Sui Si had his throat clamped by an invisible hand.
He wanted to contact Yu Tang and see how he was recovering, but not in such a life-threatening situation.
In the headquarters building of W&P, Yu Tang is a full-time employee. He is a partner whose letter of intent was abandoned by W&P, the evaluation process was terminated, and he was ruthlessly kicked out.
… former partner.
Sui Si stood where he was. He already regretted calling out to Yu Tang out of shock.
He didn’t even have the energy to think about Yu Tang’s reaction. Under the surprised gazes of those W&P employees, Sui Si’s face turned red. The intense shame made him feel ashamed. He barely looked away and didn’t immediately turn around and run downstairs in embarrassment.
What does he look like in Yu Tang's eyes now
It has become such a big deal these days that almost everyone knows that something happened in his studio. There are even groundless rumors on the Internet, which are a mixture of truth and falsehood and full of ridicule, causing a sensation in the city.
How did Yu Tang feel when he knew all this
Yu Tang had done so much for the studio, but he had never appreciated it. Now that he was in trouble, did Yu Tang feel relieved, or did he pity him, or did he feel sorry that the studio he had built had fallen to this point
Why... could Yu Tang cut off the relationship so cleanly? Is he really not going to contact him again
Sui Si gritted his teeth. Many doubts that he had deliberately ignored all along surged up like a tide, almost suffocating him.
"Sorry to bother you..." Sui Si managed to squeeze out a few words, "I'll leave now, I..."
Yu Tang walked down the stairs.
Sui Si heard footsteps and suddenly raised his head.
His chest heaved as he watched Yu Tang walk down, as if he had suddenly seen a life-saving straw, and his face lightened up slightly: "... Yu Tang?"
Sui Si's voice was very hoarse. He tried his best to clear his throat and asked in a low voice: "How is your recovery going? I heard that they said you were discharged from the hospital. Now you—"
Sui Si's voice stopped abruptly.
Yu Tang was standing with his back to the light, and it was not until he walked in front of him, just two steps higher than him, that Sui Si finally saw Yu Tang's expression clearly.
He tried to contact Yu Tang, and he imagined many possible reactions that Yu Tang might show when the two met again. He even thought that Yu Tang might hate him, might deliberately ignore him, and turn a blind eye to him, just like Ke Ming had done in the past when they were angry with each other and the bet was at its worst...
…
But I never thought of this one.
Yu Tang's reaction before him made him gasp for breath more than the worst possible scenario Sui Si had ever imagined.
Sui Si stood where he was, his head buzzing loudly and a faint smell of blood almost filled his throat.
Sui Si looked at him, his lips moved, and his voice was so low that he couldn't even hear it: "Yu Tang?"
Yu Tang had a gentle expression and looked at him in a friendly manner, tilting his head slightly as he followed the sound.
"Yu Tang." Sui Si heard himself asking, "What's wrong with you?"
Sui Si was an actor by profession, and he could tell clearly whether someone was acting or not. Moreover, the person in front of him was Yu Tang, and they had played spouses in front of the camera for more than two years. He knew better than anyone how bad Yu Tang's acting skills were, and how he could not learn to pretend in front of others.
Yu Tang wanted to act, and act like this.
Sui Si closed his eyes. He stood in Yu Tang's warm and distant gaze, which was only for strangers, and was tortured bit by bit by this gaze.
He would rather Yu Tang hated him.
"Sir, are you feeling unwell?" He heard Yu Tang's voice, "Please wait a moment, we have a temporary rest room—"
Sui Si shook his head helplessly: "Don't talk to me like that..."
Sui Si could no longer hide his embarrassment. He forgot everything else, took a step forward, and stretched out his hand to grab Yu Tang's arm, but his grasp was empty.
Yu Tang retreated two steps.
"Feel sorry."
Yu Tang knew what he wanted to do, frowned slightly, and explained softly: "I'm not used to people touching me."
The person in front of him recognized him and knew his name. Yu Tang couldn't find this person in his memory, so he walked down, just curious and wanted to ask who the other person was and whether he had seen him before.
But the other person doesn't look like a mentally normal person.
If something happens here, it will have a negative impact on W&P. Yu Tang didn't want to cause trouble for the company, so he stepped back and returned to a safe distance: "I'm sorry, I don't remember you, may I ask-"
Darren's voice came from behind him: "Yu Tang."
Yu Tang turned around and breathed a sigh of relief: "Mr. Darren."
Darren came down and nodded at him.
Those employees recognized Sui Si. They were not very clear about the treatment Yu Tang received. They thought that the so-called movie star wanted to come back and snatch Mr. Yu from them because his studio was out of business. They urgently went to find Darren who was still in the meeting room.
"I just received a message from the marketing department. The promotion cooperation with you did not pass the evaluation and it was decided to terminate the cooperation. This was a decision made a long time ago and has nothing to do with our new sales director."
Darren motioned Yu Tang to step back and politely apologized to Sui Si: "It is our fault that we did not keep in touch with you at all times, which led to poor communication between the two parties. I apologize to you on behalf of the company."
