Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

Chapter 196 Sister Meng pieced together the truth from gossip: Was Brother Kun cheated on? And he made a vow in the mountain city.

When Lu Yunzhou appeared, Zhou Ye was overjoyed. She had one foot already in mid-air, wishing she could rush into Lu Yunzhou's arms like a swallow returning to its nest.

However, at this moment, she forced herself to hold back and pulled back the foot that had stepped out.

Even so, she still felt as if steel spikes were shooting out from under the floor, pricking the soles of her feet painfully.

It made her want to drop everything and flee.

They fled back to Yanjing.

Or they could flee to Shenzhen.

In short, stay away from Chongqing, the farther the better.

Under the distant lights, Zhang Jingyi, dressed in a simple white T-shirt, her ponytail casually tied up, timidly walked in, clutching Lu Yunzhou's clothes, her face slightly flushed.

She was petite and graceful, and it seemed as if she wanted to trip herself up and snuggle into Lu Yunzhou's arms at any moment.

"How have things been these past two days? I'm glad they have."

"Our film will officially start filming in November. During the pre-production phase, please put in a lot of effort and help us out."

"Year-end bonus? This year, 'Fairy Castle 2' made the company a fortune. Don't worry, we won't treat everyone unfairly."

Compared to Zhang Jingyi, Lu Yunzhou was much taller, and at this moment he was like a large black umbrella, sheltering Zhang Jingyi from the wind and rain.

As soon as he entered the restaurant, countless people greeted him.

Lu Yunzhou answered many people's questions methodically, especially since it was already the end of October and everyone was very concerned about their year-end bonuses.

Lu Yunzhou made a direct promise that he would ensure everyone's satisfaction.

In an instant, the restaurant was filled with the clinking of glasses and everyone was in high spirits; there was no more gossip or idle chatter.

What's wrong with the boss going out to have fun and finding a girlfriend?

As long as the boss is happy.

Zhou Ye watched as Lu Yunzhou led Zhang Jingyi through the entire restaurant and sat down at the innermost seat against the wall.

During this process, Zhou Ye even had the illusion that everything around her had been paused, and she could hardly hear any sound.

In her eyes, apart from Lu Yunzhou and Zhang Jingyi, everyone else became blurry.

Under Zhou Ye's keen observation, Zhang Jingyi, like a cunning fox spirit who had succeeded in her scheme, gracefully followed Lu Yunzhou, weaving through the gazes of the crowd.

Although she didn't show off anything, she inadvertently raised her neck high.

Around her neck was a gleaming gold LDC necklace.

This necklace is exactly the same as the one Lu Yunzhou wore around his neck when he replicated Leonardo da Vinci's "The Last Supper".

Perhaps it was a token of love given by Lu Yunzhou?

At that moment, under the restaurant lights, the gold necklace was so dazzling that it hurt Zhou Ye's eyes and she couldn't help but want to cry.

Between Lu Yunzhou's gentle glance back and Zhang Jingyi's shy smile, Zhou Ye suddenly realized that autumn had truly arrived.

Overnight, the land seemed to be about to become barren.

Her heart, however, withered even faster than the earth, turning into a wasteland of the dead, filled with black gloom, devoid of all vitality.

"coconut?"

In that instant, it felt as if thunder had struck Zhou Ye's heart, causing her soul to tremble.

Through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, the figure in the distance seemed to freeze for a moment, then turned its head and gave her a slight pause.

That was Lu Yunzhou's voice.

He saw himself.

Zhou Ye felt hopeless. Just because Lu Yunzhou glanced at her, she forced herself to hold on tightly.

I told myself not to shed a tear.

Don't feel like you've been wronged.

Because that's too undignified.

"Um."

Zhou Ye sniffed, then took out a tissue and blew her nose hard, using it as an excuse to wipe away the tears that were about to fall.

She finished tidying up, a happy, puppy-like smile spreading across her face. She waved to Lu Yunzhou, "Brother Zhou, long time no see!"

o

Lu Yunzhou nodded slightly and waved to Zhou Ye: "Coconut, are you hungry? Come and have something to eat with us. Later, I'll have Lao Zhang arrange accommodation for you."

