Volume Two: Shadows of the Past, Chapter Ninety-One: The Shelved Actor

Wang Youxuan naturally would not tear down her brother's stage. Hearing Chen Jing's words including her, she immediately put on a sweet smile and looked at Xie Shuxia with anticipation, saying, "Sister Shuxia, I finally get to meet you in person. I'm so happy, and I have so many things I want to talk to you about. Can you let us in to sit for a while?"

Looking at the young girl's seemingly genuine smile outside the door, Xie Shuxia wore a peculiar expression. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "All right then, you guys come in." With that, she opened the outer security door.

Wang Youxuan immediately cheered, "Thank you, Sister Shuxia."

When Chen Jing walked in and passed by Xie Shuxia, he also said, "Thank you."

After Chen Jing and the others walked inside, Xie Shuxia actually walked back out. She stepped out into the hallway and shouted to the next door, "Aunt Wang, you don't need to cook dinner for me tonight. I'm going out to eat."

As soon as she finished shouting, an older woman's voice came from next door: "Oh! Shuxia, where are you going? Why aren't you coming over to eat with me again?" Shortly after, an auntie walked out from the neighboring apartment.

Seeing Aunt Wang from next door emerge, Xie Shuxia could not help feeling a slight sense of relief. She then smiled and explained, "I have two friends visiting at home, and I might go out to eat with them tonight. So Aunt Wang, you don't need to prepare my dinner."

Hearing that Xie Shuxia had guests at home, Aunt Wang could not help peeking inside her apartment, immediately spotting Chen Jing and Wang Youxuan still standing at the entrance. Seeing Aunt Wang looking at him, Chen Jing immediately smiled and nodded at her.

Aunt Wang turned back to Xie Shuxia and said, "All right then, if you end up not going out to eat with them, remember to let me know. I haven't started cooking yet anyway." Having said that, Aunt Wang looked at Xie Shuxia with a kind smile, her gaze resembling that of a mother looking at her own daughter.

Xie Shuxia nodded vigorously and smiled at Aunt Wang, "Mm-hmm, I know. I'll go inside and chat with my friends for a bit first. I'll call you if anything comes up, Aunt Wang." With that, she went back into her apartment, leaving the main door wide open without any intention of closing it.

Chen Jing naturally understood Xie Shuxia's precaution. After all, to Xie Shuxia, they were just two strangers; even if they truly were her fans, a certain level of defense was necessary, especially since Xie Shuxia was the only vulnerable young woman inside the apartment.

Upon entering the living room, Chen Jing noticed it was somewhat messy, indicating that the master of the house had not cleaned the place for quite a while.

Seeing her slightly untidy living room, Xie Shuxia smiled awkwardly. She hurried over to the sofa, tidied it up hastily, and then said to the two of them, "I forgot to tidy up recently, it's a bit messy. Please bear with it and take a seat."

Wang Youxuan was a clever little sprite and immediately smiled, saying, "Not at all, I think it's just fine this way. My room is just like this too. It's a chaotic beauty! I didn't expect Sister Shuxia to be just like me, I'm so happy."

Seeing Wang Youxuan spouting nonsense with her eyes wide open, Chen Jing almost burst out laughing. Among all the women he knew, if there was one whose room was the neatest, it would undoubtedly be Wang Youxuan. Her obsession with the neat arrangement of items in her room could almost be described as mild obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Therefore, hearing Wang Youxuan falsely claim that her own room was just as messy as Xie Shuxia's, Chen Jing could not help sighing inwardly: Women really are born actresses.

With Wang Youxuan's playful banter, Xie Shuxia did not feel quite as awkward anymore. She smiled and said, "Heh heh heh, as long as you don't mind. I'll go brew a pot of tea, please have a seat and wait a moment."

While Xie Shuxia went into the kitchen to fetch things, Chen Jing and Wang Youxuan immediately began communicating through eye contact.

Wang Youxuan: Brother, what should we do next?
Chen Jing: Don't worry, play it by ear.
Wang Youxuan: Okay, but what should we do next?
Chen Jing: Relax, I'm here.
Wang Youxuan: Understood, but what should we do next?
Chen Jing: ......

Never mind, this kind of communication was better left undone; the two of them had zero mutual understanding to speak of.

When Xie Shuxia came out of the kitchen carrying boiling water, Chen Jing and Wang Youxuan had already returned to normal.

For the next moments, no one spoke, and the room fell quiet, save for the sound of Xie Shuxia brewing the tea.

Once the tea was ready, Xie Shuxia poured a cup for each of them.

