Together at the Summit

Shen Shanden's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that his plan to build a harem had been completely, utterly exposed?

"Was it Shishi, or... Yuanyuan? Did they say something to you?"

Shen Shanden probed.

"Huh?" Da Mimi did not need to act; she was genuinely furious. "Shen Shanden, how many things have you been keeping from me? When Sister Xiaowan asked me about such a huge movie project, I didn't know anything! Do you know how embarrassing that was? I didn't even know what my own Boyfriend was doing, and you kept everything from me?!"

"You hide things from me in your career, and in your personal life, you've got one foot in several boats! Other than doing big things every day, do you ever care about me? And whenever you do big things, you're the only one enjoying yourself."

Seeing how things stood, Shen Shanden was actually relieved.

"Baby, don't cry. It hurts me to see you cry. What's there to cry about?"

He cupped her face in both hands. Da Mimi tried to dodge, but the difference in their strength was enormous. She struggled once, but could not break free.

She let Shen Shanden wipe away her tears and take off her bag.

Da Mimi had not truly intended to run away. Otherwise, she would not have waited for Shen Shanden to return before leaving. Still, she sat on the sofa, puffing out her cheeks in anger.

She had to get an important role!

No, she had to get an explanation!

Otherwise, she would not feel secure!

What she wanted was an attitude!

It had been nearly half a month, yet he had not let a single word slip to her.

Da Mimi had only accidentally learned that the project existed when Shen Shanden and Zhou Qifeng were going to China Film Group to discuss business.

Then, when she asked about its progress once, Shen Shanden had said nothing. But the dejected look on his face had explained everything.

Seeing that, Da Mimi had not dared to ask further. And in order to cheer Shen Shanden up, she had spent no small amount of effort talking to him.

So it turned out he had been acting for her all along.

It was only this morning, when Da Mimi suddenly received a call from Li Xiaowan, one of the company's bosses, that she learned the news from her.

Of course, it was not as if Li Xiaowan had asked her and she had known nothing.

She was smart, after all.

When Li Xiaowan brought up the Brotherhood of Blades project, Da Mimi immediately realized that things were not simple.

Da Mimi did not know the specific progress, but she knew a little about the basics.

Using the information gap, she had in turn learned from Li Xiaowan that Shen Shanden had thoroughly impressed Han Sanping with his screenplay proposal and concept designs for the project.

While Da Mimi was on the phone with Li Xiaowan, she was already completely stunned, floating in a daze.

No way, no way.

Brotherhood of Blades was a hundred-million-yuan project!

It was practically at the formal approval stage, yet Shen Shanden had somehow kept it bottled up and said nothing.

So when it came to secrecy, he was specifically keeping it from this Mimi, huh?

Just before Da Mimi hung up, Sister Xiaowan, who usually carried herself like an elder, cautiously sounded her out from the side.

She said that Rongxinda could also help with the casting for this project and share President Han's burdens.

Now that was the art of speaking.

Didn't she just want a role?

Even now, Li Xiaowan's words still seemed to linger in Da Mimi's ears.

Da Mimi was experiencing a truly complicated mix of feelings.

On one hand, she was angry that Shen Shanden had kept her in the dark, and she had not even caught sight of a role. On the other, she was thrilled.

She had indirectly entered the film industry, and at no low level, either.

Rongxinda might look glamorous on the surface. One of its bosses, Li Shaohong, had considerable connections among Fifth Generation directors. Yet high-quality film resources were still incredibly, incredibly scarce.

So while she was thrilled, when faced with Li Xiaowan's request, Da Mimi merely smiled on the surface and laughed it off.

After taking Li Xiaowan's call that morning, a raging storm had churned within her heart, but her expression remained calm.

First, she went to Zhou Qifeng to sound him out.

Zhou Qifeng was not very good at keeping secrets. His words contradicted each other: first he said he was working on a project with his teacher, but when Da Mimi said she would bring something over, he immediately panicked and said he was out handling business.

Afraid of alerting the enemy, Da Mimi did not expose him. After asking around through other connections, she learned that during this period, Shen Shanden and Zhou Qifeng had been constantly going to Beijing Film Studio, practically living there.

At that point.

Da Mimi had basically pieced together all the scattered fragments of information.

She did not immediately make her move. Instead, she waited for Shen Shanden to return so she could confront him face-to-face.

Da Mimi had no interest in fighting for Rongxinda's interests.

