I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 224, When did Xiang Zuo get an uncle?
"That's certainly extravagant."

At this moment, Xiang Zuo, who had come with Li Xuan, was also amazed by the scene before him. Both of them were from wealthy families and were not country bumpkins who had never seen the world. This was the first time he had ever seen such a thing. A coming-of-age banquet worth 180 million, and the number of people who came... Good heavens.

Li Xuan looked around and saw Chen Jingfei, as well as other big names in the business world.

Those standing here are all people who "got rich first".

Those in the cultural 'superstructure,' whether they are in politics or business, are the real predators.

He was on the same level as Xiang Huaqiang. Compared to him, the big star Lin Zhiying next to him seemed like a lackey.

Of course, the one who was even more of a lackey was Li, but Li Xuan didn't have any other particular thoughts, so he just sat there.

Surrounded by all the stars, the protagonist here is none other than Liu Yifei, Chen Jingfei's goddaughter and the powerful figure's adopted daughter. Dressed in the most beautiful long dress and with the most elegant smile on her face, she is a noble lady, a goddess, and a princess without any stage fright.

Faced with this situation, there was no fear whatsoever.

She was born to be in the spotlight.

Confident, beautiful, wonderful.

Just looking at it gives you a feeling of peace and joy.

Li Xuan watched as the girl, dressed in an expensive dress, calmly and confidently dealt with everyone in front of the princess's cake.

Compared to the young girl in "Chinese Paladin", she has grown up quite quickly and is already approaching maturity.

Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen.

As expected, girls change every year as they grow up!

"Li Xuan."

At this moment, Zhang Jizhong also saw Li Xuan.

"Director Zhang!"

"It's great to meet you here."

When Zhang Jizhong came to find Li Xuan, he was all smiles. Looking at Li Xuan, he was also a little emotional: "I never expected that the extra from back then has grown to this level."

Li Xuan has always been somewhat of a controversial figure in the industry.

He started as an extra, was the top scorer in the 2002 class of Beijing Film Academy, and was the first in history to achieve a perfect score in all three rounds of auditions. It can be said that the professors who auditioned him gave him extremely high praise.

This is truly remarkable. Even Zhang Jizhong back then couldn't have imagined that the kid could score so high.

After entering the Beijing Film Academy, he frequently appeared in Zhang Jizhong's sight.

Now, the characters from the three TV series "The World's Finest", "The Legend of the White Snake", and "Chinese Paladin" have all been played out in one go.

In addition, with the help of people within the Beijing entertainment circle, the hype actually turned into positive publicity.

Virtue matches one's position.

If the argument is reasonable, it becomes a positive one.

Everything stemmed from that afternoon when 'Yin Zhiping' appeared before him.

"It was Director Zhang who gave me that opportunity back then."

At this moment, Li Xuan was also very sincere. Back then, Zhang Huzi had given him a chance in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

"This is a win-win situation. My drama made you successful, and your role made me successful."

Zhang Jizhong then exclaimed with emotion, "I really wish you could play my Yang Guo!"

In fact, Zhang Jizhong really wanted Li Xuan to play Yang Guo. This role was co-created by the "Four Little Fresh Meat" Nie Yuan and Huang Xiaoming, but it ended up in the hands of Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty.

At least, if it weren't for the ban imposed on Li Xuan by the Beijing entertainment circle, Zhang Jizhong would have been willing to give Li Xuan a chance to audition for the role of Yang Guo.

However, as things stand, the ban within the industry is still in effect, and his entanglements with Beijing Film Academy and Li Xuan continue. He cannot go against the general trend of his own 'circle'.

I just feel... what a pity.
Li Xuan smiled and shook his head, saying it was alright.

If given the chance to choose again, I would still make the same choice and not sign an unfair contract.

Signing a contract that is unfair or unfair will only ruin your life.

Zhang Jizhong was aware of Li Xuan's thoughts and remained noncommittal.

However, that's the nature of an actor's niche; they need to 'rely' on resources to grow.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's all keep going."

