Ye Zhou was unaware of how the situation with Jiang Yu was ultimately handled. He only knew that the person had returned safely, without missing any limbs or legs. Apart from appearing thinner and looking rather dispirited, everything else seemed normal.
However, it was said that shortly after his return, loan companies repeatedly showed up at Jiang Yu’s company premises demanding repayment, an incident that even made it to the hot search trends, causing considerable impact on Jiang Yu and his company.
Regardless of the circumstances, Jiang Yu must have repaid the debt, no matter how disgraced he might have been.
After being suspended for over a month, ‘Battle City 2’ finally resumed production. However, this highly anticipated film gradually lost its public appeal due to the successive scandals that tarnished the reputation built by the previous installment.
Apart from external conflicts, internal tensions within ‘Battle City 2’ were even more intense.
Although Jiang Yu eventually repaid the fifty million debt, this incident completely shattered the alliance between him and Summit. Summit no longer trusted Jiang Yu and was only wary of him.
After enduring the torment of that half-month ordeal, Jiang Yu also harbored no goodwill towards Summit. That short period was the most humiliating time of his life.
With both parties harboring ulterior motives, the two major investors of ‘Battle City 2’ were involved in an unsightly feud. The crew, from the director and producer down to the actors and staff, was immediately divided into two incompatible factions.
Under such circumstances, the atmosphere on set was naturally unpleasant. Even worse, neither Jiang Yu nor Summit’s people were willing to invest further in the film, resulting in the originally planned five-month shoot being compressed to just two months.
Nevertheless, ‘Battle City 2′ still had a solid foundation, and its wrap party was a lively affair. While an ordinary film might not even cause a ripple upon its release, this one had already secured two hot search trends just by wrapping up.
Despite the convoluted and arduous filming process, the film still had an established audience base, and viewers’ expectations for it remained high.
After wrapping, ‘Battle City 2’ swiftly entered the editing phase, reportedly hiring the most famous editor in the country. The news immediately elicited cheers from fans upon its release.
In contrast to the fanfare surrounding ‘Battle City 2,’ ‘Rewind’ was considerably quieter.
Before his transmigration, Ye Zhou had always thought it was an exaggeration to delay production for several years just to select suitable actors. However, after ‘Rewind’ repeatedly encountered difficulties in casting, Ye Zhou finally realized that it was not an exaggeration at all.
On several occasions, Ye Zhou contemplated simply casting anyone available, but whenever he witnessed the actors’ performances during the second round of auditions, he ultimately could not nod in approval or utter the word “good.”
After consulting with the assistant director, screenwriter, and original author, Ye Zhou decided to shelve the film temporarily until suitable actors were found.
With ‘Rewind’ on hold, Ye Zhou found himself idle once again.
When bored, he couldn’t resist stirring up trouble. Ye Zhou was the most restless among the troublemakers. After spending a week watching movies at home with Mr. Jiang, Ye Zhou could no longer remain idle.
Coincidentally, the teacher who had previously invited Ye Zhou to film a documentary in Africa called again, saying his team was planning to go to Antarctica to film penguins and inquiring if Ye Zhou was interested in joining them.
Ye Zhou was immediately excited by the prospect, and had it not been for the need to discuss it with Mr. Jiang first, he might have agreed on the spot.
After spending an afternoon researching Antarctic animals online and becoming increasingly enthusiastic, he closed his laptop and deliberately went to the supermarket to buy ingredients, starting early to prepare Mr. Jiang’s favorite dishes.
At nine o’clock that evening, when Jiang Tingyuan returned home, the house was pitch-dark, except for a few warm candlelight flickers on the dining table, adding an alluring ambiance to the already sumptuous spread.
Scanning the room, Jiang Tingyuan finally spotted his target on the sofa. Removing his suit jacket, he approached the sofa and couldn’t help but furrow his brow at the sleeping posture.
Just as he was about to reach out and embrace the person, the figure on the sofa seemed to sense something, fluttering their eyelashes and drowsily opening their eyes.
“Jiang-ge, you’re back?” Ye Zhou asked groggily.
The dim lighting made it difficult for him to clearly see Jiang Tingyuan’s face, only vaguely discerning his silhouette.
Jiang Tingyuan gently stroked his tousled hair and said in a gentle voice, “Eat something and then go to bed.”
Hearing the mention of food, Ye Zhou finally remembered what he had planned earlier. He immediately bounced off the sofa, grabbing Jiang Tingyuan’s hand and leading him to the dining table.
Seeing that the candles on the table were still lit, he finally relaxed. He guided Jiang Tingyuan to his seat, pressing on his shoulders to urge him to sit down.
Seeing that Mr. Jiang had settled in, Ye Zhou cheerfully pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down. His face still bore the imprint of his nap on the sofa, appearing comical in the candlelight, nearly making Jiang Tingyuan laugh.
Oblivious to this, Ye Zhou rubbed his hands together, his eyes brimming with eager anticipation mixed with slight apprehension. It seemed he wanted to say something but hesitated when he saw Mr. Jiang’s face.
Going to Antarctica to film a documentary would take at least a few months, and if things didn’t go smoothly, it could take even longer. If he really went, what would Mr. Jiang do? He would become an empty-nester.
With no one to deliver meals, Mr. Jiang would be busy at work all day and return to a lonely home, eating, working, and watching movies alone.
Imagining the life Mr. Jiang might face after his departure, Ye Zhou’s initial excitement and enthusiasm miraculously diminished.
