Ye Zhou was just waiting to watch the show when he received a call from Mr. Jiang.
After a brief conversation with Mr. Jiang, Ye Zhou turned to Cheng Ran and asked, “Are you coming with me? I can give you a ride.”
He meant well. After all, even though Cheng Ran had received an award today, he didn’t have much influence in the country. Even if Jiang Yu wanted to make things difficult for Cheng Ran, it would be effortless given his status.
On the other hand, if Ye Zhou took Cheng Ran away, Jiang Yu wouldn’t dare to do anything, even if he was reluctant. After all, even if he didn’t care about Ye Zhou’s face, he had to consider Jiang Tingyuan, the big shot.
Moreover, the current Ye Zhou was no longer the same. Ever since “The Most Beautiful” won the award at the Golden Jade Film Festival, Ye Zhou’s status in the industry had been rising rapidly. Now, with his new work “Rewind” winning an award at the Golden Lemon Film Festival immediately upon his return, not only did he win an award himself, but he also promoted a best newcomer.
Undoubtedly, this was terrifying. Ye Zhou’s ability to attract funds was well-known in and outside the industry through his early films. Back then, people could mock Ye Zhou for not having awards, but now, with two Golden Lemon best director awards, one Golden Jade best director award, and three prestigious international film festival awards in his hands, no one dared to underestimate him as they did a few years ago.
Once news of his return spread, it was said that several long-established and well-funded investors in the country reached out to him, and as for actors, it went without saying.
On the surface alone, there were several seasoned veterans and up-and-coming actors and actresses not hiding their desire to collaborate with him.
Just when the award ceremony was about to end tonight, the newly crowned Golden Lemon Best Actor, Feng Yan, who was only just awarded this year, was asked by reporters which director he most wanted to work with. Without hesitation, he named Ye Zhou.
Good directors were not uncommon, and talented directors were also abundant in the industry, but what kind of director did countless actors strive to impress and collaborate with within this industry?
It was the kind of director who could train actors. Ye Zhou had transitioned from a commercial director to an art film director in just a few years and had already promoted an actor to a Best Actor and a Best Newcomer.
As for Geng Bochuan, who he had discovered and trained over the years, he had been very successful, winning both Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor.
Whenever asked about his feelings in interviews, Geng Bochuan always expressed genuine gratitude towards Ye Zhou without a hint of insincerity.
The audience and the media were well aware of the state Geng Bochuan was in before filming “Chasing the Light” and how much his acting skills had improved since then; it’s not an exaggeration to say it’s a transformation.
Over time, more and more people believed that Ye Zhou had his own special methods of training actors. With so many awards under his belt, Ye Zhou was not just an object of desire for actors and traffic stars to collaborate with, but also a target for investors to court. After all, a director who can attract funds and win awards is hard to come by in the entertainment industry, apart from seasoned veteran directors.
The scariest thing was not the achievements Ye Zhou currently possessed, but his almost limitless future. He won these awards before even reaching the age of thirty, which was a terrifying accomplishment.
For a director with such boundless potential, which investor wouldn’t want to court him? Even if they could not fully utilize him, a win-win cooperation would still be an excellent choice.
In contrast, Jiang Yu nowadays, apart from being the young master of the Jiang family, had almost nothing going for him. Even the title of Jiang family young master was not held in high regard by everyone in the upper-class circles. Who did not know about the minimal significance of being the son of Jiang Changsong, Jiang Yu’s father? How much of a joke was there in Jiang Yu’s title of young master, everyone was well aware.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that if Ye Zhou wanted to protect Cheng Ran, he wouldn’t need Jiang Tingyuan to intervene, as Jiang Yu truly has no way to stop it.
Cheng Ran was not a fool. How could he not sense Ye Zhou’s protection towards him? His heart warmed slightly, but he didn’t return to China to cause trouble for Ye Zhou. He came back to help Ye Zhou solve problems.
Cheng Ran pursed his lips, showing a somewhat shy and timid smile, and said to Ye Zhou, “Thank you, Director Ye, I can go back by myself, there’s no need.”
Ye Zhou didn’t expect him to refuse and was momentarily caught off guard. He wanted to persuade Cheng Ran to leave with him, but seeing the struggle in Cheng Ran’s eyes when he glanced at Jiang Yu, he ultimately didn’t say anything. He even started to doubt whether the disdain and disgust he saw in Cheng Ran’s eyes earlier were real. Can the world really be so fantastical, going from disdain one moment to changing their mind the next?
Are they all so fickle, the main characters? They really know how to play.
Ye Zhou sighed, chose not to persuade further, patted Cheng Ran on the shoulder, and waved his phone, indicating he could call anytime if needed.
Cheng Ran nodded vigorously, his eyes moist, resembling a timid little creature.
As Ye Zhou turned to leave, Cheng Ran suddenly called out to him, “Director Ye!”
Turning back, Ye Zhou saw Cheng Ran had taken out the trophy he had just received tonight from the box and handed it to him.
Cheng Ran smiled shyly, his lips pursed, saying, “I may not be able to carry it tonight. Could you please keep it for me for two days, and I’ll come to pick it up when I have time?”
Cheng Ran was actually quite handsome, with fair skin and bright round eyes on his doll-like face. When he smiled, two shallow dimples would appear, giving off a vibe of a friendly next-door neighbor, making it hard for anyone to refuse his requests.
Ye Zhou didn’t want to get involved in this matter, but they had worked together for over a year in the same crew. Cheng Ran had always been diligent and hadn’t caused any trouble. It would be fake to say that there were no feelings involved.
