《Good Samaritan Mr Yu》 CH 1 Chapter 1: Their first encounter on a rainy night Proofreader: ChaiTea It was already late into the night. The high wattage tower lamps shone brightly on the film set, making it look like it was still daytime in the afternoon. Only when a man stepped outside did he notice the moon hanging high up in the sky. It was another long day of filming which lasted till the second day. ¡°Thank you for your hard work, Brother Shen*.¡± (T/N: It is common to call someone whom you respect older brothers and sisters. Usually, someone who is older and more experienced.) Shen Yu nodded and smiled at the staff who was carrying equipment. He had yet to take off his costume. He was wearing a long wig that was loosely worn in a bun, his clothes whiter than snow, his slightly downturned eyes gave others the aura of being naturally harmless. At the intersection between the strong lighting and the night sky, the corners of his lips lifted, it was as if he was a handsome young man who had come out from the ancient books. He was good looking. That was Shen Yu¡¯s manager¡¯s most direct judgement of him. Unfortunately, in this bizarre and motley entertainment circle, being good looking was nothing special at all. Even if you were lacking in the looks department, it was easy to go under the knife to make it work. Shen Yu had a pretty and charming face, yet he was slightly lacking if he wanted to dominate the industry with just his looks alone; he had graduated from a proper academy of performing arts, but he was slightly short of capable of dominating the industry with his acting skills alone; he had a pretty good personality, yet it was not unique enough that could pave him a path in the industry. Simply put; you could not really verbalise his bad points, nor could you pinpoint his good points. It was not impossible for such a person to become famous in the entertainment circle, but he needed luck. Clearly, Shen Yu did not have such luck. It had already been six years since he had entered the entertainment circle since he graduated. He signed with a small company that had limited resources, acted in all sorts of different films, but only one television drama was given a fixed time slot to be broadcasted and its popularity was mediocre. Shen Yu¡¯s curriculum vitae could only be described as insubstantial. Such a dark and turbulent industry was extremely good at dulling a person¡¯s edge. After six years of ups and downs, a 27-year-old Shen Yu had long forgotten those unrealistic dreams from when he was still in school. Right now, he merely wished for roles in films that could earn him an honest living which to feed himself. The staff who was carrying the equipment returned to his work after his greeting while Shen Yu walked towards the makeup room. He ran into a few more people who called him Brother Shen and greeted him, and he would stop every single time to nod back politely as his response. This film, ¡°The Pursuit of the Wind¡±, was an adaptation of a novel with the same title, set in ancient times. The original work was not that popular, but since the author was from a rich family, the author got investments here and there to form a troupe, fulfilling the author¡¯s own dream of having their own film. Therefore, almost the whole team in charge of the original work were younger than Shen Yu, and the whole of the main cast, except for Shen Yu, were all rookies, which made Shen Yu one of the most experienced and oldest people in the crew. However, Shen Yu knew his place. The only reason why they were calling him Brother Shen was due to his relatively more experience and his decent personality. It would, definitely, become a joke if he really was to act as if he was all that. Shen Yu¡¯s manager was working with a few artists simultaneously and he had never been his manager¡¯s focus. His assistant, Dachuan, had to take leave for his family member who was down with a serious illness. Shen Yu was in a situation where he had absolutely no manpower he could rely on. Fortunately, Shen Yu was not some precious young master. He had been scaling walls and lifting roof tiles since he was ten. It was a common occurrence for him to be playing games overnight and only wiping his face simply before rushing to school the next morning. He had only become more spoiled after he became an artist where there would always be someone to help him to do whatever he had to do, spoiling him and changing the little guy into a pretty, flowery boy. The roughness in the flowery boy¡¯s bones had yet to disappear. The scene he had just taken just now was the last night scene for today. It could not be helped that an amateur troupe such as this lacked professionalism and no makeup artists could be seen. Shen Yu could not be bothered to ask about it so he decided to change out of his costume and removed his makeup and wig by himself. He combed through his hair with both hands, thought that he did not look too bad and left with his phone and bag right after. The background and scenes used by the film, ¡°The Pursuit of the Wind¡±, mainly took place in a large-scale antiquity area specifically developed by the government as a commercial base for filming, travelling, and shopping. The advantage of not being popular can finally be seen at such times, as Shen Yu never had to worry about being surrounded by his fans nor did he have the trouble of being chased by the paparazzi. All he had to do was focus on refining his own acting and be a true actor, which was exactly what his teacher had always advocated. Unfortunately, more often than not, a ¡°true actor¡±* was not given many opportunities to act in a notable film. Shen Yu could only try his best and, at the very least, make sure that the role given to him would not be ruined by his own hands. (T/N: A ¡°true actor¡± as in someone who actually works hard and focuses on building up their fame and career through hard work rather than neglecting their acting skills and using underhanded methods to get there.) Shen Yu took time to reflect on his own acting during the daytime as he drove unhurriedly. Without warning, it started raining outside and the rain was pitter-pattering on the car, producing a rhythmic beat as the raindrops pounded on the glass windows. Shen Yu was not in a rush. On the contrary, he reduced the speed of his car even more, enjoying his alone time as he listened to the sound of the rain. Finally, as he neared the city centre, he saw the bright city lights in front of him. ¡°Oi, stop, stop for a moment. There is a pothole on the road ahead. Don¡¯t drive this way.¡± The loud voice, which did not match the scenery at all, pierced through the heavy rain, pulling Shen Yu back into reality. Shen Yu knitted his brows and squinted as he looked forward. He was at the crossing just before entering the city. He could only see an uncle wearing a reflective orange safety vest waving at him with his arms as he shouted at him. He was, most likely, one of the construction workers who were repairing the road. Of course, that was not the only way into the city but the other roads would take him more than half an hour to get back to his hotel and Shen Yu had an early scene tomorrow. As such, he really did not want to take the longer route. He stopped the car on the side of the road, picked up an umbrella, got out of the car without any hesitation nor the burden of being a celebrity and planned to ask if he could quickly drive through. ¡°Excuse me, may I know if the damage is severe? How long would it take before I can drive through?¡± ¡°Ah, the air in the water pipes expanded because of how the road wasn¡¯t dug properly last winter when they were buried, so the heavy rain today ruined it completely. Youngster, if you don¡¯t mind waiting for a couple of minutes, we can cover the road temporarily for you to drive through first if you¡¯re rushing for time.¡± The construction worker wiped off the water from his face, gesturing while he spoke a few more sentences before he went ahead to look at the road¡¯s situation. Sure enough, he was not recognised. Shen Yu laughed internally and shook his head. He followed behind the worker to look at the damage done on the road. It was, indeed, not severe. It may only cause a problem to those who drove hastily at night, which was why they had to make some fixes to the road in the rain as a preventive measure. ¡°Sigh, our Jing-City isn¡¯t a big city to begin with, but it became really popular in recent years because of that filming base. Unfortunately, the various facilities couldn¡¯t keep up so the more people there are, the more problems arise. Things are just getting spoiled here and there. Celebrities? What celebrities? Not a single cent from them went into our pockets and yet, we are left with all sorts of troubles.¡± The construction workers mumbled as they continued their work. Shen Yu felt a bit awkward as he listened. It was not really appropriate for him to walk away so he could only smile politely and look around. This area could already be considered to be part of the city centre. The lights from a convenience store from a few tens of metres away were still lit up, the warm yellow light shining through the big glass windows that reached from the top to bottom and through the rain. He could also see a few fellow night owls seeking shelter under the roof, walking up and down, as if they were anxious about being trapped in the rain. Shen Yu¡¯s gaze swept through those people and was about to look away when he saw the door of the convenience store open. A man stepped out without an umbrella and Shen Yu¡¯s gaze paused on him. That person was wearing a pair of fitting jeans and a tailored black shirt, half of it tucked into his jeans. The first two buttons were loose, displaying half of his collarbones and a silver necklace around his neck. His back was straight, yet his head was hung low, his fringe and a black mask covering the entirety of his face. The man was drenched in rain the moment he stepped out from under the roof, but he did not pause to seek shelter. Instead, he walked directly towards Shen Yu. His back remained straight, his arms and legs swung with strength, each and every one of his movements seemed to be exuding an aura of a person who was walking down the red carpet of a certain big film festival. Shen Yu stole another few glances before he removed his gaze from that person, and he even took a few steps backwards. The man¡¯s face was covered tightly and the rain was heavy so Shen Yu could not recognise who this person was. But given his aura, the way he was dressed and the fact that he was in such a place, Shen Yu was 80% sure that this man was from the same industry as himself. After floating around for six years in the industry, he understood the unspoken rules even if he was not one of those popular actors. Curiosity kills a cat in this industry, it was best for him to keep his nose to himself and to avoid knowing things he should not know. Unfortunately, his wise decision to keep his nose to himself was fated to be a futile attempt. Shen Yu watched as the person took big steps in his direction, his head still drooped. Unexpectedly, the man did not turn away even when there was a pit in between them and walked straight into it. ¡°Thud.¡± ¡°Oh god, be careful.¡± In the last second, Shen Yu finally responded by reaching out to pull his comrade, who nearly walked into the pit by himself, away. As he was doing that, Shen Yu unintentionally loosened his grip on the umbrella in his hand and accidentally knocked into one of the construction workers behind him, causing the worker to grumble at him. ¡°Sorry, I was trying to pull him away since he was about to walk into the pit and I accidentally lost my grip on the umbrella.¡± Shen Yu apologised at once and the worker did not harp on it. Instead, he glanced over at the man who was half-dragged into the crook of Shen Yu¡¯s arm, shook his head and said, ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t that a drunkard? Drunkards are brainless no matter what they do. Thank god you pulled him or he would have fallen in there. Who knew how many of his bones would be broken then?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just doing what I can.