Hearing his own younger sister compare him to garbage left Jiang Zhao feeling utterly miserable.
But to his sister, he really had been garbage once.
He couldn’t deny it.
“Jiang Zhao, let’s go. Your sister will definitely regret giving up on you one day,” Zheng Zegang said, already heading for the door.
Jiang Zhao rose to his feet and took a long look at Jiang Youli’s calm expression. After confirming that she truly had nothing to say to him, he had no choice but to leave in silence, dejected.
As they walked out of Starlight Entertainment, a man dressed in a blue casual outfit approached them.
Jiang Zhao frowned. It wasn’t until the man had gone upstairs that he turned to Zheng Zegang and said, “That was Chen Wang.”
Zheng Zegang froze. “Chen Wang?”
Jiang Zhao nodded. “Yeah.”
“What did he come to Starlight Entertainment for?” Having worked in the entertainment industry for so long, Zheng Zegang knew nearly every celebrity with a recognizable name.
Of course, he wasn’t unfamiliar with Chen Wang.
Chen Wang had been named Best Actor after appearing in his very first film. Unfortunately, he had soon fallen from grace after negative reports accused him of cheating with his assistant and betraying the person who had helped him. After that, he could barely find any work.
“Could he be the male lead in Aiming for the Azure Clouds?” Zheng Zegang guessed. Then he suddenly laughed. “Jiang Zhao, if your sister Jiang Youli really plans to cast Chen Wang as the male lead of Aiming for the Azure Clouds, she’s practically digging her own grave!”
Jiang Zhao said nothing.
He was worried too. Could his sister Jiang Youli really be planning to do what Zheng Zegang had guessed?
“Looks like making Aiming for the Azure Clouds flop at the box office won’t take any effort at all,” Zheng Zegang said. After getting into the car, he asked, “Jiang Zhao, are you going straight to the company today to report for work?”
Jiang Zhao shook his head. “No. I’m planning to stay home and write some new songs over the next few days. I’ll officially report for work on the first of next month.”
Zheng Zegang nodded. “All right. Focus on writing a few more good songs at home. Your first battle at Dafeng Entertainment has to be a beautiful victory. At the very least, you need one song to break into the top ten of the annual charts.”
Jiang Zhao nodded. “I understand.”
He had debuted two years ago. His very first single had shot to number one on the popular music charts, making him an instant celebrity. Although none of his subsequent releases had reached the same heights, they had still become widely known and sung.
But those achievements weren’t enough!
He wanted to reach a height no singer in the music industry had ever achieved!
Only then would his sister finally see him—and forgive him, accepting him back into her life!
…
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Secretary Little Yang’s voice came from outside the door.
“President Jiang, Chen Wang is here.”
Jiang Youli looked toward the door. After telling him to come in, she left her desk and computer and walked over to the reception sofa.
“What would you like to drink?” she asked.
Chen Wang sat down, removed his hat and mask, and answered politely, “Plain water is fine.”
Jiang Youli carefully studied the man now sitting before her without his disguise. Uncle Liang’s judgment was indeed sharp. She had to admit that Chen Wang fit the image of the male lead in her novel Aiming for the Azure Clouds perfectly.
There was a certain air of having returned from the dead about him, yet his eyes still held a trace of hope.
“I assume you know why I asked you to come here. I don’t like beating around the bush, so I’ll be direct. The scandal that caused you to fall from grace three years ago—was there something you couldn’t talk about? If you had no choice but to keep silent, tell me. I can help you resolve it.”
Chen Wang met Jiang Youli’s gaze.
“I’ve heard your name many times, and I’ve seen plenty of your trending stories online.
“There was one involving Qi Huan, the eldest son of a top-tier family in the capital. Another involved Second Master Long. And there were many others involving the singer Jiang Zhao.
“So when I heard that Director Liang was holding auditions for the male lead of Aiming for the Azure Clouds, I came here thinking that perhaps it might be an opportunity.
“I didn’t expect to actually succeed.”
“President Jiang, if I told you I wanted you to save my girlfriend, Tong Zhouzhou, would you help me?”
Jiang Youli had expected to hear some dramatic reversal from Chen Wang—perhaps that his girlfriend, Tong Zhouzhou, had betrayed him and climbed into the bed of someone more powerful, then smeared him first to protect her own reputation.
She hadn’t expected him to ask her to save Tong Zhouzhou.
“What happened?” Jiang Youli leaned back against the sofa, her brows and eyes filled with curiosity.
Chen Wang took a deep breath, then told Jiang Youli everything that had happened between him and his girlfriend, Tong Zhouzhou.
“What people said online was true. Three years ago, the reason I got the chance to act and eventually became a Best Actor was because my girlfriend, Tong Zhouzhou, stayed by my side, encouraging and supporting me. Without her, I would have given up on my dream of becoming an actor long ago,” Chen Wang said. “I just never realized that the opportunity I received had been built on Zhouzhou’s sacrifice.”
“A powerful figure in the capital—someone we couldn’t afford to offend—had taken an interest in my girlfriend. To keep me from being dragged into it, she had no choice but to submit. In exchange, she asked that person to give me a role. But even that condition angered him. So, on the very day I became a Best Actor because of that film, he had people arrange a car accident. He originally intended to kill me, but I survived. The assistant driving for me died in my place.
“After that, the powerful figure spread rumors that I had been having an affair with my assistant. He also continued applying pressure behind the scenes until every one of my opportunities was cut off.”
“I don’t know whether that powerful figure truly loved Zhouzhou. All I know is that he later helped her enter the entertainment industry and spent a great deal of money promoting her…”
At this point, Jiang Youli interrupted him. “Wait. Did Tong Zhouzhou tell you all this herself, or is it just your own speculation?”
Chen Wang gave a bitter smile. “My own speculation… But while I was recovering in the hospital after the accident, I kept thinking back over the things Zhouzhou had said to me. Only then did I realize that she had probably been hinting at the truth all along.”
“Besides, there’s something wrong with the look in her eyes whenever she appears in interviews. The light has gone out of them. She’s under enormous pressure.”
“I can tell! If I don’t save her soon, she may choose to take her own life!”
Chen Wang spoke with absolute certainty, his expression grave.
Jiang Youli folded her arms and looked at him. “If you told anyone else all this, they might say the car accident had damaged your brain.”
“True…” Chen Wang came to his senses. “So you believe me?”
Jiang Youli replied seriously, “I only believe that, whether it’s your appearance or your aura, you’re genuinely suited to play the male lead in Aiming for the Azure Clouds. That’s why I’m willing to investigate whether what you’ve said is true. And Uncle Liang also thinks highly of your character.”
“So I’ll look into what you’ve told me and find out whether Tong Zhouzhou really has a powerful figure behind her who forced her into submission.”
Chen Wang had maintained a relatively calm demeanor throughout the conversation. After hearing Jiang Youli’s words, he became somewhat agitated, but soon grew worried again.
“I’m afraid that even if you really prove I’m telling the truth, you still won’t dare offend that powerful figure.”
