Chapter 19.1

At eleven o’clock at night, Zhou Jingyu was already asleep.

But he had a light sleep, and when the message came in, he woke up.

“Good night.”

It was a message from Wen Tang.

After seeing this message, Zhou Jingyu slightly frowned.

Just these two short words seemed to be out of her usual style. She usually sent long messages or several messages at once.

But now.

At eleven o’clock at night… good night?

Nighttime made people set aside all worries. Without much thought, Zhou Jingyu replied to the message.

The reply came back quickly.

“I can’t sleep.”

“I thought you would never reply to me again.”

The speed was quick, and it sounded pitiful.

Before, he didn’t know who was on the other end of the line and couldn’t imagine it. Now, Zhou Jingyu could almost picture in his mind Wen Tang with her head bowed and brows furrowed, looking dejected.

She was truly a person of contradictory nature. On the way to the company, her giant advertisements were visible every day, running through the mountains and forests without a care, like a fairy. He had seen her trying to hold back tears on the phone and her mess after being soaked with red wine, which made a deep impression on him. When she saw him, she never looked at him directly, with no trace of regard, only arrogance, elegance, and excessive beauty, as a star would have.

But in their WeChat conversations, her words were unexpectedly numerous, playful, and also, so pitiful.

It was hard to imagine that the person on the phone was the same person in the messages.

In the darkness, the light from the phone screen illuminated Zhou Jingyu’s indifferent brows as he sat on the bed, looking at the two lines of text she had sent.

After a moment, he replied to her.

[Y: I’m sorry.]

[Y: I won’t do it again.]

Wen Tang waited nearly two minutes for the reply.

When she saw it, her mouth curved into a smile.

The tears she had previously wiped away had already dried. She didn’t know why she had suddenly felt so wronged and cried. She had never felt like this before.

Fortunately, no one had seen her; otherwise, it would have been embarrassing.

[Candy: You said it, so don’t do it again next time.]

[Y: Okay.]

In their tacit understanding, neither of them mentioned why they had suddenly lost contact.

With his reply, Wen Tang just wanted to be affectionate.

[Candy: But you have a history, so I don’t believe you.]

[Y: What can I do to make you believe me?]

[Candy: Hmph.]

…

That night, he stayed up chatting with her until one or two in the morning, something that had never happened before.

Until her eyelids couldn’t stay open any longer, Wen Tang was utterly exhausted. She said goodnight, but didn’t wait for a reply before falling asleep contentedly.

The next morning, when leaving the apartment for the set, she saw Wen Haifeng at the entrance again.

For two consecutive days, Wen Haifeng, claiming to be Wen Tang’s father, was at the property management office confirming his identity. Wen Tang simply stated that she didn’t know him.

When she returned the following evening, Wen Haifeng was no longer there.

On the third morning, Wen Haifeng didn’t come again. However, upon arriving at the set, she heard another piece of news.

Gong Yue would delay joining the set for a week because of a variety show still in production.

He was originally scheduled to come in three or four days.

The director and producer were very unhappy about this. Gong Yue, an unknown actor, delaying his arrival was frustrating, especially for a lavishly equipped production like Hear Your Heart. Many people were eager to join, but Gong Yue was causing delays. Given the situation, it was highly likely the director and producer would replace him.

Wen Tang didn’t know what Gong Yue was thinking. Over the past few days, they had resumed contact and talked more than before. Sometimes he would stay up with her until one or two in the morning, completely breaking the rule of going to bed by ten o’clock.

Since reconnecting, Gong Yue had been incredibly patient and accommodating towards her. Wen Tang felt completely at ease and was free to laugh and be playful around him.

Her mood had been great these past couple of days.

They hadn’t discussed work at all, and from his messages, Wen Tang couldn’t sense if there were any issues with his job.

“I heard the director is already looking for other candidates.” Yang Yang told Wen Tang, who was discussing the latest updates with Ke Xin after learning that Gong Yue would be delayed for a week.

Wen Tang frowned when she heard this. She asked, “Can’t they wait a week?”

Yang Yang shook her head. “The director is very angry. If it were you, Tang Tang, even if you were late by a week or even a month, the crew would be accommodating. But Gong Yue is different. He’s just a newcomer.”

Ke Xin asked, “Have they found any replacements yet?”

Yang Yang replied, “Not yet.”

