FYN Chapter 1: What year is it tonight?
Chapter 1: What year is it tonight?
A noisy commotion broke out in Guan Shengbai's ears as he was half asleep, making him, who was already sleep-deprived, feel a bit irritated.
It's worth noting that as one of the top public relations experts in the entertainment industry, he hasn't closed his eyes much these past few days.
They used every means at their disposal, leveraging their connections across various industries, to barely cover up the scandal of one of their company's top male stars, who had a yearly VVIP membership, having his fan-made noodles. They managed to keep this idiot's pure and innocent persona visible only to his fans.
Even if this idiot made his fortune and became famous in his early years by cosplaying Talking Tom and singing for his sugar daddies, he later ruined his kidneys by soliciting prostitutes, and even has two kids in private...
But thanks to the efforts of the public relations team, this guy is still portrayed as a pure and innocent white lotus flower.
Exhausted both physically and mentally, Guan Shengbai was too lazy to go home last night and simply set up a bed in his office and fell asleep immediately.
He was just dozing off when some clueless guy had to come and provoke his morning grumpiness.
"To be honest, I like to sneak in a few games during my busy time on set."
A distinctive, magnetic female voice rang in my ears, carrying a strange sense of familiarity.
Well, how should I put it?
To Guan Shengbai, who was well-informed and experienced, this kind of XP wasn't particularly special or niche, it was just...
What does "on the film set" mean?
Didn't I just collapse and fall asleep at the company?
"Wow, I really didn't expect that! You're so young and already have so many fun activities! How big do you usually play?"
It was another female voice, more charming than the previous one, with a slightly coquettish Taiwanese accent.
"When I start warming up, I usually play a few short rounds first..."
The third voice also had a Taiwanese accent, but it sounded more mature and sophisticated.
At this point, Guan Shengbai began to realize that something was amiss.
How could anyone enjoy playing a few rounds of small-scale games...?
Oh! No, wait, it should be, how come there are so many beautiful women in his office?
After all, as the leader of the team, Guan Shengbai's office is generally not frequented by ordinary employees.
Not to mention the people who are making a ruckus, joking, and playing around here.
He slowly opened his eyes with a hint of doubt, and then lifted the coat covering his head and sat up.
"Ah!! There's someone here!!!"
"Huh... Xiaobai?! What are you doing lying here? Are you... are you alright?"
As the girls' exclamations reached his ears, Guan Shengbai finally saw the true faces of these beautiful women, some plump and some slender.
At the same time, he finally understood why the first voice sounded so familiar.
When the question, "Are you alright?" was uttered, like a mark on the soul, everything made sense.
It was none other than Yang Mi, the representative of the post-85 actresses in the Chinese entertainment industry!
The Yang Mi before me did not yet show the lingering weariness and cold scrutiny in her eyes.
Those bright, expressive eyes even retained a hint of the spirit of Guo Xiang.
Although her face shape has changed from a square jaw to a more refined V-shaped face, her face is still full of collagen, which fully supports her peak appearance.
Huh?
It's back in the factory and has made a huge comeback?
Which domestic company has made such advanced technology?
This is great news for the old A8!
wrong!!
Guan Shengbai's gaze then fell upon the people beside him.
Her chin-length bob highlighted her delicate features, and her astonished eyes held a deep sense of curiosity and inquiry.
This is……
Guo Caijie, the yogurt girl who is being possessed by "Gu Li"?
The man standing beside her had waist-length hair that cascaded down like a waterfall. His gentle brow bone supported a pair of misty, doe-like eyes. His light brown pupils revealed a hint of surprise and... amazement at the man before him.
It was none other than that pseudo-lesbian heartthrob, the future number one female ninja in the Chinese entertainment industry, the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Xiang, your Yida Guo Biting.
Oh, and there's another short-haired, slightly chubby woman, what's her name... Hold-Up Sister?
This look, this combination?
Could it be...?
Plastic besties, never to part ways?
So what year is it tonight?
Although Guan Shengbai was still a little confused, his brain was working at high speed and he had already vaguely guessed his situation.
"Excuse me, are you taking a lunch break here? Did our mahjong game disturb you?"
Guo Biting clearly has mastered the skill of reading people's expressions.
The mahjong table behind them was in complete disarray; it was unclear who had been playing with bad luck and had taken the opportunity to disrupt the game...
Guan Shengbai, whether he was still half asleep or something, just stared blankly at them without responding.
