SABA Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Second Chapter Because the Mountains Are Difficult to Cross, Who Grieves for the Lost Person…

Chapter 20 Second Chapter Because the Mountains Are Difficult to Cross, Who Grieves for the Lost Person…

What’s the point of browsing Weibo without freedom? Jiang Tiao idly tapped around and found a small account named “Chu Xu’s Little Tail” on the account management page.

Due to work, Jiang Tiao had recently caught up on a lot of entertainment industry information. He knew Chu Xu, a super popular star who had become very hot in the past two years, with two hit dramas under his belt, and was currently transitioning towards being a powerful actor.

Jiang Tiao clicked into it and found that most of the posts on this account were related to Chu Xu, and there were even many high-definition candid photos of Chu Xu at events. The comments below were mixed, with some users begging the blogger to post more and others scolding the blogger’s behavior as no different from that of an obsessive fan.

Jiang Tiao scrolled down casually.

“They’re doing it on purpose! It must have hurt a lot [crying]. Next time, I’ll definitely fight for you to get resources with a less harsh filming environment!”

The reposted content was a photo released by Chu Xu’s studio of his knee being scraped raw by the wires while filming in the desert.

“Those things that don’t defeat you will become nourishment for you to stand at the top in the future. I will always stand behind you and protect you with my life!”

The accompanying picture was a photo of Chu Xu accepting the award for Most Popular TV Actor of the Year.

“No one understands your struggles better than I do. I will help you get back everything you deserve!”

The repost was of a late-night emotional post by Chu Xu: “My achievements today are all the result of my own hard work, step by step. I have a clear conscience.”

Jiang Tiao couldn’t stop laughing, wondering who had logged into the account using his phone and forgotten to log out.

He clicked on the photo of Chu Xu injured while filming in the desert. Honestly, it was just a superficial scrape. Seeing the comments under the studio’s post full of concern for their brother, he couldn’t help but sigh a few times, thinking it was no wonder so many people were scrambling to get into the entertainment industry.

Usually, it would be good friends who borrowed his phone. Did he have such an ardent fan among his friends? Still, it was hard to tell who it was based on the tone of their words. Could it be a friend he made during his four years of amnesia? It wasn’t impossible. Jiang Tiao casually deleted the login information for the account on his phone.

–

The B City Television Festival Star-studded Gala was organized by Fruit Video. Many actors and stars came to support it, and from the morning onwards, artists who had finished their styling started arriving nearby for photo opportunities.

Luo Xingwen landed in City B with Nie Jin a little after one o’clock, having just finished his previous engagement. Jiang Tiao met them outside the venue. Nie Jin wore a very fashionable women’s suit in icy gray, looking sharp and not overshadowing anyone. Luo Xingwen, on the other hand, wore a custom-made dark purple velvet sequined suit, which suited his slightly cool and melancholic demeanor.

However, Jiang Tiao wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt that Luo Xingwen seemed more exhausted than when they participated in the variety show together.

Luo Xingwen felt uneasy under Jiang Tiao’s gaze, a mix of guilt and annoyance. “What are you looking at me for?”

Jiang Tiao found this person utterly unreasonable. He shifted his gaze to the assistant behind Luo Xingwen and exclaimed with feigned surprise, “Wow, Brother Xiao Li, you look so energetic today!”

Luo Xingwen: “……”

Xiao Li was very shy and blushed when praised.

Nie Jin was speechless, thinking these two were truly a destined misfortune.

“Alright, you two, stop fooling around. Did you remember what I told you before coming?”

This year’s TV Festival Star-studded Gala invited many renowned directors and editors. Before coming, Nie Jin had instructed them to perform well. She had specifically come along to help them get noticed by famous directors and editors after the red carpet event, mainly for Luo Xingwen, who was in a transition period. She needed to help him pave the way gradually.

Luo Xingwen responded without much expression. He had never talked back to Nie Jin. He owed his current position to Nie Jin and was always grateful to her.

After receiving Luo Xingwen’s assurance, Nie Jin looked at Jiang Tiao.