¡± Shen Yu pulled the man a little bit closer, further away from the pit, as he propped up his umbrella. This comrade, who was so drunk that he would walk into the pit himself, was not that cooperative with Mr Yu¡¯s movements, nor did he give any response to the worker¡¯s comment on how brainless he was. He remained standing with his head drooped, not making a single sound. When he was near, Shen Yu could clearly smell the mixture of cologne and alcohol on him. On a day with heavy rain, the road was damaged and he was carrying an umbrella in the rain while hauling around a drunkard who probably worked in the same industry as he did. Shen Yu did not know how he ended up in such a situation and was at a loss to know what to do. ---------- Translator¡¯s note: I will continue to update this series weekly AFTER FTBF is complete (3 more chapters so 3 more weeks or so). But before that, please enjoy the synopsis and chapter 1 of the series. It is interesting to note that all the titles for each chapter in this novel only have 4 Chinese characters. I would really like to imitate that but it is sometimes difficult to do that in English. Once again, thank you ChaiTea for proofreading for me. YOU ARE A LIFE SAVIOUR. CH 2 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea ¡°Youngster, we¡¯ve covered the road temporarily with a metal board to deal with the emergency. You can go ahead first.¡± The worker¡¯s voice helped him find a direction regarding what to do next. He patted the man¡¯s shoulder, planning to take a look and see whether he could try communicating with him. Instead, the man lifted his head suddenly and Shen Yu was faced with a pair of pitch dark eyes. Their gazes met in that split moment. Those eyes right in front of him should have been hazy with alcohol and yet, it was unusually bright. It was as if the owner of those eyes refused to relax, stubbornly setting himself against something even when he was drunk. Shen Yu was stunned for a second before he turned his gaze away. ¡°Excuse me, do you have an assistant? Can you call them to fetch you?¡± Shen Yu lowered his voice and asked. The logic of that sentence had obviously exceeded the processing capacity of the brain of a drunkard, there was not a single bit of change in the man¡¯s gaze. As if he did not understand what he¡¯d said. Shen Yu sighed. He could not just leave a person alone like this in the heavy rain. Resigned to his fate, Shen Yu sighed again and shook his head, praying that this interlude would not bring him any negative influence in the future, ¡°My brother, is there anyone coming to fetch you? Do you want me to send you back? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m also part of the circle, so I¡¯ll keep my lips sealed.¡± Again, that long paragraph of words was out of the processing range of a brain that was corroded by alcohol. He looked at Shen Yu, his gaze was slightly vacant. ¡°I¡¯m asking where you live?¡± he tried again, plainly. ¡°Dragon Luster Hotel, top floor, number five.¡± This time, the man finally comprehended his words. He enunciated each of his words clearly as he stated an address. If not for his past attempt of walking into the pit, there was no way one could tell that he was a drunkard that had already lost all logic. Dragon Luster Hotel was a high-end hotel in Jing-City, it provided perfect secrecy and privacy to its customers so it was a very popular choice among the celebrities who came to this area to film. Shen Yu was staying at that hotel this time as well, so sending the man back would not increase any time on the road. It could be considered a little luck in this unfortunate situation. ¡°Coincidentally, I¡¯m heading there, too. Let me send you back.¡± The man seemed to have captured the word ¡°send¡±. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Shen Yu for a few seconds before he slowly nodded. His expression reminded Shen Yu of a proud Cat Emperor who was giving the imported food a taste, arrogant yet not annoying. Shen Yu let out a sigh of relief. He pulled the man along by his arm and brought him to his car. Just as he was about to stuff the person into the front passenger seat, the man wanted to stand up, all of a sudden. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Yu was given a fright. ¡°The coffee I bought. I did not take it out with me.¡± So, this man went to the convenience store to buy coffee? Shen Yu¡¯s curiosity as to why this man would go to such a normal convenience store to buy coffee with subpar quality quickly passed through his mind but disappeared just as quickly. He blocked the car door and tried to dissuade him, ¡°It is raining outside. You can¡¯t drink coffee in your current drunken state anyway. Why don¡¯t you buy it again tomorrow?¡± ¡°I paid. I didn¡¯t take it.¡± The man was extremely stubborn regarding this problem. ¡°Alright, then.¡± It had to be mentioned that Shen Yu was known to be good-tempered by the people around him. As long as it did not touch upon the issue of principle, he was always mild and gentle. ¡°Was it from the convenience store in front? You¡¯re drunk now, so it would be inconvenient. Let me retrieve it for you.¡± After the man nodded, Shen Yu closed the car door, propped up his umbrella, and walked back to the convenience store. In any case, it was only a few hundred meters away, so it would not take much effort on his part. He carefully avoided the pit as he tried to give a plausible explanation for his own actions. This stranger, whom he met by chance, seemed to have some sort of magic power that made Shen Yu involuntarily become curious and want to do something for him. It was probably because he had never seen such a unique aura on a person before. On the way back to his car after taking the coffee, Shen Yu thought about how such an atmosphere under the heavy rain always makes people produce certain peculiar emotions. To make sure that the things in his hand did not get wet from the rain, Shen Yu brought his umbrella extremely close, he could only see the surface of the road. Suddenly, the sensitivity he had developed from his profession touched on a certain part of his nerves as he lifted his umbrella and looked over quickly. He was faced with a long camera lens that he was familiar with. Shen Yu was quiet. Shen Yu¡¯s back tightened in an instant, but in the next second, he realised that this was not the paparazzi. The one holding the camera lens was a little youngster that looked to be a student, there were two other people besides him, one of which was holding a big umbrella while the other was holding the mic. They seemed like students who had media as their specialised field of study out in the field. Shen Yu let out a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to go around it, the young lady who had a mic in her hand saw him, instead. Her eyes lit up in an instant as if she had seen a handsome senior by chance at the corner of the school library. She held onto her mic and rushed towards him. ¡°Good evening, we are from the Jing-City¡¯s local television station, the investigation team from the ¡®People¡¯s livelihood program¡¯ who would go through ups and downs to help our people calm their worries*. Can we interview you?¡± (T/N: They were using that as a tagline or something for their program.) Silently, Shen Yu looked at the mic that was almost right at his face. Since he could no longer escape, he adjusted his facial expressions instead. Although Shen Yu had muddled through throughout his career and was not that publicly known, he was still an actor that had acted for six years. It was understandable that this small local television station could not recognise him, but once the recorded footage of him got out there, there was bound to be someone who would recognise him sooner or later. Being a celebrity was a profession that was extremely reliant on public opinions and reputation. A tiny flaw could easily be magnified infinite times and distorted. Shen Yu did not dare to risk it so he quickly squeezed out his most polite smile before facing the camera. ¡°Yes, but I need to wake up early tomorrow for work so I am in a bit of a rush to get back. Is it okay if I only answer a couple of questions?¡± ¡°Of course, of course.¡± The girl was a bit giddy from receiving a critical hit from seeing his outstandingly handsome face up close. She had initially called out to Shen Yu purely because of his good looks. Now that she had his attention, she was suddenly at a loss as to what to ask. ¡°Erm, may I know how I should address you? How old are you? What is your job?¡± These questions were a bit too personal and the girl¡¯s companion quickly tugged her shirt to remind her. Thank god Shen Yu did not display any hint of displeasure. Instead, he answered with a smile. ¡°I am 27 this year, so you can call me Mr Yu. As for my job, please allow me to keep it confidential.¡± CH 3 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea ¡°Ehem, are you feeling better after sobering up a little?¡± Shen Yu let out a light cough to conceal his embarrassment and changed the subject. ¡°So-so.¡± The man replied plainly before falling back into silence. The atmosphere seemed to get cold again. Shen Yu bit his lower lip nervously. He was not the type to warm up to people quickly, he would even go as far as to avoid strangers usually. However, there was too little space in the car, so there was nowhere for Shen Yu to hide. He could only rack his brain for conversation topics that would not offend the other party and yet, be able to bring relief to the awkwardness in the air. ¡°Erm, is your phone with you? Do you need to call your assistant for help?¡± ¡°Hn, thank you for the reminder.¡± After listening to Shen Yu, the man actually fished out his phone from his jeans pocket and began typing his message to send out on WeChat as Shen Yu turned his head away, immediately. A bright light went past them outside and shone into the car, giving him a clear view of the man¡¯s watch on his left wrist. It was a brand launched by an Italian luxurious goods company. With its low-profile yet lavish design as its theme, the particular watch was the brand¡¯s 100th-anniversary limited edition. Only nine of them were sold globally, the price was equivalent to approximately ten million RMB*. A few months ago, Shen Yu happened to see this watch featured in a fashion magazine he was browsing through during the free time in between Shen Yu¡¯s photo-taking sessions. Due to its unique design, and mostly because of its insanely high price, Shen Yu remembered this watch straight away. (T/N: About 1.5 million USD.) To be able to wear this watch, you must be extremely rich and have high status. Shen Yu wondered who this person could be as he ran through the list of superstars in his mind. Unexpectedly, he could not seem to find anyone who would match this person¡¯s appearance. He stopped his conjecture, admonishing himself for trying to pry into the privacy of others. The two-minute-long traffic light finally ended. As if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders, Shen Yu quickly gathered his attention and focused purely on the road in front of him as he drove. Shen Yu could somehow feel a pair of eyes sizing him up throughout the journey. He did not dare to turn his head as he drove, but when he glanced over at the next intersection, the man was leaning against the car door quietly, resting with his eyes closed. At about one in the morning, the unlucky Shen Yu finally brought Mr Pit-Jumper* back to the hotel. (T/N: Referring to the man walking into the pit/jumping into the pit.) After taking the medicine and resting throughout the car ride, the man seemed to be in a much better condition. Shen Yu parked his car at the side entrance of the hotel and the man pulled down his cap as he said his thanks in a low voice. After Shen Yu responded, he quickly got out of the car and entered the hotel. The black shirt on him was still wet, the half-transparent fabric stuck closely to his firm and fluid muscles, highlighting his beautiful waistline as he stood up, the view of his retreating back straight and powerful. Even drenched in rain, this person was still emitting such charisma and charm. It made one wonder how dazzling to the eyes he must be under the spotlight. Shen Yu¡¯s gaze followed the other party until he completely disappeared behind the door. He shook his head with a laugh, remembering that there was a