Xiao Yi had just gotten off the plane when he received a text message from Du Mei asking him to return to Beijing and come to the company first.

Xiao Yi went to the company and saw Wu Henggu standing in the corridor talking to someone. He greeted Wu Henggu, but Wu Henggu didn't even glance at him.

With the Spring Festival slot airing, the ratings broke 2%, instantly making Wu Henggu popular. Discussions about him were everywhere on Weibo and Tianya. Xiao Yi thought to himself, Wu Henggu finally made it. He used to be chased by Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng's fans every day, and now Lu Zhou's fate actually made him. If it weren't for Lu Zhou almost becoming disabled, Wu Henggu would still be playing his supporting role.

Xiao Yi thought Wu Henggu hadn't seen him, so he greeted him with a smile.

Xiao Yi: "Brother Wu!"

Wu Henggu glanced at him sideways with a look that said, "Who's this?" Xiao Yi instantly became irritable, inwardly yelling, "Who do you think you are being so arrogant!"

"Xiao Yi," Lin Yao heard his voice and opened the door to let him in.

Xiao Yi dragged his suitcase in. Du Mei was on the phone. When she saw Xiao Yi, she quickly finished her conversation in a few sentences.

"Lu Zhou and the company terminated the contract. He went to Canada for recuperation," Du Mei announced him.

Xiao Yi hadn't expected to have such a day of being sidelined. He was truly stunned in front of Du Mei, unable to say a word for a long time. If life were a drama, then the director's camera must have been focused entirely on Xiao Yi's face during this scene, accompanied by Du Mei's voiceover.

His expression went from shock to confusion, and tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. The repeated thought in his mind was, ‘How could this happen? How could this happen...’

He subconsciously thought Du Mei was joking with him, but no, Du Mei's voice sometimes distant and sometimes close, made Xiao Yi feel like the whole world had completely abandoned him.

"Before leaving, Lu Zhou said he wanted you to stay and develop in the company. You were signed for three years before, as his personal assistant. You've been with him for a year and a half. Now your salary is raised to twenty thousand. For the remaining year and a half, just follow the company's arrangements... If you want to continue staying, we'll discuss the details later."

Du Mei continued.

"He entrusted the keys to his house to me..."

"..."

The office fell silent. Xiao Yi got up and walked out, passing by Wu Henggu impatiently talking to his agent. He opened the door to the emergency exit, sat on the stairs, rubbed his eyes with both hands, and choked back his sobs silently.

After a while, Lin Yao came in, patted his shoulder, and said, "Alright, I know you can't bear to leave Lu Zhou, but no matter what, work has to continue, right?"

Xiao Yi was trembling all over as he cried. He was totally unprepared for Lu Zhou to leave just like that, disappearing as soon as he returned.

*

That afternoon, Lin Yao took Xiao Yi to move out.

After Xiao Yi left, Lu Zhou came over from the next office, and Du Mei was organizing contracts.

Du Mei mentioned, "I still hope you stay with the company."

"Let's talk about it later," Lu Zhou replied in a deep voice.

Du Mei asked, "Are you really planning to go to Canada?"

"No," Lu Zhou answered, "I'll just stay at home, take a break and relax. Many things need time to think through. After acting for so many years, rushing all the way up is too exhausting."

Lu Zhou was about to sign, but Du Mei said, "Wait, I know you've thought it through, but I have a few words to tell you, Lu Zhou, you better reconsider."

Lu Zhou paused for a moment but didn't change his mind. He swiftly signed and said, "What about the keys to my house?"

Du Mei handed him the keys and added, "Even if you don't act, you can still be a producer or director. What can't you do? The company lacks people. You've followed the crew for so many years, acted in so many plays. Even if you become a director, others won't say anything."

"I just want to act, and I only know how to act," Lu Zhou put away the keys, leaned back in his chair, sighed, and said, "Thank you, Director Du. When I was in poverty, you helped me rise."

"I've seen your efforts over the years," Du Mei underlined. "You've also helped the company a lot."

"Yes," Lu Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Let's part amicably. That's it for now."

Du Mei added, "Once your mindset is adjusted, remember to come back anytime. Don't forget we're not parting ways permanently; it's just a long sick leave."

Lu Zhou nodded and said, "Goodbye, Director Du. If you need anything, feel free to call me anytime. Keep an eye on Xiao Yi, that kid is good and talented."

