Chapter 48 A World of Black and White

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Wen Yining was indeed hungry; she had been hungry last night, but she was too sleepy to get up and eat. After such a long period without food, she was starting to feel like she was going to have low blood sugar.

She avoided his direct gaze and hummed in response.

Eating together means that we will stay together some more.

She remembered her alarm clock, "Why didn't my phone alarm go off?"

"You woke me up, so I turned it off."

"oh."

Shen Yueze casually pulled off the blanket and put it on her, taking advantage of the situation in the process.

She frowned, worried that another fight was about to break out, and in the struggle, he let go first.

She awkwardly adjusted her clothes; it was a black trendy brand short-sleeved shirt, his size, much looser than hers, the hem reaching her thighs—a popular style of wearing clothes without bottoms on the street.

But she was truly missing. Hesitating for a moment, he found a pair of shorts.

She pulled him over, saying, "I can do it myself, you don't need to worry about it."

Shen Yueze stared at the marks left on her legs, quite puzzled. How could they be so obvious? She hadn't used any excessive tools; she had just knelt on the ground for a while.

"Let me see your legs."

She also looked down; there were some bruises and pinch marks, but they weren't serious.

"Need not."

"Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt."

"That guy outside is my cousin."

"oh."

Wen Yining spoke very little, even less than before. Actually, she wanted to leave and didn't want to see anyone. What if she met Chen Jiabai? What if she accidentally let something slip...?

Before leaving the bedroom, she asked, "Does your cousin know Chen Jiabai? I'll go out after he leaves."

His expression darkened, and he looked at her coldly for a few seconds without replying.

Wen Yining realized that her words had displeased him, but what was wrong with them?

Her purpose in coming here was to hide her past chat logs and embarrassing history. If he exposed these things, it wouldn't be good for her debut.

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Cheng Yuzhou wasn't oblivious; he knew it was time to leave.

But I'm curious about what my cousin's new girlfriend is like.

I didn't even get a clear look at her face, but I remember she had a good figure, nice legs, was quite slender, tall and thin, and had long hair, so I guess her face must be pretty good too.

After waiting bored in the living room for ages without seeing the two of them come out, Sirius got tired of playing and stopped catching his frisbee. He went to stroll around the rooftop terrace instead.

Cheng Yuzhou called out twice, "Tianlang, Tianlang, it's only been a short time since we last met and you're already being disobedient?" But he ignored him and ran off to play.

Looking over, it had been ten minutes. Cheng Yuzhou suspected that the two of them were still having sex in the bedroom. He joked, "Shen Yueze, what are you doing in there? Why aren't you coming out? Hurry up and bring your girlfriend out so I can see her."

"Don't overwork yourself, you probably didn't sleep at all last night,"

"Don't bother me in the middle of the day. I rarely come to your house."

Wait, something's not right.

He remembered that last week, he said he would introduce Shen Yueze to someone, and he even said he was single. That's fast!

As she continued her rambling, the bedroom door was suddenly flung open from the inside.

Cheng Yuzhou sized up the girl. She wasn't wearing makeup, and her eyes were a little swollen, whether from crying or drinking water last night, he couldn't tell. Her skin was quite fair, and she had good features; she was a beauty at first glance.

She had her hair tied in a loose low ponytail, and her expression was strangely resentful. It was obvious that she had been messed with by that bastard Shen Yueze in bed, probably doing something too outrageous.

He doesn't need to buy any more aphrodisiacs now; Shen Yueze has all kinds, whether they're available on the market or unavailable elsewhere.

Cheng Yuzhou chuckled meaningfully, sensing that his cousin was definitely more adept at playing tricks than him.

This girl is pretty, but the more I look at her, the more familiar she seems...?

Shen Yueze brought out several plates of three dishes and placed them on the table. Then he got her chopsticks and a spoon and asked her what she would like to drink.

Wen Yining tasted the braised beef brisket and exclaimed how delicious it was. At the same time, she wondered why she didn't see any housekeeper in the room.

"You made this?" she asked curiously.

"The auntie came over at noon to make it. It sat for about half an hour, and then she served a separate portion."

"oh."

Wen Yining continued eating, and he didn't seem like someone who knew how to cook.

Cheng Yuzhou walked over from the living room, casually pulled up a chair and sat down, asking him, "Isn't this Chen Jiabai's girlfriend?"

