Financial Independence through Cracked Apps-Chapter 161 - 134: Lin Shen’s Personality
Lin Shen knew Jiang Wan never went back on her word, so even though he still felt a restless agitation inside, he gradually calmed down.
This little interlude in the car made the once placid atmosphere between them instantly much more intimate.
Jiang Wan took Lin Shen’s arm as they got out of the car and headed to the first floor.
Benjia Korean BBQ.
"I have a reservation. The name is Lin, and the last four digits of my phone number are 7946."
After Lin Shen gave his last name and phone number at the front desk, a waiter led them to a small private room.
The restaurant’s ambiance was quite nice. The decor was a fantastical fusion of cyberpunk and traditional Hanok, creating a very atmospheric feel.
There was a wide variety of meats, too, but the names made Lin Shen question his sanity.
Old Man Baek’s Woo Samgyup, Darkflame Meteor Meat, Snowcap Volcano Skirt Steak...
’Are names in South Korea always this abstract?’
The corner of Lin Shen’s mouth twitched. He couldn’t tell which cut of beef the restaurant’s signature dishes were based on their names alone.
He had to rely on the pictures.
After ordering, Lin Shen asked Jiang Wan.
"What should we do after we eat?"
"Film the script, of course."
Jiang Wan took an Action 4 out of her bag. It was a popular action camera many people used for vlogging.
It was easy to operate, had numerous modes, and was a favorite among young people.
If you wear it out and about, you might even get an extra serving or two at a restaurant.
"Later, you can wear this on your chest. We’ll go to Shanghai International Studies University to film. We can use a classroom since it’s summer break."
Jiang Wan said, full of anticipation.
"Did you read the script?"
"I glanced at it."
Lin Shen said, trying to recall.
"I think I play a dull, rigid top student, and you’re my gentle and beautiful deskmate?"
"Right."
Jiang Wan began to explain the script she had written.
"In the end, we get to know each other, understand each other, and have a secret crush... Finally, after the college entrance exams, you work up the courage to confess to me, but I reject you, saying we’re not a good match."
"But since you come from a poor family, I lend you money for living expenses and tuition, and I’m always encouraging you in your daily life."
"You’re deeply moved and meticulously record every amount, vowing to work hard after graduation to pay me back."
"However, just when you’re about to repay the money, you see me being wheeled into the emergency room at the hospital."
"I die from a congenital heart defect."
"..."
When Jiang Wan reached this point, Lin Shen’s heart suddenly jolted. Seeing that she wasn’t continuing, he asked in confusion.
"That’s it?"
"That’s it."
Jiang Wan propped her chin on her hand and looked at Lin Shen expectantly.
"What do you think of the script?"
"It’s a little melodramatic."
Lin Shen was being honest. But Jiang Wan wasn’t upset. Instead, she looked dejected and muttered.
"I guess so... But short videos need to have an emotional impact. It’s hard to attract an audience if you tell the story slowly."
"We could add something to the end, then."
An idea suddenly flashed through Lin Shen’s mind.
"At the end of the script, I’m sitting by the sea, my right hand stroking the only photo we took together after the college entrance exams."
"Then, someone suddenly covers my eyes from behind, and I hear your signature, gentle laughter."
"’You really remembered our promise, to bring me to the seaside to watch the stars.’"
"Then I see you snatch the photo from my hand. You’re wearing that familiar floral dress from my memories, stepping barefoot into the tide, and you turn back to give me a dazzling smile."
"The camera shakes as I excitedly follow your steps, running with you into the surging sea."
"Amidst the sound of your bell-like laughter and the roaring tide, everything suddenly cuts off. For the BGM, we can use the lyric ’We, who didn’t know how to be gentle, thought dying for love was just an ancient rumor’! Then, cut to black! The end."
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP—!
The moment Lin Shen finished speaking, Jiang Wan immediately began to applaud, saying excitedly.
"That’s so moving! I feel like your version of the story is great!"
