Watching a Movie with Yan Yu

Miao Xiu said nothing and took out a sheet of paper from her bag.

Biting her lip, she glanced at Song Dao, then slowly unfolded it and pushed it in front of him.

For some reason, an image popped into Song Dao's mind—

Crazy Thursday...

Expressionless, he took it and examined it beneath the streetlamp.

—An IOU.

I, Miao Xiu, owe Song Dao one million Xia yuan. The repayment period is five years, and the debt will be repaid in installments before the Spring Festival of 2030.

Debtor: Miao Xiu.

Below that were a bright red fingerprint and a handwritten ID card number.

Well, well?

Song Dao was a little taken aback.

Everything he knew about Miao Xiu came from the original owner's memories.

He searched through every memory the original owner had from high school through college and could not find the slightest possibility that Miao Xiu would do something like this.

A vain little girl who could not walk away from luxury goods, who had never been willing to be intimate with "him" but could cling to his arm and act cute—would actually be willing to pay the money back?

Had the sun risen in the west?

Or had some expert advised her?

Was she trying to use this method to get him to find time to clear things up and put in a good word for her?

"Song Dao, I'm sorry!" Miao Xiu stood and bowed. "It was my fault. I was vain and money-grubbing. Not only did I toy with your feelings, I also spent all the compensation Uncle and Auntie received after their accident. I'm truly sorry."

"I don't have that much money on hand right now, so I can only earn it back bit by bit and repay you."

If the night had ended there, then regardless of Miao Xiu's true motives, Song Dao would have thought more highly of her.

All the money the original owner had spent on Miao Xiu over the years—whether he had been an idiot or a simp—had been his own choice.

Miao Xiu's greatest mistake was that, for the sake of her future, she cheated with someone else while she had a boyfriend, and after being caught, broke up with him in such a humiliating manner.

Now, she had brought over an IOU and sincerely apologized.

Even if it might still be far from enough, going this far was already enough to show sincerity.

After all, as far as she knew, Song Dao was alive and well.

As for whether she had cheated or become The Third Party, those were matters of personal morality.

Pay back the money she had spent, and from then on, they owed each other nothing!

—That was perspective.

But unexpectedly, as Song Dao picked up the IOU, Miao Xiu continued on her own, "There's one more thing..."

She hesitated, only finally speaking when Song Dao looked up at her. "President Lu wants to meet you."

Song Dao frowned. "Who's President Lu?"

"Times Media's vice president, Lu Wen, he's, he's..."

Miao Xiu could not continue.

If Song Dao had been a young man like the original owner, his mentality would probably have exploded by now.

Am I fucking part of your play?

Song Dao understood a little.

He looked at Miao Xiu with amused eyes. She was still standing across the stone table, looking uneasy and aggrieved.

"What does he want?"

"He wants to sign you to Times Media. He said he didn't know we were dating..."

Miao Xiu spoke with some difficulty. "I lied to him. I told him I didn't have a boyfriend."

Sign me?

Song Dao truly had not expected this turn of events.

He even felt a little admiration for the executive of the publicly listed entertainment company who had stolen the original owner's girlfriend.

This bastard's train of thought was fucking bizarre!

But he had to admit, if it were someone with an enormous desire for the fame and fortune of the entertainment industry, it might actually work!

You could replace a girlfriend once she was gone, but with a chance at fame right in front of you, how many people could easily turn it down?

And this probably was not Miao Xiu's idea alone.

People in your entertainment circle really knew how to play.

So they wanted to bring me close and keep me like a dog, huh?

Pretty fucking clever of you!

By this point, Miao Xiu had completely thrown caution to the wind.

Toward Song Dao, her suddenly famous simp ex-boyfriend, her true feelings were a mix of regret and resentment.

But more than that, she wanted fame!

She wanted to become a top-tier celebrity, a true superstar.

Heroes are not asked about their origins.

There were plenty of people in the entertainment industry with pasts too shameful to mention. One more like her made no difference.

She looked at Song Dao. "President Lu said that Chen Qingshan, the chairman and CEO of Times Media, thinks very highly of you. I told you about him before—he's a true big shot in the entertainment industry."

"President Chen values talent and has the courage to act."

"President Lu also hopes you'll come over. He said that if there's still a knot in your heart, he can personally come and apologize to you."

"And... he's willing to compensate you!"

"As long as you join Times Media, he'll definitely do everything he can to turn you into a real star!"

"Song Dao, this is an opportunity for you. Even if you're talented and can write lots of good songs, you can't make it in this day and age by fighting alone!"

"Don't let what happened between us affect your future."

"I know we can't go back, and I know you resent me for not giving you my heart..."

Song Dao raised a hand. "Stop."

If he had been somewhat confused just now, he now understood why they were doing this.

Wanting to bring him under their control was only one part of it.

