Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: My Childhood Sweetheart is Boss Yang

September 12th is Yang Mi's 18th birthday.

This is a very special day for any girl.

But Gu Heng was the one who entered a state of combat readiness even earlier than she did.

As early as half a month ago, Yang Mi noticed that something was wrong with this guy.

He started frequently receiving mysterious phone calls, speaking in a low voice and always subconsciously keeping his back to the person making the call.

Sometimes he would bring back some strange packages, and when asked about them, he would use obviously fake excuses like "work safety supplies bought for Chen Kai" or "new printing paper for the company" to brush it off.

Yang Mi feels like her home is almost big enough to open a small warehouse supermarket.

That afternoon, after catching Gu Heng secretly making a phone call once again, Yang Mi finally lost her temper.

She crossed her arms over her chest, mimicking how prisoners are interrogated in movies, and blocked Gu Heng at the study door.

"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely! Tell me honestly, what exactly have you been up to lately?"

Gu Heng looked at her pretentious mature demeanor and couldn't help but chuckle.

He hid a long, rectangular box behind his back, his face full of innocent expression.

"It's nothing, just chatting with Chen Kai about the financial oversight issues of the 'Bright Sword' production team."

"Come on!" Yang Mi didn't believe it at all. She pointed at Gu Heng's chest with her finger. "I heard it clearly just now, something about 'warm lighting' and 'surround sound.' What, has Vision Capital switched to wedding planning now?"

I made a mistake; I forgot that this girl has incredibly sharp ears.

Gu Heng remained expressionless as he reached out and pinched Yang Mi's puffed-up cheeks.

"Don't be a child and pry into adult matters."

"I'm not a child!" Yang Mi slapped his hand away, puffing out her chest in dissatisfaction. "I'm eighteen today! I'm a legal adult!"

Her eyes darted around, and she suddenly lowered her voice.

"The officer is asking you a question; you'd better think carefully before you answer!"

This serious line, coupled with her wide, staring eyes, almost made Gu Heng lose his composure.

He held back and decided to keep the mystery going.

"In short, you'll find out when the time comes. It's a secret."

However, on September 12th, Gu Heng didn't do anything special all day, except for sending a "Happy Birthday" text message at midnight sharp.

This left Yang Mi, who had been eagerly anticipating the outcome, feeling a slight sense of disappointment.

Has this guy forgotten?

It wasn't until evening that she received Gu Heng's second message.

"Seven o'clock tonight, the usual place, dress up nicely. Birthday girl."

Yang Mi snorted, her slight annoyance vanishing instantly. She immediately rushed back to her room and began rummaging through the closet.

The so-called "old place" is Gu Heng's quaint little courtyard.

When Yang Mi pushed open the courtyard gate at the agreed time, she was completely stunned.

The once familiar courtyard has now undergone a complete transformation.

Warm-colored lights are wrapped around the grapevines.

In the center of the courtyard, on the open ground where they often lay to cool off in the summer, stood a huge white curtain.

In front of the curtain, there was a small dining table with candlesticks and two appetizing-looking Western dishes.

The entire courtyard was transformed into an open-air cinema.

"This...you did all of this?"

Yang Mi covered her mouth in disbelief.

Gu Heng walked out from the side, carrying two glasses of juice. He smiled and handed one to Yang Mi.

"So, my birthday girl, are you satisfied with what you saw?"

Yang Mi took the juice but didn't drink it. She just stared blankly at everything in front of her, her eyes slightly red.

Gu Heng led her to the dining table and gentlemanly pulled out a chair for her.

"Do you remember? When we were little, we made a pinky promise that we would celebrate our eighteenth birthdays together."

He paused, then added.

"I kept everything simple for my birthday in July. We agreed to save the ceremony for today and celebrate coming of age together."

Upon hearing this, Yang Mi could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string.

Of course she remembers.

It was a summer afternoon when I was in elementary school. Two little ones sat in the yard, sharing an ice pop, and made a childish yet solemn promise.