"Got it," Du Mei replied.

*

Xiao Yi moved into the new rented house. It was a shared apartment, with two other newcomers signed by the company, both much younger than Xiao Yi.

With red eyes, Xiao Yi moved his luggage. Everything that had been left in the company's warehouse for more than a year was brought over, including Lu Zhou's large figurine, which was sent to the company's warehouse in advance.

Xiao Yi took the largest master bedroom in the three-bedroom apartment. His two roommates were named Oo and Xx, but Xiao Yi wasn't in the mood to find out their names. After Lin Yao introduced them, Xiao Yi immediately forgot.

Xiao Yi locked himself in his room as soon as he entered, only coming out when he was starving, his face slightly green. Oo and Xx were sitting side by side on the sofa watching TV. They greeted Xiao Yi, who exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries with them, only then remembering that these two were the ones Lu Zhou had once criticized as having "blind dog eyes" and "deaf dog ears."

"Xiao Teacher," Oo asked, "Are you being transferred within the company?"

"Yeah," Xiao Yi answered, "Lu Zhou went to Canada for recuperation, so with him gone for a year and a half, the company rearranged a position for me."

Xiao Yi glanced at the TV, where they were replaying scenes of Wu Henggu and Li Changzheng. Wu Henggu looked young, handsome, and clean, exuding the straightforwardness and roguishness of a youth, unlike Lu Zhou's mature, experienced demeanour.

The other, Xx, asked, "Is Lu Teacher still not feeling well?"

Xiao Yi thought to himself, ‘You guys must have been keeping up with the rumours. You already know he can't act anymore, so why ask?’ He nodded and replied, "He should be fine after his recuperation."

Wu Henggu's acting opposite Li Changzheng was also good. The first time Xiao Yi saw Wu Henggu acting opposite Lu Zhou, he knew Wu Henggu was different from other newcomers. He could cooperate with his seniors, delivering lines and emotions smoothly. He was attentive to others' reactions, unlike Lu Zhou, who dominated the entire scene. Lu Zhou had strong control, while Wu Henggu had strong coordination skills.

Lu Zhou was the master controller of the TV drama, while Wu Henggu was the architect of a scene.

"Senior Brother Wu Henggu can act opposite the Best Actor," Oo said. "This opportunity is rare."

Xiao Yi nodded, glanced at Wu Henggu, and added, "Can we change the channel?"

"Sure," the two newcomers replied.

Xiao Yi switched a few channels but couldn't find Lu Zhou's show. In the end, he returned to the previous channel and continued watching. The script seemed to have been revised last minute. Originally, Lu Zhou and Li Changzheng shared the spotlight, but now it was Wu Henggu who was supporting Li Changzheng. However, it still followed the pattern of two male leads. Xiao Yi had a hunch that at 23 years old, Wu Henggu, who played the young role, could stay popular for at least seven years, even if he acted as a young character until he was thirty.

Du Mei signed him for ten years; she indeed had foresight.

In the entertainment industry, fortunes change rapidly. As one star fades, another rises.

After the takeaway arrived, Xiao Yi ate, then returned to his room, and browsed through TV dramas Lu Zhou had acted in to watch. He found Lu Zhou's first movie. In the ending scene, Zhang Shun stood at the bow of a boat, slowly drifting away into the vast expanse of reeds, silent and remote.

Lu Zhou left just like that, without leaving a phone number. Xiao Yi wanted to call him, but Du Mei didn't have Lu Zhou's new phone number.

"You'll be able to contact him once you become famous," Du Mei said.

Xiao Yi, "..."

Du Mei continued, "Tell me your thoughts, Xiao Yi. Your current situation is giving me a headache..."

"In the remaining year and a half, I will do my best to contribute to the company, but I might... not renew my contract," Xiao Yi expressed.

Lin Yao said, "Lu Zhou once said you were planning to return to your hometown to get married and settle down to save some money, right?"

"Yeah..." Xiao Yi replied, "Not exactly. I have my own goals, but I won't jump to another company or anything like that. Don't worry, Director Du. By then, I might not be in this industry anymore."

Du Mei pondered silently, while Lin Yao suddenly smiled.