Zhang Jizhong patted Li Xuan on the shoulder.

Here, besides Zhang Jizhong, Li Xuan was also noticed.

Huang Xiaoming and Lin Zhiying also noticed it.

For Lin Zhiying, Li Xuan's existence is undoubtedly very complicated. Back when they filmed "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" together, Li Xuan demonstrated what it means to be a genius and monstrous talent in character creation. His portrayal of Murong Fu was so popular that it surpassed even Lin Zhiying's portrayal of Duan Yu.

As a Taiwanese person, you must know about the recent hit project "The Legend of Sword and Fairy", which has achieved remarkable success.

It's very complicated.
“Those small fry back then are all different now.”

"Oh"

Huang Xiaoming glanced at Li Xuan and teased, "Brother Lin, he's probably still a nobody to you right now. By the way, how did he even get into this coming-of-age ceremony?"

"Don't say that. In just a few years, his growth rate has been truly astonishing."

Lin Zhiying had to admit this as well.

Moreover, Li Xuan is pursuing a path of solid acting skills, rather than relying on youthful idol appeal.

Lin Zhiying felt that, at present, he was probably an idol. As idols get older, their value will decrease proportionally, unless they transform into actors who are skilled in acting.

Lin Zhiying is also mindful of potential risks even in times of peace. He has considered the possibility of transformation, but while transformation sounds simple, it is far from easy to actually implement.

Now, Lin Zhiying has given up – she has one huge advantage, which is her youthful, ageless face.

Standing here next to Huang Xiaoming, if I were dressed a bit more youthful, I might even be able to call him "Brother Huang Xiaoming" without it feeling out of place.

"Isn't your junior classmate Liu Yifei? It's normal for him to come to this coming-of-age ceremony, especially since he just collaborated with her on 'Chinese Paladin.' He has all sorts of identities now."

Lin Zhiying was not surprised by this.

However, in terms of status, he does seem like he 'sneaked in'.

This is the VIP area, a place of fame and fortune.

Even Lin Zhiying was just a supporting character and someone who warmed up the atmosphere here.

Li Xuan's position isn't even good enough to warm up the crowd.

"He's just a pathetic kid."

This was the first time Huang Xiaoming used the word 'pitiful' to describe Li Xuan.

Li Xuan's path to stardom is quite a topic of conversation in the industry. He was very "rebellious" and couldn't accept contracts from capital. His alma mater, the Beijing Film Academy, was also a boring idealist.

The law of the jungle prevails. If you have no background, it's perfectly reasonable for the weak to be exploited by those who control money and power.

These are the rules by which society operates.

No matter what, Wang Fengsheng, the president of Beijing Film Academy, does have some ideals, but what good are they? If you popularize the law, does that give students the right to choose?
Huang Xiaoming laughed at this.

Giving up dignity is a compulsory course in life – Huang Xiaoming agreed with this approach after the three musketeers of Beijing Film Academy were severely surpassed by the other two.

For this reason, he went so far as to recognize a Hong Konger as his godfather.
When Huang Xiaoming saw Mr. Xiang, he smiled and went to chat with him. Xiang Zuo knew that he was his father's godson, so he replied very perfunctorily, focusing more of his attention and interest on today's protagonist, Liu Yifei.

Huang Xiaoming didn't bother him any further. As long as Young Master Xiang knew of his existence, that was enough. Besides, he was still very concerned about his 'godfather'.

"If he continues to do things his own way, he'll suffer a great loss sooner or later."

Of course, he felt a little inferior when facing Zhao Yanzi and Chen Kun, but he still felt a sense of superiority when facing Li Xuan.

After thinking about it, I decided to go up and 'remind' my junior.

"Nice to meet you. I'm your senior, Huang Xiaoming. You should have heard of me before."

Li Xuan looked at Huang Xiaoming, who had a wicked smile that never left his face, and smiled back slightly—while wiping the oil from under his nose.

Actually, this wasn't our first meeting. Back when we were filming "The Emperor of Han Dynasty," I was playing a Xiongnu.

