Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 322 Bipolar Disorder
The car smoothly merged into the main traffic flow, the interior of which was isolated from the city's hustle and bustle, leaving only a suffocating silence.

Cheng Xiao pressed herself tightly against the cold car door, her body stiff as a stone, her hands gripping the small bag on her lap.

The pink cheongsam, though still outlining stunning curves in the dim light, now resembled a humiliating prison uniform, suffocating her.

She lowered her head, her gaze fixed on the tips of her exquisite high heels, as if they were her only support. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, making her eardrums buzz.

The neon lights outside the window flashed by, casting flickering shadows on her face.

She didn't know where the car was going, or what the silent man beside her would do next.

The impending unknown and the shame of being offered as a gift almost overwhelmed her.

Time crawls by silently.

Cheng Xiao could clearly hear his own heavy, suppressed breathing, as well as Jiang Qing's almost inaudible, steady breathing.

Just as she was about to be driven mad by the deathly silence, she heard a slight rustling sound beside her.

She shuddered, instinctively tensing up and lowering her head even further.

An unopened bottle of purified water was quietly handed to her.

Cheng Xiao slowly raised his head and met Jiang Qing's gentle gaze.

He didn't look at the exposed area of ​​her chest, nor at her embarrassment; his deep eyes held only a calmness tinged with inquiry.

"Drink of water?"

Jiang Qing's voice was not loud, but like a stone thrown into a stagnant pool, it broke the deadlock.

Cheng Xiao froze, staring blankly at the bottle of water, then at Jiang Qing.

The expected flirtatious or scrutinizing behavior did not occur, and this unexpected action caused a slight crack in her taut nerves.

She hesitated for a moment, then took the bottle of water with slightly trembling fingers.

The cool bottle touched her burning palm, bringing a strange sense of calm.

"Thank you... Mr. Jiang."

Her voice was dry.

With difficulty, I unscrewed the bottle cap and took small sips of water.

The cool liquid slid down my burning throat, slightly relieving the burning sensation in my heart.

She didn't dare look at him, but stared at her own hand holding the water bottle.

Jiang Qing watched her sip water, like a startled little animal tentatively licking the water droplets.

After she put down the water bottle and twisted her hands together again, he spoke again, his tone still casual and relaxed, as if asking about today's weather.

"If you hadn't come today, how would Du Hua have treated you?"

This question was too direct and too blunt, like a scalpel precisely cutting open the embarrassment that Cheng Xiao was trying so hard to hide.

She suddenly looked up at Jiang Qing, her eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment.

Jiang met her gaze, his eyes open and honest, devoid of inquiry or pity, only displaying a calm anticipation of an answer.

This calm reassured Cheng Xiao.

She found that, faced with such direct questions and such unwavering gazes, her complex emotions found an outlet.

She took a deep breath, her fingers unconsciously picking at the label on the water bottle, her voice slowly rising with a resigned weariness.

"Probably... resources will drop significantly."

She tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a self-deprecating smile that was even uglier than crying.

"Fewer variety shows, worse scripts, or... no work at all. In more serious cases, I might be blacklisted until my contract expires, or... forced to play even less..."

She paused, not saying the word, but her eyes dimmed.

"Mr. Jiang, you may find it hard to understand, but for most of our artists at Yuehua Entertainment, even after they debut, they don't actually earn much money, or rather, it's just the beginning of their journey to pay off debts."

She looked up, her gaze somewhat blank as she looked out the window at the rapidly receding lights.

"The company invested a lot in us during our trainee period. After our debut, a large portion of the money we earned had to be used to pay back the company's training fees. The amount that actually ended up in our own hands was very small. In the entire Yuehua Entertainment group, there are actually very few people who can support the company's revenue. Most of them have to take a gamble."

When Cheng Xiao spoke of this name, there was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"So, in order to protect him, President Du... she is willing to sacrifice anyone or anything."

She spoke those last few words softly, yet they carried a heavy weight.

Jiang Qing listened quietly, tapping her knee lightly with her finger as if in thought.

“You’ve been in the industry for quite a few years now. Logically speaking, your popularity and income shouldn’t be completely controlled by Du Hua, allowing her to…force you like this.”

He carefully considered his words, then his gaze returned to Cheng Xiao, filled with pure confusion rather than accusation.

This question, like a key, completely unlocked the box deep within Cheng Xiao's heart that had been accumulating too much pressure.

Perhaps it was Jiang Qing's gentle attitude that gave her courage, or perhaps it was tonight's experience that made it impossible for her to pretend to be strong anymore.

Facing this man who had just upheld a certain dignity in front of Du Hua, she suddenly felt a desire to confide in him.

"No wonder you think that way, President Jiang."