"What are you staring at, Xiao Bai? Are you stunned by all those beautiful women?"
Guan Shengbai seemed to have just come to his senses, and gave a perfectly timed, slightly awkward smile.
"Hello, I..."
Yang Mi, standing nearby, familiarly stepped forward, seemingly wanting to help ease the awkwardness, and subtly introduced Guan Shengbai.
"Let me introduce you. These beauties don't need much introduction; they're our sister buddies from this film~"
"And this handsome young man who looks half-asleep is my junior from university, Guan Shengbai. I pulled him in to fill in for me this time, and he plays the role of Xi Cheng!"
Clearly, social interactions in the entertainment industry also depend on status and relationships.
If Guan Shengbai were just a makeup artist or other staff member on the set, even if he were incredibly handsome, the women would probably just politely greet him and leave it at that.
However, Guan Shengbai was an actor in the same production as them, and played the role of "Xi Cheng", who had many scenes with the four of them.
Not to mention that he and Yang Mi seemed to have a close relationship, so the women's faces naturally showed more enthusiasm.
"Wow~ It's Bi Ting, your official boyfriend~ He's so handsome!"
Hold-on Sister Xie Yilin, who was standing nearby, stirred things up at just the right moment, and her emotional appeal was quite effective.
"You're going to die! What do you mean by 'official boyfriend'? He's just in the show!"
Guo Biting frowned slightly, chuckled and playfully slapped Xie Yilin, then casually tucked her hair behind her ear and gave Guan Shengbai a slightly apologetic smile.
Although it was somewhat deliberate, the atmosphere of the sisterhood seemed to emerge immediately amidst their laughter and banter.
"Want to play a few rounds together?"
Guo Caijie, showing no signs of shyness, pointed directly to the mahjong table behind them and invited Guan Shengbai to join her.
If he had nothing else to do, Guan Shengbai wouldn't mind playing a few games with these popular female celebrities to build rapport.
But now is clearly not the right time; he urgently needs time to sort out his current situation, and...
[Congratulations, Mr. Bian Bufu, whose crimes are utterly heinous! You have been given a second chance at life!]
[Host Bian Bufu, in his previous life, was a powerful figure in the demonic path, a senior member of the prestigious Yin Gui Sect, yet he was poisoned and framed by a mere demoness within the sect, and then ambushed and killed by an unknown young man. In this life, you vow to...]
Guan Shengbai only had time to get a quick look at the illusory semi-transparent panel in front of him before he met the gazes of the four "Tiny Times" sisters staring at him.
Clearly, only he himself can see this thing.
"Senior sister, it's like this, I just arrived at the set this afternoon and arranged to meet Director Guo at three o'clock..."
Guan Shengbai smiled apologetically at Yang Mi and pointed to his watch, which showed the time: 2:45 PM.
"I arrived at the set at 1:30. The assistant director told me to go to the makeup room to try on my makeup first. After I finished my makeup, I unexpectedly fell asleep. Luckily you guys woke me up, otherwise I would have been late."
"Go ahead, go ahead! Remember to look for me again tonight. You said you owed me a meal, right? There's no time like the present, I'm going to have a good meal today!"
Yang Mi waved her hand with a smile, telling her junior brother to hurry back.
After watching Guan Shengbai walk out the door, Yang Mi's pretty face turned cold. She affectionately put her arm around Xie Yilin beside her and asked a question as if it were unintentional.
"Hold Yao Yao (Xie Yilin), who was the makeup artist for today?"
Upon hearing this, the other three women immediately understood.
Yang Mi is unhappy.
It must be related to the fact that the makeup artist left Guan Shengbai standing in the dressing room for more than an hour.
On a deeper level, it stems from Yang Mi's dissatisfaction with the executive director.
After all, Guan Shengbai was someone she brought into the crew to save the day, but now he's being blatantly ignored.
This is, in a way, a slap in the face to Yang Mi.
"Oh! It must be Liwen. The sissy one with glasses..."
Faced with Yang Mi's question, Xie Yilin blurted out the information without thinking.
"I only saw him being scolded by Sister Chai after lunch, haha."
The "Sister Chai" she mentioned is none other than Chai Chih-ping, the renowned Taiwanese idol godmother and producer of the film "Tiny Times".
She single-handedly made stars out of things like Meteor Garden F4, sports star Luo Xiaozhu, youth poison master Ko Ching-teng, and hitman Wang Dalu, making her arguably the most skilled star-maker and marketer in the decade following the millennium.
