The world of film and television begins with university lecturers

Han Tao's words were neither gentle comfort nor deliberate indulgence; he simply and directly dissected the hard shell of Jiang Lai's stubbornness.

His words could be described as overly blunt and even somewhat cruel, but every word was true, hitting the very truth that Jiang Lai had been deliberately avoiding.

In recent days, she has been immersed in the grief of losing her lover, overwhelmed by anger and resentment, and subconsciously blames all the mistakes on her brother Jiang Haokun.

She subconsciously imagined her boyfriend as a pitiful person who had suffered all kinds of grievances, but she never really calmed down and thought about what the truth of the matter was.

Or perhaps she was just deceiving herself; she had never truly loved that person, and all her affection was a form of rebellion.

She didn't want to be controlled by her brother, so the more he disagreed, the more Jiang Lai insisted on being with Chen Fang, even intentionally or unintentionally ignoring his scheming and weakness.

Now that Han Tao has said it so bluntly, she is starting to waver.

After all, if Chen Fang were strong enough and loved himself deeply enough, how could he give up so easily?

How could she choose to end everything in the most decisive way, without even seeing herself one last time?

Jiang Lai picked up her wine glass and took a big gulp of red wine, tears streaming down her face.

But this time it wasn't all sadness; it was mixed with confusion, struggle, and a sense of sudden enlightenment.

"Am I stupid... that I never thought of this before..."

She murmured, her voice hoarse, "All I know is to blame my brother, to hate him for breaking us up..."

Seeing that she was on the verge of collapse, Han Tao softened his tone and his expression gradually became calmer.

Love itself is not wrong, but blind love, love without reason and judgment, will only become a shackle.

Life is long, and you will meet many people and experience many things. Losing a loved one is certainly painful, but pain should not be a reason for self-destruction.

Besides, you're young and come from a good family; you have every right to start over. Regardless of who's right or wrong, the deceased are gone, and the living must move on.

Although your brother has a strong personality and acts domineeringly, he is, after all, one of the people in this world who genuinely cares about you.

Remember, blood ties cannot be severed. Don't get stuck on trivial matters again, and don't do anything foolish like what happened today.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lai fell completely silent, staring down at the swirling liquid in her glass, remaining silent for a long time.

The madness, obsession, and despair gradually dissipated like mist under the merciless analysis of the man before her.

She had to admit that although Han Tao's words were unpleasant to hear, he saw things more clearly than anyone else.

Only he dared to tear away her self-deceiving facade and lay bare the most realistic and cruel truths before her.

The others around her either went along with their own emotions to comfort her and join in criticizing Jiang Haokun, or they were afraid of her identity and dared not speak out.

Jiang Lai's curiosity and vague affection for Han Tao deepened even further.

  

This man was knowledgeable, confident, and principled; his conversation and insights far surpassed those of the spoiled brats or sycophants she had previously known.

Han Tao knew that some things should be left unsaid, and that even PUA techniques need to be balanced, so he stopped talking and quietly ate the food on his plate.

As expected of a private kitchen restaurant, it has unique features in both ingredient selection and cooking techniques, which is very different from the restaurants I usually eat at.

After a long silence, Jiang Lai slowly raised her head, the tears at the corners of her eyes long since wiped away. When she looked at Han Tao, a faint, tipsy smile appeared on her lips.

The sharpness and sadness from before had faded away, replaced by a languid and alluring charm.

"You really don't know how to cherish a woman." Her voice was soft and slightly tinged with alcohol. "Everyone else tries to coax me in various ways, but you dare to scold me so bluntly."

Han Tao smiled faintly, his gaze calm. "Good medicine tastes bitter but is good for the disease, and honest advice is unpleasant to the ear but beneficial to conduct. You've heard too many nice things before; you should hear something more cutting."

"You..." Jiang Lai was speechless for a moment, then took a deep breath and put down her wine glass. "Okay, I admit you're right."

At this point, her tone suddenly changed, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes, before she reverted to her usual spoiled and carefree demeanor:

"But you're still paying for dinner tonight, don't even think about skipping it. And you can't leave until you've had your fill of drinks with me!"

"No problem, it's just a meal, I can afford it!" Han Tao shook his head helplessly, not dwelling on the matter.

He could see that Jiang Lai's inner conflict had been temporarily resolved and her emotions had calmed down, and that was enough.

As for how things will develop in the future, he doesn't force it; he'll just let things take their course.

"Let's eat first." He didn't respond to her ambiguous words in the end, but instead gently instructed, "Eat your fill and go back to rest early."

Life is not perfect; let bygones be bygones, and tomorrow will be a new day.

Jiang Lai didn't respond, but nodded slightly, picked up her utensils and ate in small bites, her gaze occasionally drifting to Han Tao, who was calm and composed across from her.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered everything that happened last night, and the somewhat ridiculous three thousand yuan this morning, and her face immediately flushed.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke in a low voice, her tone tinged with embarrassment and awkwardness:

"Thank you for today. Also, I'm sorry you had to see me like that earlier."

"It's only human nature; everyone has moments when they can't hold on anymore." Han Tao's expression was calm, and his voice was steady. "It's good that you can think about it; there's nothing laughable about it."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lai took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and finally brought up the matter that had caused her immense embarrassment:

"And the money I left behind this morning... don't overthink it."

I just mentioned it casually in the car, and what I said afterwards was just a joke; I really didn't mean anything by it.

Before she could finish speaking, her cheeks were already flushed. Last night, she had been drunk and reckless, and now, in her sober state, she was only filled with panic, unsure how to face this unexpected encounter.

In Jiang Lai's view, using money to draw a clear line is the most straightforward and least complicated way.

But now that they've met again, and he's saved me again, I have a vague feeling that... my actions might have hurt him.

"I know," Han Tao chuckled softly, his laughter gentle and devoid of any sarcasm.

"You don't need to worry about anything, I didn't take it to heart. I didn't take the money either, I left it with the deposit at the hotel front desk."

In his view, last night's encounter was a mutual one, not a transaction.

Jiang Lai was slightly taken aback by his answer, clearly not expecting him to react this way.

I thought the other person would feel slighted, which is why I made those teasing remarks in the car.

But she never expected that when she brought up the matter again, Han Tao's attitude completely changed.

The frankness and nonchalance in his words only deepened her feelings of guilt and embarrassment.