Old Zhang is a lifestyle producer.

Old Zhang was responsible for arranging the actors' meals and lodging, as well as all reimbursements and logistical expenses. Finally, he would compile the accounts and submit them to Tang Yan, who would then simply sign them.

"Okay."

As a student majoring in acting at the Beijing Film Academy, Zhou Ye at least managed to keep her emotions hidden, preventing others from seeing the deep wounds in her heart.

She forced a smile, taking small bites of her hot and sour noodles, feeling a mix of emotions welling up inside her. She couldn't help but ask herself: What am I doing? Did I travel all the way back to Chongqing just to be a clown here?

Fortunately, Lu Yunzhou only had eyes for Zhang Jingyi and didn't show her excessive concern.

This made Zhou Ye breathe a sigh of relief.

But she felt very awkward—why didn't Lu Yunzhou look at her more than once? Why were his eyes only on Zhang Jingyi?

What's so great about Zhang Jingyi? Am I not prettier than Zhang Jingyi?

"Brother Zhou, I'm full. I'm going upstairs now."

The originally tangy and delicious hot and sour noodles now tasted like chewing wax, and Zhou Ye found it hard to swallow, even feeling a bit nauseous.

She put down her chopsticks, gave Lu Yunzhou a polite yet elegant smile, and nodded slightly to Zhang Jingyi.

Then, she slowly got up and walked unhurriedly towards the elevator.

The moment she was away from the restaurant, Zhou Ye let out a deep breath. Seeing that no one was behind her, she frantically rushed into the elevator and went straight upstairs.

She held her breath and slowly walked down the corridor. Once she entered her room, she locked the door completely. After confirming that she was safe, she could no longer pretend.

"You noob, get out here!"

Zhou Ye took out her phone, found the small group chat she, Cai Xukun, and Meng Ziyi were in, and frantically summoned Cai Xukun, telling him...

Come out and die.

"You coward, you can't hide forever. I'll have someone check your schedule right now. If I don't kill you within three days, I'm not Zhou Ye!"

It's all Cai Xukun's fault!

If Cai Xukun hadn't told him that he wanted to introduce a girlfriend to Lu Yunzhou, he wouldn't have been deceived.

wrong.

Lu Yunzhou was not lying to himself.

Cai Xukun was deceiving himself all along!

He must have had the audacity to lie to me, saying that Lu Yunzhou didn't have a girlfriend—I was so stupid to actually fall for it, thinking I was going on a blind date.

As a result, I played the clown for several months!

What Zhou Ye found most humiliating was that she had even enthusiastically told Zhang Jingyi in front of her that she wanted to be her sister-in-law—it was truly laughable.

Zhang Jingyi's acting is really good; she was able to hold back her laughter.

If it were me, I probably wouldn't have been able to hold back for even three seconds!

Seeing Zhou Ye going crazy in the group chat, frantically dissing Cai Xukun, Meng Ziyi was dumbfounded. He found Zhou Ye's profile picture and messaged her privately: "Coconut, what's going on? Kunkun went to Korea to film the music video for his new album. He hasn't been in China lately."

Upon receiving Meng Ziyi's message, Zhou Ye finally had an outlet for her frustration.

Facing her best friend, Zhou Ye didn't want to pretend anymore and said angrily, "Sister Meng, I'm going to kill this weakling! Don't stop me! If getting angry could make your breasts grow, I'd at least be a G cup now!"

"Coconut, what's wrong?"

This situation is very strange.

Meng Ziyi has a good understanding of Zhou Ye's personality.

What exactly did Cai Xukun do to drive Zhou Ye mad, making her want to kill Cai Xukun in every other sentence?

Meng Ziyi felt that this was a big deal; Zhou Ye had never been this angry before.

This time, she stopped sending messages and directly called Zhou Ye via WeChat: "Coconut, tell me slowly, I'll help you analyze it. If Kun Kun really did something wrong, I'll help you beat him up."

