CH 63

The entertainment industry, this glamorous place, as most people inside and outside the industry know, was filled with all sorts of dirt and superficiality. Many young people were aware of what goes on in this circle, yet they still wholeheartedly pursue it.

The reason was simple: they want to stand under the spotlight, to enjoy the envious gazes and adoration of others. It's understandable; money and fame will always be the primary goals for most ordinary people.

But how many young people who aspire to be actors truly love the profession itself, rather than the material and vanity it brings in the spotlight?

When Yu Weiguang initially chose to study directing and later entered the film industry, his love was genuine, as was his desire for fame and fortune. He hoped that his works would be recognized by the public, even if many years later, after he had passed away, his films would still be remembered by future generations.

He wasn't surprised that Song Yan also sought for fame and fortune, but he was surprised that he asked about it now.

If this child initially chose to become an actor for the sake of fame and material possessions, then he should have readily accepted Yu Weiguang's offer when he first approached him.

Yu Weiguang didn't ask for his reasons; he only told Song Yan:

"Acting is a profession that places great emphasis on innate qualities. This profession can legitimately rely on appearances to make a living. You already possess better innate qualities than most people. But, child, if you want to enjoy the prestige it brings, you must have the ability to seize it. Whether you can succeed and earn a lot of money, I can't guarantee that at the moment. It depends on you."

Over the years, Yu Weiguang has shared this advice with many newcomers whom he personally discovered and gave opportunities to appear on the screen.

Today, he repeated these words to Wen Li.

"Only Ah Yan truly grasped it," Yu Weiguang said, "Regardless of his initial motivations for entering this circle, I am glad he became an actor. He lived up to my expectations and his own."

During the promotion of their movie in China, there were countless media reports. Song Yan was not interested and rarely went online to read them. At first, Yu Weiguang thought it was because he was new to the industry and couldn't handle seeing negative comments about himself online. After all, no matter how good a movie was, there would always be praise and criticism.

But later, [Paper Airplane] became a huge box office success, sweeping the entire East Asian film and television industry. Positive reviews flooded in from international websites in various languages. Song Yan didn't care about the domestic feedback and instead went over the to the international websites to read their comments and reviews.

Yu Weiguang couldn't understand why Song Yan cared so much about the opinions of those foreign fangirls. They weren't professional film critics and he didn't know why Song Yan attached so much importance to them.

He teased Song Yan, saying, "You have big ambitions. You've just taken your first step in the domestic market, now already you want to expand overseas."

But Song Yan, with a seemingly unrelated response, said, "But I can't sing or dance."

At that time, idol groups from overseas were particularly popular, and many kids liked them. They were like fanatics. Talking about this, Yu Weiguang curled his lip in disdain, "It's fine for girls. But those boys, with their long, brightly colored hair, what do they even look like? Fortunately, I persuaded him to become an actor."

Faced with Yu Weiguang's disdain, Wen Li forced a laugh, not daring to mention that she herself was once a fan of those overseas idol groups when she was in her teens.

She even made it her goal and eagerly went abroad to become a trainee.

When they were young, they didn't have many mature thoughts. They were innocent and optimistic, daring to fight with unwavering courage for that beam of light that they may never be able to grasp.

Eighteen-year-old Song Yan, who seemed like a good student, turned out to be a fan of idols.

Their interests were so similar.

Wen Li got to know about Song Yan's unknown dark history from Yu Weiguang.

Yu Weiguang explained it in detail, but what Wen Li really wanted to ask was about Tang Jiaren and Song Yan's filming, but before he could say it, Song Yan came looking for them because they had been outside for too long and the food was already served.

Song Yan saw his teacher and wife standing together and talking about him. He just simply sighed and walked over to call them in to eat.

"The food is served?" Yu Weiguang sighed, "I couldn't keep my mouth shut when reminiscing about you with your wife. Mrs. Song, We'll continue our conversation next time, let's go back."

Seeing that they couldn't get to the main, Wen Li felt somewhat disappointed but still nodded, "En."

