Chapter 65

This was the most focused drive Lin Yuewei had ever made. She pulled over and stopped right in front of the Tianrui Group building where Gu Yanqiu worked.

“We’re here.” Lin Yuewei unlocked the car door.

Gu Yanqiu unfastened her seat belt at a measured pace, then took the prayer beads off her wrist and put them back on. She calmly straightened each bead one by one before giving Lin Yuewei a polite nod. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

Gu Yanqiu still didn’t get out.

Lin Yuewei: “???”

Gu Yanqiu toyed with the beads in her hand and asked, “What time do you finish this afternoon?”

“Huh?”

“I didn’t drive here. If I go home after work...”

Her hint was already obvious enough. She was asking whether Lin Yuewei could come pick her up after work. Lin Yuewei did want to agree, but once she got busy, her schedule was impossible to pin down; she couldn’t promise it, and for a moment she was at a loss.

Seeing her look troubled, Gu Yanqiu immediately said considerately, “Actually, I can have my secretary drive me home. He has a car.” Though it was an electric one.

Lin Yuewei thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll see how things go this afternoon. Text me before you get off work; if I’m not busy, I’ll come. Or if I finish first, I’ll let you know. If you’re still at the office, I’ll come then too. Is that okay?”

That arrangement was foolproof. Gu Yanqiu had already made up her mind to have Lin Yuewei pick her up, and she smiled slightly as she answered, “Sure. Actually, you don’t need to rush; I often work overtime. You might be done before I am.”

Lin Yuewei smiled, reluctant but needing to urge her along. “Go on, get to work. It doesn’t look good for either of us if someone sees us like this.”

Gu Yanqiu waved at her. “Bye-bye.”

“Bye-bye.”

Gu Yanqiu was a very careful person. She pushed the car door open just a sliver; the opening was barely enough for her to slip out. At that size, unless someone shoved their face right into the crack, no one could see who was in the driver’s seat, man or woman, tall or short, fat or thin—nothing at all.

After Gu Yanqiu got out, Lin Yuewei immediately drove away from the Tianrui building toward the place she had arranged to meet someone.

Gu Yanqiu looked back at the license plate of the used Volkswagen, then stepped up onto the stairs.

“Miss Gu.” Not long after Gu Yanqiu had walked a few steps, a voice behind her called her to a stop.

“Lin Zhi?” A trace of confusion flashed through Gu Yanqiu’s eyes. She glanced at the plastic bag in his hand, which held steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and other breakfast items, and understood. “You haven’t had breakfast yet?”

“Not yet. Have you?” Lin Zhi said, then followed the direction she had just looked. He had seen Gu Yanqiu get out of a Volkswagen on the other side of the road with his own eyes; it was a rare sight. This was the first time Gu Yanqiu had come to work without driving herself, and she had even ridden in a car that looked completely at odds with her status.

“I’ve eaten,” Gu Yanqiu answered.

“Who brought you here just now?”

Gu Yanqiu curved her lips into a smile.

That smile looked suspiciously sweet.

Lin Zhi’s brain instantly filled in the rest. So today’s person who brought Miss Gu to work really was that mysterious someone of hers. He hadn’t expected the mysterious partner to be some wealthy young master or miss; instead, it was someone driving a Volkswagen.

Lin Zhi took a hard bite of the fried dough stick sticking out of the plastic bag. The rich kids in novels who choose ordinary people really do come from life after all; the cliché was absolutely true.

Gu Yanqiu had no idea what was going on in his head and kept walking toward the office entrance. Only on the second glance did Lin Zhi notice what she was wearing today, and then another thought struck him: she’d always dressed so properly before, but today she had suddenly changed her style. If that wasn’t dressing for the one she loved, what was? Love transforms people. The only question was whether Miss Gu still chased celebrities. If her partner were a man, that was fine, but if it were a woman, Gu Yanqiu might get a good talking-to.

Gu Yanqiu ran into another person in the elevator, and the smile at her lips vanished at once; her eyes turned cold.

The handsome man facing her looked to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight, dressed in a suit and leather shoes polished to a shine. He was tall and long-legged, his slender build adding countless points to his looks. Not to mention the rimless glasses and the refined-scum aura that clung to him all over; he was very handsome. Several female employees in the elevator kept sneaking glances at him and exchanging looks.

Lin Zhi found him vaguely familiar, but he didn’t speak up. He stood properly behind Gu Yanqiu.

But the man spoke first, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. “Yanqiu.”

Gu Yanqiu gave a perfunctory nod. “Big brother.”

Lin Zhi: “!!”