Xiao Yi didn't tell them that he wanted to finish his contract, then go to Canada to find Lu Zhou. Finding someone is always possible. Perhaps by then, Lu Zhou wouldn't be the idol of many anymore, but he would still be Xiao Yi's idol.

After finding Lu Zhou, Xiao Yi would tell him what he thought, just like he chased his past girlfriend, and then... leave it to fate.

"Why are you laughing?" Xiao Yi looked at Lin Yao strangely.

"I still remember the day you first came to the company," Lin Yao mentioned.

"Yeah," Du Mei said, "You've changed a lot. Initially, I wanted Lu Zhou to mentor you. I thought you both could learn from each other, and it seems to have changed you."

"Really?" Xiao Yi also realized it. A year and a half ago, when he moved out of that small rented room, he had almost no idea what he wanted to do or what his future held.

Perhaps that's the power of love, to give people motivation, and then, with the disillusionment and failure of love, everything disappears, returning to being a nobody, and then pursuing another elusive love object, experiencing disillusionment and failure again...

Xiao Yi thought to himself, during his school days, he was also the idol of many.

Xiao Yi thought for a moment and said, "Do you need me to be an agent for the newbies or do something creative?"

Du Mei thought for a moment, "As an agent..."

Du Mei seemed undecided, but Lin Yao said, "Xiao Yi, would you do the company a favour and participate in a talent show? You participated in talent shows before. I heard Lu Zhou say you passed the preliminaries but got eliminated in the regional finals."

"Assist the company?" Xiao Yi inquired.

"I had a meeting with the program head last week," Lin Yao explained. "This season, the director plans to bypass auditions and jump straight into the mixed competition. Considering our partnerships with Juhua and Qunxing, and with the company moving in the right direction, we aim to introduce a few new talents."

"You want me to take them to the talent show?" Xiao Yi asked.

Du Mei intervened, "Forget it, Lin Yao."

But Lin Yao insisted, "Let him participate in the talent show."

Xiao Yi said, "But I don't want to stay in the entertainment industry anymore..."

Lin Yao continued, "During the semifinals, let the production team arrange for you to compete with people from our company. We'll see what happens then... You can withdraw from the competition later."

Xiao Yi agreed, "Okay."

Xiao Yi turned to Du Mei and said, "Of course, but I'm not sure if I can make it to the semifinals."

Du Mei asked, "Can you really do it?"

"Of course," Xiao Yi said, "I've been asked before. To make it to the finals, you need to sign a ten-year contract and pay fifty thousand sponsorship fees..."

Du Mei misunderstood Xiao Yi's meaning and mentioned, "You don't have to pay for that. The company will take care of it."

"Okay," Xiao Yi agreed.

Lin Yao added, "But if you withdraw, you must follow the company's arrangements. You can't stay in the entertainment industry anymore or sign with other companies. Singing occasionally is fine, but you can't participate in public performances. If you want to participate, you need to sign back with the company first."

"No problem," Xiao Yi accepted.

*

Xiao Yi originally didn't want to fuss about these things. After following Lu Zhou for so long, he gradually felt that the entertainment industry wasn't all that interesting. Ultimately, everything boiled down to money. Selling albums was for money, attending events was for money—everything revolved around money. Every aspect of a star's personal life would be converted into ratings, box office figures, and market value.

So Lin Yao began arranging things, while Du Mei instructed Xiao Yi to rest, adjust his state, and meet the newcomers in a few days. They were from the same company, and they would go to the competition together.

Back home, Xiao Yi hugged Lu Zhou's doll, touched its head, and kissed its mouth carefully, then held its hand and realized the ring was missing.

Xiao Yi searched for it for a while, suspecting it had fallen off. It could also be that Lu Zhou didn't notice the ring when he brought the doll over. Although it was expensive, Xiao Yi had to let it go.

"Zhou Ge..." Xiao Yi turned over, with the doll's long legs between his feet, letting it rest on him, and murmured, "Why did you leave without even saying goodbye? Were you afraid I'd pester you?"

Meanwhile, Lu Zhou sneezed at home.

The phone rang, and Lu Zhou answered, saying, "I don't want to go out lately."

"Word is out that you won't be acting anymore," Zheng Xiaocong asked. "Is it true?"

"Stop bringing it up, it's annoying," Lu Zhou replied.

Zheng Xiaocong continued, "About last time, I had someone investigate. Do you know how you fell?"