However, at that time, Huang Xiaoming wouldn't have paid any attention to his own little minions.

Although he still feels quite superior, he is still slightly inferior to the two swordsmen, Zhao Yanzi and Chen Kun, in terms of achievements.

Ultimately, they came from the most dazzling 96 star class, so they have a sense of superiority and strength.

"Hello, Senior."

"Well, I'm just sharing some things with you as someone who's been there," Huang Xiaoming said calmly. "In life, you'll make many choices. Never do anything you'll regret. Since you're lucky enough to have the chance to peek at the 'rooftop' view, think carefully about what you'll do after you've finished peeking."

Li Xuan was able to attend Liu Yifei's birthday party entirely because he was Liu Yifei's classmate.

Without her being her classmate, Li Xuan wouldn't be able to come to this place.

There's no way to peek at the view from the top floor.

This time you've come by luck, so take a good look around and see who's on the top floor—if you're lucky enough to strike up a conversation with one or two people, that would be an incredible stroke of luck.

Cherish the opportunity. It would be ridiculous to give up an opportunity when it's given to you.
His words seemed to convey more of 'pity' than anything else, as if he were condescendingly pointing out the way for his junior.

It's as if a peasant has ascended to heaven and is determined to seize the opportunity.

Well, as expected of the cult leader, even his preaching is so cheesy.

Li Xuan did it naturally.
I politely declined.
"Sigh, alright, that's settled then."

At this point, Master Huang remained silent.

Integrity is one of the cheapest and most useless things in the world.

Even if such a thing existed, what use would it be?
In the end, he was indeed someone who could only glimpse the top floor of the Heavenly Palace.

After this moment.

They will descend to the dusty human world.

So enjoy the moment while you can, because once this moment is over, you'll never see these people again.

At this time, many people gave gifts, some of which were expensive jewelry necklaces.

Lin Zhiying and Liu Yifei sang "The Rainy Season of My Seventeenth Year" together on stage.

Every move Liu Yifei made was like that of a well-bred young lady, a perfect heiress. The chairman of Sony, who was standing next to Liu Lili, praised her.

You are a perfect mother.

She raised such a perfect daughter.

She is a top-notch woman in terms of appearance, temperament, and upbringing.

Liu Lili responded to this with elegance and grace.

That's what she should do.

This is what she should do.

All that Liu Yifei has accomplished is perfectly natural.

At this coming-of-age ceremony and birthday banquet where important figures gather, she should do what she should do most.

"You don't need to be so harsh on her."

Chen Jingfei, who was standing next to her, smiled slightly and said, "She has done enough."

"Yes, I am proud of her, without a doubt. She is my pride."

Liu Lili smiled slightly.

At this moment, her eyes swept around and she noticed Li Xuan not far away.

This ordinary boy in the clouds.

Hopefully, after seeing everything here, this young man won't feel too much of a sense of loss or inferiority. Well, that seems unlikely.

Or, rationally speaking, it's impossible not to feel inferior.

Any ordinary boy from an ordinary background who is bound to feel inferior would be completely bewildered when faced with this 'heavenly palace'-like scene.

Even Liu Lili herself felt somewhat apprehensive—because all of this stemmed from her daughter's father's childhood friend, Chen Jingfei.
Even Liu Lili, who comes from a middle-class background and has received a good education, is not immune to nervousness in certain situations.

however.

Liu Lili looked at Li Xuan with neither fear nor pride in her eyes.

It was very calm, and there were no distracting thoughts.

Everyone's eyes were filled with ulterior motives, including her own. Her gaze wasn't fixed on her daughter, but on the president of Sony, and on the bigwigs brought by Wang Jingfei. Now was a good opportunity to get to know them, and Liu Lili certainly wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

This is inevitable.
For Liu Yifei, who was eighteen, this was a birthday party, but for Liu Lili, it was a social occasion, an occasion to socialize with high-ranking people.

Li Xuan is very pure.

When singing in the chorus or receiving gifts, Liu Yifei always greets everyone with an extremely polite smile, exuding the air of a well-bred lady.

