As soon as the car stopped at the entrance of Orange TV, Ye Zhou flung open the door and rushed out without waiting for the driver to open it. He had only taken a few steps when he heard the soft sound of the car window slowly rolling down.
Accompanying that sound was Jiang Tingyuan’s voice, devoid of any discernible emotion.
“Xiao Zhou.”
Ye Zhou originally decided to ignore Jiang Tingyuan no matter what he said, intending to run straight into the TV station. However, it became clear that his conditioned reflex would not allow him to do so.
Almost as soon as Jiang Tingyuan spoke, Ye Zhou froze in his running stance, as if under a spell. After a few seconds, his running turned into standing still.
Seeing that Boss Jiang did not seem entirely satisfied, Ye Zhou resigned to his fate and jogged in a circle, heading back to the car. He walked back the same way he had come, continuing to stand still in front of the car, his face bearing an awkward yet polite smile.
“Jiang-ge, is there anything else?”
Jiang Tingyuan studied him for a few seconds, then suddenly extended his long arm out of the car window, precisely grasping the tie Ye Zhou had tied himself. Exerting a gentle force, Ye Zhou was pulled down, and the two found themselves face to face once again.
Looking into Boss Jiang’s cold, emotionless eyes, and then at their current somewhat peculiar yet subtly intimate position, Ye Zhou seemed to suddenly recall something. Without waiting for Boss Jiang to make a move, he took a deep breath and leaned in, placing a light kiss on Jiang Tingyuan’s slightly cool, thin lips before the latter could react.
Their lips had barely touched when Ye Zhou was already eager to escape. However, the experienced Boss Jiang, familiar with Ye Zhou’s personality, reached out and grasped his head, deepening the kiss before Ye Zhou could get away.
After the kiss ended, Ye Zhou’s heart, which had just calmed down, began racing again, and the temperature on his face, which had just returned to normal, rose once more.
By the time he was released, he was like a shrimp fished out from hot water, his whole body flushed red. His thoughts were jumbled as he spoke: “Jiang-ge, you’re busy, I’ve got it handled, I’ll go in first.”
Jiang Tingyuan reached out and ruffled his hair, saying, “I’ll go up with you.”
Ye Zhou, already dizzy from the succession of kisses, saw that not only did Jiang Tingyuan not leave, but he also intended to accompany him upstairs. His smile was light as he nodded repeatedly, “Okay, then… thank you, Jiang-ge.”
He acted very calm but as soon as they started walking towards the entrance, the facade crumbled.
Jiang Tingyuan noticed the anomaly and raised an eyebrow. His footsteps halted, and the distracted Ye Zhou, who had not yet regained his focus, took a few more steps before being called back by Jiang Tingyuan. Ye Zhou turned back, looking bewildered.
Jiang Tingyuan gestured towards his legs and reminded him, “Your hands and feet are in sync.”
Ye Zhou: “…”
Today, this person was truly making a fool of himself.
After the reminder, Ye Zhou tried to correct his gait, but when one is in a state of extreme nervousness, the more one tries, the more mistakes one makes. Thus, in this situation, for the less than 200-meter distance, Ye Zhou found it exceedingly difficult to walk.
He would take a few normal steps, then veer off, only to self-correct back to a normal stride. The mixed and matched steps were almost painful to watch.
Finally, after much struggle, they reached the elevator. Ye Zhou, like a punished quail, shrank into the corner of the elevator, slowly exhaling. Recalling the earlier exciting events, he quietly negotiated with Jiang Tingyuan, “Jiang-ge, can we discuss something?”
Jiang Tingyuan stood by the elevator, not looking at him, simply responding, “Speak.”
“Well, Jiang-ge, when you kiss me, could you hold back a little in public and wait until we’re home?” Ye Zhou’s request to his sponsor was laced with nervousness, a far cry from his usual confidence on set.
Jiang Tingyuan’s narrowed gaze was calm as he asked, “Am I that embarrassing to be with?”
Ye Zhou shook his head vehemently, quickly denying it. “No, no, no. I’m just a small director, what do I have to be afraid of? I’m used to being talked about. It’s just that I’m worried it might negatively impact you, Jiang-ge.”
