Chapter 573: Regrets of Time, Helplessness of Reality

The night was deep, and the lights on both sides of Weigang were as bright as the Milky Way.

The bustling crowd flowed past them like flowing light and shadow, and the noise around them seemed to be isolated.

Tang Song's fingers gently brushed the back of her warm neck, feeling the breath between Shen Yu's lips, and examining this familiar yet strange face.

His hand couldn't help but exert a little force, accompanied by Shen Yu's low "hum," her pearly teeth opening slightly.

A strange heartbeat, mixed with conquest and palpitation, exploded slowly in his mind.

Immediately after, their lips parted.

Shen Yu stepped back half a step lightly.

She didn't look at Tang Song immediately, just turned her face away, and let out a light laugh carrying a trace of self-deprecation.

Then she lowered her head to tidy up her hair blown messy by the wind, and casually pulled her shirt forward to cover the snow-white of her chest.

After a moment, she acted as if nothing had happened, saying in a relaxed tone: "Well, this is my first kiss, just like that won away by you. But well, I admit defeat, I, Shen Yu, accept it."

Tang Song looked at her, his mouth lifting, "You're quite good at following the rules."

Shen Yu's eyes didn't dodge, "Of course, we agreed on one kiss, then it's one kiss, not a single bit more."

"Is that so?"

"Mm-hmm." Shen Yu stood on tiptoe, whispering: "By the way, let's agree first, our 'bet' tonight,

absolutely cannot be told to Qingqing."

Her tone was like intimate teasing, and also like drawing a boundary.

Combined with those peach blossom eyes that looked exceptionally alluring at this moment, it was simply the ultimate tug-of-war.

Their gazes intertwined in the moist air for a moment, Tang Song's Adam's apple rolled, "Okay, listen to you."

In his heart, he silently protested for his coser girlfriend.

School Beauty Shen, oh School Beauty Shen! This is your best friend of more than ten years!

To think you'd use her as a wingman just like that!

Wait until I teach you a lesson later!

Shen Yu chuckled, winked at him playfully, and suddenly turned around, walking forward.

"We haven't been to the Avenue of Stars yet, we have to take more photos later, otherwise it's a wasted trip."

She didn't look back, just waved her hand with her back to him.

Tang Song stood in place, looking at her slender back, disappearing into the crowd in the flickering light.

In that instant, he seemed to see the chance encounters on the university campus.

It was the brushing past her when she was chatting and laughing with classmates on the forest path;

It was the stunning glance when she turned her head while holding a tray in the noisy cafeteria;

It was the heart-pounding heartbeat when walking towards each other in the empty corridor of the quiet teaching building.

Although he had obtained many memory fragments he had once lost, for Tang Song, his university days still had many pasts worth savoring repeatedly.

Youth, really only happens once.

In those days, a group of classmates of similar age surrounded him, chatting about games, commenting on school beauties, arguing about TV dramas—

Everyone carried a vigorous vitality, full of infinite expectations for the future, and the purest longing for the opposite sex.

Whether it was the high-spirited school beauty Shen Yu, or the cute and adorable coser Xu Qing, they were all a part of it.

Rosewood Hotel, LVMH Asia Pacific Elite Gathering scene.

Inside the banquet hall, the ceiling lights were soft and brilliant, and limited-edition art pieces from the LVMH collection hung on the walls.

Minimalist French lines and champagne gold tones intertwined, presenting a low-key luxurious atmosphere.

The amber liquid in the high-footed glasses had delicate bubbles, rising slowly.

On the long table, cold appetizers custom-made by Michelin three-star chefs were displayed.

Lin Mu held a wine glass, her makeup exquisite, her red lips cold and gorgeous.

She wore a Louis Vuitton haute couture backless evening gown, with shimmering sequins dotted on her chest, light flickering as she walked.

"Clink~~"

The high-footed glasses collided lightly, the sound crisp and pleasant.

"Ms. Lin, I have heard of Rongliu Capital for a long time, and I have heard that your company's layout in the technology and consumer sectors in recent years is very forward-looking. An executive like you who possesses both a financial background and aesthetic vision is truly rare." LVMH Asia Pacific President Mason was full of smiles, his tone sincere and polite.

