One year apart (2)

"Xiao Wei, President Lin is looking for you," Cindy said to the artist Song Siwei.

Song Siwei, whose real name is Song Zhao, is an artist signed with Canxing Entertainment for one year. She recently starred in a movie as the third female lead. Due to her good action scenes and outstanding appearance, she has received some attention and is considered somewhat famous but not very popular.

The last time she saw Lin Ruizhe was at the company's annual meeting half a year ago. They only exchanged a toast and a brief glimpse. She rarely had the opportunity to be summoned by the leadership. So, his sudden visit today must not be a good thing.

"Mr. Lin, Siwei is here," Cindy said.

"Okay, you can go now. I'll talk to her alone for a bit," said Lin Ruizhe, the manager.

Cindy gave Song Zhao a wink, warning her to be careful, and then went out.

"Please sit down."

"Hmm." Song Zhao lowered her head politely, then sat down opposite him with an air of composure that was in no way inferior to that of her superior.

"I heard you're vying for the lead role in the drama 'Jie Yu'?"

The film "The Legend of Jie Yu" is still in preparation. It is rumored online that the famous actress Xiao Lu will play the role, but the production company has not released any accurate information. Therefore, Song Zhao took the initiative to recommend herself and won the audition for the female lead. She even wrote a 10,000-character character in seal script, which made the director look at her with high regard.

Xiao Lu was naturally unhappy when she found out. She came over to settle accounts with her after finishing work at the next shed, but no matter what Xiao Lu said, Song Zhao ignored her and left before Xiao Lu could finish speaking, which made Xiao Lu stomp her feet in anger.

In Song Zhao's eyes, this was no big deal, after all, she hadn't done anything to Xiao Lu. She calmly replied, "Yes, I tried out the scene, and the director thought it was pretty good."

“I heard from Cindy that the role she was working with for this film was the second female lead, the female lead’s best friend. She even showed you the script. Why didn’t you tell her beforehand that you were going to compete for the female lead role?”

"It's not too late to talk about it after we win the battle, so as not to disappoint her," Song Zhao said casually.

"Then why were you rude to Xiao Lu?"

“She cursed at me, she cursed me with very foul language. If I ignore her, should I curse back?” Song Zhao’s words were reasonable and well-founded.

"If I told you to have to accompany her for drinks and apologize tomorrow night, you still wouldn't go?"

Song Zhao laughed speechlessly, "I said I wouldn't drink with customers, and what kind of apology did I give?"

Lin Ruizhe's eyes darkened, and he suddenly splashed a glass of water onto Song Zhao's face.

"As expected of the person I chose back then, he's got guts." Lin Ruizhe said sarcastically.

After being drenched like that, Song Zhao's hair and skirt were soaked, and a few tea leaves stuck to her forehead and collar.

Before she could react, Lin Ruizhe stood in front of her, pressing her chin hard with his calloused thumb, looking down at her with the air of a superior, "Do you think that just because you're pretty and talented you can have everything and take everything?"

Song Zhao glared at him angrily, wishing she could chop off his fingers the next second. "I was just competing fairly. I haven't done anything dirty."

Lin Ruizhe snorted coldly and said, "Xiao Lu has 15 million fans. You, a newcomer, dare to steal a role from a senior. If you succeed, to put it nicely, you have the resources; to put it bluntly, you're unscrupulous in your pursuit of fame. If you fail, you're scheming but incompetent. You ignore the senior when she speaks to you; that's acting like a diva. If even one of her fans says a bad word about you, your reputation will be completely ruined."

"After that, no one will ask you to act anymore, all your commercial activities will disappear, and the company will then freeze you out. And you will be sued and brought to trial for not being able to repay the debts you owe the company, becoming the youngest defaulter."

Although Lin Ruizhe's warning was unpleasant to hear, it was reasonable, and Song Zhao's attitude gradually softened, his eyelids drooping in a show of weakness.

Seeing this, Lin Ruizhe withdrew his hand from her chin and sat back down steadily: "I ask you to put away your schoolgirl act. This is the entertainment industry. Being a good person is much more important than doing good work."

"I promise I'll apologize, but I can't drink."

Lin Ruizhe thought for a moment and then said, "I remember the last time you left the set without permission, Cindy scolded you for a long time, right? She talked herself hoarse to the director, searching for you everywhere while also apologizing to him, all to keep your role as the third female lead."

At that time, Song Siwei did have compelling reasons to leave, and it was because of that incident that Cindy checked her phone every two hours. Knowing she was in the wrong, she never made another mistake afterward.

"The company promised you they wouldn't let you drink with others, but that's on the condition that you don't cause trouble!" He flicked the ring on his hand, suppressing his anger. "If you cause trouble, you're unwilling to clean up the mess and just pass the problem on to others. You're really something."

"No need to say anything more, I'll drink it."

After leaving Lin Ruizhe's office, Cindy saw that she was soaking wet and looked dejected, so she comforted her, saying, "Xiaowei, Mr. Lin is sometimes like that. He can be a bit harsh with his words, so don't take it too seriously."

