Chapter 51 – Forgertting to Struggle

Jiang Ruo was momentarily dazed again.

Being in an atmosphere akin to an isolated island and hearing such ambiguous words, it was hard not to indulge in some unrealistic associations.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Ruo asked, “Are you waiting for me because of something?”

He had reverted to their initial aloofness.

However, his outburst and slip of the tongue were seen through by Xi Yufeng. In this situation, breaking the superficial politeness was conducive to advancing the process and achieving his goal.

“There’s nothing,” Xi Yufeng still had a hint of lingering smile in his eyes. “I just don’t want to hear news about you from others all the time.”

Jiang Ruo pursed his lips once more.

He wasn’t failing to understand the meaning behind these words – not wanting to hear from others, wanting to see and hear you in person.

After all, it used to be like this; without needing to ask, Jiang Ruo would proactively tell him everything about himself, clean and thorough.

Unable to describe his current mood, Jiang Ruo probably found himself somewhat ridiculous.

Laughing at himself for having a fleeting moment in an unknown corner, where he genuinely harbored a sliver of hope-like thoughts.

Quickly, Jiang Ruo clarified the situation and looked up at Xi Yufeng. His earlier anger and panic had completely subsided, and his expression now truly showed no disturbance.

“Then don’t listen,” Jiang Ruo said. “I’ll also try my best to avoid appearing within President Xi’s social circle and minimize causing you trouble.”

On August 5th, the film “Cliff” was officially released.

With the previous test screenings and preview screenings setting the stage, the high average score given by several film critics and their praise had already raised audience expectations to the highest point.

Therefore, the box office on the first day was quite impressive, and the word of mouth continued to be positive. Douban’s rating started at 8.5, firmly surpassing most domestic films. Five days after its release, industry experts predicted that the final box office revenue would definitely exceed one billion.

Director Liu held another celebratory banquet for this reason and prepared a giant ice sculpture in the shape of a number, planning to shatter it during the banquet to symbolize breaking records.

Naturally, Jiang Ruo was among those invited, but he didn’t go, using rehearsal as an excuse.

In fact, he indeed didn’t have time. After the third round of “The Actor’s Flower Road” was completed, Jiang Ruo successfully advanced to the semi-finals.

There was too much to prepare. He pulled several all-nighters working with the screenwriter to finalize the script, and immediately threw himself into rehearsals.

This stage involved dancing, so it was particularly physically demanding.

That day, after leaving the rehearsal room, Jiang Ruo collapsed into the car like a pile of mud, and upon hearing Xiao Shen mention the movie screening, he barely lifted his head. “What screening?”

Xiao Shen explained, “Sister Zheng contacted the fan club to organize it. They reserved a theater at the cinema in East City Square. Fans who won in the official Weibo lottery can watch ‘Cliff’ for free.”

“Do they need me to attend?”

“At the time of the lottery rules, it wasn’t mentioned that you would participate. But since Sister Zheng asked me to ask you, she probably hopes you’ll go and surprise the fans. However, this isn’t urgent. It’s scheduled for tomorrow night, so you can think about it.”

Jiang Ruo raised his hand and rubbed his face hard, forcing himself to perk up.

Then, he shouted, “No need to think about it, let’s go!”

The next day, on the way to the cinema, Jiang Ruo heard about another matter.

“It’s actually not a big deal, just some lawbreakers spreading false rumors online again.” Xiao Shen said. “But it was quickly suppressed before it could ferment. The marketing accounts that forwarded and spread the rumors have all deleted their posts and apologized. You don’t need to worry.”

The so-called “rumors” were none other than the video of Jiang Ruo hitting someone that surfaced when he was just gaining fame, and the subsequent fallout regarding him dropping out of dance school and having a criminal record.

Jiang Ruo logged onto Weibo with his secondary account and searched, indeed finding no negative content about himself. Even the few discussions that had previously emerged from the “Skin” crew about him joining the cast with financial backing were nowhere to be found.

Putting down his phone, Jiang Ruo asked, “Did Sister Zheng handle it?”

Xiao Shen replied, “It should be her, otherwise, who else could it be?”

Jiang Ruo nodded and didn’t press further.

The private screening went smoothly.

The fans hadn’t expected Jiang Ruo to show up in person, and the cheers they erupted with nearly tore the roof off.

“Hush — ” Jiang Ruo placed a finger to his lips and said to everyone, “I snuck away from the program recording site, so everyone, please be quiet. I don’t want to get caught back too early.”

The fans obediently nodded and covered their mouths, laughing silently.

After watching the movie, Jiang Ruo patiently signed autographs for each of the attending fans.

One girl struck him as familiar, and he couldn’t help but take a few more glances. She winked at him, and Jiang Ruo remembered; she was the fan he had encountered last year at the Tsim Sha Tsui Ferry Pier in Hong Kong.

“It’s so coincidental,” the girl said with a smile. “I can run into you here.”

Jiang Ruo also smiled. “Yeah, it’s really coincidental.”

The girl said she had already fulfilled her promise to contribute to the box office, and she hadn’t expected to win this time.

