Chapter 1669
Embrace
Not long after, Qian Ge, who had come out of the restaurant to smoke, saw Zhang Yuan sitting on the threshold of the courtyard.
"Hey bro, what's wrong?"
"Come, come, sit down."
Zhang Yuan moved his body to the side and patted the dust off the threshold with his palm.
Brother Qian sat down casually and even offered him a cigarette.
The two of them just kept smoking, not in a hurry to speak.
This is the tacit understanding between men.
After puffing away on a cigarette and getting tired of looking at the moon, Zhang Yuan finally opened his mouth.
"Brother Qian, I always thought that the more money and success you have, the happier you will be."
"But now that I've experienced so much, after all these years, I don't feel that way anymore."
"Although I'm handsome, successful in the entertainment industry, rich, and have many fans..."
Brother Qian glanced at him sideways.
Are you looking for trouble, kid?
Showing off in front of me?
“But I’m not happy,” he said quietly.
"What does this have to do with Cheng Hao?" Brother Qian gestured towards the door with his lips.
"Not entirely, but there is a connection."
"Lately, I've been feeling like I'm not up to the task." He stubbed out his cigarette.
The more you try to control everything, the more overwhelmed you become.
There's always this feeling that the harder I try, the more painful it becomes.
Brother Qian patted him on the shoulder.
"It's normal to feel less energetic as you get older."
"Especially someone like you who was quite reckless when you were young."
Zhang Yuan: ...
Looking at Brother Qian, who was speaking earnestly, he had a lot of "MMP" (a vulgar expression) he wanted to say.
"If this makes you unhappy with Cheng Hao."
"I don't think it's a big problem."
"She's not the type to look down on you; as long as you work well together, everything will be fine."
"If you can't get better, go see a doctor."
"If you're too embarrassed to admit you're a celebrity, I have some medicine with me, I'll bring it to you next time."
Faced with the sincere Qian Ge, Zhang Yuan was at a loss for words.
He paused for a moment before speaking.
"What I meant by feeling powerless is not this aspect."
"I'm quite comfortable with this, so I don't need to worry."
"I'm actually quite curious, why do you have medicine at home?"
As expected of Brother Qian, he didn't hesitate at all and immediately replied.
"They were all gifts from Degang before."
"Oh." Zhang Yuan nodded and said no more.
But I think I know something...
Zhang Yuan knew perfectly well that it couldn't have been given to him by Teacher Guo.
Contrary to popular belief, they were a perfect duo on stage, working seamlessly together.
Guo and Yu, who were in the audience, actually rarely get together.
It's not that we don't have each other, nor that we're not close; it's just that we can't get along.
The same goes for Yue Yunpeng and Sun Pangzi; their tickets are selling like hotcakes right now.
The song "The Song of the Fifth Ring Road" has captivated all crosstalk audiences, leading to a brand-new way for traditional Chinese performing arts to break out of their niche.
Nowadays, without the support of Guo Degang and Yu Zheng, the only crosstalk troupe that can fill venues of several thousand people and make money every time they perform commercially is Yue Yunpeng and Sun Pangzi.
It is very successful in business.
However, these two rarely eat together or go out alone in private.
Work is work; who spends all their time playing around with colleagues?
Seeing each other every day at work, and even after get off work, isn't it getting tiresome?
"The pressure is immense."
"The company is preparing for an IPO, and there are a lot of things I need to handle."
"Personal emotional issues also need to be addressed."
"I just feel like I don't have enough energy and time."
"So you're really struggling," Brother Qian nodded.
"Listen to me, brother."
"Life should be lived to the fullest; you can't live it alone."
“You need someone to help you. Look at your sister-in-law, she takes care of everything at home.”
"I'll just take care of the work outside."
"Also, people need to have hobbies."
"I just play around. I play anything when I have nothing to do, as long as I'm happy."
Zhang Yuan glanced at him, and he was happy.
With support from family, he had plenty of time to play and socialize, and his family paid very little attention to him.