The laughter was perfectly 'reasonable'.

Harmony and propriety.

Her standard smile and response were so perfect that even she couldn't find anything wrong with them.

Yes, there's nothing wrong with that, including my mother and godfather. My father doesn't seem to be here.

He said.

This occasion isn't suitable for him, so let my godfather and mom accompany me.

in fact.

Is this coming-of-age birthday party suitable for me?

Among all those gifts, the only one that stood out was Huang Xiaoming's, who sent a promotional photo of Xiaolongnu.

The stunningly beautiful Little Dragon Girl.

This photo immediately caught her eye.

Although filming for The Return of the Condor Heroes hasn't officially started yet, the character stills have already been released. They've been taken down and framed by Huang Xiaoming.

This photo is dedicated to my beloved aunt.

The most beautiful princess here.

The most dazzling starlight here.

The most beautiful morning star in the night sky.

No one can compare to your existence.

My little princess.

At this moment, Huang Xiaoming smiled slightly.

A slightly wicked smile played at the corners of his mouth.

His tone of voice also carried a peculiar bubbly quality.

The ending included the sound of bubbles bursting.

Wow.

Liu Yifei suddenly felt like she had just eaten a barbecue.

It's oozing oil from head to toe.

However, his smile was a bit more genuine.

If Brother Li were here.

He would definitely say that this guy is quite funny.

A quirky and fun guy.

Brother Li.

Did he come today?

Now, perhaps it's a matter of perspective and being obscured.

She didn't see the boy.

I'm a little disappointed.

But while feeling disappointed, I also felt fortunate about some aspects.

My mother never said that.

This is the coming-of-age ceremony.

It's an arena for adults' utilitarianism.

That's right, how could it be just a simple coming-of-age ceremony?

It's not a cake.

A group of friends' coming-of-age ceremony.

That's not the case.

then.

She then saw Li Xuan come up.

As expected, Brother Li did come.

When they saw Li Xuan's figure.

I felt a mix of joy and guilt.

Bring him to this kind of occasion.

Will he misunderstand?

The girl's hormones were at work.

She was also a little curious.

What gift did Li Xuan give himself for his birthday this year?

"I think this gift is the best."

Huang Xiaoming gave a wicked smile.

The significance of a gift lies not in its monetary value.

For the young lady...

The value of money is easy to measure.

If it doesn't reach a certain value, it doesn't mean much to her.

On the contrary, things that resonate with her are more meaningful.

Little Dragon Girl, The Return of the Condor Heroes.

This is the most beautiful Little Dragon Girl.

That's the greatest recognition for her.

This kind of girl gets incredibly touched when she receives recognition.

I understand everything I understand.

It's easy to grasp.

As for Li Xuan himself...

He's just a classmate.

It wasn't until Li Xuan gave her a piece of candy that things changed.

This made Huang Xiaoming, who was standing next to him, burst out laughing.

Good guy, really good guy.

We can treat her like a little girl.

You're really something, treating her like a little girl.

You think you can be tricked with just a piece of candy? That's ridiculous.

Only Liu Yifei stared blankly at the candy.

I recall the first time we met.

Here's some candy for you.

Don't tell your mother.

I secretly ate some candy.

Memories are carried on the wind.

My thoughts drifted back to the past.

Liu Yifei smiled.

Smile a lot.

This is what celebrating a birthday should be like.

Only then did he have a smile on his birthday.

Me.

I've turned 18 today.

A candy.

That's what makes her smile like that.

Those expensive pieces of jewelry from before.

None of those things brought a genuine smile to her face.

At this moment, the smile he showed was a perfect smile.

This smile even made Liu Lili feel a little dazed. At this grand birthday banquet, her favorite thing was probably this piece of colored candy.

"Who is this guy?"

This question was on everyone's mind. Someone asked it, and Huang Xiaoming quickly responded.

This is our little princess's classmate.

That Li Xuan.

The name Li Xuan doesn't seem too unfamiliar to most people, especially those in the entertainment industry.