The other employees: “!!”

Gu Feiquan said as if no one else were there, “Dad told you to come home for dinner last night. Why didn’t you?”

“I was busy.” Gu Yanqiu’s tone was as cold as her gaze.

“Then are you free to go back tonight?”

“No.” Gu Yanqiu’s floor was low. As soon as she finished speaking, the elevator chimed. She stepped out first and said without looking back, “Excuse me.”

Gu Feiquan watched her stride away. His tongue pressed lightly against the roof of his mouth, and he gave a soft laugh.

The female employees’ little hearts had already been stomped flat into a pile.

Gu Yanqiu walked ahead with long, brisk strides; Lin Zhi, half a head taller than her, hurried to follow silently behind, all the way until the office door slammed shut in front of him with a bang. Lin Zhi returned to his seat in worry.

These past few days, rumors in the company had been running wild. The Gu family’s affairs were being chewed over from every angle by those who knew and those who didn’t. He had pieced together most of it: Gu Huai, Chairman Gu, after his first wife died, had quickly married a second wife and brought back his eldest son, who was three years older than Gu Yanqiu—the illegitimate one. Originally, the company heir had been obvious, but now the gods were battling and no one knew who the spoils would fall to.

Lin Zhi worried for Gu Yanqiu. In his eyes, this was all a disaster dropped out of the sky; she hadn’t done a thing wrong. Her mother had died, and now she had to be pressed down by an illegitimate son. Gu Feiquan’s office floor was higher than Gu Yanqiu’s, and the department he went to outranked hers as well.

Could it be that Gu Huai favored the illegitimate son?

Lin Zhi made himself a cup of coffee and knocked on Gu Yanqiu’s office door.

“Miss Gu, your coffee.”

“Put it there.”

Lin Zhi glanced at the fountain pen under Gu Yanqiu’s hand. Good; the nib was still intact, which meant her mood was at least relatively stable. Thinking it over, he offered her a word of comfort. “Miss Gu, I’ll always support you.”

Gu Yanqiu: “..."

After a moment, she smiled and said, “Okay.”

Lin Zhi slowly backed out. Before closing the door, he still looked at Gu Yanqiu with concern. Was she forcing a smile?

Meanwhile, gossip spread through the company. Compared to that, the fact that Gu Yanqiu had taken a Volkswagen to work today wasn’t much of a headline. Everyone was talking about the parachuted-in Gu Feiquan, and since internal matters were sensitive and couldn’t be discussed too openly, the whole focus shifted to his looks.

Lin Zhi went to the break room to get water, and several female employees were chattering away.

“Did you see the eldest young master? He’s outrageously handsome!”

“I saw him, I saw him. I even saw the photo a colleague from the marketing department posted!”

“Didn’t you notice that the eldest young master and Mr. Gu look a little alike?”

“There is a little resemblance. Oh, never mind that—wonder if the eldest young master has a girlfriend?”

“Ladies, it’s work hours. And you’re just gossiping here?” Lin Zhi rapped his fingers on the doorframe and narrowed his eyes at them. He was only a small secretary, but he was still the manager’s secretary. With his stern expression, the women were a little afraid; they forced out awkward smiles and scattered like birds and beasts.

Lin Zhi poured himself a glass of water and inwardly spat: What eldest young master? What nonsense.

He was outside worrying on Gu Yanqiu’s behalf, while Gu Yanqiu sat in her office quietly handling work, showing no sign of being affected by anything outside.

She even had the leisure to send Lin Yuewei a message.

[West Gu: Have you reached the location?]

[Two Trees: Just parked]

[West Gu: Be careful]

[Two Trees: 233 I’m already here; what do I need to be careful about?]

[West Gu: What if there’s a sleazy man? Like the one I ran into before]

[Two Trees: Then I’ll learn from you, put on my ring, and say: Sorry, I’m already married]

[West Gu: [smile]]

[Two Trees: It’s fine, I’ve practiced. Besides, I’m at a formal venue, not out in the sticks]

When Gu Yanqiu and Lin Yuewei “ran into” each other in S City, they were staying in the same hotel. Lin Yuewei had crouched by her room door before; the two of them had once fought hand to hand. Lin Yuewei was very quick on the uptake and knew how to borrow strength against strength; one or two men really weren’t her match. Thinking of that, Gu Yanqiu felt much more at ease.

Lin Yuewei looked up at the building in front of her. The sunlight was a little blinding, so she lowered her head to type:

[Two Trees: I’m going to get busy. I’ll reply later]

[West Gu: Okay, see you]

They each had their own things to do. While remaining unrelated to one another, they also seemed to be connected by something invisible, adding the other person’s belief to their own as they ran forward together.

