Rebirth 2010, the best

Chapter 315 Don't Live
Her promise was practically meaningless to Lu Yao.

It doesn't even qualify as a consolation prize.

Because this matter has absolutely nothing to do with her.

But looking at her obedient appearance... he had to admit that perhaps it was due to the filter of his past life; in his previous life, Angela Baby was, after all, one of the top celebrities. Even Lu Yao didn't deny that it was probably because of the filter from his past life that he was able to accept her.

To maintain such a relationship.

And to be honest, the thought of maintaining this relationship with a female celebrity who has over 100 million followers on Weibo gives him a sense of accomplishment, like he's cheated on over 100 million people.

Even he himself didn't know how long this relationship would last.

Thinking of this, his gaze softened.

Yang Ying keenly sensed the change in his gaze and suddenly froze...

This was the first time she had ever seen such a look in Lu Yao's eyes... so gentle, yet with an... indescribable feeling.

Did he really like hearing what I said?

So he likes this gentle type?

She was pondering this when, in the next second, Lu Yao's words chased away all her thoughts, even carrying a hint of coldness:
"Honestly, have you thought about what your boyfriend would do if we got found out?"

"..."

His wandering thoughts quickly returned to normal.

Her first reaction was fear.

Although she had to admit that the man sitting across from her was of extremely high quality.

Whether it's physique, appearance, height, or that aura... as well as the halo of being a top student or highly educated.

Under the influence of these things, his attraction to the opposite sex is undeniable.

But... Yang Ying knew the truth in his heart.

It was actually unlikely that the two of them would get together from the very beginning.

Firstly, there is the difference in social status.

Secondly, she had feelings for Lu Yao, but these feelings couldn't outweigh her love for her boyfriend.

What truly fascinated her was his body.

That wonderful feeling of being able to completely release oneself, without any repression or worries.

This is what she can't get over.

But if we remove this factor... then what's left is really just the utilitarianism of helping one's own career.

She never tried to present a pure and innocent image in front of Lu Yao.

Judging from his attitude towards himself and his attitude towards him, if we were to summarize our relationship, it would actually be more like that of "friends" who each get what they need.

And it's the kind where you feel the least psychological burden.

As long as you keep it a secret well enough, and don't let anyone find out.

But now, this red line has been brought up by Lu Yao himself.

She had no reason not to be afraid.

Because she loves her boyfriend.

But immediately following this fear came a period of reflection.

Why would he ask that?
Why do you ask this?
She is not stupid.

How could someone who dropped out of school at fifteen and plunged headlong into the entertainment industry be a fool?

Sufficient disguise, intelligence, and the ability to assess situations are what have enabled her to get to where she is today.

So, with a quick thought, she suddenly understood what Lu Yao was facing.

So, instead of answering Lu Yao's question, she asked him in return:

"Did someone threaten you with this?"

"!"

Lu Yao was startled.

"...How did you figure that out?"

His words were tantamount to a direct answer to Yang Ying's question.

Yang Ying's brows furrowed as well:
What does the other party want?

“...something very important.”

"You can't give it to me?"

marriage?

promise?

Money...it shouldn't be that. If money is all you care about, then you should aim for a steady, long-term approach.

This girl seems pretty stupid.

The idea came to her without her even realizing it, and she then fell into deep thought.

"If it were me... uh, I mean, if I were your girlfriend..."

She stopped talking mid-sentence.

Keep thinking about it.

Then asked:

Are you afraid she'll find out and break up with you?

"I guess so. The breakup was unforgivable, and I was heartbroken... No matter what, the one thing I didn't want was for her to be sad."

As he spoke, Lu Yao chuckled softly:
"That's a bit hypocritical, isn't it?"

Yes.

What were you thinking when you slept with other people...?

"...Are you thinking, 'If only I had known this would happen, why did I do it in the first place?'"

"..."

Yang Ying's lips twitched.

After observing Lu Yao's bewildered expression and confirming that he wasn't angry, she couldn't help but ask:
"So obvious?"

"Of course, I practically wore my heart on my sleeve... I finally understand why you can all tell I'm troubled."

As he spoke, he sighed:
"Your acting is really bad..."

"..."

Yang Ying's face turned somewhat green.

Then Lu Yao said:

"But I can't refuse this. I mean, cheating... I have to do it. You can think of it as... an advance payment. I have to cheat for something. This mistake is even inevitable, and the final result... might be that I lose my future with my girlfriend, but I clear away some... garbage, danger, hidden dangers... that's the idea. I'm not trying to portray myself as some kind of saint, but the fact is that when... some people need me to do this, I thought about the consequences, but I still made the choice. And... even now, I don't think my choice was wrong. It's just that I'm finding it increasingly difficult to face my girlfriend."

