Amateur talent show? Top mentors are my students.

One time, He Xu drank so much that he fell asleep on a table in a bar.

When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying on his bed in his rented room.

The shoes were taken off and placed at the foot of the bed, the coat was hung on the back of the chair, and a glass of warm water and a hangover pill were placed on the bedside table.

He Xu stared at the glass of water for a long time, then picked up his phone and sent Jiang Yanbai a message: "How the hell do you have a key to my house?"

Jiang Yanbai replied after ten minutes: "Last time you were drunk, you insisted on giving me a drink, saying, 'Next time you bring me back, you don't need to break down the door.'"

He Xu had absolutely no recollection of this incident.

Later, he gradually discovered that Jiang Yanbai was a man whose words were so greasy they could fry an egg, but whose hands were always busy with a lot of work.

He would hand He Xu a glass of warm water after He Xu finished cursing, replace the wine with tea when He Xu's throat was sore, and sit beside He Xu when He Xu was irritable because the students he was teaching did not perform well in the exam.

Perhaps it was because Jiang Yanbai was older than him, or perhaps it was because they weren't master and disciple—He Xu sometimes felt that Jiang Yanbai was one of the few people in the world who could accept all his emotions.

It's not because he has a good temper, but because he understands.

When He Xu curses at people, he doesn't feel that He Xu is targeting him.

When He Xu is silent, he won't ask why.

When He Xu said he was fine, he would say, "You're fine my ass," and then offer him water, sit with him, and even pull him up from the ground.

They never talk about anything too deep.

He Xu didn't know what Jiang Yanbai's family background was like, and Jiang Yanbai hadn't asked him what he planned to do after the incident with his throat.

There's an unspoken understanding between us—I won't ask what you don't want to talk about, and I'll listen to what you want to say.

But He Xu knew a lot about Jiang Yanbai.

He knew that Jiang Yanbai was actually very anxious when he first returned to China because the domestic market was completely different from that in the United States, and he was afraid that he would not be able to adapt to the new environment.

He knew Jiang Yanbai suffered from insomnia before every movie release, but he never said anything. He would only send He Xu a message at three in the morning: "Are you asleep?"

He Xu would always reply, "I'm asleep."

Jiang Yanbai said, "Then what will you reply?"

He Xu said, "You woke me up, you owe me money."

Then the two of them chatted casually until dawn.

He Xu also knew that Jiang Yanbai was actually very afraid of being alone.

This person is never short of people around him, but he never calls them late at night.

He would only call He Xu.

He Xu once asked him why, and Jiang Yanbai said, "Because only you don't see me as a celebrity. When I talk to you, I am Jiang Yanbai, not the person on the screen."

He Xu was silent for a moment, then said, "You're an idiot, it has nothing to do with being a celebrity."

Jiang Yanbai smiled happily.

Conversely, Jiang Yanbai also understands He Xu.

He knew that He Xu would regret it every time he scolded a student, wondering if he had been too harsh.

Then the next day, I quietly went to the entrance of that student's practice room and made sure the student was still practicing before leaving.

He knew that He Xu was actually more upset than he appeared after injuring his voice, but he never said anything. He would only suppress his emotions by practicing dance even harder.

He knew that He Xu looked fierce and had a sharp tongue, but he was actually very soft-hearted and couldn't stand seeing others cry in front of him.

Jiang Yanbai never exposed him.

He only handed He Xu water after He Xu finished cursing, leaned against the door of He Xu's practice room and said "It's time to go" when He Xu practiced dancing until the early hours of the morning, and called He Xu to go drinking after He Xu finally finished his day's work.

He Xu later thought that his relationship with Jiang Yanbai might be more complicated than he admitted.

But back then, he was too lazy to think about it too much—having someone to drink with you, stay up all night with you, pat your back when you throw up, and sit beside you without asking questions when you're silent was already good enough.

Until Jiang Yanbai said he was going back to the United States.

We drank that night too.

But Jiang Yanbai ordered beer, not whiskey.

The two sat in a booth in the corner of the bar, with only six bottles of beer on the table and no soju nearby.

He Xu immediately sensed that something was wrong.

Jiang Yanbai finished a bottle, put it down, looked at He Xu, and said, "Xiao Xu, I'm going to America."

He Xu was opening his second bottle of beer. His fingers paused on the edge of the cap for a moment, then he pried it off, took a sip, and asked, "When?"

"next month."

"how long?"