Wen Yining paused in her act of picking up food.

He looked at him, said nothing, guiltily looked away, and then looked back at the culprit—

Shen Yueze watched her eat with a calm and indifferent expression, as if he hadn't heard her. His arm was casually draped over the table, and there was a plate of cut fruit in front of him. He would take a few bites every now and then.

He said calmly, "They broke up."

"So fast? It hasn't been that long."

Cheng Yuzhou smiled and shook his head, realizing something was wrong, but he didn't say anything more, sensing it wasn't a proper relationship.

Wen Yining's heart tightened, and she asked, "Have you seen me before?"

I had no recollection of him. Dongyang Entertainment has two owners; the one who frequently appears in the media is the older one, in his forties.

The man in front of me was at most in his thirties, wearing a casual suit, and was fairly good-looking.

Cheng Yuzhou: "Weren't you going to participate in the talent show of a big company? Shen Yueze came to consult me. He had seen your photos. I said at the time, 'You have great potential. You haven't had plastic surgery, right?'"

Whether she's had plastic surgery or not is quite obvious. Cheng Yuzhou, looking at her natural face up close, is very satisfied and genuinely thinks she looks good and is photogenic.

She ate a meat-filled rice dumpling. It was too sticky, unlike the ones from the supermarket. The lotus leaf wrapping wasn't delicate enough, and the pieces of meat inside were quite large, like homemade ones. She replied, "Yeah, I haven't had it done yet, but my older brother works in this industry, so I might get some minor adjustments done in the future."

A social media influencer had previously persuaded her, saying that the results of the minor adjustments were virtually undetectable and recovery was quick. She was somewhat tempted, but decided to consider the company's advice later, as they were very experienced.

Moreover, even among the top beauties recognized by netizens, there are still imperfections in the entertainment industry. There will still be people who feel that certain parts of their facial features are not pretty or delicate enough.

Cheng Yuzhou immediately said, "You absolutely mustn't go. If you get it done, you'll regret it 100%, really. You have to believe me. There's someone in my company who's about your age and has wanted to get his nose done several times, just like someone on drugs."

“I told her directly that if she dared to have any surgery on her face, she would lose all her resources. Of course, I was just trying to scare her. She's a young girl, not mature enough, and she'll lose her own opinions if someone tries to persuade her.”

Wen Yining thought of her older brother, "My brother wouldn't let me do it either. He was very firm. I just asked him for advice. It wasn't to the point where he couldn't be persuaded."

The entertainment industry is incredibly competitive; the 80/20 rule, or even the 90/10 rule, applies.

Effort is a necessary condition, but it is not the decisive factor.

No one pins their hopes on hard work; instead, they pray to gods and Buddhas, use mystical methods, associate with powerful figures, find patrons, and after a year of success, they dream of staying popular for ten years.

Cheng Yuzhou continued, "Many people have had minor adjustments, but the claims online that so-and-so changed drastically after their debut and became a top beauty through plastic surgery are false."

"No matter how much surgery you have, it's impossible for someone with poor natural features to grow up in such a harmonious way."

"Oh." She dismissed the idea.

"Listen to your brother, you absolutely can't go. Besides, your face is already perfect enough, and it's very distinctive."

Cheng Yuzhou suddenly asked again, "Didn't Shen Yueze say that Chen Jiabai was planning to marry you? Why did he change his mind at the last minute? It's only been a few days, and you've already broken up. This guy is unreliable."

Shen Yueze: "We just broke up yesterday."

Wen Yining: "..."

Cheng Yuzhou looked at the two of them knowingly, but didn't expose them; he just smiled.

She unconsciously slowed down her eating, without explaining, and glanced at Chen Yueze. She seemed quite calm and open, without any sense of shame, and didn't seem to have done anything wrong.

He asked her if she still wanted to eat zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

She said, "I'm full. Auntie made too much food; I can't finish it all."

The braised beef brisket was delicious and fragrant, almost just like the ones in restaurants.

He continued: "She knows a lot of different kinds of food. If you want to eat something next time, tell her in advance, otherwise there won't be enough ingredients and it won't be fresh if it's left for too long. I usually send her a menu two days in advance."

She was puzzled. Would there be a next time? Probably not.

