A perfect life begins with changing the timeline.

Chapter 209 The Inescapable Jianghu

"I'll call you in a bit, and we'll pretend we're just friends."

?

Looking at the message from his girlfriend, Li Muxin wondered what was wrong with her this time.

It's okay, we're just friends?

They just screwed in Old Li like a screw before they left, and now they're playing role-playing games?

He was somewhat speechless, but didn't pay much attention to it.

I just finished eating. I was supposed to go to the gym, but I have an interview tomorrow, and I need to write the interview transcript in advance.

Just as he was thinking along his own lines about what interviewing characteristics should be highlighted in a drama about fighting organized crime and corruption, the phone rang again.

It was Fan Bingbing who called.

"...Hey, big star, what's up?"

Li Mu asked in a "calm" tone.

In the car on the other end of the phone, Fan Bingbing, who was on speakerphone, subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, in a tone tinged with amusement, he said:

"Hey, big reporter, what are you doing?"

"Design interview transcript"

"Oh? Another big interview? Who's it this time? Bill Gates?"

"Don't worry, if I interview Bill Gates, I'll definitely show him your photo so he can see if you're suitable for Hollywood."

"Haha, it's a deal then!"

Wang Jinghua nodded secretly.

Yes, it seems Bingbing was right; she is indeed very familiar with this reporter, Li.

"Did you need something?"

"Of course! I'd like to invite you to dinner."

"..."

Li Mu on the other end of the phone was taken aback.

Invite me to dinner...?

Is this a reminder to me?

Is it...

He seemed to understand something and gave a very straightforward answer:

"Sure, when are you arriving in Guangzhou? I'll pick you up."

"Oh, you're doing me the honor?"

"Ha, who says otherwise! If someone else invites me, I might not have time, but if you ask, I definitely have to go. But... isn't your movie about to start filming? You still have time to invite me to dinner? Tell me, what do you want?"

"Nothing much, just inviting you to dinner. But you're right, my film is about to start, and I really don't have time. It's my agent who wants to invite you to dinner."

This confirmed Li Mu's suspicions.

And naturally, he understood why his girlfriend had made that phone call:

"Wang Jinghua's agent? Hmm, I see. Will Agent Wang be coming with Teacher Chen Daoming tomorrow?"

"Yes. How about it, would you do me the honor?"

"That makes it sound like I'm hard to get a date with. But... there's no need for that. We're so close, and Professor Chen Daoming is such a big name. You can tell her there's no need to be so polite. If she needs anything, just let me know."

This person...

They're pretty savvy.

She's not a difficult person to get along with.

Wang Jinghua, who was listening in from the side, said to herself.

"Besides, last time I went to Yanjing, it was Agent Wang who arranged for someone to pick me up. I didn't even have time to thank him. I feel embarrassed that you're being so polite and making me go through you to make the appointment."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jinghua knew that the deal was done.

So he quickly made a hand gesture, indicating that he wanted to arrange a time with Li Mu.

Fan Bingbing understood immediately and said:

"But you two haven't met yet, so, Sister Hua would like to invite you to dinner tomorrow. How about tomorrow night?"

"Well... to be honest, I can't give you a definite time right now. Tomorrow morning is the interview with Mr. Chen Daoming for the drama he starred in. After the interview, I have to write the article in the afternoon and submit it. If there are any flaws, I'll have to revise it. So tomorrow is really uncertain."

He must be telling the truth.

But for Wong Jing-hua, it didn't really matter.

She's going there specifically for Li Mu; if it doesn't work out tomorrow, she can try the day after.

This is a company decision.

So I mouthed the words to Fan Bingbing:

"It depends."

Fan Bingbing nodded slightly:

"We'll see how things go then. Anyway, this agreement is set, and we can't go back on it."

"Haha, okay. Anything else? If not, I'll hang up. I'm still working on the interview transcript."

OK.

After making the agreement, Fan Bingbing hung up the phone.

"It's all done, Sister Hua."

"Bingbing... is this reporter Li usually easy to get along with?"

"Well……"

Recalling everything about her boyfriend, her first reaction was: Ah!!! He's so incredibly cute!!! I love him so much!!!

Suddenly, my mind was filled with all sorts of scenes from my time with my boyfriend, like playing chess together, drinking together, reading together, and playing pranks together...

"Cough cough."

Fan Bingbing quickly coughed twice to rein in her wandering thoughts.

Then, she tried to get rid of these feelings and attempted to judge her boyfriend from a third-person perspective.

As she pondered this, she suddenly realized something...

My boyfriend isn't actually a very easy person to get along with.

He... isn't actually that easygoing with outsiders. Or rather, he's the kind of person who never appears impolite on the surface, but is actually extremely self-reliant.

Ah! How can my Gemini husband, who is half fire and half water, be so charming!

