“Are you still unable to reach him?” Jiang Zui’s manager, Xu Yan, asked with a stern face, looking at Xiao Lin, who was standing beside her, visibly anxious.
Xiao Lin nodded nervously and said, “I have sent Brother Jiang many messages and made several calls over the past few days, but he has not returned any of them. I do not know what to do.”
Xu Yan frowned and dialed the familiar number again. After less than a minute of waiting, the busy signal echoed through the phone. She sighed, hung up, and spoke with evident dissatisfaction.
“I recall he attended the Life and Death Appraisal celebration banquet, right? There has been no news since then?”
Xiao Lin nodded, looking uneasy. “What should we do if we cannot find Brother Jiang? The interview is about to start.”
Xu Yan hesitated for a moment, then gestured for Xiao Lin to leave. “Go handle other matters for now.” She then walked to the corner of the room and began calling Jiang Zui repeatedly.
After more than a dozen attempts, the phone finally stopped emitting the cold electronic tone. A man’s voice, thick with a faint nasal congestion, answered, “Hello?”
When Xu Yan heard Jiang Zui’s voice, her first instinct was to lash out. However, upon hearing his lifeless tone, her scolding got stuck in her throat.
“What is wrong with you? Have you been crying?” Xu Yan asked.
There was a moment of silence on the other end before a muffled reply came, “No.”
“I drank too much alcohol and developed a bit of gastroenteritis,” Jiang Zui said softly.
“That still does not excuse you from ignoring your phone,” Xu Yan complained. “You have no idea how worried Xiao Lin was; she almost called the police.”
After a long pause, Jiang Zui finally whispered, “I am sorry.”
Xu Yan keenly sensed his low spirits. She walked a few steps toward a more open area outside. “Are you in a bad mood?”
“Did something happen? I heard about what occurred with Director Xu.” Xu Yan ran a hand through her hair. “Do not feel pressured by that. Director Xu came to see me afterward and even brought a gift. It is still in my office. Even if you cannot be lovers, you can still be friends. Relationships take time to build; it is not impossible.”
“Sister,” Jiang Zui interrupted her long lecture. “It is not because of Xizhe-ge. It is me. Never mind, I will adjust my state of mind.”
Xu Yan opened her mouth as if to say more, but eventually just said, “I understand.”
“There is an interview for Life and Death Appraisal tonight. It starts at eight; please be here around five. I have sent you the address.”
Jiang Zui acknowledged this and hung up.
He tossed the phone onto the bedside table and curled back under the covers. The curtains in the room were drawn tight, and the heavy duvet covered his head completely. Both his vision and the room were plunged into darkness.
It had been three days since he last saw Pei Youting.
In these three days, Jiang Zui did not know how he had survived. After the initial shock, he fell into a state of intense self-loathing. Every past moment replayed in his mind. His arrogance and self-satisfaction now served as daggers stabbing into his heart.
For the first two days, he suffered from insomnia. The memories of Jiang Haoming and Lin Yan arguing years ago played frequently before his eyes. He could hear a buzzing in his ears, and Lin Yan crying as she knocked over the books on Jiang Haoming’s shelf, screaming hysterically:
“Why did you do that? Why did you do this?”
Jiang Haoming stood there, devastated, wiping his face forcefully. He stepped forward as if to hold Lin Yan, saying, “Do not be like this. Listen to me, let me explain.”
Lin Yan shoved his hand away, her eyes bloodshot. “Explain?” She threw a stack of photos at Jiang Haoming’s face. The two people in the photos were shameful to behold. “What is there to explain?”
“How could you become like this?” Lin Yan screamed. “Get away! Do not touch me again!”
“You are disgusting!”
“Hah!” Jiang Zui gasped, clutching his chest. He felt as if he were dying; his fingernails dug into his skin, breaking it until blood seeped out.
By the third day, both his spirit and body were on the verge of collapse. He had to take sleeping pills. When Xu Yan called him, he had just fallen asleep. Jiang Zui wiped his face and climbed out of bed.
Xu Yan’s call served as a wake-up call. Avoiding reality was useless. Even if everything he had gained was not entirely pure, from this moment on, he could strive for success on his own terms.
He washed his face and showered, making himself look somewhat human, then drove to the location Xu Yan had sent. She was waiting at the entrance, and upon seeing his complexion, she was shocked.
Jiang Zui’s eyelids were swollen, his face as pale as chalk dust, and his lips were dry and peeling. He looked like a man who could keel over at any moment.
Xu Yan glared and patted him lightly. “Did you just crawl out of a coffin? How did you let yourself get into such a state? Your complexion is so terrible that no amount of powder can save it.”
Jiang Zui gave her a strained smile and sat down to let the makeup artist cover the dark circles under his eyes. The makeup artist, who had worked with him many times, whispered while applying lip balm, “Brother Jiang, why is your state so poor? Are you sick?”
“He has probably been ruined by someone.”
Before Jiang Zui could respond, an abrupt voice came from the side. It was Su Leyan, who looked refreshed and vibrant. “President Yu’s methods are quite hard to endure, aren’t they?”
President Yu referred to Yu Song and his cousin. It was strange. Pei Youting had taken Jiang Zui away from them that day and made a statement asserting his claim, putting the cousins in a dangerous position.
