CHAPTER 29

Xiaoyuan didn't let the driver take her back to the residential area, she got off the car in advance.

Her mind was in a mess, wanting to walk and clear her head. Feeling a pent-up frustration, she didn't notice how far she had walked until her calves began to ache.

Today was a hazy day, and it was rush hour again when people were getting off work, the streets were bustling with traffic, occasionally interrupted by a series of car horns. This city had a merciless liveliness.

Xiaoyuan looked up at the sky and sighed, then walked into the nearby shopping mall.

She bought a hot drink, sat in the rest area, took out her phone, and scrolled through Weibo to distract herself.

Upon opening Weibo, there was an ad featuring Fang Hao holding a lip balm, smiling brightly.

"Their Little Affairs" was nearing its end, and Fang Hao's Weibo followers had already surpassed ten million, though some of it might be inflated, the growth was still remarkable, he was truly on fire, with plenty of lucrative endorsements.

Lu Jingnian's Weibo was relatively quiet. Apart from work-related posts, she usually shared snippets of her daily life with her pet dog, portraying a warm and fresh image, attracting mostly female fans of a similar ilk.

Even though they were from the same company, their paths were quite different.

At that moment, a hot search caught her eye 一 "Yu Qiuse's Sincere Apology," followed by a "hot" keyword.

'Huh?'

'What's going on?'

Xiaoyuan searched for the source of the incident on Weibo.

A few days ago, Yu Qiuse covered an old album and it sold well, with fans recommending it everywhere, inadvertently offending some fans of the original singers. Yu Qiuse's fans were mostly young, and young people tend to be impulsive, posting some unpleasant comments on various social media platforms, which angered some passersby and fans of the original singers.

What Xiaoyuan saw was Yu Qiuse's apology video.

It was the first time she had seen her appearance. Yu Qiuse's features weren't particularly striking, but her skin was a healthy white, and she had a gentle, graceful demeanor. The tone of her voice was softer than her singing voice.

Listening to her say, "Music is great and vast. I always have reverence for music and respect for those who came before me. I hope all my fans can feel the same way."

Xiaoyuan found it quite reasonable. Xiaoyuan didn't bother checking the comments below the Weibo post, unwilling to get involved in the conflicts there, she was just a casual fan of Yu Qiuse's music.

After a moment, she specifically searched for He Chenying's Weibo. He Chenying had recently been nominated for the Baihua Award and the Huading Award for her role in "Choice," though she didn't win and stopped at the nomination stage. This didn't have much impact, "Choice" was her highest-grossing film, adding a significant achievement to her career.

Xiaoyuan scrolled through her Douban page. It seemed like she hadn't taken on many new projects recently, with some photos from fashion week. Her presence in the fashion industry had increased, attracting commercial endorsements as well.

For a powerhouse like her, gaining more fashion resources, attending fashion weeks, and securing endorsements were all welcomed by the public.

He Chenying's commercial endorsements focused on quality over quantity, being the Asia-Pacific ambassador for the top Italian luxury brand Giorgio Armani, the first domestic female star to secure such a deal, a significant achievement.

Xiaoyuan found a photo of her attending a fashion show, wearing a light coral shoulder-pad suit, a deep purple long skirt underneath, chestnut brown shoulder-length curly hair, both professional and alluring.

Feeling uplifted after seeing the photo, Xiaoyuan silently downloaded and saved it, admiring it for a while, feeling a little regretful that she didn't go to get her autograph back then.

Although Zhu Ehua was a legendary figure in the entertainment industry, meeting her would be an honor, but Xiaoyuan still preferred He Chenying a bit more, seeing her as her idol.

Now, she felt like she was drifting further away from her idol. 

She sighed.

Wei Jiabao was also nominated for Best Director. Even if he didn't win, it was enough to make him look good. He had already become a "renowned director." Whenever she thought of him, she thought of his sister. Whenever she thought of his sister, she thought of that contract. Just the thought of the contract made her feel troubled.

Originally, during that visit to the courtyard in Beicheng, she had a pretty good impression of Wei Zhuang. Who would have thought she also operated with this transactional mindset?

Xiaoyuan frowned and bit on the straw, then let out a deep sigh.

People coming and going in the mall, each with their own intentions, just like the people she knew in the entertainment industry, everyone was constantly moving forward, while she seemed to be stuck in place. Maybe she too needed to compromise on some things...

Wei Zhuang was a businesswoman, perhaps to her, relationships were merely about mutual benefit—exchanging what you have for what you lack, completely reasonable. Why should anyone help you for free? Even if it was her brother who initiated this, it was still a matter of familial loyalty over principles. When capital demands your submission, you have no choice but to comply. Refusing to comply means voluntarily withdrawing from the circle.

Xiaoyuan covered her face, feeling so unwilling!

After sitting for a while, she realized night had fallen and didn't even feel hungry. Just as she was thinking of going home, her phone rang.

Shi Hai asked her to meet at the bar they had been to before.

"Your complexion doesn't look good. Let's skip the alcohol, I'll order you a glass of warm water." Shi Hai said thoughtfully. "Do you want to order something to eat? Their mussel pasta is quite good."

Xiaoyuan forced a smile, "How come a bar sells that?"

"Haha, it's their hidden menu item. It tastes good!" Shi Hai had already waved and placed the order, handing her the water on the table.

Xiaoyuan took a sip, glanced at Shi Hai. He was dressed in a dark gray jacket and black trousers, looking about the same age as her, but possessing a gentle demeanor like an older brother, treating women with respect.

"Are you going to tell me there's no way to get the role?" she asked.

"Just eat something first."

"It's okay, just tell me directly."

