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

Scenes like last night repeat themselves every month; there's nothing unusual about it.

Shang Yibo sat at the breakfast table, his mind in turmoil. A sumptuous breakfast was laid out before him, but he had no appetite. The thought of those troubling matters weighed heavily on his mind, and a sense of unease crept into his heart.

His brow was furrowed, and his eyes revealed a sense of helplessness and confusion. He didn't know how to face these problems, nor how to find a solution. This feeling of helplessness made him feel extremely tired and frustrated.

Shang Yibo's fingers unconsciously stirred the food in front of him, but his thoughts had already drifted far away...

Did I start off in the wrong direction? Should I continue to pin my hopes on a chance encounter? What should I do if there's still no progress?

He tried to calm himself down, taking several deep breaths to soothe the unease in his heart.

Let go of all this, let go of everything here, and go wherever you want to go. It's better than feeling suffocated here.

Like here, those scenes are like a bad song on a broken media player, playing on repeat every month, and you have to listen to it again when the time comes.

He didn't sleep well last night, he kept having the same dream, a dream he often has, that keeps repeating itself. Every time he wakes up, he feels dazed and can't tell if it's a dream or reality. Even now, his head still feels heavy.

Shang Yibo looked up and saw Aunt Yan sitting opposite him. He greeted Aunt Yan, his lips slightly curling up to force a dry smile.

Aunt Yan pushed the freshly fried bacon towards Shang Yibo: "Eat it while it's hot, look at you..."

She looked at Shang Yibo, who seemed listless and unhappy. She wanted to persuade him to eat more, as he seemed thinner since he came back, but she opened her mouth without saying anything.

Shang Yibo had little appetite. He drank half a cup of black coffee, took a bite of toast, and tried to eat a slice of bacon, but he couldn't swallow it and had to put it down.

He lowered his eyelids and could sense that Aunt Yan was worried. He also saw that Aunt Yan was cautious and hesitant to speak.

Actually, Shang Yibo wouldn't get angry no matter what Aunt Yan said. From childhood to adulthood, Aunt Yan had always been the person who cared about him the most. In this family, only Aunt Yan would talk to him, and Shang Yibo wouldn't get annoyed.

I don’t know when it started, but whenever the family members get together, or rather, whenever Shang Yibo is in the house, the atmosphere becomes unusually oppressive.

A few years ago, any conversation at home would end in arguments and unpleasantness. Now, no one in the family wants to talk or chat anymore. Of course, Chu Yiming is an exception; he still talks a lot.

Later, Shang Yibo avoided coming back whenever possible. At first, he would make up all sorts of excuses, but later, when no one asked, he got too lazy to make up reasons anymore. Gradually, he got used to it, and the people living there got used to it too.

He often travels for filming and performances, and for convenience, he usually lives in an apartment in the city, rarely spending the night at home.

Today was a rare day without any scheduled events, so I planned to watch some award-winning films and lesbian movies in my little home theater. The equipment at home is better than in his apartment, and the viewing experience in my little theater is much closer to that of a movie theater.

The home theater was on the basement level. If he hadn't seen that Aunt Yan had already prepared breakfast when he went downstairs, or if he hadn't been afraid of disappointing and worrying Aunt Yan, he would have gone straight to the basement level.

This delay made him irritable again as he saw Aunt Yan being so cautious. He felt more and more like a guest in this house.

Or perhaps, it's superfluous.

"But this is my home, left to me by my maternal grandfather. Why should I?" Just thinking about this made the stubborn and arrogant Shang Yibo inexplicably unhappy.

This feeling started when he was 18, when he heard others talking about his mother's death, when he realized that the man he had called "Dad" for 18 years had nothing to do with him.

Yes, that's right. He has no connection with anyone in this family except for the house.

"Whoosh..." The phone on the table suddenly vibrated.

Shang Yibo usually keeps his phone on silent when watching movies. He picked up the phone and glanced at it. It was a call from his assistant, Ding Jiajia: "Yibo, the trailer for 'Swordsman' has started, and the screening schedule has also been released. This time, it will be broadcast on satellite TV and online platforms simultaneously."