What Ye Zhou said was quite true. Being a director, even a renowned one, meant enduring constant criticism and gossip, something he had become quite immune to. But Boss Jiang was different.
Boss Jiang was the current head of the Jiang family. The Jiang family is a century-old family with numerous internal conflicts. Jiang Tingyuan’s numerous illegitimate siblings were like hidden wolves, waiting for an opportunity to pounce and take a bite.
Especially one of these illegitimate children was Jiang Yu. Who was Jiang Yu? He was the protagonist gong with his own protagonist halo.
If Jiang Yu were to somehow obtain leverage over Boss Jiang and use it to threaten him for his own ulterior motives, that would not be good at all.
This was not just Ye Zhou’s unfounded worries. In the original story, the protagonist gong and shou did indeed use the original owner as a breakthrough point, coupled with the protagonist halo, to eventually take down the main villain, Boss Jiang, who possessed exceptional intellect and rationality throughout the story.
As for Boss Jiang Tingyuan kissing him, Ye Zhou had already mentally prepared himself. After all, Boss Jiang had spent a considerable amount of money on him, and it was not out of pure charity.
Ye Zhou had long felt that their previous relationship could be described as “fatherly love and filial piety,” leading him to wonder at times if he had found a financial sponsor or an adoptive father.
Now, this was a normal thing that happens between a sponsor and their kept lover! A standard sponsor-lover relationship.
The elevator arrived at their floor, and as the familiar “ding” sounded, Boss Jiang’s calm voice followed.
“I don’t care about these things.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhou tried to summarize his thoughts in his mind, wanting to persuade him further, but the next second, he heard Boss Jiang’s tone rise slightly.
“If you don’t like it, that’s fine as well.” Jiang Tingyuan said, turning to look at Ye Zhou, his dark eyes darkening slightly, and his words changing direction, “What is owed outside can be settled slowly when we return home.”
Ye Zhou: “…”
Seeing that the elevator door was about to close, Ye Zhou finally came back to his senses, pressed the open button with a dry laugh, and because of his recent experience of being caught, he didn’t run away this time. Instead, he stood at the door waiting for Boss Jiang to come down and walk together.
“I won’t go there. I still have some things to deal with. I’ll wait for you on the top floor. Call me when you’re done, and I’ll come pick you up,” Jiang Tingyuan said, pressing the button for the top floor.
As he spoke, Ye Zhou belatedly realized that the top floor of most buildings usually housed the management offices of the company or TV station. And as far as he knew, neither the Jiang Group nor Jingzhe seemed to have any recent collaborations with Orange TV. So Boss Jiang came here today…
Sure enough, it must be for him. Realizing this, Ye Zhou’s heart was filled with mixed feelings.
Due to his experience in the entertainment industry in his previous life, Ye Zhou was no stranger to the concept of a kept relationship. In fact, he was quite familiar with it. He had encountered all sorts of people of different identities, statuses, and ages engaging in such relationships. Some relationships lasted only a few days, others for years or even decades.
But as Ye Zhou knew, a kept relationship was inherently an unequal arrangement. If the initial motivation on both sides was merely to fulfill their own needs, with impure intentions, even if genuine feelings developed over time, the chances of such a relationship lasting to the end were extremely rare.
In the entertainment circle, Ye Zhou had seen financial sponsors who loved their kept lovers so much that they were willing to betray their families and abandon their wives and children to be with them. He had seen stars who loved their sponsors so much that they were willing to sacrifice their careers just to be with them. He had also seen couples who developed genuine feelings over time, broke through obstacles, and successfully married, only to hastily divorce shortly after marriage. However, most relationships were based on mutual exploitation and self-interest.
Despite witnessing all kinds of people in his previous life, not a single one truly had a good ending.
Precisely because he was too familiar with these situations, Ye Zhou had remained sober about his relationship with Boss Jiang after his transmigration.
In the past, Ye Zhou could never understand why people would repeatedly invest emotions into relationships they knew had impure motives and no future.
However, as he spent more time with Boss Jiang, Ye Zhou finally realized that emotions were not something one could control. Even when he knew it was impossible, he could not stop his thoughts.
