Rebirth: A big star falls in love with me

“Director Zhang,” she said softly, “if I had met you a few years earlier, I might have fallen in love with you.”

Zhang Yu paused for a moment, then smiled: "It's not too late to meet now. But Yang Mi, you must remember—you deserve to be loved, but not by me, but by someone who can love you wholeheartedly. As for me, I already have too many responsibilities and ties, and I can't give anyone my whole heart."

These words were spoken very frankly. Yang Mi nodded: "I understand. But Director Zhang, it's already my good fortune to have met you and to be able to work with you."

Just then, the fabric in the dye vat was ready. Zhang Yu and Yang Mi reached out at the same time, their hands touching in the dye. The warm liquid, the overlapping fingers, a brief but distinct sensation.

Yang Mi recoiled as if electrocuted, her face flushing. Zhang Yu, however, casually picked up the fabric: "The timing is perfect, let's see how it looks."

On the unfolded fabric, the lake blue transitions naturally from dark to light, like a clear lake. The tie-dyed patterns are exquisite and elegant, possessing a more charming appeal than the original solid color.

"We did it!" Gao Yuanyuan jumped up happily.

Yang Mi looked at the piece of fabric, then at Zhang Yu's focused profile, and a slight stirring stirred within her. She knew Zhang Yu was right; she shouldn't have such thoughts. But sometimes, the human heart is uncontrollable.

---

Two o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Chen's room.

As agreed, Chen Chen was supposed to rest at 2 PM. But as soon as she returned to her hotel room, Zhang Yu followed her in.

"You should go to sleep." He closed the door, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"I still have some things to take care of..." Chen Chen tried to find an excuse.

“Nothing is more important than your health.” Zhang Yu walked up to her and looked her straight in the eyes. “Chen Chen, I know you’re working hard, but you can’t let yourself break down. If you collapse, this team will really fall apart.”

Chen Chen looked at him and suddenly laughed, a tired laugh: "Zhang Yu, now you know how to care about my health? Why weren't you this worried when I jumped into the river?"

This was bringing up old issues again. Zhang Yu's eyes darkened: "I'm sorry about that matter. But let's keep things separate. You need to rest now."

"What if I don't?" Chen Chen looked up, his expression defiant.

Zhang Yu was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly bent down and scooped her up in his arms. Chen Chen gasped and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck: "What are you doing!"

"I'll take you to bed." Zhang Yu strode into the bedroom, gently placed her on the bed, and then sat down beside her. "I'll stay here and watch over you. You sleep for three hours. I'll wake you up at three o'clock."

Chen Chen lay on the bed, looking at his face so close to hers. She could smell the scent of wood chips, dye, and masculinity emanating from him; she could see the new stubble on his chin; and she could feel the slight rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

“Zhang Yu,” she said softly, “if you do this… I’ll misunderstand.”

"What's the misunderstanding?"

"You misunderstood and still love me." Chen Chen said directly.

Zhang Yu looked at her with a complicated expression: "Chen Chen, I have never stopped loving you. But there are many ways to love, and the way I choose now is to let you live well, grow well, and become the person you want to be, instead of becoming my appendage."

These words were too heavy. Chen Chen's eyes reddened: "And what about you? What kind of person do you want to be?"

“I want to be someone you can rely on,” Zhang Yu said. “Not someone to control you, but someone to support you. Chen Chen, once all of this is over, once the studio is stable, if you’re still willing… we can start over. But this time, it’s about equality, mutual success, not one of us depending on the other.”

This was a promise Chen Chen had waited a long time for. Looking at him, tears finally streamed down her face: "Zhang Yu, you bastard... why did you only say it now..."

"Because only now do I have the right to say it." Zhang Yu reached out and gently wiped away her tears. "Alright, go to sleep. I'll wake you up in three hours."

Chen Chen closed her eyes, tears still streaming down her face, but a smile played on her lips. She felt Zhang Yu gently patting her back, like soothing a child. This long-lost tenderness finally relaxed her nerves, which had been tense for so long.

She fell asleep in less than five minutes.

Zhang Yu sat on the edge of the bed, watching her sleeping face. Chen Chen was sleeping restlessly, her brows slightly furrowed, and tears still clung to her eyelashes. He reached out to smooth her brows, but then hesitated, afraid of waking her, and his hand hovered in mid-air before gently landing on the tip of her hair.

The star-shaped birthmark under his left eye felt slightly warm. He could feel that Chen Chen's star-like mark had reached an unprecedented brightness at this moment—it wasn't pain, it wasn't waiting, but a sense of relief and peace from finally being understood and respected.

He needs to collect 108 such marks.

But now he feels that perhaps some marks are not for collection, but for protection.

---

3 PM, on set.

When Chen Chen was woken up on time, she felt much better. She washed her face and returned to the set with Zhang Yu, only to find the atmosphere a bit strange—everyone was gathered together with serious expressions.

"What's wrong?" Chen Chen asked.

Yang Mi walked over, holding a newspaper in her hand, her face looking very grim: "Chen Chen, Director Zhang, look at this."

That was today's *Entertainment Express*, with a glaring headline on the front page: "New Generation Director Zhang Yu Embroiled in a Love Triangle, Simultaneously Dating Chen Chen and Yang Mi." The article was vividly written, claiming that Zhang Yu was using his position as director to maintain inappropriate relationships with two actresses at the same time, and it even included several photos—one of Zhang Yu standing very close to Yang Mi on set, another of him talking to Chen Chen in a hotel corridor, and even a blurry photo of Zhang Yu carrying Chen Chen into his room last night.

"This..." Chen Chen's expression changed, "When was this filmed?"

“It’s obviously a candid shot,” Bai Bing said coldly. “And the fact that it was released today, April Fool’s Day, makes it hardest to tell the truth from the lies.”

“Wang Zhongjun’s methods,” Zhang Yu said calmly. “If he can’t blacklist us, he’ll use this method to smear us. The entertainment industry is most afraid of this kind of scandal, especially when it involves directors and actors.”

"What should we do?" Gao Yuanyuan was almost in tears. "This kind of news is bad for Director Zhang's reputation, as well as Sister Chen Chen's and Sister Mi's..."

"Clarify," Chen Chen said decisively. "Hold a press conference and clarify things directly."

“Clarification is useless.” Zhang Yu shook his head. “The more you clarify this kind of news, the worse it gets. People only believe what they want to believe.”

"So we're just going to ignore it?" Yang Mi frowned.

“No, we’ll respond in a different way.” Zhang Yu smiled, a mischievous slyness in his smile. “It’s April Fool’s Day, right? Let’s play a joke on each other.”

He beckoned everyone together and whispered something. At first, everyone looked surprised, then gradually their expressions turned to smiles, and finally everyone laughed.

"Director Zhang, is this really okay?" Zhao Liying asked worriedly.

“Why not?” Zhang Yu raised an eyebrow. “They play dirty tricks on us, so we’ll play fair. Let’s see who can outsmart whom.”