"I already have a clear career plan. In the future, I will specialize in playing vicious women. It's so satisfying to play them, and I can even slap the lead actor!" Guo Jiahe became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing wildly.
"Haha, you really know your place, don't you?" Wang Boyang joked, a joyful smile spreading across his face.
Guo Jiahe raised his chin and said, "Director Zhou really appreciates me. He specifically asked me to act in his next film."
Li Peiyu's eyes widened in surprise as she asked, "Really?"
Guo Jiahe nodded vigorously, "Yes, I've already added the director on WeChat."
Li Peiyu said thoughtfully, "Then should I enroll you in an acting class to improve your acting skills?"
"No need, I have natural acting skills. The director said I should just stay natural and unpretentious. Studying acting would only make me seem deliberate," Guo Jiahe replied proudly.
"The director talked to you quite a bit," Wang Boyang joked with a smile.
"Not only the director, assistant director, script supervisor, prop master, and makeup artist, but I've also charmed them all, treating them like family," Guo Jiahe recounted with great enthusiasm.
"Wow, impressive." Li Peiyu couldn't help but give a thumbs up.
"Oh, right. Is Jiang Shuchen's song finished?" Guo Jiahe suddenly remembered and asked.
"It was recorded this morning," Li Peiyu replied.
"Send me the electronic version, and I'll send it to Director Zhou to see if it can be used as a side story," Guo Jiahe said eagerly.
"Jiang Shuchen's song will need a few more days for post-production audio editing. I'll send it to you when it's done. Then you can call Director Zhou out and treat us to a meal," Li Peiyu suggested.
“Okay, I’ll ask him out then,” Guo Jiahe readily agreed.
"Thank you, Guo Jiahe." Jiang Shuchen said slowly, her eyes filled with sincere gratitude. "I'm really grateful that you remembered me."
"Hey, we're in the same boat." Guo Jiahe waved his hand casually and continued, "I'll help you when I'm popular, and you can help me when you become popular. Peiyu said you'll be a top star in the future, so don't forget me then."
Jiang Shuchen said, "How could that be? I remember all the kindness you've shown me and I will never forget it."
The four exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes they saw a gleaming light.
Their dreams, like the rising sun breaking through the clouds at dawn, are one step closer to them, so close that they seem within reach.
Just as the four of them were sitting together, chatting happily, Li Peiyu's cell phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang.
She picked it up and saw that the caller ID showed Lin Wanwan.
"Peiyu, go back to your dorm." Lin Wanwan's voice came through the receiver, tinged with urgency.
"What's wrong?" Li Peiyu's heart tightened, and her brows furrowed slightly.
"Tian Yuan is back. But there's something wrong with her." Lin Wanwan's tone was full of worry, which instantly gave Li Peiyu a bad feeling.
After hanging up the phone, Li Peiyu's expression turned serious. She turned to Guo Jiahe and said, "Jiahe, come back to the dormitory with me."
After saying that, he got up and hurriedly walked out. Guo Jiahe didn't dare to delay and followed closely behind.
As soon as Li Peiyu entered the dormitory, her eyes immediately caught sight of Tian Yuan.
Tian Yuan looked disheveled, her hair slightly messy, and sat blankly on the edge of the bed.
As soon as Tian Yuan saw Li Peiyu, she felt as if she had found someone to rely on, and she rushed into her arms, bursting into tears.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Li Peiyu asked anxiously, her heart tightening.
However, when Li Peiyu asked this question, Tian Yuan cried even harder, her cries heart-wrenching and distressing.
"Take a moment, take a moment to talk, we're all here," Li Peiyu gently patted Tian Yuan's back, comforting her softly.
After a long while, Tian Yuan finally calmed down and began to sob and whimper as she slowly recounted her ordeal.
It turns out that Tian Yuan was born into a poor family and had been receiving financial assistance from the Zhou family since high school.
Furthermore, during her senior year of high school, she began living with Zhou Ying, the only son of the Zhou family.
This summer, Tian Yuan reached the legal marriage age and, according to their previous agreement, was to marry Zhou Ying. Although Tian Yuan was somewhat unwilling, the thought of accepting financial assistance from the Zhou family made marrying Zhou Ying seem like a matter of course and something she couldn't refuse.
That night, Zhou Ying accidentally saw the 100,000 yuan balance in Tian Yuan's phone. Without asking any questions, he mistakenly assumed that she had done something improper. Enraged, he beat her up without saying a word.
Everyone gasped when they heard about Tian Yuan's misfortune; this girl who had slept with them for over three years had such a story.
"That was the night you called and inexplicably brought up the matter of 100,000 yuan." Li Peiyu narrowed her eyes slightly, trying hard to recall the scene.
“Yes, that was the day.” Tian Yuan said, wiping away her tears. “I always thought Zhou Ying truly loved me and still had some hope for the future. But he was abusive. At that moment, all my illusions were shattered, and I no longer wanted to marry him.”
“You definitely shouldn’t marry a man who commits domestic violence,” Guo Jiahe couldn’t help but interject. “Domestic violence is either zero times or countless times; once it starts, there’s no end to it.”
Tian Yuan continued, "I offered to give him the 100,000 yuan compensation and cancel the wedding. I thought that would end everything."
"He refused and imprisoned me." Tian Yuan's voice was filled with despair and helplessness.
Lin Wanwan couldn't help but say, "So you didn't skip school because you hurt your leg."
"Mm." Tian Yuan nodded gently.
"What about your parents? Didn't they call the police?" Lin Wanwan asked angrily.
“My dad is an honest man. He feels that I am where I am today because of the Zhou family’s help. Zhou Ying told my parents that the fight was due to a misunderstanding, and he even wrote a guarantee, so my parents are on Zhou Ying’s side.” Tian Yuan said with disappointment and helplessness.
"What kind of parents are you?" Guo Jiahe couldn't help but raise his voice, feeling indignant on behalf of Tian Yuan.
Li Peiyu said slowly, "Many people of their generation do not respect women. In their eyes, domestic violence is not a big deal."
The four remained silent for a moment, a tense atmosphere filling the air.
"Then how did you get out?" Li Peiyu broke the silence.
“I’ve been away from school for too long. I want to go back to school and graduate. So I asked Zhou Ying how I could be released. He said I would have to pay 500,000 yuan to buy my freedom if I didn’t get married.” Tian Yuan’s voice trembled slightly.
Guo Jiahe couldn't help but say, "Five hundred thousand? He really dares to ask for that much."
“I agreed and wrote an IOU for 500,000.” Tian Yuan bit her lip.
Guo Jiahe exclaimed, "Tian Yuan, 500,000 is no small sum!"
"I'll earn it slowly after graduation. It's better than marrying him and ruining my life." Tian Yuan's gaze became firm, as if she was ready to face the challenges of the future.
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