Lin Mu wore a proper smile, her tone soft: "You flatter me, LVMH not only represents the top level of luxury goods, but is also a leader in contemporary lifestyle and cultural taste. Being able to communicate with everyone here tonight is very beneficial."

Based on her in-depth understanding of luxury goods, as well as the fashion circle knowledge she had crammed.

Lin Mu's performance was at ease and handled it freely.

When she intentionally or unintentionally revealed her interest in the brand advisory group, Mason immediately invited her to join.

Lin Mu smiled lightly, clinking glasses with him in a relaxed manner, "If there is an opportunity for cooperation, I would naturally be very happy to participate."

"Okay, we'll contact after the meeting."

Mason nodded, the two exchanged pleasantries for a moment, and swapped contact information.

The atmosphere was just right.

As soon as Mason left, several other attendees took the initiative to surround her, handing over business cards, their tone enthusiastic.

Lin Mu looked up slightly, inevitably feeling a bit carried away in her heart.

At the same time, her heart also had many inexplicable emotions.

This place was not the kind of flashy "vanity fair" she had imagined.

No one showed off luxury watches, and almost no one talked about entertainment gossip.

Including Bei Yuwei and other stars from Xiangjiang and the mainland, they were just foils here.

Her outfit tonight was carefully prepared according to the standards of stars and socialites, and initially didn't attract much attention.

It wasn't until the identity of "Rongliu Capital Chief Assistant" was revealed that a real chemical reaction occurred.

Standing in the center of the banquet hall where lights intersected, she had the feeling of truly stepping into another world.

She also realized some of her past vanity.

10:00 PM.

A black and silver two-tone Bentley slowly drove out of the hotel entrance, the rear window rose, and it merged into the endless neon traffic. Lin Mu sat in the back seat, adjusting her skirt elegantly, rubbing her ankles that were faintly sore.

Bei Yuwei beside her, while lowering her head to reply to messages, suddenly looked up at her, her tone soft: "Mu, I plan to post a few photos of tonight's event on Weibo, you're in them, you don't mind, right?"

Lin Mu was slightly stunned, her originally somewhat tired body straightened subconsciously.

"Of course I don't mind."

"Then I'll have my assistant post it."

"Hmm." Lin Mu nodded lightly, responding reservedly, but a blush that was hard to suppress quietly appeared on her cheeks.

In fact, for this kind of opportunity to appear in the public eye, side-by-side with stars and celebrities, she had absolutely no resistance deep in her heart.

After a moment, she finally couldn't help it, unlocked her phone nonchalantly, clicked on Weibo, and refreshed the page quietly.

In the photos, she was surrounded by several stars and artists from Tang Zong Entertainment, smiling properly, her expression confident, looking exactly like the heroine surrounded by starlight.

In the comment section below, many people were also discussing her, guessing which star she was.

Lin Mu licked her somewhat dry lips lightly, subconsciously adjusting her sitting posture on the leather seat, twisting her waist and hips.

A sense of satisfaction and vanity that was hard to describe wrapped around her like warm spring water, making her body and mind feel extremely comfortable at this moment.

Bei Yuwei's gaze flickered beside her.

Opening WeChat, she reported the interaction with Lin Mu tonight, as well as the Weibo posting effect, to Mo Xiang Wan in a concise manner.

After sending, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Tang Song's figure couldn't help but appear in her mind, and she still had lingering fears to this day.

Five days ago, in that empty office, Su Yu's cold eyes, without a trace of temperature, looked down at her, calmly asking about the relationship between her and Tang Song.

That invisible yet powerful oppression and queen aura made Bei Yuwei's psychological defense collapse in an instant,

trembling, she confessed everything one by one.

It was precisely because of this that she confirmed from the side the extraordinary, inseparable relationship between Su Yu and Tang Song.

This realization scared her so much that she hadn't been able to fully recover to this day.

These past few days, even though she clearly knew that Tang Song was staying at the same Four Seasons Hotel, she didn't dare to sneak a look at him, let alone take the initiative to contact him.

And then, she was directly arranged to Xiangjiang by Mo Xiang Wan, the only task being to be responsible for contacting Lin Mu and getting on good terms with her at all costs.

