Shi Liang followed Bai Yuan to meet with several business partners. Bai Yuan had a weak stomach, so Shi Liang helped him block quite a few drinks during the drinking sessions.
Recently, Shi Liang often found himself waking up with severe hangovers.
That day, the costume idol drama starring Shen Bingchen last year aired and was once again met with waves of public ridicule.
Shen Bingchen came over to Shi Liang’s house, and the two chatted until late into the night before falling asleep. The ringing of a mobile phone interrupted Shi Liang’s wonderful dream.
With sleepy eyes, Shi Liang picked up the phone, and an urgent voice came from the other end: “There is a problem with that piece of land.”
Shi Liang said, “Don’t panic. Tell me slowly.”
They originally had their eyes on a vacant plot of land, intending to build a recreational facility on it. After sending gifts and treating people to meals, the other side had already agreed to give them the land. However, just when the contract was about to be signed, the person in charge was directly transferred from that post to work in another city.
How truly shameless. Not only did they receive plenty of gifts and money, but they also agreed to the matter very readily, only to run away right at the final crucial step.
As for the person who recently took over that position, the moment he assumed office, he allocated that plot of land to someone else.
Shi Liang said, “Don’t worry for now. Let’s first check who he gave this land to.”
Bai Yuan hesitated for a moment and said, “Qi Wei!”
Shi Liang remained silent for a long time.
Bai Yuan said, “We spent a lot of money and time on this land. I don’t want to give it up to anyone, and I want to win this land back from Qi Wei.”
Shi Liang and Qi Wei had broken up not long ago, so naturally, the last thing he wanted was to cooperate with him. Bai Yuan’s subtext was asking what Shi Liang thought about the matter.
Naturally, Shi Liang would not let his personal affairs delay the progress of their work, so he agreed: “Alright, you can follow up on the subsequent steps.”
“Good, you can rest easy. Although this land is currently in Qi Wei’s hands and is a bit tricky, you can count on me.”
There are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Although Bai Yuan had objections to Qi Wei, or could even be said to have a grudge against him, as long as the stakes were high enough, a deal could always be struck.
With that, Shi Liang hung up the phone, put it down, and slowly walked over to the chair. With a vacant gaze, he looked out the window where dark clouds drifted and a fine, misty rain fell. The occasional gust of wind caused the branches outside to sway unceasingly.
What on earth is Qi Wei trying to do?
Shen Bingchen walked out of the bedroom and glanced at Shi Liang sitting there.
Shen Bingchen asked, “What is wrong with you? Why are you sitting there completely motionless?”
Shi Liang told Shen Bingchen the whole story from beginning to end: “Do you think it is just a coincidence that this plot of land happens to be in Qi Wei’s hands right now?”
After hearing this, Shen Bingchen said, “I do not think it is a coincidence. He is simply trying to win you back through this matter.”
Shi Liang looked at him in confusion. Actually, he himself could not figure out whether it was a coincidence or not. However, seeing Shen Bingchen be so certain only made him more perplexed.
He asked, “What do you mean? Why are you so certain?”
Shen Bingchen fell silent, not knowing how to begin. He walked over to the desk and poured a glass of water: “Except in television dramas, how can there be so many coincidences in real life?”
Shi Liang paused for two seconds: “Truth is stranger than fiction, but what if it is? Wouldn’t making assumptions just be making a fool of oneself?”
Shen Bingchen shook his head and said firmly, “I do not think there is any what if in this matter. He simply wants to win you back. Just wait and see, Bai Yuan will never be able to negotiate for this land. Only you can do it.”
Shen Bingchen looked at Shi Liang’s expression out of the corner of his eye and cautiously spoke up, “If worse comes to worst, you could just go back to Qi Wei’s side. I can see that he is quite sincere and persistent toward you this time.”
Shi Liang’s gaze landed on Shen Bingchen, looking him up and down: “How do you know that he is being very sincere and persistent toward me this time?”
Shen Bingchen stammered, “Well, just a feeling! A sixth sense!”
Shi Liang stepped closer and closer to Shen Bingchen, bringing a sense of oppression: “Is that so? Then why did you say in our WeChat group of three last time that you hoped I could let him go and start a new life? You even said you wanted to introduce a male idol you just met to me. Only a few days have passed, and your attitude has done a complete one-eighty, telling me to go back to his side.”
Shen Bingchen rubbed his nose and said, “Didn’t I think he was a scumbag back then? I felt he didn’t love you yet wouldn’t let you go, which is why I hoped you wouldn’t have any more entanglements with him. It’s just that today I suddenly found out he isn’t that bad after all, so I hope you can give him a chance. Bro, I am doing this entirely for your own happiness!”
With that, he patted Shi Liang on the shoulder: “Look at you, why are you still doubting my good intentions? Isn’t that hurtful?”