Seeing Nie Jin’s expression, Jiang Tiao chuckled, “No need for me, right? Which famous director would be interested in me now?”

Nie Jin laughed in exasperation, “You have quite a bit of self-awareness!”

Jiang Tiao sighed, “I know you mean well, but have you ever thought that if you bring him and then me, aren’t you afraid that the more you try to get us noticed, the worse the impression famous directors and editors will have of him?”

This was indeed Nie Jin’s concern, but she hadn’t expected Jiang Tiao to voice it first. In the entertainment industry, everyone was desperate to climb. She had considered sidelining Jiang Tiao but worried that Jiang Tiao might become resentful and deliberately get too familiar. She had managed such artists before, which resulted in very awkward situations and negatively affected the impression of her main artist. Therefore, she would always explain things clearly beforehand, bringing them if possible, and explaining the reasons if not.

Luo Xingwen was also somewhat surprised.

As they entered the venue’s main hall through the passage, their seats were far apart. Just as they were about to part ways, Luo Xingwen suddenly said, “You can find an excuse to come find me.”

“???” Jiang Tiao took an exaggerated step back, extremely shocked. “Why would I look for you???”

Luo Xingwen was used to Jiang Tiao’s sudden antics. It was the first time he had proactively offered to help in such matters, and he frowned slightly, unaccustomed to it. “Haven’t you looked at the seating chart?”

“Chu Xu and I are at the same table.”

Jiang Tiao was bewildered, completely unable to understand Luo Xingwen’s logic for finding this excuse. “So?”

Seeing Jiang Tiao’s genuine rejection, Luo Xingwen thought for a moment, considering if this was a tactic of playing hard to get. Perhaps it was a good approach for someone like Chu Xu.

“Fine, then I wish you good luck.”

“?”

Jiang Tiao waited for a long time and only got this sentence. Honestly, if it were anyone else, Jiang Tiao would have interpreted this sentence as a threat, telling him to wait and see.

Jiang Tiao was speechless for a moment. Before leaving, he noticed Luo Xingwen’s collar and kindly reminded him, “Your band-aid is showing.”

Luo Xingwen pulled at his collar, subconsciously scanning his surroundings for any media. His face flushed and then paled. He glared at Jiang Tiao and walked into the venue.

Jiang Tiao was inexplicably glared at. He saw that Luo Xingwen’s band-aid was skin-colored and thought he had deliberately chosen one that was less noticeable to avoid being photographed by the media. Tsk, his good intentions were completely misunderstood.

Jiang Tiao shook his head and went in to find his seat.

The seating arrangement for artists often depended on their status. Jiang Tiao’s seat was in a corner. There were seven or eight people at his table, both men and women. He looked at the name tags in front of each person and found that he hadn’t heard of anyone. They had probably been added by the organizers through their company or agent, just like him.

After exchanging polite greetings, there were no further conversations. Once the host took the stage, the artists at various tables began to move. Some went on stage, some went backstage for makeup touch-ups, and some took advantage of the chaos to mingle between tables, strike up conversations, and build relationships.

The red carpet at the television festival featured various production crews, most of them promoting their dramas, and many even released preview clips. Jiang Tiao watched with great interest. When he turned back, he realized he was the only one left at the entire table!

Jiang Tiao looked around. With a sharp eye, he spotted a few people from his table. They had found empty seats at the front at some point and were chatting with people beside them, appearing to be getting along well.

He had attended many banquets and events since childhood, but this was the first time he felt so deserted. Jiang Tiao couldn’t help but laugh at himself but was also happy to be alone.

He casually took a photo of the crowded venue and sent it to Huo Shen.

“No wonder so many people want to enter the entertainment industry. There are really a lot of handsome men and beautiful women. Working here must be very good for the eyes.”

Huo Shen was probably busy. He replied a few minutes later.

“Yes, indeed.”

Jiang Tiao enlarged the casual photo he took and looked at it closely, unsure for a moment who Huo Shen’s “indeed” was referring to.

On the stage, a montage of an ancient romance drama was playing. The male and female leads were constantly provoking each other, jumping off cliffs, crying their hearts out, and being intensely affectionate. Jiang Tiao watched for a long time and couldn’t understand what the drama was about.

