Global Film Emperor

Chapter 71 Night Talk

"How did you figure out that the rooftop was accessible? You pulled me up, but I got stuck."

The door to the rooftop was secured with an iron chain, but there was a large gap that could be squeezed through after the door was pushed open. Of course, it was easy for Jiang Wenshu to squeeze through, but it was still quite difficult for Lu Ze to do so.

They finally made it to the rooftop, stumbling and scrambling. The wind was strong. The two came to a corner, where Lu Ze found a dozen beers and two bags of peanuts. Clearly, she had come up here before.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Why did you have to climb all the way here? It's so windy, aren't you cold?"

She was dressed rather thinly, and when Lu Ze looked at himself, he realized he was dressed even thinner than her. A gust of wind blew, and he instantly got goosebumps.

She didn't reply, but simply sat down against the wall, picked up a bottle of beer, handed it to Lu Ze, and asked him with a questioning look on her face if he wanted a drink.

Lu Ze took the bottle, opened the cap, and took a sip. This beer was imported, and it had a slightly sour taste. Lu Ze didn't like the taste; it was hard to drink.

"Say what you need to say and then go downstairs. It's too cold; don't catch a cold."

"You actually think I'm dirty, right?"

Lu Ze was stunned for a moment, not expecting her first words to be so explosive, and then shook his head.

"You don't need to deny it, I think so too. So what if it's dirty? What's the big deal?"

A disdainful smile crept onto her lips, perhaps mocking herself, or perhaps laughing at others. To be honest, ever since she called Lu Ze over, she had been prepared to lose face completely.

Lu Ze shook his head again. He was wearing athletic shorts, and it was too cold to sit on the ground. He walked over to Jiang Wenshu, leaned against the railing, took a sip of beer, and turned to look at her.

"In this line of work, who hasn't done some dirty tricks? After seeing so much, you know your own place. We're all just starting out, and who can cross a river without getting the water muddy?"

"But I'm different, right? Aren't I different?"

The neon lights in the distance were flashing, shining onto the rooftop and into her eyes, reflecting a different kind of light, as if trying to convince Lu Ze that she was special in his heart.

"Actually, it's the same. I used to live with someone in Hengdian named Xiao Ke. She slept with me for three months and then ran away. Apparently, she became a mistress to a boss. She begged me not to show my face so the boss would see her because she told him she was renting a place by herself. So I really didn't show my face. I watched her pack her things against the wall and watched her leave, get into an Audi A8, and I never saw her again."

Jiang Wenshu was somewhat disappointed. She had hoped that Lu Ze would say that he was different, but when Lu Ze said that he was the same, she unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, feeling very complicated inside.

Lu Ze turned around, leaned on the railing, and looked down at the building. It was over thirty stories high, and even if each floor was three meters high, it would still be a hundred meters tall. The sight made him dizzy. He pulled his head back, took a sip of beer, and continued speaking.

"And then there's this girl, Han Jun, who lives in the same courtyard as me. This girl is crazy, obsessed with becoming famous. After sleeping with the casting director, she slept with the production assistants, and after that, she had to sleep with the minor actors. She slept with so many people, all of them small fry, but in the end, she still couldn't even get a small role."

She listened intently, as if she had found someone who shared her plight in Lu Ze's story, and asked, "And then?"

"And then? She's still living in that courtyard, at least when I left. She's working as a prostitute in Hengdian. She earns 200 for a regular job, 300 for a 'big job,' 500 for a full service, and 800 for an overnight stay. But even so, her insanity hasn't improved. She still wants to be famous and wants to become popular."

He patted his pockets but found nothing. He had forgotten to bring cigarettes. He smacked his lips, thinking he wouldn't smoke, but Jiang Wenshu handed him an unopened pack of cigarettes, his usual brand.

Lu Ze didn't stand on ceremony and took it, tearing it open. He found it too cold to stand, so he squatted down. Jiang Wenshu took out a lighter from her pocket and lit it for Lu Ze.

Exhaling a puff of smoke, Lu Ze recalled for a moment before continuing.

"Those aged 18 to 22 earn more than 10,000 a month. There are also some who are good-looking, earning 30,000 to 50,000. Those under 30 earn at least 10,000 a month. They also have to buy a bag every month. The first time they spend money ranges from 30,000 to 50,000. There are countless good-looking ones. Sometimes you can even meet gay men looking for men. So who the hell isn't dirty? It's just that we don't know what they were like before."

"So, no one persevered?"

"Yes, I did. I was stuck with the group leader, so I quit and went back to my hometown. Now I earn 3,500 a month, and the company pays for my social insurance and housing fund. I'm living a pretty easy life."

Jiang Wenshu seemed to admire such people, those who refused to give up even if it meant abandoning their dreams. But she wasn't like that, so she could only admire them.

"So, what's the point of thinking so much and wallowing in self-pity all day? You've chosen this path, so you still have to keep going, right? If you really don't want to continue one day, just leave, right?" "But... I'm already in there, and I can't get out."

Her gaze returned to calm, a calm tinged with despair. One wrong step leads to another; even if you wash yourself clean, you'll still feel disgusted if you're covered in excrement.

She gulped down a bottle of beer, wiped her mouth, and let out a long burp that lasted three or four seconds. After that, she laughed and turned to look at Lu Ze.

"So you won't accept me, not because of what I did before, but because you saw it, right?"

"That's how it is for now."

"Is it possible that one day I'll accept it? Or, if I don't make the same mistake again, will I still have a chance?"

"Hmm, I doubt it."

"Oh, that's how it is"

Jiang Wenshu lowered her head, feeling both resentful and utterly helpless. If Lu Ze hadn't seen her that day, perhaps there would still be a sliver of a chance.

His legs went numb from squatting, so Lu Ze stood up and jumped around. He grinned and limped around on the rooftop to get his blood circulating. Suddenly, he remembered the tap dance he had learned in the system course and tried to do a bit, but he still couldn't do it. It didn't look like tap dancing; it looked more like epilepsy or stepping on an electric shock.

After jumping around and warming up, Lu Ze stopped, walked to the railing, looked at the lights in the distance, and didn't look at her.

"Maybe this isn't the kind of love you think it is? You're an experiential learner, and so am I. We only know our own situation. You might not be Jiang Wenshu, but Tang Yufei. And you might not like Lu Ze, but Guo Xiaofei. So after a while, when you take on a new role, this feeling will probably disappear."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Wenshu shook her head, her conviction unwavering: "No, I am Jiang Wenshu, and I love Lu Ze."

"That's because you've had too much to drink. Go back and think it over before you speak. How can I believe you when you're so adamant? Tonight's networking event is over. I'm too cold. Go home."

"Okay, I'll pack my things."

This time she agreed to go back to her room, tidied up the unfinished beer, picked it up, and got up to walk back.

"You're quite frugal, still wanting more after drinking half a bottle."

"That's right, it costs eight yuan a bottle."

She easily slipped through again, while Lu Ze's athletic shorts had a tear at the butt, revealing his black underwear.

Back in the hallway, it immediately felt much warmer. Lu Ze swiped his room card, waved to her, and prepared to go back to his room to sleep.

"Wait a minute."

"Hey lady, what's wrong now? I bought these shorts for seventy yuan, and they're already ruined after just two days. What else do you want?"

"Can we be friends? Good friends are always possible, right?"

Lu Ze tilted his head and revealed a wicked smile, or at least he thought he looked wicked. But with his shorts showing his underwear, he actually looked pretty stupid.

"I didn't say no."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went back to his room, leaving Jiang Wenshu chuckling in the corridor.

I'm finally done writing, I'm about to throw up. Goodbye!

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(End of this chapter)