Shi Liang twitched the corner of his mouth and raised an eyebrow. Seeing how Shen Bingchen made it sound almost believable, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud: “If you really meant as well for me as you claim, what are you getting so nervous about right now? What are you feeling guilty about?”
Shen Bingchen raised his voice, still playing dumb: “When was I nervous?”
Shi Liang sighed: “Bro, although I don’t know much about acting, I do know a thing or two about psychology. Look at all these little nervous habits of yours. It’s not that I look down on you, but your acting skills are truly terrible!”
Shen Bingchen’s eyes darted left and right. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know how to start.
Looking at him, Shi Liang suddenly thought of something. Shen Bingchen’s acting was so terrible that even an outsider like him could tell at a glance. Who on earth could be blind enough to cast him as the male lead, and in a major production at that?
Shen Bingchen’s attitude toward Qi Wei had undergone a drastic transformation today, and inspiration struck Shi Liang: “Could the producer who hired you to act happen to be Qi Wei?”
Shen Bingchen glanced at him sharply, but quickly averted his gaze elsewhere.
Shi Liang exclaimed, “It really is him! Shen Bingchen, you profit-driven person, you sold me out just like that, didn’t you?”
Frightened, Shen Bingchen hurriedly explained, “I didn’t, I wouldn’t! That producer contacted me to act, and I originally just wanted to meet the person, but he was always busy. It was only after I signed the contract that I found out it was Qi Wei. The crucial thing was that I never dreamed I would ever breach a contract. It was like a pie falling from the sky, and I was afraid they might regret it, so I signed decisively without even looking at the penalty clause for breach of contract on the agreement. Later on, I found out that if I rescinded the contract, I would face a sky-high penalty fee.
After finding out the truth of the matter, I did go look for Qi Wei. He didn’t force me either, nor did he demand that I help set the two of you up. What he meant was that he hoped I could put in a good word for him in front of you, and in the end, whether you want to reconcile with him is entirely up to you. He won’t force you.
I saw that he was really sincere, so I hoped you would reconsider this relationship.”
Shi Liang did not say anything.
After Shen Bingchen left, Shi Liang sat alone for a long time.
Ever since coming here, his past memories had been getting increasingly vague. He no longer remembered what he used to do before. It seemed that the only things he remembered upon coming to this world were reading a novel at home and his own name: Shi Liang.
What did he use to do? He couldn’t even remember his parents’ names.
He even felt as though he was a person born right out of this two-dimensional world.
Now, he had even less idea how to handle his current situation. Ever since that time he was hospitalized, the system seemed to have crashed with a bug and had never appeared again.
How he was supposed to go back had also become completely hazy.
Should he continue following the plotline?
He had always felt that he did not belong to this world, so he remained detached from it, believing that once he finished walking through the plot, he could return.
He tapped on the system interface once more, but there was still no movement at all.
If he was destined not to go back, then he ought to plan his own future. These days of drifting along aimlessly without any goals left Shi Liang feeling empty and lost.
There was a sense of helplessness, feeling time slip quietly through his fingers without being able to catch it.
Since he could not go back, and since he was now inhabiting someone else’s body, that body and his own were inseparable. He was currently in the prime of his youth and could not afford to waste time.
Perhaps he really should do something.
Previously, facing the business with Bai Yuan, he completely didn’t care. Although both of them owned a fifty percent stake, he felt more like an outsider helping Bai Yuan out.
Now, he also began to take charge and plan his own career.
What should he do? Right now, his only business ventures were tied to Bai Yuan, and there was nothing else.
Even Shen Bingchen, apart from being an actor, had other projects on hand that required follow-up. But he had nothing.
When Shen Bingchen returned home, his aunt happened to be there as well.
The moment he saw his aunt, he got a headache because her emotional intelligence was truly low.
“Xiao Chen, people online are saying your acting skills are terrible. What is going on that you’re getting scolded so miserably? Can’t you usually practice and hone your acting skills?”
“I have been honing them, but progress is a gradual process. Trying to force growth by pulling on the seedlings is wrong.”
“A whole bunch of crooked logic. You just didn’t work hard enough.”
“Fine, if you say I worked hard, then I worked hard. If you say I didn’t work hard, then I didn’t work hard.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Bingchen’s father remarked, “Is that any way to talk to your elders?”
“Then I might as well just sing it back to you.”
Singing as he walked back to his room, Shen Bingchen chanted, “You say I worked hard, so I worked hard; you say I didn’t work hard, so I didn’t work hard.”
Watching his son’s antics, Shen Bingchen’s father couldn’t help complaining, “With someone like him, he has actually managed to stay in the entertainment industry for several years. How did he even survive with zero growth? Don’t bother arguing with him.”
Shen Bingchen’s aunt smiled and said nothing.