Jiang Ruo said, “This shows how obscure I am; there weren’t many people participating in the lottery.”

The girl shook her head vigorously. “No, this means I’m destined to be your fan. It’s great to see you shine on the big screen.”

Her simple yet sincere words easily touched Jiang Ruo’s heart.

“I’ll continue to work hard,” Jiang Ruo said. “So that you can spot me right away in a crowd.”

After the event, Jiang Ruo stayed behind to confirm the upcoming schedule with Zheng Yiting.

After verifying that there were no issues, Jiang Ruo called out to Zheng Yiting, who was about to leave. “Sister Zheng, I have a question for you.”

Zheng Yiting closed her notebook and stuffed it into her bag. “Go ahead.”

“This movie screening, it wasn’t arranged by the company, right?”

“Why do you ask that?”

Seeing that Zheng Yiting didn’t immediately affirm or deny it, Jiang Ruo had a hunch.

“I’m not even the lead, just a lowly fourth male lead. Why would they make such a fuss?” Jiang Ruo smiled. “Moreover, this screening was carried out so low-key, clearly not for publicity. There’s no reason for the company to spend money without expecting returns.”

With him saying this, Zheng Yiting couldn’t hide it anymore. “An investor anonymously funded this screening.”

“The black material about me the other day, was it also this person who helped suppress it?”

“I’m not sure about that. But according to what I know, the public relations department had just received the news and planned to handle it, but things were already mostly settled over there.”

Pausing for a moment, Jiang Ruo said, “Thank you, Sister. I got it.”

If these two incidents had planted seeds of suspicion in Jiang Ruo’s heart, then an event that occurred later undoubtedly confirmed his conjectures.

About two weeks later, Jiang Ruo received a call from his hometown.

The caller claimed to be a neighbor living next door, saying that Zhao Yonggang had been arrested by the police. The only family member they could contact was his stepson, Jiang Ruo, asking if he wanted to return and hire a defense lawyer for Zhao Yonggang.

Returning was out of the question, but Jiang Ruo was curious about the reason why Zhao Yonggang was arrested by the police.

Auntie Neighbor knew very little about it, only vaguely mentioning that “someone must be targeting him,” “his past has been exposed,” and that he “may be in jail for many years.”

By the end of the call, how Zhao Yonggang was arrested remained a mystery. The only thing that could be determined was that, apart from that person, no one had the capability to accomplish what Jiang Ruo had failed to achieve in over ten years.

Every Monday, Aunt Fang would go to Xi Yufeng’s residence to replenish ingredients and tidy up the house while she was at it.

This Monday was the same, except that Xi Yufeng happened to come back to deliver something, and Jiang Ruo coincidentally called her during this time.

“Aunt Fang, it’s me, Xiao Jiang,” Jiang Ruo spoke with a smile in his voice. “We haven’t been in touch for quite a while. How have you been recently?”

Aunt Fang was delighted to hear his voice. “Good, of course good. And you? Still busy with filming?”

“It’s alright, just busy for the sake of it, earning a living.”

“Eating is not something to be taken lightly. Eat well, only then will you have the strength to work.”

“Yes, yes, yes, I’ll go buy something delicious to reward myself for working hard.”

…

They chatted idly for a while, and then Jiang Ruo asked, “Aunt Fang, do you know what Xi Yu… President Xi has been busy with recently?”

Aunt Fang was using a flip phone, and even without speaker mode, the sound could carry a few meters away.

Thus, Aunt Fang and Xi Yufeng, standing near the window not far away, exchanged glances, looking slightly awkward. “He’s right here, why don’t you ask him directly?”

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Ruo, who had originally intended to inquire about the situation, didn’t expect things to develop this way.

After a brief silence, Xi Yufeng’s voice sounded on the other end of the line. “Hello.”

Having missed the opportune moment to hang up, Jiang Ruo was stuck between a rock and a hard place and could only respond with an “Mm.”

“I’ve been busy with a city investment project recently,” Xi Yufeng said indifferently. “It will probably take another month.”

His grip on the phone tightened instantly. Faced with this attitude akin to reporting work, Jiang Ruo felt speechless.

But since he had made the call, he might as well ask what he wanted to know.

Jiang Ruo gathered his thoughts. “The private screening and suppressing the black material, was that your doing?”

Without hesitation, Xi Yufeng responded, “Mm.”

“Zhao Yonggang… my stepfather, did you handle that as well?”

“Yes.”

After a moment, Jiang Ruo said, “Thank you.” Pausing, he asked, “How should I thank you?”

“I did these things not to have you thank me,” Xi Yufeng said.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed the looming implications, but he stopped here without telling Jiang Ruo the reason for his actions.

The feeling of being led around came over him again. Jiang Ruo knew he couldn’t evade this, so he took a deep breath. “Then let me treat you to a meal. Coincidentally, I have some matters about Zhao Yonggang I’d like to ask about.”

As if waiting for him to extend an invitation, the moment the words left his mouth, Xi Yufeng agreed. “Alright.”

This dinner was originally scheduled for Saturday evening, with the noon slot reserved for Chen Muxin, who had just returned from the northwest.

