Fog Returns to the Capital

Chapter 36 You can get anything for yourself, except for feelings.
……

Those few days during the Chinese New Year.

Zhou Jinghuai was very busy, and Li Wu basically never saw him during the day.

Sometimes he would come over in the evening, but he still had to leave early the next morning.

Li Wu spends her time alone in the empty, spacious apartment watching movies and TV shows, studying acting techniques to improve herself, and doing several sets of practice questions for various subjects every day.

Time passed quickly, with little free time.

A few days before the start of filming for Shen Yichen's new drama, the main cast was officially announced on Weibo.

The male lead is Wen Zhiyuan, a national heartthrob, and the female lead is Li Wu.

The second male lead is Xi Xun, currently the most popular young male actor in the entertainment industry.

The second female lead...

The second female lead is actually the award-winning actress Liang Qingran.

The main cast has been announced.

The comments section under the official Weibo post instantly exploded.

It surged to the top of the comments.

Xi Xun's fans are congratulating their idol on being able to participate in Director Shen's film, and on his first collaboration with award-winning actor Wen Zhiyuan, expressing their anticipation!
However, several subsequent comments questioned whether the official Weibo account staff had reversed the names of the female lead and the second female lead.

Are you kidding me? Making Liang Qingran a supporting character?

[Isn't this the leading lady who's been playing roles since her debut? How come she's being relegated to a supporting role? Who's this Li Wu guy?]

[To be able to act in Director Shen's film, even the biggest stars wouldn't count as stars, right? Director Shen's first film was the first Chinese film to win an international film award.]

Who is that Li Wu?

However, to be fair, after seeing the official photos, her face is truly beautiful...

……

……

Wen Zhiyuan, the nation's heartthrob.

Xi Xun, a top celebrity in the industry.

Top celebrity Liang Qingran.

If you take any one of these three people out, their every word and action would be so sensational that it would be trending.

So everyone went to search for Li Wu.

In just one or two hours, the name "Li Wu" topped the trending searches, followed by the word "explosive".

That was the first time Li Wu had appeared on a trending topic and gone viral.

Under Li Wu's Weibo account.

Fans from various groups rushed in, and passersby also came in to ask a few questions.

Thankfully, the official Weibo account released that promotional photo—

Li Wu's face is a rare beauty in the industry, beautiful and lively, and even shows signs of surpassing Liang Qingran.

This was barely enough to silence everyone.

of course.

The insults were still delivered, just not as vulgar as before.

In just a few days, Li Wu's fan base has grown by more than ten million.

During that time, something unpleasant also happened.

That day.

It's because their company's top female star has a movie coming out, and the premiere is being held at Universal Studios.

For some reason, an invitation was also sent to Li Wu.

You know, in the past, this top star would occasionally run into Li Wu and simply ignore her without even taking off her sunglasses. But now, she personally sent her an invitation.

Li Wu had no choice but to go, so she agreed.

She was in her own dressing room, a separate floor set aside by the company as her personal space. A personal makeup artist was doing her makeup.

Ye Fei suddenly stormed in, her face contorted with rage. Without saying a word, she raised her hand and slapped Li Wu across the face.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden scene and stood there dumbfounded.

Fortunately, Li Wu reacted quickly and intercepted the slap that was about to land on her face.

But before she could even ask, "What are you doing?", Ye Fei's other, uncontrolled hand shoved Li Wu to the ground.

Li Wu's head slammed heavily against the edge of the dressing table behind her.

Crackling.

Various bottles and jars of cosmetics on the table smashed over Li Wu. A sharp pain instantly shot through the back of her neck; she must have been cut by something.

Li Wu couldn't help but frown.

"Ah."

Ye Fei, dressed in the latest designer clothes, stood there, looking down at Li Wu, her voice filled with sarcasm and deep resentment.

"Didn't you always pride yourself on being high and mighty? Back then, you refused to go out with this person or that person no matter what. Don't tell me now that you got the lead role in Director Shen's film because of your own ability!"

Ye Fei was truly unwilling to accept it.

For the role originally intended for Director Shen, she and her agent spent nearly three months running around, auditioning three or four times. In the end, Li Wu got the lead role.

Just two months ago, Li Wu's entire outfit combined wasn't even worth as much as her assistant's coat.

Not long after, Li Wu was able to compete with her for roles.

more importantly.

She hasn't yet outmaneuvered Li Wu.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

The agent, Sister Xin, who was the first to react, was startled and quickly bent down to help Li Wu up from the ground.

Various kinds of loose powder, pressed powder, eyeshadow and other cosmetics were knocked away and spilled on Li Wu's body, staining most of her light-colored dress.

The day after Li Wu moved into Emperor View No. 1, Zhou Jinghuai had someone provide her with more clothes.

That dress wasn't from a big brand, but it was custom-made. It was designed by a master craftsman from Jiangnan, whose design fees reportedly start at seven figures.