Faced with Meng Ziyi, Zhou Ye had nothing to hide and told the truth directly: "Sister Meng, that 'caiji' guy lied to me! Actually, Brother Zhou has a girlfriend—Zhang Jingyi."

“!!!!!!”

Upon hearing this name, Meng Ziyi was completely dumbfounded, typing a series of exclamation marks, and asked, "Didn't the internet say Wang Ran was his girlfriend? How did it become Zhang Jingyi?"

"Wang Ran is a fake, a decoy."

Zhou Ye felt wronged: "I saw it with my own eyes. He and Zhang Jingyi were exchanging glances, and I've never seen him be so considerate and gentle with any other girl."

"Now I remember, when we went horseback riding together, why was Brother Zhou holding Zhang Jingyi's reins? I thought he was taking care of his sister, but it turns out he was taking care of his girlfriend."

"This is all my fault."

"I was too naive and fell for the novice's trick."

At this point, Zhou Ye sighed: "Actually, Brother Zhou is a good person. He never hid anything from me from beginning to end—he was always very polite and had a good sense of boundaries, treating me like a younger sister. If I had observed more carefully, I should have known long ago that he and Zhang Jingyi were a couple."

"It's all the noob's fault—he misled me."

Zhou Ye recounted to Meng Ziyi what she had seen that afternoon in the hotel restaurant: Zhang Jingyi's shy, lovestruck posture as she clung to Lu Yunzhou's clothes.

Meng Ziyi immediately became enthusiastic about gossip: "Really? Zhang Jingyi and Brother Zhou are a couple. So, Wang Ran's scandal..."

Was the rumor fake? Did she stage it herself? But—the version I heard wasn't like that.

Zhou Ye regained some composure and pressed on, "Did you hear any other versions?"

Is there still hope for her?

Meng Ziyi recalled for a moment and said, "Didn't I film 'The Untamed' with Kun Kun and Fan Chenchen before? During that time on set, Fan Chenchen and Kun Kun didn't get along and were always being sarcastic and mean."

"Every time they argued, Fan Chenchen would look down on Kun Kun, saying that he was just a gigolo."

"Kun Kun scolded Fan Chenchen, saying she was mentally ill, that she was a gigolo herself, and that she suspected others of being gigolos every day."

"At first, I couldn't understand what the two of them were saying at all. Until one time, I overheard Fan Chenchen making a phone call to his sister."

"Guess what?"

"Fan Chenchen said that Cai Xukun is nothing but a gigolo for Zhang Jingyi, what's so great about him?"

What?

How come things have come full circle again?

wrong.

It's a little different.

Zhou Ye already knew that Zhang Jingyi was not Lu Yunzhou's cousin, but Lu Yunzhou's girlfriend.

In this situation, how could Cai Xukun live off Zhang Jingyi?

Moreover, Zhou Ye knew that Cai Xukun was Lu Yunzhou's good brother, and Zhang Jingyi met Lu Yunzhou through Cai Xukun.

How did Cai Xukun end up living off Zhang Jingyi?

It must be Zhang Jingyi who's living off Cai Xukun, right?

But why should Zhang Jingyi be able to live off Cai Xukun? — How can a man and woman live off each other?

Damn it!

I think I know the truth!

As if struck by lightning, Zhou Ye figured out the cause and effect, and immediately gritted her teeth and said, "Sister Meng—are you saying that Zhang Jingyi is two-timing? She only got to know Brother Zhou because she knew Cai Xukun."

"Furthermore, she and Cai Xukun may have dated before."

"But after she met Brother Zhou through Cai Xukun, she realized that Brother Zhou had a brighter future, so she directly severed her relationship with Cai Xukun and pretended to be innocent to deceive Brother Zhou's feelings?"

"You bitch!"

"How dare you do this?"

Zhou Ye felt she had guessed the truth and was so angry she was about to explode.

"Coconut, let me share another story with you, which I also heard from Fan Chenchen."