Shi Hai fell silent for a moment and said, "Hm, yes. Although I told you I could hold them off for three or four days, the producer is out of town and isn't answering my calls, and the director can't be reached either, so I think... it's unlikely."

Xiaoyuan's eyes lowered, and ripples appeared in the water in her cup.

"I'm sorry." Shi Hai apologized.

"Ah," Xiaoyuan felt a moment of confusion, "What are you apologizing for? This has nothing to do with you." She took a big sip of water, slowly regaining warmth in her heart. "I should be thanking you for believing in me."

Shi Hai let out a sigh and said, "I really like your performance in 'Xiao Wen' and also in 'Choice.' Have you read my book 'Zui Xiaoyao'?"

Xiaoyuan nodded, thinking for a moment before saying, "I'm not really good at acting in romantic scenes, and the character of the supporting female lead in your book, this saint of the demonic sect, she loves very seriously and passionately. To be honest, I'm quite interested in this character, but I'm not sure if I can portray her emotions. Why do you have so much confidence in me?"

"Romantic scenes?" Shi Hai thought for a moment. "I haven't seen you act in such related genre. However, well, I'll be honest with you..."

"Oh?"

"The two actresses chosen by the production and investment companies, they acted very superficially, very stiff. As the author, I didn't feel anything when I watched them, beautiful but soulless." Shi Hai took a sip of his drink and then looked at Xiaoyuan, "Besides, to be frank, they aren't as beautiful as you!"

Xiaoyuan couldn't help but smile, this man certainly knew how to flatter. No woman could resist such compliments.

"Ah, it's good to see you smile." Shi Hai also smiled. Just then, the waiter brought her plate of mussel pasta. Shi Hai took it, placing it in front of her, "Hurry up and eat, fill your stomach. When you're full, your mood will be better."

Xiaoyuan smiled again and really started eating. It was quite good—the mussels were fresh, and the sauce was delicious and refreshing. She finished nearly half the plate and, while taking a sip of water, noticed Shi Hai smiling at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Hey, it's my first time seeing a female celebrity eat so heartily, and you look pretty good doing it. Now I'm getting hungry too." Shi Hai laughed.

If any other man had said the same thing, it might have seemed a bit unbelievable, but coming from Shi Hai, Xiaoyuan felt it was genuine and sincere. It had been a long time since she had such an impression of a man.

"By the way, I think I saw in the news that the film rights for your other book have been bought too. Is it going to be adapted into a movie?"

"Yeah, that's right. They were all bought by Warner."

"It seems like all your works, except for your debut novel 'Muhai Xuizhen Lu [Muhai Cultivation Record]' —which hasn't been adapted, the rest have all been picked up. Why is that?"

"Well..." XiaoYuan felt like Shi Hai's expression at that moment was a bit awkward. He cleared his throat, "I was quite young when I wrote that one, and also, the reputation..."

"It wasn't good? Really?" Xiaoyuan remembered the lively comments section under his debut novel. Even now, almost ten years later, there were still many new reviews.

"Uh... not exactly. The reputation is okay, it's just that, well, I'm reluctant to sell it," Shi Hai said, taking a sip of his drink and changing the subject. "But I'm sorry, whether it's for a movie or a TV series, um... I..."

Xiaoyuan waved her hand and smiled, "It's not what you think, I was just asking out of curiosity." Her TV resources had been blocked, let alone movies. Although it wasn't Tonghua's investment, there were competitive and cooperative relationships between Warner Bros., Tonghua, and Boyi. As long as Wei Jiabao didn't relent, the other two would give him face to some extent.

There it was again, going in circles. Who could really handle Wei Jiabao? Only Wei Zhuang could.

Xiaoyuan had never truly been in love, but that didn't mean she had no dreams about it. She didn't want her romantic life to be mixed with too many other things, that would make her feel insecure. The contract wasn't romance, no matter how generous the terms, she had no initiative in it, which made her very uncomfortable.

She had seen many relationships, and there was no fixed pattern. She was curious and confused, not knowing where to start. This wasn't like other things she could study or skills she could learn.

But Zhu Ehua had advised her:

"If you find someone to fall in love with and experience the taste of loving someone, you'll naturally know how to act it."

She didn't know if this advice worked for other actors, but she knew it worked for her. But first, she needed someone...

First, she needed to not dislike or reject this person, their scent had to be pleasant, especially if it was a man.

Suddenly, Xiaoyuan's eyes fell on Shi Hai, and she blinked. "Hmm?"

In fact, he was quite handsome, with deep peach blossom eyes, tall and handsome, gentle and considerate towards women, and quite talented...

Shi Hai hadn't heard her speak, when he looked up, he saw the girl across from him gazing at him with sparkling eyes.

He smiled, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Xiaoyuan smiled, her eyes shining like starlight as she gazed at him.

Shi Hai paused, feeling a bit overwhelmed by her gaze. Come on, he was just a straight guy being stared at by such a beautiful girl.

After a few seconds, Xiaoyuan smiled and said, "I'm going to the restroom."

Once in the restroom, she stood at the sink, opened her purse, and took out a small, jelly-like portable mouthwash. After freshening up, she rinsed her mouth and glanced at herself in the mirror. After a few seconds, she lifted the corners of her lips and softly said to herself, "Let's give it a try."

When she returned to her seat, she found that Shi Hai had already settled the bill. She thanked him, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Would you like to eat some more?"

"No, that's okay. Um, Shi Hai, I want to ask you a personal question. Is that alright?" Xiaoyuan asked him.

"Sure, go ahead."

Xiaoyuan hesitated in her heart, a smile spreading across her face, "Do you have a girlfriend? If not, what do you think of me?"

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