reason why he was not popular. In comparison to that, he really seemed to have nothing that could be considered attractive. Shen Yu turned his car around and parked his car in the garage, his nerves, which were stretched taut, finally relaxed completely. Everyone had their own secret in the entertainment circle. Although these secrets may not be negative in the slightest, they could not be made known to the public. Shen Yu was not afraid of sacrificing his rest time to drive a drunkard back to the hotel, what he was worried about was the fact that he might have known something he should not have and got himself involved in a dispute unknowingly. Fortunately, that man did not say nor do anything and left without hesitation. Although the other party seemed cold, given how he refused to even spare his name, it was exactly what Shen Yu wanted. This matter would end right at this point, which gave him a chance to willingly help a person in need without any repercussions. Shen Yu took a quick shower when he returned to his room and fell into a deep sleep the moment he touched the bed. He vaguely remembered that there was something he needed to do, such as turning the air conditioning to night mode or notifying his manager about his sudden appearance on the local program, but the sleepiness came too overwhelming and, in just a few seconds, he lost all capabilities to think. The dim light of the night spread through this city which was supreme in terms of recreation and entertainment, waiting quietly for the arrival of dawn. Early in the morning at six, when the sun had yet to rise fully, Mary¡¯s day as an assistant had already started. She woke up precisely when the alarm rang the third time, grabbed her makeup pouch, and rushed into the bathroom. When she stepped out of the bathroom after fifteen minutes, she had already transformed into an outstanding and well-known assistant in the industry. Red lips, wavy hair, small high heels, capable and experienced, yet charming. This lady, a returnee who had graduated from Stanford University, finished her bread, turned on her tablet, browsed through her inbox and decided to go upstairs to look for her boss who lacked a conscience. Her boss wordlessly travelled from Beijing to Jing-City¡¯s filming base last night and then, he sent a message in their WeChat work group chat without any warning during midnight, ordering for a person to report to him at the local hotel. Mary, who had just received the message at midnight, could not determine whether her boss was drunk, albeit rare, or if was he just playing with them like he frequently did. Tragically, that was when she realised that she, who was currently on a vacation, was the nearest to her boss. CH 4 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea Just as Mary was grumbling about her boss while she worked, Shen Yu awoke as well. Being an actor was an exhausting job. More often than not, work started early and ended late. It could be as miserable as being a high school student. Thank goodness it earned more than when he was a high school student. That thought alone made it much more bearable. His assistant, Dachuan, had yet to return. Shen Yu quickly washed up and went downstairs to his car. Only when he saw the cup of coffee from the convenience store, did he then recall the series of events from last night. He shook his head, tossed the coffee into the bin and used the small time gap he had when he was queueing to drive his car out to look at his Weibo. Shen Yu had not participated in a popular film before. Since he graduated six years ago, he did not have many fans. However, it was because of his timing that his fan circle was relatively clean. Everyone would clip some videos, make some jokes and interact joyously and harmoniously while minding their own business in the corner. Shen Yu would sneakily peep at his fans¡¯ activities when he had free time, treating it as a relaxing pastime. Shen Yu browsed through his own tag and the newest and most popular Weibo was from one of his oldest fans. It was his sixth anniversary since his debut, so the video was a compilation video of him to commemorate his anniversary. The compilation consisted of all the carefully clipped and edited videos of every big or small role Shen Yu had acted, from ancient costume to pre-modern to modern times, you name it; he saw it. Shen Yu watched as the young lad in the monitor gradually grew into a young man, his acting skills moved from being under ripe to being mature. He could not help but break into a smile. It has already been six years. When he finished the video, Shen Yu scrolled down to the comment section and the comment that had the most likes caught his eyes. ¡°Ahhhh, your compilation video is too amazing! Our Brother Yu has both face and skills, just why is he not popular? Why, oh why?¡± Why was he not popular? Shen Yu let out a laugh and put down his phone on the side as he focused on driving. There was no point in asking why most of the time. If the fate was unfavourable, what was not yours will never be yours. Shen Yu had long passed the age of hoping for himself to get popular. As long as he could continue to act and have such a loyal group of cute fans, Shen Yu was satisfied. Shen Yu arrived at the filming location for ¡®Pursuit of the Wind¡¯ right before eight and began his day of work like any other day. ¡®Pursuit of the Wind¡¯ was a very typical web novel that mainly focused on the female main character and some sort of strong spirit or demon. The main character, Jiu Yao, was born in a small village. She and her grandfather lived relying on each other. She was optimistic and cheerful and when she smiled, her dimples would appear. When she was 16 years old, there was a rainstorm in their village. Suddenly, as if he had gone mad, her grandfather insisted on going into the mountains no matter how she tried to convince him not to. When her grandfather came back a few days later, he was already breathing his last breath and passed away not long later. Before Jiu Yao could recover from the pain of losing her only family member, a strange person appeared in her village. This person told her that her grandfather was a Windcatcher from the legends. In this world, wind was the symbolised power. A normal person could only acquire the power of a thread of wind through training, but a Windcatcher could capture the natural wind, taming it to do their bidding. Because it was a nature-defying power, it was extremely difficult to pass on the powers of a Windcatcher. Only if you meet three conditions could you learn how to capture wind: to be born in that bloodline, knowledge, and innate skills. Therefore, the Windcatchers in the world, which could probably be counted with one hand alone, were all treated as VIPs. The strange person who came to the village was the male lead, Nie Lao, who was shouldering a deep hatred and was seeking revenge. In order to acquire the power he needed to take his revenge, Nie Lao came to the village according to his father¡¯s notes before his passing in search of Jiu Yao¡¯s grandfather. Unfortunately, he was a step too late as Jiu Yao¡¯s grandfather had just passed away. Fortunately, despite all the despair, there was a way through. When Nie Lao was discouraged by the news, he suddenly found out that the Windcatcher¡¯s granddaughter, Jiu Yao, had an extremely rare talent for capturing wind. As for Jiu Yao, who had read her grandfather¡¯s notes, she speculated that her grandfather¡¯s death was not as simple as it seemed. As such, she was determined to seek the truth behind his death. The two, with no one else to rely on, hit it off easily and decided to go on a journey of pursuing the wind. Shen Yu had his makeup done in the makeup room, wore his white fluttery clothes which looked celestial, pulled on his wig and walked out of the room. In this film, he was not acting as the male lead Nie Lao, but the second male lead, who also had an important role in the film, He Qi. He Qi was a gust of wind, literally. He was one of the strongest winds in that world, originating from the wind blown from the cold waves of a deep icy sea during a severe winter. He had trained tens of thousands of years and was capable of transforming into a human form. In other words, he was the personification of wind. This role was not that difficult, but Shen Yu took his fair share of suffering to display the character¡¯s gracefulness and elegance. According to the screenwriter, which was also the original author¡¯s intention, the film must display He Qi¡¯s pressing celestial aura and his outstanding elegance. Just for that, the author even rented a gigantic fan from god-knows-where. Whenever it was Shen Yu¡¯s scene, the fan would be turned on, blowing him from different angles, maintaining the feeling of having a level eight typhoon passing through any time, anywhere. Shen Yu walked over to the staff who was in charge of operating the fan and greeted him and jokingly asked for him to blow at him lighter before he adjusted his mood and condition before starting to film his first scene of the day. ¡°And where did you come from, little girl? Why have you broken into my territory?¡± ¡°Hmph, which area of heaven and earth isn¡¯t under my control?¡± CH 5 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea ¡°Sister Mei*, why did you come here?¡± (T/N*: It¡¯s common to address someone who you respect as your older brother or sister.) Shen Yu found it weird that he would see Mei Fei sitting in his makeup room when he pushed open the door. Out of all the celebrities under Mei Fei¡¯s management, Shen Yu had always been the most disciplined, often acting by the book. He was neither outstanding nor subpar. Given that he had yet to finish with the filming, nor did he have any other schedules, Shen Yu could not fathom the reason why Mei Fei would visit him during his work all of a sudden. ¡°Sit,¡± Mei Fei greeted and asked him to sit down before she explained, ¡°I was taking Bai Zhuzhen to his schedule nearby so I thought I would stop by during my free time to tell you something.¡± Bai Zhuzhen was the most understanding celebrity under Mei Fei¡¯s management, who was also their company¡¯s top-ranked male celebrity. He could already be considered half an A-lister, so more than half of Mei Fei¡¯s focus and effort were on him. ¡°Sorry to trouble you, Sister Mei. Please go ahead.¡± After Shen Yu confirmed that it was not a problem that had arisen, he relaxed once again. He smiled and looked towards Mei Fei seriously, not a tiny bit of unhappiness could be seen on him due to Mei Fei¡¯s blatant bias against him. Shen Yu was a sensible person, he knew exactly where he stood and never acted unnecessarily. There were not many in the entertainment circle who was smart and had a great sense of self-knowledge. In response to Shen Yu¡¯s reaction, Mei Fei was extremely satisfied and she became even more sure of her own decision. ¡°We¡¯ve got news this morning about the collaboration between Zhong Simo¡¯s studio with Tian Chen to film a commercial film. I was given a spot for the audition, you should try out.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Shen Yu was dumbfounded for a second and tried to confirm with her subconsciously. Mei Fei was not surprised about his reaction. She took a few pieces of A4 paper out of her bag with a smile and straightened the paper in her hands as she waited for Shen Yu to calm down. There was no one in this circle who could remain calm after hearing Zhong Simo¡¯s name. The man behind this name represented the current epitome of the highest standard in the Chinese moviedom. In the current environment where the quality of Chinese films was deteriorating day by day; he, alone, supported as the core pillar of the Chinese moviedom on the international stage. He was arrogant, he was stubborn, he was sharp-tongued, but none of those could conceal the radiance of his talent. Ever since he had entered the industry ten years ago, he had directed seven films. Each and every one of his films could be considered masterpieces that were capable of leaving their marks on the history of art. There were people who mocked Zhong Simo¡¯s journey to success, saying that it was all thanks to his ability to court disaster. Since he appeared in front of the public¡¯s eyes ten years ago, he had done countless things that were considered taboo in the entertainment circle, seemingly unruly and was prone to take rash actions. However, he was always able to avoid the consequences just by his talent alone until he developed into the boss of one of the best studios in the entertainment circle, with no one capable of going against his words. That man had a natural disposition and vigour to take on challenges, he also had the innate talent and luck to go with it. He was revered as a god by countless people who had struggled in this grotesque and variegated mud pit that was also known as the entertainment circle, even though those people had never seen him before. ¡°Director Zhong wants to direct a commercial film?