Sui Si's confused thoughts were poured with a bucket of cold water, and he barely regained some sanity.
… suspended collaborative evaluation.
Sui Si clenched his teeth, and the anger of being fooled returned to his chest.
Darren's businesslike attitude was completely different from before, almost like a blatant mockery.
"Cooperation... is nothing to you? Child's play?"
Sui Si's throat was burning. He stared at Darren and asked hoarsely, "You used cooperation as a cover to steal people from my studio? Now that you've poached people, you're just going to stop working?!"
Darren nodded: "That's right."
Sui Si: “…”
Those working in the entertainment industry are public figures after all. Even if they have other thoughts, they hide them under a hypocritical and friendly appearance, find excuses and cover-ups, and speak human language after all.
These businessmen who do things for money, Nie Chi is like this, and this Darren in front of him is also like this...
Sui Si held onto the handrail of the stairs. He was choked and unable to speak. His chest ached and his vision went dark. He bent over and gasped for breath.
Yu Tang was stopped by Darren behind him. Looking at the situation in front of him, he was a little worried: "Mr. Darren, is he serious?"
"It's important." Darren said, "Do you know him?"
Yu Tang shook his head.
"He knew you before, and he wanted to use your connections to discuss a cooperation with W&P."
Darren briefly explained and asked Yu Tang, "Do you want to catch up with him?"
Yu Tang finally understood the situation, felt relieved, and shook his head: "It's over."
"Work comes first." Yu Tang said slowly in a hoarse voice, "I will not... interfere with the company's decision-making because of my personal problems."
Darren smiled and said, "It's not that serious. As long as you feel comfortable, it's okay to say a few words."
Yu Tang didn't feel anything at all. He didn't know where Darren was coming from. He touched his chest and looked at the embarrassed man in front of him.
He still has impressions of the people he has met in recent years.
He remembered that he had worked in the entertainment industry before, and he could recognize the artists, agents, and heads of external relations of various companies mentioned in the marketing department's proposal just now.
With just a little recollection, Yu Tang can quickly judge the value of cooperation with these people in terms of fan base, popularity exposure, past endorsement level... in all aspects.
But he still remembered the person in front of him.
Since they don't remember, it should mean that they haven't seen each other in these years.
The other party knew him but did not have his contact information. He was also unclear about the formal procedures for business cooperation and tried to use his personal connections. It seemed that his life was pretty satisfactory.
Yu Tang thought about it carefully and asked softly, "Are you also from the orphanage?"
Sui Si's ears buzzed. He didn't understand what Yu Tang meant and was confused: "... What?"
Yu Tang's tone was very gentle: "Are you short of money now?"
He has always been good at remembering others. If there are people he has no impression of, most likely they are just vague faces that he met in the orphanage during his childhood and with whom he had little interaction.
The children in the orphanage were of different ages, and Yu Tang was considered to be relatively young. The older ones, who left the orphanage and started to work hard in society, were probably around this age.
"Did you go to school later?" Yu Tang said slowly, "You should study first and then work. Of course, you will suffer a lot."
Sui Si looked at Yu Tang with bloodshot eyes, and shook his head helplessly amid the tinnitus.
He didn't understand what Yu Tang said at all, and he didn't know what had happened to Yu Tang. He looked at the figure in front of him, and even for a moment he began to miss the Yu Tang who could move, remembered to blink and speak, had a blank and docile look, and was obediently fed porridge by him.
"Then go study." Yu Tang said, "When my situation gets better and I make some money, I will do charity work so that others can afford to study."
Yu Tang didn't have that much money yet, so he was a little embarrassed. His fair ears blushed as he explained in a low voice, "I've wanted to do it for a long time, but I didn't have enough money and I didn't have the time before..."
He suddenly stopped talking and paused in confusion.
He had forgotten why he was so busy that he could not spare time for it. The work at W&P was easy. Those reports and documents were simple in his eyes. As long as he paid a little attention, he could handle them properly and thoroughly.
Yu Tang tried to explore what he had forgotten, but he had no motivation or desire to remember it. He was just a little confused.
He himself could not help but imagine what kind of work it was that would make him feel as if he was being completely swallowed up whenever he thought about that period of time, without even a chance to catch his breath.
All the things he wanted to do, all the life he wanted to try, were wiped out, and he didn't have time to do anything.
He couldn't imagine what kind of job it was that took up most of his life.
Sui Si watched Yu Tang being taken away, stood there for a long while, then walked down the stairs step by step, and walked out of the W&P headquarters building in a daze.
Nie Chi was waiting for him outside.
Seeing Sui Si coming out, Nie Chi opened the car door for him and let Sui Si sit in: "Did your talk with the W&P people go smoothly?"
Sui Si was completely exhausted. He almost fell on the back of the chair and looked up at Nie Chi.
Nie Chi paused for three seconds, nodded, returned to the driver's seat and opened the communication panel: "Mr. Sui has no plans in the recent period, so he can participate in the program recording at any time."
