We agreed it was just a hug, why did you actually do it?

Upon hearing Xue Bing's name, Su Weile frowned deeply.

After a while, she reluctantly said, "Okay, I got it."

Didn't you want to take a photo with Jin Fei? I can do that for you in a bit.

Before Su Weile could ask for details, there was a knock on the door.

With Tang Shaowu's invitation to enter, besides Xue Bing, another person who surprised Su Weile greatly entered was Jin Fei.

This was the first time Su Weile had seen such a big star up close. She forgot about being angry with Xue Bing and just kept staring intently at Jin Fei's face.

He's not as fair-skinned as he appears on TV, and his skin isn't as good as it looks on TV. He's considered handsome among ordinary people, but definitely not as stunning as he appears on TV.

She's really skinny, like a paper doll.

As Su Weile watched, she silently evaluated him in her mind. Finally, she concluded, "Grandma, he's not as handsome as your grandson!"

As soon as Jin Fei entered the room, he greeted Tang Shao very respectfully in a pleasant voice.

He then quickly glanced around the room to see if anyone else was there. When he saw Su Weile sitting at the table, his gaze paused noticeably for a moment before he nodded quickly, a knowing look in his eyes.

Xue Bing's gaze was much more direct; he stared at Su Weile for a while. Su Weile noticed and immediately glared back, her eyes full of provocation.

Tang Shaowu finally closed his laptop and looked up at Jin Fei. A faint smile appeared on his face. A very direct opening.

"Chairman Hu just finished a phone call with me."

In short, Jin Fei's face turned deathly pale.

Tang Shaowu smiled faintly, "You're a veteran in the entertainment industry, you know the ins and outs of it very well."

With his fingers lightly tapping the table, Tang Shaowu continued, "Who the audience likes and who they want to see, frankly speaking, is who the capital behind them wants them to like and who they want to see. And what you need to do is play your roles well—the roles we've tailored for you. But don't forget your true self while you're acting."

Jin Fei clenched his fist tightly and said in an unusually low voice, "Young Master Tang, please give me another chance."

Tang Shaowu's smile didn't reach his eyes as he gently stroked his forehead. "There's one thing you need to understand. I'm not targeting you; you haven't offended me. Back then, among so many trainees, you stood out. You should know whose power was behind you. As the saying goes, 'Success and failure both stem from the same source.' It's quite a cycle, like a reincarnation."

Jin Fei's voice trembled as he pleaded, "Young Master Tang, please help me."

A soft laugh drifted out. "Help you? Why? As far as the company is concerned, even if you, Jin Fei, are gone, there are plenty of other people we can promote."

Personally, I have no reason to offend Chairman Hu for your sake. My cooperation with her is quite pleasant.

For you personally, being able to truly be with the one you love, no longer having to sneak around, is a great outcome, in my opinion. No one can stay famous forever; even the best shows eventually come to an end. The years of hard work you've built are enough to ensure you'll be financially secure for the rest of your life.

At this moment, Jin Fei's voice and even his body were trembling slightly. He didn't speak, nor did he leave.

The room was eerily quiet, with no one speaking. Time seemed to stand still. Su Weile felt like she didn't dare to breathe.

The silence was broken by Jin Fei's broken voice: "Young Master Tang, it was my fault. I shouldn't have forgotten my roots just because I've gained some fame. I shouldn't have disregarded the company's interests and clashed with the investors. And... I shouldn't have... and I shouldn't have registered a new audio-visual company with others without terminating my contract with the company."

After Jin Fei finished speaking, there was another deathly silence. The silence was chilling.

Tang Shaowu kept staring at the man with his head down, the smile on his lips making it impossible to guess his true thoughts. His next words sent Jin Fei's heart sinking to the bottom: "Two choices. One, you go and appease Chairman Hu's anger yourself, but you might have to completely break off your relationship with your lover. Then everything will remain as it is. I'll pretend I don't know about your breach of contract and starting your own business."

"Second, you will pay the penalty for breach of contract as stipulated in the contract, and then leave Starry Sky with your lover. However, I can help you settle things with Chairman Hu, ensuring your reputation remains spotless. From then on, you can do whatever you want!"

Jin Fei, who had barely raised his head since entering, gently lifted it and said in a firm tone, "Young Master Tang, I choose one."

The moment the words left his mouth, the sarcasm on Xue Bing's face and the light laugh on Tang Shaowu's face appeared almost simultaneously.

Tang Shaowu didn't look at Jin Fei again, and nodded slightly. Then he suddenly turned to Su Weile and said, "Didn't you say you wanted Jin Fei to take a picture together for Grandma?"

Su Weile was still in shock and hadn't recovered yet. Being suddenly called out, she stammered nervously, "Ah? I...I...um, maybe next time, next time..."

Su Weile watched as Jin Fei seemed ready to immediately get into character and take a photo with her just like any other day. Just like his always glamorous, genuine, and kind image.

However, Su Weile had completely lost interest in taking pictures with him. It wasn't that she didn't want to this time, but that she never wanted to in the future.

Tang Shaowu smiled, turned to Jin Fei and said, "Alright, you can go back now. Just contact President Xue about the rest."

As Jin Fei walked out the door, he turned back three times to bow and thank Tang Shaowu.

Su Weile poked at the slightly melted ice cream with a spoon. Tang Shaowu, seeing Su Weile's silence, smiled and said, "What's wrong? Weren't you so enthusiastic about taking a picture together yesterday?"

Su Weile couldn't explain why, but she felt a bit irritable and listless.

Tang Shaowu leaned back gently against the cushion and said in a calm tone, "You said yesterday that you always see celebrities at the entertainment company. Actually, no. Only you fans can see celebrities. The ones you see on TV and in magazines are celebrities. The ones we see are just entertainment workers."

Su Weile frowned and asked, "Why is he like this?"

Tang Shaowu laughed and said, "What do you think, you little fool?"

"In order to take a shortcut, Jin Fei worked hard to climb up to Chairman Hu and soared to great heights. There was a combination of chance and his own efforts. Otherwise, why would he be able to get what he wanted while others with the same idea could not?"

You said... those who had the same ideas but didn't succeed, aren't they seen as victims by their own family and loved ones? They might feel resentful, wronged, and angry, but they never consider what kind of despicable thoughts they had in the first place.

Su Weile looked up abruptly and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He felt as if he were Jin Fei, who had just been standing there.

Looking at the familiar smiling face in front of him, Su Weile felt, for the first time, a sense of fear in Tang Shaowu.