The phone rang for a long time before Leyao answered. She sounded a bit surprised as she asked, “Zhaoyang, why did you suddenly call me?”
Eager to find out the truth, I asked directly without hesitation, “I saw today’s entertainment news. I just wanted to ask if it’s really true.”
Leyao was silent for a moment, then she laughed slightly and said, “Of course it’s not true. You should know that my new drama is about to air, so it’s just routine hype before the premiere.”
Although Leyao gave me a fairly reasonable explanation, I still questioned, “Even if it’s routine hype before the premiere, shouldn’t the hype focus on the female lead of the drama?”
Leyao scoffed, “How can someone who’s been overexposed still generate any buzz? Although I’m not the female lead, I am one of the main female roles, and I’m younger and prettier than her. Creating topics around me is definitely more valuable than focusing on her… By the way, I’ve officially signed with the film and television company, and they plan to heavily promote me as a new face next year.”
Leyao’s resentment toward the female lead made me realize that the person who had slapped her was likely the lead actress.
I fell silent. The entertainment industry has always been a fame-driven arena full of rules. To stand out in this arena, the sacrifices one must make are unimaginable to ordinary people. Perhaps I shouldn’t focus on the hype surrounding Leyao. Instead, I should sincerely say “congratulations,” after all, signing with a production company meant some form of security within this industry…
While I was silent, Leyao said to me, “Zhaoyang, I won’t talk to you anymore for now. I have a dinner appointment later.”
“Okay, then I won’t bother you anymore.”
I thought Leyao would hang up, but she remained silent on the phone for a while before saying, “Thank you for caring about me… I will always remember that small island across the sea and the man who lit the smoke for me there.”
“Will you just remember it but give up trying to pursue it?”
Leyao laughed bitterly, “The world is like a bubble. Once you see through the illusion of the bubble, you no longer want to chase that unattainable sincerity… You should understand: once I entered this industry, I no longer had a choice.”
Leyao didn’t give me a chance to speak. After saying that, she hung up the phone, leaving me somewhat dazed.
Why had she managed to sign with a film and television company in such a short time after going to Beijing? And through what means had she obtained such an opportunity for hype?
Perhaps she had already chosen her own path, but I couldn’t determine whether she had taken the right or wrong path, because there was no absolute right or wrong—it was simply a matter of perspective. To ordinary people, it might seem like a wrong path, but from the perspective of the entertainment industry, it was precisely a path of survival of the fittest.
With a soft sigh, I put the phone back into my pocket. The sky had already grown dark without a trace of light. I walked along the city streets illuminated by streetlights, and in the overlapping darkness and light, the world gradually transformed into the bubble Leyao had described—so false! So how could I, with my soul already immersed in this bubble, blame Leyao for anything?
On my way home, CC called me again. After answering, she asked, “Zhaoyang, have you contacted Leyao?”
“Yeah.”
“What did she say?” CC asked with concern.
“She said it was just routine hype before the new drama’s premiere. Oh, and she signed with a film and television company.”
CC was silent for a while before saying, “I know, she told me… As friends, we should still congratulate her. After all, it’s a fairly large film and television company, so she’ll have some stability from now on.”
“Yeah,” I replied with a complex emotion.
Then CC seemed to remember something and said, “Oh, by the way, Leyao also helped Luoben get a job—composing the theme song for a drama that’s currently in preparation. Luoben might go to Beijing to discuss it tomorrow, so you’ll have to take more responsibility for the bar!”
“Really? This opportunity is extremely rare for Luoben. It’s great news! Don’t worry, I can handle the bar by myself!”
CC laughed, “What do you mean by saying you can handle it by yourself? I’m here too, right… Anyway, I’m genuinely happy for Luoben. I heard that the drama Leyao introduced to him is a big production. I hope he can seize this opportunity. After all, he has struggled for so many years!”
“Yeah, let’s wish both Luoben and Leyao can go further in this industry!”
When I got home, I lay on the bed smoking, with absolutely no appetite for dinner. Leyao’s once simple and pure image kept floating in my mind, making it hard for me to imagine: what she would be like the next time we met—perhaps already a mature woman with the glamour of a celebrity.
It was already 9 p.m. when I finally felt hungry, but I didn’t want to go through the trouble of preparing dinner. I took out some noodles from the fridge and decided to cook a simple bowl of noodles.
While eating the noodles, I unexpectedly received a call from Fangyuan. His voice on the phone was unusually low, asking me to go out for a few drinks with him. When I asked what had happened, he had already hung up.
I assumed he had some kind of conflict with Yanyan, so I didn’t even finish my noodles and immediately took a taxi to the restaurant where we had agreed to meet.
When I arrived at the restaurant, Fangyuan was already there. He had ordered drinks and was quietly drinking alone, looking somewhat depressed.
I sat down across from him and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Did you have a fight with Yanyan?”
Fangyuan poured me a glass of alcohol and gestured for me to drink first. Since I wanted to find out why he had called me, I quickly drank the glass of baijiu and waited for his explanation.
Fangyuan also drank a glass of baijiu, then sighed heavily and said, “Chen Jingming might finally fall in the company. Someone from the upper management wants to take him down!”
I was deeply shocked. I never expected Fangyuan to contact me because of Chen Jingming, and I was even more surprised that Chen Jingming, who had so much experience in the workplace, could actually fall!
Chen Jingming was a supervisor who had helped me a lot and whom I deeply respected. I asked Fangyuan anxiously, “What happened to him?”
“…Do you still remember Li Junren, the executive vice president of Baoli Department Store?”
“Of course I remember!”
Fangyuan sighed and said, “After Chen Jingming lost the opportunity to become the company’s vice president last time, he was very upset. So he targeted Li Junren. You know that these high-level executives all have some kind of blemish. Chen Jingming collected some evidence of Li Junren’s misconduct and reported it to General Manager Yang Huaqing, but…”
I continued for Fangyuan, “But Yang Huaqing protected Li Junren, and Li Junren found out that Chen Jingming had targeted him.”
Fangyuan nodded and said, “Yes… Chen Jingming was too hasty. Although Li Junren had issues with his personal conduct, it hadn’t affected the company’s fundamental interests. Given Li Junren’s position within the company, the upper management would at most issue a warning, not impose any serious punishment…”
I now understood the whole story and felt deep regret. I knew that Chen Jingming, known for his cautiousness, wouldn’t have made such a basic mistake. The reason he did was because his age meant that his chances of promotion were becoming increasingly slim, so he took a huge risk by targeting Executive Vice President Li Junren. Unfortunately, he failed!
Ultimately, Chen Jingming’s failure was indirectly my fault. If I hadn’t ruined his opportunity back then, he would already be the deputy general manager of Baoli Department Store by now, and he wouldn’t have had to resort to such desperate measures, leading to his current precarious situation.
Fangyuan was silent for a very long time before he said to me, “If Chen Jingming falls, I definitely won’t be able to stay at Baoli Department Store either… Zhaoyang, at a time like this, I have to prepare a way out for both Chen Jingming and myself… I hope you can help us.”
I didn’t react immediately and asked, “How can I help?”
“Introduce me and Chen Jingming to Zhuomei… With your relationship with Mi Cai, I believe there won’t be any problem. Plus, Zhuomei’s Shanghai mall is about to open soon, so there must be a shortage of mid- to high-level personnel. Of course, with the resources Chen Jingming has accumulated over the years in the workplace, he can also be of some help to Zhuomei. This would benefit both sides!” After saying that, Fangyuan looked at me hopefully, waiting for my response.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage