Chapter 58
"Her name is Lin Ting, and she's an outstanding fashion designer. During her university years, she won scholarships left and right. She basically won every fashion competition she wanted to participate in. She's also an embroiderer. Every time I watch her embroider, I feel like she's a refined lady who stepped out of a painting—bright-eyed, beautiful, and skillful. She was so focused on her embroidery that she didn't even notice the boy next to her watching intently. She also does knitting, weaving, tie-dyeing, and all sorts of other handicrafts. I think she could be a successor of intangible cultural heritage. She's so unique; I've never met a girl like her before. Besides being unique, she's also very strong. I learned by chance about her childhood..." Despite her difficult circumstances and the environment she faced, she still studied diligently. Even at a young age, she learned to do housework and cooked exceptionally well to help ease her mother's financial burden. Everyone says that in this day and age, a girl who can cook is a treasure, and when I fell for her, I felt like I'd struck gold. Later, she was admitted to her dream university. While other students still needed their parents to give them living expenses, she earned her tuition and living expenses through part-time jobs and tutoring, and even helped support her family by renovating their house. How many college students today can do that? Who wouldn't be moved by such an independent, resilient, and talented girl?
"Although she doesn't have a good family background, she has a mother who loves her very much, and of course she loves her mother very much too. I envy their blood-is-thicker-than-water mother-daughter relationship. When I first went to her house, I thought how wonderful it would be if we could become a family in the future."
I don't understand what kind of family background is considered good. Is it being incredibly wealthy, but having family members who are constantly plotting and scheming against each other? Or is it being born into a powerful family but unable to pursue what you want? In my opinion, I prefer a harmonious family; that's something money can't buy.
"Moreover, relationships between people are also about fate. To tell the story between her and me, it really started on a magical and unique afternoon sixteen years ago. An unexpected woman, whom I initially saw as a chivalrous woman, walked in and shared many different philosophies about life with me, influencing me for a very long time. I used to think we were just strangers who met by chance, but I never expected that ten years later she would become my tutor. She once again took my hand when I was most confused and guided me to light the way in my life. The world is vast, and it's hard to meet someone you like, especially after not seeing each other for many years and then meeting again. It's even harder to fall in love again. If I had to find a reason, I think it would be destiny!"
"Okay, now that I've talked about my favorite person, let me tell you about someone I used to hate the most—no, I should say someone I used to hate. His name was Chen Zhiyi. To outsiders, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, getting everything he wanted. But only he knew the price behind it all. He didn't have much autonomy; many things were decided by his elders, and he had to follow the predetermined path. He didn't know how to resist. He tried to rebel, both openly and silently, but with little effect. In the end, he even gave up on himself. Fortunately, during that time, he met a girl named Lin Ting. Her tenacious vitality and passion for what she loved deeply inspired him. She told him that if you have a dream, go for it. Your future is determined by your own efforts, not by what others define for you, even your parents. Love yourself before loving others; no one is more important than yourself. So, he started working hard, chasing his dreams day and night, which brought him to where he is today, and he also achieved his dream."
"So he was someone I used to hate, but now he's the person I'm most proud of, because he achieved his dreams step by step. There's always been a shadow of something he wanted to pursue in his heart. He wanted to learn from her and rely on himself for everything. So as soon as he entered university, he started running around to film crews, submitting resumes, and going to interviews. At first, he was willing to try anything, whether it was a minor role or a cameo, whether he had lines or not, whether he was on screen or not. Gradually, he accumulated a lot of practical acting experience, and of course, he also earned his tuition and living expenses. I'm not afraid to tell people that when he was at his poorest, he couldn't even scrape together 100 yuan. He could even eat boiled noodles in plain water."
Lin Ting couldn't believe it. "Why did this happen?"
Chen Zhiyi patted her hand that was supporting her on the side of the bed. "Let me finish. Even so, he persevered. He always remembered what Lin Ting told him: the road is one you make yourself. Fortunately, he was lucky and was discovered by an agent, which gave him the opportunity to meet big directors and big productions, and that's how he got to where he is today."
