Actresses

Chapter 82

Before I knew it, I was already in this bustling queue.

All around were dark brown bodies, densely packed together, their baton-like antennae colliding incessantly, their footsteps seemingly never ceasing. The rustling of footsteps echoed overhead, beneath their feet, and into the endless distance of the walls. Astonishingly, none of them made any unnecessary movements; their movements were as precise as if executing a program, yet they instilled a profound unease. Before long, the passage widened, the air seemed to grow quieter, until suddenly the space opened up, revealing the deepest part of the entire structure. An incredibly enormous, milky-white object resided there, its abdomen rising and falling slightly, appearing soft, yet devoid of any desire to touch it. Worker ants constantly fed, cleaned, and carried away translucent, tiny objects nearby.

Although at some point she realized that her eyes were closed, she couldn't help but show a very painful expression.

...I wish I could use my hands to dig everything I had just seen out of my brain.

Just then, Shi Jiahe suddenly woke up.

I probably let out a soft "ah" without thinking. The driver in front heard me, turned around, and joked, "Don't even mention it, I'm about to take a nap."

Shi Jiahe shook her head, and after a moment of clarity, she realized that she had fallen asleep on the way.

At this moment, Shi Jiahe was on her way to Wei Ning's company. The platform Wei Ning worked for was hosting a drama forum, which was closing today, and an internal banquet would be held that evening at a five-star hotel near the platform's office building. She wanted to take advantage of Wei Ning's presence at the company to go and clarify the matter of Zhao Cai with him.

"This intersection is always so congested," Shi Jiahe casually remarked.

"Yes, especially now that it's almost rush hour," the driver added. "It's not bad to take a break now."

Shi Jiahe hadn't recovered from her dream when she suddenly realized what she hadn't figured out that afternoon.

Unlike her previous dream, the anthill she saw in her imagination, while lacking a queen as its core, still had a large number of worker ants moving aimlessly. Actually, were the two dreams different? One appeared to have a queen, the other not—visually, the former was simply more unsettling. But in reality, she could only project a worker or soldier ant into both—the specific species didn't matter, they were all busy at work. Hadn't she been in this state for the past two years? Every day, she either didn't know what she was doing, or she was busy for others, easily replaceable.

She habitually clicked on Weibo's trending topics and scrolled through them. Whether it was the overall list or the entertainment sub-list, almost none of the entries truly caught her attention. She put her phone down and turned to look out the window.

The entertainment industry often gives its practitioners the illusion that what they're doing is incredibly important. However, when stripped of the glamour and filters, and when they re-examine themselves, they need to reassure themselves not to overemphasize this so-called existential crisis, because those who are truly doing valuable work are always a minority. Doing their job well is already meaningful in itself. Who isn't just living an ordinary day? Therefore, once you have aspirations, similar thoughts will always be fighting within you.

But today, Shi Jiahe feels that she has come to an end her years of worry and has reached a conclusion.

As she thought this, her hand seemed to fidget and tapped into Wei Ning's WeChat. Their chat history was still at the last message Wei Ning had sent.

"Why did Sister Ran suddenly say she's looking for another producer? Is she replacing you or me?"

Shi Jiahe almost burst out laughing. How could it be you, the esteemed President Wei of the platform? "It must be me. I'm almost downstairs at your company. I'll explain everything to you in detail when we meet."

The argument that afternoon happened at just the right time. It made Shi Jiahe decide to confront her inner turmoil—it was time to make a decision. Moreover, it let her know the boss's—now more accurately, her former boss's—true attitude. Ran Jie had even said some harsh words to Wei Ning, showing that she too was determined to cut ties with her.

Then there's no need to dwell on the past, and you can do what you want tonight with more confidence and boldness.

Because from this moment on, Shi Jiahe is truly free, representing only herself, and no matter what she does, she no longer needs to be afraid of implicating other artists.

Just then, WeChat rang again. Shi Jiahe glanced at it; it was Wei Ning again.

"I went to the party with the boss tonight. Why didn't you tell me you were coming?! Were you with Sister Ran?"

"No." Shi Jiahe frowned and started typing: "What, can't I come to you myself?"

"Jiahe, I don't have time to argue with you right now. It was already too much of you not to return my call this afternoon. Tell me what's wrong when your sister Ran arrives."

"I'll come directly to the hotel to find you."

After replying, Shi Jiahe glanced at the location of the five-star hotel on the map again. It wasn't too far, about two kilometers in the opposite direction from where she was going to the platform's office building, but she was currently stuck in traffic, and it wouldn't be long before the driver turned around. Once the reception officially started, she probably wouldn't be able to get in without a formal invitation. So she decisively put her bag back on.

"Sir, I'll get off here and run over there. You can pay the bill then. I'm really sorry."

