Rebirth: A big star falls in love with me

Yang Mi looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared, her eyes turned cold for a moment, but she quickly regained her smile: "Okay, then you'd better take good care of Director Zhang."

She stepped back, but there was a warning in her eyes. Zhang Yu knew she was unhappy with Song Qian's sudden intervention.

Song Qian didn't care about any of that and pulled Zhang Yu towards the middle of the dance floor. But she was really drunk, and she staggered, almost falling. Zhang Yu quickly steadied her: "Song Qian, you've really had too much to drink. I'll take you home."

"I don't want to go back!" Song Qian shook her head, leaning against him. "Director Zhang, do you know what? I'm so happy today! Because I finally get to work with you! Even though it's just a small role, I'll definitely do my best!"

She spoke earnestly, but her voice was somewhat slurred. Zhang Yu could smell the alcohol on her and feel the softness of her body—this girl was truly drunk.

"Alright, I'll take you back first," Zhang Yu said, helping her walk out of the private room.

As he reached the door, he glanced back—Chen Chen was still sitting in the corner, watching him with a complex expression. Yang Mi stood by the dance floor, a half-smile playing on her lips. Zeng Li was talking to that CEO Wang, but her eyes remained fixed on him. Bai Bing stood by the window, his gaze icy. Li Xiaoran looked at him worriedly and shook her head slightly.

Everyone in that private room harbored their own secrets. And he was the center of everyone's attention.

Zhang Yu took a deep breath and helped Song Qian out of the private room. The corridor was quiet, a stark contrast to the noise inside. Song Qian leaned against him and whispered, "Director Zhang, I like you... I really like you..."

"You've had too much to drink," Zhang Yu said.

"I'm not drunk..." Song Qian shook her head. "I'm perfectly sober. Director Zhang, I know you have many women around you, I know Senior Chen Chen is very important to you, I know Sister Yang Mi is also interested in you... but I just can't help liking you..."

She spoke with such sincerity, so naively. Zhang Yu looked at her; this nineteen-year-old girl possessed youthful vigor and reckless courage. The feeling was both moving and dangerous.

“Song Qian,” he said softly, “you shouldn’t like me. I… am not worthy of your affection.”

"Why?" Song Qian looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. "You're so good, so talented, so understanding of me... why aren't you good enough for me?"

Zhang Yu looked at her, unable to speak—because he was only using her, because he had a mission he had to complete, because he needed to collect the admiration of 108 women, because he... was a liar.

"In short, forget about me," he finally said.

"I don't want to." Song Qian shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "Director Zhang, I will try my best. I will try my best to act, try my best to dance, try my best to become better, until I am worthy of you. Can you... wait for me?"

She spoke so humbly, so sincerely. Looking at her, Zhang Yu felt a surge of intense guilt—what was he doing? Why was he hurting these sincere girls?

But he couldn't stop. Because the game had already begun, and because he had a mission to complete.

"I'll take you home first," he finally said.

As Zhang Yu helped Song Qian out of the club, the cold winter wind swept over them. Song Qian shivered and instinctively snuggled closer to him. Zhang Yu took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders before hailing a taxi.

On the way home, Song Qian fell asleep on his shoulder, tears still clinging to her eyes. Looking at her sleeping face, Zhang Yu felt a surge of complex emotions—this girl was so young, so beautiful, did he really want to ruin her?

he does not know.

All he knew was that from the moment he awakened those memories, he embarked on a path of no return.

Whatever the cost.

After dropping Song Qian off, Zhang Yu returned to the club at 11 p.m. The private room was less crowded, but the atmosphere was still lively. Chen Chen was still sitting in the corner, but Yang Mi was nowhere to be seen.

"Director Zhang, you're back!" Li Xiaoming greeted him warmly when he saw him. "Come on, let's have another drink!"

Zhang Yu walked over, took the wine glass, but didn't drink it: "President Li, where is Chen Chen?"

“Miss Chen Chen…” Li Xiaoming thought for a moment, “It seems she went back with Huang Ying first. Oh right, Yang Mi also left, saying she wasn’t feeling well.”

Zhang Yu's heart tightened—Chen Chen had gone home first, without waiting for him. What did this mean? Was she angry? Disappointed? Or...tired?

"Director Zhang, forget about those women!" Li Xiaoming patted him on the shoulder. "Come on, let me introduce you to some important people!"

That night, Zhang Yu drank heavily again, met with many people, and said many things against his will. When he left the club at two in the morning, he stood on the empty street, looking at the Beijing night sky, feeling utterly cold inside.

The birthmark under his left eye felt slightly warm in the night. He could feel several new star-like marks appearing within him—Zeng Li's admiration, Li Xiaoran's care, Yang Mi's complex emotions, and Song Qian's pure love...

The pace of progress was accelerating, but the emptiness in his heart was growing ever larger.

Can he really make it to the end in this game?

he does not know.

All he knew was that he had no way out.

No matter the cost, he will keep moving forward.

This is his choice.

……

In the entertainment industry, a vast arena of fame and fortune, every smile can be a carefully crafted weapon, and every embrace carries a calculated temperature. Zhang Yu stood on the steps of the Ming and Qing Palace in Hengdian, watching the busy crew members below. The mole under his left eye was faintly visible in the drizzle of March in Jiangnan—he had lost count of how many times he had told himself that this was just a game.

---

March 7, 2000, Hengdian World Studios, Zhejiang Province, the air was still chilly in early spring.

A light drizzle, like mist, shrouded the vermilion walls of the Ming and Qing palaces. Zhang Yu stood on the high platform in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, holding a black umbrella, the hem of his dark gray trench coat fluttering gently in the breeze. He held an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his gaze fixed on the square below—where the film crew of "A Family of Scholars" was setting up their scene for today's shoot.

"Director Zhang, the actresses' makeup trucks have arrived." Assistant Director Xiao Wang hurried up the steps, holding today's shooting schedule in his hand.

Zhang Yu took the notice and glanced at it: "Has Chen Chen arrived?"

“Sister Chen Chen arrived half an hour ago and is in dressing room number two. However…” Xiao Wang hesitated for a moment, “She doesn’t seem to be in a good mood, and Sister Huang Ying is with her.”

Zhang Yu nodded, not asking any further questions. Ever since that press conference two weeks ago, Chen Chen had been avoiding him. He wouldn't reply to texts, wouldn't answer calls, and even when they met on set, he would only offer a polite nod. That deliberate distance was more painful than any argument.

But he didn't have time to dwell on those things. Today's scene was the first in "A Scholarly Family"—Lin Shuwan's first encounter with the male lead, Gu Jiangnan, at the train station upon arriving in Shanghai. This scene required a large number of extras and the coordination of three cameras to capture Chen Chen's trepidation and curiosity as he arrived in the metropolis from a small town in Jiangnan.