¡± Shen Yu could not completely understand. It did not seem to match the image of Zhong Simo who pursued art. Mei Fei could not help but shake her head when she heard Shen Yu¡¯s words, ¡°Do you really think that Zhong Simo is a lunatic who only pursued art? He wouldn¡¯t be where he is now if that was the case.¡± ¡°Zhong Simo¡¯s ambition is definitely not only limited to directing a few good films. If not, there is no need for him, the sole director of his studio, to make so much effort in trying to improve his business operations and develop the local commercial film market. There are many from the foreign market who took advantage of the situation and made a profit. It is impossible for a person like Zhong Simo, who possesses exceptional advantages in this industry, to not want to have a slice of the pie.¡± Shen Yu rarely took the initiative to come in contact with the hearsayers that circulated within the entertainment circle, and not many people would tell him about it either. So when he heard Mei Fei¡¯s comment on Zhong Simo, he could not help but ask, ¡°A characteristic of a commercial film lies how they can pursue business value just like a fast-food chain. Is Director Zhong willing to give up his baseline in filming for that?¡± It was well-known by the whole of the internet, that Zhang Simo¡¯s demand during casting and filming was almost to the level of pervasion. It was unlikely that these rumours appeared out of nowhere. ¡°The film industry now is not the same anymore. The box office can no longer rely on a few popular idols. People nowadays thirst for films that truly suit their tastes. Judging from Zhong Simo¡¯s capabilities, do you think that he can¡¯t make a film that would suit the taste of the general mass if he put his heart into it? As for his baseline¡­ just look at who he is collaborating with.¡± Shen Yu was never dumb, so he understood the moment Mei Fei mentioned it. The one who was collaborating with Zhong Simo was the well-known veteran movie publisher industry known as Tian Chen Films. They had published many films that appealed to the masses but due to various reasons, the quality of films was no longer comparable to those in the past in recent years. They did not lack money or resources, they merely lacked a movie that was good enough to regain their public reputation. CH 6 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea Shen Yu probably knew of Zhong Simo¡¯s name way earlier than anyone would have expected. He had, somehow, passed the entrance exam and enrolled in the film and acting academy at the young age of 17. He had merely followed the mainstream trends and took his classes when he had yet to figure out what he wanted to do in the future. Until one film appreciation class, his tutor played a standalone film in class as an extracurricular activity. The film, ¡°Innocence¡±, told a story that had happened in a small, overcast, Western town. The film began with a shot from dark to light, following and extending along a bumpy road, the camera shot paused on a pair of classic Nike sneakers. A young teacher, who was involved in a program for bringing education to underdeveloped areas, dragged his three huge pieces of luggage out of the long-distance coach. He was too distracted to be careful about his branded shoes being stepped on by the other passengers as he looked at his surroundings, and smiled so wide that it revealed at least eight of his teeth. He arrived at this small town with his dreams and passions, emitting a brightness that was very inharmonious with his surrounding environment. Soon, the young man settled down in the junior high school that he was in contact with in advance. It was decided that he would teach Math to the third-year students here. The students called him Mr Zhou. They would sit around him and listen to his stories or learn to play basketball from him after school. The young man felt that he was a successful teacher and that his decision to come was worth it. Unfortunately, there was a reticent young lady in class who would not talk to him much, nor did she interact with her classmates. The young man took it to heart. When the young lady was handing in her work on her own, he unintentionally noticed the bruises on her arm, a sign of her being abused. The kind young man did not make a scene out of it. He decided to go to the young lady¡¯s house and confirm the situation, but instead, he ran into a scene where the young lady¡¯s stepfather was grabbing her hair and beating her non-stop. The young man rushed inside, wanting to stop her stepfather, but the latter only became more and more vicious. Just as the young man was about to be overpowered, in a moment of desperation, the young lady picked up the statue of a Buddha from the table and swung it down, a bright red streak of blood gave the small overcast town a smear of an ominous colour. The sensation and shock that Shen Yu brought to the film were almost akin to the human feelings felt the first time they found out about how the Earth was actually not the centre of the universe. He never thought a film could be expressed this way, never thought that it could be so preposterous yet real, nothing like a typical film where a group of good looking men and women wept endlessly on screen. Even until the film had ended, when a rare snow fell along with the show curtain, Shen Yu was still drowning in the desperate atmosphere to which he could feel etched deep in his bones. ¡°There was no other way, Mr Zhou, hahaha, hahaha.¡± ¡°This was your senior from the film directing faculty, Zhong Simo¡¯s first work. It was aired not long ago and he is only a year older than you guys,¡± a strict and graceful old lecturer, who wore a pair of golden glasses and had a head full of grey hair, said on the stage proudly, ¡°Films are a type of art. He¡¯ll surely be recognised for his artwork in the Chinese moviedom.¡± Zhong Simo made a name for himself far quicker than the old lecturer had predicted. Perhaps, the declining Chinese moviedom that year was the reason. Zhong Simo relied on the ¡°Innocence¡± emergence as a force to be reckoned with and swept away awards and prizes from each and every major film festival. The female lead actress, Jin Ke, also became the youngest female actress to have won an Oscar. Since then, Zhong Simo¡¯s name had become a legend that never dulled in the entertainment circle for the next ten years. Ten years later, Shen Yu, who felt encouraged by that class and found his path to work hard towards, struggled in the filming set of a third-rated film adaptation. Shen Yu shook his head as he mocked himself. He stood up, deciding to standby at the filming location. Yet, before he left the door, he folded those pieces of A4 paper and put them carefully into his bag. CH 7 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea ¡°Brother Shen really is a nice person.¡± ¡°Brother Shen, you¡¯re back.¡± ¡°Brother Shen, Brother Shen, you should at least put on makeup next time.¡± After Shen Yu and Mei Fei discussed the audition, he left the makeup room to return to the film set. Every single staff member of the cast and crew he met on the way back to the set greeted him while trying to restrain their laugh, as if something extremely amusing had happened to him. Shen Yu was unable to make sense of the situation. He honestly had no idea which part of him warranted such responses from others. His makeup was not ruined, his costume was not in a mess, nor was his wig slanted. He quickly checked himself over once without a trace and still could not find out why so he could only respond to each of them with a smile as per usual. He felt would end up walking with his hands and feet on the same side under those teasing gazes, albeit with goodwill. ¡°Erm, what are you guys laughing at?¡± After being stared at with teasing eyes for half a day by the novel¡¯s original author and screenwriter after he returned to the set, Shen Yu finally could not help but ask. ¡°Sigh, you don¡¯t know about it? This is all over.¡± Their screenwriter, He Caicai was an erratic and mischievous young lady from a rich family. She had just grown into adulthood not long ago and had a babyface. She looked sweet and warm when she smiled but when Shen Yu saw her smiling eyes right at this moment, he felt a sense of foreboding in his heart. ¡°Trending on Weibo, Good Samaritan Mr. Yu, have a look yourself.¡± He Caicai tried to keep Shen Yu in suspense, making him feel nervous before she explained herself. When the Good Samaritan Shen Yu himself heard that term, he immediately thought of the ¡®People¡¯s livelihood program¡¯ from last night. Was he recognised after the program was broadcast? If so, what happened to the man last night? To be caught lingering on the street while being drunk in the middle of the night was not good news for anyone that came from the entertainment circle. Shen Yu¡¯s heart tightened the moment he thought of that and quickly took out his phone to look at the Weibo trends. He found the tag ¡°Shen Yu, the Good Samaritan Mr. Yu¡± ranked sixth on the list of hot searches. Weibo hot searches and trends had always been the playground for popular celebrities and capital. Shen Yu had never thought that he would end up trending on Weibo one day and at top ten at that. However, he could not feel a single ounce of happiness in his heart as he tapped on the tag to read more. ¡°Shen Yu, the Good Samaritan Mr. Yu, smiled awkwardly yet politely. Shen Yu¡¯s acting. This afternoon, Jing-City¡¯s local ¡®People¡¯s livelihood program¡¯ who would go through ups and downs to help our people calm their worries had a specially themed broadcast regarding the collapsed pavements in Jing-City last night. During the program, a Good Samaritan, who claimed to be Mr. Yu, helped a middle-aged drunk man and accepted the television program¡¯s interview. The interesting thing is, fans are able to identify this Mr. Yu from the broadcast, whose real name is Shen Yu, 08 level graduate of Beijing Film and Acting Academy. He is Zhong Simo¡¯s and Zhou Chuzhi¡¯s junior under the same teacher. He was involved as an actor in the ancient drama Corpse Searching Widow. For an actor to be identified as a Good Samaritan by a television program, it is both awkward and amusing, what do you think?¡± This Weibo post, which was written by a famous user who was known for getting news scopes in the entertainment circle, had been trending for a while now. The post looked to be written in a typical marketing style that caters to the hot searches. Shen Yu was stunned for a moment when he saw the term ¡°middle-aged drunk man¡±. He looked for his earphones and connected them to his phone before he tapped on the post to play the attached video. The quality of the video was not very high and the video started from the scene where the workers were repairing the collapsed pavement. A few seconds later, a man, carrying an umbrella and a plastic bag from the convenience store, entered the camera shot suddenly. He glanced towards the camera and his expression froze in an instant and yet, the program host moved the mic towards him quickly. The man¡¯s expression immediately transformed into a polite smile and answered every question harmoniously that came his way. An apt narration spoken in an expressive voice was inserted at the perfect timing after the man bid his farewell and left the camera¡¯s shot. ¡°Without a doubt, Mr. Yu, whom we have interviewed today, is extremely warm-hearted. The drunk middle-aged man was spared from a bone fracture only because of Mr. Yu¡¯s help. However, there will not always be a Mr. Yu to help you every time an accident occurs. The problem with Jing-City¡¯s pavement must be brought to attention.