"..."

Lu Yao's words are convoluted.

Very abstract.

Yang Ying was initially a little confused.

But after pondering these words over and over, she gave them a strange look:

"You mean what you did, or rather, your affair, was a form of self-sacrifice?"

"You could say that. Perhaps without me, this matter might have caused some losses. But I didn't want any losses at all, so... well, you could call it a sacrifice. I sacrificed my own little self for the greater good."

"...That's a bit outrageous."

She became increasingly confused:
"I can't think of anything... or what kind of infidelity could be labeled as such a sacrifice. It's like dying for one's country... huh?"

Suddenly, when she saw Lu Yao's surprised look, she was speechless, even though she had meant to be joking.

"you……"

"..."

Lu Yao silently pursed his lips, then suddenly shook his head:

"You can't ask, and I can't tell."

"!!!!? ...

he……

? ? ? ? ?

ah? ? ? ?

Yang Ying, who prides herself on having witnessed the rise and fall of stars in the entertainment industry and has seen it all, was now completely bewildered.

No, man.

you……

what?
She was completely shocked when she received confirmation from Lu Yao after she had guessed it in her mind.

To suppress this feeling, she tilted her head back and gulped down a large glass of wine in one go.

Only with that bitter taste could I suppress this emotion.

Looking at her, Lu Yao inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

"Ha, I suddenly feel a bit more relaxed."

He finally understood why those undercover agents in movies like Infernal Affairs went to see psychologists.

I have to say, venting like this is really stress-relieving.

At least I'm not so bothered right now.

While he felt relieved, Yang Ying was now somewhat unable to extricate herself.

Isn't this much better than those disgusting gossip stories?
What's the matter?

If what he said is true... then who is this person?
country?

what?
Who would "sacrifice" themselves for their country? A spy? ...Eh? A spy? That seems...

Suddenly, she seemed to understand everything.

There was an unparalleled sense of sudden enlightenment.

"...A spy?"

"..."

Lu Yao's lips twitched. After staring at her for a couple of seconds, he shook his head helplessly.

"Despite such terrible acting skills, her mind is surprisingly sharp..."

"..."

"So, what would you do?"

Under Yang Ying's gaze that seemed to say, "Brother, do you really have to treat me like this?", Lu Yao held his wine glass and asked directly.

Yang Ying countered with a question:

"...Do you think she will forgive you?"

What do you think? If you were in that situation, would you do the same?

"I……"

She was at a loss for words.

All I could do was raise my glass.

With the sound of her gulping down that big glass of wine, the bottle was already half full without her realizing it.

After taking another sip of her drink, she looked at the man staring blankly at his glass and suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

I don't know where this feeling came from... but it started to spread in my heart.

Why would something like this happen to him?

He's only 20... Oh right.

Suddenly realizing that he was a top student under his age, a genius who was recommended for postgraduate studies in his first year of university, she immediately understood why this kind of thing had come to him.

After thinking for a moment, she tilted her head back again, downed half a glass of wine, and then continued:

"Let me tell you what I think?"

"Well, you said."

Lu Yao thought she wanted to express her opinion on the matter.

However... that's not the case.

She continued speaking to herself:
"Actually, I know I'm marrying above my station when I'm with Brother Xiaoming."

"?"

Lu Yao was taken aback.

"Xiao Ming probably thought I was a simple, kind, and even very weak girl."

Lu Yao was still wondering why they were suddenly talking about this.

But... he's not in a hurry anyway.

So he took a sip of his drink and nodded:

"Well, then what?"

"But actually, the me who is with you now is the most authentic me. Lu Yao, I'm not stupid."

"..."

Do you think I'm stupid?

"of course not."

"Yeah. But I'm really silly in front of him. Not that I automatically become silly when I'm with him... Well, that's not quite right. What I mean is... Some girls might be very smart, but they become silly in front of their boyfriends, and he becomes their whole world... But I'm not like that. I'm just pretending."

"..."

While Lu Yao remained silent, Yang Ying, who hadn't actually eaten much, suddenly stood up and took out a bottle of wine and a cigar box from the wine cabinet where the red wine had been taken out.

Upon opening the cigar box, one finds three to five aluminum tubes, a box of matches, and a pack of cigarettes.

“I know he has a chauvinistic personality, and men like that are too easy to please. I didn’t even use any tricks. I just made myself weak and relied on him. I didn’t argue with anything he said, I agreed to his requests, allowed him, and supported him. He thought I was the most perfect girl in his eyes.”

As she spoke, she disassembled the aluminum tube, took the cigar in her hand, skillfully cut off the cigar head, then struck a match and lit the entire cigar on the flame.

This is to warm the leaves so that the cigar can have a better taste when it burns.