"Thank you," Chen Jing said, just as he was figuring out how to broach the subject.

Xie Shuxia, however, spoke up first.

Holding her teacup, she took a gentle sip, then went straight to the point with a smile: "Director Chen, let's skip the beating around the bush and speak directly. You're the one who came looking for me this time, right?"

Hearing Xie Shuxia's direct question, Wang Youxuan felt awkward before Chen Jing could even speak. She tried to cover it up, saying, "No, no, Sister Shuxia, it was actually me who wanted to..."

However, before Wang Youxuan could finish, Chen Jing stopped her. Waving his hand at Wang Youxuan, Chen Jing decisively admitted, "Yes, Ms. Xie Shuxia. It is indeed true that I have something I need to see you about today."

There was no use letting Wang Youxuan cover for him anymore, since the other party had already seen through it. Besides, he had to state his purpose regardless; he had only used an excuse earlier because he was worried Xie Shuxia would not let them in. But now that they were already inside sitting down for a proper talk, he might as well say it outright.

Seeing Chen Jing admit it so resolutely was slightly beyond Xie Shuxia's expectations, but she did not say much else. She merely smiled and said, "Let me guess. If I'm not mistaken, Director Chen is here to invite me to act in a movie."

Hearing Xie Shuxia guess his intention instantly, Chen Jing showed no surprise and stated his purpose directly: "Yes. I wonder if Ms. Xie Shuxia has watched the movie *SPL: Sha Po Lang* that I directed? If you have, and if you trust my directing skills, I hope you will consider a role in my next movie. I believe that role is extremely suitable for you, so I sincerely hope you will star in my upcoming film."

In response to Chen Jing's words, Xie Shuxia gave a reply that was beside the point: "Director Chen, you're also from Jingrun, aren't you?"

Chen Jing nodded.

"Then don't you know my current situation at Jingrun?" Xie Shuxia looked at Chen Jing with a half-smile.

Chen Jing still nodded: "I know. You're talking about the time Jingrun wanted to freeze your career, right?"

Hearing Chen Jing say he knew about her situation, Xie Shuxia finally lost her composure. She looked at Chen Jing in astonishment: "Since you know I've been frozen by Jingrun, why on earth did you still come to find me?"

Chen Jing said resolutely: "Being frozen is just being frozen, it's not a complete industry ban. Furthermore, it was merely verbal harsh words thrown around by certain individuals within Jingrun; it wasn't because you had any scandals or blemishes that caused another company to freeze you. This matter can still be resolved. After all, a person shouldn't be choked to death by someone else's single sentence."

Hearing Chen Jing's words, Xie Shuxia fell silent.

Chen Jing continued to persuade her: "You can leave the company matters to me to handle. In any case, it certainly won't affect your acting."

Faced with Chen Jing's persuasion, Xie Shuxia pondered for a moment before letting out a sigh: "Although what Director Chen says sounds very pleasant, I think I'll pass. My current life is actually pretty good. I don't have to worry about food or clothing, and I'm quite satisfied. When my contract with Jingrun expires, I plan to retire from the entertainment industry altogether. The waters in the entertainment industry are far too deep, and someone like me is simply never suited for it."

This time, it was Chen Jing's turn to frown slightly. He had not expected Xie Shuxia to already harbor thoughts of quitting the entertainment industry. He had assumed that as long as he could resolve her career freeze by Jingrun, she would agree to his proposal. He had not anticipated that Xie Shuxia would still refuse so decisively.

Looking at the nonchalant Xie Shuxia, Chen Jing fell silent.

Did he really have to find someone else to play that role? But Chen Jing truly believed that Xie Shuxia was the absolute best choice for the character. From the very first moment he laid eyes on Xie Shuxia's photograph, he knew she was the person he wanted for the role in his mind. Afterwards, Chen Jing searched for two of Xie Shuxia's previous films, and after watching all her scenes in them, his conviction grew even stronger.

He had thought he could secure her without any issues, only to hit a brick wall right at the end. Chen Jing sighed inwardly. Just as he was about to speak up and try to persuade Xie Shuxia once more, he suddenly noticed a somewhat worn copy of *An Actor Prepares* resting on the coffee table, alongside a statistical data sheet of recently released films—his own *SPL: Sha Po Lang* was prominently featured among them. Instantly, a decision formed in Chen Jing's mind.

"Sister Shuxia, if you trust me, I can give you my guarantee. As long as you are on the set of my crew, everyone will focus solely on making the movie and will never mess around with anything else. My manager, Lin Xi, can vouch for you on this. You might not trust me, but surely you can trust General Manager Lin of the company. Knowing you've been with the company for so many years, you're well aware of Lin Xi's character." To persuade Xie Shuxia, Chen Jing even brought up Lin Xi.