"Therefore, Lin Ting is not only the person Chen Zhiyi likes the most, but also a shadow-like presence in his heart. He has always followed Lin Ting's shadow and is chasing after her. So there is never a saying that Lin Ting is not good enough for Chen Zhiyi. It is only that Chen Zhiyi is not good enough for Lin Ting, because Lin Ting's existence has made Chen Zhiyi who he is today."
At this moment, Lin Ting was in so much pain that she couldn't find a way out; her heart felt like it was being stabbed by countless sharp knives.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Lin Tingxin choked with sobs.
Chen Zhiyi pulled her into his arms. "I don't want your apologies. I just want one promise: never leave me again. I'm so afraid of losing you!"
The word "too scared" made Lin Ting's heart ache so much that her body trembled violently. What right did she have to make him love her so humbly and anxiously?
She is someone who should be admired and fawned over by others, yet she always lowers her dignity in front of him, begging for a response to his love. What makes her so worthy of his careful love and protection time and time again?
She gave up resisting and prayed to God for mercy, asking if, if there couldn't be a happy ending, she could at least have more time.
Because the longer you live, the more memories you retain, and you can carry those memories with you as you travel far, far away, until the end of your life.
It wasn't him, and it couldn't be anyone else.
So she reached out and hugged him tightly; at that moment, no more words were needed.
"What are you doing?" An angry voice came from behind. Lin Ting turned around and saw a man and a woman.
She knew the girl; she had seen her at the studio yesterday. She had a lovely name, Jie'er, and was Chen Zhiyi's junior colleague, the daughter of Jiali Media, and also his admirer.
I've never seen a boy before, but he looks familiar, like I've seen him on TV. He has an extraordinary appearance and temperament, but he's still a bit inferior to Chen Zhiyi.
Before the two could react, Jie'er stormed over, yanked Lin Ting away, and said in a very harsh tone, as if she had swallowed a bomb, "Do you two think I'm dead?"
Lin Ting was lucky to grab the edge of the bed; she almost fell off.
"Jie'er, what are you doing?" Chen Zhiyi shouted.
Jie'er had never heard Chen Zhiyi speak to her in such a harsh tone before. She couldn't believe it. "Senior brother, you're yelling at me for this woman? Who is she?"
Chen Zhiyi didn't answer directly, but looked at Lin Ting and said, "You go back first."
Lin understood what he meant, nodded, and turned to leave.
Jie'er stopped him again, and only then did she see Lin Ting's face clearly. "It's you. I saw you on set yesterday, so the person my senior brother saved was you. You're not even in the crew. Who are you? What's your relationship with my senior brother?"
Lin Ting remained silent, wanting only to break free from Jie'er's grasp.
"I won't let you go unless you tell me." The harder Lin Ting struggled, the tighter Jie'er held on.
Chen Zhiyi couldn't get off the bed. He calmed Jie'er down and said gently, "Okay, Jie'er, stop fooling around. This is a hospital. We need to be mindful of our image and not let others see us."
Jie'er was seething with anger and stubbornly insisted, "Then tell me who she is? If I know, I'll let her go."
Chen Zhiyi wanted to make his relationship with Lin Ting public, but not now, and certainly not in front of Jie'er, this spoiled and unreasonable young lady. If he confessed now, Jie'er would definitely make a huge scene.
The relationship has finally eased, and we're starting to get closer to each other; we can't scare her away again.
Lin Ting can withstand anything, but when it comes to love, she becomes afraid, timid, and tries to escape.
However, Chen Zhiyi was unwilling to deny his relationship with Lin Ting in front of anyone; this was his bottom line.
So, all we can do is resort to clever tricks.
Suddenly, he closed his eyes, gripped his head tightly with his right hand, his knuckles turning white from the force, his waist slowly bent down, and a painful expression appeared on his face.
Jie'er quickly let go of Lin Ting's hand and went to help Chen Zhiyi, "Senior brother, what's wrong?"