Gu Yanqiu wanted to give Lin Yuewei a better future; as for Lin Yuewei, there was no need to say more—she still had the three million investment fund Gu Yanqiu had given her.

***

Lin Yuewei pulled herself out of the emotionally intense scene, wiped the tears from her face with a tissue, and, still breathing hard, bowed to the casting director and the others in front of her. Then she looked respectfully toward the director in the center. He was in his fifties, kindly and approachable, a stark contrast to the producer beside him, whose expression was as dark as water.

Producer: “..."

Casting director: “..."

Neither of them said anything. Like Lin Yuewei, they fixed their attention on the director.

The drama she had come to audition for was a modern urban crime investigation series, and she was trying out for the second female lead; a female police officer on the criminal investigation team. The moment she saw the script, she knew the role had been tailor-made for her. Whether it was height, appearance, or temperament, it matched her closely; she could absolutely handle it. An actor who can convincingly play anything is impressive, of course, but if you already resemble the character yourself, the performance becomes twice as effective for half the effort. In the past, there had been many actors in their early twenties still studying at academy who shot to fame on the strength of a single role. Most of those cases were like this.

The director didn’t immediately say whether she was good or bad. First he asked gently, “You’re with Guoshi Entertainment, under Chen Xuan?”

Lin Yuewei nodded.

The director tapped his pen on the paper and looked at her. “Mr. Chen already sent one person to audition. Did you know that?”

Lin Yuewei looked blank and shook her head. “I didn’t know.”

Of course she knew; precisely because she knew, she had to come even more.

The director remained silent in thought. Guoshi Entertainment had not only sent one person to audition for this second female lead, but several others as well. The two most prominent were Fang Xiaoxiao under Chen Xuan and another artist under Liu, another manager at Guoshi Entertainment. Guoshi Entertainment had invested in the production, so whether for appearances’ sake or based on performance alone, he had already decided to choose one of those two artists. He was leaning more toward Fang Xiaoxiao; it was basically a done deal. Who would have thought a newcomer would suddenly pop out and cause trouble?

He liked Lin Yuewei’s face too much. Her jade-white skin and vermilion lips, her long brows slanting into her temples; it was an imposing kind of beauty that blurred the boundaries of gender and hit the eye with great force. Some people might not feel her looks, but once they did, they would think her extraordinary. In the 1990s, there were many female Hong Kong stars with the same distinctive, individualistic features. But as time went on, tastes slowly converged toward a single aesthetic, and that era was ultimately gone for good.

The director was exactly the kind of person who could appreciate her looks. He truly didn’t want to let such an excellent seedling go. If this actress could be shaped by his hands, it would become his achievement. Perhaps the world did not lack people with looks like hers, but once you encountered one, no director would let her slip away easily. More importantly, if this role were played by Lin Yuewei, it would shine. As a director, he had to be responsible for his own work.

“You’re very good,” the director said, offering her sincere praise.

“Thank you.”

“Where’s your manager? Why didn’t she come with you?”

“She’s too busy. She has several people to look after.”

“You’ve had it tough.”

“Go back and wait for word. I like you.” The director ended with a smile.

Lin Yuewei bowed and left.

Before a few hours had passed, Chen Xuan received a call from the director. She was sitting in a nanny van beside one of her top artists, having just accompanied them through promotional appearances and was on the way back.

“Lin Yuewei? She’s one of mine. What’s wrong?”

“She came to audition with you?” Chen Xuan frowned, wondering where she had found out about the audition. “Then what about Fang Xiaoxiao?”

The director said in confusion, “Aren’t both she and Fang Xiaoxiao yours? It doesn’t matter who you use, does it?”

Chen Xuan said, “It’s not the same. Her situation is a little special.”

After much persuasion, Chen Xuan finally managed to make the director give up the idea of replacing her. She let out a long breath and set her phone on the table in front of her. The young starlet beside her lounged in the seat, lifted her head, and spoke slowly, her voice thick as though she had a mouthful of feathers. Her humming and mumbling made people uncomfortable to hear.

“Sister Xuan, why did you push away Lin Yuewei’s resources?”

Chen Xuan jerked. “Speak properly.”

The popular starlet snorted with laughter and acted spoiled. “Aiya, my throat feels bad.”

Chen Xuan sneered. “I don’t think you’re speaking badly right now at all.”

The starlet laughed and said, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

Chen Xuan sighed. “Don’t ask. It’s the higher-ups’ meaning.”

