Just now, Xu Chun had completely suppressed his presence, controlling his every move.
Interesting.
He came back to his senses, his gaze following Xu Chun's every move. For the first time in his memory, he had encountered someone who could put him at a disadvantage, and it made him set aside some of his playful thoughts.
To tell the truth, Xu Chun was a little anxious himself. Director Wang was famously strict, and although he had put considerable effort into the role of Song Ye, he still wasn't sure of himself.
In the end, Director Wang didn't say much. His demeanor revealed nothing different; he simply told Xu Chun to go home and wait for word.
Xu Chun's heart gradually sank. The same thing had happened in his previous life: he had been told to go home and wait, only to find out he had been passed over.
When he walked out of the audition hall, Xu Chun still looked a little dazed. Su Li glanced at his face, and being as perceptive as she was, she could easily guess the result. Though it was the outcome she had expected, she was still somewhat disappointed.
"You have to go to the set this afternoon. You have scenes to film today." Su Li concealed her thoughts well and informed him in a businesslike tone.
Xu Chun forced a smile. "Got it, Su Li."
In his previous life, Su Li had indeed done her best to look after his interests during her early days as his agent. But as he gradually failed to live up to expectations, she had decisively shifted her focus to another newcomer: Lu Xian.
Xu Chun didn't blame Su Li at all. In the adult world, interests always came first; anyone who wanted to put personal feelings first was bound to have a difficult time.
The production filming that afternoon was a
workplace
drama, and Xu Chun was playing the male lead, a lawyer.
Sure enough, Jiang Xiuyan hadn't appeared by the time filming ended. But on second thought, that made sense. The butterfly effect in this life had triggered a series of changes.
Since Xie Jianyuan had gone to audition, Jiang Xiuyan naturally couldn't have come here.
After finishing his schedule for the day, Xu Chun took the company van back to his residential complex.
He pressed the elevator button while calling his adoptive parents.
"Mm, everything's going well."
"Don't worry, Mom. I'm not cold, and I'm in good health."
"Got it. You should take good care of yourself too."
After hanging up, he stepped into the elevator. Watching the floor buttons light up one after another, he gradually became lost in memories.
Come to think of it, he had some things in common with Song Ye. Both of them had been abandoned by their parents as children. Fortunately, though, he had met a kind couple who had adopted him and treated him entirely as their own son. One could even say they doted on him more than they would have on a biological son.
Luckily, I'm still alive.
Ding—the elevator doors opened, interrupting Xu Chun's memories. He was briefly taken aback by the renovation workers carrying furniture of all sizes in front of him.
There were only two apartments on this floor. The one next door had been vacant for some time, and he had heard from someone on the residents' committee that an owner had bought it. He hadn't paid it much attention, but seeing the workers today reminded him of it.
As Xu Chun passed the apartment next door, he couldn't resist peeking inside. He didn't see the owner, but the renovations appeared to be finished. Once the furniture was arranged, the place would be ready to move into.
I wonder if I should say hello when the new neighbor arrives. Forget it, I'll see when the time comes.
After that, Xu Chun threw himself into his busy schedule. He even accepted invitations to many dinners and gatherings he would never have attended before. He worked so hard that even Su Li couldn't help saying, "What's gotten into you? You're a little different from how you used to be."
Xu Chun smiled noncommittally. "Am I?"
"Mm," Su Li said. "But it's a good thing." After a pause, she seemed to remember something and warned him, "No matter what you see or hear at today's dinner, don't say anything out of turn. Understand?"
"I understand."
After parking the car, Xu Chun followed Su Li upstairs, stopping outside a private room. As soon as they opened the door, a pungent smell of smoke hit them.
"Don't, Mr. Li. Please don't do this."
At the table, a fat, jowly middle-aged man was groping a newly debuted actress. Faced with his disgusting groping, the actress had gone pale, her expression frightened and uneasy.
Xu Chun recognized her at once, not because she was famous, but because a newspaper in his previous life had reported her suicide, offering only a few words of regret for her untimely death.
Now he thought he probably knew why she had killed herself. Xu Chun was just about to speak when someone at the table suddenly teased, "What's the matter, President Jiang? What's got you so absorbed? You were so focused you didn't even hear me calling you."
Xu Chun's whole body stiffened. He looked over in shock, and when he saw that face, he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.
Jiang Xiuyan?!
Chapter 4: The Drinking Party [Corrections]
"Why haven't you taken a seat yet, Xiao Xu?" One of the men at the table, a balding middle-aged man, lit a cigarette. An ill-intentioned gleam flickered in his small eyes.
Xu Chun froze for a moment and forced himself to calm down. He quickly regained his composure, reaching out to shake hands and greet everyone in the room one by one. Only when he reached Jiang Xiuyan did the curve of his smile diminish almost imperceptibly.
"Hello."
Jiang Xiuyan stared intently at his face, a somewhat dazed expression appearing on his handsome features. Xu Chun's stomach churned with nausea at the sight, but he managed to hold it in.
Jiang Xiuyan came back to his senses and smiled. "This is our first time meeting, isn't it?"
When Xu Chun nodded, Jiang Xiuyan said half-jokingly, "I can't shake the feeling we've met somewhere before."
A chorus of teasing rose around them. "President Jiang, are you treating him like Sister Lin?"
Everyone there was perceptive enough to see that Jiang Xiuyan had taken some interest in Xu Chun, and the more quick-witted among them had already begun making their own calculations.
A middle-aged man beside Su Li called her over and whispered to her for a moment. After hearing him out, she frowned slightly but didn't object.