Like a deflated balloon, Ye Zhou lowered his head dejectedly, swallowing back the words he was about to say. He gestured for Mr. Jiang to eat, using the shared chopsticks to place a piece of fish on Mr. Jiang’s plate, somewhat guiltily saying, “Jiang-ge, try this.”
Who was Jiang Tingyuan? A veteran in the business world, Ye Zhou’s abnormal behavior naturally couldn’t escape his eyes, but out of consideration, he didn’t ask directly.
Ye Zhou’s cooking skills were only average, not exceptional. His specialties were limited to porridge and instant noodles. While he knew how to cook other dishes, they were just passable in terms of taste.
In his previous life, he was constantly busy, with no time even for sleep, let alone the opportunity or inclination to study cooking. His culinary skills only improved after transmigrating to this world.
Tonight’s dinner was prepared with effort, and while the taste might not have been exceptional, the presentation was quite appealing.
When Ye Zhou asked how it tasted, Mr. Jiang generously praised, “The flavor is excellent. Thank you for your hard work.”
Ye Zhou chuckled foolishly, thinking that Mr. Jiang must be the most easily satisfied person in the world.
This candlelit dinner lasted over an hour. To set the mood, Ye Zhou had prepared a bottle of red wine, deliberately choosing one with a lower alcohol content since he knew his tolerance was poor.
Little did he expect that this body had an exceptionally low alcohol tolerance. After just two glasses of red wine, his head began to spin.
Jiang Tingyuan rested his chin on his hands, watching Ye Zhou pour him a drink, and suddenly asked, “Is there something special that made you happy today?”
The two were originally chatting casually, so when Jiang Tingyuan asked his question, it seemed natural, causing Ye Zhou to answer without thinking, “A friend invited me to Antarctica…”
Halfway through his sentence, Ye Zhou realized his mistake.
However, even though he didn’t complete his statement, Jiang Tingyuan had already understood the meaning behind his words.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and as their eyes met, Ye Zhou averted his gaze like a guilty party.
Feeling that he couldn’t let the awkwardness linger, Ye Zhou cleared his throat and began, “Actually, I’m not really…”
At the same time, Jiang Tingyuan’s voice rang out, “If you want to go, then go.”
They had spoken simultaneously, yet their words contrasted starkly.
After another silence, Jiang Tingyuan let out a light chuckle and put down his chopsticks. He walked over to Ye Zhou and, as he had done countless times before, his cool palm touched the top of Ye Zhou’s head, gently rubbing it.
“I love you, and love can be expressed in many ways, but love is not confinement.”
“If you love something, pursue it.”
“Do what you want to do, without any hesitation.”
Ye Zhou nearly cried upon hearing those words. He pushed away Jiang Tingyuan’s hand and, unusually setting aside his reservations, reached out to Mr. Jiang with a whine, “Hug me!”
Jiang Tingyuan’s eyes crinkled with a smile as he opened his arms, enveloping his precious treasure in an embrace.
If Ye Zhou’s previous departure had taught him anything, it was not only to respect life but also to respect and accept every decision he made.
Although he might feel a sense of loss and the days without Ye Zhou might be difficult, as long as it was what Ye Zhou wanted, Jiang Tingyuan would never refuse.
He was the person most precious to him. How could Jiang Tingyuan be so selfish as to keep him by his side, forcing him to give up pursuing what he loved and leaving him disappointed?
One disappointment was enough.
With Mr. Jiang’s encouragement, Ye Zhou slept soundly and sweetly that night, not only because Mr. Jiang had agreed to let him go to Antarctica but also because that feeling of being supported and understood was truly wonderful.
However, in the end, Ye Zhou still didn’t manage to go to Antarctica, not because Mr. Jiang changed his mind, but because Ye Zhou himself faced a great dilemma and challenge.
This story goes back two days earlier when Ye Zhou was excitedly discussing with Mr. Jiang the equipment needed for their trip to Antarctica. As they were talking about the color of the winter gear, Ye Zhou suddenly received a phone call.
It was from Geng Bochuan. A year ago, he won the Golden Lemon Best Actor award for his performance in ‘Chasing the Light’, gained favor from many directors, and found his acting opportunities expanding.
The roles offered to Geng Bochuan were no longer just youthful idol dramas but characters with depth and substance that required certain acting skills.
The last time Geng Bochuan had called was to share the good news of passing the audition for a supporting role in the new film by famous director Sang Huaining. After that, Geng Bochuan started a closed filming schedule, roaming various mountains and villages, rarely seen even by paparazzi.
When he received the call, Ye Zhou was quite surprised and asked, “Yo, Xiao Geng, have you finally wrapped up?”
Despite not seeing each other for half a year, Geng Bochuan’s voice sounded unchanged, still cheerful. “Yeah, Ye-ge, I just came down from the mountains and am still on the road. Do you have time these next couple of days? I want to come see you and also have something I want to discuss with you.”
“Sure, just come over whenever you’re free. Speaking of which, I also have something I need your help with. I recently took on a project called ‘Rewind,’ and I’ve had a hard time finding a suitable actor for a while. If you’re available, why don’t you come and audition? You might just be the right fit.”
The two quickly agreed, and the day after Geng Bochuan returned from the mountains, he paid Ye Zhou a visit.
Upon hearing his intention, Ye Zhou was dumbfounded.
“You’re saying Director Sang wants to work with me?”
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