Ye Zhou’s feelings towards Boss Jiang were complex. From the day he transmigrated into this unfamiliar world, the first person he saw was Jiang Tingyuan, and the person he had to interact with every day and night was also Jiang Tingyuan.
At first, his impression of Boss Jiang was limited to the one in the book, but as he spent more time with him, Boss Jiang’s image in his heart gradually became clearer and deeper. He was no longer just the villain from the book but an extremely vivid person who treated him extremely well.
As far as Ye Zhou could remember, except for the first time after his transmigration, Jiang Tingyuan had never made it difficult for him. Whatever Ye Zhou wanted, Boss Jiang never stopped him, whether it was investments or movies. No matter how absurd Ye Zhou’s ideas were, Boss Jiang would not object.
It would be a lie to say he had never been tempted. Because anyone who had interacted with someone as excellent as Boss Jiang would find it hard not to be attracted to him.
Especially after the kiss at the hospital, Ye Zhou had almost prepared himself to give himself to Boss Jiang. Many things he did not misunderstand but pretended not to know.
As long as their unequal relationship continued, Ye Zhou maintained a few traces of sobriety.
He was a rather petty person. No matter how well others treated him, if he was uncertain of receiving equal returns, he would tightly guard his heart and not allow himself to invest too much emotion.
Moreover, strictly speaking, his relationship with Boss Jiang was far more complex than a mere kept relationship. If it were just that, Ye Zhou might have considered pursuing Boss Jiang after their relationship ended and they were on equal footing.
However, there was also the matter of his original identity. Ye Zhou could sense that Boss Jiang liked him, but he did not know if Boss Jiang liked the original him or this imposter.
To be honest, Ye Zhou had envied the original him many times. Although his portrayal in the book was not glorious, and his ending was tragic, at least he had someone who wholeheartedly and completely cared for him.
Forget it, feelings are too complex. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go straight1船到桥头自然直 – lit.: when the boat gets to the pier-head, it will go straight with the current (proverb) / fig.: everything will be all right . Thinking about these things now was useless. It’s better to just squander money and enjoy it!
Ye Zhou successfully found the studio according to the address given by Xu Wei. When he arrived, Xu Wei was already waiting at the entrance and excitedly waved to him.
“Director Ye, over here!”
Ye Zhou quickened his pace and walked to her side. His voice was slightly hurried from the movement as he asked, “How is it going? Is everything going smoothly?”
“Yes, everything is going well.” Xu Wei smiled and nodded, then tiptoed to whisper in Ye Zhou’s ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, “We spent a long time haggling over the details of the contract, and I thought it might be difficult to negotiate here and there might be conflicts. But during these past few days visiting the venue, I was surprised to find that everyone is getting along quite well, and the staff are very accommodating towards us.”
“It’s just a bit strange that a small talent show like ours, which Oranges TV previously looked down on, is now being given such a high-quality stage to use. They were so condescending before, but now they seem… so cautious?”
Hearing this, Ye Zhou had a good idea of what was going on. The stark contrast and the cautious attitude must be because Boss Jiang intervened on their behalf.
After a moment’s thought, Ye Zhou said, “It’s fine, just focus on running the talent show well. Don’t worry about these messy things. Maybe they’ve realized the potential of ‘Starlight Youth.'”
Seeing Xu Wei smile, Ye Zhou chuckled as well and teased, “After all, it’s been years since a high-quality talent show has emerged, and the market has been quite empty during this time. A rare treasure, who knows, it might just achieve success.”
Of course, Xu Wei knew that Ye Zhou’s words were more consoling than truly believing in the show’s potential, but she didn’t feel discouraged. Instead, she grew excited, eager to give Ye Zhou a surprise.
“I understand, Director Ye. Come, let me take you to see our contestants. They are all excellent young people. Maybe you’ll find someone who catches your eye, and in the future, when you’re filming a movie, you can just give them a role and make them ecstatic for days.”
With that, Xu Wei led Ye Zhou around the studio to the exclusive rest area of the “Starlight Youth Development Program.”
Xu Wei and Oranges TV had decided on a 9 PM broadcast time. Since the show would be broadcast live, any mistakes would be impossible to cut or re-shoot, unlike a pre-recorded program.
Xu Wei and the contestants had been working hard, rehearsing and practicing day and night to minimize the possibility of errors.
