I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

"Sister Li, I have something to tell you, but you can't get angry!" Cheng Sheng said.

"Tell me what it is first, and I'll listen and then decide," Zeng Li said.

"Here's what happened. Zhang Jing and I were talking in a coffee shop when we were unexpectedly followed by reporters who even took a picture of her grabbing my hand..."

Before Cheng Sheng could finish explaining, Zeng Li interrupted, "Wait a minute, you and Zhang Jing were talking about something in a coffee shop? Then why did she grab your hand?"

Cheng Sheng smiled wryly and said, "She was too excited and instinctively grabbed my hand."

"Cheng Sheng, do you think I can believe this?" Zeng Li said angrily.

"It's really a coincidence. The other party really didn't do it on purpose," Cheng Sheng said helplessly.

“Cheng Sheng, I’ve noticed that you’ve had quite a few scandals while I was away. Chen Hong, Li Xiaoran, Zhao Yazhi, and now Zhang Jingchu, you really have a lot of luck with women.”

Cheng Sheng was speechless when he heard Zeng Li's mocking voice.

Chen Hong and Li Xiaoran are out of the question, since he does have a real relationship with them.

But he is truly innocent of Zhao Yazhi and Zhang Jingchu.

"Sister Li, you have to believe me, I really have nothing to do with them."

Zeng Li felt helpless; she knew how many female celebrities in the industry were eyeing her boyfriend.

Cheng Sheng is a top director in China. Which female artist in the industry wouldn't want to work with him, win the Venice Film Festival Best Actress award, or walk the red carpet in Europe and America?

In fact, there is a consensus in the entertainment industry that the best way for a female celebrity to rise to the top is to sleep with a director, and her career will immediately take a leap forward.

Zeng Li knew this too, but she couldn't stop those female celebrities from getting close to Cheng Sheng, because her boyfriend was just too outstanding.

Sometimes Zeng Li would hint that Cheng Sheng should be made more mediocre, so that no one would compete with her for him.

But then I thought, if Cheng Sheng is too mediocre, would I still like him?
After all, she liked Cheng Sheng because of his talent.

Moreover, Zeng Li also found it hard to bear the thought of Cheng Sheng's insatiable demands in certain areas.

She had long wanted to find someone to share the burden, because if this continued, she probably wouldn't need to leave the house and could just stay home to recover every day.

Forget it.

As long as Cheng Sheng doesn't bring those women home, she'll just pretend she doesn't see them.

“Alright, no need to explain, I believe you,” Zeng Li said.

"Sister Li, do you really believe me?"

Cheng Sheng was astonished, not expecting to believe it so easily. He was still thinking about how to explain it!
"What can you do if I don't believe you? But you'd better not let me catch you in the act, or I'll cut you up," Zeng Li threatened viciously.

"Don't worry, Sister Li, I would never do anything to hurt you," Cheng Sheng said.

"I'll believe you for now."

Hearing Cheng Sheng's assurance, Zeng Li felt a surge of joy.

"Sister Li, when are you coming back? I miss you."

“I miss you too. I’ve already talked to the director and asked him to focus my scenes on filming. I’ll go back after my scenes are finished,” Zeng Li said.

"Okay, then I'll wait for you to come back..."

Cheng Sheng then chatted with Zeng Li for another ten minutes or so. He only ended the call when he heard someone on the other end calling out to Zeng Li to film a movie.

Not long after Cheng Sheng put his phone down, it started vibrating incessantly.

Cheng Sheng picked up his phone and saw that it was full of messages from friends, all asking about his relationship with Zhang Jing. He immediately realized that some reporter must have uploaded photos of him and Zhang Jing online.

[You're just friends with her; don't believe any rumors online.]

Cheng Sheng replied to everyone with this sentence and then ignored them.

Back at his desk, he turned on his computer, wanting to see what rumors were circulating online about him and Zhang Jing.

Cheng Sheng first glanced at the trending topics.

The top trending topic is still the incident involving Andy Lau's fans chasing after him; this news has been at the top of the trending list for several days.

Cheng Sheng glanced at it and then looked down.

The second most searched topic was Zhang Baizhi giving birth, making her one of the most talked-about "golden pig babies" right now.

Cheng Sheng was really surprised that this trending topic could reach second place. After all, Zhang Baizhi gave birth in January, and now almost three months have passed. The fact that she can still trend shows that Chef Xie and Zhang Baizhi's relationship is attracting a lot of attention.

The third trending topic was Chen Xiaoxu's hospitalization for illness.

Upon seeing this trending topic, Cheng Sheng couldn't help but think of the character 'Lin Daiyu'. As the actress who played the classic 'Lin Daiyu', Chen Xiaoxu is very well-known throughout the country.

No wonder her hospitalization due to illness was pushed to third place on the trending search list.

According to another piece of information I recall, Chen Xiaoxu will pass away in May.

Cheng Sheng felt a pang of emotion; life is indeed fragile.

Cheng Sheng also felt sorry for Chen Xiaoxu's passing.

Back when "Dream of the Red Chamber" aired, it caused a sensation, with everyone flocking to see it. In particular, Chen Xiaoxu's portrayal of Lin Daiyu became an eternal classic.

No matter who plays Lin Daiyu in "Dream of the Red Chamber" in the future, none of them will be able to surpass Chen Xiaoxu.

In the original novel, Lin Daiyu is a sickly character, especially when she cries, her face is covered in tears, and the audience can't help but feel sorry for her.

It is precisely because of Chen Xiaoxu's highly accurate portrayal of Lin Daiyu that no one has praised him as Lin Daiyu since.

Since the TV series aired in 1987, "Dream of the Red Chamber" has been remade many times over the past forty years, but Chen Xiaoxu has always been the first image of "Lin Daiyu" in the minds of the audience.

The character she portrayed was described as "Lin Daiyu who stepped out of the book," and her aloof and melancholic temperament was highly consistent with the original work, making her a shared "white moonlight" for several generations.

The role of Lin Daiyu made Chen Xiaoxu an overnight sensation, but it also became an insurmountable label in her acting career.

After that, no matter what role she tried, the audience still saw the shadow of "Lin Daiyu", which limited her diversified development as an actress.

After his acting career was thwarted, Chen Xiaoxu resolutely changed his career path.

She leveraged the fame of "Lin Daiyu" to enter the advertising industry, successfully founded a company, and became an outstanding businesswoman, achieving a leap from a classic on screen to a business elite.

Her life is thus clearly divided into three stages: her youth when she became famous as Lin Daiyu, her middle age when she achieved success in the business world, and her later years when she devoted herself to Buddhism.

But in the same year she became a nun, Chen Xiaoxu was diagnosed with breast cancer.

The doctor urged her to have surgery, but she chose to give up treatment and pursue inner peace.

On May 13, 2007, her condition deteriorated too quickly, and she passed away at the age of 41.

The beloved "Lin Daiyu" of a generation has passed away so suddenly and unexpectedly.

Cheng Sheng thought to himself whether he should go see Chen Xiaoxu and see her one last time.

But then he thought better of it. After all, he didn't know Chen Xiaoxu, and suddenly going to the hospital to see him would probably attract criticism. (End of Chapter)