Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Seeing Lu Junrong’s face suddenly darken with rage, I figured Lu Qiaoyi’s cry of “Mommy” must have set him off. He probably thought I had coached her to say it.

I hurried to explain, “Just now, I-”

Lu Junrong cut me off immediately. “You dare to harbor such twisted designs on my daughter?”

Seeing the tension rising, Sister Fang tried to intervene on my behalf. “Ah Ron, I was here the whole time. Zhiyi really didn’t say anything inappropriate to Joey.”

“Shut up!”

Lu Junrong snapped at Sister Fang before pointing a finger at me. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. Your temporary contract is about to expire, and you want a renewal. You want to stay in Gangcheng, you want to be a star, you want to be famous! So you decided to use my daughter as a stepping stone.”

My nose stung. “I didn’t!”

“You didn’t?”

Lu Junrong’s gaze was sharp and piercing. “Then why didn’t she call anyone else ‘Mommy’? Why you?”

“Xu Zhiyi, do you think I don’t know what kind of person you are? Back then, you knelt in the middle of the street just to get an audition. Later, I sent someone to West City to investigate. Your ex-husband, Shen Jincheng, was ruined by an anonymous report and is now rotting away in the countryside. Don’t tell me you didn’t write that letter. I saw you writing it with my own eyes the day we returned to Gangcheng!”

Sister Fang stepped forward to plead. “Ah Ron, whatever happened in Zhiyi’s marriage is her own business. Whatever she did has nothing to do with anyone else, and it certainly has nothing to do with what happened today. You’re truly misunderstanding her.”

Lu Junrong grew even more furious. “I told you to shut up. Are you deaf?”

He turned back to me. “Listen closely, Xu Zhiyi. I will never sign a woman who uses such unscrupulous methods, and no entertainment company in Gangcheng will ever sign you either.”

“You want to be famous? Fine. Go do softcore porn. Film as much as you can while you’re still young, because in a few years, no one will want to look at your pathetic body.”

My fists clenched, my nails sinking deep into my palms without me even realizing it. “Director Lu, don’t you think you’re being a bit too much?”

Lu Junrong pointed toward the door. “Get out!”

It felt as if he had reached across the room and slapped me. I wanted to try explaining one more time.

Instead, Lu Junrong picked up the landline, his voice cold. “Security, come up here.”

I knew he was in the heat of his anger and had already made up his mind about my character. He wouldn’t listen to a single word I had to say.

I wiped away my tears and gave him a deep bow. “You will always be my benefactor.”

With that, I turned to leave.

As I reached the door, I looked back at him. “Try spending more time with your daughter. Look at what she’s become because of how you’ve spoiled her!”

It started to rain.

The wind carried droplets that felt cold against my skin.

I sat on the steps of the garden, watching the endless flow of cars and people, feeling a hollow ache in my chest.

This was a city of immense prosperity, a place where dreams were born, but the reality of waking from those dreams was agonizing.

Half a year ago, I had set sail from here, carrying my hopes with me.

Now, the ship had sunk.

Suddenly, an umbrella appeared over my head.

It was Sister Fang.

She sat down beside me, looking at me with concern. “Zhiyi, are you okay?”

I couldn’t hold it back anymore. My tears burst forth as I threw my arms around her and sobbed.

Sister Fang rubbed my back. “Don’t blame Ah Ron. A project he cared deeply about fell through today, so he’s in a terrible mood.”

“Also, he’s incredibly sensitive about anything involving Joey. That girl is his world.”

I sobbed, “But I really never thought about using Qiaoyi.”

“I know, I know.”

Sister Fang spat out, “Ah Ron really went too far this time. But with that foul temper of his, even if he knows he’s wrong, he’ll never apologize to you. Zhiyi, what do you plan to do now?”

Hearing her words, I already knew the answer.

Lu Junrong had completely turned against me. There was no way he would ever give me another chance.

“I don’t know.”

I lowered my head, hugging my knees. “Since he said those things, I doubt I have any future left in the Gangcheng entertainment industry.”

Sister Fang didn’t disagree; she simply sighed.

I forced a smile, even as the tears kept falling. “Thank you, Sister Fang. You’ve always looked out for me. I always thought that one day I’d make it big and repay you, but it looks like I won’t get that chance.”

Sister Fang pulled me into a hug. “Meeting you was fate; there’s no need for thanks. I admire you. You’re decisive and you know who to love and who to hate. I believe that no matter what field you go into, you’ll be successful.”

I talked with Sister Fang for a while longer before she had to head back to the office.

That night, I couldn’t sleep at all.

I had to rethink everything. I had to figure out the road ahead.