"Tell me," Lu Zhou demanded.

"Someone was targeting Li Meimei, (NT: sister Li, a pejorative way to mention Li Changzheng)" Zheng Xiaocong said. "Guess who wanted to target him?"

Lu Zhou didn't say anything. Zheng Xiaocong continued, "The agent of that Wu Henggu in your company, who used to work for Hui Le, where Li Changzheng used to work before leaving. They had a falling out with Hui Le."

"Damn it," Lu Zhou cursed. "That kid Wu Henggu did it?"

"I'm not sure," Zheng Xiaocong said. "I doubt Wu Henggu has the guts for it, but his agent might. It's a win-win situation for them. They cripple Li Changzheng and let Wu Henggu take his place. Li Changzheng's company can't find a replacement, they haven't even signed new talent, and they have less investment. Li Meimei was supporting them, but with him out, they can contact the people from Hui Le and maybe get Wu Henggu promoted, screwing over Li Changzheng and benefiting the whole crew."

"This son of a b**** really screwed me over!" Lu Zhou erupted. "Career, love—everything's gone in one night!"

Zheng Xiaocong added, "Let me introduce you to another company. I don't think Du Mei is that great. You're over thirty, and she keeps having you do those youth idol dramas."

"Let's talk about it later," Lu Zhou said. "Du Mei has known my mom for years. She's an elder, and she's always taken care of me. There are pros and cons. Without her, I wouldn't have been lifted up."

Zheng Xiaocong asked again, "Did your little bunny follow you?"

"No, I had Du Mei arrange for his development elsewhere. Let him go explore on his own," Lu Zhou replied.

"Going out?" Zheng Xiaocong asked.

"In a few days. I'm not in the mood for now," Lu Zhou replied.

Lu Zhou hung up the phone and sat quietly at home, as if Xiao Yi would come down from upstairs, asking, "Zhou Ge, do you want some fruit? Or are you browsing Taobao?” Or goofily rolling on the floor like a worm, then crawling onto the sofa, singing loudly?

Lu Zhou smiled, shook his head, sighed, picked up his phone, checked WeChat, where news about his contract termination with Du Mei had already spread. Friends were sending messages to comfort him and ask about his next plans, but Lu Zhou didn't reply. Leaning on the couch facing the floor-to-ceiling window, he looked outside. The window was like a big screen, Madonna's bold voice was playing from the record player, and outside, snow was falling.

Lu Zhou thought for a moment and answered another call.

"Do you have tickets for Silk Voice (NT: the programme to which Xiao Yi is invited to participate) ?" Lu Zhou asked.

"Um."

"I'll transfer one million to you. Let's see how it goes."

"Tickets? Dream on! This is sponsorship fee!"

"Consider it settled. I won't go to the preliminaries. Let's see how he performs. Don't tell him."

*

Xiao Yi sat in the company, listening to the music playing on the surround sound, and finally decided on a song.

"Hello, Teacher Xiao," the newcomer entered and nodded to Xiao Yi.

Lin Yao introduced, "Xiao Yi, this is Hu Jinbao."

Xiao Yi: "..."

Lin Yao: "Jinbao, this is Xiao Yi. Jinbao's stage name is Jing Lu. Xiao Yi, meet him."

Xiao Yi thought, ‘Damn, Lin Yao, you're not intentionally teasing me, are you?’

Jing Lu was very young, it seemed like he hadn't finished university yet. Xiao Yi shook hands with him, picturing him holding a big ingot, smiling like the God of Wealth, and asked, "Have you graduated?"

"Not yet," Jing Lu said, "I dropped out."

Xiao Yi nodded and didn't inquire further. Lin Yao then informed Jing Lu, "Xiao Yi will be responsible for taking you through the preliminaries and regional finals. After you advance to the semifinals, the company will assign a new agent to you. Work hard."

Jing Lu, like all newbies, was cautious and anxious. When addressing Lin Yao, he called him President Lin. After Lin Yao left, Xiao Yi said, "You don't have to be so polite with me."

"O-Okay," Jing Lu agreed nervously.

Xiao Yi poured tea for him and asked, "Have you chosen a song?"

Jing Lu hadn't decided yet, so Xiao Yi played some songs and helped him choose. Xiao Yi had already decided on his own song, but Jing Lu couldn't make up his mind.