The starlet remained slouched. Since she had time to rest, she couldn’t keep herself properly. She said in surprise, “The higher-ups? Which higher-ups are you talking about?”

Chen Xuan made a gesture pointing upward, twice, indicating the very highest level.

The starlet frowned. “That can’t be right, can it? Wasn’t this one personally signed by President Bai? I heard she even flew to S City specially to negotiate with Company X. She was very invested. How did it change so fast?”

Chen Xuan said irritably, “If you’re asking me, who am I supposed to ask? Hurry up and get some sleep. You’ll be flying all over the place for the next week.”

A woman’s heart is like the depths of the sea, the starlet mused to herself, and obediently lay back down.

Chen Xuan rubbed her brow. It wasn’t that she didn’t know Lin Yuewei had potential, but she couldn’t figure out what the higher-ups meant and didn’t dare act rashly. At this crucial moment, if she lost this round, the position of head of the artist management department would slip from her hands, and she’d be forced to work under Liu Qian. The thought was unbearable.

Actually, Bai Hua hadn’t given any specific order. It was just that, on the day before the top management had decided to sign Lin Yuewei to the company’s most core division—Bai Hua Studio, where she would receive the best resources the company had to offer—that decision was suddenly struck down. Lin Yuewei was assigned to Chen Xuan instead, with no explanation at all, not even the usual polite formalities people gave when signing someone. The attitude was extremely cold. But after Chen Xuan thought it over, she felt the upper management probably intended to keep her on ice for the time being.

Lin Yuewei knew nothing about any of this, and she also didn’t know she had been only a hair’s breadth away from soaring to the top in one step.

There were people under Chen Xuan she couldn’t push. If only Lin Yuewei were in her hands and she could manage her properly, how could she not outshine Liu Qian at the company? But now she had become cautious and restrained, and every time she looked at Lin Yuewei, it was as if a jeweler had seen a rough piece of jade in the mountains but was unable to touch it.

Chen Xuan was annoyed and restless; the veins at her temples throbbed, and with it came her old problem again: a headache.

The young starlet heard her sharp intake of breath, opened her eyes, and said, “Want me to massage it for you?”

Chen Xuan nodded.

The starlet sat closer, let Chen Xuan rest her head on her lap, and gently massaged her temples.

Chen Xuan closed her eyes in comfort.

“Chen-jie.”

“Mm?”

“I think Lin Yuewei is pretty good. Why don’t you ask again? Maybe there’s some misunderstanding?”

“What’s gotten into you? Why are you worrying so much about Lin Yuewei? Afraid she’ll rise up and steal your resources?” Chen Xuan asked lazily, eyes closed.

“Oh, the circle is only this big. If she doesn’t take my resources, someone else will. Besides, I’ve been in this business for so many years. If she ever gets the chance to steal from me, it’ll be years from now. Maybe by then I’ll already be retired, or maybe I’ll have climbed to another level. Am I such a petty person?”

“Yeah, you’ve got a big heart.”

“Chen-jie...” The starlet continued tirelessly to whisper in her ear.

Chen Xuan stopped her from massaging and sat up, giving her a sidelong look. “What kind of spell did she put on you?” You keep speaking up for Lin Yuewei.

“Oh come on, I already said it,” the starlet said, raising both hands and blinking innocently as she admitted, “I watched Actor Trainees. I really like her. Don’t you think she’s especially good-looking?”

Chen Xuan: “...She’s good-looking, sure, but not especially good-looking, right? And you’re very pretty too.”

The starlet laughed. “You don’t understand.”

Chen Xuan: “...”

She really didn’t understand the aesthetics between women and women. She was married with children; unlike this little starlet, she wasn’t wound around like a mosquito coil.

Chen Xuan’s heart gave a little jump. “You’re not plotting after her, are you? Let me tell you first, the company forbids artists under the same company from dating.”

The starlet: “...”

She closed her eyes and lay back down. “I’m going to sleep.”

Chen Xuan poked her arm with a finger. “Did you hear me?”

The starlet turned the back of her head toward her. “Got it, got it.”

Artists and managers were in a mutually beneficial relationship, but at the same time, it was always either the east wind prevailing over the west, or the west wind prevailing over the east. Once the starlet’s wings had hardened, the manager sometimes couldn’t control her and could only advise her. As long as she didn’t cross any red lines, everyone just turned a blind eye.

The headache that had just eased up came back even worse. Chen Xuan pressed the intercom and asked the driver up front, “Where are we now?”

The driver answered with the name of a street.

The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen it.