The two arrived at the vegetarian restaurant they had agreed upon last time. Not long after sitting down, Jiang Ruo received a call from Aunt Fang, asking if he could come over at this moment.

“Now?” Jiang Ruo asked. “What happened?”

“It’s nothing major, just that Xiao Feng is sick, and he probably won’t be able to make the appointment tonight.”

“Sick?”

“He doesn’t take care of his health, always busy to the point of not being home. The other day, I saw that his complexion wasn’t good, and today he has a fever. Fortunately, I had nothing to do and came over to check on him.”

Jiang Ruo thought about it and said, “Then let’s reschedule the dinner for another day.”

Aunt Fang hesitated. “Xiao Feng is still asleep, he doesn’t know I’m calling you. When he wakes up later, he might blame me for taking the initiative…”

Jiang Ruo didn’t want to put Aunt Fang in a difficult position, nor did he want to delay clarifying matters. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Then I’ll come over later, and he should stay home and not go out.”

“Good, it’s great that you’re willing to come,” Aunt Fang said happily. “I’ll start preparing dinner now.”

Because of this call, Jiang Ruo ate his lunch absent-mindedly.

The last dish was tofu slices. Jiang Ruo picked one up and put it in his bowl, poking it with his chopsticks while spacing out. Later, it was Chen Muxin who called out to him, bringing him back to reality.

“Is it not to your taste?” Chen Muxin asked.

“No, the food here is very delicious.” Jiang Ruo stuffed the tofu, which he had poked into a beehive-like mess, into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it. “I ate too much for breakfast, I’m not very hungry now.”

After the meal, Chen Muxin said he wanted to stroll around nearby and asked if Jiang Ruo had time. Jiang Ruo declined, “I have other matters, I need to leave first.”

Chen Muxin seemed to have something else to say, hesitating for a moment but ultimately not speaking.

“Then you go ahead and take care of your business,” he said with a smile. “We’ll make plans next time.”

Jiang Ruo rushed straight to Xi Yufeng’s residence in the city center from the restaurant.

From the entrance of the residential area to upstairs, everything went smoothly. His information seemed not to have been deleted.

Aunt Fang came to open the door, pointing in the direction of the master bedroom, keeping her voice very low. “He’s still sleeping. Come in first.”

After half a year, the furnishings in the house had hardly changed.

Jiang Ruo tiptoed inside, his gaze involuntarily drifting to the left. The door to the room converted into a dance studio was open, revealing mirrors, anti-slip flooring, and wooden handrails, all maintained in the same state as when he left.

Aunt Fang was cooking in the kitchen. Jiang Ruo offered to help, but Aunt Fang said, “You rarely come over, just sit and wait for the meal.”

Jiang Ruo considered it and found it reasonable. Now, he was at most a guest and should follow the host’s arrangements.

He sat down on the sofa and casually picked up a magazine on the table.

Opening it, he realized it wasn’t a magazine but the script for “Skin” that he had left here.

To be precise, it was a copy of the script.

Looking at the traces of his own markings and the densely packed notes on it, Jiang Ruo’s heart, which had just relaxed, tightened again.

Recalling how Xi Yufeng had asked him to come back to pick up the script under the pretext of it being “not very convenient,” could it be that he had the time to copy and bind it but not the time to mail the script to him?

He couldn’t dwell on it too much.

Jiang Ruo put the script back in its original place, stood up, and walked towards the window.

At four o’clock in the afternoon, Xi Yufeng woke up, pushed open the bedroom door, and went out. What he saw was Jiang Ruo’s back, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.

On days without a schedule, his attire was always comfortable and casual – a white T-shirt, a pair of washed-out blue jeans, his hair seemingly freshly cut, the edges neat, revealing a fair and slender neck.

Dancers always maintained upright postures, and Jiang Ruo was no exception. His tall figure, paired with his refreshing outfit, resembled a student who had just stepped out of a campus, falling into the dusk of summer.

Xi Yufeng stood not far away, not moving forward for a moment.

He simply watched quietly.

And the skyscrapers of the city certainly didn’t count as much of a landscape. Standing by the window, Jiang Ruo’s gaze gradually lost focus, his thoughts wandering somewhere unknown.

Therefore, he didn’t hear the approaching footsteps, even though the other party moved slowly, as if afraid of scaring him away.

The act of embracing him from behind was gentle. First, his chest pressed against Jiang Ruo’s back, then his arms wrapped around his waist. The force was light, purely a hug.

And precisely because the restraint was handled appropriately, Jiang Ruo didn’t react for a moment, his body only slightly tensing up. And because it was too familiar, his body seemed to remain in the past, even forgetting to struggle.

The person behind seized the opportunity to adjust his posture, leaning over, placing his chin on Jiang Ruo’s shoulder, as intimate as before.

The hot breath caused by the fever sprayed against his ear, as if a hidden display of weakness and attachment.

At some point, Xi Yufeng had also gotten into the habit of calling him by his name.

“Jiang Ruo,” he spoke in a tone different from that of last year, saying the same words. “Happy birthday.”