So the three of them walked back, with Yu Weiguang in the front. Song Yan intentionally slowed his pace and walked beside Wen Li, casually asking, "What did the teacher tell you?"

Wen Li pursed her lips and said, "Your dark history."

Song Yan frowned, unable to recall any dark history of his own.

When they returned to the private room, the tea tray had been removed, and several dishes were already served. Qiu Ping immediately raised his glass, urging others to cheer and make Yu Weiguang drink a penalty cup.

Yu Weiguang drank it readily, and then several men looked at Wen Li.

It wasn't that they were afraid to persuade Wen Li to drink, but because her husband was here, they had to give her some face.

Little did they know, Wen Li was also easygoing and said she would drink. She knew it was a form of socializing. If she relied on Song Yan, it would make them think that she, as Song Yan's wife, lacked generosity. Besides, today she wasn't the accompanying family member of Song Yan, Song Yan was her accompanying family member. This was her territory for socializing, so she shouldn't avoid drinking.

"All of you present are my seniors, and I sincerely hope to have the opportunity to collaborate. Let me take the initiative to thank you all in advance for your care in the future."

She raised her glass, smiling generously and naturally. Song Yan was here, anyway, if she got drunk, he would take care of her, so she wasn't afraid of drinking too much. Her attitude was more straightforward, and the big shots at the table were happier.

No one would dislike an open and straightforward pretty girl at the dinner table. These big shots had been in the industry for many years. Their attitudes towards women of different statuses always differed. The women they privately kept and the women they interacted with at the dinner table were naturally different. So they treated Wen Li well, didn't force her to drink too much, and even asked Song Yan to help her drink a bit.

Song Yan did want to help her drink, but Wen Li pressed down his hand.

She whispered to him, "I really want to get this role, so don't help me, let me handle it myself."

"Your face is already red," Song Yan looked at her slightly tipsy face and sighed, "I'll have a few drinks for you."

However, Wen Li insisted on not letting him drink for her.

"Are you stupid? You're a man. Once you start accepting drinks, don't expect to go home sober tonight. You'll end up with a perforated stomach. I'm a woman, if I can't drink anymore, I can still act cute and pitiful. They won't feel embarrassed to let me stop drinking."

Song Yan had no words.

It was the first time a girl could speak so confidently and directly about the misbehavior at the dinner table.

But the drinking culture was never a traditional virtue. Some people liked to persuade others to drink, while others knew how to counter it.

"If I get drunk later, you have to take care of me and serve me. That's your duty as a husband," Wen Li pouted again, looking at him with sparkling eyes, "If you're also drunk, what use are you to me?"

She was quite the feminist.

Song Yan nodded, "Okay, I will."

They whispered to each other, while the others at the table urged, "Song Yan, be a man and take some responsibility. We'll look down on you if your wife takes the lead."

"Elders, I apologize, but I will take the lead," Wen Li laughed twice, with a tipsy tone, arrogantly and humorously saying, "Today, it's not about Song Yan and Song Yan's wife. It's about Wen Li and Wen Li's husband. I've got my husband's back. Whatever happens, come at me."

Everyone was stunned. It was Yu Weiguang who burst into laughter first.

"Ah Yan! How can you be someone's husband and still have your wife back you up!"

Even Qiu Ping joined in the teasing, "When your wife wasn't here, no one had your back. Now that she's here, how does it feel to be a little man?"

Song Yan chuckled and raised an eyebrow, "I'm enjoying it."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Qiu Ping raised his glass to Wen Li, "Miss Wen, I'll drink this glass for you, I won't be casual anymore."

Wen Li raised her glass with a serious tone, "Since you've already stopped being casual, I can't be casual either."

Qiu Ping was momentarily surprised. She had finally broken the cool and aloof image she had maintained since they met in Yucheng. She returned to her usual self when she was with acquaintances and friends, laughing and nodding, "Okay, okay, I'll follow your lead, whether I drink or not."

Laughter and joy filled the table. Song Yan watched his wife confidently and gracefully socialize with the people at the table, without even needing his presence.