Then, she lit a cigar and handed it to Lu Yao.

The eggplant server is back.

After Lu Yao took it, she casually grabbed a glass, poured some red wine into it, and used it as an ashtray, placing it in front of the two of them.

Then he lit a cigarette on his own.

"Hiss... But I quit smoking after that time you wouldn't let me. Do you know why?"

"……Why?"

"Because I know you are my benefactor; with you here, it will definitely help my career. And I..."

"You treated me the same way you treated him, making me think you were a girl who would obey me at all costs?"

"Yes."

"Ha~"

Lu Yao chuckled softly, but wasn't angry; instead, there was a hint of appreciation in his eyes.
So, you've quit?

"I can smoke it or not. Before, I hadn't touched this cigarette for about... um, ten days? Ten days. The last time I smoked it was at a crew dinner. The director handed me one, and I used it to weigh down my drinks."

"Then it's a success. Smoking is much more harmful to women's health than men's, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Yang Ying nodded, squinted, and, with a cigarette between his fingers, looked at Lu Yao and continued:

“I had to pretend because before I met him, I was nobody. But when he took the initiative to get my phone number and texted me... I knew that my chance had come and I had to seize it.”

"So, we're the same to you."

"Yes, but there are differences. The difference is... he's naive, but you're smart. I can keep up the act with him until I can't anymore, but I can't do that with you."

I actually prefer you the way you are now.

A hint of admiration appeared in Lu Yao's eyes.

"You are most authentic right now."

"That's because... the atmosphere was just right today. It was also a vulnerable time for you... Otherwise, my plan for today was actually to let loose with you and make a request of you."

Lu Yao rolled her eyes.
"any request?"

“I know that General Manager Song has very strong connections in Southern Media Group... Next year is the time to select the Four Little Actresses, and I want to be one of the Four Little Actresses.”

"okay."

Lu Yao nodded and agreed immediately:

I'll talk to him about it later.

"...You agreed so readily?"

"if not?"

Lu Yao casually shrugged:

"Isn't it normal for friends to help each other? I don't know what this title means to you, but it's just a matter of saying a few words."

"……hey-hey."

She couldn't help but laugh out loud, and then continued:

"I know very well that one day I won't be able to keep up the act with Xiaoming anymore. Lu Yao... have you ever been bullied by others?"

"Hmm, no, there really isn't."

"Yes, I have. I've been in this industry for eight years now, and I've not only seen and heard about it, but I've also experienced the ups and downs of human relationships. Hey, have you seen the TV series 'The Myth'?"

"...I want to be Zhao Gao?"

When this TV series is mentioned, this is the only thing that comes to his mind.

Unexpectedly, Yang Ying nodded vigorously:
"Yes! That's it... You're really too smart."

She sighed and said:
"My thinking is simple: I will not let any of those who have bullied me get away with it. After I become famous, I will make things difficult for them in every way possible. I just want to get my revenge. But I can't do it yet, and if I want to... I will climb to a high enough place, no matter what it takes."

Even love?

Even love!

Seeing her serious expression, Lu Yao simply shook her head:
"It's too sad."

"But she's just like...this woman, isn't she? I know you're struggling with what to do with your girlfriend. But if I were another girl...or rather...this person, I wouldn't care what happened between you and your girlfriend; I would use every means to achieve my goal."

"..."

Lu Yao's face suddenly turned cold.

I'm not angry with her.

Instead, it was instinctive... that a bad premonition arose.

Then she answered seriously:
"I'm just a nobody. But I think... in essence, we're all the same. From the day 'I' successfully seduced you, your girlfriend was no longer part of my plan. Either you make me famous and let me be Zhao Gao, or we'll all perish together, I die and you don't live either."

"..."

The atmosphere grew increasingly cold.

But Yang Ying spoke with increasing seriousness:

“I know this will make you very sad. But… since you chose to tell me this today, the only thing I can do to help you is to offer my own perspective based on my own personality. I’ll tell you what I would do if I were her… I can’t give you advice on how to win back your girlfriend, nor can I truly solve your problems. I can only say what I can do.”

"……Then what?"

Lu Yao asked in a deep voice.

"Then?"

Yang Ying stubbed out his cigarette and continued:
"If I were you, things would already be this bad, wouldn't they?... I can't change the outcome, so what can I do? I'll send everyone who's offended me to hell. Didn't I just say, I can die, but you won't live either!"

"..."

Lu Yao understood her reasoning.

It's very simple and straightforward.

Whether it's you or her.

Whether it's a spy or you.

There is only one possible outcome in the future.

Whether it's a Pyrrhic victory or a resounding triumph.

In short.

If I die, nobody else should live!

(End of this chapter)