Li Wu looked down at the "rainbow" pattern on her chest created by the eyeshadow.

Somewhat distressed.

I should have known better than to choose the clothes that Zhou Jinghuai sent, just to show how much he valued the invitation.

Ye Fei's unwilling voice continued.

"Why don't you tell us whose bed you willingly climbed into..."

"Ye Fei!"

As Ye Fei's words became increasingly offensive, her agent, Sister Xin, couldn't help but scold her, "Watch your words!"

After Li Wu signed the exclusive contract with the company that day, the artists under Sister Xin's management were transferred to other agents, and Sister Xin only needed to focus on managing Li Wu.

Ye Fei looked at the person who had treated her like royalty not long ago, now turning around to protect someone else.

After staring at it coldly for a few seconds...

Ye Fei suddenly laughed.

"Sister Xin, you're really defending her now. Didn't you look down on her back then?"

Ye Fei curved her lips into a mocking smile, her red lips opening and closing, the words she uttered were exceptionally sarcastic.

"I heard that when Li Wu's role in 'Divine Realm' was replaced, you weren't angry at all."

"Is it because the production team swapped resources with other artists under your management?"

As soon as Ye Fei said this.

Even though Sister Xin, who has seen all sorts of ups and downs in the industry, had a slight change in expression.

Because what Ye Fei said is true.

When Li Wu's role was replaced, the production team compensated her by having another artist under her management participate in another drama.

Xin Jie subconsciously looked at Li Wu.

Li Wu's beautiful and delicate face revealed no emotion.

She simply looked at Ye Fei and calmly asked, "Are you finished?"

Ye Fei looked at the person who should have been trampled under her feet like an ant, but now he could speak to her in this tone.

Her long-held sense of superiority made her uncomfortable, and she couldn't help but sneer, "You dare to talk to me like that now?"

"As expected of someone who's sold it, they speak with exceptional confidence..."

"Ye Fei!"

Sister Xin stood in front of Li Wu and interrupted Ye Fei coldly, "Who can be offended and who cannot be offended? I taught you this from the first day you entered the industry. Don't you remember now?"

She knew Ye Fei was unwilling, but that was the truth.

No sooner had Sister Xin finished speaking than a senior executive of the company heard about the matter and rushed down to check on the situation.

No matter how big a star Ye Fei is, she still has to give some face to the higher-ups, so she reluctantly listened to his advice for a few minutes.

This is also the time.

Sister Xin turned to look at Li Wu, about to speak, but then she saw the patch of blood seeping from the back of her neck and exclaimed in surprise, "Li Li, you're injured?!"

When she was pushed, Li Wu felt a stinging pain, and now the pain was getting deeper.

The blood-stained eyebrow razor still lay at her feet.

"It's nothing." Li Wu's voice was relatively calm. "It was probably just a minor scratch. I'll just put a band-aid on it and it'll be fine."

Even so.

But when the high-ranking official who came down to check the situation heard this, he instantly became visibly tense.

"Miss Li is injured? I'll have a doctor come over right away."

Their chairman personally instructed them several times to treat this person with utmost care and not to make the slightest mistake.

Li Wulian said it wasn't necessary, it was just a very small wound. But the higher-up was still very worried and insisted that a doctor come and take a look.

By the time it was finally resolved, a considerable amount of time had already passed.

Because she was rushing to attend the premiere, Li Wu hurriedly changed into the clothes that the company had reserved for the artists.

When passing by Ye Fei.

She leaned against the door, arms crossed, and mumbled something like "cheap"...

Li Wu pretended not to hear those two words, her beautiful features calm and serene, and walked past her without paying any attention.

……

Now, whenever Li Wu has an event, her agent and assistant accompany her.

When I got into the nanny van.

Agent Xin looked at Li Wu, hesitant to speak.

After hesitating for a long time, Sister Xin gently called her name, "Lili..."

It seemed as if it knew what she was going to say.

Li Wu smiled, her clear voice sounding nonchalant, "Actually, it's nothing, I can understand."

"Besides, didn't you also help me apply for Director Jiang's role back then?"

Although he was eventually replaced.

Hearing this, the agent felt a pang of guilt and immediately promised to take good care of her from now on.

But then it quieted down.

Ji Ren casually asked Li Wu if he knew Ye Xu, the film queen of Hong Kong.

"I've only heard the name before."

Hearing this, Li Wu was puzzled, but still replied.

"More than a decade ago, the film and television industry in Hong Kong was almost entirely dominated by her. She was famous everywhere, and everyone from eighty-year-old seniors to three-year-old children could name the film and television roles she had played."

Sister Xin explained step by step, "But do you know what happened to her in the end?"

Li Wu looked at Sister Xin without saying a word.

Fortunately, Sister Xin didn't really want Li Wu to answer, but continued.

"Later, on the night she announced her retirement from the entertainment industry, she jumped from the tallest building in Hong Kong and died on the spot."

