Chapter 45: End of Arc
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Half a year later.
In the city of H.
Atop the most bustling shopping mall in the city center, a huge poster was prominently displayed. Centered around this poster, the model's eyes could be clearly seen from a few kilometers around.
Dark, dense hair, a high-bridged nose, light lips.
And that signature mole at the corner of the eye.
The model was sporting a trendy, rugged outfit; ripped denim and a white tee. This outfit stirred a wave of imitation across the entertainment industry. Both male and female stars were subtly leaning towards this minimalist and fashionable style.
This poster was the promotional poster for "Starry Clouds 2".
Ever since An Ye won the Best Actor award at the Golden Deer Awards, the commercial value of "Starry Clouds" had multiplied several times over, and shooting for the second part started quickly. This time, the investors were very generous, vowing to make this film an epic Intellectual Property (IP).
An Ye's popularity was far more than the usual celebrity, far surpassing even his popularity when he had first become famous.
In a span of a year and a half, he not only regained his popularity, but completely washed away the negative impressions that people held about him.
Now, the buzzwords associated with An Ye on social media were: acting skills, best actor, god-like appearance.
When these words are combined together, they form the status of a top-tier superstar.
In reality, An Ye was far from this level just half a year ago.
After An Ye terminated his contract with Xing Entertainment, he established his own studio, “Cloud Fire Studio”, and managed to hire Zhou Yuanzhe, an ace agent. Employing their combined power, skills, and Zhou Yuanzhe's extensive network, they rapidly expanded the studio.
Now, the “Cloud Fire Studio” has started enlisting new trainees. In addition to being an artist, An Ye has also assumed the role of a boss.
This strategic move may seem wise, but only An Ye knows that it represents the biggest risk he's taken in his life.
“On behalf of the ‘Starry Clouds 2’ directing team, I announce that all scenes featuring An Ye have been successfully filmed!”
The director of “Starry Clouds 2” picked up a megaphone and excitedly announced this to everyone in the photography studio.
Flowers and applause surrounded An Ye, but his gaze bypassed everyone, searching for Zhou Yuanzhe, who had come to pick him up from outside the studio.
Over the past six months, Zhou Yuanzhe had become An Ye's exclusive agent and wore various hats in the Cloud Fire Studio, earning the title of the studio's greatest contributor.
Zhou Yuanzhe looked a bit tired today, with faint shadows under his eyes. As he entered the photography studio, everyone immediately greeted him with enthusiasm.
“Brother Yuan looks so handsome!”
"Brother Yuan is here to pick up An Ye again.”
“A pick-up for student An Ye after class?”
The atmosphere in the crew was extremely harmonious. Everyone naturally made way for him, allowing An Ye to walk directly to Zhou Yuanzhe.
The two of them left the photo studio one after the other. An Ye had a bunch of flowers in his hands, and he passed them to Zhou Yuanzhe with a chattering smile, saying, "Here, these are for you."
"Why would I want flowers?" Zhou Yuanzhe calmly sidestepped, "You keep them."
An Ye didn't say any more, storing the flowers in the trunk, and then smilingly asked Zhou Yuanzhe, "What should we have for lunch?"
Zhou Yuanzhe didn't reply immediately, he started his sports car, thought for a while, and finally said, "Let's go to the barbecue restaurant we visited last time."
"Which one?" An Ye couldn't remember for a moment.
"Valentine's Day."
As soon as Zhou Yuanzhe mentioned these three words, An Ye immediately remembered the awkward situation that day and agreed after a pause, "Okay."
However, when they arrived at the barbecue restaurant, An Ye discovered that this had been arranged by Zhou Yuanzhe.
Xiang Boyan sat in the most conspicuous position in the center, glancing lightly at the two with his eyelids raised. There was no one around, it was obvious that this restaurant had been booked by this domineering CEO.
An Ye calmly sat down opposite Xiang Boyan, while Zhou Yuanzhe sat next to An Ye.
The atmosphere among the three was very silent, and the only sound remaining in the entire venue was the faint sizzle from the grill.
An Ye was the first to break the silence: "President Xiang, you seem rather keen on this barbecue shop."
"I've always been persistent about things I can’t get." Xiang Boyan openly glanced at Zhou Yuanzhe, "So, I wanted to invite both of you to have a meal today and to celebrate the successful completion of 'Starry Clouds 2'."
An Ye started laughing, the tear mole at the corner of his eyes shining brightly, "President Xiang, you're over-praising me. It's merely 'Starry Clouds'; it's nowhere near as big as 'Crimson City', the major film invested by Xing Entertainment."
'Crimson City' is a key project that Xing Entertainment has been preparing. Initially, An Ye was the chosen male lead, but after he terminated his contract, Tang Ying ended up filling the role.
In the not-so-distant future, 'Starry Clouds 2' and 'Crimson City' will be released at the same time, facing each other head-on. This is also seen as a war between An Ye and Xiang Boyan.
"You and Tang Ying are both excellent." Xiang Boyan placed a piece of beef in Zhou Yuanzhe's bowl, "But he is destined to surpass you."
"Oh?" An Ye put a piece of okra into Zhou Yuanzhe's bowl, "President Xiang, you sure are confident."
Xiang Boyan calmly said: "Let's wait and see how things turn out then."
Cheng Xuyuan looked at the various foods in his bowl but had no appetite. In his mind, he said to the system, "With the completion of 'Starry Clouds 2', my task is also completed, right?"
The system quickly replied to him: "Yes, the journey of 'Brilliant Star Path' is coming to an end."
