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

In the restaurant bathed in soft light, time seemed to slow down, allowing everyone to forget the hustle and bustle outside. Although the afternoon's fight, like a sudden storm, had left deep or shallow marks on everyone's hearts, no one brought it up now, as if it were a distant memory unrelated to tonight. The online public opinion, like the turbulent undercurrents of the sea, was temporarily kept at bay by this deliberately created atmosphere of joy.

The table was laden with a variety of delicious dishes, steaming hot and fragrant, whetting the appetite. Everyone sat around, raising their glasses, laughing and chatting as if celebrating a special holiday. A smile graced everyone's face—a genuine, pure joy, as if all worries had been cast aside.

Serin, the experienced acting teacher, became the soul of the gathering. He stood up, cleared his throat, and began to recount the interesting and anecdotes he had encountered on set. No wonder he was a diction teacher; his voice was magnetic, every word carefully crafted, full of captivating power.

"You know what? Once, I was on a period drama set, and one of the actors, because he wasn't used to the ancient etiquette, made a huge fool of himself during filming..." Serin described vividly, his gestures exaggerated and lively, as if he were performing on stage. Every expression and every movement of his was just right, making the audience feel as if they were there, witnessing the hilarious scene firsthand.

The audience listened with great interest, occasionally bursting into laughter.

Shang Yibo hadn't laughed this loudly in a long time. He couldn't help but look at Zhou Yanruo beside him. She was holding her eyes with her index fingers, laughing so hard she was doubled over. She kept saying, "I'm laughing so hard I'm getting crow's feet. I have to hold it in."

Xiao Guangzi kept refilling everyone's glasses with wine.

The only rational one was Ding Jiajia, who was usually the most boisterous. She kept reminding everyone, "This wine has a strong aftereffect, so everyone should drink in moderation and not drink too much."

The entire restaurant was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation, as if even the air itself had become relaxed and pleasant.

Zhou Yanruo's phone rang. She was smiling broadly and answered it casually, "Hello?"

A woman's voice came through the phone, "Yan Ruo, it's me, Qi Qingnan. Where are you? It's so noisy."

When Zhou Yanruo heard that it was Qi Qingnan calling, she quietly greeted Shang Yibo, "It's Qingnan, I'll go answer this call first."

With that, she stood up and walked to the living room. "Qingnan, I'm out. Now, speak."

Qi Qingnan: "I just wanted to let you know that things online are basically under control, so don't worry. This time it's alright, it hasn't escalated to an extreme."

Zhou Yanruo: "That's good. I guess there aren't that many people online who are just looking for trouble. After all, it's just rehashing old news, there's nothing new about it."

Qi Qingnan: "That's not it. Lao Jie and the others did a good job guiding things. They mainly generated a lot of buzz for Shen Qing and attracted most of the attention."

Zhou Yanruo: "President Xie is such a good person!"

Qi Qingnan: "Yanruo, you are such a simple person. I am happy to be friends with someone like you. It's not tiring."

Zhou Yanruo smiled: "Thank you for the compliment. Being able to be friends means we're pretty much the same. You've been in this industry for so many years, and you're still a pure and innocent person."

Qi Qingnan: "Are you saying I'm stupid? After being in the industry for so many years, you still call it a pure and innocent character. I don't know if you're insulting me or praising me. Hahaha, I don't care, I'll just take it as a compliment."

Zhou Yanruo was a little embarrassed. Indeed, the word "innocence" depends on where it is used; sometimes it cannot be considered a positive term.

"Let's stop with the professional flattery," Qi Qingnan changed the subject, continuing, "But we can't treat everyone like a saint and only look at what's in their hands. The script for this drama was revised, and Shen Qing and Yi Bo's scenes were reduced. Old Jie is currently arguing with Sister Yi Hua about it. Unexpectedly, Shen Qing herself jumped on the bandwagon. Old Jie quickly released a press release saying that Shen Qing, for the sake of the plot's plausibility, didn't hesitate to reduce her scenes and supported the script revision, making her a professional actor who protects the drama, thus directly occupying the moral high ground. This immediately generated buzz, and Shen Qing's reputation as a good actor was built up, which is the real reason they were willing to do this. I don't think Yi Bo needs any hype, so I just did him a favor. You don't have any objections, right?"

Zhou Yanruo quickly stated her opinion: "Of course I have no objection, I'd love to. Thank you, Qingnan."

Qi Qingnan: "You're too kind. I figured we'd be on the same page, so I didn't discuss it with you and just went along with what they did."

"That's great. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back to the capital."

When Shang Yibo saw that Zhou Yanruo hadn't returned for a long time after taking a phone call, he got up and went to the living room to look for her.

When Zhou Yanruo saw Shang Yibo coming over, she pointed to the sofa in front of her and gestured for him to "wait a moment".

Qi Qingnan added, "This matter is all thanks to Ding Jiajia."

Zhou Yanruo, confused, asked, "What do you mean?"

"She persuaded Mr. Jian, the investor, not to pursue the matter further. The investor immediately issued a statement: 'It was a misunderstanding. All parties will continue to work together to create a high-quality work and present it to the audience in the best possible way.'"

Zhou Yanruo turned around and glanced at Ding Jiajia at the dining table. Seeing that Ding Jiajia looked preoccupied and was different from her usual lively self, it was as if she were a completely different person.

On the phone, Qi Qingnan was still saying, "By the way, I was just about to ask you. I saw your casting call. Yibo will be able to wrap up filming next week. I have a few scripts on hand. Do you want me to send them to you to take a look?"

Zhou Yanruo looked at Shang Yibo, who was staring at her with a questioning expression, and thought to herself, 'Shang Yibo is planning to retire from the entertainment industry; it's not a good time to get him new jobs.'

He then said, "I'll only have two days to rest when I get back before I have to go participate in a variety show recording."

Qi Qingnan: "I know that. I was the one who negotiated the 'I Am an Actor' variety show. It doesn't affect the script selection. Which top star isn't packed with work? It's just that my Yibo always wants to be a carefree wanderer. Sister Yihua is so worried. Hahaha..." Qi Qingnan joked more than complained, and didn't forget to tease her boss Shen Yihua at the end.

Zhou Yanruo couldn't say too much, so she could only tell her, "Let me discuss it with Yibo first, and then I'll let you know his opinion."

Qi Qingnan didn't want to let it go easily, so she pressed on, saying, "How about this, I'll make a list first, outlining the story synopsis and the creative team, so it'll be easier for you to choose."

Zhou Yanruo was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to agree or refuse, so she could only vaguely reply, "Anything is fine, but if you're too busy, don't bother with these things."

"Don't worry about it, I'm willing."

Zhou Yanruo hung up the phone.

Looking at Zhou Yanruo's relaxed expression, Shang Yibo said in a low voice, "It seems to be resolved."

Zhou Yanruo smiled and said, "It's resolved. It's much better than I expected."

"I didn't expect it to be so fast."

"The reason things went so smoothly is mainly because Jiajia persuaded Jianzheng not to pursue the matter."

"What else does Jian Zheng want to pursue?" Shang Yibo couldn't help but ask angrily.

Ding Jiajia looked up and stared straight this way from the restaurant.

Zhou Yanruo pulled Shang Yibo aside, "Keep your voice down. Let bygones be bygones. We have a lot of things to do, we don't have the energy to get entangled in this mess."

The two returned to the restaurant and had just sat down.

Across the table, Serin had already started telling a new story, and everyone was slightly tipsy from drinking.

All the troubles and worries seemed to be swallowed up by this joyful atmosphere and became less important.