Cheng Xiao's voice trembled slightly as she lowered her head, her voice soft and low.

“In fact, I went to South Korea to become a trainee when I was fourteen. At that time, every day I would wake up and practice dancing, singing, and learning languages. I didn’t learn anything else. At first, I thought that as long as I could dance and sing well, that would be enough.”

She gave a bitter smile, tinged with a deep sense of powerlessness.

"But what about after returning to China? There are no music shows for me to perform on. For us so-called idols, the only way out is to act."

As she spoke, she looked up, her face filled with confusion and frustration.

"But I can't act at all! I've never studied acting, I struggle to even read a script, let alone understand a character. If I act badly, the audience criticizes me, and the internet is full of mockery, saying my lines are bad, my acting is disastrous... My popularity looks high, but it's all fake, and my audience appeal is getting worse and worse."

She paused, then lowered her voice.

"Without acting roles, I can only rely on variety shows. Variety shows bring in money quickly, but... they're also very expensive. And if you do too many, people will think you're more of a variety show personality and less of an actor. My income is definitely much lower now than when I first returned to China."

The girl took a deep breath, as if to encourage herself.

“I know that even if we earn less now, we are still much better off than many ordinary people. But Mr. Jiang, our profession is not as glamorous as it seems on the surface.”

Cheng Xiao's eyes became somewhat urgent. She needed Jiang Qing to understand her situation, not to play the victim, but to state a cruel fact.

"We need to spend money on our image: clothes, styling, makeup—we can't always wear the same thing, we can't let brands think we're cheap. We need to support a team: assistants, makeup artists, agents—these are the people who make a living off us. And..."

Her voice choked for a moment, and after hesitating for a moment, she finally mustered the courage to look into Jiang Qing's eyes.

“And family. My parents… divorced when I was very young. My mother, my sister, and I, the three of us depended on each other for survival. My… my mother…”

She pursed her lips tightly, her eyes reddening slightly, but she still tried her best to control her emotions.

"She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer... She needs treatment, she needs money. But me... My own career is going downhill..."

As she spoke, her voice became noticeably choked with emotion, but she forced herself not to let the tears fall.

"So, Mr. Jiang, I dare not... I really dare not disobey Mr. Du. I'm afraid... afraid I'll lose even this little job, afraid I won't be able to pay for my mother's medical bills, afraid I won't be able to support my younger sister..."

After saying all these deeply buried words in one breath, Cheng Xiao seemed to have exhausted all his strength.

She dared not look at Jiang Qing again, hurriedly lowered her head, her fingers tightly gripping the water bottle, her voice thick with nasal tone.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang... I didn't mean to say these things to... to gain your sympathy. I just... I just..."

She hesitated for a long time, unable to find the right words, and finally just lowered her head even further, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Silence fell again in the carriage, but this time it was not a suffocating stillness, but rather a heavy and complex atmosphere.

Jiang Qing's gaze fell on Cheng Xiao's lowered head. Beneath her thick, long hair, a small section of her fair nape appeared particularly delicate. While Cheng Xiao was speaking, he had subtly instructed Thirteen to investigate.

At that moment, the information that Thirteen had instantly retrieved and organized silently scrolled across his phone screen.

Cheng Xiao's mother's recent hospitalization records and diagnosis certificate at a cancer hospital, as well as... a highly encrypted electronic medical record summary belonging to Cheng Xiao himself, which clearly indicates the diagnosis: bipolar disorder.

His gaze lingered on that line of text for two seconds, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly, before the screen went dark.

"Miss Cheng Xiao."

Jiang Qing's voice broke the silence, gentler than before.

Cheng Xiao trembled, timidly raised her head, her eyes still glistening with tears.

Jiang Qing looked directly into her eyes, without the pity or contempt she feared to see, only a deep seriousness.

"What I asked Du Hua just now wasn't just a polite remark."

He spoke slowly.

"Wang Yibo's matter is truly over for me. I don't have any particular ill feelings towards him, nor do I intend to deliberately make things difficult for him. As long as his fans stop trying to smear me or the people around me, I don't have time to pay attention to him."

He looked into Cheng Xiao's eyes, conveying his attitude.

"As for why Du Hua sent you here..."

Jiang Qing paused, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"It's just to put my mind at ease, or maybe I have some other motives."

His gaze swept over Cheng Xiao's extremely inappropriate cheongsam without lingering, but Cheng Xiao's face instantly burned again.

"Now that you've gotten into the car in front of her, the mission is complete."

Jiang Qing's tone was very confident.

"Tell me your home address, and I'll take you home directly."

Cheng Xiao was completely stunned, her mind went blank.