After the driver agreed, Shi Jiahe opened the car door. She dodged the electric scooters as she ran backwards, paying the fare in between using a ride-hailing app. After running several hundred meters, she remembered she could scan a bicycle! But looking around, the roadside was crammed with shared bikes lying around, making it difficult to find a clean one to push out. She gave up. As she ran onto the pedestrian overpass to the other side of the road, she was thankful that walking was the most convenient option; pushing the bike up and having to dodge pedestrians would be incredibly troublesome.

The main road was constantly congested, and with a subway station nearby, the sidewalks were packed with cars and pedestrians. She had to slow down her running. While looking around, she even witnessed the sunset sinking below the horizon. The red sun quickly dwindled to half its original size, then completely disappeared, a process that probably took only about two minutes.

She even had some strange associations: could the demise of a sunset industry also happen so quickly?

Running all the way to the entrance of the five-star hotel, Shi Jiahe glanced at the time, panting. There was still an hour before the banquet started. Wei Ning had accompanied Zhou Chun so early; they were probably meeting someone. Was it really a good idea to go up and confront them now? But she couldn't worry about that now.

Go all out.

If I had waited any longer, I might not have had the energy and courage I have now.

After asking a lobby waiter on the first floor, Shi Jiahe learned that the banquet was on the third-floor banquet hall, so she went straight up to the third floor. Information about the day's events was displayed on electronic screens and roll-up banners outside. Several staff members were busily arranging gifts at the registration desk. Walking through the open banquet hall, she could see that the lighting, stage setup, and buffet tables were all in place, and a person wearing a name tag was lazily testing the lighting and flow with a microphone.

Shi Jiahe didn't stop and continued walking further in. She had been to this hotel before and knew the location of the lounge quite well.

From afar, at the door of an open room, she could already see Wei Ning's back.

At this moment, Wei Ning truly showcased his years of experience in the cutthroat world of the workplace. Standing ramrod straight, dressed in a sharp, dark suit, he was chatting and laughing with several others around Senior Vice President Zhou Chun. Zhou Chun, just as he usually appears in the news, while striking a perfect balance between approachability and professionalism, couldn't hide his overwhelming presence—or rather, his aura of authority.

Shi Jiahe took a deep breath and picked up her phone.

A moment later, she saw Wei Ning smiling and saying something to the person next to her, then step back to answer the phone.

"Hey! What do you want!" The tone was a little impatient.

"I see you," Shi Jiahe said calmly, leaning against the wall behind her.

"Your sister Ran is here?" Wei Ning immediately perked up. "It's a bit early... but that's perfect, I can also come and see President Zhou Chun. She's in a good mood today."

"Ran-jie didn't come. Even if she were coming, she wouldn't have told me."

"What exactly do you mean? Ran-jie's tone was a bit off this afternoon... Oh! Is there some problem between you two?"

Shi Jiahe gripped her phone, stared in Wei Ning's direction for three seconds in silence, then turned and walked over. "I said we'd talk when we met, so wait for me."

He then hung up the phone.

Before she had walked twenty meters, Wei Ning saw her too. The two looked at each other across the passing staff, seemingly understanding each other's intentions. Instead of going back to her companion, Wei Ning quickly went out to greet her.

Until they bumped into each other head-on, Wei Ning reached out and grabbed Shi Jiahe's shoulder, whispering, "Don't come to these kinds of parties if there aren't any celebrities there!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Jiahe laughed even more unrestrainedly. She felt that her do-or-die courage had reached its peak since she entered the industry.

"Then let me tell you, my presence here today has nothing to do with celebrities. Not only today, but I will never have anything to do with celebrities again. Don't try to stop me; I will bear the consequences of everything I've done today!"

As she spoke, Shi Jiahe shoved Wei Ning aside and then shot herself like an arrow towards Zhou Chun. Zhou Chun and the others around her were completely unaware of what was happening.

Wei Ning was clearly still a bit dazed. He staggered a few steps, paused for a moment, and then called out from behind, "What exactly do you mean?"

Without turning her head, Shi Jiahe said, "I'll do what you can't do yourself!"

As she spoke, she had already arrived in front of Zhou Chun. Zhou Chun also saw her, and when their eyes met, Zhou Chun's eyes were filled with confusion. This was because the two had never met directly before.

Shi Jiahe stopped and said in a strong voice, "President Zhou Chun, there's something I'd like to ask you."

"Oh, you are...?" Zhou Chun still looked elegantly surprised.

Just then, Shi Jiahe felt hurried footsteps behind her, and a hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back. While resisting, she couldn't help but shout, "How can such a big platform like yours bully a junior screenwriter like this!..."

The hand behind him suddenly stopped, and Zhou Chun and several others were all stunned in place.