¡± Shen Yu took out his earphones at that point. He finally had a full understanding of the situation. It was raining heavily last night, so the program¡¯s interview team did not catch the man in his car on screen. And when the worker said ¡°drunken man¡±, it had an image closer to an uncle plus the television program usually focused on middle-aged people anyway, so it reinforced the image of the person he saved that night as a ¡°drunken middle-aged man¡±. By a freak combination of different factors, it actually served as a protection for that man from last night. Seeing that he did not tarnish any innocence by becoming one of the hot searches, Shen Yu finally sighed in relief. His becoming a hot search on Weibo was wholly unexpected so he decided to browse through the comments and see what exactly the masses thought. ¡°Hahaha, ¡®People¡¯s Livelihood Program¡¯ who would go through ups and downs to help our people calm their worries¡­ What kind of hilarious program title is that? How is it that this young lad could hold his laughter when he first heard the title?¡± ¡°Goddammit, this is too hilarious. That subtle expression management that Shen Yu did when he was labelled as the Good Samaritan has vividly visualised what self-control and cultivation are as an actor. [doge][doge]*¡± (T/N*: It is an emoji commonly used on Weibo. If you are interested, it looks like this.) ¡°As someone who simps for people with a good face, I think I should appreciate this young lad¡¯s good looks. This is him without makeup, right? Yet, my mind is filled with him as an emoticon. I must have started up Weibo the wrong way. ¡± ¡°This young lady journalist¡¯s behaviour is exactly how I would behave if I met Mr. Perfect in real life. Shen Yu looks pretty good, his good look is not ruined even under the unforgiving camera lens of the small television station. How is it that I have never heard of him?¡± There were a few thousand comments and at first glance, almost all of them had ¡°hahaha¡± in them. For a celebrity, who usually has an image of being aloof and out of reach in the public¡¯s eyes, to have such interesting and down-to-earth news about them, the entertainment journalists were in glee. Of course, there were some non-peaceful comments as well. ¡°Who¡¯s Shen Yu? Hype himself up all he wants, but what right do you have to get our Zhou Chuzhi involved?¡± Shen Yu¡¯s resigned smile froze for a second when he saw that comment. Zhou Chuzhi was a handsome idol who got popular in recent years, both his skills and popularity were equally outstanding. Although Shen Yu graduated from the same acting academy as him, he did not have any interactions with him. Now that they were mentioned side by side by the marketing social media accounts as a junior and senior from the same academy was, in all honesty, embarrassing, especially when one was doing so well while the other was just scraping to get by. He tapped on the threads and surprisingly found that many netizens had already helped him refute back. ¡°It¡¯s only a marketing account and they merely mentioned it once. They didn¡¯t even mention anything negative about him, is there a need for his fans to be stirred up so much?¡± ¡°Zhou Chuzhi¡¯s fans are all brainless, I have experienced that countless times.¡± ¡°Pfft, don¡¯t be so salty. Our Zhou Chuzhi just got awarded the best male actor award, was nominated for the Oscar award and even collaborated with major directors in Hollywood while your Shen Yu was doing so bad that he couldn¡¯t even be the male lead in a third-rated television drama. What right do you have to judge?¡± ¡°I¡¯m speechless. Your big sister here didn¡¯t even know who Shen Yu was before this morning. I merely passed by and commented and I¡¯m already labelled as Shen Yu¡¯s fan. Where are your brains? Zhou Chuzhi¡¯s brainless fans should just lie down obediently and be mocked.¡± The fans¡¯ destructive power was definitely unbelievable in the eyes of an outsider. They had their own organisation, their own rules and ¡°specialised terminology¡±. If they were to start a fan war, the destructive power would definitely be off the charts. The comments were completely occupied by passing Zhou fans*, Zhou anti-fans* and passersby, where they thoroughly displayed the art of language without restraint. Until that particular thread appeared. (T/N*: Zhou Chuzhi¡¯s fans and anti-fans respectively.) ¡°Oh please, stop climaxing by yourself just by looking at Zhou Chuzhi¡¯s name. Look carefully whose name it is before Zhou Chuzhi¡¯s, it¡¯s Zhong Simo. Do Zhou fans think so highly of themselves that they think that Zhong Simo¡¯s name does not deserve to be mentioned alongside Zhou Chuzhi¡¯s name?¡± This comment was, indeed, twisting the logic a little. In the first place, the marketing social media accounts picked two other people with status and popularity to set off Shen Yu, which unintentionally provoked the fans of one of those three celebrities. It ended up becoming a topic of Zhou fans being unsatisfied with Zhong Simo. However, the more people involved, the more misunderstanding there was. Seeing that the Zhou anti-fans were taking this opportunity to stir up trouble, the Zhou fans were afraid of provoking someone whom they could not afford to provoke so they could only change from being aggressive to being defensive, their tones softening up. Shen Yu browsed the comments section a little longer before withdrawing from the comment threads. That was basically all there was to it to the gratitudes and grudges in the fans circle. As long as the other party was not doing as well as your own idol, you had to find faults* with them and take full advantage of it to show off your sense of superiority and to stabilise your idol¡¯s status; And if the other party was more outstanding than your own idol, you must express your goodwill cautiously and make sure to never give others any opportunities to find faults with their idol. Showing your own superiority by stepping on others, relying on force to bully others, such flaws of human social relationships were blatantly and vividly displayed in this little circle. (T/N*: Just an FYI, the idiom used here is ¡°¼¦µ°ÀïÌô¹ÇÍ·¡±, which is directly translated to ¡°picking bones out of an egg¡±, which is obviously impossible because there are no bones in an egg. So this idiom basically means to find faults in someone who actually has no faults.) Shen Yu let out a sigh. In any case, such things had not much connection to him. The ¡®People¡¯s Livelihood Program¡¯ this time was only a tiny incident, the short-lived enthusiasm will pass in the blink of an eye. His main job was to know his own place and shoot his movies as an actor should. The afternoon sun was indeed a bit too warm. Shen Yu tidied up his wide and long sleeves, preparing to grab himself a bottle of water. His hand, which was about to close off the Weibo app on his phone, stopped subconsciously when he glanced at a particular comment. ¡°I unintentionally saw Brother Yu¡¯s name on the hot search when I opened up Weibo in the afternoon and I was so shocked that I checked it out immediately. Who would have thought that it would be such a piece of silly news? I did laugh at it, but only to feel sad afterwards. He didn¡¯t get angry at all when he was taken to be a warm-hearted passerby by the small television station and even answered their questions so earnestly. Everyone, this is exactly how Shen Yu is.¡± ¡°He is obviously extremely good looking and yet, he has never paid much attention to his own appearance. He would try so hard when shooting a film, so much so that he fainted and ended up in the hospital and yet, he didn¡¯t want others to know. He would be so surprised when he received gifts from his fans that his hands trembled, he would even send back an even more expensive gift as a thank you. He would only laugh foolishly while scratching his head when he was mocked as being an old actor. He would rub his own hands quietly whenever he is nervous, always saying that he is an uninteresting person but how is he uninteresting? Everyone, please just take a proper look at our little handsome man; take a look at how good of a person he is.¡± This long and pitiful comment was lying somewhere, inconspicuous, among thousands of comments which were filled with ¡°hahaha¡±s and other aggressive comments, which made it appear even more inharmonious in comparison. It was as if a well-behaved student in his school uniform had accidentally entered a nightclub where everyone else was poking fun at him joyously while he looked around confused and at a loss. Shen Yu took a few deep breaths as he tried to control his slightly trembling fingertips. He stood quietly for a long while before he switched to his sub-account on Weibo, liked that comment and even replied to it. ¡°Thank you, for liking him so willingly.¡± CH 8 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea The Weibo hot search was the assembly of the focuses of the different social circles in the society. It was updated every minute, 365 days a year. There were countless and all sorts of hashtags and keywords. Supposedly, as a professional assistant of a major director, there was no need for Mary to care about those hot searches that end up on the trending list by chance. Yet, this silly hot search regarding Shen Yu actually caused her fingers to tremble, resulting in her drawing a slanted brow. ¡°I swear I¡¯ll never fiddle with my phone again the next time I touch up my makeup.¡± Mary was grumbling, but her expression was serious. She did not choose to salvage her brow but instead, decided to click open the hot search immediately and send a message to the PR department in passing. When she just found out about her boss¡¯s tracks last night, she racked her brain trying to figure out how to delete the clips from the main security cameras. She also checked who exactly brought her boss back last night and could finally relax after everything was sorted. Then, she discovered this third-rate appearing out of nowhere, trending as one of the hot searches on Weibo. Good Samaritan, what a coincidence. Mary bit her lower lips as she quickly browsed through all the popular posts. She found that the majority of the people were only hahaha-ing, a minority of them were trashing or praising Shen Yu¡¯s appearance and acting. After making sure that there was almost nothing that could give her boss away, she finally relaxed. It seemed like she had overthought things and that side had nothing to do with this. Mary put down the eyebrow pencil which she had been clenching tightly in her hands and notified her colleagues from the PR department to hold their actions for now. Her other senses returned after the emergency state had passed. The beauty with curly hair looked at the term ¡°middle-aged uncle¡± and laughed. She finally had the spare time to fix her delicate brows, picked up her iPad and went upstairs again to report on the situation. It was already past noon, Zhong Simo had already gotten out of the bed and tidied himself up. When Mary pushed open the door and went into the room, he was sitting beside a window with his back facing the door. He was wearing a bright coloured t-shirt, which was rarely seen on him, both his arms were straightened behind him to support his body which was slightly leaned back, basking in the sunlight. ¡°Have you booked the plane tickets?¡± Zhong Simo stretched himself and turned to ask. The tips of his brows always lifted slightly when he smiled, his eyes narrowing into an eye smile. Accompanied by that good looking face, he was seemingly romantic and yet not greasy. ¡°It¡¯s done, it¡¯s a direct flight to Beijing in two hours. If there are no other problems, we can set off now.¡± Mary ignored Zhong Simo¡¯s good looks and answered calmly. In any case, no matter how good looking he was, there was no way he would become hers fundamentally given his sexual orientation. Who knew which family¡¯s little boy would become his unfortunate target in the future. ¡°I have no problem with it, let¡¯s tidy up and go.¡± Zhong Simo nodded his head but Mary had not finished what she wanted to say. ¡°Just a moment, Boss. You asked me to check how you came back last night.¡± ¡°You got it?