Talented women all like talented men.

In 1996, 17-year-old Gao Yuanyuan was just an ordinary high school student. At that time, Gao Yuanyuan was just an ordinary high school student. Her family was relatively well-off, after all, her father and mother were highly educated intellectuals who researched high technology.

One day, she and several female classmates were shopping for books in Wangfujing, chatting and laughing all the way. She probably never dreamed that from that day on, the wheels of fate would begin to turn.

A man claiming to be an employee of a planning company invited her to film a promotional video for an ice cream business, offering her 400 yuan as payment. Driven by curiosity, Gao Yuanyuan filmed her first promotional video, earning her first paycheck.

That same year, Xu Cairen, a 22-year-old girl from an ordinary family in Beijing, was preparing to graduate from the Beijing Film Academy. Unlike many confused graduates, Xu Cairen wasn't worried about her future at all. Because she had "resources" to back her up. Because she had a powerful figure in Beijing's entertainment circle—Wang Shuo—with whom she had been dating for two years.

In the same year, Qu Ying, a 25-year-old girl from Hunan with a hot figure and a height of 175 cm, played the female lead "An Hong" in Zhang Yimou's film "Keep Cool" and became an instant hit. Three girls in the prime of their youth, who were originally unrelated, could never have imagined that they would be brought together by the same man.

Unlike the fledgling Gao Yuanyuan and the busy film set Xu Cairen, Qu Ying became incredibly popular that year. Capitalizing on her success, she not only starred in TV dramas and movies, but also released albums and appeared on the Spring Festival Gala.

At the height of her career, love followed. Qu Ying was pursued by popular singer Luo Zhongxu, and the two fell in love, becoming the "golden couple" in the entertainment industry. However, the "naive and straightforward" Qu Ying's relationship did not last long, ending in a breakup due to her boyfriend's infidelity.

Gao Yuanyuan's outstanding appearance, coupled with good fortune, allowed her to make a name for herself in the entertainment industry before even graduating from university—an opportunity many girls dream of. However, Gao Yuanyuan always had her own ideas and principles, and it took her six years to decide to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

But in matters of the heart, she wasn't so rational. For the first time, she lost her principles for a man. In 2000, at the age of 21, Gao Yuanyuan filmed an advertisement for "Qingzui" lozenges, which was loved by many viewers. She tasted fame for the first time. After that, opportunities increased, and she came into contact with more and more people in the entertainment industry.

Once, by chance, she went to Faye Wong's recording studio to visit a friend and met the "talented" Zhang Yadong. His quiet and mysterious aura captivated Gao Yuanyuan's girlish heart. It's unavoidable that artistic young men were very popular with girls back then.

Zhang Yadong is 10 years older than Gao Yuanyuan and is already married with children. This is his second marriage; his first marriage occurred before he became famous, and they separated after he moved to Beijing to pursue his career. While in Beijing, his career flourished, and he met his current wife, Dou Ying, the sister of Faye Wong's boyfriend, Dou Wei.

Knowing that her husband was married, Gao Yuanyuan, blinded by hormones, was manipulated by Zhang Yadong. Upon learning of her husband's affair with his younger girlfriend, Dou Ying divorced him without hesitation.

Zhang Yadong's breakup made Gao Yuanyuan even more certain that they were true love. Foolishly, she devoted herself entirely to him, becoming his little woman and even fantasizing about marrying him and having children.

But who is Zhang Yadong? He's the king of playboys. How could he possibly give up the whole forest for one tree? Even if Gao Yuanyuan is beautiful, there are just too many girls in the industry. Even if the quality isn't great, quantity can make up for it. It's not a problem.

The year she graduated from university, Gao Yuanyuan became famous for playing "Zhou Zhiruo" in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber".

With both love and career flourishing, Gao Yuanyuan felt like the happiest woman in the world. Little did she know, a crisis was slowly creeping closer. In matters of the heart, Xu Cairen was far more rational than Gao Yuanyuan.

After getting together with Wang Shuo, although Wang Shuo's wife divorced her, Xu Cairen never mentioned marriage. Instead, she focused on her career while dating. Through Wang Shuo's recommendation, Xu Cairen rose to fame after starring in the idol drama "Love Will Carry On." After that, she received numerous acting offers and joined the ranks of the "Four Little Actresses" alongside Zhao Zhetian, Zhou Xun, and Zhang Ziyi.

After that, Xu Cairen wanted to become a director, and Wang Shuo used all his connections to support her.

She won the Best Director Award at the 52nd San Sebastián International Film Festival for her self-written, self-directed, and self-acted film "Letter from an Unknown Woman," which solidified her status as a "talented woman" in the entertainment industry. Afterwards, rumors circulated about Xu Cairen's affairs with other male artists, one of whom was Zhang Yadong.

Not long ago, under media scrutiny, Zhang Yadong was photographed strolling at night with a woman, Xu Cairen.

Xu Cairen and Zhang Yadong first met in 2001, just a year into their relationship. When Xu Cairen was filming "Me and My Father," she cast Zhang Yadong as her husband, suggesting they had been having an affair for some time. They seemed like a perfect match.

It wasn't until Xu Cairen and Wang Shuo broke up that the two gradually developed an ambiguous relationship. This was also because Zhang Yadong was afraid of Wang Shuo, after all, one of them was a big shot in the industry. If the big shot knew that he had been messing around with Xu Cairen, he would definitely make a fool of himself.

Unlike the naive and innocent Gao Yuanyuan, Xu Cairen is wise and calm. She doesn't take love too seriously, which makes Zhang Yadong feel very relaxed when he's with her. In other words, they're a couple who don't interfere with each other's lives.

After the rumors surfaced, Gao Yuanyuan remained silent, perhaps like many foolish women, still waiting for him to come back. But what she received was a gentle "Let's break up!"

Gao Yuanyuan didn't blame him. She wrote a long letter through tears, filled with gratitude and reluctance: "When he confessed to me that his feelings for me had changed, I was naturally very sad, but I didn't resent him. I was even grateful that he didn't treat me like a fool and deceive me, that I didn't have to find out all this from someone else one day. I think that would have been the real hurt to me."

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