Chinese entertainment industry has been booming since 2008.

The hotel where the crew of "Swords of Legends" stayed in Hengdian.

At 11:50 p.m., the hotel corridor was silent. Tang Yan was like a frightened cat, taking each step cautiously.

She not only wore a hat and a mask, but even deliberately breathed softly, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, almost as if it would jump out.

Since their last encounter in Las Vegas, the two have tacitly chosen to keep it a secret, and apart from the occasional phone call, they haven't seen each other again.

Today, Zhang Yang officially joined the cast of "Swords of Legends". Tang Yan has been acting all along. After all, Yang Mi and Zhang Yang are the official couple in "Swords of Legends", and they have frequent interactions and a close relationship both on and off screen.

In particular, when Yang Mi switched from Rongxinda to Zhang Yang's company, the two were rumored to be having an affair. In the entertainment industry, there's always something fishy going on, and Tang Yan didn't believe that there was nothing going on between Zhang Yang and Yang Mi.

Therefore, Tang Yan dared not imagine the consequences if Yang Mi found out about her relationship with Zhang Yang.

Tang Yan was very cautious during this night raid, and she only carried out her plan after confirming that the lights in Yang Mi's room were off.

Right now, all she wants to do is give Zhang Yang a "surprise." She can even imagine the surprised yet delighted look on Zhang Yang's face when he sees her.

Just as Tang Yan raised her hand and knocked on Zhang Yang's room door.

Crunch!

The door opened.

Instead of Zhang Yang, a tall, talented woman emerged, who looked like someone I'd seen somewhere before.

Tang Yan noticed that the woman's pretty face had an abnormal blush, her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and her whole body exuded an amazing charm.

Upon seeing Tang Yan standing outside the door, Xin Zhilei was momentarily stunned, and his expression froze.

At this moment, Tang Yan also recognized who this person was: Xin Zhilei, a minor supporting character.

Nodding to Xin Zhilei, Tang Yan waved the script in her hand at her and said nonsensically, "I'm here to go over the script with Zhang Yang. We made an appointment beforehand."

Zhang Yang also noticed Xin Zhilei's unusual behavior. He walked to the door wrapped in his bathrobe and saw Tang Yan standing there. He exclaimed "Holy crap!" in his mind.

Zhang Yang gave Xin Zhilei a wink, and Xin Zhilei, without saying a word, wisely slipped past Tang Yan.

After Xin Zhilei left, Zhang Yang said somewhat awkwardly, "Tangtang? Why didn't you give me a heads-up before you came?"

Tang Yan's gaze swept across Zhang Yang's room. She sniffed the air, and a familiar scent filled her nostrils. If she still couldn't understand what Xin Zhilei and Zhang Yang had been doing, she might as well buy a block of tofu and kill herself.

All the words of coquetry, reproach, and longing she had prepared were stuck in her throat, turning into a sharp pain and embarrassment.

"It seems I've come at the wrong time."

Tang Yan's voice was dry, with a tremor she herself was unaware of. She tried to force a smile, but found that her facial muscles were too stiff to obey her commands.

"No, you've come at the perfect time!"

Seeing Zhang Yang's smug smile, Tang Yan laughed angrily: "Zhang Yang, what do you take me for, a fire extinguisher that you can summon and dismiss at will?"

"Tangtang, that's how the entertainment industry is. There are couples on set and stuff like that. Don't tell me you don't know."

Tang Yan was speechless at Zhang Yang's words, and it took her a while to recover: "Zhang Yang, I really didn't expect you to be this kind of person. How could you talk about something like that so confidently?!"

"I'm unmarried, she's unmarried, and there's no money involved between us. Why can't I be assertive? Besides, I asked her, and she doesn't have a boyfriend. I'm not a third party. That's how it is in the industry. I'm not the first, and I won't be the last."

Tang Yan: "..."

What you said makes so much sense, I can't even refute it!!

"Tangtang, I know what you're thinking. I can tell you clearly that we can never get married. Even if I agreed to marry you, my family wouldn't approve!"

Tang Yan looked at Zhang Yang and thought that this guy was really shameless and brazen.

"Tangtang, if you can't accept this, then let's part ways amicably, okay... I'm going to take a shower. I hope you can give me an answer after I'm done."

Zhang Yang's words were simple: if Tang Yan left while he was taking a shower, then that would be the end of it for the two of them, and they would just be ordinary friends from now on; if she didn't leave, then they would be friends with benefits from now on.

Watching Zhang Yang's retreating figure, Tang Yan was furious, but also somewhat unwilling to accept it.

Zhang Yang's actions today shattered Tang Yan's last glimmer of hope. If she was willing, Zhang Yang would likely provide her with resources in the future; if not, they would remain strangers from now on.

From beginning to end, Tang Yan never intended to expose Zhang Yang. It was 2009, not yet the era of internet traffic and the rotten core of the Chinese entertainment industry. Audiences still had high standards for actors.

If Tang Yan dares to expose Zhang Yang's actions, Zhang Yang will certainly be despised by everyone, but Tang Yan will also cut herself off from the entertainment industry. No director would want to work with a big-mouthed actor.

It's not uncommon for people in the entertainment industry to do this; Zhang Yu did something similar. In the end, those bigwigs in the industry got away scot-free, while Zhang Yu became invisible in the entertainment industry.

Besides, if Zhang Yang didn't become an actor, he could still go home and be a rich second-generation heir who does nothing but eat and wait to die. As for Tang Yan, she can only live the life of an ordinary person working nine to five. If she were content with being ordinary, she wouldn't have entered the entertainment industry.

After much deliberation, Tang Yan ultimately decided not to leave. She had already given so much and gained nothing in return; it would be too much of a loss. Besides, she had studied in the Hong Kong entertainment industry for so long and had long since come to terms with such things. At worst, she could find an honest man to marry after she achieved fame and success.

After Zhang Yang came out of the bathroom, he saw that Tang Yan was still there. He cheekily went to her side, and amidst her exclamation, he gave her a princess carry and carried her back to the bathroom.

......

Xin Zhilei watched Tang Yan enter Zhang Yang's room and almost burst out laughing. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking violently as he tried to suppress his laughter.

At this moment, Xin Zhilei also guessed Tang Yan's identity.

Discussing the script? Midnight, a lone man and woman in a hotel room?

What a lame excuse Tang Yan came up with!

This was simply the most half-hearted and self-deceiving excuse he had heard all year!

If there's nothing fishy going on between these two, then Xin Zhilei's name is written backwards!

He was trying so hard to suppress his laughter that his face turned bright red, and he felt like his stomach was about to cramp up. As he laughed, tears streamed down her face. She was laughing at Tang Yan, and she was laughing at herself.

Tang Yan is laughable, but Xin Zhilei is just as laughable.

Once you enter the entertainment industry, if you want to remain untainted by its corrupting influence, you'd better have powerful backers that no one dares to mess with; otherwise, you're dreaming.

"Xin Zhilei, you can do it. You've put in so much effort, you'll definitely become famous."