The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Shang Yibo kept a close eye on Zhou Yanruo's flight status. Although the flight information showed that she had landed safely, Zhou Yanruo had not called him yet. Even though he knew that Hong Yun was waiting for him at the airport and that Hongliang Group had a branch in Yuehai, so Zhou Yanruo should be well taken care of, Shang Yibo was still uneasy.

It wasn't until Shang Yibo arrived at the film set that evening that he finally received a call from Zhou Yanruo. As soon as the call connected, Zhou Yanruo eagerly asked, "Yibo, guess who I ran into on the plane to Yuehai?"

Shang Yibo already had a premonition and replied, "Jian Zheng."

Zhou Yanruo was quite surprised: "How did you know?"

Shang Yibo explained, "I'm not sure, it's just a guess. He's going to Yuehai too? I think he's probably aiming for Rushang Group as well."

"Is this just your guess?" Zhou Yanruo asked with a hint of doubt. "Yibo, is there something you haven't told me?"

Shang Yibo took a deep breath and said, "It's more of a conjecture than a guess. Yanruo, my mother and you both warned me before to keep an eye on Jian Zheng. I always thought I knew Jian Zheng; I thought he wasn't the kind of person who would resort to tricks. But now it seems I might have been wrong."

He didn't pursue the topic further, instead asking, "Let's not talk about this on the phone. Why did you only think to call me now?"

Zhou Yanruo explained, "After President Hong came to pick me up, we went directly to meet up with Director He and the others."

She paused briefly on the other end of the phone before continuing, "They're heading back to Beijing early tomorrow morning, saying there's an urgent matter at a project the group is currently operating that they need to handle. Neither General Manager Hong nor I can stop them, so we have to hand over the work to them in such a short time."

"Is there anything more urgent than the Yuehai matter at this time? How could Director He decide to return to Beijing on his own without dealing with the matters at hand first?" Shang Yibo asked in confusion.

"I didn't expect that what President Fang was worried about would come true so quickly." Zhou Yanruo's tone was tinged with worry.

"You mean to say that Rushang Group is now leaderless?" Shang Yibo pressed.

“We’re not all out of the group, so we really don’t know what the situation is like right now. Besides, it’s almost the third day, and the company has to issue an announcement about Chairman Chu’s investigation. If we delay any longer, it could involve violations related to undisclosed material matters,” Zhou Yanruo said in a series of sentences.

Shang Yibo did not answer Zhou Yanruo's question directly, but instead said, "After you left this afternoon, I carefully studied the current situation and I have an idea."

“What are your thoughts? You can share them briefly first. I’m still in the project office right now, so it’s not convenient for me to say too much. We can talk about it in detail when I get back to the hotel,” Zhou Yanruo replied.

"I contacted Qi Qingnan this afternoon and discussed the film 'The Legend of Huizhou Merchants' with her. I was thinking about whether we could discuss adjusting the script with the production team, especially Ling Shaojing's scenes, to see if there's any room for change," Shang Yibo said, sharing his thoughts.

Zhou Yanruo interrupted him and said, "You want to finish filming here as soon as possible and then go back to Rushang Group to take charge, right?"

Shang Yibo nodded and said, "Yes, we have that plan."

Zhou Yanruo sighed softly: "You really like this role, don't you feel a little regretful? I mean, do you have any regrets?"

Shang Yibo chuckled: "We don't even know if the script can be adjusted yet, and you're already making sentimental remarks."

After a two-second silence on the phone, Zhou Yanruo said softly, "I came to see you this afternoon, originally intending to discuss this matter with you, but considering how much you value this role, I couldn't bring myself to say it."

Shang Yibo responded slowly: "I really like the character Ling Shaojing. I have always hoped to create a classic role before retiring from the entertainment industry, so as to bring a relatively perfect end to my acting career."

"You're planning to retire from the entertainment industry?" Zhou Yanruo asked in surprise. "When did you start thinking about this? I've never heard you mention it before?"

Shang Yibo was filled with mixed feelings. He had originally wanted to tell Zhou Yanruo that his initial reason for entering the entertainment industry was to find her, and now that he had found her, there was no need for him to continue staying in the industry. But the words caught in his throat, and he swallowed them back, feeling that it would be too sentimental to say it so hastily over the phone.

So he changed the subject and said, "Roushang Group is going through a lot right now, and my dad has gotten into this mess. I should do my part to help them out."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanruo nodded: "Then I'll contact Qi Qingnan later. It's more appropriate for me to discuss the script revisions with them. Just focus on filming and don't let this distract you."

Shang Yibo said with concern, "Don't overwork yourself. Go back to the hotel and rest early. You haven't been able to rest properly these past few days, so take care of yourself."

"You have to film a long night scene tonight, it's too late for me to call you, I'll contact you again tomorrow. I'll hang up now."

Shang Yibo had barely finished saying "Mmm" when the other party hung up the phone.

A true all-night shoot, filming continued all night until the sky began to lighten before the crew finally wrapped. After filming, Shang Yibo quickly changed out of his costume, not even having time to remove his makeup, and got into his Mercedes-Benz van. He was utterly exhausted and planned to go straight back to his hotel to remove his makeup and rest.

As soon as the van pulled out of the parking lot, Shang Yibo's phone rang. The caller ID showed Zhou Yanruo. He answered the phone, his voice carrying a hint of tired gentleness: "Yanruo, so early."

“I made sure to call you before you got back to the hotel so as not to disturb your rest.” Zhou Yanruo’s voice was slightly hoarse.

The feeling of being cared for surged through Shang Yibo like a warm current, instantly alleviating his fatigue. He smiled and replied, "Yanruo, how did your talk with Qi Qingnan go yesterday?"

Zhou Yanruo replied, "We discussed it, and the production team originally intended to film a second season, so they added a younger brother to the character of Ling Shaojing. We can use this as a reason to ask them to revise the script, and I don't think they would have any objections."

Shang Yibo nodded in agreement, saying, "This is a good approach; we can give it a try."

However, Zhou Yanruo changed the subject: "However, the more troublesome thing is the matter on my own company's side."

"How so?" Shang Yibo asked.

“Jie Can might not agree,” Zhou Yanruo said worriedly.

"Why would he disagree?" Shang Yibo pressed.

"Because Shen Qing and Ling Shaojing have the most scenes together, she's the female lead. If Ling Shaojing's scenes are reduced, it means the female lead's scenes will also decrease," Zhou Yanruo analyzed.

Shang Yibo: "The key is the attitude of the production team. We'll talk to them first."

Zhou Yanruo: "Qi Qingnan will be meeting with the producer today. We'll hear from him later. You should go back to your hotel and rest."

Shang Yibo glanced at the time; it was just past five. "You should sleep a little longer too."