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

The press conference for Shang Yibo's new film will be held at the Yishang International Hotel, which is under the group's ownership.

Logically speaking, this is just a routine business and doesn't require Zhou Yanruo's personal arrangement. It's only because of Shang Yibo's special status that he is, after all, a major shareholder of Rushang Group, and strictly speaking, Zhou Yanruo's true boss.

Chairman Chu attaches great importance to this and has mentioned it twice in recent meetings.

As the chairman's assistant, it is only natural that the things the chairman values ​​are her work priorities.

Since the chairman's office has taken on this task, she will personally arrange every detail, which has been her work habit for many years.

After a busy day, as it was nearing the end of the workday, Zhou Yanruo had arranged everything in accordance with the instructions from the meeting.

Afterwards, she personally called Shang Yibo's assistant: "Ding Jiajia, your press conference has been arranged. Chairman Chu has also arranged a thank-you banquet and gifts. I have already informed your producer."

Zhou Yanruo specifically emphasized the sponsorship arrangement made by Chairman Chu, and continued, "Chairman Chu has arranged for the group to sponsor the project. I will sign a sponsorship agreement with the production company in the next couple of days. You can talk to the agency and I won't call them separately. You can also report to President Shang."

"President Zhou, please don't tell Shang Yibo, okay? He doesn't like his family getting too involved. The preparation time for this press conference was too tight, and we had no choice but to ask Ru Shang Group to help us book the venue." Ding Jiajia knew Shang Yibo's attitude towards his family very well. She originally planned to just book the venue and not cause any more trouble. There was no need to mention anything else in front of Shang Yibo, and there was no need to cause him any unhappiness.

She wasn't familiar with the new CEO, Ms. Zhou, in the chairman's office; they'd only interacted a few times. She'd heard from the other women in the group that Ms. Zhou was a strong, capable, and assertive woman, completely different from the gentle and approachable Ms. Lingling. However, she seemed like a decent person, without any scheming or office politics, just a bit arrogant and not very sociable.

If she were to act on her own initiative without prior notice, it would seem presumptuous and against the rules. After all, administratively, Ding Jiajia is still an employee of Rushang Group, and President Zhou is her direct supervisor.

"Then you can decide for yourself," Zhou Yanruo said somewhat dismissively.

"Shang Yibo, a rich second-generation, became a popular star. His career has been smooth sailing thanks to his family's sponsorship, so there's nothing to be 'pretentious' about."

"When I have time, I'll find some of Shang Yibo's works to watch. What makes this big star, with so many fans and so much capital, so special?" Zhou Yanruo thought to herself as she hung up the phone.

She was still thinking about the big stars in China, those shining figures on the screen, the focus of everyone's attention.

Her thoughts drifted like dandelion seeds, gently landing on a string of familiar names: Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Chow Yun-fat... and the classic roles they played in movies.

As I passed the front desk, I overheard a few girls talking: "Did you hear? Shang Yibo is coming here next week!"

"He never comes to the company, okay?"

"Who said we came here?"

"They're going to the Yi Shang Hotel. It seems his new drama is about to air, and they're holding a press conference at our hotel."

"I knew it, I don't have the luck to see Yibo here."

“I’ve been with the company for almost two years, and I’ve never seen him come here.”

"When will the press conference be held, and where can I find out about it?"

"I want to know too! I'm going to sneak down and see him later."

"I'll go as well."

"I'll go as well."

"No, they've all gone. There's no one left here."

"I don't care, I have to go."

"I was planning to go live anyway, but I haven't had a break in ages. It's so rare for it to be downstairs, I'd feel bad if I didn't go."

"Going to the live show? The tickets are ridiculously expensive, and you can't even get them."

"Then let's draw lots, that's fair."

"Let's draw lots then, I'm very lucky."

The girls were chatting happily when they saw Zhou Yanruo approaching. They quickly stopped talking and greeted her, "President Zhou." "President Zhou."

"Hmm, were you talking about Shang Yibo just now?"

The girls were a little nervous; they were afraid of being criticized for chatting together during work hours.

Seeing that no one answered her, Zhou Yanruo continued, "Tell me about Shang Yibo too, anything is fine."

