Chinese Entertainment: Becoming a Superstar After a Breakup

"The charity ambassador is back! Why didn't you tell me beforehand so I could welcome him?" Half a month after the start of his sophomore year, Shen Ze returned to his apartment and saw Dilireba looking at her computer.

"If you can speak, then speak properly; if you can't, then shut up. Why did you tell me in advance? Did you tell me in advance so you could prepare to fool me?" Dilraba rolled her eyes at Shen Ze and continued looking at the computer.

"Your eyesight is going to worsen again. Don't sit so close. What are you looking at? Are you searching for 'Anarhan' again?" Wang Zheng said. Dilraba is nearsighted, and her prescription isn't low.

"When will this TV series be released? If it can be broadcast, and I have a proper work, I won't be rejected so easily in the audition." Dilraba was a little distressed.

Her acting career has been quite difficult. She's a complete newcomer, and while she is indeed beautiful and has a distinctive, exotic look that makes her memorable, this very feature has actually been a bit of a hindrance. Unless the role suits her perfectly, who can provide that perfect fit for a newcomer?

Therefore, she has always had high expectations for "Anarhan". She is the female lead in this drama. Even if she doesn't become famous, having this work will at least make people consider her more when she goes out for auditions.

"Instead of reading the news online, you should just ask your dad. He's a top-tier actor," Shen Ze said, stroking her hair.

Because he was a fan of Dilraba, he had made a point of researching her. It turned out that her family was a family of entertainers, and her father was quite influential in their local entertainment circle. He was also studying at the China Conservatory of Music. Shen Ze strongly suspected that Dilraba was following in her father's footsteps.

Just over ten days ago, she was called back home by her family to participate in some charity work, visiting disabled children. She even made it onto the local news once, though it didn't have much impact on the mainland.

"He doesn't know either. He said it's scheduled to air, so we'll just have to wait. It's been over a year already. Don't try to change the subject. I haven't even mentioned you yet."

"You didn't make the bed, the toothpaste cap is still on, it's all hard. And what are you doing with your clothes piled up there? I'm going to wash them." Dilireba nudged her head, then, remembering something, she gave him a hard nudge, causing Shen Ze a slight pain in his chest.

"What clothes? They've already been washed and are hanging up. And the blankets are folded too." Shen Ze pretended to be clueless.

"Did you wash that? Have you no shame?" Dilraba almost laughed. What to do when your boyfriend acts like a scoundrel?

Living together, with different lifestyles, there will naturally be some adjustments. It's just that Shen Ze has to compromise unilaterally with Dilireba. He's not exactly unhygienic, but compared to his girlfriend's meticulousness, he's still far behind.

It's like clothes. He usually saves up three or more pieces and uses the washing machine, otherwise he feels it's not worth it. But Dilraba washes every single piece by hand, and she's very meticulous about sorting them, separating colors and noting which ones faded, etc.

"You didn't take a picture, did you? You must have misremembered. Come on, let me check your body," Shen Ze said. He hadn't been intimate with his girlfriend for over ten days and was thinking about it.

"Get out of my way," Dilraba said.

It was another day of flirting and teasing, much more interesting than being alone. During the days that Dilireba was away, Shen Ze spent half the time staying in the dormitory.

"I saw in your WeChat class group that someone is organizing the first party of the semester, which is on Sunday. Why didn't you sign up?" Shen Ze came out of the shower, and Dilireba was scrolling through his phone.

Watching this scene, Shen Ze was also a little nostalgic. From borrowing a phone in the past to now naturally checking a phone directly, it has become very smooth.

"Why bother signing up? They're all used to me not going on Sundays. Don't you even think about where I go every week?" Shen Ze said.

"Well, you're here now, aren't you? Look, they even said you can bring your family." Dilraba's expression was inscrutable.

Shen Ze was a little speechless. It was obviously a joke that he could bring his family, but he actually took it seriously. However, seeing that Dilraba seemed very interested, he had a headache. He and Gulnazar were indeed not involved, but he was afraid that his classmates would spread rumors.

Two days later.

"It's not easy! Look who's here, everyone! Our great lover Shen Zelong makes his grand reappearance." Because he travels to Shanghai every week, his classmates all know that his girlfriend is there, so they naturally have to joke about it.

"Stop talking nonsense." Shen Ze pushed the person aside. He had known his classmates for a year, so he could naturally joke around with them.

"Hello everyone." Dilraba was very polite.

Hello, sister-in-law.

"My brother's wife is wonderful."

"Don't talk to them, none of them are decent people." Shen Ze pulled Dilireba to sit with him, which drew strange noises from everyone.

"Is this all of us? Who else is missing?" Shen Ze asked Tian Mingxin, who had organized the gathering.

"There are seven or eight more. You're something else, bringing your partners along. We're all meeting them for the first time." Everyone knows Shen Ze has a partner, but only his roommates and a few classmates have actually met them. Most of them have only seen photos.

"What's the big deal? You got Dongyu, and you two got together too, right? And Wu You, you all got together internally," Shen Ze joked.

Among classmates, it's inevitable that you'll have to process things on your own. Those you interact with every day and who are able to get into the performing arts department are all good-looking, so it's natural that some sparks will fly.

Take this guy for example. He was quite active when he first reported for university. He performed magic tricks as a freshman and was with Zhou Dongyu. It seems he pursued Zhou Dongyu for a few days during the second half of his freshman year.

Zhou Dongyu is the biggest star in their class, without a doubt. She's already a confirmed celebrity. When everyone else was nobody, she was already the leading lady in three movies.

And now there's another one, the TV series "Palace" was a huge hit for two seasons, and now a movie is coming out, and she's the female lead. I'm not kidding when I say "Zhang Yimou's girl".

"Don't talk nonsense, I didn't," Tian Mingxin quickly said. Shen Ze understood when he saw this. He was afraid of being misunderstood. What, had he taken a fancy to another classmate?

Once everyone had arrived, Shen Ze, with everyone's encouragement, formally introduced Dilireba. For dinner and karaoke, the men paid and the women paid, so Shen Ze paid for two meals, since Dilireba wasn't a classmate and he didn't want to take advantage of her.

After a period of relative peace, 2013 arrived, but this New Year's Eve was not a pleasant one for Shen Ze.

After two years of officially dating and living together for six months, the two had their first major conflict. It wasn't a minor friction about daily habits; it was the kind of conflict that led to them breaking up.

The cause of this friction is also related to Gulnazar. After Dilraba and Shen Ze started living together, she would go to the school once a month and then stay in Beijing.

Gulnazar is always present at Shen Ze's class reunions, but just because she hasn't been able to attend doesn't mean she never attends.

The problem lies here: Shen Ze and Gulinaza's relationship became strange after the start of military training, and inevitably, some things were accidentally said, which led to the problem.