The two walked down the mountain under the cover of night. On their way, Ye Zhou kept thinking, fortunately, this mountain wasn’t tall, just a short little hill. Otherwise, they would have had to walk all night.
Just the thought of it made his feet ache, it was too miserable.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Jiang Tingyuan’s driver was already waiting. Jiang Tingyuan sent Ye Zhou back to his small apartment. Mr. Jiang wanted to escort him up, but Ye Zhou stopped him and didn’t let him get out of the car.
As they parted, Ye Zhou had already prepared to go upstairs, but after taking two steps, he suddenly turned around as if he had remembered something. He walked back to Mr. Jiang’s car and knocked on the window.
After the window rolled down, Ye Zhou stretched his hand and grabbed the window frame, looking provocatively at Mr. Jiang inside, and brazenly beckoned him with his finger.
Mr. Jiang had no idea what was going on, thinking Ye Zhou had something to say, so he leaned closer to the window.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he got close, Ye Zhou’s hand moved away from the window frame, lifted Jiang Tingyuan’s chin, and leaned forward to kiss him.
Before Mr. Jiang could react, Ye Zhou let go immediately, acting nonchalantly, and coughed lightly, “Ah, it’s getting late, I’ll go up first.”
After saying that, Ye Zhou slipped away like a wisp of smoke, and by the time Mr. Jiang came to his senses, Ye Zhou had already gone far away, making it impossible to chase after him now.
Jiang Tingyuan touched his lips. The cool, thin lips still seemed to carry Ye Zhou’s lingering warmth and a faint hint of mint fragrance.
“Sir?” After a long silence without receiving new instructions, the driver couldn’t help but ask cautiously.
Jiang Tingyuan withdrew his thoughts, pondered for a moment, and said, “Go to the office.”
He needed to finish the urgent work early so he could spend more time figuring out how to quickly win over the person he liked! Jiang Tingyuan prided himself on being level-headed. Facing even the toughest projects involving huge sums of money in the business world, he could remain calm. But when it came to Ye Zhou, forget about staying calm; Jiang Tingyuan wished he could take him home as soon as possible and eliminate all the “flies” around him.
At the same time, Xu Fei, who was playing games, sneezed repeatedly.
“Got a cold?”
Facing the agent’s concern, Xu Fei put down his phone, rubbed his nose, and said, “I don’t think so, I haven’t caught a chill these past few days.”
The agent hinted with a smile, “Could it be that someone is missing you?”
Although Xu Fei hadn’t told his agent about his feelings for Ye Zhou, they had worked together for so long that the agent knew him too well. He didn’t need Xu Fei to say anything; he could roughly guess from his eyes and attitude.
Moreover, Xu Fei never intended to hide it from the beginning. Although he was rather Buddhist, he never disdained to hide anything, as his family background was out in the open, unlike other celebrities who had to be cautious.
Hearing the agent’s implication, Xu Fei immediately recalled the man who suddenly appeared on the rooftop, claiming to be Ye Zhou’s boyfriend. Xu Fei shook his head, “Don’t joke around. Director Ye has a boyfriend.”
Thinking about it, Xu Fei felt somewhat helpless. He had a gentle nature but was quite picky. The people who could catch his eye were few and far between. Just when he finally took a liking to someone, he was informed that person was already taken.
Xu Fei sighed and tried to recall the face of the man who took Ye Zhou away. The rooftop lights were dim at the time, his attention was mainly on Ye Zhou, and the incident happened too quickly, so he didn’t get a clear look at the man’s face, only feeling a sense of familiarity.
“Is there a way to find out who the person who took Director Ye away is?”
There’s a saying that as long as you dance the hoe well enough, there’s no wall corner that can’t be dug out1只要锄头舞得好，没有挖不倒的墙角 (zhǐ yào chú tóu wǔ dé hǎo, méi yǒu wā bù dǎo de qiáng jiǎo) can be roughly translated as “as long as the hoe dances well, there is no corner of the wall that cannot be dug down.” It suggests that with the right skills and effort, one can overcome any obstacle or difficulty. It emphasizes persistence, resourcefulness, and the ability to find solutions even in difficult situations. I also found this on HiNative: “When the person you want to pursue is already in a relationship, you can continue to pursue that person and find ways to sabotage their relationship and make them break up, so as to achieve your own goal of falling in love with that person. This is known as “digging corners”/”digging the foot”. This sentence means that as long as you continue to work hard, you will definitely be able to achieve the goal of “digging corners”.” Lol, so this would explain the following thoughts of Xu Fei.. Not that Xu Fei intended to do anything, even though he was Buddhist, he still had his dignity and wouldn’t stoop so low as to steal someone else’s boyfriend.