He had come today, originally worried that she would feel uncomfortable, but little did he know she didn't need him at all. His role was simply to wait for the meal to finish, for her socializing to end, and then dutifully step forward as a husband, taking her home and taking care of her as she sobered up.

——

The meal lasted for nearly three hours.

Before leaving, Director Qiu said to Wen Li, "Take it easy during the audition in a couple of days. Your natural state is already very similar to Ye Yan."

Wen Li stood upright and saluted, saying, "Yes, sir!"

Director Qiu laughed so hard that he hiccuped, "This is a Republican-era drama, not a cop film." Then he patted Song Yan's shoulder and said while hiccuping, "Your wife is really interesting."

With such an evaluation from Director Qiu, even if Wen Li couldn't get the role, it was likely that she would be given more consideration for good scripts in the future based on her personal charm.

Whether she could get this role still depended on Wen Li herself.

Yu Weiguang still hoped that Ah Yan's wife could get the role, so he took the opportunity while chatting with Qiu Ping and Song Yan to mysteriously pull Wen Li aside and give her some literal guidance.

"A close-up shot on the big screen is a very real thing. It's not enough to just have a face. If there's nothing in your eyes, the audience will see a pretty wooden doll. Director Qiu values expressive eyes in acting. When auditioning, imagine that there's someone in front of you, someone you love or hate. In any case, immerse yourself in the most genuine emotions and don't try to deceive him with acting techniques."

After saying that, Yu Weiguang smiled proudly and said, "Even Ah Yan wasn't good at expressing emotions through his eyes first. It was only after I told him this method that he had an epiphany."

At this moment, Qiu Ping shouted to them, "Old Yu! Let's go! The driver is here. If you don't come, you'll have to take a taxi yourself!"

Yu Weiguang replied loudly, "Coming, coming."

As the director left, the car that was picking up Song Yan and Wen Li also arrived.

When they came to have the meal, it was Song Yan's manager, Ke Bin, who had brought them. Ke Bin waited until Song Yan called him to pick them up and decided to inform Wen Li's manager, Lu Dan, to come along as well.

Lu Dan thought that the meal was already over, and whether it succeeded or not depended on Wen Li herself. So she came with Ke Bin and took the opportunity to ask about the result.

As soon as the two managers got out of the car, they saw Song Yan, who showed no signs of being drunk, was supporting Wen Li, who was visibly intoxicated.

She greeted the managers with a charming smile, "Hey, Brother Bin, Sister Dan."

"..." Ke Bin looked at Song Yan as if he had seen a ghost, "What's going on? Your wife is drunk, and you're not? When did your alcohol tolerance become so good?"

"I didn't drink much," Song Yan said, "She was taking care of me today."

Ke Bin thought he misheard, but the next moment, Wen Li immediately raised her head proudly, snorted, and confidently asked, "I'm the one taking care of him! Am I awesome or not?"

Ke Bin, who didn't have much contact with Wen Li and didn't understand her true personality, looked puzzled.

Lu Dan knew her artist too well and immediately flattered Wen Li, "You're awesome, really awesome."

Wen Li was satisfied and nodded, "En."

Lu Dan sighed and decided to help Song Yan support Wen Li into the car.

With her eyes tightly closed, Wen Li suddenly became irritable as her phone in her bag started ringing. She immediately threw the bag on the ground in annoyance, saying, "It's so annoying!"

The phone seemed to sense its owner's anger and fell silent.

Lu Dan sneered, "This bag is limited edition and is already out of production. You'll regret it when you sober up."

Wen Li also sneered, "I'm so rich. How could I be upset over just a bag?"

"..."

Ke Bin, the only one with both hands free, picked up the bag for Wen Li. But as soon as he did, the phone rang again. He simply handed the bag to Song Yan and said, "Answer your wife's call."

Song Yan asked Ke Bin to help support Wen Li, took out the phone from her bag, and looked at the caller ID.

[Cold-hearted Capitalist]

He frowned, wondering who it was. Uncertain, he answered the call without speaking, but the voice on the other end, as cold as an icy blade, began accusing, "Wen Li, you've got some nerve. You took so long to answer my call."

