Strange to say, in an environment as extravagant, rotten, and vain as the Xie family, Xie Yuanyu was completely different from his siblings. He didn’t have a trace of bad habits—no wasteful debauchery, no arrogant condescension. What he possessed was a passionate gentleman’s integrity and a heart full of justice for the world.
From childhood, he studied diligently and read extensively, aspiring to serve the country and its people. He was also very promising, achieving the rank of Tanhua and receiving an official post. He originally thought he could fulfill his aspirations from then on, but the flattery and toadying of officials, His Majesty’s inaction, and the elder ministers turning a blind eye all made him disheartened and unfulfilled. His counsel was treated as a joke. The reforms he poured his heart and soul into writing were burned to ashes by Li Wu. After only half a year in office, he was plagued by minor illnesses and caught a cold.
The male lead’s revenge was not easy. He knew that toppling the Xie family was impossible for one person alone, so he endured humiliation and sought refuge with distant relatives. Years later, he rose to prominence, became the Top Scholar in the palace examination, and later worked for the Second Prince. He laid out a chess game to eliminate the Xie family, ultimately assisting the Second Prince in seizing the throne. For his great achievements, he was appointed to a high official position.
Xie Yuanyu’s screen time was indeed very little—three scenes in total. The first scene was passing the imperial examination as Tanhua, wearing a red robe while receiving congratulations from the nobility, riding a horse through Long Nine Street, forming a stark contrast with the male lead, whom no one paid any attention to.
The second scene was at the spring banquet. By this time, the Xie family had already fallen out of His Majesty’s favor. The Xie family suffered His Majesty’s cold shoulder. Xie Yuanyu sat alone drinking while the male lead was being praised and rewarded.
The third scene was Xie Yuanyu’s death. He pleaded for the Xie family, hoping Li Wu could spare the lives of the Xie family members. He knelt in the freezing snow for several hours. Li Wu’s mind was made up and refused to see him. Deeply devastated, once he collapsed, he never stood up again.
What Lin Qinghe would film tomorrow was the first scene. It wasn’t difficult, because that was his experience in Tranquil City. Time had passed in a blink, so many years gone. Recalling the past now stirred a profound sense of nostalgia.
.
[Wings Spread Soaring High Group Chat, 100 members]
[Anyu’s Husband is the Handsomest: Huge news, Anyu has returned, sisters!!!]
[Green Lime Who Loves Anyu: Anyu has returned! OMG, he’s back. My tears instantly started flowing.]
[Anyu Safe and Smooth: It feels like we’ve waited so long. Finally back. Sob sob sob, so touched.]
[I’m a Little Wing: Great, great. Anyu is back! I’ve been getting by on his Weibo selfies every day recently.]
[Accompanying Anyu Through Four Seasons: Ever since Anyu stopped updating, it hasn’t felt as lively.]
[I’m a Little Wing: It’ll be even livelier from now on!]
[Anyu’s Husband is the Handsomest: Although he’s returned, he might not start working immediately. His previous endorsements and activities were canceled, and films fell through. He’ll probably wait a bit, find an opportunity to appear in public.]
[Eternal Star: It’s fine. As long as he’s back, things will slowly get better. With Anyu’s acting skills and professional ability, standing firm again won’t be a problem.]
[Anyu’s Husband is the Handsomest: You’re right. No matter what, we’ll all stand behind Anyu and support him.]
…
Starlight Entertainment Company, underground parking lot.
“Brother Yu, let’s go up.” Zhang Yun looked at Xu Anyu through the rearview mirror, his tone cautious.
Xu Anyu wore a mask, his baseball cap pulled down so low it covered his eyes. He leaned against the back seat as if resting, completely motionless.
“Brother Anyu.” Zhang Yun called again.
After a few seconds, Xu Anyu reached up to adjust his cap, revealing dark, bruised bags under his eyes. His assistant had picked him up and brought him home yesterday. The assistant had brought him takeout from the hotel and told him to rest well.
Over the past many days, he had known nothing of the outside world. When he asked the assistant what had happened recently, the assistant hesitated repeatedly. Only later did he learn that the company had signed a newcomer after he was detained. This newcomer had been dazzlingly successful in the entertainment industry in a short time, gaining fans through the role of Celine in Dream of the Blue Moon Night.
Celine. A role that should have been his. Taken by someone else—and a newcomer signed by his own company, no less. If it had been an artist from another company, perhaps he could have accepted it. But the damn thing was that this was some person who had descended from nowhere with no traceable background.
Too much resentment pressed down on his heart, keeping him awake all night. This morning, Tao Wan called him, saying Chen Dong had something to discuss and he should come to the company.
His mood right now was extremely, extremely unpleasant. Chen Dong should give him an explanation.
The secretary set down the tea and turned to leave. The office door was closed. Only Chen Dong, Xu Anyu, and his agent Tao Wan remained.
“Anyu, good that you’re back.” Chen Dong took a sip of goji berry health tea and said, “Rest up properly. Build up your health. You’ve lost quite a bit of weight.”