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you have a look at Weibo¡¯s hot search yourself?¡± Seeing that Mary was unwilling to continue the topic, Zhong Simo could only take out his phone and open his Weibo. He was usually not that concerned about the hot searches as they reflect the rules while he was someone who formulated rules. However, he was usually willing to cooperate with his assistant with her cliffhangers under normal circumstances. He was someone who knew how to be both easy-going and serious depending on the situation. The reason why Zhong Simo¡¯s studio had such a cohesive team had a high correlation to its owner¡¯s high EQ and charisma. Mary watched Zhong Simo as he swiped on his phone screen with his brows creased. He would pause every now and then, let out a light chuckle at the end, but never displayed a particular expression that she was expecting. ¡°Contact the department and ask them to get that hot search off the trending list without any drama.¡± Zhong Simo ordered after he put down his phone a few minutes later. Mary waited for a few seconds and no other orders came. She hesitated, ¡°What about after that? Do we not need to find out why this happened?¡± ¡°It¡¯s merely an accident.¡± Zhong Simo understood Mary¡¯s intention. He crossed over the couch with his long legs and sat himself down. ¡°Although Zhou Qianhe isn¡¯t smart, she isn¡¯t brainless either. Regardless of whether she¡¯s trying to provoke me or use dirty tricks on me, all of those actions of hers were done privately. If she dares to do those things publicly and reveal our family scandals to the public, Chen Yi will be the first one that would not forgive her.¡± Zhong Simo was half leaning on the couch when he said those, his eyes were narrowed and overflowing with disdain. ¡°As long as you are well aware of the situation.¡± It somehow made Mary let out a sigh of relief to hear Zhong Simo speaking about his conflicts with his father and stepmother. As long as he did not keep it to himself in his heart, she had never seen Zhong Simo being afraid of anyone before. She did not merely trust him blindly, it was trust that had built across the years she had witnessed him creating miracles. ¡°If you say that it was an accident, you must remember something from what happened last night.¡± ¡°Yeah, I do have a vague impression, it¡¯s just that I didn¡¯t know what his name was. He did not recognise me and my state did not allow me to freely ask him.¡± Zhong Simo squinted his eyes thoughtfully. As if extremely delighted, he patted on the phone lying next to him, ¡°But now I know. Middle-aged uncle, ho.¡± Mary wasn¡¯t sure why Boss would have any favourable impression on that particular term, so she could only continue to say what was on her mind, ¡°If he really did send a drunk stranger back to the hotel in the middle of the night and heavy rain without any ulterior motives, Shen Yu sure is warm-hearted.¡± In other words, Mary did not find it believable. She had seen too many different types of celebrities in the entertainment circle, many of them would rush to cling to Zhong Simo¡¯s influence and cause many unpleasant incidents. Over time, Mary would judge and examine others with caution every time she met someone. CH 9 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea After feeling a bit rueful towards the ridiculous hot search and being moved by his fans¡¯ deep emotions for him, he decided to take some time to talk to his manager, Mei Fei, about him getting on the hot search. For some unknown reason, he intentionally avoided talking about any details regarding that man from last night and only said that he helped a drunk person in passing. Most likely because Mei Fei was busy with Bai Zhuzhen¡¯s activities, she did not ask in detail either. She merely reminded Shen Yu to be more careful with his image as a celebrity and told him that she would sort out the issue of him getting on the hot search afterwards. Instead, she stressed about the casting audition again towards the end of the call. ¡°Zhong Simo¡¯s auditions aren¡¯t for any Tom, Dick or Harry. He doesn¡¯t care about the actors and actresses¡¯ fame but their acting skills must be up there. He considers it a personal insult if you take part in his audition as a total mess. I only got this opportunity because someone was trying to return me a favour. I remember that your acting is pretty decent. Remember to make ample preparations so as not to embarrass our company.¡± ¡°I understand, Sister Mei.¡± Shen Yu ended the call and no longer spared another thought on the matter regarding him getting on the hot search. Mei Fei was a professional manager. Although her focus had never been on Shen Yu, she would definitely get the issue sorted out if she said she would, herself. Shen Yu never once thought that his accidental appearance as one of the hot searches would bring him any fame. He only wished that it would not cause any trouble. ¡°Brother Shen, do you want some water?¡± Shen Yu could hear someone calling for him before he could keep his phone. He turned around to have a look, only to see the drama¡¯s female lead, Wan Sheng, holding two bottles of water and asking him with a smile. Wan Sheng was actually not really an actress but a decently popular influencer who used to be a streamer. She was quite pretty and she always had a lively and carefree image. This film, ¡°The Pursuit of the Wind¡±, had a tight budget so the crew could not decide on a female lead until recently. Shen Yu had a personality that did not allow him to warm up to others quickly, especially with the opposite sex. Wan Sheng had only joined the crew a couple of days ago and had barely spoken a few sentences with Shen Yu, so they were nowhere near being familiar with each other. However, since the lady had taken the initiative to express her good intentions, there was no way Shen Yu would brush her off in front of everyone else. ¡°Thank you, I was just about to take some water.¡± Shen Yu nodded at her politely to express his gratitude and reached out to take the bottle of water Wan Sheng offered. Uncertain whether he was overthinking, it felt like Wan Sheng had intentionally leaned forward the moment he touched the bottle of water. Shen Yu looked towards Wan Sheng but the latter merely maintained an enthusiastic and appropriate smile. I must be overthinking it, thought Shen Yu as he shook his head and twisted open the bottle cap. Wan Sheng began speaking again before Shen Yu could take a sip from the bottle. ¡°Wow, the bottle cap is so tight, Brother Shen, can you give me a hand?¡± Shen Yu glanced at Wan Sheng¡¯s fair hand which was already flushed red from trying to uncap the bottle. He could only pass the bottle in his hand to Wan Sheng as he took the other bottle from her under her expectant gaze. ¡°Thank you, Brother Shen.¡± Wan Sheng uncapped the bottle straight away and took a mouthful, ¡°I¡¯m so thirsty.¡± Shen Yu could only push down the feeling of strangeness in his heart as he took a few sips of water himself, ¡°You can ask your assistant to prepare water for you beforehand the next time you¡¯re thirsty.¡± ¡°Got it, you¡¯re such a good person, Brother Shen.¡± Shen Yu wondered if that was the legendary ¡°nice guy¡± as he watched Wan Sheng¡¯s retreating back, his brows creased. Wan Sheng had acted as per usual and was enthusiastic throughout but Shen Yu could not help but feel uneasiness all over when he interacted with her. It must have been because their auras were naturally at odds with each other. Thankfully, such a small matter would not affect his filming and He Qi¡¯s main rivalling scenes in the drama were not with Jiu Yao either. The episode got quickly thrown into the back of Shen Yu¡¯s mind. After confirming that he was not needed for any reshoots, Shen Yu removed his makeup and drove back to his hotel. He had more important things to worry about at the moment, namely, Zhong Simo¡¯s casting audition. Shen Yu had always been a model student during his university days. He even passed his practical exams with pretty high scores which proved that his acting skills were actually worthy of praise in the eyes of the professionals. Unfortunately, the number of people who could become famous in the entertainment circle just with their acting alone was close to zero. Shen Yu, who was naturally slow to warm up, was not that lucky star. He had been too dense and unknown to the public, but now that an opportunity was placed right in front of him, Shen Yu did not want to give it up just like that no matter what. Besides, there was no way an actor or actress did not have an ounce of ambition with regards to their acting career. The piece of work that made a name for Zhong Simo, ¡°Innocence¡±, was filmed during his student days. There were no conflicts in interests, it was a film that could best showcase his thoughts and logic. Zhong Simo himself had also mentioned several times during his interviews that ¡°Innocence¡± was a piece of work that he was the most satisfied with. Shen Yu had watched that film many times. Along with the increase of his age, there would always be a new discovery or perception every time he watched it again. And this time, he decided to watch ¡°Innocence¡± once more from a different perspective. The young lady strained to carry the Buddhist statue and swung it towards the back of her stepfather¡¯s head, the scene pushing the film into a small climax. The Buddhist statue, which was supposed to be worshipped and symbolise purity, had become a weapon to hurt others. This was the first time the young lady had a chance to resist. She had seemingly lost her mind and her pair of eyes were red through and through. She smashed it over and over again robotically, her veins bulging and visible on her forehead as she sobbed indistinctly. When the young lad finally caught his breath and hurried over to stop her, it was already too late. The camera followed the Buddhist statue that fell onto the ground from the young lady¡¯s hand, skipping over the stepfather whose skull was already exposed on the back of his head, as the statue rolled over to the corner of the walls and stopped. And for the whole one plus minutes afterwards, the camera did not move anymore. It was fixed on the Buddhist statue¡¯s face which was smiling benevolently and stained with blood. Only the young man¡¯s and the young lady¡¯s voices could be heard. ¡°H-He is dead. Police, we need to call the police.¡± The young man¡¯s voice was frenetic. CH 10 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sister Mei. It¡¯s due to my carelessness that others have a chance to take advantage of me. I¡¯ll have to trouble you to come up with some ideas.¡± Shen Yu forced himself to calm down after his initial shock and began reflecting on his own mistakes immediately. Pleased by his words, Mei Fei¡¯s tone softened. ¡°You can¡¯t really be blamed for this, there are many people¡¯s interests involved and it¡¯s too complicated. You have never been popular before so it¡¯s natural that you weren¡¯t mindful now that you¡¯re suddenly trending.¡± Mei Fei spared a few words of consolation for Shen Yu before she changed her topic abruptly. ¡°I have asked around about this Wan Sheng just now. How should I put it, she does not have a good reputation among the rich people''s social circle although it was never exposed to the public. Thinking from the long term perspective, I suggest you do not get too involved with her.¡± A temporary scandal was usually beneficial for both the male and female parties but if their public images were bound in the public¡¯s eyes, the other party would also be dragged into it if one party was to get into any kind of trouble. It could also be said that the merits and drawbacks of both parties would be tied together. It was due to Mei Fei¡¯s sincere consideration for Shen Yu that she decided to be blunt. Shen Yu was, after all, a celebrity that had been under her care for a few years. Even though he did not end up being popular, Shen Yu had always been sensible and had never given her any unnecessary troubles so at the very least, she did feel affection for him. ¡°You should know me by now, Sister Mei.¡± Shen Yu was quite astonished by Wan Sheng¡¯s true colours but he did not ask any further. When he heard Mei Fei¡¯s words, he could only let out a bitter laugh, ¡°There wouldn¡¯t be any need to trouble you for so many years if I had such intentions.