150 Burning the Bridge After Crossing It
“Do you think she likes me?”
“I’m not sure.”
Jiang Ye pretended not to know.
He reminded Zhou Yanshen, “If you put in the effort, she should like you.”
“Ok.” Zhou Yanshen seemed to understand.
He stubbed out the cigarette between his fingers and called the man with glasses, who had just finished eating, to go upstairs.
The man was called Wu Rui.
He was a year older than Jiang Ye and had a steady personality. He was an easy-going person.
Under Zhou Yanshen’s instructions, he brought Jiang Ye to look around the company first before introducing some celebrities and agents to him.
“How many celebrities are there in Star River?” Jiang Ye asked when they went to the office.
“One hundred and thirty-nine.”
“How many A-lister are there?”
“Thirteen,” Wu Rui said slowly. “Twenty-four B-listers. Fifty-nine C and D listers.”
“What about the rest?”
“They’re either trainees or waiting to be kicked out.”
Jiang Ye roughly understood.
He told Wu Rui about his current situation and emphasized, “I don’t want any rumors to spread between me and other celebrities.”
“Sure.” Wu Rui did not want that to happen either.
He asked, “Are you considering setting up an affectionate persona?”
“How?”
“Call her in front of the public at all times, tell them how you fell in love with her, and then express your love.”
“Forget it.” Jiang Ye frowned, not wanting his feelings to become a topic of conversation. “That’s too hypocritical. I can’t do that.”
Wu Rui had almost figured out his personality.
He poured a glass of water for Jiang Ye. “Then let’s not set up a persona. Let’s rely on our ability and work.”
“Okay.”
“Do you have a lot of female fans?”
“I’m not sure.” Jiang Ye rarely read the comments and did not care much about this.
Wu Rui could only scroll through Weibo to find out.
He figured out his fan base and type as soon as possible before coming up with a plan.
“In the meantime, tell your fans that you want to fall in love. Then, you can slowly make it public.”
“Can’t I just say it out loud now?”
“Aren’t you afraid she’ll get all the hate?”
Jiang Ye had seen how far crazy fans could go. Just the thought of them criticizing her was hard to accept.
He rubbed the cup. “How long do I have to wait? I’m afraid she’ll feel insecure if I put it off for too long.”
“The end of the year at the earliest.” Wu Rui had a family and could definitely understand his worries.
He put his hand on Jiang Ye’s shoulder. “In this day and age, there are too few celebrities as responsible as you.”
“Maybe they haven’t met the right person yet?” Jiang Ye raised an eyebrow and did not comment much.
He then discussed the script with Wu Rui. “I prefer suspense, action, and history.”
“Suspense?” Wu Rui opened the drawer under the desk and found the script. “I happen to have one.”
“When will the audition be held?”
“Next Friday.”
Jiang Ye left after talking to him about the details.
On the way to his apartment, he reported to Pei Yilan about his upcoming plans, including hiding their relationship for the time being.
“It’s fine.” Pei Yilan understood.
She comforted him instead. “It’s just next month anyway. You don’t have to be sorry.”
Jiang Ye couldn’t help but smile.
He held the phone close to his ear. “Look at the calendar first and choose a time you like.”
“I want to choose with you.”
“Then I’ll pick you up from work at six?”
Pei Yilan felt like she had been fed a spoonful of honey.
She agreed softly. “Where are you now?”
“On the way back to the apartment.”
“Can you move all your stuff out today?”
“I think so.” Jiang Ye chatted with her until the taxi stopped.
He walked into the apartment Kai Yu provided for celebrities and took the elevator to the fifth floor.
Kai Yu Entertainment had always adopted the method of classifying their celebrities by giving them different floors.
Jiang Ye pushed open the door.
He looked at the ‘home’, and a sense of oppression overwhelmed him again.
The memories “home” left him were not pleasant.
He could only remember the three years he spent wandering and suffering in this tiny space.
“Jiang Ye?” The room was not soundproof, so Yang Qifeng’s voice could be heard clearly.
The knock on the door brought Jiang Ye back to his senses.
He approached the door in two steps. As he pressed the door handle, he asked, “How did you know I was here?”
“I saw you just now.” Yang Qifeng placed his briefcase on the coffee table.
He sat down and stretched his shoulders. “I have an adventure variety show here. Are you interested?”
“I terminated my contract with Kai Yu.”
“What?! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There’s no need.” Jiang Ye took out the suitcase under the bed and packed his things slowly.
His cold expression stunned Yang Qifeng.
“What did I do to offend you?” His face fell, as if he was dissatisfied with his sudden change in attitude.
“Don’t you know?”
“Know what? Make yourself clear.”
Jiang Ye took off the coat hanger. “Have you forgotten about lying to me about meeting Jiang Yingnuo?”
“That’s not lying.”
“Then what is that?”
“She wanted to see you to talk about business.” Yang Qifeng’s tone was light.
“You don’t know her true motive?”
“It doesn’t matter what her motive is. What matters is what you can get out of it.”
Jiang Ye smirked. “To you, I’m just a tool for you to achieve what you want, right?”
“Don’t make it sound so bad.” Yang Qifeng puffed on his cigarette. “We complement each other.”
Hearing that, Jiang Ye couldn’t help but laugh.
He put the folded clothes into his suitcase and turned to get his daily necessities. “If there’s nothing else, you can leave.”
Yang Qifeng was already used to his bad temper and couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. “Have you found your next company?”
“Why?”
“I think Star River is not bad. Tell Miss Pei about it so that we can continue to work together.”
“Can’t you talk to them yourself?” Jiang Ye did not stop packing. All he wanted was to get out of here as soon as possible.
“I can’t.”
“Not good enough?”
“Star RIver doesn’t lack agents.” Yang Qifeng started to plan how to get in through the back door. “And I still have to bring two celebrities over.”
“Do you think Star River is my company? I can sign whoever I want?”
“Given Miss Pei’s relationship with you…”
“I’m sorry.” Jiang Ye refused directly, not wanting to show any mercy. “I can’t help you.”
“Jiang Ye, are you trying to burn the bridge after crossing it?”
“You were the one who burned the bridge first.”
“She’s already arrested!” Yang Qifeng knew what he was angry about, but he couldn’t understand it. “What’s the point of holding on to it?”
“There is no point.” Jiang Ye put down the key. “I can’t get through to someone like you.”
Hearing the sound of luggage being dragged, Yang Qifeng finally realized that he had angered him this time.