A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 197 Think Twice Before Acting

He hadn't done anything at the beginning of the year, and hadn't even received his first month's salary yet, but his net income had already reached 50,000 yuan...

After putting all the wine into the cabinet, Li Mu sat on the sofa, looking at the 50,000 yuan with a somewhat vacant expression.

This is... the biggest red envelope he has ever received.

Unlike the small-scale dealings of others, such as five hundred or a thousand dollars, this was fifty thousand dollars, a bundle, simply placed on the table.

One of their news articles is equivalent to more than a year's or even two years' income for many people.

But...maybe I'm just being a bit dramatic?

For some reason, Li Mu felt that the money was a bit too hot to handle.

An ordinary person might be very happy to suddenly have an extra 50,000 yuan in income, but what he was thinking at the moment was... should he be more careful with the articles he writes in the future?

The feeling came out of nowhere, yet it was all the more vivid.

It's as if a single pen can stir up the winds and clouds of the world.

Even though Li Mu knew he was just being delusional, he still did it anyway.

One article, while I wouldn't dare say it "determined," certainly certainly influenced the fates of four people.

Even if it doesn't seem bad at the moment, its influence alone has already triggered a warning light in his heart.

This made him more cautious.

Just as he was lost in thought, the phone rang again.

Coming to his senses, he looked up and a smile appeared on his face:

"Feed".

"What are you doing? Are you off work yet?"

My girlfriend's soft, gentle voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Hmm, are you done with your work?"

"Yeah, I couldn't call you if I wasn't finished with my work... I just got home. I was a bit tired today, so I took a nap in the car. Now I'm planning to cook some vegetables."

"Can't we eat something better? Are you a rabbit?"

"I can't help it, my period's coming up soon, and my metabolism's all messed up, so I've inexplicably gained three pounds. So I made a clean eating plan for myself... boiled egg and a packet of milk for breakfast, a slice of bread and two boiled eggs for lunch, and boiled vegetables for dinner... Humph, you still don't care about me. If you really cared about your dear girlfriend, you'd better think of a way to make me a healthy and delicious diet meal!"

"You're overthinking it. All delicious food is built on the foundation of fat and oil. If you want to lose weight, you either need to exercise more or eat less. There's no other way."

Li Mu gave a cold laugh, but didn't feel too bad about his girlfriend's rabbit meal.

To put it bluntly, this is the price of always appearing glamorous in front of others.

There are no shortcuts.

For every actress, losing weight is a lifelong commitment. Unless they completely give up, abandon the industry, or retire, everyone does the same.

He understands.

then……

"Can I tell you something?"

"Go ahead and say it."

"...Didn't Huang Feng send me a case of wine yesterday?"

"Um."

"I only realized when I was about to put it in the cabinet that... there was still 50,000 yuan in there."

"Hmm, and then?"

"...What?"

"I said, 'And then?' What are you trying to say?"

"That's it? Aren't you surprised?"

To Li Muna's surprised question, the voice on the other end of the phone sounded so matter-of-fact:

"I'm not surprised at all. If I were to say I'm surprised, it's only by 50,000 yuan. Rong Xinda is being a bit stingy. Zhou Xun's status as one of the 'Four Little Actresses' is now widely recognized. The most obvious change is that she's gained fame through your article. Her acting fees and GG endorsements will definitely increase... To express their gratitude, they only give 50,000 yuan? That's a bit too stingy. Xu Jinglei even gave you a jade carving. That jade carving must be worth at least six figures, right?"

"..."

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

"...No, it suddenly feels a bit surreal. I was just thinking about whether I should be more careful when I write in the future. After all... I just had a sudden idea, along with a pen, and I stirred up the fates of four people. And then someone gave me 50,000 yuan..."

"You're not short of money."

"It has nothing to do with money. I'm reflecting on myself because of this... well, I guess. To be honest, before you called me, I was just staring blankly at the money. But listening to you, it seems like they didn't give me enough?"

"If it were me, I'd take at least 100,000 yuan."

"Ha, I'm really worth a lot of money."

Upon hearing her boyfriend's seemingly self-deprecating remark, Fan Bingbing immediately replied:

"No, you are that valuable. You need to know that you used one article to establish the status of four up-and-coming actresses in this industry. That ability... no matter what you think, whether it was a coincidence or unintentional, the fact is that once your article was published, anyone who wants to be ranked among the four little actresses will have to get past you. Of course you are valuable! Even I regret it, let alone others."

"Um……"

"So I don't understand what you're being so dramatic about. It was clearly Rong Xinda's people who gave you too little..."

"You."

Hearing the same indignation in his girlfriend's voice again, Li Mu said speechlessly:

"How come I never noticed before that you were a bit greedy?"

"I'm not greedy for money, it's their attitude that's wrong."

"You can't judge others by your own standards, and besides... you should consider the person in question. I'm already thinking this money is too hot to handle."

As Li Mu spoke, he leaned back on the sofa and sighed:

"Our views are really quite different. From what you're saying, you'd only be happy if I made a million from this one article, is that what you mean?"