She had vaguely sensed the company's ceiling. Even Dream of the Red Chamber, which one of the company bosses was involved in directing, could not secure her a lead role.

But when it came to fighting for a role for herself, Da Mimi was not only interested—she was very interested.

Keep the good stuff in the family!

If he would not fertilize her, then the cow would not be happy either!

Film resources were precious these days.

The company's former top star, Zhou Xun, had switched to Huayi for film resources. It was only after Zhou Xun left that Da Mimi received the company's full support.

And now, her own man had actually won Han Sanping's favor and might take charge of a major production.

As an actress, Da Mimi had an excellent imagination.

She could practically see her future self as Shen Shanden's muse, stepping onto the silver screen and becoming a major film star.

Da Mimi put on a stern face and let Shen Shanden decide what to do.

Shen Shanden was equally solemn and serious, not forgetting to correct Da Mimi's mistake. "You enjoyed doing big things too, so don't deny it. I still have records."

Da Mimi could not keep up the act any longer and immediately started clawing at him.

How could a young woman in her twenties endure him launching sneak attacks below the belt?

"See? You're getting worked up again."

Shen Shanden subdued Da Mimi, stopping her from moving around as he lectured, "This fully proves that secrecy is necessary. The old saying, Success through secrecy, makes sense."

"I'm Mimi too!"

Da Mimi adjusted her clothes, then sat in the corner of the sofa as far from Shen Shanden as possible, putting on the performance of her life. "You should give me an explanation."

Shen Shanden did not fall for it. "Mimi, you're holding me back!"

"I'm out there working my ass off to build my career. As a girl, you should support me wholeheartedly. When I'm at a low point, you should encourage me; when I'm moving forward, you should take care of my worries; when I succeed, you should be even happier than I am."

"Yes, I didn't tell you the details of the Brotherhood of Blades project, but can't you look for the reasons in yourself?"

After hearing that speech, Da Mimi's mouth opened wide enough to fit an Apple.

She looked so ridiculous that Shen Shanden nearly could not keep a straight face.

Da Mimi had a woman's intuition. "You admitted it yourself. You shouldn't have kept it from me."

"Can't you, as a girl, stop bringing up old scores?"

Shen Shanden walked over, took her hand, and looked into her eyes. "Mimi, think more."

Da Mimi was a little unable to withstand that. She thought for a moment, then her mind went blank. "What am I supposed to think about?"

Shen Shanden sighed. "Have you forgotten? Four years ago, in the summer of 2003, I dropped a string of smash-hit songs in the double digits and shook the world."

"But before my path as a singer had even begun, the labels of online singer and non-mainstream had already been Fastened to my head, and my Fans were looked down on too."

"Why do you think that was?"

They had discussed this topic before. Da Mimi looked thoughtful. "You said this kind of sustained image-building was not simply a generational gap in aesthetic taste. There had to be interested parties guiding it."

"Although the internet had already begun impacting the record industry, record companies were still at their peak."

"The industry's Discourse Power, review channels, award campaigning, and singer packaging were firmly in the hands of record companies."

"And popular singers who attracted young people were the private territory of singers from Hong Kong and Taiwan."

"Some of what you went through was meant to blow you up early, so you would not threaten other people's interests."

"And some of it was because record companies wanted to sign you, so they pushed down your price in advance."

At that, Da Mimi suddenly understood, and she even felt a little embarrassed.

Shen Shanden had many hit songs and had also earned quite a bit of money thanks to the ringtone boom, but he was only a newcomer in the film industry.

Even Rongxinda, with its extensive connections and network in the film world, could only sit at the kids' table. Let alone Shen Shanden.

It had already been very difficult for Shen Shanden to come this far. There was no room for error, or who knew what accidents might happen.

Da Mimi was not someone who made trouble without reason. Once she realized she was wrong, she apologized. "I was being a little unreasonable. I didn't see how difficult things had been for you behind the scenes."

Shen Shanden held her hand and smiled it off, showing that he forgave her. "Mimi, I don't blame you. If I become a director, I'll become a great one. If you become a star, you'll become the biggest star. We'll support each other, help each other succeed, and reach the summit together."

Da Mimi's heart surged with emotion, and a flush rose to her cheeks.

This was her man!

This was their promise to reach the summit together!

All of a sudden.

Da Mimi was speechless. Why was he getting handsy again?

"Mm~"

This summit was not right!