Seeing that she was still comforting him, Song Zhao felt guilty and said, "Sister, I will go to the bar tomorrow to apologize. I am sorry for what happened before and this time."

Cindy was used to her stubbornness, and was a little unaccustomed to her suddenly bowing her head like this: "What's there to apologize for? Don't talk to me so mushyly, just do your job well."

"By the way, sis, there's something else I'd like to ask you for help with."

"Speak."

"I'd like to enroll in a boxing or Sanda training course, something affordable."

Cindy noticed the red mark on her chin and quickly understood. "Um... okay."

Lin Ruizhe organized the drinking party that evening, so he was naturally present and was one of the main drinkers. Xiao Lu and her agent, Sister Gu, sat at the head of the table. Gu Ling was considered a top agent, mainly managing popular young actresses, many of whom were very famous, but their professional abilities varied.

Lin Ruizhe first punished himself with three drinks to express his apology, and then Cindy led Song Zhao to drink.

That year, Song Zhao also took many acting classes, and he could spout those hypocritical words on the spot. First, he praised Xiao Lu for being beautiful and having good acting skills, and then he explained that when she was speaking, she was walking away because she felt guilty and had nothing to say.

After exchanging pleasantries, it was time to start drinking.

Cindy was already used to the taste of alcohol and drank it quickly.

Song Zhao had never drunk much alcohol before. As soon as the smell of this baijiu entered her nostrils, she couldn't help but frown. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and gulped it down. Her mouth, throat, and stomach all burned. She didn't like the taste and feeling.

After Song Zhao drank a cup, Xiao Lu stood up with her wine cup, saying she wouldn't hold it against the little sister, but handed over a small wine pot, meaning that Song Zhao should drink from the pot.

Just as Cindy was about to snatch it, Xiao Lu turned away unhappily, and Sister Gu also said that they weren't sincere.

Instead of helping Song Zhao, Lin Ruizhe personally filled the small wine pot, which contained 100 milliliters.

Holding a small wine jug full, Song Zhao stood up again and said, "I wasn't sincere enough just now. I now formally apologize to Sister Lu and Sister Gu. Please forgive me." Song Zhao put the wine jug to his lips, hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes and sipped the wine one sip at a time.

The moment she put down her wine glass, her face flushed and felt hot.

Xiao Lu then said, "It's my turn. Let's toast to our truce and happy cooperation!" Xiao Lu raised her glass to Song Zhao.

Lin Ruizhe understood her meaning and filled Song Zhao's small wine pot again. Song Zhao's eyes were sharp, but she still smiled and said to herself: A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. We've already drunk so much, one more cup won't make a difference.

Xiao Lu raised her glass to drink, and Song Zhao tilted her head back and downed another pot. This time, she felt a little dizzy, and a series of double images appeared before her eyes; the intoxication was already creeping in.

"This third toast is to wish us a long and lasting sisterly bond and friendship," Xiao Lu said, raising her glass again and tilting her head with a smile.

Without saying a word, Lin Ruizhe poured another pot. Cindy, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore. She grabbed the small wine pot and said, "Good wine should be shared. This wine is indeed fragrant. Let me have a taste too."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lu's expression visibly darkened. Song Zhao shook Cindy's hand away, saying, "This is a toast between sisters, so only I can drink it." With that, she snatched the wine jug and downed it in one gulp.

The three small wine jugs in succession made Song Zhao feel nauseous and dizzy, and he almost collapsed.

"I'll take her to the restroom first," Cindy said hurriedly. Lin Ruizhe waved his hands, signaling them to go ahead.

Fearing they wouldn't be able to leave if they were late, Cindy took Song Zhao directly into the car and took out the plastic bag she had prepared beforehand. Song Zhao immediately vomited; she hadn't eaten much, and what she vomited was all alcohol.

"Okay, you've vomited it out," Cindy said, patting her back.

"Xiao Hou, drive."

"You know you can't hold your liquor, so why didn't you let me drink the last glass for you?"

Song Zhao lay half-reclined on the back seat, frowning uncomfortably, and said drunkenly, "I caused this mess, so I have to deal with it myself..." As she spoke, she vomited again, bringing tears to her eyes.

"Sigh, what's the point of solving anything? Are you even going to class tomorrow like this?"

"Sister, can I see her, just from afar?" Song Zhao pleaded, tugging at Cindy's sleeve.

Cindy sighed and said to her assistant who was driving, "Xiao Hou, take a detour to the street near the Xueyuan Road night market."

"Okay, sis."

"Thank you..." Song Zhao's face finally felt a little better. She forced her eyelids open to keep herself from getting dizzy, and she kept going until she reached Xueyuan Road.

She clung to the car window, straining to look out. The first thing she saw was the person she had been longing for. Although the person's face was blurry, she could roughly imagine what she looked like: a cute and playful smiling face. She assumed that the smile was for her, so she smiled back. This was much more comforting than any hangover cure.

The car waited at a red light, and just a minute of looking out was enough to keep her going.