After a year-long nationwide audition process, only 50 young talents had successfully made it to this stage, emerging victorious from the fierce competition.
When Ye Zhou and Xu Wei entered, the rest area was bustling with activity. A group of young people were rehearsing, practicing, and communicating with their peers. Almost everyone was busy. At a glance, it was rare to see anyone taking a rest. They were very diligent.
Seeing Xu Wei enter, there were continuous greetings from the rest area. A variety of youthful, fresh-faced expressions, some shy and some innocent, came into view, and one couldn’t help but feel it was a visual delight.
The entertainment industry never lacked good-looking people. Even if someone was not naturally attractive, with the advanced plastic surgery techniques nowadays, it was difficult for them to remain unattractive. It was a mistake to think this was only the case for female celebrities. Male celebrities also get work done on their faces, if not major procedures, then at least some subtle refinements to make their features more defined and delicate.
However, as plastic surgery technology advances, cases of similar-looking celebrities are also common. While the faces may be refined and attractive, after seeing many of them, they would inevitably start to look uniform, where one feels they are just good-looking without being memorable.
The industry is not short of attractive people, but what it lacks are those with unique individual styles and distinct recognizable looks.
In recent years, talent shows mostly recruited contestants from the training rosters of entertainment companies. These trainees often had a solid foundation and were more obedient, with some even bringing a built-in fanbase and topic-generating potential.
But these trainees often lack strong distinguishability. Unless they had exceptional abilities, even if they became popular for a time, they were easily replaced by new faces and struggled to leave a lasting impression.
The formulas of talent shows have become stagnant, and the contestants were templated, leading to the increasing gloom in the genre in recent years.
Considering this, Xu Wei boldly opted to forgo collaborating with entertainment company trainees and instead adopted the oldest model of open nationwide auditions. As long as the participants were below the age limit and had eye-catching skills, they were welcome to join the competition.
After looking around the rest area, Ye Zhou couldn’t help but compliment Xu Wei, “Ms. Xu, your selection standard is really excellent.”
Just seeing these fifty young talents with their diverse styles and in the prime of their lives, Ye Zhou couldn’t help but feel excited about their future development.
Hearing Ye Zhou’s praise, Xu Wei’s eyes shone even brighter. She stepped to the front of the rest area, clapped her hands to quiet the room, and once all eyes were on her, she said, “I’ll take a moment of your time.”
“I’d like to introduce someone to you all. If it weren’t for him, we might never have had the chance to gather here today, striving towards the same goal.” Xu Wei stepped back slightly, pushing Ye Zhou to the center.
“This is our program’s investor, Mr. Ye Zhou, the same Mr. Ye I’ve often mentioned to you all. Please give him a warm welcome!”
As Xu Wei’s words ended, a burst of enthusiastic applause filled the room, interspersed with some low murmurs.
“Isn’t this Mr. Ye the same director who filmed ‘A Farce’?”
“Xu Cheng, the captain of the dark horse team Chenzhou this season’s Devour, also mentioned that Mr. Ye seems to be their boss.”
“Ah, I hope if I can get a good ranking, I might have the chance to act in one of his dramas, even if it’s just a small supporting role, it would be great to gain some experience!”
“I don’t really care about acting in his dramas, I’m a die-hard fan of the Chenzhou team. If I can get a good ranking, I just want the chance to play a game on stage with my idol! Just the thought of it makes me giddy, I’ll give it my all!”
…
While they were whispering, they tried to keep their voices down, but some of them still reached Ye Zhou and Xu Wei’s ears.
Seeing her contestants behaving this way, Xu Wei looked somewhat embarrassed. With an apologetic and resigned tone, she said to Ye Zhou, “I’m sorry, Director Ye. This is the first time these kids have participated in a talent show, and they’re still quite ignorant of the rules. I might have spoiled them a bit too much. Please don’t mind them.”
Ye Zhou didn’t mind at all. He just found the various flattering comments a bit embarrassing, though he was more amused than anything.
He suppressed a chuckle, cleared his throat, and reassured Xu Wei, “It’s fine, don’t worry.”
“Everyone, let’s pause for a moment.” After calming Xu Wei, Ye Zhou addressed the contestant participants. “This is our first time meeting, and I didn’t prepare any welcome gifts, so I apologize for that.”