Xie Shuxia naturally knew who Lin Xi was. If she had to name the person she admired the most in Jingrun, it would undoubtedly be Lin Xi. Especially since Lin Xi had been a benefactor to her.

The biggest reason Xie Shuxia could comfortably hole up at home now without being coerced by Jingrun was precisely because Lin Xi had once stepped forward to speak up for her, which was why she had only been frozen by Jingrun rather than suffering a worse fate. Without Lin Xi, her current situation certainly wouldn't be this comfortable. Therefore, upon hearing Chen Jing mention that his manager was Lin Xi, Xie Shuxia fell silent.

Striking while the iron was hot, Chen Jing said: "I know you've seen through the filth of the entertainment industry, but trust me, there are always places that aren't like that. And I believe that as an actress, you also hope to portray a classic role for everyone through your acting skills. I'm certain you won't easily give up this dream." As he spoke, Chen Jing picked up the copy of *An Actor Prepares* from the coffee table and placed it right in front of Xie Shuxia.

Looking at the copy of *An Actor Prepares* that she had read countless times, Xie Shuxia opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Next, Chen Jing took out the script he had brought and placed it in front of Xie Shuxia as well, saying sincerely: "I still hope Sister Shuxia can carefully consider my proposal. This is the script for my next movie, and you can take a look at it, Sister Shuxia.

If possible, I hope you will be my: Dongfang Bubai!"

In the end, Chen Jing still did not win Xie Shuxia's agreement, but likewise, Xie Shuxia did not explicitly refuse either. After leaving the script behind, Chen Jing took Wang Youxuan and left, leaving only a silent Xie Shuxia staring blankly at the script on the table.

In the car, Wang Youxuan asked with naive curiosity: "Brother, do you think Sister Shuxia will agree?"

Chen Jing gave a faint smile and said with absolute certainty: "She will. She will definitely agree." He firmly believed that Xie Shuxia would eventually say yes, because her passion for acting had not yet been extinguished.

"Oh!" Wang Youxuan uttered an "oh," and instead of pressing further on why Xie Shuxia would agree, she brought up the matter of Xie Shuxia being frozen by Jingrun: "Brother, why was Sister Shuxia frozen by Jingrun anyway?"

Chen Jing thought for a moment and said, "It wasn't a big deal. Back when she was filming, a high-ranking executive at Jingrun took a fancy to her, but she firmly refused him, so she got frozen by Jingrun." Chen Jing kept the explanation as simple as possible; he did not want Wang Youxuan to be exposed to such darkness at too young an age.

Hearing Chen Jing's explanation, Wang Youxuan said with utter disgust: "Ew~ Is the entertainment industry always like this? It feels so unfriendly to us women. This makes me scared to ever set foot in the entertainment industry in the future."

Chen Jing smiled and said, "The entertainment industry is all right, it's just that certain people are disgusting. But I'm not very supportive of you becoming a star in the future either."

"Why?" Wang Youxuan looked at Chen Jing curiously.

"Because generally speaking, disgusting things like this still happen quite often in the entertainment industry. I wouldn't want my Youxuan to ever run into such things."

Wang Youxuan didn't take it too seriously, though: "It's fine, aren't you here, Brother? If I want to be a star in the future, I'll just come find you. You can just protect me then. Hehe."

Looking at the smiling Wang Youxuan, Chen Jing smiled without speaking.

Silly girl, what if brother isn't around anymore by then?

After dropping Wang Youxuan off at her home, Chen Jing simply stayed for dinner there as well.

At the dining table, Wang Menglan looked at Chen Jing eating voraciously, her eyes carrying a smile: "Oh right, A-jing. How are the box office figures for *SPL: Sha Po Lang*? Lately, I've seen everyone's reviews saying the movie is good. I trust the word-of-mouth for this movie must be quite impressive."

As soon as Chen Jing's movie was mentioned, Wang Youxuan grew excited: "Hahaha, Mom, you wouldn't know this, would you? My brother's movie word-of-mouth isn't just 'quite impressive,' it's practically being blown away by everyone's praise."

Seeing Wang Youxuan looking as proud as if she had achieved the success herself, Chen Jing swallowed the food in his mouth and smiled, saying: "The movie's word-of-mouth is indeed very good. Judging by the growth momentum of the box office over the past three days, breaking 1 billion in box office revenue should be pretty simple. I just don't know if it can ultimately reach 1.5 billion."