"Of course! It's not about the amount of money, but you deserve these things; you're worth it. I won't mention Zhang Ziyi, but why is Zhao Wei acting like she's blind this time? She didn't say a word! If I were her, I'd send you a hefty gift the moment this title was bestowed upon you. Even though you weren't ranked this time, you were number one in the article. You're really getting cocky… And Zhang Ziyi too. These two really think they're something special! Just wait and see, I'll make things difficult for them every day!"

"Tsk."

See, that's the difference.

Brother Bie also commented on this matter, saying that if a pie falls into your lap and you don't thank God after eating it, then you're simply ungrateful, and you should have less contact with Him in the future.

But the "degree" of the older brother's contact was merely that they had little contact.

As a result, when it came to her... they were either friends or enemies.

Their personalities are really quite different.

Li Mu sighed and said:

"We do think differently."

"So what are you thinking? You think 50,000 yuan will satisfy you?"

"No, it has nothing to do with money."

Li Mu softly expressed his current feelings:

"Thinking about danger, thinking about change, thinking about retreat. These are my most honest thoughts right now. Money doesn't matter, and I don't care about influence. I just feel that I should be more cautious in the future. It has nothing to do with the 'Four Little Actresses' thing, but something much more far-reaching... I can't figure it out in a short time."

"Are you playing chess here? Think three moves ahead for your next move..."

"Well, you know what... life is like a chessboard."

"Hmph, just keep pretending. Wait till I get back, I'll beat you a couple of times, then you'll behave!"

"Ha~"

Li Mu chuckled softly, reached out and grabbed the bundle of banknotes, then casually tossed it into a drawer under the coffee table.

Life is like a game of chess... Hmm, that's not bad.

And my own idea was definitely correct.

……

Time flies, and it's January 14th already.

It must be admitted that since the winds of the WTO came in, people's thinking has indeed changed somewhat.

Before this, Li Mu had no concept of "Valentine's Day" at all.

But this year, February 14th, which is Valentine's Day in the West, had a particularly lively atmosphere.

People seem to be full of anticipation for this Western holiday.

Even Fan Bingbing kept apologizing. She had to attend a production meeting for a project to kick off the year, and this resource wasn't from anyone else, but introduced to her by Ding Aizhi. It was supposedly a project about the snowy region, a key provincial-level cultural project for Sichuan and Chongqing this year, and she was in talks about it.

Naturally, they can't get through.

Li Mu understood.

Moreover, the drama was said to be a tribute drama, with many big names, and if you could participate in such a drama, you would basically have an award to rely on.

Ordinary actors wouldn't even get a chance.

So, on February 14th, I stayed alone in my empty room until dawn.

On Thursday, February 15th, Li Mu went out with Shang Xiaobin for the day. When he returned, he was about to leave work when he received a call from Bie Yan:

"Are you back yet?"

"Brother, I just arrived at work."

"Okay, I'll send you an address. Come over for tea."

"OK."

Li Mu readily agreed, then glanced at the address on the text message and clocked out.

Driving his Santana, he arrived at a teahouse. After finding the private room by its name, he pushed open the door and was suddenly taken aback.

But he immediately greeted her politely:

"Director, Brother Bie."

That's right, Zhang Zhengwen was there too.

Sitting at the head of the table, Zhang Zhengwen nodded with a smile:

"Okay, come in. I've been worried about you, and I've been waiting for you to serve the food."

"Uh... haha. My brother definitely feels sorry for me. He knows I've been out interviewing all day, so he's planning to treat me."

Li Mu smiled and responded, then sat down under Zhang Zhengwen's amused gaze.

At the same time, he subtly glanced at the ashtray between the two of them.

There were about seven or eight cigarette butts in there.

Brother Bie has already quit smoking. Besides, he used to smoke that brand of cigarettes called Yellow Crane Tower. Those cigarettes didn't have a red ring on the butt.

Seven or eight cigarettes...the two of them must have drunk at least a pot of tea, right?

After taking in every detail, he thought to himself, "Could it be...?"

"Serve the food. Director, you know my health condition. Xiao Li is covering for me today, so please don't complain."

"Ha~"

Zhang Zhengwen smiled and shook his head:

"What's there to be picky about?"

As he spoke, he lit a cigarette, while Li Mu tactfully got up and walked to the food preparation table.

There were two boxes of liquor on it, and the label said they were Wuliangye.

The current director of the cultural and sports department of the Southern Metropolis Daily, watching the young man who had almost immediately gotten up to open a bottle of wine as soon as he finished speaking, smiled and asked:

"So, Bieyan, did I make a mistake in choosing Xiao Li as your apprentice?"

Even saying nothing made me laugh:

"Of course. The director has an excellent eye!"

"Ha~ That's good then, consider this a great deed I do before I leave."

Upon hearing this, Li Mu paused and turned his head.

Then they saw Zhang Zhengwen, looking dejected, pick up his cup and drink the tea.

After finishing his drink, he put down the cup, but waved his hand to refuse when Bie Yan picked up the teapot again.

"I'm not drinking tea anymore, I'm drinking alcohol."

People leave, and the tea grows cold.

Cool tea can upset your stomach.

Let's drink instead.