"When she jumped, she had nothing on her. A day and a night passed, and no one dared to cover her with a piece of clothing."

Li Wu had never heard of this before. She was shocked, but she also knew that Sister Xin hadn't finished speaking.

"I heard that the reason she retired from the entertainment industry was to marry the big shot outside the industry who was supporting her."

Sister Xin casually remarked, "So, you see, there are some people you can be after anything, but you can't be after feelings."

……

After it ended that night.

Li Wu was so exhausted that when she lay naked in Zhou Jinghuai's arms, she didn't even want to open her eyes.

"Is it really that tiring?"

Zhou Jinghuai looked down at the girl curled up in his arms, her body huddled in a small ball. His long, slender fingers gently stroked her flushed face as he spoke softly.

Hear the words.

Li Wu opened her eyes and looked at him.

The girl's once delicate and beautiful eyelashes were now wet. Her eyes were also damp, still glistening with tears that had nearly broken away.

They look so pitiful.

If you ignore the subtle accusation in her eyes...

Li Wu stirred slightly, burying her face in his broad, warm chest, and whimpered softly, feeling wronged and hesitant, "What good is it if I'm tired or not? I already said it was too... deep and you still..."

Zhou Jinghuai laughed, "You'll yell if it gets too heavy or too fast..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Jinghuai's faint smile faded slightly.

He reached out and brushed aside the girl's long, damp hair that clung to her fair skin, revealing a band-aid on the back of her neck, and asked.

"what happened?"

Zhou Jinghuai's voice was natural and calm, as if he were just asking a casual question.

But inexplicable.

Li Wu's entire body trembled slightly.

Deep down, she was still afraid of Zhou Jinghuai, even though he had been very, very good to her.

Without almost any hesitation, Li Wu whispered that she had accidentally bumped into something and that it was nothing serious.

Zhou Jinghuai glanced at Li Wu and said he would have a private doctor come and take a look at her.

Li Wu was terrified and repeatedly explained that she had only accidentally scratched herself and that the doctor had only put on a band-aid to prevent infection. After she emphasized this several times, Zhou Jinghuai finally gave up.

Zhou Jinghuai didn't say anything afterward, but when he hugged her, he made sure to avoid that area.

the next day.

Zhou Jinghuai went on a business trip.

He is always very busy.

In Li Wu's mind, this matter was nothing at all, not even as important as what Sister Xin told her that day.

Two days later...

Then it was revealed that Tianze Entertainment had terminated its contract with Ye Fei.

It doesn't stop there.

Brands that had collaborated with Ye Fei, both domestic and international, all requested to terminate their contracts, citing reasons such as not being a suitable spokesperson.

Ye Fei is a top-tier celebrity in the industry, and naturally, she has collaborated with a considerable number of brands.

All of a sudden.

News about her immediately went viral and became a trending topic.

For nearly a month, her name was trending on social media.

People within the industry are in a state of panic, while outsiders are coming in waves to speculate whether Ye Fei has committed some illegal act.

This was the first time they had ever seen such a strong and unified stance within the industry, with people wanting to terminate their contracts with a particular celebrity.

This kind of people.

Naturally, no one in the industry dared to use it.

So since then, Ye Fei has never received any more resources.

Gradually, Ye Fei quietly withdrew from the entertainment industry. Until finally, she completely disappeared from public view.

Of course, this is a follow-up.

……

Li Wu joined the crew very quickly.

It was time to officially start filming.

Li Wu then realized that Shen Yichen had another side to him.

The first time he yelled at her, Li Wu was so frightened that her whole body trembled, and she looked at Shen Yichen with a bit of confusion in her eyes.

It seemed like they hadn't reacted yet.

"It's alright, Director Shen is always very strict."

Wen Zhiyuan, the male lead who was acting opposite Li Wu, saw that she was frightened and gently comforted her, "Let's do it again."

Shen Yichen was still dressed in light-colored casual clothes, but the aloof and refined air he once possessed was completely gone. In its place was an unapproachable seriousness and calmness.

The relaxed and carefree smile on his face was gone.

It's like he's become a completely different person.

Despite feeling uncomfortable, Li Wu quickly adjusted and forced herself to get into the right mood.

Acting opposite a film emperor who has won numerous awards over more than a decade of acting experience naturally brings pressure.

But Li Wu didn't want this to become an excuse for his poor performance.

It wasn't until the third take that Shen Yichen finally spoke up and said it was over.

Intermission.

Li Wu sat on a small stool, holding the script, trying to calm herself down.

She lowered her head, casually picked up a small pebble to play with, and went over Shen Yichen's words in her mind again.

I pushed the camera back and forth frame by frame, reflecting on where I could have done better and where the emotional moments weren't quite right.

"Tsk, are you crying here?"

A casual, nonchalant voice slowly descended from above Li Wu's head.

(End of this chapter)