Xu Anyu tugged at the corner of his mouth and got straight to the point. “Thank you for your concern, Brother Chen. How does Brother Chen plan for me to make my comeback?”
Tao Wan furrowed her brow, feeling that Xu Anyu’s temperament hadn’t changed one bit.
“No rush.” Chen Dong spoke slowly, unaffected by Xu Anyu. “The company is considering having you start with a variety show. Currently, the public has mostly forgotten about your drunk driving and hitting someone. You can use the variety show as a transition, then take on scripts and join production crews afterward.”
“Fine.” Xu Anyu agreed very crisply. He said, “Whatever variety show you tell me to do, I’ll do.”
“Mm.” Chen Dong continued, “Tao Wan will give you the best advice.”
“And then? Nothing else to say?”
Chen Dong had picked up Xu Anyu in a bar back then. At that time, Xu Anyu was a resident singer. Because he sang well and was sunny and handsome, he was well-liked by both men and women.
After encountering him by chance, he had gone back several more times. Each time was to watch Xu Anyu, or rather, to observe. He thought Xu Anyu had the potential to be a star, so one day after his singing ended, he found him and chatted for a few minutes.
The whole process was very smooth. Xu Anyu held his guitar, tilted his head slightly, starlight of youth in his eyes. “Sure. If you can give me lights and a stage, I’ll go with you.”
Perhaps when people are about to obtain something, they always promise something to ensure success. Chen Dong was no exception. He said he would make Xu Anyu a priority in cultivation.
And he had indeed done so. Xu Anyu had also worked hard enough and gained a stage of his own.
It was just that Chen Dong gradually began to discover that Xu Anyu had a flawed personality and wasn’t very bound by moral constraints. Moreover, this flaw became more apparent as his influence at Starlight Entertainment grew.
Several incidents had occurred. Chen Dong had reminded Xu Anyu more than once, but he seemed unable to listen, believing that as long as he had talent and fans, he could act recklessly.
Over time, he finally reaped what he sowed.
Chen Dong didn’t demand that artists have extremely high moral standards, because the entertainment industry was inherently a place of mixed good and bad, with fierce competition. People who were too kind and innocent weren’t suited to stay here—they would get hurt. But at the very least, one couldn’t lack a moral bottom line.
Facing Xu Anyu’s interrogation, his expression remained calm. “I’m sure you’ve also learned that the company signed a newcomer named Lin Qinghe, personally brought in by President Cen. We’re all on the same team. Get along well from now on.”
He deliberately emphasized that President Cen personally brought him in. Not to shift blame, but to warn Xu Anyu not to remain stubbornly obsessed. Even if he had any resentment toward Lin Qinghe, he could only endure it. Time spent scheming about other things was better used improving himself.
“Get along well?” Xu Anyu took off his cap and asked with earnest feigned sincerity, “The moment I come back, the company stabs me in the back. Celine’s role was stolen by him. Resources are handed to him. May I ask, how exactly am I supposed to get along well?”
Tao Wan immediately called out, “Xu An—”
Chen Dong spoke to explain. “Celine’s role was personally chosen by Director Li Ran. As for resources, Qinghe’s path is not the same as yours. There isn’t much competition between you. Besides, if the company wants to develop, it can’t stay in place. Jiang Nian and Xi Yan are already established. You had an accident, so there’s a need to train newcomers. That’s very reasonable.”
“Qinghe has a reserved and mild personality. He can’t have conflict with you. As a senior, broaden your mind a bit. Be more magnanimous.”
What utter bullshit. Xu Anyu sneered. “When I was making money for the company back then, why didn’t I see you recruiting newcomers? These are all just excuses. You saw my endorsements were canceled, my activities called off, losses piling up, so you couldn’t wait to find an escape route, right? Don’t you think this is too chilling?”
After being contradicted several times, Chen Dong’s temper was also growing restless. He suppressed himself. “Calm down first, Anyu. I’ll tell you the truth. Regarding your drunk driving and hitting someone, and Qinghe’s signing—I didn’t even have the standing to interfere. Do you understand what that means? I won’t say you’ve completely offended President Cen, but he should be very displeased.”
“I hope you’ll think it over carefully. Don’t act on impulse. At the very least, you can still stand on your own stage. How far you can go from now on depends entirely on you.”
Didn’t even have the standing to interfere. Very displeased. These words revolved repeatedly in Xu Anyu’s mind. So Cen Han visiting Zheng Yao at the hospital with Zhang Hua before was the prelude. Letting Lin Qinghe enter Starlight Entertainment was the conclusion.
He felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He calmed down slightly.
“The company hasn’t given up on you. As long as you cooperate properly, abandon what should be abandoned, correct what should be corrected, stop dwelling on meaningless things, and focus on work, President Cen won’t make things too difficult for you.”
Chen Dong had said everything he could. How things turned out in the end would depend on what Xu Anyu did.
Xu Anyu squeezed his wrist, calculations forming in his mind. He slowly exhaled and suddenly smiled. “I understand, Brother Chen. I’ll cooperate with Sister Wan. I was willful before. I won’t be anymore.”