Meng Ziyi felt that Zhou Ye's speculation was more in line with the truth, and at this moment she added some more information: "Fan Chenchen said that when Cai Xukun first entered the training camp, Zhang Jingyi sent Cai Xukun things almost every week."

"The two of them would whisper to each other for a while, even though they were separated by iron bars. They looked just like a couple deeply in love."

"That's why Fan Chenchen said that Cai Xukun was living off Zhang Jingyi."

"However, we now know that Zhang Jingyi is not Brother Zhou's cousin. Cai Xukun is Brother Zhou's good brother."

"So, my guess is that Brother Zhou saw how well Zhang Jingyi took care of Cai Xukun, so he treated her differently and thought she was his sister-in-law."

"I reckon Zhang Jingyi must have tried her best to refute it at the time, explaining that she and Kun Kun were just friends and there was no ambiguous relationship between them. Then, Brother Zhou believed her."

"As time went on, Zhang Jingyi seized the opportunity, unleashing her 'green tea' skills: 'Brother Zhou is so busy with work, he must be a romantic interest.'"

"Bai, when you encounter this kind of 'green tea' (a manipulative woman), you're completely defenseless; you fall for her without even realizing it."

Meng combined the information conveyed by Zhou Ye with some inside information revealed by Fan Chenchen, and gradually pieced together the truth.

The truth is, Zhang Jingyi had a somewhat ambiguous relationship with Cai Xukun, but after meeting Lu Yunzhou, she decisively cheated on him!

"So, the noob got cheated on—he's resentful, but he also realizes that Brother Zhou might not know, so he asked me to step in and help him steal his girlfriend?"

"Firstly, he got revenge on Zhang Jingyi!"

"Secondly, Brother Zhou has distanced himself from that green tea bitch Zhang Jingyi."

"Thirdly, I guess I've found love? After all, I really like Brother Zhou. The way he bravely stepped forward to take the bullet was just so cool."

"In the end, Zhang Jingyi's scheme backfired, leaving her with nothing."

If she could get rid of Zhang Jingyi and help Lu Yunzhou realize that Zhang Jingyi was a scheming woman, Zhou Ye felt that the little grievances she was currently suffering were not unacceptable.

Let's just consider it an act of love.

Meng Ziyi nodded firmly: "Coconut, I think that's the truth. Kun Kun is quite pitiful too. Before he became famous, he met Zhang Jingyi. He thought Zhang Jingyi was a good girl, but she cheated on him with Zhou Ge, leaving Kun Kun with a bitter pill to swallow."

out."

"He and Brother Zhou are good brothers, but he can't tell the truth—otherwise, they'll lose their brotherhood."

"There are far too many cases of good brothers turning against each other because of women."

"No wonder he's been running around lately, avoiding meeting up with Brother Zhou. He's afraid of running into Zhang Jingyi and being unable to hold back from revealing the truth."

"Kun Kun, you're so pitiful."

Meng Ziyi inexplicably began to sympathize with Cai Xukun.

In her imagination, Cai Xukun endured humiliation and survived in order to restore order, which was even more tolerant than King Goujian of Yue.

Comparable to Nai Liang!

"Sister Meng, I also think this is the truth."

Autumn in Chongqing is indeed a wonderful season.

Overnight, the gloom that had filled Zhou Ye's desolate heart, like a ruin of the dead, vanished in an instant.

She's fully recovered.

She suddenly realized that autumn is a season of harvest. Walking down the street, the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms filled the air, a sweet and refreshing scent that permeated the entire city.

People's hearts and minds.

Osmanthus-flavored rice wine is also one of her favorites.

For a moment, Zhou Ye was even inspired to write a famous line: "Let us make a vow in the mountain city, and follow the river all the way to Wenzhou."

Brother Zhou, I'm here to save you!

It turns out that I traveled over mountains and rivers to Chongqing because there was a hidden dungeon to clear.

Trust me, I will expose Zhang Jingyi's true colors as a two-timing scheming woman!

"I almost forgot!"

"I've also prepared a surprise gift!"

"I thought I wouldn't need it—looks like I still have to keep it on hand!"