"How am I going to die this time?" Cheng Xuyuan put a piece of pork belly into his mouth, but it tasted like wax, "Tell me in advance to prepare myself mentally."
The system, however, said something that enraged Cheng Xuyuan: "You don't necessarily have to die; death is just one of the ways..."
"Darn it, why did I die in the previous two worlds then?!"
The system helplessly said: "That's really due to your own actions, unrelated to the system. Normally, after completing the task, you can choose to leave on your own."
Cheng Xuyuan: "Bullshit!"
Nevertheless, the fact that he could choose to leave painlessly was somewhat a pleasant surprise.
Zhou Yuanzhe, whose mood suddenly improved, loudly called the waiter: "Bring a bowl of rice!"
An Ye quickly said: "Ever since Brother Yuan left Xing Entertainment, his appetite seems to have improved."
Xiang Boyan: "...Haha."
"Eat more." Zhou Yuanzhe said to the two, "There won't be any more chances to eat together in the future."
An Ye and Xiang Boyan were suddenly taken aback, and the atmosphere shifted slightly.
After hesitating for a moment, Xiang Boyan asked: "No more chances in the future...what do you mean?"
An Ye was also staring at Zhou Yuanzhe.
However, Zhou Yuanzhe nonchalantly swung his hand and said, "Let's eat first. I'll explain later."
When they were almost done with the barbeque, Zhou Yuanzhe lifted his head and told the two, "I've decided to go abroad for a vacation."
"Vacation?" An Ye paused, "But Cloud Fire Studio needs you..."
Xiang Boyan nodded slightly in agreement and said, "Zhou Yuanzhe has never asked for a vacation voluntarily in all these years of working. An Ye, you should agree."
Seeing the hopeful look in Zhou Yuanzhe’s eyes, although reluctant, An Ye didn’t have the heart to watch him work tirelessly every day. He could only agree, "Alright then, how long will you be gone?"
Zhou Yuanzhe laughed, his eyes full of joy, "Depends on how I feel."
An Ye sulkily replied, "If you plan to resign under this pretext..."
"If you dare to disappear," Xiang Boyan's gaze firmly locked onto Zhou Yuanzhe, "I will dig three feet into the ground to find you."
An Ye got annoyed, "There’s no need for you to look for him. I can find my own people."
"What do you mean 'your people'?" Xiang Boyan coldly said, "He’s your employee; be mindful of your words."
On the other hand, Zhou Yuanzhe looked totally at ease — as if he had completed a mission and could finally relax.
The moods of An Ye and Xiang Boyan were lifted as well.
Even if only to witness this moment of joy for Zhou Yuanzhe, the approval of the vacation was worth it.
________________________
Three days later.
With boarding pass in hand, Zhou Yuanzhe silently stared at the three people in front of him.
An Ye, Xiang Boyan, and Tang Ying, each holding a bouquet of flowers, with very somber and sentimental expressions. It seemed less like a farewell and more like a grave visit.
"Brother Yuan, if you miss me, you can video call me," said Tang Ying.
Tang Ying had matured a lot, losing half of his youthful naivety. However, when he spoke to Zhou Yuanzhe, he reverted back to the timid and innocent boy. He didn’t resemble a mature actor who had starred in several films.
"Why would he call you?" An Ye frowned, "Brother Yuan, if there's work you want to discuss, you can call me anytime, anywhere..."
Interrupting, Xiang Boyan added, "If you are not comfortable abroad, you can tell me."
Cheng Xuyuan felt a headache, he just wanted to leave this place quickly. At this moment, an announcement echoed through the terminal.
"Passengers on flight 1324 from H city to Las Vegas, please note, boarding has commenced..."
"I'm going."
Waving at the trio, Zhou Yuanzhe cracked a slight smile. There was a hint of reluctance in his eyes, but more than that was the yearning and anticipation for the journey ahead, like a boy heading off to school.
His was a smile so beautiful, it literally took your breath away.
A beauty that, even when Xiang Boyan would remember it many years later, caused a pain within him like being pricked with a needle.
The figure of Zhou Yuanzhe disappeared at the security check. Not long after, he joyfully boarded the plane.
The roar of the plane, the intense sunlight in the clouds, the sparse number of passengers.
This was a "flight" heading to another world.
The ambience was all too comfortable. Cheng Xuyuan's head was leaning against a U-shaped pillow, donned with an eye mask, just like he would do on any flight. He quickly fell asleep.
10 hours later.
Into the night.
"Next we have breaking news..."
At home, while leisurely enjoying steak with red wine, Xiang Boyan idly turned on the television. The news anchor's solemn face put him in a slightly off mood.
Just as Xiang Boyan was about to switch channels, the coming news content made him freeze.
"Flight 1324 from H City to Las Vegas has suddenly disappeared over the Pacific Ocean." The news anchor's voice was noticeably tense. "According to expert analysis, the plane's fuel was insufficient to sustain a 10-hour flight. The reason for the plane's disappearance is under further investigation, and our station will continue to follow the story..."
Xiang Boyan dropped the remote control in his hand. The battery cover smashed open, breaking into pieces.
Elsewhere.
Cheng Xuyuan woke up from his dream, and everything before his eyes was pitch black.
No plane, no clouds, no U-shaped pillow.
Only silence remained around him, interrupted only by the system's voice.
"Task at the 'Brilliant Star Path' station is successfully completed, reward: permanent retention of the enhanced appearance value."
"After a brief rest, the plug-in system will set out towards the next station. The next world has a high degree of survival difficulty, so there will be strong turbulence when entering the world, please prepare mentally, plug-in number 10287..."
________________________
Author's note:
It's not too sad, right? (whispering)
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