Why Was Shu Sizhuo Here?

After leaving the company, Tong Zhao went straight to the old residential compound in the old town. He also bought milk and fruit for Shi Ruohe's grandpa.

Grandpa Shi looked much thinner, but he seemed to be in decent spirits. He hurried to welcome Tong Zhao inside.

"Come in, Xiao Tong. Hehe drank too much last night and got up to throw up in the bathroom several times in the middle of the night. He's still in bed."

Tong Zhao ran to the bedroom and found Shi Ruohe listlessly struggling to sit up. He looked utterly drained, with dark circles under his eyes.

"Oh, my lord, will you be able to recover by tomorrow? Sister Wan arranged a little commercial for you tomorrow."

At that, Shi Ruohe's eyes widened above his dark circles. "What commercial?"

"An opportunity from President Li. You're doing a heater, and I'm doing shampoo." Tong Zhao smiled and patted his shoulder. "Get up and wash up. Come to the company with me to sign the contract."

The moment Shi Ruohe heard about signing a contract, his listlessness vanished. He sprang out of bed and hurried to the bathroom.

Tong Zhao walked slowly to the little balcony and watched Grandpa Shi water the flowers.

Grandpa Shi looked at him kindly. "Our Hehe has been introverted since he was little and never had many friends. When he was a child, he used to follow Chengcheng everywhere, and he was a little more lively then. After Chengcheng disappeared, he became even less willing to talk to other people."

Whenever Grandpa spoke of Shi Ruohe's older brother, Shi Ruocheng, who had gone missing, he grew very sad. He lowered the watering can and gave Tong Zhao a wrinkled smile. "Luckily, you came along. Lately, I've noticed Hehe talking a lot more."

Grandpa went to get a small trowel. Tong Zhao took the watering can from him and smiled. "Don't worry, Grandpa. Shi Ruohe is very talented. He'll definitely become a shining superstar someday."

The shampoo commercial and the heater commercial were for different companies, one in the south of the city and the other in the north. Tong Zhao arrived fifty minutes early, and the young receptionist took him to the studio, where he sat quietly to the side and watched a female model pose for photos.

The more he looked at the model, the more familiar she seemed. She even gave him several flirtatious glances along the way.

Tong Zhao asked a staff member beside him, "Who's that model?"

The staff member glanced into the studio. "A newcomer who just debuted, Hua Xiaotang."

Tong Zhao had never heard the name, but he still thought she looked familiar. He just couldn't remember where he had seen her.

Just then, the director walked into the studio and looked around. "Is Tong Zhao here yet?"

"I'm here." Tong Zhao gave Hua Xiaotang one last look, then walked out of the studio.

As the director led him to another studio, he looked him over. His gaze finally settled on Tong Zhao's soft, beautiful black hair, and he nodded in satisfaction.

"Have you ever done a commercial before?"

"No," Tong Zhao answered with a smile. "I only signed with my agency recently. This is my first contract."

The director smiled. "I've filmed at least fifty newcomers, if not a hundred. As long as a newcomer has good looks to work with, they're guaranteed to go viral through my lens. The commercials will be running nonstop during prime time."

Tong Zhao smiled.

After a couple more steps, the director suddenly stopped, and Tong Zhao stopped with him. He froze when he looked up.

Shu Sizhuo was walking toward them with two middle-aged men in impeccably tailored suits. Shu Sizhuo was unbelievably handsome, with broad shoulders and long legs. Anyone who didn't know him might have thought he was some big star.

The director bowed slightly. "President Qi, President Fu."

President Qi and President Fu were smiling and speaking to Shu Sizhuo in low voices. When they heard the director, they gave him a perfunctory nod without breaking stride.

Shu Sizhuo turned his eyes to meet Tong Zhao's stunned gaze. Without a trace of surprise, he curved his lips slightly, looked away, and left with the two executives.

"Why are the people from headquarters down here?" the director muttered to himself. He stared at Shu Sizhuo's tall, straight-backed figure, thinking the man had a striking look. If he were a star, he would definitely be wildly popular.

He turned back and saw Tong Zhao looking in the same direction. Smiling, he said, "Stop staring. That one's probably a rich second-generation heir with a very high status. Let's go."

Tong Zhao reluctantly looked away. Even as the makeup artist styled him, he kept wondering how Shu Sizhuo had come to be here. Was it such a coincidence?

A staff member handed him a script. "These are your lines. Memorize them."

Tong Zhao took it and looked down. He instantly fell apart.

The shampoo commercial had only four lines, and every one of them was lethal—

Hair jet-black, without a split end

Soft and silky when your fingers run through it

What's the secret weapon?

Shuangting, Shuangting, take it home

At first, Tong Zhao thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He checked the script, then rubbed his eyes.

There was nothing wrong with the script, and his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. This was actually real!

Tong Zhao held his forehead and fell silent for a while. Then he hesitantly went over to the director and held out the script. "Director, aren't these lines a little... tacky?"

The director was adjusting a camera position. He glanced at the script. "Tacky is exactly right. At eight o'clock in prime time, it's mostly middle-aged and older people sitting in front of their TVs. Why make it so fashionable? Lines like these need to be simple, direct, and catchy. Maybe years from now, they'll even become a classic for a whole generation!"

Tong Zhao: "..."

Tong Zhao silently withdrew his hand. He was just working for a living. He wasn't hoping to become hugely famous, and he didn't care whether he embarrassed himself. He was only earning a little money to live on, so whatever.

But when the director demonstrated the movements for him, Tong Zhao still couldn't keep it together.

Chin raised forty-five degrees, facing the morning sun, full of hope: "Hair jet-black, without a split end."

Turn, maintaining the same energy and the same curve of the smile, face the camera and grab a handful of hair: "Soft and silky when your fingers run through it."

Turn away from the camera, leaving a contemplative view of his back, then suddenly turn his head to show his profile and smile mysteriously: "What's the secret weapon?"

Stretch out his right hand, wave it twice as if conducting, grab at the air, and flash a toothy smile: "Shuangting, Shuangting, take it home!"

Tong Zhao's toes curled against the floor as he made one last desperate attempt. "Isn't this... a little too absurd?"

"Absurd? Absurd is exactly right. Either go for the height of glamour or the height of tackiness. Young man, you're still too naive." The director patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Come on, give it a try."

His protests having failed, Tong Zhao could only brace himself and do it.

Facing the "sunshine," he raised his chin forty-five degrees. The artificial fan blew so hard that he squinted.

"Turn the fan down!" the director roared. "I want a breeze, a breeze!"

The fan slowed. Tong Zhao opened his eyes, adjusted his blank expression, then smiled slightly and delivered the first deadly line: "Hair jet-black, without a split end."

"Cut." The director came over and adjusted Tong Zhao's posture. "Raise your head a little higher. Your eyes need to be full of dreams and hope, seeing the light. The smile comes from the heart: my hair is jet-black without a split end, I'm so proud, I'm so satisfied. Understand?"

Tong Zhao: "..."

After making ten thousand complaints in his head, Tong Zhao still summoned the vigor of someone taking a military oath. He straightened his back, widened his smile, and raised his voice. "Hair jet-black, without a split end!"

"Good, good, good. Now, face the camera, second pose. Remember to be a little more emotional and seductive when you grab your hair. This line is all about self-admiration, pride, and smugness, but you also have a kind heart that loves to share."

Tong Zhao: "..." Director, you sure have a lot of ideas...

He turned around, and the corner of his eye happened to catch something by the door. He froze, looked back in surprise and suspicion, and then every muscle in his body went stiff.

Shu Sizhuo?!

Why was he here?!