Those entertainment industry bigwigs, whatever their character, usually weren't so narrow-minded.

Kong Xi and Hu Wei's explosive rise had made the major companies with music divisions anxious—and panicked!

They wanted to board this high-speed train by any means necessary.

Poaching him was merely one move on the board.

After all, he had become pretty popular lately.

He had released two new songs in less than a month. Even if many mainstream musicians looked down on them, his creative ability was there for all to see.

He had to admit that there was a reason Times Media had remained an industry evergreen, thriving from the age of print media all the way into today's digital era.

Whether it was Chen Qingshan or Lu Wen, both were formidable people.

He looked up at Miao Xiu's expectant face. "I'll take the IOU. Send the money to the card number I give you later."

"Just remember to pay it back."

"I can't join Times Media. Thank your Dad for me!"

Miao Xiu: "..." Your Dad!

Song Dao's tone remained calm.

"I've already signed with an agency."

"As for the two of us..."

"I have no right to forgive you on behalf of the dead!"

"Since you plan to pay back the money, I won't speak badly of you in public from now on. But don't mention me either."

"Let's pretend we never knew each other."

"You really don't have any feelings for me left at all?" Miao Xiu looked at Song Dao, unwilling to accept it.

From high school until they graduated college, he had simped after her for a full six or seven years.

Could he really let go just like that? Were men all so heartless?

She assumed the dead person Song Dao had mentioned was his parents.

She never could have imagined that person was standing right in front of her!

"No." Song Dao calmly shook his head.

He pointed at the foldable phone lying face-down on the table—one the original owner had bought for her last year.

If this hadn't happened, that idiotic simp probably would have bought her a triple-fold phone even if he had to eat dirt...

"And next time you record someone, remember to turn off the screen. Prepare in advance. Don't operate it right in front of me. If you want to release the recording, release the full version, because I have one too."

Song Dao ended the conversation. "Don't come here again. I'll be moving soon. The road is wide enough for each of us to go our separate ways. That's it."

Even after he stood up and left, until his figure disappeared from sight, Miao Xiu remained utterly bewildered.

How long had it even been since they last met? How had he changed so much?

Cold, resolute—his eyes treated her as though she were a stranger.

And how had he discovered that she was secretly recording him?

When had he recorded her?

"What did I accomplish? I even got saddled with a million-yuan IOU? I've now... become a person with a million yuan in debt?"

Ah!

Miao Xiu screamed wildly in her heart.

She was on the verge of losing her mind.

Why had things turned out like this?

She couldn't understand.

No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn't figure out how, in less than a month, a man who had once been so meek and submissive before her could have changed so drastically.

It was as if he had become a completely different person!

Looking at the folded-up phone before her, Miao Xiu wore an absurd expression.

Whenever she changed phones, she would casually sell off the old one after using it for just a year. She had never considered that although Song Dao's old phone was battered and broken, it could still record audio and video.

The weather was scorching.

Yet she felt cold all over.

It felt as though she had become the world's biggest idiot.

Song Dao really hadn't lied to her.

He had a very complete recording in his hands.

The moment he saw Miao Xiu, he had casually turned on the video recording function on his phone.

He didn't intend to use it to do anything.

He merely wanted to guard against her.

The two parallel worlds had fairly similar paths of development, and many things were the same.

From relations between nations to the affairs of ordinary people, it was all damn well run like an amateur operation.

All kinds of scandal-gate incidents kept cropping up.

He didn't want to leave her with any leverage against him.

When he returned to his door, he carried the takeout bag inside.

Fortunately, not much time had passed. The box containing the Greedy Frog was still warm.

He could finally have a hearty meal.

Song Dao quietly kept Times Media's attempt to poach him in mind.

To prevent them from targeting him after failing to recruit him, he would have to be especially careful about everything he did from now on.

Of course, the best solution was to become famous as soon as possible.

True lying flat was a choice one made only after accumulating enough capital.

He was still far from that point.

Then there was Miao Xiu.

That woman had a ruthless streak in her as well.

Even if someone capable had advised her, she wouldn't have written that IOU if she hadn't been willing to do so herself.

To avoid getting endlessly tangled up with her, Song Dao decided to find a place and move out soon.

Eleven at night.

Just as Song Dao finished washing up and was about to rest, he received a message from his roommate, Kang Peng.

"Brother Dao, Miao Xiu Audio-Visual and Shuibo have both deleted their accounts!"

Song Dao was slightly taken aback, but he didn't take it too seriously.

He didn't believe Miao Xiu would leave the industry for good.

How could someone ruthless enough to sell herself for fame and profit, and bold enough to write a million-yuan IOU, give up so easily?

She had probably changed her name, right?

Just like his pen name, Water Strike Three Thousand—she could pick a stage name and keep trying to make it in the industry.

There was nothing unusual about that.

As for that million-yuan IOU...

