of terms can you offer?"
"Rest assured, our terms will definitely be better than Feixing’s."
"Alright, I’ll consider it." Deviant didn’t say much more, glancing at Idelos beside him. "He’s on vacation, so I can’t reach him at the moment. I’ll discuss work with him when he gets back."
A few seconds after Deviant hung up, another call came in.
This time, it was New Moon.