¡± ¡°I know you don¡¯t like getting involved in such things but I still have to remind you. It¡¯s fine as long as you understand. Be mindful in the future not to get involved with Wan Sheng. I¡¯ll try my best to suppress the scandal so you don¡¯t have to show any response to it. The public won¡¯t remember this for long as long as there is no continuation of this.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sister Mei.¡± Shen Yu put his phone on the side after the other side had hung up and let out a sigh. He was in no mood to continue the movie after such an incident had happened. Too many things had happened in the short half a day, it was quite difficult to manage even for a grown man like Shen Yu. He had yet to become popular and yet, he had already experienced the troubles a little popularity could bring. Shen Yu sat still quietly for a while before he could not control himself and opened his Weibo app. As the search terms were entered into the search bar, the comments there were no longer as harmonious and affectionate as they had been in the morning. Shen Yu¡¯s sudden and temporary popularity had resulted in several marketing account¡¯s howling in grief in their articles. ¡°Stay calm. No matter what, Brother Yu is already 27 years old. Isn¡¯t it normal for him to have a girlfriend? Although it doesn¡¯t make me feel good inside.¡± There were people who were pretty optimistic as they tried to console others. ¡°Wake up, guys. Brother Yu himself hasn¡¯t even said anything yet. Why are y¡¯all rushing to help him recognise his girlfriend?¡± Someone actually got the point. ¡°Stop making excuses for him, there¡¯s even a video. Didn¡¯t you see them drinking from each other¡¯s bottles? Even their smiles were filled with affection for each other. I¡¯ll punish myself by copying and writing out the whole ¡°Pursuit of the Wind¡± novel.¡± Someone countered. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Do you think we don¡¯t know what Brother Yu¡¯s personality is? He¡¯s literally like a normal middle-aged uncle. He would even serve you water courteously. That video didn¡¯t even capture Brother Yu¡¯s face, only that influencer was smiling throughout the video. Who knows what that influencer¡¯s intention is?¡± ¡°You Yu-fans* sure are vulgar, what¡¯s wrong with our Wan Sheng being an influencer? Ho, why don¡¯t you confirm who is actually more popular?¡± It seemed like Wan Sheng¡¯s fans got mixed in as well. (T/N*: Just a way of referring to Shen Yu¡¯s fans.) ¡°Look at how Wan Sheng¡¯s fans are involved now. This is what I call the pot calling the kettle black. You guys are saying that as if she was some top star. The main person involved has not even said a single word yet, who are you to say this and that in another¡¯s territory? Brother Yu can get into a relationship, but his taste shouldn¡¯t be this bad. I¡¯ll put it out there first, if Brother Yu and Wan Sheng are really dating, I¡¯ll immediately stop being his fan and become Wan Sheng¡¯s anti-fan for the whole of my life.¡± It was known that the fans¡¯ temperaments generally followed their idol¡¯s. Shen Yu¡¯s fans were usually as calm and tranquil as he was but the situation was not that common, causing storms in the little fan circle of his. There was also a small part of Wan Sheng fans who took advantage of the situation and made the atmosphere even worse. However, standing in their shoes, regardless of sister-fans or girlfriend-fans*, it must have been unpleasant for them when they suddenly got to know that the idol that they had always loved had been attached to someone else. (T/N*: As in fans who treat themselves as the idol¡¯s sisters or girlfriend. It is a common way for fans to describe themselves. There are even mama-fans, they are fans who look at their idol with caring and tender eyes as if the idol is their son/daughter. If you get what I mean LOL.) Shen Yu felt slightly ashamed after looking through Weibo for a while. He had always thought that it was a very magical thing to have a group of people, whom he had never met before, show him affection so willingly. He was extremely grateful for such affection but he never wished to affect his fans¡¯ lives excessively. He only hoped that he was able to bring them happiness during their free time. They should not have to worry about such a hideous mess. Shen Yu really wanted to tell his fans personally not to worry, that he was not dating Wan Sheng. But this statement should never come from him no matter what. In a scandal that involves the relationship between a male and a female, the male party would definitely be penalised if he was to act overly cold and heartless, regardless of who was wrong in the first place. The young lady had yet to say anything yet, so why would you, a grown man, rush in to emphasise your innocence in this scandal? In the end, it all boiled down to how he did not have enough popularity or status. Shen Yu gripped his phone tightly. He had never felt as helpless as he was feeling at that moment, not even when his acting role and resources were stolen from him. This industry was too interconnected with capital, fame, and profit. It was almost impossible to focus on only acting in such an environment. Shen Yu received another call before he could think of a solution. This time, it was a call from the investor cum original author cum screenwriter of the ¡°Pursuit of the Wind¡±, He Caicai. ¡°Hello, Brother Shen, are you free right now?¡± He Caicai went straight to the point the moment the call connected, her voice loud and clear. CH 11 The scandal between Shen Yu and Wan Sheng caused a slight ruckus nonetheless. Zhong Simo, who was sitting leisurely in his own office and had a sudden interest in Weibo¡¯s hot searches, happened to see news related to their scandal. He lifted his brow as he read through the article rapidly. ¡°What a touching love story.¡± Mary was organising the details regarding their collaboration with Tian Chen and was about to pass Zhong Simo some documents for him to look over when she suddenly heard her boss sighing out loud. She could feel her temples throbbing. Hearing that tone of voice, Mary wondered which idiot was it this time that provoked this person here who no one could afford to offend. Zhong Simo commented again before Mary could even ask, ¡°Judging from the whole article, this masterpiece is probably written by a talented primary school kid who had taken inspiration from all the classic love stories from both ancient and modern times, from both locally and overseas. Unfortunately, this person had clearly extracted all the core essence from their inspiration while leaving behind a ruined mess.¡± ¡°Boss.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re scolding someone but please use a language that a normal person can understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of signing you up for a Chinese language training course,¡± Zhong Simo smiled as he pointed at his phone screen and said, ¡°This headline is absolute trash.¡± With Zhong Simo¡¯s tacit permission, Mary leaned over to glance over the content displayed on the phone and nodded in agreement. ¡°Although my Chinese language level is, indeed, limited, I can still tell that this is a classic way of how a low-cost marketing social media account would write their articles.¡± ¡°Shen Yu sure is a poor thing. Not only does he not have a reliable assistant and an operation team, but his popularity is also divided among other people the moment he begins to have a taste of it. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll become popular with that team of his.¡± Zhong Simo did not comment on Mary¡¯s criticism because he was still looking at his phone, his growing interest blatant on his face. Although he had yet to confirm his own feelings towards Shen Yu, he still wanted to get himself involved in this matter from both the perspective of his personal feelings, as well as the perspective of him wanting to pay back for Shen Yu¡¯s kindness. ¡°Boss, what are you still looking at?¡± Mary could not help but ask. ¡°This female idol looks familiar. Where have I seen Wan Sheng before?¡± Zhong Simo lifted his brow as he tried to recall. He had a pretty good memory but it was impossible to remember every single face he had seen before. Hearing that, Mary unlocked the tablet that she always brought around and had a quick search before she answered, ¡°Wan Sheng does not have much fame in the entertainment industry but she apparently has a financial backer.¡± ¡°Ah, I remember,¡± Zhong Simo let out a sneer when he heard Mary¡¯s words. He tilted his head and continued, ¡°Half a month ago, one of the rich kids who hangs out with Yan Caizhu had a birthday party so I went for a bit to show my face. She was the one who those young masters brought that time, saying that she¡¯s a popular streamer and can give them a live performance right then and there..¡± CH 12 ¡°Why is your cousin asking?¡± ¡°Wan Sheng probably did some dirty tricks and angered her. That little lady has been pampered since she was young, so she can¡¯t stand anyone giving her an attitude. That was most likely why she came to me asking about Wan Sheng¡¯s background.¡± Yan Caizhu let out a yawn, clearly not taking that matter to heart. ¡°And what did you say?¡± ¡°Wan Sheng joined the crew through connections with my extremely distant cousin. Caicai could not handle the matter directly, so she came to confirm the situation with me.¡± Yan Caizhu waved his hand to acknowledge the waiter, who placed the plate of cheese-covered Italian pasta on the table gently. He continued, ¡°I told her that Wan Sheng used to be in a brief relationship with that cousin, but she offended him a long time ago, so she has no one to rely on now. She¡¯s free to handle her in any way she wishes.¡± Yan Caizhu described the whole situation as if it was nothing, but Zhong Simo knew that although he seemed like a good-for-nothing rich young master, he took good care of the people he kept close to his heart. ¡°Caicai¡± was his sister, a young lady at that, so Yan Caizhu probably had other plans in mind. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her everything, did you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s only a young lady. There¡¯s no need to tell her those things,¡± Yan Caizhu grinned, ¡°What trouble did Wan Sheng get into this time? If Director Zhong would like to take care of her with his own hands, I wouldn¡¯t have to trouble myself.¡± CH 13 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea Night time came late in the summer, but it came nonetheless. Shen Yu looked ¡°Innocence¡± over once more and found some interview videos of Zhong Simo. And when he realised he was hungry, it was already eight at night. He picked up the phone that had been muted before and was about to go out to get some food when his phone¡¯s screen lit up, and he saw dozens of missed calls from an unknown number. Shen Yu frowned. Only acquaintances knew his number, and any work-related calls would go through his manager, Mei Fei. And there was no way for anyone ordinary to know his number. But looking at how this person had called him over ten times at one go, it sure looked like what a crazy fan would do. Could it be that his information was leaked? Just when Shen Yu was feeling puzzled, that number called again. Shen Yu turned up the volume, and the phone in his hand made an annoying sound from the vibration. He hesitated for a few seconds before deciding to accept the call after pressing the record button. Once bitten, twice shy. It was time for him to be more careful. ¡°Hello?¡± No one spoke on the other end of the line, yet it was extremely noisy, as if the other party was in a busy bar. Sounds of wine glasses clinking mixed with laughter formed seemingly chaotic background noise. ¡°Hello, are you there?¡± Yu Shen asked again. Finally, a dazed female voice sounded from the other end of the line. ¡°B-Brother Shen, hehe.¡± ¡°Wan Sheng?¡± Hearing the voice, Shen Yu asked uncertainly. ¡°Brother Shen, it¡¯s so unfair. How can they treat me like this? It¡¯s unfair, so unfair!¡± Wan Sheng murmured to herself, repeating those few words over and over again as if she was delirious. Shen Yu did not know what had happened to her, nor did he want to know. ¡°You¡¯re drunk. You should tell your manager to take you home. It¡¯s not safe to be out and about this late into the night.