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

The van carrying Shang Yibo and his companions drove away from the west gate of Tsinghua and Peking Universities and directly to Rushang Garden, located in the bustling city center.

"Ding Jiajia, you should go home early too," Shang Yibo said wearily.

"It's still early, why don't I come upstairs with you and help you go through the script?" Ding Jiajia noticed that Shang Yibo seemed a little down. He was fine in the morning, but for some reason, his mood started to drop in the afternoon.

Just because you didn't get into Tsinghua or Peking University? I didn't see any mention of Tsinghua or Peking University in the announcement. You're upset about that? No way, that's too childish.

She had never really understood Shang Yibo, and often found herself in a bad mood for no apparent reason.

"No need, I want to be by myself for a while," Shang Yibo refused without ceremony.

"Alright then, you should get some rest too." Ding Jiajia didn't insist.

She knew Shang Yibo's temperament; once he made up his mind, no one could change it, so she didn't say anything more.

That evening, Shang Yibo only drank a glass of freshly squeezed vegetable juice, which was his dinner. In order to better resemble Ling Shaojing's youthful appearance, he had to maintain a slender figure, even though he was already very thin, he still needed to lose another three to five pounds.

He picked up the script on the table and carefully read the description of Ling Shaojing's youth. The words seemed to possess a magical power, allowing him to travel through time and return to that innocent and beautiful era. He closed his eyes, silently conceiving the character's image and temperament, not overlooking a single detail.

This was a script he loved, a character he admired, and he was willing to put in extra effort and hard work to achieve the best possible result. Only in this way could he present the Ling Shaojing he envisioned, and only then could the audience feel the charm of that era and empathize with the character's fate.

The ringing of the phone pulled him back from Ling Shaojing's world. He glanced impatiently at the caller ID; it was President Fang calling.

Shang Yibo had no choice but to answer the phone: "Mom."

"Yibo, have you eaten yet?"

"Well, is something wrong?"

“There’s a charity gala the day after tomorrow. The PR department thinks that our whole family attending together would be the most powerful response to the recent negative public opinion. I just asked Ding Jiajia, since you’re not officially joining the crew for another week, if you don’t have any other schedules, could you come with us to attend?” Fang Xichen asked tactfully. “Your father will also be able to make time to attend this time. I’d like to discuss it with you and hear your opinion.”

"If I don't have any other work commitments, I can participate."

Shang Yibo readily agreed, which surprised Fang Xichen.

Charity galas are held every year, but the most influential one is undoubtedly the annual Bazaar Charity Gala. It is a top-level event in the fashion and entertainment industries, attracting numerous big names. Even those lesser-known artists are eager to get in, hoping to expand their networks and gain resources.

What was supposed to be a charity event has actually evolved into a large-scale social extravaganza.

For the past two years, Shang Yibo has been pressured by his agency to participate in year-end events. Being in the entertainment industry, it's hard to escape the norm, especially since Yihua Entertainment hopes he can create opportunities for other artists under the company to participate.

The charity gala that Fang Xichen mentioned was organized by the e-commerce platform "Dongmao" during its self-made shopping festival for publicity purposes. Compared to the year-end event, its scale and influence were somewhat inferior. The name of charity was merely a gimmick for commercial hype; in reality, it was still just a way to promote products.

Logically speaking, Rushang Group usually disdains such events, even though they receive invitations every year.

This time, however, Rushang Group not only readily accepted the invitation, but Chu Fanqing also promised to attend in person. Fang Xichen even hoped that Shang Yibo could also participate. This likely stemmed from more than just the recent negative public opinion storm; there were many other undisclosed considerations at play.

Since learning about his origins two years ago and experiencing that sudden tragedy, the rift between Shang Yibo and his parents has deepened. However, how could he blame them for all of this? It was simply that he had nowhere to vent his emotions, and in the end, he could only take out his anger on his closest relatives.

These past two days, witnessing his parents' efforts to protect him, Shang Yibo felt filled with guilt. No matter how unwilling he was to get involved in these troubles, he couldn't bear to refuse their expectations again.

Shang Yibo: "When the time comes, just tell Ding Jiajia if you have any requests, and they will be prepared."

"The preparations are easy to handle; we can have Li Xue and the others take charge of the coordination."

“Okay, I’ll have the company cooperate with their work,” Shang Yibo said. “Is there anything else I need to do?”

Fang Xichen on the phone seemed to have something to say and was organizing her thoughts on how to express it.

She pondered for a moment, then said softly to Shang Yibo, "There's something I might need your cooperation on."

"Yes, what is it? Just say it." Shang Yibo replied succinctly.

“Hong Yun, you should still remember her, right? She just came back from England recently.”

“Hong Yun? Oh, that little girl who used to come to our house when she was little and was always mischievous, scribbling all over us with your lipstick.”

“That’s right, it’s her,” Fang Xichen agreed with a smile. “What do you think about her?”

Shang Yibo frowned, thinking of Hong Yun, the hot-tempered heiress of the Hongliang Group who was two years older than him, and felt a headache coming on. He said, "What's wrong with her now? Why bring her up?"

“It’s like this,” Fang Xichen explained carefully, “Her grandfather, Chairman Hong, personally called your father and said that Hong Yun will be attending a charity gala the day after tomorrow, and he hopes to arrange for you to sit together.”

Shang Yibo didn't answer immediately. After a moment of silence, he said helplessly, "I know Hong Yun's personality; she can be quite a headache. However, since this is a public occasion like a charity gala, she should be more restrained. Let's just sit together, what's the harm?"

Since I've already decided to attend the banquet as my family wishes, it's only an event that lasts a maximum of two hours, so there's nothing I can't overcome.

“Hong Yun is your fan, and she’s the kind of fan leader. I heard from Yi Ming that her online nickname is something like ‘BoBoCandy that hits wherever you point’.”

"Huh? What are all these? Didn't she just come back from England?" Shang Yibo was a little confused.

“She should have come back two months ago, I heard she came back to ‘fight’,” Fang Xichen explained.

"A fight? What exactly is going on? It would be so awkward to sit next to her at the event. With her temper, who knows what she'll do? Who can handle her then?" Shang Yibo suddenly felt a surge of tension. "My dad is really something, how could he agree to something like this?"

“Yibo, Hong Yun will be attending the banquet anyway. Whether you sit with her or not, and whatever she wants to do, you probably can’t stop her.” Fang Xichen hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Your father also has his own difficulties. Recently, the company has been negotiating a cooperation with Hongliang Group.”

"So I became a tool to be used again." Shang Yibo's tone was clearly dissatisfied.

“Yibo, no one will take advantage of you.” Fang Xichen’s tone became serious. “The company is facing some problems right now, and your father is working hard to solve them. He has his reasons. You should also learn to understand and take responsibility.”

Shang Yibo was somewhat surprised by Fang Xichen's words, as he had never seen Fang Xichen educate him so seriously before.