She thought that, as time went by, only she would be foolish enough to remember.

"How could I forget anything about you?" Gu Heng's voice was soft, yet it was like a pebble that rippled across Yang Mi's heart.

After the two finished their dinner in silence, Gu Heng walked over to the screen and fiddled with the projector.

"Next up is today's main course."

He smiled mysteriously and pressed play.

The huge curtain lit up instantly, and a line of large, flowing characters appeared.

[A Screening of Yang Xiaomi's Eighteen Years of "Dark History"]

Yang Mi burst out laughing, tears still clinging to her face.

Then, the style suddenly changed.

A photo of her when she was seven or eight years old, wearing a floral dress, missing two front teeth, and smiling like a silly little girl, was enlarged to the maximum size and took up the entire screen.

"what!"

Yang Mi let out a scream like a groundhog, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

This is not over yet.

Next, a series of photos of her childhood were played.

There were girls with pigtails sticking up in the air, girls who had gotten muddy and turned into little kittens, and girls crying their eyes out because they couldn't get any snacks...

Each image is accompanied by extremely stilted narration and earthy sound effects added by Gu Heng in the later stages.

"Gu Heng! Delete it! I'll kill you!"

Yang Mi was both embarrassed and angry. She chased Gu Heng around the yard, playing and laughing. Her shouts carried far.

Just as Yang Mi was about to resort to "family discipline," the scene on the screen changed again.

A stirring and majestic melody began to play.

The photos and videos are no longer "embarrassing history," but have become moments of her laughter, her efforts, and her shining moments in front of the camera from childhood to adulthood.

From model photos in "Rayli" magazine to behind-the-scenes footage of "The Red Powder Family" and clips of auditions for "The Return of the Condor Heroes"...

As the last photo of the two of them in the arcade freezes, a line of text slowly appears on the screen:

"Happy 18th birthday, my girl. Your future will be as vast as the stars and as boundless as the sea."

The music stopped, and the courtyard returned to silence.

Yang Mi stared at the words and froze in place.

Gu Heng brought out a cake that had been prepared in advance from inside the house.

The cake has a unique design; it's a clapperboard used by film directors, with the following written on it in chocolate:

"Life, Act 18, Scene 1, Action!"

"Make a wish, little girl."

Yang Mi clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and made her eighteenth birthday wish in the flickering candlelight.

After blowing out the candles, Gu Heng took out a small velvet box from his pocket.

"This is for you, a birthday present."

Yang Mi opened the box, and inside lay a platinum necklace with a small and exquisite star as the pendant.

"For my big star." Gu Heng picked up the necklace and put it on her himself.

The cool metal chain pressed against her warm skin. Yang Mi lowered her head and looked at the shining star on her chest, her heart filled with a tremendous sense of happiness.

"etc!"

She suddenly remembered something, turned around and ran into the house. A moment later, she came out with a flushed face, holding a paper bag that was wrapped rather... casually.

"Um... we celebrated your birthday together too, this is also a gift for you." She stuffed the paper bag into Gu Heng's arms, her eyes slightly evasive.

"Why is the gift you gave me in my house?"

Gu Heng opened it out of curiosity and took out a... gray scarf.

The scarf looks thick, but the stitches are sparse in some places and dense in others, and the edges are a bit irregular.

"You knitted this?" Gu Heng asked, somewhat surprised.

"Hmm..." Yang Mi's voice was barely audible. "I... I secretly learned how to knit from my aunt. It's my first time, so it might not look very good."

Gu Heng looked at the scarf in his hand, then at her reddened ears, and suddenly laughed.

Without saying a word, he simply wrapped the scarf around his neck.

"It looks nice, but it's a bit hot to wear now."

"You!" Yang Mi was both amused and wanted to hit him.

Gu Heng smiled and pulled her into his arms.

"Thank you, this is the best birthday gift I've ever received."

Yang Mi leaned against him, listening to his strong heartbeat, and whispered.

"Me too."

The time had just passed midnight.

September 13th marked the beginning of her eighteenth birthday.