Sui Si asked hoarsely, "What program?"
Nie Chi gave him the name of a variety show.
Sui Si frowned.
The rating of the variety show is not low. It is an adventure program with good popularity and exposure. No matter which part he is asked to record, it is the best resource they can get now.
But... this variety show was the one that Ke Ming's agent signed, requiring Ke Ming to hand in his mobile phone, cut off contact with the outside world and record in isolation.
The people who contact Sui Si now are either flying guests who are temporary fill-ins, or the main guest positions.
Sui Si didn't mind using himself to promote Ke Ming. He was just confused and hadn't figured out yet... whether he wanted to see Ke Ming at this time.
"You don't want to go?"
Nie Chi started the car and saw that he still didn't respond. He said considerately: "I can help you reject it. The invitation from the program team is just a trial contact. The attitude is not very firm..."
Sui Si suddenly came to his senses, pressed his forehead hard, and forced himself to wake up: "Go."
In the past, Yu Tang helped him compile more than a dozen high-quality resources and let him choose according to his own wishes. He could choose whichever ones he wanted. Even if he didn't like several resources, Yu Tang would always find new ones.
It's different now.
If you miss this invitation, you don’t know when you will have to wait for the next suitable resource.
"Tell them I'm available anytime."
Sui Si said: "It doesn't matter what part it is... I am willing to cooperate."
Nie Chi replied as he said: "Mr. Ke has finished recording the first few sessions for now. He sent me a few messages. Do you want to reply to them all?"
Sui Si closed his eyes, his mind was in a mess and was about to explode. He said nothing more and shook his head tiredly.
After all, I have to participate in the variety show recording. As for Xiao Ming... it would be better to talk about it when we meet after I get there.
They just had some misunderstandings, and since they hadn't met, they put them aside for the time being.
It hasn’t reached that point yet, Sui Si thought.
Ke Ming had simply never experienced such storms and was frightened for the moment. They had not been in contact with each other during this period, which was a good time for them to take a break and calm down.
When we meet again, we can explain it clearly.
Sui Si took two sleeping pills, closed his eyes, and tried his best to think about good things, and the plans he and Ke Ming had made together.
He couldn't think about Yu Tang now. He couldn't think about the reason why Yu Tang became like this, nor could he recall the strange look on that face. Even if any thought about Yu Tang came up, it was like a red-hot iron, ruthlessly pressing on his mind, burning his skin and flesh.
The effect of the sleeping pills made him sleep in a daze all the way, and he was not woken up until the car arrived at the bottom of the apartment building by Nie Chi.
Sui Si had a splitting headache and forced himself to open his eyes: "Arrange the time and let me know when the time comes."
Nie Chi nodded: "The assistant has come to pack up the luggage. You can check it to see if there is anything missing."
Sui Si agreed casually, propped himself up and got out of the car. His legs were very heavy, and he barely walked up the stairs and opened the door.
A new assistant came to help him clean the room, and the room was filled with the smell of his favorite air freshener.
Sui Si's throat was very dry. He searched the house, but found only boiling water. The things in the refrigerator had not been touched, and because he had not been home for a few days, some of the things were already edible.
Sui Si went to wash the cup. He held the glass tightly, his fingers cramped from exerting too much force, and he controlled himself to smash the object to pieces.
No one would clean up for him in silence again and again.
Sui Si turned on the faucet, stood for a few minutes holding the glass, turned off the water, and slowly walked back to the living room.
The suitcase had been neatly packed and was placed open in the living room, waiting for him to check for missing parts.
Sui Si didn't have such an idea. He squatted down, opened the innermost safety compartment of the suitcase, and fumbled in his coat pocket for a while.
He took out the two old lucky bags that were left in the office and not taken away by Yu Tang.
He flattened them, put them in the compartment, zipped them up again, went back to the bedroom, and fell motionless on the bed.
The effect of the sleeping pills had not yet worn off, and Sui Si's consciousness was a little dull. The words that Yu Tang had said to him at the W&P headquarters, which he had not been able to hear clearly due to his trance, gradually became clearer to him.
Sui Si's mind was in a mess and he was thinking drowsily.
Why did Yu Tang mention the orphanage
For no reason, why would Yu Tang think of doing charity and sponsoring people to study
Of course studying is useful. Ke Ming succeeded step by step by studying with the financial support of the Sui family.
Ke Ming would sometimes talk to him about the past, talking about how hard he had worked to study, his desire to change his fate, and how he had finally made it and wanted to stand where everyone could see him.
Every time Sui Si heard him talk about the past, he felt both distressed and relieved.
But this time, a very obscure and vague idea suddenly popped up in my mind, without knowing when or where it came from.
When he first debuted, he also wanted to do charity work, but because of the confrontation with the Sui family, he had no spare money, so he put it on hold.
Later, things went more and more smoothly. He had to film movies, participate in shows, and do more and more things, so he forgot about this plan.
Xiao Ming... why have you never reminded him