"This creates suspense! Is the ’you’ at the end my hallucination, or the real you? It leaves room for the audience to imagine."
"It’s really good!"
Jiang Wan couldn’t help but admire Lin Shen’s incredible creativity.
"Lin Shen, you’re so smart! I think you’d be great at script planning!"
"It’s alright."
Lin Shen smiled shyly, but Jiang Wan gazed at him with a look of pure admiration, her beautiful eyes shimmering with a stunning light.
"Is there anything you can’t do?"
"There is."
After the meat arrived, Lin Shen used the tongs to place it on the grill. He smiled at Jiang Wan, his gaze drifting involuntarily down to her "magnificent" assets pressed against the table.
"You, for example, Senior Jiang Wan."
"Me?"
Jiang Wan, who was helping with the grilling, froze for a second. But after noticing where Lin Shen was looking, the smile at the corners of her lips widened even more.
"So you’ve been thinking about that this whole time."
"Of course."
Lin Shen didn’t deny his "greed" for Jiang Wan. After all, with such a great "fact" right in front of him, pretending to be a gentleman would be far too hypocritical.
Likewise, Jiang Wan was well aware of her physical advantages and her charm. Her eyes seemed to dance as she suddenly patted the seat next to her and said with a grin.
"Why don’t you... sit over here?"
"Really?"
Lin Shen’s eyes lit up, and he immediately got up and sat down next to Jiang Wan.
...
"Junior Lin Shen, you’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?"
"I can’t help it, Senior. We’re sitting so close, isn’t a little physical contact normal?"
Lin Shen put on an innocent expression, and Jiang Wan could only give him a helpless, shy glare.
Fortunately, the private room was quite secluded, and they were unlikely to be disturbed.
And so, a Korean BBQ lunch ended in an extremely ambiguous and sweet atmosphere.
——
「2:00 PM.」
Lin Shen first took Jiang Wan back to her place to change clothes.
She rummaged through the depths of her closet and found her summer school uniform from high school. But when she put it on, it looked much too small for her no matter how she looked at it.
Her chest strained against the fabric, causing the shirt to bulge and creating a gap between her stomach and the hem!
"It’ll have to do."
Jiang Wan spun around in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom, and after confirming there weren’t any major issues, she headed out.
Downstairs, Lin Shen was leaning against the car door.
When he saw Jiang Wan skipping toward him in her high school uniform, his expression turned dazed for a moment.
The sunlight behind her filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled light and shadows on her lovely face, slightly blurring her features and giving her a soft glow.
In that instant, Lin Shen felt as if he had been transported back to his high school days, and a faint sense of loneliness and melancholy sprouted in his heart.
He only snapped out of it when Jiang Wan walked up to him and waved a greeting.
"Senior, you look so full of youth in that!"
"From now on, you should call me Jiang, Lin."
Jiang Wan said with a grin. Her sweet face, paired with a bell-like voice as soothing as a spring breeze, really gave off the vibe of a gentle, idealized dream girl.
"Let’s go."
"Okay."
Lin Shen drove Jiang Wan straight to Shanghai International Studies University. After they entered, the few students on campus glanced at them with varying degrees of surprise, assuming they were high school seniors visiting their future school early.
The academic building, Room 405.
Jiang Wan had booked an empty classroom in advance through the registrar’s website. To make the setting look more like a high school, she had even specifically found a few books to place on the desks.
Lin Shen clipped the action camera to his collar, feeling a little nervous.
"I should warn you, I’ve never acted before."
"It’s fine. You don’t have any lines. You just need to react to what I do."
Jiang Wan comforted him with a light laugh, which helped Lin Shen relax a little.
Just as she’d said, the vast majority of the script was a solo performance by the female lead.
For example, the first scene was mostly about showing how gently Jiang Wan’s character treated the "dull, nerdy top student" played by Lin Shen, helping him open up emotionally.
This was also what she excelled at; you could almost say she was just playing herself.
So, without many takes, they finished filming the first scene in just over an hour.
