The assistant looked up and met He Jinyun's smiling face. Struck by his good looks, her heart skipped a beat.
The next second, the assistant looked away, blushing.
Forget it, forget it. As long as her idol was happy!
He Jinyun was happy, and Ye Zexi, who was about to get paid, was even happier.
Ye Zexi had even started considering when to withdraw from the competition. Right now was definitely not the time—the money had not reached his hands yet. At the very least, he had to wait until he got paid before withdrawing.
While Ye Zexi was considering withdrawing, Gao Shu was discussing Ye Zexi's future career plans with Li Changjian.
Although it was Gao Shu's first time being an agent, these matters were nothing compared with company affairs. He handled them with ease.
But after only a few sentences, a staff member hurried over and whispered, "Director Li, something happened..."
Li Changjian's expression changed at once after hearing this. He stood and said to Ye Zexi, "Zexi, it's getting late. Go back and rest first. We still have filming tomorrow. Assistant Gao, please head back as well. We'll contact each other if anything comes up."
Gao Shu nodded without saying anything else.
Ye Zexi had not heard what the staff member said, but he was not interested in such matters anyway. He merely said to Li Changjian, "All right. Sorry for the trouble today, Uncle Li. You should finish up early and get some rest too."
Li Changjian's expression softened for a moment at those words. Smiling, he patted Ye Zexi's shoulder. "All right, I know. Hurry back."
With that, Li Changjian left first with the staff member.
Gao Shu gave Ye Zexi a rather satisfied look.
Their young master really had changed.
Would the old Ye Zexi ever have said something like that?
Gao Shu became increasingly satisfied with Ye Zexi, while also deciding that he would become their young master's most steadfast support. Setting up the studio could not be delayed any longer!
With that thought in mind, Gao Shu left as well.
Ye Zexi returned to the dormitory alone. It was not until the next day that he learned what had happened the previous night really was no small matter—
Tang Jing and Cui Yi had gotten into a fight.
Early in the morning, Yu Yan came to Ye Zexi's dorm room and told him about it.
The exact reason for their fight was unknown. Li Changjian had been furious over it and repeatedly warned the staff and contestants that anyone who spread word of it would not be able to survive in the industry in the future.
Li Changjian had extensive connections in the industry. Back in his early years, his films had won countless awards, and he had hosted several major China Central Television events. Naturally, his words carried weight, so the matter was suppressed.
The instant Ye Zexi heard about it, he could not sit still any longer and immediately prepared to find Li Changjian.
"Hey, hey, hey! Director Li was afraid you'd get angry, so he stressed again and again that we weren't allowed to tell you! If you go looking for him now, I'll be forced to withdraw from the competition today!" Yu Yan firmly blocked the doorway, refusing to let Ye Zexi leave.
Ye Zexi frowned and looked down at Yu Yan. "Then why did you tell me?"
Yu Yan's eyes widened at once, as though he had been caught red-handed. He became awkward all over and hesitated for a long while before finally mumbling in a low voice, "It's just... before, last Friday, didn't you..."
He did not finish, but Ye Zexi understood what he meant.
"How is Tang Jing?" After calming down, Ye Zexi changed the subject.
Yu Yan immediately said, "He came back in the middle of the night yesterday. He looked like he was fine."
"He wasn't hurt, was he?" Ye Zexi asked.
Yu Yan answered honestly, "I was too far away at the time, so I couldn't see clearly. Probably not?"
Ye Zexi did not see Tang Jing until shortly before filming began. When Yu Yan said he had not been hurt, he had actually been hurt a little.
Tang Jing had delicate features, so during filming he usually wore only light makeup, or none at all.
The moment he came out today, Ye Zexi noticed that his base makeup was unusually heavy, and the corner of his mouth was slightly scraped.
Ye Zexi could not help walking over. "Are you okay?"
A trace of surprise flashed through Tang Jing's eyes upon seeing Ye Zexi, but he quickly pursed his lips in a smile. "What could possibly be wrong?"
Ye Zexi frowned and said bluntly, "Really nothing? I know about last night."
Tang Jing was even more surprised. When he looked up, he met Yu Yan's peeking gaze from not far away and quickly understood.
He smiled helplessly. "Yu Yan actually dared to tell you. Director Li told the other contestants so many times that they couldn't let a second person find out."
Ye Zexi sat down beside him. "You didn't get the worst of it, right?"
Tang Jing nodded. "I threw the first punch. How could I possibly come off worse?"
Ye Zexi relaxed. "That's good. If you get into a fight next time, tell me beforehand."
Tang Jing laughed. "What? Are you planning to come help?"
Ye Zexi raised his brows and rolled his shoulders. "I can take on four at once."
Tang Jing did not take it seriously and merely laughed it off.
After a while, he suddenly spoke again. "Last night, I saw Mentor He looking for you to talk. What were you talking about?"
Ye Zexi already considered Tang Jing one of his own, so he did not hide it. "We discussed an advertising partnership."
Tang Jing's expression shifted slightly, but it quickly vanished. "I see. Mentor He thinks highly of you."
Hearing that, Ye Zexi was not happy. "I'd rather he didn't."
Tang Jing smiled. "Only you would say that. If anyone else were so highly regarded by Mentor He, they'd laugh themselves awake from a dream."
Ye Zexi sighed and slowly shook his head.
But Tang Jing's words did remind Ye Zexi of something he had overlooked for a long time—
According to the novel's plot, Tang Jing should have met He Jinyun on Era Idol.
Afterward, He Jinyun would invite him to act in a film. During filming, their feelings would deepen.
Once the film aired, Tang Jing would become an overnight sensation, and the two would naturally announce their relationship.
So why had He Jinyun already left, while Tang Jing still seemed unfamiliar with him?
Before Ye Zexi could figure it out, the two mentors entered. Walking with them was this episode's guest mentor—Yuan Ming.