It was just a transaction.

Shen Yueze sent her Aunt Zhang's WeChat ID and asked her to add it.

She didn't understand what he meant at first.

There will be no more after this. After this, she will never have the chance to come to his house again, nor will she ever eat any of Aunt Zhang's or Aunt Wang's cooking.

Cheng Yuzhou scanned the marks on Shen Yueze's skin.

There were several scratch marks left by fingernails on his thin forearm, and they were made by a girl's fingernails.

There were several noticeable hickeys of varying shades on my neck.

In addition, he looked like he had just finished enjoying himself.

An experienced man like Cheng Yuzhou could tell at a glance that the two were very compatible in bed.

So he didn't plan to stay any longer and remarked, "I thought you were single a while ago, and I was thinking of introducing you to a sexy girl, but you ignored me. I only realized today that you already have someone at home."

He then asked Wen Yining, "If you're going to sign with a company in the future, consider me first. Shen Yueze is very generous to girls. If you join my company, you'll avoid a lot of detours."

Although Cheng Yuzhou's first reaction upon seeing her photo was that this girl must be quite enjoyable to sleep with, given how far things had progressed with Shen Yueze, he genuinely wouldn't consider competing with his cousin for a girl.

I simply think she has potential, is photogenic, and beautiful enough; if properly nurtured, she could make money.

Of course, it mainly depends on Shen Yueze's opinion.

Wen Yining's expression wavered, and she didn't answer immediately, but instead turned her head to look at Shen Yueze.

He was also staring at her, leaning back lazily, legs crossed, hands on his knees.

She was wearing a white T-shirt and loose gray casual pants, looking very fresh, and you could faintly smell the scent of shower gel.

He had the air of a carefree young master, and he didn't say anything either. He just raised his eyebrows at her very slightly, his eyes full of amusement, but he didn't say a word.

It seems they are waiting for her to make a choice first.

Wen Yining's expression gradually became hesitant and conflicted, and she almost immediately realized what he meant.

Such a clever person, yet so adept at threatening others.

How could she not understand the subtext he was conveying at that moment...?

Two more paths lay before us...

If I completely cut ties with Chen Jiabai, I can then work for Jin Yuzhou's company, right...?

...

Cheng Yuzhou waited for the two of them, quite leisurely, and ate some beef jerky on the table without saying a word.

While it seemed like she was asking her, she was actually waiting for Shen Yueze's opinion; he had to agree.

Shen Yueze shifted his leg and slowly said, "You practice singing and dancing every day, isn't your goal to debut?"

"Only after you debut will you have the opportunity to act. If you join Dongyang, you'll avoid a detour. If you're lucky, you might get resources right away."

Wen Yining's heart pounded erratically, her back was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and that familiar feeling of tension washed over her once again.

The word "luck" has a profound meaning.

That's right, the purpose of debuting is to act. Talent shows are just one of the channels, and for girls without connections, it's the fastest way to become famous and gain exposure, but not the best way.

Shen Yueze continued to demand a price: "Cut all ties with him from now on."

"..."

She remained silent, her face pale and bloodless.

The purpose of coming here last night was simply to ensure that Chen Jiabai would never discover those chat logs.

He was a man of his word and didn't threaten her again about the matter.

But now, things have gone in the opposite direction.

Cheng Yuzhou hissed, glanced at his watch, and realized it was time to go; he had things to do back home.

It seemed unlikely that the two of them would reach a conclusion anytime soon. Glancing at Shen Yueze's expression, he looked like a composed young master.

Although they didn't exchange many glances, he wasn't stupid; he could tell that his cousin liked to sleep with other people.

Cheng Yuzhou cleared his throat and offered a few objective reminders.

"Wen Yining, what I mean is, it's not that you have to have a powerful background or someone to back you up to get into this industry,"

"It's not a matter of time; relying on yourself, you can take five, ten, or even more years."

"Female entertainers have a very short bloom, only a few years in total, making their careers far less successful than male entertainers."

"They say if you can't make it before you turn 25, you have no hope."

"I think it's usually around thirty years old. If you get any older, you can't act in idol dramas or fantasy dramas anymore, so you have to change your career path. But how many people can successfully change their career path?"

“Every year, a large number of teenagers are sent into the entertainment industry, but resources are limited and not enough to go around. Those with high popularity are willing to give anything to keep their positions.”