But all of this is predicated on the premise that Brother Qian can make money.
If someone doesn't make money but spends all their time eating and drinking, and goes out wandering around with a birdcage, then they're just a vagrant.
So the key is whether or not you can make money.
Zhang Yuan figured out this logic.
This is a prerequisite; without it, nothing else applies.
I'm thinking I need to focus my main energy on work, and as for other things... I'll put them aside and let nature take its course.
But having learned his lesson, he picked up his phone and called Yang Mi first.
"I always feel that the closet in my bedroom smells bad."
"I'm planning to renovate."
"You can take your clothes, or I can pack them up for you and find a room to put them in first."
She was filming "Tiny Times" at the time, so she didn't think much of it when she heard this.
"Ah... let's move to the other side."
"I'll come over when you're done."
Actually, she's very busy and doesn't have time to come at all.
You could just let her take the things away; she definitely wouldn't be happy about that.
I need to find an excuse.
I'd rather spend tens of thousands to renovate; it saves me a lot of trouble.
"How's the filming going?"
"It's alright. Why don't you come and see for yourself, and see me while you're at it?" Yang Mi invited.
“I said I wouldn’t go, and I won’t go. That’s a matter of principle.”
“You’re so awkward,” she complained.
He put down his phone and sighed.
Why is everyone dissatisfied with me?
Outsiders were fine with it, but the woman's dissatisfaction with him affected his self-confidence.
After seeing off Brother Qian and his family, he moved a deck chair to the yard and sat there doing nothing.
She was still thinking about how to handle Cheng Hao's situation.
Will we have to awkwardly run into each other at school again?
It's really upsetting; it's affecting my studies.
Moreover, they live in constant fear and have to figure out how to deal with it.
He didn't go to school for several days, which was just enough time for him to cool off.
After dealing with a bunch of official business at the company, I'm still figuring out how to handle it.
Fortunately, someone came to help lighten his burden.
"Hello?" He picked up his ringing phone and glanced at the incoming call.
Then he rubbed his forehead.
Lazy Sheep took the initiative to call him.
I've been so busy these days I've forgotten.
In addition, he was already somewhat reluctant to face it.
Even he, when faced with difficult situations, instinctively wants to escape.
"I've been too busy these past few days and forgot to call you."
"Of course, this is not an excuse."
"Don't say these things." Her tone was no longer angry or aggrieved; it was quite calm.
"The film crew has a day off tomorrow, do you have time?" she proactively offered.
"Of course I do. What are your thoughts? Going out to play or staying home to rest?" Zhang Yuan immediately sat up straight.
"Your film crew should be in Hengdian, right?"
"Should I come find you?"
"No need, I'm taking a flight back to Beijing tonight. See you tomorrow."
"Okay, see you at your place."
He woke up early the next morning and had the housekeeper prepare a bunch of high-end ingredients before leaving the house a little later.
"Oh, you're already up?"
I arrived at her villa around 9 a.m., intending to prepare some ingredients before she got up.
Unexpectedly, when the door opened, Little Dragon Girl was sitting on the living room sofa reading a book.
"I didn't sleep in."
"I'm used to waking up early on set, so even when I'm resting, I wake up very early." She closed the book and put it aside.
She straightened her white dress and slowly walked to his side.
Upon seeing this, Zhang Yuan put down the insulated box he was holding.
a little nervous.
Because the other party not only called him first, but also invited him to come.
He didn't know if it was a trap or a banquet.
Are you going to confront me to my face?
It shouldn't be that bad; she has a very good temper.
That is, when I haven't provoked her...
He was still figuring out how to phrase it.
I planned to pretend to be very busy while preparing the ingredients to gain some sympathy.
Just like many women cook a big meal for men, it's the same old routine.
Unexpectedly, after the other person stopped in front of him, they pursed their lips and revealed an awkward smile that was hard to tell whether they were happy or sad, and then spread their arms.