Although he couldn’t really dig into it, he could at least line up first, right? Xu Fei genuinely liked Ye Zhou a lot, and it had been many years since he last felt his heart flutter like this for someone. If it was Ye Zhou, he didn’t mind waiting. He was worth it!
Coincidentally, when Ye Zhou was taken away, Xu Fei’s agent happened to come out looking for Xu Fei, so he did witness that scene, but he didn’t think much of it at the time. Now that his young boss mentioned it, he began recalling the situation.
The agent wiped the teasing look off his face and tried to remember. His expression was normal at first, but suddenly, as if recalling something, it turned rather unpleasant.
Xu Fei noticed his agent’s change in demeanor and asked, “What’s wrong? Do you know him?”
The agent nodded, then shook his head. After a few seconds of silence, he said, “Not only do I know him, but you also know him.”
Xu Fei felt confused, as he didn’t recall knowing that person at all. That man just came and tried to take someone away from him, and even succeeded in taking the person away right in front of Xu Fei’s eyes! If he didn’t know the man, it would be better, but if he really did know him, then there would definitely be bad blood between them.
The agent looked at him and suddenly reached out to pat his shoulder lightly a couple of times, consoling him, “There are plenty of fish in the sea. As long as you patiently take your time to look, you’ll eventually find someone!”
Xu Fei: “?”
They had worked together for so many years. Although Xu Fei didn’t take his career too seriously, he had a good relationship with his agent. Seeing him beating around the bush now, Xu Fei lightly kicked his butt, “If you know, just say it. Don’t change the subject and leave me hanging.”
Xu Fei’s agent sighed and said, “Do you remember who your dad took you to meet when you were about to enter the entertainment industry years ago?”
Xu Fei: “???”
Since it was quite a long time ago, he thought about it carefully. After the agent’s reminder, he finally recalled the situation from the jumble of thoughts. When he realized the agent was implying that the person could possibly be the one his father had taken him to visit many years ago… No, it couldn’t be that coincidental, could it?
“You mean…?” Xu Fei still clung to a glimmer of hope, trying to get the agent to deny his guess.
But some things were just that coincidental.
The agent looked at him with pity and said slowly, “It’s Mr. Jiang Tingyuan.”
Xu Fei: “……”
Excuse me, goodbye!
A budding affection was mercilessly nipped in the bud. Xu Fei felt bitter, but he couldn’t say anything about it.
After Xu Fei finished filming, the progress of ‘Thriller Circus’ improved compared to before. This movie wasn’t a profound one, purely a commercial film. The audience wouldn’t care about the actors’ skills; more than their acting, they cared about the thrilling sensation the plot could provide.
Therefore, the film didn’t demand much from the actors’ performances; as long as they looked fine on camera, Ye Zhou rarely called for a cut. There was no need to frequently scrutinize details or coach the actors, making the filming process smooth. Neither “A Farce” nor “Chasing the Light” could compare with its pace.
“Got it, that take is good. Take a 15-minute break and start preparing for the next scene.”
At Ye Zhou’s voice, the previously tense set immediately became lively, with various departments busying themselves for the needs of the upcoming scene.
Ye Zhou unscrewed the lid of his tumbler and was about to drink some water when his phone, which was on silent mode in his pocket, suddenly vibrated.
Putting down the bottle, he took out his phone and was surprised to see it was Zhu Ning calling, someone he hadn’t been in contact with for quite some time. He answered and asked, “Xiao Zhu, aren’t you busy lately? You actually have time to call me?”
On the other end, Zhu Ning’s voice was still gentle, but it lacked the timidity and trouble from before, sounding much more cheerful.