"What do you think?" Xiao Yi suggested. "Choose a song you used to like or sing well."

Jing Lu hesitated and didn't answer Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi continued, "Let me put it this way. Nowadays, singing competitions all focus on showing off. High notes, vocal acrobatics—everyone is pursuing uniqueness. If you sing well, you can try, but if not, try to move people with emotions."

"I understand," Jing Lu chose a song. Xiao Yi then found the music score and arranged to practice singing every day at 7 a.m. in the company.

*

During this time, Xiao Yi also went to Du Mei's office to get the schedule. The competition would start in April. Xiao Yi had followed Lu Zhou for more than a year, so he was well-versed in these matters and knew how to arrange them. While accompanying Jing Lu, he also practiced singing himself. He felt a bit out of shape, having not sung for so long.

"We could form a legend of a camel and a rabbit," Xiao Yi joked with Jing Lu. Jing Lu seemed a bit irritated. Every time he didn't feel like singing or felt tired, Xiao Yi would encourage him like this.

At the end of March, Xiao Yi and Jing Lu went to the program group for a meeting. The program group was based in Beijing, and basically, who could pass and who would be eliminated had already been predetermined. The accompanying practice players were also clear about this; they were just there to make an appearance.

"Tell us about yourselves, who wants to go first?" the director asked.

Xiao Yi greeted the director, the director of photography, the program planner, and the program director. Xiao Yi figured that these people probably knew what they were doing. He said, "Director Du asked me to participate. By the way, Jing Lu, say hello to the teachers."

"Hello, teachers," Jing Lu said hurriedly.

Everyone laughed. Xiao Yi knew that as long as he didn't appear too arrogant, although he was not well-known, he wouldn't be given a hard time most of the time.

"Tell us your story," the director said. "We need to record a segment in advance, which will be aired before you come on stage. You should know the program flow by now."

"Okay," Xiao Yi thought for a moment and said, "I graduated from the music academy, majoring in composition. After entering society, I worked at Sina doing video and MV post-production for a while. Later, through a friend's introduction, I signed with Huaxing and served as Lu Zhou's personal assistant for a year and a half..."

The director hadn't looked at Xiao Yi's personal information yet, and was shocked when he heard this. He said, "You were Lu Zhou's assistant?"

"Yes," Xiao Yi replied.

"That's a big deal," the program director chuckled. "The other day, Ning Yaqing's agent was talking about you."

Xiao Yi quickly added, "Serving the young master... But this time, it's mainly for Jing Lu, as Director Du also mentioned."

"Okay," the director noted. "How should we record this promotional video... it's a bit tricky. Do you have any good ideas?"

Xiao Yi said, "Can't we just follow the self-introduction?"

No one spoke. Xiao Yi thought for a moment and said, "Is it because of Zhou Ge's issue?"

"Yes," the director explained. "Director Du specifically mentioned not to bring him up."

"Alright," Xiao Yi agreed. "Then... let's just remove the part about Zhou Ge and simply say that I work at the company."

"This is a show about ordinary people's voices," the director mentioned. "The whole style of the program requires a kind of..."

"Ordinary person," Xiao Yi nodded. "The song of life is full of troubled voices in the big city."

"Right!" the director laughed. "You understand, and when you go on stage, what you show cannot be the same as what others say. For example, loving to sing, pursuing dreams no matter what, these words have been said by other contestants."

Xiao Yi said, "Then, hoping to sing but content with being ordinary. Rather than standing on the stage, I'd prefer to be a qualified backstage person."

"Then the audience will ask, if that's the case, why are you participating?" the director remarked.

Everyone laughed.

Xiao Yi chuckled self-deprecatingly, glanced at Jing Lu, who was a bit touched. Xiao Yi patted his shoulder and said to the director, "I'm participating to stand in front of the camera, say a few words, and fulfill my wish. Just take it as a confession to my loved one."

"Okay," the director agreed. "We'll arrange according to this segment for your mentors."

The director added, "You have to communicate this one thing beforehand. Don't say anything too outrageous. Can I ask who the recipient of the confession is?"

Xiao Yi smiled and said, "I won't talk nonsense, and I won't directly say who it's for. Besides, if it's too much, they can just edit it out during the recording. Now, Jing Lu, it's your turn."

 

Translator : DarNan