However, Pei Youting never took further action after that. They tried to probe Pei Youting’s intentions but found nothing. The cousins became arrogant, thinking Pei Youting had just been playing around and had already forgotten. Believing they had angered Jiang Zui, they were now spreading rumors everywhere.
Jiang Zui lowered his eyelashes and ignored him.
Su Leyan gritted his teeth and sneered. He suddenly reached out and pushed Jiang Zui’s chair, causing the back of it to hit the makeup artist’s ribs, making her flinch. “What are you doing?”
Jiang Zui helped the makeup artist aside and looked coldly at Su Leyan. “This is not your dressing room, Su Leyan. You should have some manners.”
Su Leyan was too lazy to keep up his act in front of Jiang Zui. He gave a cold snort, about to say something even more cruel, when a crew member knocked on the door. “Teacher Su, Teacher Jiang, it is time to head over.”
In front of others, Su Leyan quickly put on a gentle mask. “Okay, thank you. Teacher Jiang and I will be there shortly.”
He acted quite affectionate. Jiang Zui’s mouth twitched. He did not echo Su Leyan’s words, merely nodding to the staff member to show he understood.
Xu Xizhe had not expected huge box office numbers for Life and Death Appraisal, but surprisingly, many viewers contributed due to his reputation and the film’s stunning promotional materials. While it did not become a blockbuster, it generated significant buzz.
The highlights of the film rested largely on Jiang Zui. The beautiful, clear-eyed image of the fox spirit left a deep impression on many viewers, and the romance between the fox spirit and the prince moved the audience.
Observant viewers noticed that recently, Xu Xizhe and Jiang Zui’s collaborations had been frequent. The roles Xu Xizhe gave Jiang Zui were all charming and challenging, leading some to call Jiang Zui Xu Xizhe’s “muse.”
Consequently, many media outlets focused their attention on Jiang Zui. Su Leyan, the protagonist, was largely ignored, which naturally caused some dissatisfaction.
Su Leyan had a certain level of fame before this film—not quite A-list, but competitive as a rising star. Seeing his own role overshadowed by a supporting actor caused his fans to harbor resentment toward Jiang Zui.
The interview team naturally noticed the trend on the internet, so they asked pointed questions. After the host followed the script for the initial segment, she suddenly asked, “I wonder if Teacher Jiang has seen it? Everyone is saying you are Director Xu’s muse now.”
Jiang Zui smiled slightly. “I am very grateful for Director Xu’s promotion. It is an honor to work with him, but ‘muse’ is too much.”
This answer was airtight. The host intended to tease a bit and move on, but Su Leyan, who had been sitting there like a vase, suddenly spoke up. “Teacher Jiang is too modest, isn’t he? Director Xu really takes great care of Teacher Jiang; we have all witnessed it.”
The host’s eyes lit up, and she pressed further. “What kind of ‘care’ are we talking about? Everyone is very curious.”
Su Leyan laughed. “Of course. Director Xu would personally come down to teach and act out scenes for Teacher Jiang. When I first joined the set, I did not know what role I had. Seeing how serious Director Xu was, I thought Teacher Jiang was the lead.”
What a bitter, tea-like remark. Everyone present understood the implication. Jiang Zui smiled without warmth. “Teacher Su, you exaggerate.”
The atmosphere became tense, but the host sensed a hit story. She continued, “Rumors say Director Xu and Teacher Jiang are very close in private. Is that really true?”
“Of course. Teacher Jiang is the production team’s darling,” Su Leyan said. “No one dares to make him angry.”
He used a joking tone to say something profound, making it difficult not to speculate.
Jiang Zui’s expression was already quite ugly.
The host laughed. “Wow, it looks like the two teachers have a great relationship, quite different from the rumors.”
Su Leyan raised an eyebrow. “Rumors are baseless.” He smiled and suddenly moved closer to Jiang Zui, taking his arm. “Our relationship has always been very harmonious.”
Suddenly being in physical contact with someone he found unpleasant made Jiang Zui feel repulsed. He subconsciously tried to pull away, but Su Leyan whispered in his ear while the host interviewed someone else: “You should restrain your high-and-mighty attitude.”
“Do you know you have infuriated Yu Song and his cousin? Without Pei Youting to protect you, just wait for your reputation to be ruined.”
“I still have the video of President Yu feeding you that drink in my inbox, Jiang Zui. Do you want to see it? Do not worry, you will see it very soon.”
Drink, video. In a flash of lightning, he recalled that night. When he drank the spiked beverage, Yu Song had been holding his phone to film his face the entire time.
Jiang Zui felt as if a basin of cold water had been poured over him. A massive panic engulfed his entire being, causing him to forget his surroundings.
“What video? What are you talking about?” Jiang Zui shoved Su Leyan’s hand away. His limbs turned cold, his heart racing.
He could have ignored the previous remarks, but the video Su Leyan mentioned… if what he said was true, then everything was finished.
However, Su Leyan suddenly put on an expression of shock and fear, as if he had been terrified by Jiang Zui’s reaction. “Teacher Jiang, what is wrong with you? I…” He lowered his head, looking pitiful. “I am sorry, I thought…”
Jiang Zui’s heart dropped. He then noticed the various gazes fixed upon him. He turned to look and was met with shocked stares, and the dark lens of a camera opposite him.
He caught the triumphant smirk on Su Leyan’s face in the shadows.
From this moment on, Jiang Zui plunged into an abyss.