Zhang Yuan quickly stepped forward and hugged her. She hugged Zhang Yuan tightly in return and rested her chin on his shoulder.
Just like a few days ago when I stood silently with Brother Qian on the threshold, smoking quietly.
They remained silent, embracing each other quietly for an unknown period of time.
Are you feeling better?
After a long while, Zhang Yuan whispered in her ear.
"Mmm," she replied with only a nasal sound.
"Regarding the Wu Xiubo incident..."
"I know."
Before he could finish speaking, Sisi interrupted him.
"You're trying to solve the problem, but you're doing it the wrong way."
"Me too, I tried to tell you my dissatisfaction, but my approach was wrong."
“We both made mistakes, didn’t we?” She nuzzled his cheek.
Then they gently separated and he took a step back.
"I want to take back what I said." She looked at Zhang Yuan with unusual seriousness and intense gaze.
Which sentence?
"I said I didn't want to talk to you anymore, that's all."
"I'd long forgotten about it, and I never really took it seriously," Zhang Yuan said honestly.
He's not a teenage boy who can just ignore you like that.
He can still tell whether something was said in anger or not.
“I know you’re not that petty, but I still have to say it.”
She took his hand and led him to sit down on the sofa.
"You must be very busy lately. After we had a fight, were you feeling quite upset?" She regained her usual cheerful smile.
Zhang Yuan understood somewhat; that awkward smile from earlier must have been from embarrassment.
She has a generous and straightforward personality, and the confidence she gains from her parents' family background allows her to express her own thoughts.
Zhang Yuan felt that her directness was her advantage, better than most women's coyness.
"I've been busy, and of course, I've been even busier lately."
“Going public has brought me a lot of pressure.”
"This is a major life event, so the pressure must be immense." She nodded.
"So I rushed back today during my break to apologize to you." She clearly stated the fact that Zhang Yuan had already guessed.
"I'm always having a lot of troubles, but I can't blame you for it."
"And I did handle this matter poorly, and I have reflected on it."
"At least we can't force people to drink," Zhang Yuan replied frankly.
Next time I'll just beat them up...
"There's also Chao's matter. He has ideals and aspirations and wants to be his own director and producer, so he approached me for a collaboration."
“I took advantage of this to get him to help me keep an eye on things, which was not a good thing to do.”
"I didn't consider your relationship with him."
"It made him very embarrassed."
“He’s already asked me to speak with him privately.” Little Dragon Girl smiled relaxedly. “We’ve already talked things out.”
"I also said a few curses about you behind your back."
“Right…” Zhang Yuan and she laughed heartily together.
At the same time, he mentally made a note of Deng's actions.
Recorded!
“But I still have to say, you’re too controlling.” She became slightly more serious.
"Work and life are two different things."
"You can't confuse the two."
"Your desire for control is a good thing in your career, but not in your relationships."
“I just want to protect you in my own way,” Zhang Yuan said frankly.
Having learned from his previous conversation with Cheng Hao, he found that honest communication was effective.
"I know, that's why I came to find you."
"I've been so worried that I haven't slept well for several nights, and I've even broken out in pimples on my scalp."
She pouted and ruffled her hair a few times.
"How about I wash your hair and give you a massage?"
"Okay!"
The two held hands and went upstairs to their bedroom.
Not only did I wash my hair, but I washed everything that needed to be washed.
It also washed away the estrangement that had just arisen between the two.
Before long, Zhang Yuan was busy at the kitchen island, while she hummed a little tune happily, occasionally reaching out to steal a shrimp or something and stuffing it into her mouth.
Zhang Yuan smiled and looked at her.
People really do have different personalities.
If she were in Cheng Hao's position, she probably wouldn't have gone so long without contacting each other after what happened back then.
They should be able to reach a conclusion with themselves soon, whether it's good or bad.
As for Cheng Hao...
She's more like an ordinary, traditional woman who keeps things to herself and is unwilling to express them.
Your phone is ringing.