The girls became even more nervous. The leader was saying this on purpose; he was questioning them and they were going to be criticized.

Two of them, whose jobs weren't here, hurriedly said, "Mr. Zhou, we'll go back to work now," and then walked away quickly with their heads down.

Only two girls who originally worked there remained at the front desk, Li Ling and Zhang Yan. They stood there blankly, looking at the serious Zhou Yanruo, at a loss for what to do.

Seeing that none of them answered her, Zhou Yanruo asked again, "Tell me, what works of Shang Yibo have been broadcast, or what video materials are available?"

One of the girls mustered up her courage and said, "Mr. Zhou, don't you know Shang Yibo? I mean, the big star Shang Yibo."

"do not know."

The two girls exchanged a glance, then turned to look at Zhou Yanruo with eyes that seemed to look at a monster. They must be wondering, how could anyone here not recognize Shang Yibo, a big star, or even a major shareholder and boss of a conglomerate?

Another young woman pulled a fashion magazine from her backpack and handed it to Zhou Yanruo, saying, "President Zhou, I just managed to snag a copy of this magazine today. The cover and the inside pages feature an interview with Shang Yibo. I can lend it to you, but you have to return it to me after you're done. I had a lot of trouble getting it."

Zhou Yanruo hummed in agreement and reached out to take the magazine.

She glanced at the magazine cover casually, and as if electrocuted, she snatched the magazine, held it up to her face, and stared wide-eyed at the cover figure—Shang Yibo.

Zhou Yanruo's actions startled the two girls. They looked at each other and whispered, "Shang Yibo is handsome, but he doesn't have the ability to make President Zhou look this handsome."

Zhou Yanruo ignored their expressions and went straight back to her office with the magazine.

She put the magazine on her desk and first grabbed the water glass on the desk and poured herself a large glass of ice water.

After calming down a bit, she looked at the magazine lying on the table.

The cover star, Shang Yibo, sports silver-gray highlights, earrings, and a blue-gray tweed shirt. He wears multiple necklaces around his neck. His eyes are deep, and one corner of his mouth is turned up, exuding a captivating, aloof, and untamed charm.

Is this Shang Yibo? This is clearly Wang Jie!

Zhou Yanruo recognized him at a glance; it was Wang Jie, the Wang Jie she had searched for for so long. How could he be here? Wasn't he already...?

Why did he become Shang Yibo? What happened?

Zhou Yanruo could not possibly mistake someone else; how could she possibly mistake someone who was etched into her bones and ingrained in her blood?

She eagerly opened the inner pages, and several pages in a row featured Shang Yibo's fashion interpretations of different styles. In one page, he rode a motorcycle, wearing heavy smoky makeup, with a cool expression, exuding an untamed and wild aura.

On another page, Shang Yibo presents a completely different style. Wearing a well-tailored black trench coat and holding a transparent umbrella, he resembles a sophisticated urban gentleman. Surrounded by skyscrapers, his tall and upright figure exudes a sense of resolute strength. His slightly tilted head and profile reveal sharply defined, handsome features, radiating a unique masculine charm and composure. This scene inevitably evokes images from classic black and white films.

Zhou Yanruo gently closed the magazine in her hand. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and Wang Jie's image began to appear before her eyes.

Wang Jie was wearing a white shirt, faded jeans, and always impeccably clean white sneakers.

He often carried a very old brown leather satchel slung across his shoulder, which was bulging with textbooks for all subjects and grade levels.

As Zhou Yanruo's memories unfolded in her mind, Wang Jie's image became increasingly clear. He was composed and unassuming in his dealings with others, neither reserved nor ostentatious, giving off a mature and steady feeling that made people want to rely on him.

Zhou Yanruo opened her eyes, her gaze once again falling on Shang Yibo's punk-style face.

Shang Yibo's eyes were cold and unruly, while in her memory, Wang Jie's eyes were focused and gentle.

Are there really people in the world who look so alike? Zhou Yanruo's answer is yes, they are not just alike, they are exactly the same.

But they are very different, and Zhou Yanruo couldn't quite figure out what the difference was.

Zhou Yanru shook her head heavily, as if that would clear her mind.

“They just look alike. Shang Yibo is not Wang Jie,” Zhou Yanruo murmured to herself.