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

Shen Yihua had already sensed something before coming to Huizhou, so she was mentally prepared. However, she was still somewhat surprised when she heard Shang Yibo say he wanted to retire from the entertainment industry.

Shang Yibo is currently very popular. Although new hits emerge every year and the spotlight may change next year, given Shang Yibo's talent and hard work, staying popular for another two or three years is entirely possible. If he can plan his career well over the next few years, with his acting talent, transitioning into an excellent actor would be a piece of cake. However, Shang Yibo is now saying he wants to give it all up.

Shen Yihua has been working in the entertainment industry for over a decade. If she didn't genuinely love it, she would never have been able to persevere. The competition in this industry is so ruthless that it rivals, or even surpasses, the cutthroat world of business. And the film and television industry, as part of the broader entertainment sector, is even more ruthless, employing every means possible. Without a strong belief in one's abilities, it's incredibly difficult to persist in this industry.

Shen Yihua wasn't one to force things. If someone else wanted to terminate a contract, she would stick to business principles, directly presenting the breach of contract clauses, negotiating a price, and then going her separate ways. However, the person in front of her was Shang Yibo, a star she had personally cultivated. Besides a special bond, he was her sole role model in her career. Shang Yibo's departure not only left Shen Yihua emotionally heartbroken but also put her painstakingly built Yihua Entertainment Company at risk of collapse.

After Shang Yibo expressed his intention to retire from the entertainment industry, he noticed that Shen Yihua looked serious and thoughtful.

He poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Shen Yihua. "Sister Yihua, I'm sorry, but I have to leave the entertainment industry."

Shen Yihua: "I've heard about what's been going on with Rushang Group lately. Some of what I've said may have crossed the line, but I still want to talk to you about it."

"Ah."

"Even if you return to Rushang Group, it seems there's not much you can do. There are rumors circulating that Rushang Group has a huge funding gap and is facing severe loan repayment pressure, though that could be just a rumor. Cough cough, what I mean is, with your top-tier status in the entertainment industry, you might be able to help Rushang Group out of its predicament better than you going back to work," Shen Yihua said earnestly, trying to persuade Shang Yibo to stay.

“You’re right. My decision to leave this industry isn’t entirely for my family. I entered it by accident, and it’s actually far removed from my true self. I had compelling reasons for choosing to enter this industry. I was very fortunate to meet Sister Yihua; you became my mentor.” Shang Yibo thought about how much effort Shen Yihua had indeed put into him and how much more she cared for him than others. So, he sincerely said, “I’ve let you down, and I can only apologize.”

Seeing that he was determined to leave, Shen Yihua assumed he had made thorough preparations and refrained from saying anything more. She sighed and said, "Since you've made up your mind, I respect your decision. I'll have Qingnan liaise with your team to come up with a plan that will try to take into account the interests of all parties and minimize the losses. You have no objections to that, right?"

"Thank you, Sister Yihua. I will make sure Zhou Yanruo cooperates well with Sister Qingnan."

“Sigh…” Shen Yihua sighed helplessly and stood up. “Jie Can has arranged a dinner party tonight. You’ll be going, right?”

Shang Yibo: "Nobody told me."

Shen Yihua: "You just finished filming, so you probably haven't had a chance to tell me yet. Jie Can is still on the plane. We agreed before coming to Huizhou that it's almost Chinese New Year, so he came to visit the set and we could get together. He was originally on the same flight as me, but something came up and he changed to the next flight."

"I don't have any engagements tonight, but I'll be there."

Shen Yihua walked to the door and said, "Jie Can has been mentoring you for over a year, and he was very dedicated to you back then. Now he's working very hard mentoring Shen Qing. Shen Qing doesn't have your talent, so whether she can make it out depends on this drama."

Shang Yibo followed her to the door. "Whether I withdraw or not, I will cooperate with the pre-release promotion and the broadcast of the drama." He opened the car door for Shen Yihua. "Sister Yihua, I have also put a lot of effort into this drama. I will cherish it."

"Okay, that's good." Shen Yihua got out of the car and walked straight to the film set.

Shang Yibo watched Shen Yihua's departing figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He thought back to two years ago when he pushed open the office of Hancheng Yihua Entertainment and met Shen Yihua for the first time.

Shen Yihua strongly urged him to participate in the talent show "Su Su C-Star". At that time, he had no interest in the entertainment industry. He just wanted to find Zhou Yanruo, who often appeared in his dreams. He vaguely remembered that Zhou Yanruo was a girl who was working hard to go to Hancheng and longed to enter the entertainment industry.

Since he had the opportunity to enter the entertainment industry, which was the closest place to Zhou Yanruo, he might actually be able to find her. So he readily agreed to Shen Yihua's offer and resolutely threw himself into the entertainment industry.

Now that his wish has come true and he has truly met Zhou Yanruo, he should thank Shen Yihua.

"What are you doing standing at the door? Has President Shen left?"

Before he knew it, Zhou Yanruo was already standing in front of him.

Shang Yibo snapped out of his daze. "You're back. Come in."

Zhou Yanruo got into the nanny car. "Tonight, Jie Can invited us to a party. He said it's almost Chinese New Year and he wants everyone to get together. Those who don't have work commitments tonight should go home. Do you want to come?"

"Go ahead, I promised Sister Yihua. Filming will wrap up next week, so I'll take this opportunity to say goodbye to everyone."

Zhou Yanruo: "Have you told President Shen that you want to leave Yihua Entertainment?"

Shang Yibo: "I told her."

"What was President Shen's reaction? What requests did he make?"

"No, she just gave me a few words of advice, saying that she would arrange for Qi Qingnan to be in charge of the contract termination. I told her to contact you."

"Leave it to me."

"Yanruo, without Shen Yihua, I wouldn't have entered this industry. We wouldn't have met. Moreover, my efforts over the past two years have yielded some results, which has helped me regain my confidence. In a way, I am very grateful to her."

“I understand, don’t worry. I’ll make some concessions on ending the contract, and it won’t be a mess.” After a moment of thought, Zhou Yanruo added, “However, I don’t quite agree. Rather than saying that we reunited because we entered the entertainment industry, I’m more inclined to believe in fate. It was fate that brought us together again.”

Upon hearing this, Shang Yibo's eyes lit up, and he said softly, "Yanruo, you finally admit that our past was arranged by fate. Then I say it's because our fate is not over and our love can continue."

Zhou Yanruo smiled and scolded, "Don't push your luck."