“Therefore, I’ve decided that for the top three contestants in the ‘Starlight Youth Development Program,’ I will try my best to help them fulfill one wish within my capacity.”
As soon as he said this, the room fell silent for about two seconds, before erupting into cheers and applause.
Xu Wei thought she was already spoiling the young contestants enough, but it turned out Ye Zhou, as the big boss, was even more indulgent. Aside from his wealth, Ye Zhou was also a moderately famous director in the industry. The benefits of obtaining his promise were not just measurable in monetary terms.
Seeing that her contestants had captured Ye Zhou’s favor, Xu Wei’s kind eyes were filled with amusement.
“Continue practicing, don’t mind us.”
Seeing that they were still standing there motionless, Ye Zhou suddenly felt like he had become the long-winded school principal delivering a speech at a middle school flag-raising ceremony. He waved his hand, dismissing them to return to their training.
While these teenagers were training, Xu Wei and Ye Zhou sat to the side and chatted for a while. Suddenly, the door to the rest area was pushed open from the outside.
At the door stood a young man who looked to be only 18 or 19 years old. Judging from his appearance, he should be a contestant in “Starlight Youth”. But what kept Ye Zhou unable to recover his composure was the fact that despite the youth’s young age and simple attire, he exuded an uncannily ethereal, almost immortal aura.
As strange as it sounded, Ye Zhou couldn’t shake the feeling that this young man’s demeanor seemed to transcend the mortal realm. His eyes were as clear and pure as the finest jadeite. And when he looked over, Ye Zhou felt as if he could see the “four emptiness2四大皆空 (sì dà jiē kōng) – lit. the four elements are vanity / this world is an illusion. idiom. (Buddhism) All the four elements of which the world is made are void.; to be completely indifferent to worldly temptations” within the youth’s gaze.
It was difficult to describe the sensation, but it felt profoundly serene. From the moment their eyes met, it was as if all the troubles and concerns of the mundane world could be forgotten, leaving one’s mind as tranquil as a still pool of water.
Xu Wei was in the middle of speaking when she noticed Ye Zhou’s prolonged lack of response. Following his gaze, she saw the young man standing at the door, whose presence seemed to stand out starkly from the rest of the room.
Softly, Xu Wei called out, “Xiao Yu, come in.”
With Xu Wei’s permission, the young man lightly bowed in the direction of where they were seated, then unhurriedly made his way to his own spot.
Watching as Ye Zhou’s eyes remained fixed on the boy, Xu Wei explained, “That’s Chi Yu. He’s an exceptionally talented young man, well-rounded in his abilities. He’s just a bit introverted and not very skilled at socializing.”
Pulled from his trance by Xu Wei’s voice, Ye Zhou hesitated for a moment before asking her, “Chi Yu, huh? His aura is quite unique. I was just wondering, could it be that he’s… just returned from seclusion?”
Xu Wei was taken aback, carefully observing Ye Zhou’s expression. Seeing that he didn’t seem to be joking, she cautiously responded, “Returned from seclusion?”
“I mean, like a monk who has attained a certain level of cultivation and then resumed a secular life?” Ye Zhou tried to explain, gesticulating as he spoke, hoping Xu Wei could understand his line of thinking.
“Uh.” Xu Wei was at a loss for words, hesitating for a moment before shaking her head. “No, the information indicates that he is an orphan. Last year, he was admitted to the performance arts program at A University with excellent scores, and is currently a sophomore there.”
After Ye Zhou confirmed this information with her a few times, he finally accepted the explanation, but something about the young man’s aura still felt off to him.
Ye Zhou stayed in the rest area until around 11 in the morning. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked Xu Wei, “By the way, I recall that when the contestants registered, they had to list their special skills. What was that kid’s special skill?”
Xu Wei paused, then pulled out her phone to check the electronic registration form, carefully reviewing Zhi Yu’s information. After a long moment, she spoke again.
“On the registration, his special skill was listed as guitar. But…”
“But what?” Seeing her hesitation, Ye Zhou pressed.
“Shortly after registration, he changed his special skill.”
“What’s the new one?”
“Breaking bricks with his chest.”
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