Looks are a mysterious thing.

For some, attractiveness shifts with weather, mood, or outfit. Others don’t stun at first glance—but grow more captivating the longer you look.

Huacai was the latter type.

Plain white tee, simplest jeans, short hair grazing her chin. You’d walk right past her without noticing.

Had Luo Xiaolu not just learned the girl’s name was Huacai, she wouldn’t have recognized her as the voice actress she’d eliminated yesterday.

A true “background character” girl.

But seeing Huacai’s flustered expression, Luo Xiaolu’s gaze lingered on her face for three seconds.

She had to admit—it made her heart skip a beat!

So adorable!!!

That gut-punch charm melted Luo Xiaolu completely.

Neat short hair, model-student vibes. A single tease would make her blush. So pure even lecherous guys couldn’t crack dirty jokes around her—the ultimate first-love girl!

Watching Huacai panic, Luo Xiaolu decided: time to be just a little less reserved.

“Want an autograph?” she asked with a smile.

“Eep!!!”

Huacai, stunned Zhou Shuren had spoken to *her*, snapped awake and nodded vigorously.

Liuyu, her agent, chuckled. “Huacai, seriously? Speechless in front of your idol?”

Huacai swatted her arm. “No way!”

“Your notebook?”

Luo Xiaolu scanned the area—nowhere to write.

“I… I didn’t bring one,” Huacai stammered, flustered.

“I’ll sign your shirt!”

Before Huacai could react, Luo Xiaolu quickly scribbled her name on the chest of Huacai’s T-shirt.

Huacai covered her mouth, then cried out:

“Thank you, Sister Shuren!!!”

The shout drew nearby glances.

“Zhou Shuren signed *on* Huacai’s shirt?!”

“So jealous!”

“Wasn’t Sister Shuren at the other table? She came over?!”

“Ugh, I’m dying of envy!”

Huacai ducked her head—but a radiant smile bloomed across her face.

“Teacher Zhou Shuren, you’re so skilled! Did you train professionally?” Liuyu asked.

Huacai and Xiaoqiu were fresh-faced teens; Liuyu, their agent, looked like a recent grad—polished but warm.

“No, just a hobby,” Luo Xiaolu said.

“You’re amazing! Join our agency! You’ll be a world-class voice actress!”

*Professional voice actress?*

Luo Xiaolu paused. She’d meant to play around… but Liuyu’s words sparked real interest.

Voice acting was legit. If the world heard and loved her work, her Artistic Index would rise.

Of course, limits applied. No roles clashing with her image—buxom airheads, blonde tsunderes, tomboy archetypes. Zero image boost.

Still, in entertainment, Artistic Index spiked early. Her novel was nearing saturation; daily gains were tiny. Anime adaptation would bring the big harvest. But voice acting? Easy points, fast.

“Might as well try,” Luo Xiaolu said.

After all, wasting the “Beautiful Voice Skill Card” was unthinkable.

“So… you agree, Teacher Zhou Shuren?”

“Yep.”

“YES!”

Liuyu couldn’t believe it—attending a mixer and *signing Zhou Shuren*?! Her boss *had* to give her a raise.

Huacai and Xiaoqiu vibrated with joy.

Working with Sister Shuren at the same agency!

“Then I’ll be Sister Shuren’s senior!” Xiaoqiu cheered.

“I… I will too!” Huacai added, beaming.

After the party, Luo Xiaolu went to Shiying Agency and signed the contract on the spot.

Amid applause from the small team, she bowed with a smile.

“Please take care of me!”

Technically, she should’ve picked a new stage name. But “Zhou Shuren” carried clout—why waste it? She kept her pen name.

Soon, Shiying Agency’s site listed a new voice actress: “Zhou Shuren.”

Per Luo Xiaolu’s request, they didn’t reveal she was *the* novelist Zhou Shuren. Her voice skills were unknown; premature exposure risked backlash like “riding fame.”

She’d wait for the anime premiere—unleash her peak performance with a bang. Let the world see: Zhou Shuren was the most perfect artistic beauty imaginable.

Life settled back into rhythm.

Luo Xiaotang kept grinding online games, practicing social skills. Luo Xiaolu didn’t disturb her.

After pulling an all-nighter on *The Garden of Words* Vol. 2, she published the whole thing at once.

Thanks to prior promo, hype kept climbing—ready to explode.

Blessed with skill and grit, Luo Xiaolu updated faster than almost anyone. No events? She’d type for hours, unfazed by monotony. Truly an emotionless writing machine.

Fans never guessed the glamorous Zhou Shuren was just an ordinary shut-in at home.

A month passed on Weibo. Her latest post? Still the book announcement. Comments flooded in:

“Sister Shuren, post daily life! What do you eat? What do you do? 😭”

“I’ll die without seeing you!”

“Selfies please! I beg you!”

“So bored… any ‘Cereal Brother’?”

“Bro, got that AI-face-swap Zhou Shuren action clip?”

“SCRAM! Don’t tarnish Sister Shuren!”

“Ignore him—hook me up…”

But Luo Xiaolu rarely went online. No replies ever came.

Fans loved it. This aloof purity fit their sacred idol image perfectly. They commented harder.

Yep. Total masochists.

After a quiet week, Luo Xiaolu’s phone rang.

Liuyu’s voice:

“Teacher Shuren—our agency got an anime offer. Please prepare!”