"I have a terrible headache and feel a bit dizzy."
"Should we call the doctor?"
"Um."
"Han Ming, help your senior brother to bed, I'll go call the doctor."
"Okay!" Ming, who had been standing by and watching coldly, came over and helped Chen Zhiyi up.
Actually, Han Ming saw through Chen Zhiyi's act and let go of her hand after Jie'er left the ward. "Now you don't need me anymore, right?"
Chen Zhiyi snapped his fingers. "Smart." Then, holding Lin Ting's hand, he said with affection in his eyes, "Don't worry, I was just pretending."
"I know."
Then Chen Zhiyi leaned close to Lin Ting's ear and whispered, "So, does that mean we've made up?"
Lin Ting didn't speak, but the blush on her face spoke volumes.
Ignoring Han Ming standing to the side, Chen Zhiyi kissed Lin Ting's forehead, "You go back first, I'll come find you after I'm discharged from the hospital."
"good."
After Lin Ting left, Chen Zhiyi quickly lay back down on the hospital bed, determined to finish the act.
Chen Zhiyi raised an eyebrow and said flippantly, "Aren't you going to ask?"
Han Ming smiled faintly, "It's best for people in our circle to know as little as possible about other people's private lives."
"That's true."
"But Jie'er saw it, so she won't be easy to get past her," Han Ting reminded him.
Chen Zhiyi looked relaxed and unconcerned. "Then it's up to you."
Han Ting watched him without showing any emotion.
"He's always hanging around her, but he never confesses his feelings to her. Does he want to be a knight for life?" Chen Zhiyi scoffed at Han Ting.
Han Ting's lips curved slightly, as if she were somewhat helpless. "You know, she doesn't like me."
Chen Zhiyi gestured with his chin toward the door, "My girl, it took five years of unwavering devotion for her to finally reciprocate. So, perseverance is the most powerful tool a man can use to pursue love."
Han Ting fell silent, no longer speaking. Persistence? There are many kinds of liking: genuine liking, unintentional liking, liking with ulterior motives, and even liking someone you don't actually like but pretend to. He thought, aside from the first kind, he probably possessed all three.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from the doorway.
Jie'er rushed in, pulling the doctor along. "Quickly, take a look at him! He suddenly has a terrible headache and feels dizzy. Could this be a lingering problem?"
"Don't worry, let me take a look." The doctor looked at Chen Zhiyi, who was lying on the bed half asleep.
"What's the situation now? Where does it hurt?"
Chen Zhiyi opened his eyes, a strange smile appearing on his lips.
With a doctor blocking the view, Jie'er couldn't see his expression.
"I'm a little dizzy and want to take a nap."
Doctors are very perceptive. As soon as they saw that Chen Zhiyi's complexion had improved and his eyes were no longer wandering, coupled with that smile just now, they could tell that he was faking illness.
Wanting to take a nap also means wanting to get rid of guests.
He pretended to wobble Chen Zhiyi's chin from side to side, then looked at the wound on the back of his head, opened his eyelids to look at his eyes, and listened to his heartbeat.
Then, in a serious tone, he said, "After all, the injury is to the head, so you can't let your emotions fluctuate too much. You may have lost control of your emotions just now and aggravated your head. It's okay, you can just take a nap and rest."
Jie'er was still worried. "Shouldn't we get another CT scan or MRI to confirm?"
The doctor said, "No need, all of that was done last night, there were no problems, just let him rest."
Jie'er wanted to say something more, but Qin Fei walked into the ward.
"Jie'er, since the doctor has said so, let Chen Zhiyi get some sleep. Let's all go out."
Jie'er refused, "No, I want to stay and take care of my senior brother."
Chen Zhiyi quickly refused, "Jie'er, I have Zhang Ke here. If you stay here all night and don't go home, your dad will definitely come to settle accounts with us."
Qin Fei added fuel to the fire, saying, "They might cut off your allowance again."
These words struck a nerve with Jie'er, and she glared fiercely at Qin Fei.