The promotion was poor, and it was bound to fail!

Jiang Tiao snorted, picked up his phone again, and typed:

“Then why haven’t I seen you invest in many entertainment industry projects?”

Huo Shen replied after another while.

“Also invest.”

“?”

Jiang Tiao felt provoked. He flipped his phone face down on the table and continued watching the incomprehensible promotional materials for the dramas.

In an office on the top floor of the group’s branch company in another part of City B, Huo Shen was looking at the venue photo sent by Jiang Tiao. He immediately spotted Chu Xu in the picture.

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t control himself.

He fed a product endorsement contract that he hadn’t had time to sign into the shredder. He watched as the ink-covered A4 paper was pulverized into strips, as if taking away a breath of stale air that had long lingered in his heart.

“Chairman Huo, it’s Chu Xu’s agent’s call.”

Secretary Lin entered with an unhappy expression, mustering the courage to hand over the phone, which Huo Shen always seemed to be in a bad mood after answering.

Huo Shen glanced at the caller ID displayed on his phone and looked out at the flowing clouds.

“From now on, when this number calls, you handle it directly. Don’t transfer it to me anymore.”

……

One drama crew after another appeared on the red carpet, signing autographs, posing for photos, and giving interviews… Jiang Tiao stared at the large screen above the red carpet, lost in thought, when a polite voice suddenly broke the quiet in the corner.

“Excuse me, would you mind if I sat here for a while?”

The person who approached was a man in his thirties, wearing half-rimmed glasses in a coconut gray color. He was thin and tall, with a scholarly air. He wore a very ordinary black suit. While decent, it appeared somewhat plain in such a setting.

“This spot is quite good, quiet, and with a good view.”

Jiang Tiao turned to look at him.

The newcomer met Jiang Tiao’s clear eyes and smiled, “You’re Jiang Tiao, right? I’ve heard a lot about you. You might not know me, my name is Guan Qing, and I’m a director.”

Jiang Tiao was somewhat surprised. He knew Guan Qing; his first film two years ago was nominated for the Berlin International Film Festival, and he was hailed as the most talented director of the younger generation.

Would someone like this have heard of him? Heard of what? It couldn’t be his acting in a TV series that caused a heated trend on hot searches, right?

A hint of a smile appeared on Guan Qing’s face. He had eyes that seemed to have seen all the vicissitudes of life, as if he could easily see through people’s emotions and thoughts. Jiang Tiao hadn’t interacted with other directors and didn’t know if this was a common ability among directors.

“The first time I saw you was on Mr. Huo’s phone gallery, but it was just a casual glance at the time, and I didn’t see you very clearly. Later, by chance, I saw some information about you online and realized it was you.”

Jiang Tiao was stunned for a moment, “You know Huo Shen?”

Guan Qing: “The film that was nominated for the Berlin Film Festival was invested in by Mr. Huo.”

Jiang Tiao’s previous apathy vanished.

Guan Qing smiled. His smiles were always faint, as if shrouded in a touch of sadness, as if the joys of the world could hardly make him truly happy. “Huo Shen and I met at a film project investment promotion fair. After graduating, I attended many such promotion fairs every year, but perhaps because the themes I wanted to film were difficult to release on the mainland, almost no one was willing to invest in me.”

Although Jiang Tiao hadn’t seen the film, he had seen comments on Weibo. The film nominated for the Berlin Film Festival was a homosexual theme, and the ending was said to be tragic.

“After I went down from the stage that day, the response was also lukewarm, as usual. I thought the result would be the same as countless times before, but a few days later, someone contacted me and said that Mr. Huo was interested in the film I wanted to make.”

After meeting Huo Shen, he learned that Huo Shen was the one who asked him why he named the film “Guan Shan” at the promotion fair.

Jiang Tiao was curious, “How did you answer then?”

Guan Qing looked into Jiang Tiao’s eyes, and the subtle sadness seemed to penetrate Jiang Tiao’s heart. “I said, because the mountains are difficult to cross, who grieves for the lost person [note]…”