Lazy Sheep hopped and skipped over with his phone.
"My hands are wet, can you take it for me?"
You have privacy.
"It's okay." He held the other person between his shoulder and head as they walked away.
"Zeng Jia?"
"What's the matter?"
"Is the boss busy?" the agent asked.
"I have something to tell you."
The other party would never have imagined that the boss, who usually made them nervous just by looking at him at the company, was now cutting onions while shedding tears.
“You used to take classes at the Central Academy of Drama.”
"The photo of me riding a bicycle wasn't taken by someone and posted online."
"In particular, many fashion websites have posted your photos and even included online shopping links."
Zhang Yuan nodded.
Fashion websites are quite popular these days.
Besides Xiaohongshu, there are also Meilishuo, Mogujie, Dapei.com, Meida.com... a whole bunch of them.
Most of them later became dust in the history of the internet.
One reason why Xiaohongshu has emerged as a dark horse and become the most successful one is that it makes money.
Others focus on fashionable outfits to attract attention.
It has always been strongly associated with overseas buyers and online shopping.
Therefore, rather than being a fashion sharing platform, it's more accurate to describe it as a shopping platform that stimulates consumption by "setting the pace" and creating various anxieties and fantasies.
At this time, the closest thing to it was Vancl, which was run by Jun'er's good friend Chen Nian.
One is targeted at men, and the other at women.
Obviously, it's not necessarily true that women have great spending power.
Because much of what men spend is considered family spending, it is then attributed to women's spending.
However, female consumers certainly have a much, much louder voice than male consumers.
Zeng Jia felt that these websites were using her boss's and artist's photos to generate traffic, which she felt was essentially free money.
How much does my boss charge for an endorsement? You guys are making a fortune off of that money?
It's like the company's legal department sending letters to these platforms.
And it makes sense.
Because you can post the photo, but if you add a link, you are using my portrait rights for commercial purposes.
Any act that generates profit constitutes infringement.
Zeng Jia had told him about this before.
Zhang Yuan agreed with her idea and praised her for being sensitive and meticulous.
I'm just dissatisfied with how she handled it.
She wanted the website to lose money, so she could make as much as she could.
Zhang Yuan wondered how much he could make.
You can spend half a day in court and not earn hundreds of thousands.
Moreover, since they posted it across the entire internet, it actually increased my traffic.
It's barely a good thing.
Suing them would only offend more people, and they might secretly post things online to get back at you. It's not worth it.
However, protecting one's rights is essential, otherwise it will affect one's own commercial value.
It's like when a business offers something for free, and then you start charging for it normally, consumers will complain.
I still have to ask you, what gives you the right?
So he asked Zeng Jia to communicate with them one by one.
There are two options: either don't generate any commercial revenue, or don't include shopping links.
If you don't make money, you have to give me a share.
You guys decide what to do; I don't care.
I'm warning you now, if you continue to infringe on my portrait rights, don't blame me for being ruthless.
Several companies indicated they would remove the shopping links after receiving the letter.
Some even downloaded his articles and photos directly.
It's uncertain how long this will last; business people are all cunning.
They might sneak up on you again when you're not looking.
These kinds of people take things one step at a time, and if they don't have a hundred or eighty lawsuits on their hands, they'd be embarrassed to call themselves A-list celebrities.
Zeng Jia called not because someone wanted to sue him.
“A platform contacted me after we sent them the letter.”
"They said they wanted to cooperate."
"They're asking if you're interested in being a spokesperson."
"Isn't this all for women?" Zhang Yuan asked, puzzled. "You want me to be the spokesperson?"
"How would I know? Maybe you're bisexual?"
Zhang Yuan: ...
What you said seems ambiguous.
I'm a straight man of steel, the kind made of tungsten alloy.
According to Zeng Jia, the website that contacted him was the leading one among these websites, Xiaohongshu, which hadn't yet become the internet's "Demon-Sealing Tower"... (End of Chapter)