This is also a sore point for Jie'er. She is the little princess of the family and the apple of the eye of the entire Jiali Group. Her parents are very strict with her, especially with a strict curfew at night. She must be home before 10 p.m., no matter what happens.
Indeed, these rich heiresses are always coveted by those with ulterior motives.
Jie'er stopped insisting and said to Chen Zhiyi, "Then I'll go back first, and I'll come see you again tomorrow."
Chen Zhiyi nodded quickly, finally getting rid of a troublesome situation for the time being.
"Han Ming, why don't you take Jie'er home?" You can do her a favor while you're at it.
"No, the driver is nearby, I'll call him."
Jie'er doesn't like Han Ming and knows his feelings, but she doesn't want to face it. She likes Chen Zhiyi, not only because of his good looks, but also because she admires his frankness and sunshine. Han Ming seems deep and reserved, but there is always an indescribable darkness mixed in.
Han Ming didn't insist. "Okay, let us know when you get home."
After Jie'er left, Qin Fei went to Chen Zhiyi's bedside and asked, "How are you feeling?"
"No problem, just like the doctor said, I'll be fine after a good night's sleep, and I'll be discharged tomorrow."
"Um."
How's things going with the film crew? Is it affecting the filming schedule?
Qin Fei snorted, "Now you're concerned about the filming progress? Where were you before? The male lead is injured, do you think it won't affect the production?"
"That was an emergency. If the girl had been seriously injured, the crew would have been in big trouble. Luckily, I only suffered minor injuries and it's not a big problem."
Qin Fei was furious. "What if it hit your face? Would you still want to be an actress? All your hard work over the past few years would be wasted."
"Okay, this won't happen again."
Qin Fei sighed, "The production team has made arrangements. They're filming other people's scenes now, so you can rest for a few more days. You can take the opportunity to meet Director Ma Heng. His new film is about to start shooting, and I'd like to recommend you for the role."
"Is it the campus youth film 'These Years' adapted from the novel of the same name?"
"right."
"Sister Fei, I don't want to go on. You know I don't like this style."
Qin Fei gently advised, "The original novel has a huge fan base, and Director Ma Heng is known for making pure love films. If you act well, it won't do you any harm. Why are you so stubborn? This type of film is right for your age. In a few years, you won't be able to make it even if you want to."
Chen Zhiyi thought for a moment, but still refused, "No, I'm sure, and now that I've finished filming this drama, I want to take a break for a while."
Qin Fei thought she had misheard. "What? Rest?"
"Yes, these past few years have been too tiring. I've been filming almost non-stop. I want to take a break, do something I want to do, and also think about my future career plans."
"Are you going to go solo?" Qin Fei became alert; her contract with Chen Zhiyi would end at the end of April next year.
Chen Zhiyi didn't say anything more. Over the years, he and Qin Fei had had significant differences in their plans, and he knew very well that they were not on the same path.
Qin Fei calmed herself down and softened her tone, "This matter involves many interests. Let's find some time to talk about it properly. You rest first, Han Ming and I will leave now."
When Han Ming came to the hospital, he and Jie'er came from the company together and were driven there. Now they are returning to the company in Qin Fei's car, and Han Ming is sitting in the passenger seat.
On the way, Qin Fei kept making phone calls, one after another without stopping.
After she hung up the last one, the car stopped at the intersection and waited for the green light.
Han Ming placed his hand on her leg, and then his cool fingertips slipped under her skirt, gently touching her delicate leg.
With his gaze fixed ahead, he casually remarked, "I'll come to your place tonight."
Qin Fei smiled, a hint of disdain in her eyes.
We're all just men and women who need to eat; who doesn't understand that?
Some men are meant to be conquered and possessed, while others are simply there to balance the hormones surging within them. He has desires, I have needs, it's just a matter of each getting what they need.
Qin Fei removed his hand. "What do you want?"
Han Mingming was very direct. In the world of sex work, it's all about give and take. She laid it all out and said, "I want to be on 'These Years'."