“Director Ye, I’m unemployed now. The company has kicked me out, and I have nowhere to go. I wanted to ask if it’s convenient for you to take me in for a bit?”
Hearing this, Ye Zhou’s expression froze for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, he asked in shock, “You terminated your contract with Summit? Did Summit give you a hard time? No, they definitely wouldn’t let you go that easily, right? What did you promise them to make them release you?”
Zhu Ning let out a light laugh and shook his head, “I didn’t promise anything, but I recently got my hands on some things that would be troublesome for Summit. I agreed to pay the breach of contract penalty, and considering what I have, Summit had no choice but to let me go. However, they initially wanted me to pay an exorbitant penalty according to the contract, but such an astronomical penalty wouldn’t be recognized by the court.”
Ye Zhou detected the composure and calmness in his voice, suddenly recalling their meeting at the hospital ages ago. His current composure and strength were completely different from the avoidance and vulnerability back then.
This change was undoubtedly very positive. While Ye Zhou felt moved, he was more genuinely happy for Zhu Ning’s ability to escape the hell that was Summit.
“Congratulations!” Ye Zhou sincerely congratulated him, then pondered and said, “After terminating with Summit, do you have any plans? Have you already talked to another company? Do you need me to help contact Jingzhe?”
“I believe they would definitely welcome you if they knew you wanted to switch companies.”
Ye Zhou said cheerfully, and this wasn’t an exaggeration at all. Although Summit had been extremely unlucky this year, constantly plagued by various scandals, and its plummeting stock price had driven the board of directors mad, it hadn’t impacted Zhu Ning much.
In fact, because of Summit’s previous scandals of exploitation being exposed, not only did it not negatively affect him, but it actually had a positive impact on Zhu Ning. The extra popularity was secondary; most importantly, it shaped a public image of him as a hardworking but cruelly exploited young victim.
Don’t underestimate the power of sympathy, even if it’s mostly pity. If handled properly, with a capable team managing it, there’s a great possibility of turning that sympathy into positive admiration, helping Zhu Ning gain more public support.
At the same time, Zhu Ning had been working nonstop for the past two years. His schedule was full every single day. The saying “Heaven never shortchanges the diligent and hardworking” couldn’t be more fitting for Zhu Ning.
All his efforts had paid off. His status within the industry was rising, and externally, he had had solid works over these years. It was no exaggeration to say he was at the peak of his career, already carrying himself with the aura of a top star.
The current Zhu Ning would be a coveted prize that any company would fight tooth and nail to get. He was simply a walking cash cow. Whichever company he joined would rake in massive profits.
Zhu Ning smiled, “Thank you, Ye-ge, for your kindness, but it’s not just me alone. There are also a few younger brothers who aren’t easy to take care of. Over the past two years, I’ve earned some money and plan to use it to establish my own studio. Although I’m not sure if this decision is correct, but as you said…difficulties are only temporary, everything will get better, right?”
Ye Zhou laughed, suddenly getting the sense that his own child had grown up. But whenever he thought about how Zhu Ning would no longer die tragically young from overwork like in the original story, Ye Zhou felt extremely happy.
“Yes, everything will get better.”
It was the same for Zhu Ning, the same for Jiang Tingyuan, and the same for himself.
They would all get better.
Whatever crappy plot, whatever ill-fated ending written in the book – those plots might restrict them temporarily but could never limit their entire lives. No matter what characters they were in the book, as long as they were clear that they weren’t just fictional characters, but real people of flesh and blood with souls and self-awareness, then they could never be bound by any plot or so-called ending for their whole lives.
Getting a second chance at life wasn’t easy. If they cowered in fear and tiptoed around everything, that would be too pitiful.
For a moment, Ye Zhou could clearly hear the sound of something shattering inside his body. It was the shackles that had tried to influence and change his mindset since coming to this world. Now they were completely shattered. From now on, nothing could restrain him anymore.
An ending?
His ending, of course, would naturally be determined by his own efforts and struggles. Why should he hold back and swallow his voice? There might be an ending, but that ending could only, and would only, be decided by himself. Why should a book define it for him?
Zhu Ning would live well. Mr. Jiang would live well. And Ye Zhou himself would live well too.
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