The wealthy military officer spoils his wife excessively

Until they went to bed, no one mentioned being blacklisted.

After she finished showering, Lu Zheng used a hairdryer to dry her hair. He ran his fingers through her wet hair, drying one side before turning her head to the other.

Suwen rested her head on his lap, so comfortable she was almost asleep. She couldn't help but sigh, "This is great, no work tomorrow, I can sleep in."

The words slipped out unintentionally, but Lu Zheng paused in his hand holding the hair dryer.

"It's hot..." she protested, frowning slightly.

Lu Zheng was momentarily distracted and quickly turned off the hair dryer.

"Is the Golden Horse Awards the last awards ceremony of the year?" he asked.

"Ah."

Suwen didn't give much of a reply, only responding with a single syllable.

"Don't you feel regretful for not winning Best Actress?"

“What’s mine will be mine sooner or later. What’s not mine is no use thinking about it.” Suwen snatched the hair dryer from his hand and started drying her hair herself.

The buzzing sound cut off any possibility of conversation. Lu Zheng waited until she finished playing before looking at her and slowly saying, "Let's take advantage of this last awards ceremony and win the grand prize."

"..."

Suwen suddenly looked up at him.

Wasn't the nomination already withdrawn?

Lu Zheng patted her head: "Don't worry, I will definitely let you attend this awards ceremony."

Paper wrapped fire.

The news of Nie Suwen's ban spread like wildfire. Attentive netizens had already noticed that the Walker Awards news, which had been dominating the homepages of popular entertainment websites, had been quietly replaced. When the film was mentioned on television and in newspapers, the actress's name was usually kept silent.

It was as if a hurricane had struck, suddenly sweeping away the name Nie Suwen without a trace.

Some netizens questioned the decision, while others defended her, and the reasons for the ban were widely circulated with various versions. Of course, some believed she deserved it, and those who had previously mocked her were now even more smug: "One strip to fame? Hah, now she's got nothing to show for it!"

Nie Suwen hadn't been seen at the company for a while. Ye Zi called her back that day. As soon as she entered the company, she noticed that her colleagues were looking at her with a mixture of curiosity and pity. The lady in the break room even patted her shoulder comfortingly when she handed her coffee.

When did she fall to the point where she needed people's sympathy?

Actually, from another perspective, the ban is quite good. It allows her, who has been busy for more than half a year, to finally stop, slow down, and take a break. She no longer needs to cover herself up when she goes out, worrying about being photographed by reporters. When she walks on the street, some people still recognize her, but fewer people ask her for handshakes and autographs. Instead, more people stand at a distance, whispering and watching her.

If you can ignore the feeling of being watched, it's actually quite pleasant.

However, the relaxation is temporary. What will she do next? She hasn't thought that far ahead yet. If she can't be a star, going back to her old profession as a model and earning a daily wage to support herself shouldn't be a problem. But then again, she'd have to return to that turbulent and unstable life…

She took a deep breath and dismissed the possibility.

She was holding her coffee, lost in thought, when she heard someone call her name: "Nie Suwen..."

An unfamiliar voice... yet it sounds somewhat familiar...

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a girl walking towards her in the corridor... Yuan Yuquan?

She finally recognized him, and stood up with surprise and unfamiliarity, greeting him politely: "Hello, I really didn't expect to run into you here."

After winning the talent show, this girl signed with Universal Music, but she has not yet released a solo album, so over time, Suwen has forgotten about her.

Seeing her again, Yuan Yuquan has shed some of her youthful naiveté from her competition days. Above her slender eyes, thick, slanted eyeliner makes them appear even longer and narrower. She has a neat short haircut and a punk-style outfit, and she has completely transformed, appearing more mature and with a touch of star quality.

I don't remember which famous agent said it: The entertainment industry is a strange circle. It can mature people quickly, making sixteen or seventeen-year-olds mature and worldly, posing and preening in front of the audience. It can also make people immature, and an artist in his thirties will have no other skills after leaving the industry.

Sensing the changes within herself, Nie Suwen was no longer surprised by Yuan Yuquan's current appearance.

Several girls were with her, probably newcomers who were going to debut around the same time. When Suwen greeted her, they all looked at her with disbelief: "Oh my, you said you know Nie Suwen, it's true?" Then they looked at Suwen incredulously: "You guys really came from the same talent show?"

It might have been an unintentional remark, but it always makes one feel that there's an underlying message: they all came out around the same time, so why is there such a big difference?

Suwen smiled and nodded: "Yes, Yuquan was the champion back then. She was a very good singer."

The girls stared wide-eyed: "Impossible!" Then they began to speculate, wondering how the champion could still be an unknown nobody while the runner-up had become an international superstar.