It wasn’t unusual for the crew to change actors on short notice; such things happened frequently.

No one could guarantee that the Hear Your Heart crew wouldn’t actually replace Gong Yue!

Knowing that Wen Tang had added Gong Yue on WeChat and was in regular contact with him, Ke Xin and Yang Yang assumed that Wen Tang would eventually end up with Gong Yue. Since that was the case, they considered him one of their own.

Upon hearing this, Ke Xin couldn’t help but feel anxious for Gong Yue and turned to Wen Tang, “Tang Tang, should we let Gong Yue know and suggest he come back earlier? If he gets replaced, it would be a huge loss.”

Wen Tang was also considering this. However, the variety show Charged Forward was a great opportunity for Gong Yue to get familiar with the audience. Missing a week meant he would miss recording at least two or three episodes, which was a pity.

She replied, “Okay,” and took out her phone. “I’ll let him know.”

[Candy: Senior Brother, I heard Charged Forward is going to record a few more episodes. Is that true?]

Not long after, she received a reply.

[Y: Yes.]

Wen Tang expressed her happiness.

[Candy: That’s great! We’ll get to watch a few more episodes!!!]

[Candy: But Senior Brother, aren’t you supposed to join the Hear Your Heart crew soon? The show has been filming for a while already. Is it really okay that you haven’t joined yet?]

At that moment, Zhou Jingyu was on his way to a morning meeting with his subordinates. He replied as he walked to the meeting room.

[Y: You’re concerned about this?]

Wen Tang replied quickly.

[Candy: Of course! I care about everything related to my Senior Brother!]

Seeing the message, Zhou Jingyu smiled slightly.

[Y: It’s okay.]

After replying, he put away his phone and entered the meeting room, where his secretary had already opened the door for him.

Zhou Jingyu composed himself, walked in, and took his seat at the main table. His voice was clear and pleasant but carried an undeniable authority. “The meeting will now begin.”

Wen Tang, on her end, frowned at Gong Yue’s brief reply of “It’s okay.” She pouted and couldn’t understand it.

Is it really okay?

Even if he gets replaced, it’s still okay?

How can a nameless newcomer be so indifferent? If it were her, she probably wouldn’t be able to be so relaxed about it.

Is it because he’s too young, making him act according to his preferences without understanding the stakes? Or is he under pressure from his company?

Regardless, Wen Tang wasn’t overly worried. After all, she was there, so it was unlikely that Gong Yue would truly be replaced.

She planned to find a time to talk to the director, but the day was busy and she didn’t manage to find the time until the afternoon.

In the afternoon, while Wen Tang was rehearsing with other actors, the director came over and called her. “Wen Tang, come here. There’s someone from Xiang Fei who has arrived. Go and greet them.”

Xiang Fei was the largest investor behind Hear Your Heart, the major financial backer.

It was normal for investors to visit the set during filming, and it was important to show respect to the major backers. Wen Tang put down her script and followed the director.

There were six people in total—four men and two women. Among them, some were familiar to her. After years of filming, she knew everyone she needed to, and these individuals had helped her get the role in this drama.

The group greeted Wen Tang warmly. She put on an official smile and greeted each of them.

There was one particularly young person among them.

After greeting everyone else, it was time for the young man standing at the edge.

The manager from Xiang Fei said with a smile, “This is Li Yan, a newcomer signed by Xiang Fei recently. He’s a promising talent, but he’s still new to the industry and doesn’t know much, so he might inadvertently offend people. We hope you’ll take care of him when he joins the crew.”

As soon as the manager finished speaking, Li Yan stepped forward and, with enthusiasm and politeness, said, “I’ve always been a fan of Wen Tang. I’ve watched all the dramas you’ve acted in. I was so excited to see you today and to be in the same crew with you. I could hardly sleep last night. I’m really happy!”

The manager joked, “You’ve been excited since morning. Now your wish has come true, right?”

Li Yan nodded vigorously, “Yes!”

Wen Tang listened to their conversation with a slight smile, saying nothing.

What was going on?

The crew had just said in the morning that they were looking for other candidates, and now, within just one day, a replacement had already been found?

Moreover, it seemed like it wasn’t a last-minute decision. Was it that they had wanted to replace him all along? Did they just find a good reason today, so the newcomer arrived in the afternoon?