Therefore, logically speaking, she presented her own argument:

"He's not exactly easy to approach, but he's not difficult either. It depends on how well you know each other... If you don't know each other well, he'll make you feel very comfortable, but there will be a distance between you. But if you get to know him, you'll find that he's actually a very easy person to get along with. Sister Hua, he won't embarrass you, but... he's also a very intelligent person. For example, if you tell him something, he won't explicitly refuse you, but you can't tell whether he agrees or disagrees, or what his true opinion is about this matter. Only he himself probably knows."

Her argument could actually be summarized in just two words by Wang Jinghua:

"So, he's got the Orange Axe?"

"Hmm. You could understand it that way. So, if... the company has any plans, they can bring them up, but whether or not to do them is up to them. But you definitely won't get a sense of it from what's said; we'll have to see how things develop later."

"I understand. So... based on what you know about him, do you think he enjoys lively dinner parties? Or..."

"No, his favorite way of communicating is actually through normal dinners. To be honest, Sister Hua, he's quite protective of his reputation."

At this point, Fan Bingbing paused.

She was weighing her options, or perhaps contemplating...

As for the matter of thinking... it can only be described as a conflict between emotion and reason.

Ultimately, emotion triumphed over reason:

"To be honest, Sister Hua, you know about the 9/11 news he stirred up last year, right?"

"Yeah, I know. That's pretty impressive~"

"We were chatting a while ago about this 9/11 news story, and he mentioned it had already been submitted to the provincial level for awards. It's the Guangdong News Award; only the best news stories from the entire province last year are eligible. And this story is practically a global exclusive, so winning is definitely a given. After Guangdong's selection process, they'll send it to the national level—the National News Award, you know?"

"...?"

Wang Jinghua's eyes narrowed.

To be honest... if Bingbing hadn't said that, she really wouldn't have understood this.

There's no way around it; the entertainment industry may generate the most news and never lack attention, but... hoping to win awards through entertainment news is simply wishful thinking.

So, let alone her, most people wouldn't think of this.

But after Bingbing's reminder, she immediately understood.

"I see...it really has unlimited potential!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Bingbing knew she had achieved her goal, so she added:

"That's why I said he's very protective of his reputation. I think you have to be careful about how you interact with him."

"Understood."

As Wang Jinghua agreed, a feeling of感慨 arose in her heart:

"Bingbing has grown quite a bit recently..."

……

"Baby, I'm sorry."

"What's wrong?"

While checking his completed interview transcript, Li Mu, whose mind was not on casual conversation at all, gave a perfunctory reply.

"Today... I actually didn't quite know how to handle things."

"?"

On the other end of the phone, Li Mu was taken aback, his attention instantly focusing on his girlfriend's somewhat disappointed tone:

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"I guess I've... sold you out."

"Is it because Wong Jinghua invited me to dinner? Haha, that can't be."

Li Mu chuckled softly:

"She doesn't know about our relationship, so isn't it normal for her to ask you to act as a bridge before she gets close to me?"

"That's not it."

At this moment, Fan Bingbing, who had already gotten off the bus and returned home, was sitting on the sofa with her phone in hand, her tone somewhat awkward:

"I told her about your chances of winning the Guangdong News Award and the National News Award."

"Uh...why are you telling her all this?"

"...I didn't mean to say it, and I was really conflicted. But...the thought of what might happen when the company was trying to get your PR done made me feel terrible. I just...didn't want them to treat you like that, so I couldn't help it...I'm sorry."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean by 'public relations'? What does that even mean?"

"That's how it is..."

After recounting the events in detail, and amidst Li Muna's growing curiosity, she said:

"She said it was for public relations, but actually... it was just taking you out for drinks, gambling, and prostitution. The company has a dedicated PR team, you understand? Just you guys going out together, and the thought of a bunch of girls hugging you from side to side makes me... uncomfortable. Logically speaking, I shouldn't have said that, because it would only make them pay more attention to you. But if I didn't say anything... ugh! The thought of you kissing other girls makes me especially sad..."

"Uh... I understand."

Although his girlfriend was being a bit thoughtless at the moment, Li Mu truly understood what she was thinking.

To put it bluntly, Huayi Brothers has plenty of ways to handle ordinary reporters through public relations. But when it comes to "leaders," even public relations efforts have to be tailored to their preferences and done in a tactful way; they can't just blindly follow the crowd.

That's why she said she cherishes her reputation...

"Don't blame me..."

Why would I blame you? Isn't everything fine?

A gentle tone began to emanate from Li Mu's voice:

"Then I'll restrain myself a bit, so you can rest assured, okay?"

"Um... I'm sorry, I was being selfish."

"Then you have to make it up to me."

"How will you compensate me?"

"That depends on your sincerity. You have to shut me up, right?"

"Hehe...you bad boy!"

Neither of them spent much time on Huayi Brothers' "public relations" approach.

To be honest, this kind of thing is unavoidable.

She's at least a second-tier actress, and even she has to do gigs and put on a show, let alone the public relations people within the entertainment industry...

Having seen so much, I've come to understand just how powerless these things truly are, especially for men.

Therefore, we can only understand each other and use our emotions to restrain our hearts.

There's no way to avoid it.

It's simply because we're all in the same boat.