"Nothing is worse than being burnt out."

Those aged 35 and above are more stable, after all, they climbed up from countless people back then, eliminating their peers, and can be considered kings of palace intrigue.

"The celebrity scandals you see are released by their rivals."

"For example, that top male celebrity who recently got into trouble, on my side, two teams worked together to fuel the fire,"

"As far as I know, there are about four or five other companies outside who want to take this opportunity to ruin his reputation and make him unable to recover."

"Because he's so popular, everyone wants his endorsements and good projects. If he completely collapses this time, my company's artists will get a multi-million dollar endorsement. And that's just the beginning; all the other resources will be divided up."

"I'm leaving now, Shen Yueze."

Shen Yueze gave a faint "hmm," remaining completely unmoved, his gaze still fixed on Wen Yining.

Tianlang came over and rubbed against Cheng Yuzhou's pants, then obediently squatted at the door waiting for its former owner to leave.

Wen Yining appeared calm on the surface, but inside she was panicking terribly. Having attended an art school, she was no stranger to these things. The school was a small, still-developing circle, not involving too many interests, but there were plenty of messy rumors and backstabbing, though it was mostly just gossip behind people's backs and far less insidious than the entertainment industry.

Moreover, having heard about something and having seen it are two different things, and people don't know their own capacity to bear it.

Shen Yueze: "Actually, what he said is quite realistic. It's not just the entertainment industry that's like this; the bigger the interests, the more chaotic it is."

"Think about it, if people in high positions aren't ruthless, how can they fight against others? Logically speaking, they have to be smarter and more vicious than the villains, otherwise they can't outmaneuver them."

The world in their eyes is never black and white, nor is there any distinction between good and bad people.

"..."

Wen Yining understood his subtext perfectly, but had he considered that saying so much at once would only make her more conflicted? She disliked that kind of scheming and backstabbing environment; it made her feel suffocated.

If we choose him today, how long can his novelty last...?

He continued, "The worst that can happen in the entertainment industry is disgrace and a ban. At least in China, people don't die so easily. Human life is still human life, which is much better than in South Korea."

"In the financial and political spheres, the real losers are those whose families are destroyed."

Wen Yining remained silent, picked up her phone, and prepared to leave. Since she wasn't forced to make a choice, she would play dumb.

As she stood up, Shen Yueze grabbed her wrist, saying, "You haven't changed your clothes yet."

Wen Yining looked down; the clothes were still his. She couldn't help but remind him, "Chat history..."

He added, "Chen Jiabai won't know."

After a couple of seconds, he said slowly, "But you'll have to check your phone first."

"What?"

She quickly unlocked her phone. Countless missed calls and more than a dozen unread messages appeared. Her heart suddenly raced, her emotions were thrown into control, her chest heaved, her knuckles turned white, and she had a bad feeling about it.

She glared at him with resentment, but the bastard casually changed his sitting posture, ate a cherry tomato, and calmly glanced at her, exuding an air of ease and composure.

They waited to see her reaction, eagerly anticipating a good show.

"What did you do? Did you take any pictures...?"

He couldn't help but curse, "Are you crazy?"

Ignoring the questions from her roommate, cousin, and two older brothers.

Wen Yichuan: [Didn't you two get back together? ???]

【What trouble have you caused now? Chen Jiabai said he couldn't reach you late at night, and then suddenly broke up with you, all on WeChat! Why couldn't you have said it face-to-face?!】

[Who breaks up with someone and doesn't even see them again? You're getting more and more dramatic!]

………

………

Chen Jiabai sent her more than twenty messages, but they were muted and she couldn't hear them.

My fingers flew across the screen, revealing a bunch of missed voice calls and video calls. Finally, I saw yesterday's content...

I've fallen in love with someone else.

Let's break up.

I agreed to marry you after graduation entirely because of your family's wealth.

I have never loved you as a person.

They were all sent out from her side.

This was posted by Shen Yueze in the early morning, after the first game ended.

She was instantly enraged and slammed the phone down, yelling, "When did I say that?!"

He neither dodged nor blocked me, and asked quite seriously, "Does it not hurt down there anymore?"

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A note from the author:

It's not time to explain the first time yet.

There will be a reason later.