Chapter 85

Ji Wenlun met Shen Mingyou when she was eighteen years old.

Shen Mingyou debuted as the leading actress. Although her acting wasn’t great, her looks were outstanding, and she graduated from a film academy. Because of this, she was cast as the lead in an idol drama for her first film. After the first show aired, although Shen Mingyou was criticized by the audience and netizens for her poor acting, the show still won her many fans, and her popularity soared.

Where there’s buzz, there’s traffic, and investors are willing to support artists like Shen Mingyou. After that, she mostly played lead roles.

At that time, Ji Wenlun was still a minor actor on set, not even a supporting role.

When Shen Mingyou was filming her first drama, Ji Wenlun had a scene that lasted only a few seconds.

One day, on set, Ji Wenlun saw the director, Shi Yan, so anxious he was nearly in tears. He kept instructing Shen Mingyou on how to act in each shot, but Shen Mingyou kept making mistakes. When the crew was almost exhausted, Shi Yan finally got so mad he couldn’t help but scold her on set.

Shen Mingyou was only eighteen. Ji Wenlun thought she would cry, but she stood there without shedding a tear.

At that time, Ji Wenlun realized that being a lead actor wasn’t easy.

The second time they met was because Ji Wenlun played a minor role in a play starring Shen Mingyou. This time, he and the heroine, Shen Mingyou, finally had some interactions.

Shen Mingyou’s second drama was a fantasy show. Ji Wenlun played a small part as a cult soldier who appeared for just a few seconds. As soon as he came on stage, he was killed by the fairy played by Shen Mingyou.

Because of the role, Ji Wenlun had exaggerated demonic makeup, with even his lips painted purple, making it impossible to tell what his original face looked like.

In the few seconds he acted opposite Shen Mingyou, Ji Wenlun gave it his all. When Shen Mingyou’s character was choking him, the camera zoomed in on Ji Wenlun’s face. His performance was so good that even the director praised him.

After the scene, the crew went for lunch. Ji Wenlun took his lunch box and sat in a corner to eat. While he was eating, someone sat down next to him.

It was Shen Mingyou, the heroine of the crew.

She sat on the steps without caring about appearances, also eating her lunch box.

Ji Wenlun noticed the dust on the steps, and then Shen Mingyou said, “You acted really well.”

Ji Wenlun, unsure how to respond to the praise, then heard her ask, “Can I ask, what are your acting tips?”

Ji Wenlun realized that Shen Mingyou must have thought he did a great job in their scene and came to him for advice.

Although Ji Wenlun was surprised that such a famous star like Shen Mingyou would ask him, a supporting actor, for advice, he felt happy inside.

With the heavy makeup covering his smile, Ji Wenlun put down his lunch box and seriously shared all the experience he had gathered as a supporting actor.

But there wasn’t much to tell. After a few words, Shen Mingyou thanked him and hurried off with her lunch box.

Just as Ji Wenlun felt a little down, Shen Mingyou returned after a while, bringing him a deluxe lunch box. She smiled brightly and said, “Thanks for sharing. I’ll try it out later to see if it works.”

After putting down the lunch box, Shen Mingyou left again. When Ji Wenlun opened it and saw the fancy meals and fruit snacks inside, he couldn’t help but smile.

However, his acting tips didn’t seem to help Shen Mingyou. During the afternoon shoot, the director still scolded her.

The third time they met was again on a film set. By then, Ji Wenlun’s career hadn’t progressed much. He was still playing small roles. Though he believed in his acting skills, without connections, it was hard to stand out. Ji Wenlun planned to quit and return to his hometown after this final supporting role.

His last role was as a Peking Opera actor. The camera focused mostly on the lead actor on stage. As an extra, Ji Wenlun only brushed shoulders with the lead actor in the shot.

Despite the camera barely showing him, Ji Wenlun gave his best performance with the last bit of passion he had for acting.

After the scene, he sat quietly in a corner, watching the crew surround the lead actor.

Just as he was feeling lost, Shen Mingyou appeared again.

Ji Wenlun had played supporting roles in many different shows. Some took three or four months to film. This was the third time he had crossed paths with Shen Mingyou on set. From when she was eighteen to twenty, Shen Mingyou had grown more famous, but her acting had not improved.

Though she didn’t know him, Ji Wenlun had been keeping an eye on her offstage.

But Shen Mingyou recognized him immediately: “Weren’t you the demon cult soldier from last time?”

Ji Wenlun didn’t understand how Shen Mingyou recognized him. His makeup was completely different, and she had never seen his real face.

“How did you know it was me?” he asked.

“By your acting style. You used the same skills when you played the cult soldier, so I recognized you right away.”

Ji Wenlun smiled. Although Shen Mingyou’s acting wasn’t great, he knew she was trying hard to improve. She might not have natural talent, but she was definitely putting in the effort.

Shen Mingyou sat next to him, both looking at the stage.

“You must love acting, or else you wouldn’t keep playing supporting roles for so long without quitting,” Shen Mingyou said. “I love acting too, but you can tell I’m not good at it, unlike you, who has real talent.”

Shen Mingyou smiled and said, “I have a feeling that one day, you’ll be a great actor.”

Shen Mingyou’s smile was so bright that Ji Wenlun, who was ready to give up, felt a spark reignite in his heart.

He didn’t want to quit. He loved acting, and he wanted to succeed.

If possible, he wanted to earn the right to stand alongside Shen Mingyou once he made it big.

And Ji Wenlun did become successful. Not long after, he landed his first important role. The director of the show, where Ji Wenlun played the supporting Peking Opera actor, saw potential in him and offered him a second male lead role in his next project.

With this role, Ji Wenlun broke into the public eye. From that point, his career took off, going from small supporting roles to winning Best Actor and reaching the peak he had always dreamed of.

But the girl who loved acting had left the entertainment world early. Ji Wenlun searched for her but couldn’t find any news. It was as if she had disappeared from the world, with no trace left behind.

A year or two ago, Ji Wenlun had already become successful and well-known, and he started filming fewer dramas each year. He was very careful with the ones he accepted. When he had some free time, he wanted to take a break and continue studying, so he went abroad for further studies.

While he was abroad, due to frequent insomnia, Ji Wenlun visited a psychological clinic. It was there, while seeing a psychologist, that he met Shen Mingyou again.

Three years later, he finally saw her.

But by that time, Shen Mingyou already had a child who was over two years old. Ji Wenlun only found out then that after she left the entertainment industry, she moved abroad, got married, and had children.

No wonder he couldn’t find her…

As Ji Wenlun snapped out of his thoughts and admitted he liked Shen Mingyou, Jiang Chen’s sharp gaze remained on him, but this time Ji Wenlun stood his ground.

After confronting Jiang Chen, Ji Wenlun didn’t linger on the matter. When he saw Shen Mingyou’s assistant, Xiao Xi, coming over with a phone, he turned and left.

Jiang Chen sat in the chair, watching Ji Wenlun walk away, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

**

Because of work, Jiang Chen could only stay with Shen Mingyou for two days. If he didn’t go home, Nian Nian would probably be really upset.

For the past two days, Jiang Chen stayed on set with Shen Mingyou, never leaving her side. The crew couldn’t stop praising them, calling them the most enviable couple in the entertainment industry.