Chapter 73
“Go back to work!”
On the way home, Shen Fei finally couldn’t hold it in anymore and spoke up.
“Huh?”
Shen Yan’s mind was still preoccupied with the faint mention of “Su Yunzhe” he’d heard earlier. He was pulled back to reality by Shen Fei’s voice, feeling caught off guard.
“I said, you should get out and work more, meet people, keep yourself busy, so you won’t have all these random thoughts. A friend of mine is a director. I’ll ask if he needs a new script, and you can help him write it.”
Shen Fei wasted no time and immediately called her friend, a famous director in the industry, Bi Fan.
Bi Fan, whether due to his natural demeanor or something else, immediately agreed as soon as Shen Fei spoke. His tone was humble and polite. “Sure, I’ve been looking for a new screenwriter to collaborate with. When would he be free to meet?”
At first, Shen Yan had no interest, but hearing Bi Fan’s attitude piqued his curiosity. “Bi Fan? The one whose first film made over 2 billion at the box office and won Best Film and Best Director at various film festivals?”
Shen Fei nodded. “That’s him. How about it? I’ll take you to meet him tomorrow afternoon. It’s not good to just stay home all the time. Even if you’re writing, you still need to get out and see the world. Your writing will be more grounded, don’t you think?”
Shen Yan smiled. “Alright, let’s go.”
He understood that Shen Fei probably thought he’d been holed up at home for too long and was worried about his mental state. She likely didn’t want to suggest going to the hospital directly for a check-up, fearing that might make him resistant, so she had offered this alternative.
Shen Yan also knew that he couldn’t continue like this. His anxious behavior had caused his family to worry, and he needed to get back to normal.
Sure enough, when they got home, they found that his older brother, Shen Yue, and his sister-in-law, He Shanshan, had come over.
After Shen Yue married He Shanshan, they had moved to a separate house to live their own lives. Usually, they only came back on weekends, but recently, Shen Yue had been concerned about Shen Yan’s odd behavior. He hadn’t been able to get much out of Shen Yan, but he still came over almost every night to check in on him.
Even though Shen Yan hadn’t opened up, Shen Yue kept coming over, clearly out of concern.
When they heard that Shen Yan was going to meet Bi Fan tomorrow and maybe find something to do to adjust his mood, the whole family was supportive.
Seeing their hidden worry and their effort to act normal in front of him to avoid making him feel uneasy, Shen Yan felt even more determined to get himself together.
The next afternoon, Shen Fei drove Shen Yan to the coffee shop where they were supposed to meet Bi Fan. When they arrived, Bi Fan was already there.
From the phone call the day before, Shen Yan had already gathered that Bi Fan was an approachable person, but seeing him in person surprised him even more. He was about twenty-five or twenty-six, clean-cut, and almost soft in demeanor. He looked like a recent graduate who might pull out a resume at any moment.
Shen Yan even noticed that Bi Fan blushed when he saw Shen Fei and seemed a bit nervous when speaking to her. However, when talking to Shen Yan, he was completely at ease.
Shen Yan was astonished. Was this really a director from the entertainment industry?
Although he wasn’t part of that world, Shen Yan had attended a few galas and met some so-called stars and directors. He had always felt that these people were not ordinary — it was hard for anyone regular to make it in that environment.
But Bi Fan? He seemed so sincere and pure, completely out of place in the entertainment industry.
“I’ve read your book, Unrequited Love. I really liked it,” Bi Fan said, giving a shy smile. Maybe it was because Shen Fei kept staring at him, but he seemed nervous. “I’ve been thinking about what my next film should be since the beginning of the year, but I had no idea until last night… oh, wait… not last night… it was…”
Bi Fan realized he had misspoken and became a bit embarrassed, unsure of what to say next.
Shen Yan didn’t take offense and smiled. “That Unrequited Love book had such a unique premise. It probably wouldn’t even get a release if it were made into a film, right?”
