Chapter 104: Is There Any Use in Regretting It?

After this meeting, if they still dare to stir up trouble, then the solution can be cut off at the source.

When Jia left the conference room, she had her long-serving secretary bring her a coffee to wake her up. With the company’s most important crisis now defused, she could finally turn her attention to the rift between Lin Yu and Su Xiao-lin.

Su Xiao-lin answered the call quickly, and under Jia’s questioning, she recounted everything in full detail from beginning to end.

Just as expected, it was exactly as Jia had guessed: merely a matter of the unspoken understanding between manager and artist having yet to be properly established.

Could such a minor disagreement really drive Lin Yu to demand termination of his contract? It was hardly a grave matter. Then there was only one possibility: Lin Yu was hiding a secret, and it concerned the true reason he wanted out.

With a helpless press of her hand to her forehead, Jia said, “All right. For now, don’t bind him with the rules in the contract. Give him some freedom. I’ll speak with him myself. As for you, for the time being, apart from work, you don’t need to keep an eye on anything else.”

Su Xiao-lin always obeyed Jia without question. Since Jia still had matters to attend to, she gave her instructions and hung up.

At that moment, Lin Yu had already returned to the van. The driver, seeing that he was troubled, asked curiously what was wrong. Lin Yu was thinking about his future path and only then, belatedly, felt some regret over his impulsiveness just now.

He had not truly wanted to terminate the contract with the company. Jia’s company, Phoenix Entertainment, was one countless artists would fight tooth and nail to enter. More than that, the female CEO, Jia, had been so kind to him. He even felt like punching himself. How had his brain suddenly gone completely haywire?

Could it be that, for the sake of his ex-girlfriend, he was to lose everything once more?

Judging by Jia’s character as an indomitable, strong-willed woman, she must already have been enraged by what he said. She probably would not forgive his rudeness any time soon. If he really lost his job, the only money he could use to pay the penalty for breach of contract would be the copyright fee from O Music.

Once he handed over his savings, he would have almost nothing left. He had to think carefully about what came next. If it came to it, he could take a gamble and use the remaining money to open a shop. Bubble tea shops were not yet so numerous in this era; if he joined the rising chain that would later become a runaway hit, maybe he would have a chance to turn things around.

But that would go directly against the first dream he had after coming back to life.

Lin Yu thought as he made his way to the filming location. Most of the principal staff had already arrived. When they saw him come in, the ones at the dining table greeted him politely and with some formality.

In truth, Lin Yu had considered finding someone to confide in about the worries weighing on his heart, and he had also wanted to ask someone who had been in the industry for years what one should do after offending the boss.

But the truth was obvious: in this world, relationships in the circle were always only surface-deep. Especially since his boss was Jia. If anyone learned he had offended that young heiress of the entertainment world, who would still dare to deal with him?

Though frustrated, he could only force the gloom down into the depths of his heart, pretending nothing was wrong as he walked toward the others.

When Wu De saw Lin Yu approach with a weary expression, he thought the young man must not have gotten enough sleep. An artist who got up so early and diligently came to the set for filming was truly hard to come by.

Especially among today’s young heartthrobs, who among them did not put on airs? Throwing their weight around was the least of it. Some could not even be bothered to memorize their lines, simply counting through them from one to three; some went straight to stand-ins and were hardly ever seen on set at all.

So Wu De was a little surprised by Lin Yu’s professionalism. “So early?”

Lin Yu was about to reply modestly and think of a way to explain it without sounding like he was showing off, when he saw the young master Li Shicheng walking toward him.

The Li family’s business empire spread across many fields, with a focus on foreign trade. The family was vast and powerful, and this young heir had come into the industry to experience life while pursuing the woman he loved. It was said that before joining the circle, he had devoted considerable effort to learning acting under the guidance of a professional instructor.

He had originally thought the young master would be as cold and aloof as he had been at yesterday’s dinner, but to his surprise, Li Shicheng actually came over first to talk to Lin Yu.

Seeing this, Wu De moved aside so as not to disturb them. From afar, he watched as the two chatted about something. When their conversation ended, Wu De glanced at his watch: two minutes.

He guessed at what they might have discussed, but did not ask. Instead, he waved to signal that filming could begin.

The crew began busily preparing for the shoot. Wu De walked over to the two men, who were still close together, and asked, “Shall we start with your scene together, gentlemen?”

The two exchanged a look, as though in a brief conversation they had formed some tacit understanding no one else could grasp. Then they both nodded at once. Under Wu De’s arrangements, they went together to the makeup room to change costumes and have their makeup done.

Su Xiao-lin also returned to the set. Seeing Lin Yu and Li Shicheng entering and leaving the makeup room together, she seemed to have some questions, but did not voice them.

Wu De had originally wanted to ask her about certain matters. After all, Li Shicheng was related by blood to his boss the CEO, so she ought to know some of the secrets involved. But when he saw the two of them emerge, his curiosity, though still present, was pressed all the way to the bottom of his heart.

“Gentlemen, let me first go over today’s scene for you.”

“In this scene, the villain played by Li Shicheng realizes that he can join forces with Lin Yu, who was also abandoned by the heroine, and work together to sabotage the relationship between the male and female leads. He goes to discuss cooperation. Lin Yu weighs the pros and cons and ultimately refuses.”

“Li Shicheng becomes enraged and discovers that Lin Yu’s disability is only an act. The two of them quarrel, and in the end, they come to blows.”

Li Shicheng had trained before and had once won many championships at the national-team level. For him, fight scenes were no issue; he was professionally trained. What he worried about was injuring Lin Yu, this little newcomer. Who knew what sort of ability he really had?

“Yu, do you want me to find you a stand-in?”

At the words, Lin Yu smiled at Li Shicheng and replied politely, “No need to be so courteous. Although Teacher Li has represented the country and won many international combat awards, that does not mean I am incapable.”

His practice of Tai Chi had not gone on for very long, but the main martial forms were already firmly at his fingertips. In particular, he had long been committed to aerobic exercise to strengthen his body, so he was hardly afraid of a staged “bout” on set.

As for the harmful force of Tai Chi when met against the body, Lin Yu already had real combat experience from his clashes with those troublemakers. Granted, those gangsters together probably still would not add up to even one of Li Shicheng’s hands.

There was no reason to back down.

If Lin Yu had been this timid, he would already have starved to death in his previous life. In those days of eating one meal and not knowing whether there would be another, of being beaten down by society every day, his courage and temperament had already been tempered harder than steel.

Moreover, he truly wanted to test his Tai Chi forms against a martial arts champion and see whether foreign combat methods were stronger, or whether the inherited forms of his own country were more formidable.

“Teacher Li, then please do not hold back.”

Just as Li Shicheng was about to nod, their conversation was interrupted by the martial arts coordinator. “Pardon the interruption, gentlemen. From here on, I will be providing the martial choreography for your scene.”

Li Shicheng paid the instructor no mind at all. Instead, he kept his eyes on Lin Yu, a faint smile curving his lips. “I thought you were joking when you said just now that you knew Tai Chi.”