In the "Tiny Times" project, Chai Chih-ping was not only the film's producer and distributor, but she also assembled almost the entire core production team, including cinematography, costumes, art direction, and even styling.
He was truly the most powerful person on the production crew.
Upon hearing Chai Zhiping's name, Yang Mi gave Xie Yilin, who seemed carefree, a meaningful glance, then nodded without saying anything more.
Guo Caijie, standing next to her, seemed thoughtful. "Honey, you seem pretty nervous about that handsome guy~"
Upon hearing this, Xie Yilin's ears perked up, and her eyes blazed with gossip.
Even Guo Biting, who looked serene and content, slightly turned her head to listen.
"Yeah, yeah! This guy is so handsome he's practically glowing! Could he be your secret boyfriend, Mimi?"
As is often the case with fame, in the year or so since Yang Mi became a sensation with "Palace," her scandals have naturally sprung up like mushrooms after rain.
Among them, the most popular and seemingly plausible rumor is that she played the hottest CP, Feng Shaofeng, in "Palace".
And Liu Kaiwei, a Hong Kong actor whose career is booming in mainland China.
The latter, in particular, is something that many people in the industry have heard of.
It is rumored that he and Yang Mi hit it off during the filming of the movie "Ruyi". In the past few months, he has been visiting Yang Mi on set and sending her flowers, which can be described as a fierce offensive.
There were even rumors within the production crew that Yang Mi's attitude had softened and that the two were about to get married.
However, there are rumors that she has clearly rejected him and that the relationship ended rather unhappily, but the related reports have been suppressed.
There are just many conflicting opinions.
Now that the three women have witnessed Yang Mi's intimate attitude towards Guan Shengbai, it's hard for them not to have some thoughts.
There's no way around it, Guan Shengbai is truly extraordinary. His strong and heroic bone structure is complemented by a pair of bright, phoenix-shaped eyes.
His height of 1.86 meters is enough to support his broad shoulders and ape-like waist.
It's not the kind of effeminate beauty that's commonplace; instead, it possesses a rare, vibrant, and wild tension.
He's the kind of guy that makes girls stare wide-eyed, and guys glance at him with a smirk, but can't help but casually remark, "Dude, he's kind of awesome-looking."
Even celebrities like Guo Biting and Guo Caijie, who are used to seeing handsome men and beautiful women in the entertainment industry, were stunned at first glance.
Could it be that this guy with such strong sexual appeal is the one Yang Mi truly longs for?
"That was my junior from university, two years below me! We got along well, and he was a great actor. Two years ago, when he was a sophomore, director Zhang Yimou spotted him and wanted him to be the male lead in his new film."
Yang Mi didn't show much emotional fluctuation, she just smiled and explained, but couldn't help but say a few more words.
"That's strange. I remember you're from the Beijing Film Academy, right? That Xiao Bai is considered a professionally trained actor here in mainland China, and he's so handsome. You also said he's a great actor, so how come he's still..."
Xie Yilin continued to act as the mouth double for the group, asking them the questions they had.
The unspoken implication was clear: if this guy is such a great actor and so good-looking, why is he still unknown?
Zhang Yimou is one of the most renowned top directors in mainland China, so they naturally knew that.
His status as a "national strategist" was further solidified by the great success of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games four years ago.
The film Zhang Yimou made two years ago was probably "Under the Hawthorn Tree".
If they remember correctly, the male lead in this art film was Dou Xiao, not Guan Shengbai.
Although Dou Xiao's career didn't develop as well as Zhang Yimou's protégé, Little Yellow Duck, in the following two years, he still went from an unknown second-year film school student to a second- or third-tier star who became familiar to the audience.
Yang Mi's smile faded slightly, and she sighed.
"After I graduated, we kept in touch occasionally, but I heard that after his parents were in a car accident during his sophomore year, he dropped out of school to go home and take care of his family. After that, he had very little contact with people at the school."
"And his family now..."
"Later, it was said that my uncle and aunt ultimately didn't make it..."
"ah......"
Upon hearing this, the women, who had previously been somewhat teasing, fell silent, unconsciously continuing to refine Guan Shengbai's character in their minds.
A gifted young actor, with a starting point that all his peers dream of.
Just when he was about to become another rising star, he fell before he could rise to prominence due to a sudden tragedy in his family.
The women couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the shy, sunny-looking boy.
"It seems he really has had a lot of bad luck..."