Bi Fan, relieved that Shen Yan was tactfully changing the subject, gave him a grateful smile. “The premise is definitely unique, but I think it’s meaningful. It’s precisely because of the special backdrop that the story is so moving. Honestly, I couldn’t sleep after reading it last night. I kept thinking about how I would handle this story if it were made into a film. And I think my hometown would be a perfect filming location… we haven’t…”
At this point, Bi Fan finally looked the part of a director, speaking passionately about his craft.
Shen Yan had initially thought Bi Fan was only bringing up Unrequited Love to please Shen Fei, but Bi Fan was genuinely enthusiastic. He had even picked out the filming locations and was truly excited about the story. This wasn’t something anyone could fake.
This surprised Shen Yan.
In truth, Unrequited Love was the worst-performing book in terms of sales, largely because of its theme and background, which made it hard to sell both the publishing and film rights. But Shen Yan had always liked it. He remembered crying like a fool when writing the ending, and it took him a long time to recover from it.
Who would have thought that a few years later, a famous director would be interested, and it seemed like he genuinely liked the story?
To Shen Yan, whether his works were published or adapted into films was never something he strongly pursued. But with a director like Bi Fan showing interest, he thought it might be worth trying.
So, the deal was made. Bi Fan’s team would handle the copyright contracts, and Shen Yan’s job would be to adapt the novel into a script.
Shen Yan had no experience in adaptation, and the unique background of the story required careful consideration. He’d need to work with professionals to fine-tune it and make sure it passed the necessary checks.
Bi Fan’s team would take care of this part. After all, he was well-connected in the industry.
So, Shen Yan would only need to start meeting with those professionals at the company tomorrow.
After everything was settled, Bi Fan walked them out of the coffee shop and pointed to the office building behind him, introducing it to Shen Yan.
“This building is Yun Kong Entertainment. You should…”
“Yun Kong Entertainment?” Shen Yan suddenly interrupted, turning around in shock.
What the hell?
What was going on?
On the way here, Shen Fei had driven straight into the underground parking garage, and Shen Yan hadn’t paid much attention to the building when they came up. Now that he looked at it more closely, he realized that, just like with Yucai Middle School, this building was exactly the same as Yun Kong Entertainment in the book.
And it was called Yun Kong Entertainment!
Shen Yan had never heard of an entertainment company called Yun Kong Entertainment in this world, in his twenty-two years of life.
His mind was so muddled that he could barely tell if he was dreaming.
But whether it was a dream or not, he had to check it out.
Without waiting for Bi Fan to speak, he started running toward the building.
Bi Fan stood there, confused and worried that he might have said something wrong. He cautiously glanced at Shen Fei.
But Shen Fei had no time to worry about him. Seeing her precious younger brother acting the same way as yesterday, she quickly clacked after him in her high heels, rushing to follow him into the elevator.
Bi Fan could only follow them, looking at Shen Yan with puzzlement. “Are you meeting a friend upstairs?”
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Shen Yan press the button for the top floor and widened his eyes. “That’s the CEO’s office. You can’t go in without an appointment.”
“The CEO’s office? Perfect.” Shen Yan replied without thinking, his eyes fixed on the elevator’s changing floor numbers.
It wasn’t rush hour, so only a few staff members came and went, heading to different floors. It didn’t take long to reach the top.
Three minutes later, Shen Yan stepped out of the elevator, his gaze falling on the receptionist, but his heart sank further.
This Yun Kong Entertainment was completely different from what he remembered.
Despite the disappointment, he still walked up to the receptionist and politely asked, “Excuse me, may I see Su…”
Before he could finish, the receptionist suddenly glanced behind him, lowered her head respectfully, and called out, “Mr. Su.”
Shen Yan’s mind exploded.
Mr. Su?
The boss of Yun Kong Entertainment in this world was also named Su?
Was it Su Yunzhe?
He quickly turned around, his heart racing…
Only to be met with extreme disappointment.
It wasn’t Su Yunzhe.
Instead, there was a stranger, a man who looked like he must have been very handsome in his youth, walking briskly with several high-ranking staff members, talking about work as they went into the office.
Once again, it was like this.
First, meeting Bi Fan and talking about his work had lifted Shen Yan’s spirits slightly, but once again, reality shattered his hopes and left him feeling utterly dejected. His brief moment of happiness vanished.