If she gave him the money, he would take it!

It was what she owed the original owner.

It didn't matter if she refused to pay.

After all, as long as he kept that thing in his hands, it would be a thorn stuck in her throat.

After replying to Kang Peng with a couple of messages, he tossed his phone aside and went to sleep!

The next morning.

After warming up his voice at the park and running another two and a half laps, Song Dao returned downstairs to his apartment for breakfast.

Recently, he had started gradually increasing the amount of exercise he did.

The feeling after every workout was great.

After eating, he went home, took a shower, changed into casual clothes, put on a hat and mask, then headed downstairs to catch a taxi straight to Life is Messy Studio.

He arrived at around eight fifty.

He had actually wanted to finish recording [Who Will You Think Of When You're Lonely] and [There Is a Love Called Letting Go] today.

But Yan Yu wanted him to accompany her to the movies, so he could only wait until they got back in the afternoon to record.

He also wanted to see that big-budget movie featuring "Longing" as an insert song.

The moment he pushed open the door and saw Yan Yu, he froze slightly.

"Hehe, what do you think? Don't we look like a great match?"

Dressed in casual clothes, with her hair tied in a bun and only light makeup on, Yan Yu grinned at Song Dao.

"Quit messing around." Song Dao walked over and sat on the sofa.

"Hey, what's with you? I dressed like this specifically for your sake!"

Yan Yu, dressed like a freshman in college, followed him over and sat in the single-seater sofa diagonally across from him, sounding somewhat dissatisfied.

To be fair, after seeing so much of big sister's usual sexy and alluring style, this sudden pure and innocent look was indeed refreshing.

"You're famous now. If your big sister appears beside you looking too glamorous, people might recognize us easily. But this way, it's fine! Don't I look so pure?"

Yan Yu boasted smugly.

"Remember to wear a mask and hat," he reminded her.

Yan Yu rolled her eyes. What a boring guy!

The movie theater was nearby, only a ten-minute walk away.

The moment they entered the lobby, they saw a huge crowd of young people gathered there.

There were older people too, though not many.

Aside from their hats and masks, the two of them looked no different from the young couples around them.

They did not attract much attention.

From the conversations around them, it was clear that nearly everyone had come to watch Demon Love.

Song Dao felt a little emotional.

Before he had transmigrated, business at major movie theaters had already been bleak. It was rare to see such a lively scene.

Those film directors had not dared to casually touch big-budget productions either.

But this world had not gone through those three years.

Although the Xia Kingdom had also suffered hardships a century ago, it had become a superpower earlier than in the original timeline.

Recently, as he studied the histories and cultures of various countries, he discovered that there had been very few changes overseas.

For instance, the Empire Where the Sun Never Sets was still ruled by the Elizabeth Family.

Leonardo da Vinci and his painting Mona Lisa still existed, and Hollywood still had that former world-class superstar, Marilyn Monroe.

Even certain classic literary works had appeared.

Big Pretty had followed roughly the same path of development, becoming the world hegemon with the rise of the internet era.

But the past few years had been a complete mess.

Following the incidents involving a certain island and Bragging Old Baby, Hollywood movies, once wildly popular, no longer did well in the Xia Kingdom.

Only the Xia Kingdom had undergone enormous changes.

On closer thought, it was understandable. After all, no one had appeared in the West to alter the course of history.

Thus, its development trajectory had not changed much.

But the Xia Kingdom had begun diverging as early as the Three Kingdoms period.

That had spread to neighboring countries as well, making the politics and culture of the entire East Asian region vastly different from the original timeline.

Especially in the cultural sphere.

Even today, those countries still relied heavily on the Xia Kingdom.

Although their entertainment industries were also flourishing—for example, the teachers in Fusang remained as dedicated as ever, while Little Han's conglomerates wielded overwhelming power and casually took down presidents now and then—

Fusang had not produced a Miyuki who could support half of Hong Kong's entertainment industry.

Little Han hadn't managed to create any trend that influenced an entire generation in the Xia Kingdom either.

Yan Yu told Song Dao to wait here while she went to buy a bucket of popcorn and two bottles of water.

By now, the people around him all knew that Teacher Song only drank water and never touched any kind of beverage.

"Hey, what are you thinking about? Let's go!" Yan Yu, who had returned after buying the snacks, waved a hand in front of Song Dao's face.

"I was thinking about whether I should make a few movies for fun someday," Song Dao said casually.

His thoughts had wandered just now, reminding him of many classic Mandarin and Cantonese films from his previous life. He could still barely remember their general plots.

"Give it up. Sure, good singers act, and good actors direct, but we should just stick to singing honestly. Don't think about making money beyond your understanding."

Yan Yu hugged the bucket of popcorn and carried the two bottles of water.

"Come on, come on... It's about to start!"

Her steps were light, and even her back radiated happiness.