Frowning, she opened her wallet and found a folded slip of paper in the inner compartment. The handwriting was forceful and elegant; it was from the last time Lin Yuewei wrote to her, saying that there was an old traditional Chinese doctor whose acupuncture treatment was very effective for headaches. She had casually pressed it onto her desk last time, but perhaps because the headache had become a chronic affliction, she had put it into her wallet with the attitude of trying anything at all. If she ever needed it someday, who would have thought she’d actually need it today.

Halfway through her nap, the young starlet felt the car stop. Her ability to fall asleep and wake up in seconds, honed by years of high-intensity work, made her jolt awake immediately and sit up. “We’re here?”

“Not yet. I have something to do; you go back to the company first,” Chen Xuan said, opening the door and getting out first with her assistant, backlit by the light.

“Okay, bye, Sister Xuan.” Hearing the car door shut, the starlet went back to sleep in seconds.

Following the address on the slip of paper, Chen Xuan found a residential complex. She looked up at the wooden signboard. It was old but very clean, and the interior was decorated in the same plain, graceful style. The moment Chen Xuan stepped inside, she smelled a pleasant fragrance that calmed the mind; she didn’t know what it was that had been lit.

Chen Xuan went in half-doubtfully, and when she came out, she was like a different person.

The old doctor’s hair was white, and he firmly refused to take any more money from her. He even stuffed a sachet into her hand, saying it had been sewn by his family and filled with Chinese herbs to soothe the mind and calm the nerves. Chen Xuan arranged the time for her next visit, shook the old doctor’s thin but steady hand, thanked him profusely, and left.

On the way back, with her headache much improved, Chen Xuan couldn’t help thinking: Maybe she should go ask Bai Hua whether they could, in fact, promote Lin Yuewei.

As for how to ask... she’d have to think of a way.

Chen Xuan narrowed her eyes and fell into thought.

***

Lin Yuewei spent the day running to two auditions. She had been scheduled very late for the second one and estimated that it wouldn’t be her turn until almost dark, so she sent Gu Yanqiu a message early.

[Two Trees: I’ll be finishing very late today. If you get off work first, just go home]

[West Gu: I’ll wait for you]

Lin Yuewei felt a sweet warmth in her chest and laughed while sitting in the waiting chair. Someone beside her shot her an odd look, and she quickly suppressed her smile. Just as she was typing, another message came through: [I happen to be working overtime today, so there’s no rush]

Lin Yuewei bit her lower lip and deleted the words in the input box one by one, then replied briefly:

[Two Trees: Okay]

She put away her phone and looked around the rest room. She recognized a few people, but most of them were strangers. Some had their managers with them and were waiting in separate rooms; others, like her, were alone, eating some refreshments and waiting. Most were tense and solemn, silently working through their emotions and reciting their lines over and over.

There are millions of actors in China, but only a few can truly break through. To become one in ten thousand—how easy could that be?

Lin Yuewei curved her lips with quiet amusement. She clasped her hands behind her neck, pressed against the back of it, and rolled her neck. A crisp crack sounded. But she simply loved challenging things like this. The sense of achievement and satisfaction they brought could not be compared with living an ordinary, mediocre life.

Lin Yuewei closed her eyes and rehearsed the lines she knew by heart in her mind.

The people around her grew fewer and fewer. She sat motionless in her seat and stayed that way for an entire afternoon.

“Number 28, Lin Yuewei.”

Lin Yuewei suddenly opened her eyes. A sharp edge flashed in her peach blossom eyes. She straightened her clothes and walked toward the audition room at an easy pace.

***

By the time Lin Yuewei drove to the building where Gu Yanqiu worked, the sky was already completely dark. She sat in the car and looked up. Only a few lights were lit in the Tianrui building. Lin Yuewei didn’t know which floor Gu Yanqiu was on. She reached for her phone from the side, had already opened the green WeChat icon, then returned to the home screen on impulse and opened her contacts instead.

She called Gu Yanqiu.

In the quiet office, the ringtone sounded abruptly. When Gu Yanqiu saw the caller ID, her brows and eyes relaxed at once.

“I’m here. Mm... I’m downstairs at your company, so you can come down.” It was just a simple sentence, but Lin Yuewei had to say it in three separate parts before she could get it out clearly. With each word, her heart rose a little higher and beat a little faster.

“Okay.”

Lin Yuewei watched the building with full attention. Suddenly, one of the windows went dark.

She quietly memorized the location of that window.

Author’s Note:

This chapter was so fun to write, hahaha; I hope you all enjoyed reading it too~

Happy National Day, everyone. Both Lin top and Gu top; charge forward for me, all of you!