Qin Fei glanced at Han Ming's profile; he was eye-catching even in a crowd, but he always seemed aloof.
The light turned green, and Qin Fei drove off at a slow pace, just like her unhurried tone of voice, as if she were talking about something very ordinary, like discussing the weather today.
"Do you know the biggest difference between you and Chen Zhiyi? No matter how down on his luck Chen Zhiyi is, no matter how eager he is to achieve success, he will never abandon his principles. But you are different. You can give up your first love for fame and fortune, and you can pretend to like someone to get what you want. Everyone says you like Jie'er and are always around her. How much of that is genuine? Although I despise your actions, I also agree that men have to make sacrifices and use some tricks to pursue success. If everyone were as unyielding as Chen Zhiyi, it wouldn't be fun."
Han Ming listened with a calm expression. After so many years in the entertainment industry, his dignity and sharp edges had long been smoothed out.
Hearing the words "first love" gave me a sharp pang in my heart; it hurt a little, but the pain subsided quickly.
They fell in love in high school, but broke up because they wanted to make a name for themselves in the entertainment industry. There were regrets and sadness, but they had to keep going down the path they had chosen.
Chen Zhiyi, this name is like a curse that is tied to me. Indeed, my career seems to be an accessory to him, packaged together with him, and I play a supporting role to him.
He was clearly a better actor and had entered the industry a few years earlier than him, but he just lacked luck. It was this bad luck that kept him struggling on the fringes of the entertainment industry, never able to play a leading role, and never being remembered by the public.
If given a chance, a leading role in a film, he is confident he can overcome his predicament and become an overnight sensation.
He would be Qin Fei's bed partner for as long as he was with her. Of course, he wasn't her only bed partner. She provided him with a lot of resources, but they were all lukewarm supporting roles. Everyone could see her favoritism.
Men and women are the same; they both love to act foolishly. The more unattainable something is, the more effort they put into getting it. Who can't see through that?
Chen Zhiyi's words just now sent a signal that he would not cooperate with Qin Fei when the contract expired, and this was his chance to replace Chen Zhiyi.
"At the hospital just now, Chen Zhiyi's words made it very clear that he wouldn't renew the contract when it expired. Why waste your energy on someone who's about to abandon you?"
"Are you so sure? And after all these years of hard work, would I just let him go so easily?"
Han Ming smiled inwardly. If he hadn't seen how gentle Chen Zhiyi was with that girl, he believed that Qin Fei could have kept Chen Zhiyi with her methods. But just because of the affectionate look in Chen Zhiyi's eyes when he looked at that girl, he was certain that he would cut off his relationship with Qin Fei for this girl.
He might even quit the entertainment industry for her.
After all, he had once looked at the girl he deeply loved with such adoring and affectionate eyes.
He did lose it, but he also admitted that this was the difference between him and Chen Zhiyi; Chen Zhiyi would never let go of a girl's hand.
Five years of perseverance and waiting is not something everyone can do.
"Perhaps there are more important people or things in his heart."
Qin Fei sensed a hidden meaning in his words, "What do you mean?"
Han Ming said calmly, "Nothing? Just like you said, Chen Zhiyi is a man of his word. The fact that he dared to bring up this idea means he has thought it through carefully. In that case, why don't you make a backup plan sooner? In our contract, the profit sharing is 40% for me and 60% for you. Do you ask me if other artists' contracts are that generous? Why go against money and profit?"
Qin Fei stretched out her finger and drew circles on the back of Han Ming's hand gently, in a very alluring way.
"You know the project Chen Zhiyi is currently filming, right? It's a very high-quality production. It just started filming not long ago. One of the original actors for the third male lead has suddenly dropped out. It's a very complex character. If you play him well, it's not impossible for you to compete for the Best Supporting Actor award at the three major film festivals. If you win one or two of the Best Supporting Actor awards at the three major film festivals, your popularity will increase a lot. Do you want to give it a try?"
Han Ming took his hand in his hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it lightly. "Let's go straight to your house later."
Qin Fei smiled knowingly, and the car sped up considerably.
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