"I don't know." Jiang Yanbai's voice was calm. "Maybe one or two years, maybe longer. There are a few projects being discussed over there, and if I take them, I might not be able to come back in the short term."

He Xu didn't speak, looking down at the beer bottle in his hand.

Jiang Yanbai looked at his silence, unusually neither smiling nor saying those glib words.

He simply reached out and gently touched the back of He Xu's hand: "Don't stay silent."

He Xu looked up at him and said, "What did I say? 'Wishing you a bright future'? Aren't you already having a bright future?"

Jiang Yanbai's lips curved slightly, but the smile lacked its usual smugness: "Xiao Xu, you can scold me a couple of times if you want."

He Xu stared at him for a few seconds, then cursed, "Idiot."

"Anything else?"

"roll."

Then Jiang Yanbai really did "get lost".

Until now.

Heartless.

-

"Do you really think I'm that heartless?"

Let's go back to the present.

He Xu glanced at Jiang Yanbai for three seconds, then nodded: "Yeah, he's pretty heartless."

"...You're saying I'm heartless?" Jiang Yanbai's smile froze on his face. "Then tell me yourself, where have I been heartless?"

"I haven't heard from you for three years," He Xu said. "No phone calls, no messages. I only see you occasionally in the news, either receiving awards or filming movies—it seems you're doing quite well without me."

Jiang Yanbai's smile vanished completely.

"I didn't message you because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to resist," he said, his slickness suddenly fading considerably. "I was afraid that if I messaged you, I would be unable to resist booking a flight back. But I really couldn't leave during those years; projects came one after another, and contracts were signed tightly, so it wasn't something I could just walk away from.

He Xu looked at him without saying a word.

Jiang Yanbai's expression shifted subtly, his gaze moving from He Xu's face to the shimmering river surface in the night outside the window, as if he were contemplating something.

"Besides, your two students are the ones who are truly heartless," he muttered.

He Xu put down his spoon: "...Who are you talking about?"

"Shen Yiheng and Han Yu." Jiang Yanbai turned back, tapped the table with the tip of his chopsticks, and spoke with an air of "I'm about to start criticizing them by name."

"Shen Yiheng, you've been his teacher for six years, ruining his voice and damaging his ears. What can he do besides get teary-eyed in front of you? In the end, he's all talk—he writes a long article that moves the whole country, but he hasn't done a single thing he should have done."

He Xu pursed his lips: "He helped me a lot..."

"That's what he should do," Jiang Yanbai interrupted him dismissively. "You taught him for six years, what did he take you for? A cash cow or a stepping stone?"

"That's not how it works—"

"I'll say it anyway," Jiang Yanbai interrupted him, leaning forward slightly. "Of all the people you've taught at Banxing, Shen Yiheng is the most successful, but also the most pretentious."

"He tells others that you are his mentor, but now that you're in trouble, what can he do for you? He can only tuck his tail between his legs and say a few sarcastic remarks when he argues with me; he's utterly useless."

He Xu wanted to argue, but Jiang Yanbai didn't give him the chance.

"Let's talk about Han Yu." Jiang Yanbai slammed his chopsticks down on the table with a soft sound. "He used to hate you so much, he felt you favored Shen Yiheng and didn't give him a chance—how resolute were his words when he ran away from Banxing?"

He Xu's eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Now look at you," Jiang Yanbai leaned back in his chair, a sarcastic smile on his lips, "seeing that your ear is injured and your voice is hoarse, you come running back to cook porridge and bring you medicine, as if you never said those things before."

"This kind of person is called 'sticking up to you when you need them, and kicking you aside when you don't'—Xiao Xu, don't you find that ridiculous?"

He Xu was silent for a few seconds, then looked down at the empty bowl of porridge in front of him: "...He's not that kind of person."

"What kind of person is he?" Jiang Yanbai pressed. "He hated you before because he felt you were biased; he's nice to you now because he feels guilty—guilt and sincerity are two different things, can you tell the difference?"

He Xu did not answer.

Seeing his expression, Jiang Yanbai's tone finally softened a little.

He reached out and patted He Xu on the shoulder: "Alright, I just feel sorry for you. You've poured your heart out to them, and what have they done? One only posts long articles, the other only cooks porridge, who has ever really done anything practical for you?"

He Xu looked up at him and asked, "And what about you? What practical things have you done for me?"

Jiang Yanbai paused, seemingly hesitant, and finally spoke after a long pause: "...I made an appointment for you at a hospital in the United States."