The receptionist politely asked if he had an appointment, but Shen Yan didn’t hear her. He simply walked past and headed toward the elevator.
During the wait for the elevator, Bi Fan, who had been trying to figure out what was going on, finally spoke, wanting to ease the tension. Though he didn’t understand exactly what had happened, it was obvious that Shen Yan’s mood had drastically fallen.
But Shen Fei kept giving him eye signals to shut up and stop talking.
So, the three of them quietly waited for the elevator, and the atmosphere felt a bit heavy.
When the elevator arrived, the doors opened, and Shen Yan stepped inside.
“Hey…”
“Yan Yan…”
“Ah!”
Almost at the same time, Bi Fan, Shen Fei, and Shen Yan all made sounds.
Shen Yan had been looking down as he entered the elevator, not noticing anyone inside, and he walked straight into someone, his forehead hitting the other person painfully.
He instinctively cried out in surprise, holding his forehead as he apologized. “Sorry, sorry.”
“It’s okay, are you alright?”
The voice was cold and distant, but still polite.
Shen Yan froze in place, his body stiffening. He stood still at the elevator entrance, clutching his forehead.
The other person, thinking he had hurt himself badly, asked, “Are you injured? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
Only then did Shen Yan snap back to reality. He looked up, and the moment he saw the person’s face, his eyes—tears from the pain still lingering—shone with overwhelming excitement. He rushed forward and hugged the person tightly. “Su Yunzhe!”
It was Su Yunzhe! It was really him!
He looked exactly the same, and the voice was exactly the same.
Shen Yan would never mistake that voice. Though it had been a long time since he last heard Su Yunzhe speak to him with such coldness and distance, how could he possibly be wrong about his voice?
At first, he was unsure, afraid it was just another empty hope. He didn’t dare to look up.
But this time, it wasn’t empty hope. It was really Su Yunzhe!
He was terrified that he might be dreaming, so he hugged him tightly, not daring to let go, fearing that if he did, Su Yunzhe would disappear.
“Excuse me… Do we know each other?”
The stranger’s words were like a bucket of cold water, completely dousing his excitement.
Shen Yan looked up at him in disbelief. The man hadn’t pushed him away, but his body instinctively leaned back, in a posture of avoidance and resistance. His gaze was unfamiliar, almost like a stranger’s.
“You… don’t recognize me?” Shen Yan asked, unaware that his voice was trembling.
When Su Yunzhe met his gaze, he was almost about to say, “I don’t know you,” but for some reason, the words got stuck in his throat. Instead, he swallowed them down and said, “We can get to know each other now. I’m Su Yunzhe. What should I call you?”
“What should you call me?” Shen Yan, in an instant, felt all the suppressed emotions surge up, and he looked at him with a hurt expression. “So you really don’t recognize me? Su Yunzhe, you bastard!”
After shouting, without waiting for a reply, Shen Yan pushed Su Yunzhe toward the elevator doors, wanting to get away from him.
Su Yunzhe was left confused by the outburst. Strangely, though, he didn’t get angry. In fact, when he saw the hurt in Shen Yan’s eyes, a strange feeling welled up inside him.
“Why don’t we…”
“Yunzhe gege, you’re finally here! Uncle has been waiting for you for so long! Ouch…”
Before Su Yunzhe could finish his sentence, a young woman in her twenties ran out from the office, calling to him. Suddenly, she seemed to twist her ankle, and with a delicate voice, she asked for his help. “Yunzhe gege, please help me! Something’s in my shoe.”
Su Yunzhe was about to reach out to help her, but he immediately felt a cold, icy gaze from the elevator.
He turned around, and sure enough, he saw Shen Yan in the elevator, glaring at him coldly. The look made him feel like if he extended his hand to help the girl, he would regret it.
He wasn’t sure why, but for some reason, he hesitated. He reluctantly put his hands in his pockets and replied coolly, “Help yourself.”
Seeing this, Shen Yan’s mood inexplicably lifted a little. Changing his mind, he raised an eyebrow and called out to Su Yunzhe, “Got time? Let’s talk!”