And according to instructions, "spread" the photos of her and Tang Zong Entertainment personnel on the internet.

She didn't know what the real reason behind this was, and didn't dare to ask one more word.

Outside the window was the Xiangjiang night scene, neon lights reflected on the Bentley glass, casting layers of light and shadow on half of her face, looking both cold and charming.

Bei Yuwei sighed deeply, Tang Song's figure appearing in her mind involuntarily.

She never expected.

That man who made her heart beat, that Tang Song who made her experience the taste of love for the first time, was actually Su Yu's man.

Although her feelings for Tang Song weren't pure, after several contacts, she truly fell for him.

That feeling, perhaps it could also be called love.

And, it was her first love.

But with this relationship like a natural chasm of Su Yu standing in the middle, she naturally didn't dare to have any extravagant thoughts.

Every time she thought of this, her heart felt like it was being gripped by something, and even breathing became difficult.

Bei Yuwei bit her lip hard, looking out the window in a daze, deep loneliness surging in the bottom of her eyes.

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

The vibration of the phone in her hand interrupted her thoughts.

Bei Yuwei glanced at the screen, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly clicked on the message.

【Mo Zong: "Done very well, continue to maintain a good relationship with Mu, and deepen private contact."】

Glancing at Lin Mu beside her, she quickly typed and replied: "Okay, Mo Zong!"

【Mo Zong: "I have already notified your agent. Next, you will get the domestic spokesperson contract for Bvlgari,

as well as a film contract for an S-level movie heroine."】

Seeing this message, Bei Yuwei's heart jumped violently, but she didn't feel the wild joy she had imagined.

These were indeed the top resources she had always dreamed of, but the deep-seated low mood just now didn't dissipate much because of this.

That emotion was even more intense than she had imagined.

"Buzz buzz buzz—" the phone vibrated again.

【Mo Zong: "In addition, from now on, there will be no unspoken rules in the company that will touch you, and all resources and conditions will be tilted towards you. Also, one last reminder, from now on when filming, there cannot be any intimate scenes, especially pay attention to private contact with men. Of course, except for Tang Song. Yuwei, I won't say much about some things, you should also know the weight and possible consequences behind this, don't let me down."】

Seeing this message, Bei Yuwei's eyes widened instantly, only feeling her mouth dry and her heart feeling like it was about to jump out of her chest, beating wildly.

The brain that was occupied by disappointment and despair a second ago was completely detonated by an unbelievable, huge joy at this moment!

Her emotional intelligence was extremely high, and she understood the rules of the circle very well.

She almost instantly understood the real, astonishing subtext behind Mo Xiang Wan's words.

This meant that the company tacitly approved, or could even be said to encourage, the relationship between her and Tang Song!

"Are you okay? Yuwei." Lin Mu turned slightly, looking at Bei Yuwei who was trembling, and asked with concern.

Bei Yuwei raised her head suddenly, her face full of excited blush.

"It's okay, it's okay!" Her voice carried an uncontrollable tremor, "I, I just received a notice from the company, I got, I got the heroine for that movie I've been dreaming of!"

Hearing this, Lin Mu's face immediately bloomed with a sincere smile: "Really? Congratulations! I just said, you are so beautiful and have such good acting skills, you will become a first-line superstar sooner or later. When that time comes, don't forget me, your friend."

"Naturally not!" Bei Yuwei looked at Lin Mu beside her, couldn't help but step forward and hug her hard, excitedly kissing her on the cheek, "Thank you Mu, I'm so happy!"

For her, two short messages directly changed her life.

Four Seasons Hotel.

"Ding—" the elevator stopped on the 41st floor, the lights quiet and soft.

Shen Yu looked at Tang Song beside her, waving her hand hard, "Tang Song, I'm going back."

"Bye, rest early."

Seeing Tang Song still in that unhurried manner, Shen Yu bit her lip and took the initiative to step forward and hug him.

Her body leaned slightly, the full curves of her C+ cup pressing against his arm, her movements intimate but grasped just right.

"Had a great time tonight, thank you." Her tone was low and soft, the tail sound carrying a slight tremor, "Good night."

The elevator door closed slowly, Tang Song's figure gradually disappeared.