¡± Shen Yu was going to put down the phone after saying that, but Wan Sheng suddenly raised her volume and began to sputter. ¡°Brother Shen, wait! Don¡¯t you find it unfair?¡± Shen Yu¡¯s hand, which was holding the phone, paused. Wan Sheng continued quickly. ¡°I¡¯m 21 years old this year, young and pretty. I want to become famous, earn money, act in movies. What wrong did I do?¡± Her voice sounded like a strange mixture of crying and laughing. ¡°All of them thought I was in the wrong; they won¡¯t let me succeed. The examiner of the art school just won¡¯t let me get into the film academy. Those crews just won¡¯t let me act in their film, and the management companies wouldn¡¯t sign me. What else could I have done other than letting them use me as a plaything?¡± Wan Sheng was probably completely smashed as she began to question Shen Yu in a daze. ¡°I don¡¯t want this either. None of them treated me as a human being. I could only stay by their side until they were tired of me before I needed to change to another one. And in the end, it became a problem.¡± ¡°Those women are prettier than I am and smarter than I am. They can do and get whatever they want with the money they get from their parents. And me? I can only degrade myself by exchanging for what I want. Why is there such a big difference between humans? Based on what?¡± ¡°Brother Shen,¡± Wan Sheng laughed suddenly, ¡°Do you know how hopeless I feel whenever I look at you? A graduate from a professional academy, a pretty good-looking appearance and yet, you¡¯re nothing even though you¡¯re almost 30. I¡¯m scared. I don¡¯t want to be like you. I can¡¯t let my youth go to waste just like this. I absolutely can¡¯t.¡± Wan Sheng¡¯s voice lowered and turned into a plead. ¡°Brother Shen, you understand, don¡¯t you? How painful it is to have no popularity. Help me. Please help me. We can help each other by creating a hot topic around us. There¡¯s still room for operation. You can find the person you saved that night and make yourself the hot search again. Helping me is also helping yourself. I can even cooperate and act as if there¡¯s something between us, too.¡± Shen Yu did not utter a single word until he heard this and sighed deeply. He found Wan Sheng lamentable but also hateful. ¡°I don¡¯t know why there¡¯s such a big difference between people either. Call your manager and ask them to pick you up. Don¡¯t get into trouble outside at this hour.¡± Shen Yu hung up the phone after finishing his sentence and blocked Wan Sheng¡¯s number right after. He saved the recorded phone call, locked it with a password, and sat on his bed, unmoving for a long while. Shen Yu did not quite understand why there was such a big difference between people. There were many financial backers in the industry who would go for young and old, female or male. Shen Yu had also encountered such people when he signed for a company in the year he graduated. That day, the air in the room was very stuffy. Shen Yu and several other newbies followed their manager to meet their boss. Shen Yu could not remember how much he drank, what he ate, or how many people he met. The only thing he remembered was him being in a daze, with someone hugging him secretly and stroking him along his waistline. Perhaps if he had continued to endure it, he could have signed successfully into that big company; or if he was a bit more open, maybe he could still get better resources; or if he snuggled in the arms of that person, he would become popular in an instant. But Shen Yu was flustered and could only feel his cold sweat. He almost forgot how he actually got up from the seat, how he tried so hard to make up for the ruined atmosphere by smiling, and how he made excuses to escape from the room. That night, the 21-year-old Shen Yu walked down the street, step by step, not knowing where to go, feeling helpless and even afraid. How could he not be afraid? He was afraid that his career as an actor would all be ruined by how tactless he was that day, afraid of being blocked out from resources and opportunities, afraid that he would not be able to act, afraid that all of his four years of hard work in the academy would go to waste, afraid of becoming his parents¡¯ burden. And yet, he would never look back because more important than anything were the principles which Shen Yu would never violate. Naturally, Shen Yu¡¯s opportunity to sign a contract with that company was out of the question. Perhaps the boss had no time to care about a disobedient, little actor. The revenge Shen Yu imagined would land upon him never came. In the end, he signed with a small company and acted for six years without much popularity. Thinking back, Shen Yu only felt that he was extremely lucky. When humans get overly greedy, they lose their bottom line and will eventually pay for it. The next morning, Shen Yu arrived at the filming set as per normal and, unsurprisingly, did not see Wan Sheng. Judging from how much she drank last night, she was probably still hung over. CH 14 Translator: Aafkee Proofreader: ChaiTea Shen Yu had not heard any news about Wan Sheng since she left the team three days ago. He travelled between his hotel and the film set directly every day. The only change from the hot search incident was that he had ten thousand new followers on Weibo. Inevitably, he received many comments from users he had never seen before. In the end, without titles to call his own or a team to manage, any brief exposure and popularity was worthless. ¡°Brother Yu, we need to make up for a shot.¡± He Caicai was wearing a modified light yellow coloured chest-high traditional dress* with two buns on top of her head, as she shouted while leaning her head in through the door. (T/N*: Wiki) This young lady had kept her word; since she said she would become Shen Yu¡¯s fan, she had switched to calling him Brother Yu, which was a more intimate name his fans like to call him by, instead of Brother Shen. Shen Yu mentioned it a few times for her to switch back to the former, but to no avail, so he could only accept it in silence. Shen Yu was originally reading his script in the resting room. Hearing He Caicai¡¯s voice, he got up quickly and hurried outside. ¡°Brother Yu, you seem really busy these few days.¡± He had been using all his free time on set to practice his script and would leave as soon as the shooting ended. ¡°Yeah, I have a very important audition to prepare for.¡± Shen Yu did not hide it at all and directly told He Caicai. ¡°Wah, I hope you can get the role.¡± He Caicai did not ask anything further regarding what film he was auditioning for and merely encouraged him with a smile. The two chatted while they walked to the film set and arrived there in no time. The main male lead, Cui Ke, was wearing a golden and black long robe while holding a plastic fan, fanning himself non-stop. He almost looked like a tired salted fish. Cui Ke¡¯s eyes brightened the moment he saw Shen Yu and He Caicai. ¡°Miss He, I want the air-con on,¡± he requested loudly. ¡°Air-con? How are we going to install an air-con outdoors? I see that you look like one yourself, one that gives off heat.¡± He Caicai could not be bothered with him. Cui Ke laughed lightheartedly and scratched the back of his head. He was only joking, so he was not angry at receiving a retort. Instead, he switched his target to Shen Yu. ¡°Brother Shen, Brother Shen, let¡¯s make a deal. Can you share with me your exclusive blowers when shooting the scene later?¡± Cui Ke had a very fun personality. Shen Yu often did not know whether to respond by laughing or crying to his ethics, ¡°Take them all if you want to. I would thank you instead.¡± ¡°No way, no way, the blowers are to create He Qi¡¯s ethereal image. Don¡¯t be so dramatic.¡± He Caicai was the first to reject Cui Ke just as Shen Yu finished his last word. ¡°Hey, what do you mean? Are you saying that I can¡¯t have that ethereal aura?¡± ¡°Let us be reasonable,¡± He Caicai held her forehead, ¡°He Qi¡¯s clothes are white and made of gauze material. Blowing some wind at him will naturally create his ethereal image. And you¡¯re wearing a black and gold robe made of fur. If we¡¯re really to use the blowers on you, can you imagine how miserable you¡¯d look with those flaps of fur hitting your face haphazardly?¡± Cui Ke could not counter that. Since he failed to get his hands on the blower, he could only quicken his speed for fanning himself. Shen Yu did not intervene throughout the banter and only watched the scene before him, smiling. Although he felt sympathetic towards Cui Ke, who had to wear furs while filming on a sunny day in June, being blown directly by the blower really was not as comfortable as he made it sound. Although they were joking around, they quickly got into position for the scene when the director announced the start of the shoot. Naturally, Shen Yu had nothing to worry about regarding his acting. His professionalism even allowed him to act a heart-wrenching love story with a pig as his acting partner. Although Cui Ke had not gone through any professional training for acting, he had been acting for many days now. His acting skills were mediocre as he had inevitably gotten used to it. The most problematic of the three is He Caicai. This young lady was completely unexposed to filming up until now. Unlike in reality, she had to be mindful of problems such as her positions, the positions of the equipment, her lines and other issues. When they had just started filming, He Caicai dragged out each shot for a long time. Fortunately, she hated to lose by nature and sought out the director in secret for many private lessons and was steadily making improvements. The script of ¡®Pursuit of the Wind¡¯ had been preliminarily edited. In accordance with He Caicai¡¯s intentions, the vast majority of the sub-plot and dialogue remained unchanged. The only change was about the relationship between Nie Lao, Jiu Yao and He Qi. In the new setting, Jiu Yao¡¯s grandfather passed away due to an accident very early on, leaving the young and strong-willed Jiu Yao to live on with optimism. Since she had been requested by a friend who had passed away, He Qi would often disguise himself as a wandering poet and go to Jiu Yao¡¯s village to check on her. The young Jiu Yao liked the good-looking, extremely knowledgeable yet a little sadistic big brother. Only, she never knew his identity as wind. Just like that, Jiu Yao grew up gradually with He Qi by her side. It was that way until Nie Lao¡¯s family clan ran into misfortune which got He Qi involved, causing him to be trapped and unable to take care of Jiu Yao. Jiu Yao could not get a hold of He Qi, who had made an appointment with her and she became desperate. Then, she unwittingly discovered the notes left by her grandfather and found out about the secrets of the Wind Catchers. It was then that she realised that there might be another truth behind his grandfather¡¯s death and that He Qi was in serious danger. Right at that moment, the desperate Jiu Yao ran into Nie Lao, who had come to the village looking for Jiu Yao¡¯s grandfather¡¯s help. The two, who had their own agenda, hit it off right away, and embarked on a journey together to find He Qi. Putting changes in the plot aside, there was a significant difference in He Qi¡¯s character attributes after the change. He had changed from a sadistic, arrogant and cold lad to becoming a sadistic, arrogant and seemingly cold caretaker. There was only a difference of responsibilities in the description, but the change was definitely not small when reflected in the new script. He Caicai was very good at writing cute stories so the daily interaction between He Qi and the young Jiu Yao really reached the audience¡¯s heart, which was presented as flashbacks throughout the film. At the same time, the causal relationship between He Qi and Nie Lao had also been developed further, adding more drama and making the characters more three-dimensional. The more character development there was, the better it was for an actor. Shen Yu almost forgot to sleep and eat for those couple of days preparing for Director Zhong¡¯s audition while trying to digest the new script internally and offering his opinion from time to time.