Yuan Yuquan remained neither humble nor arrogant in front of Su Wen, extending his hand to shake hers lightly: "It's not exactly a coincidence. Huanqiu has been acquired by Huayi Brothers, so we'll be artists under the same company from now on, and we might run into each other often. If you can stay in touch with people within the company..."

Yuan Yuquan categorizes himself as an artist of the same generation as her, rather than as a superstar and his junior.

In this industry, seniority is very important. Of course, the basis for this distinction is not age, but rather the order of debut and fame. Suwen often saw this on set. The male lead was younger than her, but he was a child star who had won many awards and earned more money than her. On their first meeting, she had to respectfully call him "teacher".

Fortunately, Suwen didn't care about any of that. If that talent show counted as her debut, then she and Yuan Yuquan were indeed from the same period. However, her last sentence made Suwen frown uncomfortably.

Normally, people would understand it as her being too busy to come back to the company often, but it is precisely during this sensitive period that she is easily reminded that Yuan Yuquan is mocking her for being blacklisted and soon being abandoned by the company.

She smiled and calmly withdrew her hand: "It's not that easy to run into someone like that. Usually, my assistant runs errands for me. I really don't have that much free time to go to the company every day."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yuan Yuquan's expression changed drastically. The girls around her were already chattering curiously, "Wow, Sister Nie, you've only been in the industry for so long and you already have your own assistant? Do you usually leave everything to your assistant besides filming? We're so envious! We still have to clean the practice room ourselves..."

Nie Suwen had experienced the hardships of being a trainee before. It's just that hers was shorter and she was luckier.

Seeing Yuan Yuquan's ashen face and his inability to utter a word, she put down her coffee in a good mood: "I have something to discuss with my manager. You've just arrived at the company, right? I'll have my assistant show you around."

She dialed the phone and called Xiao Ai up, while she went to Ye Zi's office first.

Ye Zi was sitting in front of the computer answering a phone call when she saw Su Wen push the door open and enter. She gestured with her eyes to the sofa, indicating that Su Wen should sit down first, and then continued arguing with the person on the phone.

Suwen was already used to Yezi's energetic and decisive way of doing things. She smiled, placed the cup of coffee she had given her next to Yezi, then leaned back on the sofa and casually flipped through a few recent magazines.

After Ye Zi hung up the phone, she asked, "The people from Huanqiu transferred the contract so quickly? From now on, we'll have to share a cafeteria and a meeting room with them?"

Ye Zi glanced at her and continued sipping her coffee: "What does it matter? It's none of your business anyway."

Suwen pouted sullenly.

Ye Zi was just saying that out of anger; it's a miracle she didn't lose her temper again today.

She then looked at Suwen seriously and said, "There's a chance for your matter to change."

"Hmm?" Suwen unconsciously put down the magazine she was reading.

"I don't know why, but the organizers of the Golden Horse Awards have reinstated your nomination. They just called to tell you that you can continue to attend the awards ceremony."

Suwen looked at her strangely, and Yezi gave her an "I don't know" look, shrugged and said, "It's probably in Taiwan, where the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so the mainland's 'leader' can't manage that much. Whatever, it's a good thing anyway. The fact that you can go means there's still room for maneuver."

Suwen wasn't one to dwell on things, so as Yezi said, if it was a good thing, she accepted it readily.

But then she vaguely recalled Lu Zheng's confident promise that night that he would definitely let her attend the awards ceremony. What method did he use?

"However, I have something to tell you. You'll have to walk the red carpet with Young Master Xiao this time." Ye Zi quickly interrupted her thoughts.

"What? Why him?" Suwen almost fell off the sofa.

She was instinctively a little intimidated by Xiao Rong, even though he hadn't contacted her for quite some time. Su Wen held the phone in her hand; it was a gift from Xiao Rong.

"Don't rush. This awards ceremony is sponsored by the Xiao Group, and he's the big boss behind the company. If he's walking the red carpet and doesn't choose one of his own female artists, do you expect him to be arm-in-arm with someone else's female star?"

Ye Zi's explanation was very logical, but Su Wen couldn't understand: "Why would a business tycoon like him get involved in the entertainment industry?"

Ye Zi didn't care: "You know Xiao Shao's reputation outside. A playboy like him is bound to have female celebrities embellishing his life. He has money and is willing to spend it. What's wrong with buying some media coverage? Just be a good boy and go with him. What's so difficult about that?"

Ye Zi didn't actually know the specific reasons. That's how it was arranged from above. As someone who was just working for someone else, how could she question her boss's arrangements? Besides, it was already good enough that Su Wen could make a comeback. Under the general trend of the ban, every little opportunity had to be seized.