Song Yan recognized the voice. It was Wen Yan, her uncle.

He calmly said, "This is Song Yan."

There was a few seconds of silence on the phone, then the same icy tone, resembling an interrogator, continued, "I heard from Wen Zheng that you were having dinner at his restaurant. Have you left?"

Song Yan replied, "Yes, we've left."

At that moment, Wen Yan's black Bentley had just entered the VIP parking lot. The driver turned a corner and happened to see the nanny car, Song Yan standing next to it, and his niece who was so drunk she could barely stand, needing two people to support her as they got into the car.

"So what I'm seeing in the parking lot now is your twin?" Wen Yan sneered, "After knowing you for so many years, how come I never knew that Young Master Song had a twin brother?"

Wen Yan hung up the phone, got out of the car, and walked towards Song Yan.

A poker-faced man in a tailored suit was walking towards them. Both managers felt that this man looked somewhat familiar, but Ke Bin had a better memory and murmured, "Isn't this Xingyi Gr——"

"You guys wait in the car."

After giving the instructions, Song Yan also walked towards Wen Yan.

The two managers helped the barely-conscious Wen Li into the car and followed suit. Sitting inside, they exchanged bewildered glances after closing the door.

Lu Dan asked, "That was President Wen from Xingyi Group, right?"

Ke Bin nodded, "Yes, he came to our company for a meeting with President Bai once. I've seen him."

With the confirmation of the identity of this poker-faced, cold man, the two managers became even more perplexed.

Not long after, Wen Li, who had her eyes closed in the back seat, suddenly woke up. Her voice was thick with the smell of alcohol as she hoarsely asked, "Where's Song Yan?"

"You're awake? President Wen from Xingyi Group just came to find him. He went to talk with him," Ke Bin replied.

Wen Li sat up straight, completely sober now, with a flicker of fire in her eyes. "It's fine if other women like my husband, but even that heartless man dares to covet my husband!"

"..."

"..."

The two managers indicated that they didn't understand, but Wen Li had already gotten out of the car by then.

"I'm going to go and bring him back! This unfaithful man!"

——

Song Yan got into Wen Yan's car, and as soon as he closed the door, he heard accusing words from Wen Yan, "You were socializing with Wen Li let her get drunk; Young Master Song, is this how you take care of my niece?"

"She was worried about me and didn't let me drink," Song Yan replied.

Wen Yan couldn't believe that Song Yan would say such a thing. He turned his head to look at him incredulously and asked, "She was worried about you?"

"Yes."

"What kind of dream are you living in, Young Master Song?" Wen Yan raised his eyebrows, his tone mocking, "She only causes worry for others, does she even know how to care for someone?"

Song Yan smiled faintly and calmly said, "Mr. Wen, you've never experienced your niece caring for you. It's best not to make such assumptions."

Wen Yan's expression froze.

"You, a man, expect my niece to care for you. How audacious," Wen Yan sneered.

"Isn't that how couples are? What's there to be embarrassed about?" Song Yan paused for a moment and said, "I forgot, Mr. Wen, you're still unmarried and don't understand these things. My apologies."

"What are you bragging about?" Wen Yan smirked, his voice cold, "Do you expect me, Young Master Song, to congratulate you for finally using true love to defeat me, the feudal patriarch who interfered in your relationship?"

Song Yan's voice also grew colder, showing no respect as he said, "No need, your congratulations mean nothing to me."

Wen Yan took a deep breath, no longer interested in engaging in this meaningless debate. He spoke directly, "I called Wen Li several times earlier, asking her to come home for dinner. She had time to socialize, but had no time to come home and have a meal with her family. Now that she's drunk like this, I can't reason with her. Please tell her for me, if she doesn't come home when I ask her next time, then she should never come back."

Song Yan frowned and instinctively explained for Wen Li, "She's busy with work, that's why she couldn't go back."

Wen Yan chuckled, "Do you think I can't afford to support her?"

"She doesn't need you to support her."