A rising star at Beijing Film Academy, now a target of Beijing's elite entertainment circles.

"Who is he?" Wang Jingfei asked Liu Lili, who was standing next to him, with some curiosity. "You should know him, right?"

Given Liu Lili's attentiveness to her daughter, it's impossible that she didn't know who the young man in front of her was.

After a moment of silence, Liu Lili spoke.

"Her classmate, an ordinary person."

An ordinary person with talent and insight, but no background.

Ordinary people, a somewhat cruel term.

He is not an ordinary person.

Wang Jingfei glanced at Li Xuan's retreating figure, narrowed his eyes, and said, "He's not."

An interesting child.

His gaze never left Liu Yifei—in the beginning, he came specifically for the birthday banquet.

Doesn't he understand things beyond his birthday?

impossible.

He just doesn't care.

Amidst a room full of powerful and influential people, he only cared about the girl who accepted the cheap, artificially colored candy and then smiled brightly.

It's not that he doesn't care.

It's not that I don't care.

I just don't feel it.

The people here are just so high and mighty.

"Speaking of which, it seems he really did come to the birthday party." Lin Zhiying, who was standing next to Huang Xiaoming, said.

In fact, Lin Zhiying also wanted to use this birthday party to expand her network of contacts.

It's basically okay.

But Li Xuan was acting strangely—he seemed genuinely there to attend Liu Yifei's birthday party, to give her a gift, and to get a piece of cake.

That feeling made Huang Xiaoming a little angry; you clearly managed to sneak into this birthday party.
But you seemed completely unconcerned about anything.

What's that compared to what you've done?

You're just a peasant.

You're just an ordinary person with no background or anything else. What makes you think you can be like me, groveling and fawning over them?

Are you pretending to be high and mighty?
I'm more famous than you, have a better background, and everything about me is better than yours.

Where does your arrogance come from?
"Just a college senior who's unemployed right after graduation."

Huang Xiaoming, standing nearby, casually remarked, "It just looks cool now."

You're the only one trying to look cool!

Lin Zhiying looked at Huang Xiaoming—well, it didn't seem like he was faking it, he really was that 'cool'.

It has that cool, oily vibe.
"Now that we've given the gifts and eaten the cake, let's go."

At this moment, Li Xuan smiled and said to Xiang Zuo.

He suddenly stood up to the left—damn it, I've had enough of this place. This isn't a pretty girl's birthday party or coming-of-age ceremony; it's just a social gathering that parents use as an excuse.

It's so boring.

Leaving the stage is not a particularly strange thing.

But what Xiang Zuo said as he left the stage was quite unsettling.

Li Xuan, the top scorer at the Beijing Film Academy, is a student at the academy. He offended the capital circle in Beijing and was suppressed, unable to participate in its resources. At the same time, veteran actors in the industry also tried to use their resources to undermine him—although the attempt failed and may even have backfired, resulting in him shooting himself in the foot.
Of all his labels, one stands out the most—he has no background and no one to back him up. Right now, only the Beijing Film Academy is supporting him, but that won't work after his senior year.

Unless he can generate more value than harm during his senior year of college, Li Xuan will likely miss out on Beijing's elite resources.

The Beijing film and television circle can be said to constitute half of the industry. If the Beijing film and television circle doesn't cooperate with you, what's the difference between that and being effectively blacklisted?
You could say he's someone who's 'currently doing well' but has a 'bleak future'.

Even Zhang Jizhong thought that Li Xuan would back down. With Li Xuan's talent and ability, he could still sing and dance even if he backed down—but in the end, he's already a junior in college and still a lone wolf.

If there were even the slightest intention to back down, it wouldn't be that there's absolutely no intention to back down at all.
Such a person.

Such a person
How did he come to know Xiang Zuo?
Huang Xiaoming was somewhat taken aback; when he tried to strike up a conversation, the kid was unresponsive.

What Xiang Zuo said almost made Huang Xiaoming spit out his wine.

"Uncle, shall we go play basketball later?"

"Don't call me uncle when we're out."

"got used to"

(End of this chapter)