Shang Yibo said calmly, "It's going to air so soon? I thought it would be at the end of the year."

Ding Jiajia responded, "The company really put in a lot of effort this time. The investors also took advantage of the popularity of your previous variety show and actively coordinated with all parties, which actually made it happen. However, we are now worried about the venue for the press conference. We can't even book a venue for this kind of last-minute arrangement."

Shang Yibo said dismissively, "Don't schedule too much publicity. Just pick a few influential people to attend."

"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things. It won't interfere with your plans." Ding Jiajia was smart enough to know that Shang Yibo was thinking about his upcoming private schedule, so she readily assured him.

Normally, when scheduling announcements, his manager is afraid to call Shang Yibo, so he can only have his assistant Ding Jiajia directly inform him of the schedule, which saves a lot of explanation.

This agent has been with him for two years, ever since he debuted in the entertainment industry.

Shang Yibo has a bad temper that's hard to manage. His manager and team have already experienced it firsthand. If it weren't for his family's investment, they would have given up on him long ago. Although the entertainment industry is highly competitive these days, it has no shortage of talented artists. It's hard to understand why a rich kid would suffer like this and insist on developing his career in the entertainment industry.

However, aside from his bad temper and reluctance to attend social events, Shang Yibo is quite professional and cooperative at work. Some production teams describe him as dedicated and professional, which has earned him a good reputation in the industry.

These past two years have been full of ups and downs. His stubborn personality and his tendency to be both popular and controversial mean that people either genuinely like him or hate him intensely, often leading to fierce battles between his fans and his detractors. Various negative articles have flooded the internet, and his management team is constantly busy trying to "put out the fires."

Fortunately, their hard work paid off. He quickly rose to prominence after his debut, and with his popularity soaring, he became a top star in the entertainment industry.

A fantasy drama filmed last year is about to air, and a series of promotional events will be arranged. He also has a variety show guest and a regular variety show host to record, so his schedule is full again, and he has to keep up with the schedule.

The original plan was to visit Xichuan City before joining the new film crew, but it seems that the trip will have to be rescheduled again.

"I need to tell my agent that I can't accept any more new gigs," Shang Yibo reminded himself.

He absolutely had to go to Xichuan City this week; if he missed it, he'd have to wait until next year. The thought of year after year passing by like this, while he remained stuck in the same place, unable to do anything, made Shang Yibo feel sad again.

Thinking of this, Shang Yibo called Ding Jiajia again: "If you really can't book a venue for the press conference, have the publicity team contact Rushang Group to arrange a hotel. You know who to contact. The press conference will be held there."

Shang Yibo was impatient but helpless. It shouldn't have been his concern to arrange the venue for the press conference, but this time it was different. If he didn't take care of it, the promotional period would be postponed, and his private schedule would either be delayed or canceled, which would mean he wouldn't have time to go to Xichuan City.

For the past two years, he has made sure to go to Xichuan City on July 20th every year, and stay in the old town of Xichuan for a few days. Nothing can change that, just in case he runs into them this time.

"Okay, I'll contact them right away," Ding Jiajia replied happily.

This is Ding Jiajia's second year as Shang Yibo's assistant, which is considered quite a long time for him. In the less than a year before she arrived, he had already had six different assistants.

Shang Yibo does have a bad temper. He hates those who deliberately flatter or fawn, and not participating in such behavior is his bottom line.

However, being in the entertainment industry, one cannot avoid the necessary social engagements and the public persona one must project. Management companies also operate according to the established rules within the industry.

They were all forced into this situation against their will, and even if they were unwilling, they had to endure it. But Shang Yibo refused to indulge them.

The executive agents and assistants privately discussed that Shang Yibo's temper was unpredictable and difficult to please; it was hard to figure out what he cared about or disliked.

Because often, he disdains opportunities that others fight tooth and nail for, and his executive agent has to painstakingly persuade him, often to no avail; while others avoid opportunities that are thankless and arduous, he will take any job he wants, no matter what anyone says. Nobody knows what his evaluation criteria are for accepting gigs.

With a wealthy family background like his, no one can sway his will.

They just couldn't understand why Shang Yibo insisted on staying in the cruel entertainment industry.