"She may not need it, but Young Master Song, you do," Wen Yan laughed lightly, his expression proud, with a hint of mockery in his eyes. "My father generously supported you to study here in Yancheng out of goodwill and his friendship with your father. But instead of showing gratitude, you took away his granddaughter."

After saying that, Wen Yan tidied a nonexistent speck of dust from his cuff.

Wen Yan's sister passed away early, and his brother-in-law, burdened by the loss of his wife, neglected the two children. Wen Li was taken to her grandfather's house, but her grandmother had also passed away. In this household full of men, Wen Li was the only girl. Her grandfather didn't know how to take care of his granddaughter, and her uncles, Wen Yan and Wen Zheng, also didn't know how to take care of their niece either. They provided the necessities, material indulgence, and even some behavioral leniency, but no one taught her tenderness. She was prickly all over, spoiled, and had an extremely awkward personality. Objectively speaking, apart from her appearance, she had many flaws.

Besides her family, who else would be able to tolerate her like this? Wen Yan didn't think Song Yan had that kind of patience. He, too, came from a privileged background, raised with people serving him. How could he withstand Wen Li?

"I won't say much else. What's done is done. No matter what your purpose was for marrying my niece, take good care of her instead of expecting her to care for you," Wen Yan admonished sternly.

As soon as he finished speaking, the car door was suddenly opened from the outside, startling the driver and the two men in the back seat.

Wen Yan was about to reprimand the person outside when the person bent down to look inside and shouted, "Song Yan! You're were not there to attend to me, but you're here talking secretly with another man!"

Wen Yan was infuriated by the term "another man".

"Wen Li!"

"Uncle, you've been a single old bachelor for over thirty years. Besides your face, which is worthless, no woman finds you attractive. Now you're trying to covet my man?" Wen Li, without any reverence for her drunk state, pressed on her uncle's sore spot and then grabbed Song Yan's arm, "Come out quickly. Am I not more charming than this old bachelor?"

"You're itching for trouble, aren't you?"

"If you have the guts, hit me. If you dare touch me, I'll report you for harassment!"

Wen Yan was so infuriated his breathing almost stopped. With a stern patriarchal expression, he rebuked her sharply, "Listen to the nonsense you're spouting! You're really hopeless."

"It's you who's seriously hopeless. That's why you can't find a woman for yourself."

Wen Li dragged Song Yan out, forcefully closed the car door, and rescued her "beautiful man" from the clutches of her devilish uncle. Proudly, she walked with her man toward her private car.

Back in the car, Wen Li hugged Song Yan's waist, as if she ruled the world while holding her beloved in her arms. With a domineering attitude, she ordered the manager in the front seat, "Drive."

Instinctively, Ke Bin responded, "Okay."

The car left the parking lot. Lu Dan couldn't help but secretly observe the intoxicated woman in the rearview mirror.

Wen Li was interrogating Song Yan.

"Why did you throw yourself into another man's car? What were you doing when you left me and went to talk secretly with someone else?" she scolded Song Yan, not caring about her drunkenness.

"I just exchanged a few words, that's all," Song Yan replied calmly.

Wen Li nodded, "I know, I don't expect you to do anything else," then she frowned, discontented, and said, "What about Tang Jiaren?"

Song Yan couldn't keep up with her train of thought for a moment, from Wen Yan to Tang Jiaren. He sounded confused, "What?"

She stared at him directly, burped first, then contemplated for a while before informing him in a matter-of-fact tone, "I'm jealous."

The two managers in the front seat unconsciously perked up their ears.

Song Yan was caught off guard by her straightforward words and looked at her blankly.

Then, with a very arrogant attitude, Wen Li said to Song Yan, "But you can't think that I'm being unreasonable because this is how I show my liking for you. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't bother getting jealous. Do you understand?"

Lu Dan secretly thought to herself, her artist's temper was difficult to deal with. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she still acted like a boss. Amazing.

But Song Yan really treated her like a boss. There was a smile in his eyes as he nodded and said, "Yes, I understand."

Wen Li nodded in satisfaction and then raised her head arrogantly, her tone haughty, "Since you understand, then quickly appease me. You can't make me angry because I like you. Now, please, coax me quickly."