Privately, Ye Zhou truly didn’t want to see him fall back into the abyss after finally pulling himself out. However, everyone has their own path, and no one can make decisions for anyone else except themselves. The only thing Ye Zhou could do was accept the trophy that Cheng Ran handed over.
After Ye Zhou left, only Cheng Ran and Jiang Yu were left by the back door.
Under the streetlight, Cheng Ran wore a gentle and harmless smile as he walked over to Jiang Yu, offering his hand, as he had done many times before, softly saying, “Ah Yu, are you okay? Let me help you up.”
People, sometimes, are just so pitiful.
Standing on the stage, radiant and aloof, Cheng Ran ignored him, and Jiang Yu felt like a cat scratching inside, with every cell in his body clamoring to conquer him.
But when Cheng Ran reverted to his previous gentle demeanor, all of Jiang Yu’s impulses faded away like receding tide, leaving only disgust and disdain.
See, he knew Cheng Ran couldn’t live without him. Cheng Ran was like a dog he kept; even if the dog might snap or run away when scared, in the end, with just a little beckoning, he would come back to him.
Jiang Yu was helped up from the ground by Cheng Ran, he stomped his feet and proudly said, “Can’t you see the dirt on my shoes? Hurry up and clean them for me!”
Cheng Ran, being very patient, agreed without a hint of displeasure, and took out a tissue from his pocket, bending down to wipe off the dust that had smudged on Jiang Yu’s shoes.
After finishing this task, Cheng Ran softly said, “Ah Yu, can we take a walk together? I have a lot of things I want to talk to you about.”
Jiang Yu snorted coldly, his tone harsh and mocking, “You’ve grown wings now, is there anything you still need to say to me, hmm?”
“Don’t be like this,” Cheng Ran bit his lip, lowered his head, and when he raised it again, tears filled his big eyes. He spoke with a trembling voice, “Ah Yu, please don’t bully me.”
Jiang Yu was about to say something else when the next moment, everything went dark in front of him. He was suddenly hit by a great force and thrown away. Before Jiang Yu could even struggle, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and then he lost consciousness completely.
When Jiang Yu opened his eyes again, he found himself unable to see anything. The surrounding air smelled damp and decayed, and the sound of dripping water in his ears seemed like a death toll, causing panic to rise in his heart.
Jiang Yu wanted to scream, but what came out was not his voice, but a choking sound. The foreign object in his mouth made speaking, even swallowing saliva a luxury.
“Oh, you woke up.” In the midst of utter silence, a deep, sinister voice sounded from beside Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu vaguely remembered hearing this kind of voice somewhere before, but now, besides fear, his mind was blank, and he couldn’t recall where this fleeting sense of familiarity came from.
“Young Master Jiang, do you remember me? You may not have seen me before, but your photos cover the entire wall of my room.” The man’s sinister voice was like a venomous snake, sending shivers down Jiang Yu’s spine with every word.
“Ooh, ooh, ooh…” Jiang Yu struggled hard, trying to break free, but it was all in vain. His struggles only deepened the ropes that bound him tightly to his skin.
Gazing at his miserable state, a faint smile of enjoyment appeared on the man’s face. He approached Jiang Yu, looking down at the once proud young master, and softly said, “Since you don’t remember me anymore, let me introduce myself.”
“My surname is Zou.”
“My full name is Zou Rong, and I’m Ranran’s brother.”
Zou Rong’s sinister voice made Jiang Yu extremely uncomfortable. Just then, Jiang Yu felt a cold sensation on his face, as if a metallic object was rubbing against it, causing his hair to stand on end in fear.
“Mr. Jiang, don’t be so nervous. I didn’t invite you here with ill intentions. I just… have been a little tight on cash lately. Mr. Jiang, you’re so rich, I’m sure you would be willing to be generous and not stingy with your money, right?”
Before Jiang Yu could react, Zou Rong’s tone turned threatening, “After all, money can be earned back, but once your life is gone, there’s nothing left.”
Jiang Yu struggled and writhed like a madman, looking extremely disheveled, with no trace of his former spirited demeanor.
Seeing his sorry state, Zou Rong not only didn’t show any disgust but instead grew more excited. He leaned closer to Jiang Yu and, in a very ambiguous tone, whispered in his ear, “Mr. Jiang, how does it feel to have my little brother? After sleeping with him all these years, do you really think you can just kick him away without paying a price?”
As Zou Rong spoke, the blade in his hand, glinting ominously, slowly traced over Jiang Yu’s body, eventually descending towards his lower body.
“What are you doing, Zou Rong! What do you want from me? Let go of Jiang Yu!” Cheng Ran’s voice echoed in the empty warehouse, trembling with fear.
Cheng Ran was bound a mere five meters away from Jiang Yu, shivering all over, trying to appear calm to appease Zou Rong.
However, the moment he spoke, Zou Rong’s anger flared up. What was initially meant to be a scare tactic turned into real action as his hand holding the knife hardened.
Despite Cheng Ran’s efforts to remain composed, it seemed as though he didn’t notice anything, and he pleaded once again in a trembling voice, “Please don’t hurt him, I beg you. Please, don’t hurt him…”
The one thing Zou Rong couldn’t stand from Cheng Ran since childhood was his pleading tone like this.
Whenever Cheng Ran used this pleading tone with him in the past, Zou Rong wished he could tear him apart and crush him into his body. But now, when this plea was for another man—
The blade fell.
“Aahh!!”
A piercing scream instantly echoed through the entire warehouse.
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