She stared blankly at Jiang Qing, his eyes filled with nothing but open clarity, devoid of any ambiguity or hints she had anticipated.

"Go...home?"

She repeated it subconsciously, her voice filled with a deep sense of bewilderment.

"Well, go home."

Jiang Qing nodded firmly, a reassuring smile playing on her lips.

"It's late, you probably have work tomorrow. Get some rest."

The sudden turn of events left Cheng Xiao momentarily speechless.

There was nothing as unpleasant as I had imagined, no forced transaction, just... taking her home?

Looking at Jiang Qing's gentle face, a sense of relief at surviving a disaster mixed with an unbelievable sense of disbelief washed over her.

"well!"

She finally found her voice and quickly announced the name of her neighborhood.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang! Thank you so much!"

For the rest of the journey, Cheng Xiao remained seated quietly, but her tense body visibly relaxed.

She no longer pressed herself tightly against the car door; although she still didn't dare to get too close, her posture was much more natural.

She would occasionally steal a glance at Jiang Qing, who was resting with his eyes closed beside her. His handsome and composed profile looked especially reliable in the light and shadow flowing outside the window.

The secret fondness that had sprouted in my heart because of the Tencent Pictures press conference was now growing wildly, like a seedling being watered by spring rain.

He is not only highly capable and of high status, but also possesses a demeanor and character that are difficult for ordinary people to match!
In this situation, he not only did not take advantage of her vulnerability, but also gave her the utmost dignity and respect.

But... thinking about Meng Ziyi, whom I just mentioned, thinking about the speculations online about his relationship with Meng Ziyi, thinking about how he didn't hesitate to use drastic measures for Meng Ziyi, and even Zhou Ye and Chen Duling...

The light that had just risen in Cheng Xiao's eyes dimmed again, and a trace of inferiority crept into his heart.

That kind of protection, that kind of affection...

She lowered her head somewhat dejectedly, her fingers unconsciously twirling the strap of her bag. In the quiet carriage, her girlish thoughts fermented silently, filled with sweet gratitude and a sense of aimless wandering.

Forty minutes later, the car came to a smooth stop at the entrance of a residential community.

"President Jiang, we've arrived."

Zhou Zhengkai's voice came from the front seat.

"Ah."

Jiang Qing responded and opened her eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang! Thank you for bringing me back!"

Cheng Xiao quickly thanked him, her voice filled with sincere gratitude.

She grabbed her small bag, her movements a little clumsy in her haste.

"You are welcome."

Jiang Qing smiled and nodded.

"Go back and have a good rest."

"Okay! Goodbye, Mr. Jiang!"

Cheng Xiao pushed open the car door, and the cool night breeze brushed against her face, clearing her chaotic thoughts somewhat.

She stood by the car, bowed deeply to Jiang Qing inside, and then turned and walked briskly toward the gate of the residential area.

She didn't dare turn around until she entered the residential area and the motion-sensor lights came on.

The black sedan remained quietly parked in place, as if confirming that she had entered safely.

Looking at the car, Cheng Xiao belatedly felt a surge of immense joy.

Things haven't gotten to that point yet!
And she returned with dignity and respect!
She couldn't help but jump up and down a little, a genuine, slightly silly smile appearing on her face for the first time that evening.

But the smile quickly faded. Thinking of Jiang Qing and that unreachable distance, she sighed softly, her voice filled with the bewilderment typical of a young girl, and turned to walk into the apartment building.

Inside the car, watching Cheng Xiao's figure disappear into the stairwell, Jiang Qingcai spoke softly.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

The car restarted and merged back into traffic.

In the back seat, Jiang Qing took out his phone again. The screen lit up, and the dim blue light reflected on his calm face.

On the screen, the encrypted medical record summary sent by Thirteen was clearly displayed:

Patient Name: Cheng Xiao
Diagnosis: Bipolar Disorder
Current status: Stable phase (receiving medication)
Note: Recent mood fluctuation monitoring data indicates a mild tendency towards depression, and attention should be paid to stressors.

Jiang Qing's gaze lingered for a moment on the line "Mild depressive tendencies, need to pay attention to stressors".

Thinking of the girl's desperate attempt to hold back tears, the dim look in her eyes as she self-deprecatingly described her "bad lines" and "disastrous acting," and the cautiousness and helplessness she showed when mentioning her mother's illness, unable to defy Du Hua...

He sighed softly, his fingertip swiping across the screen, and the medical record summary disappeared.

Turning to look out the window at the dazzling night view of Beijing, Jiang Qing's eyes were deep and unfathomable.

How many untold struggles lie beneath the surface of this seemingly glamorous and star-studded circle?
Therefore, he needs to protect Ono and the others even better.

(End of this chapter)