Shen Yu took her handbag and walked back to the suite lightly, her footsteps falling onto the thick and soft carpet.

"Click." The door closed.

"Hoo—" Shen Yu let out a long breath.

The corners of her mouth lifted, humming a light tune, taking off her high heels and changing into soft slippers.

Tonight was a perfect achievement of her expectations.

She could feel that the look in Tang Song's eyes when he looked at her carried intense emotion.

He was moved.

The tug-of-war between men and women was truly wonderful.

Recalling the scenes of the night, especially his kisses and sucking.

Shen Yu trembled involuntarily, her legs quietly clamped together.

She had to take a shower and change clothes as soon as possible.

Walking into the living room, her footsteps paused.

On the sofa, a figure sat quietly. Lin Mu wore a high-end custom evening gown, her makeup exquisite, her face beautiful, her long, moist legs crossed, her eyes carrying thick irony and coldness.

Their gazes met.

Shen Yu greeted with a smile, "Hello, Luna, when did you get back?"

Lin Mu narrowed her eyes, saying indifferently: "Looks like, had a great time playing with Mr. Tang?"

Shen Yu walked over, casually gathering her scattered long hair, and said lazily: "Not bad, the night view of Weigang is very romantic. Tang Song—well, also very sweet."

Lin Mu's mouth twitched, slowly stood up, stepped on eight-centimeter high heels, and looked down at Shen Yu from above, "Our Shirley really doesn't let go of any opportunity. I thought you would be more enterprising and follow him upstairs directly..."

"Hehe," Shen Yu laughed out loud, "Isn't that something you're better at, Luna? Or are you saying you don't plan to go up tonight? Want to spend a wonderful night with me?"

The air suddenly became a bit colder.

Lin Mu leaned down slowly, her red lips almost sticking to Shen Yu's cheek, her voice aggressive, "Dream. On."

Shen Yu's chest rose and fell slightly, but she still maintained her smile, "Luna is really dedicated, not forgetting to help the boss 'relax' even when on a business trip."

"Likewise." Lin Mu's mouth hooked slightly, leaning into her ear and saying: "By the way, don't put your phone on silent at night,

in case Mr. Tang needs some special supplies, for the sake of confidentiality, his 'special assistant' will have to run errands, right?"

After saying this, she patted Shen Yu's shoulder not too lightly, and turned to leave.

Her long skirt trailed on the floor, her waist thin and hips round, her gait alluring.

"Bang—" the door was closed heavily, the lamp shadows trembling.

The smile on Shen Yu's face instantly froze, "!"

October 29, 2023, Sunday.

Autumn in Yangcheng is not as distinct as in the north, but there was already a trace of coolness in the morning breeze.

Li Wan District, Lanxinyuan Residential Area.

This is an old-fashioned multi-story residential area built in the 90s, with extremely lush trees around it.

Although the environment is old, the maintenance is acceptable.

"Morning, Aunt Wang."

"Oh my, went to buy groceries so early?" Aunt Wang asked with a smile: "What good things did you buy today?"

"Bought some Chinese kale and tofu." Zhang Yan raised the bag a bit, "Also bought chicken breast for Orange."

"You, treating that cat better than yourself." Aunt Wang shook her head and smiled, "It's almost fat into a ball!"

Zhang Yan smiled somewhat embarrassedly, lowered her head, didn't say anything more, carried the bag, and turned to walk into the stairwell.

She lived on the top floor, the 6th floor, without an elevator, every time she went up and down, she would spend more effort.

Pushing open the door, a 40-square-meter studio was her entire world.

There was almost no decoration to speak of, the wall skin was slightly yellowed, the floor was covered with cheap floor leather, and the furniture also carried the simple and clumsy atmosphere of the previous era.

In the living room, besides an old sofa and coffee table, a small office area was squeezed into the corner, with a computer and a few books occupying the desktop.

The only advantage was that the rent was cheap.

A ten-minute walk from Fangcun Subway Station, the monthly rent was one thousand, in this first-tier city, it was already a rare place to catch one's breath.

"Meow—" a fat orange cat drilled out from under the sofa, rubbing against her trouser legs intimately.

"Making you a big meal right away." Zhang Yan put down the things, petting its head dotingly.

The wall in the kitchen was not clean, and the range hood was also quite old, it could be seen that she had tried hard to clean it, but the thick, old grime was clearly hard to deal with.

The spatula and iron pot collided with a crisp sound, the clear fragrance of Chinese kale and the bean fragrance of tofu blended in the oily smoke.

Before long, a plate of stir-fried Chinese kale with tofu and a freshly steamed bun were placed on the table.

Then, she carefully tore the boiled chicken breast into thin strips and put them into the cat bowl.

"Orange, dinner time."

The orange cat immediately jumped off the sofa, its four short legs kicking out a rapid drumbeat on the floor, diving headfirst into the bowl, eating without lifting its head.

Zhang Yan watched it eat with relish, couldn't help but show a silly smile, her heart full of satisfaction.

After finishing breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen, Zhang Yan sat at the desk and opened the computer.

The startup was slow, the operation was lagging, it was the compensation calculated for her by the bankrupt company that owed her three months of salary.

Orange jumped onto the desk lightly, curled into a ball and lay in front of her, accompanying her quietly.

Just back from a business trip, there were still a few manuscripts whose ideas needed to be carefully organized.

After more than half an hour.

"Ding ding—" the ringtone of a WeChat video call rang abruptly.

【Zhang Lu】

Zhang Yan answered quickly, "Lulu."

"Yan Yan! I just woke up, and saw an interview invitation on Boss Zhipin! You absolutely won't guess which company it is!" The voice on the other end of the phone was raised due to excitement.

"Which company is so amazing?"

"Xingyun International Group!"

Zhang Yan whispered in surprise: "Really?!"

"Absolutely true! Although it's just the Yangcheng branch, at least it's an interview opportunity! I'm going to go pray to the gods later, if I get lucky, I can also enter a big factory!" Lulu's voice was full of hidden longing.

The Shuocheng Technology they were in, had "technology" in its name, but did the traditional business of book publishing and marketing.

And the so-called marketing promotion was largely acting as a secondary agent for Xingyun International, earning some hard-earned money downstream. Every soft article they wrote, every plan they made, ultimately had to be delivered through Xingyun International's channels.

In their field, Xingyun International Group was the top of the pyramid, a big factory out of reach.

After chatting with Lulu for a long time, hanging up the phone, Zhang Yan stared at the screen in a daze for a while.

Sitting up straight again, moving the mouse.

On the computer screen, first appeared some recruitment information for Yangcheng.

Then appeared rental information for Yancheng.

Zhang Yan looked at it seriously, stopping from time to time to think about something.

Regarding things like resigning and looking for a job, she was actually already used to it.

It's just that now there was an extra cat named Orange, so there was an extra heavy concern in her heart for no reason.

She felt that she had also become a "parent," having to plan for the "child" first in everything.

Actually, thinking about it carefully, it was already very good now.

At least she could support herself, and could also raise a cat.

It was also better than when she just graduated, at that time she had student loans to repay, and could only live in a semi-basement in Tiantongyuan, damp and dark.

Compared to that time, this room that could be sunned was already heaven.

She lay on the table, her fingertips unconsciously twisting Orange's warm ears, what flashed before her eyes was the short and profound half-year time in the imperial capital.

Interning, becoming a full-time employee, working day and night in that training institution.

And, every morning at 8:10, the familiar yet strange figure in the sixth carriage of Subway Line 5.

It's just that, he ultimately didn't remember her.

Her thoughts drifted away, Zhang Yan's gaze finally landed on the 32 volumes of "Dragon Ball" on the bookshelf.

She took a deep breath with force.

Taking out letter paper printed with "Yancheng Agricultural University" from the drawer, and pulling out that carbon pen she was used to holding.

The pen tip hovered, fell.

Stroke by stroke, she wrote solemnly: "Hello, classmate—"

Just four words, but it seemed to have exhausted all her strength.

She stopped writing, buried her face deeply into her arms, her shoulders rising and falling slightly.

Regrets of time, helplessness of reality.

Orange, lying on the side, let out a low meow, and carefully pressed its furry head against her arm. ===== CHAPTER 574 =====

Orange, lying to the side, let out a low cry and carefully pressed her furry head against her arm.