ARTBFAEWM 48

Chapter 48: Farewell

Their film crew was now a nationwide sensation. They had initially selected a string of handsome young actors, and now the effects were showing. Even the supporting actors, newcomers to the industry, had made a name for themselves. The success of Into Demon, aside from the leads and the plot, was largely due to the diverse range of handsome actors – every type of handsome guy imaginable. The combined popularity of the entire crew was overwhelming. Now that the finale was approaching, their popularity had reached its peak, and the television station was surrounded by their fans.

It was said that tickets to today’s recording were being scalped for exorbitant prices.

The news of Jin Yanliu and Zhou Beiyang’s past brotherhood was spreading, trending towards becoming a hot search topic. Liu Qichang’s first words when they met were, “I wonder who spread it.”

Yesterday’s wrap party had too many people. When they talked about this topic, they hadn’t been too discreet, many people heard it, so it was impossible to investigate.

Jin Yanliu didn’t intend to respond.

This wasn’t a scandal. Responding would certainly cause a massive increase in attention, and he and Zhou Beiyang could make another splash on the hot search list, but after the short-lived boom, there were hidden dangers. If their relationship was exposed later, it would seem like they were deceiving the public, and there would be a risk of a backlash.

If they didn’t respond, the topic would lose its heat in a few days. Keeping it ambiguous was fine, leaving more room for maneuver in the future.

Because it was a special program for Into Demon, all participants were from the crew. It was a large group, and everyone went on stage in batches. Zhou Beiyang and Lu Yao went first, Zhong Qianqian and others in the middle, followed by veteran actors like Sang Yuan, and Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua, the leads, were last.

They waited for instructions at the stage entrance. The host was teasing Zhou Beiyang and Lu Yao, and Jin Yanliu heard laughter from the audience and smiled along.

“Yanliu.”

Jin Yanliu turned his head to look at Yan Huihua.

The stage entrance lights illuminated his eyebrows and eyes, but half his body was hidden in darkness. Jin Yanliu hummed in response, and heard Yan Huihua say, “Are you free tonight? I’d like to treat you to dinner.”

Jin Yanliu asked, “Who’s going?”

“Just you and me,” Yan Huihua said.

Jin Yanliu was clever and immediately understood Yan Huihua’s intentions, replying, “Beiyang probably won’t let me go.”

Yan Huihua was stunned, asking, “He controls you that much?”

Jin Yanliu smiled, “We’re dating, you have to be more self-aware. He’s rather hostile towards you.”

Into Demon was finished. Yan Huihua was a rising star, and with his talent, his future was limitless. Jin Yanliu didn’t want to cause trouble for him or get entangled with him again. He had personally promoted him and hoped Yan Huihua would cut ties with him, thus cutting ties with the fake, so he could focus on his career in the future.

Yan Huihua was indeed stunned, “You two… aren’t you brothers?”

He was incredibly shocked, but he also felt that Jin Yanliu couldn’t be lying about something like this; no one would make such an incestuous joke.

“We’re a couple now,” Jin Yanliu said with a smile.

The host on stage suddenly called out their names, “Let’s welcome Jin Yanliu and Yan Huihua!”

The stage entrance suddenly lit up, the lights illuminating their faces. Jin Yanliu patted his shoulder and went to the stage first. The audience erupted in cheers. Yan Huihua’s mind went blank for a moment. He followed Jin Yanliu, the stage lights shining on them from the front. Jin Yanliu’s figure became a thin line in the glaring light, then gradually became clearer.

Yan Huihua was so shocked that he was a little distracted during the entire recording.

The recording lasted until 2 PM. After this program, their crew officially disbanded. Everyone said goodbye in the television station lobby. Yan Huihua stood in the crowd, watching Zhou Beiyang and Jin Yanliu talking and walking outside. Zhou Beiyang had a rarely seen gentle smile on his face. As they walked, their shoulders occasionally brushed against each other, incredibly intimate.

“Who do you like?”

Yan Huihua was startled and looked back. It was Lu Yao.

“Jin Yanliu or Zhou Beiyang?” Lu Yao asked with a smile.

Yan Huihua smiled but didn’t speak. Lu Yao said, “I advise you not to, otherwise you’ll be jealous every day.”

This was the experience of someone who had been there.

Lu Yao patted Yan Huihua’s shoulder and got into the car with his manager, Ming Jie.

Zhao Sili from Liyue Media wanted to sign him, offering incredibly tempting conditions. He planned to meet Zhao Sili.

Zhao Sili’s most famous incident was the news about the 100 million yuan, followed by the fact that he hadn’t succeeded in pursuing Jin Yanliu. His impression of Zhao Sili was not very good, but there weren’t many entertainment companies that could offer such generous conditions. The other party’s sincerity greatly satisfied Lu Yao’s vanity.

Zhou Beiyang was going to Xingkong Media. Into Demon had completely wrapped up, and the boy band had a lot of work piled up, requiring him to coordinate schedules. Jin Yanliu went straight back to the hotel to prepare to move back home.

Cheng Fei followed closely into the car, handing him the tablet.

“Take a look.”

Jin Yanliu glanced at it, “Didn’t I tell you I needed a break?”

“Are you sure you want to turn everything down?” Cheng Fei said, “It’s fine if you don’t take The Premonition, but your popularity is so high right now, a ton of advertisers are reaching out. It’s the time to make money.”

It wasn’t a good thing for an artist to be too wealthy, and he lacked ambition.

Cheng Fei was persistent, “You donated 100 million, do you even have any money left?”

“I don’t have much money left, but I’m not short of money. If I can’t even take a break when I need one, how miserable would the world be?”

Xiao Pangzi couldn’t help but laugh.

Cheng Fei sighed and took back the tablet, “How long do you plan to rest?”

“At least two months,” Jin Yanliu said.

“That’s too long,” Cheng Fei said, “Half a month, forget about the rest, but we should still take these two luxury endorsements, you need to maintain your image.”

“What I need now is time,” Jin Yanliu said, “Call everyone from our studio tonight, I’ll treat everyone to dinner.”

Xiao Pangzi excitedly asked, “Brother Yanliu, are you going to give out bonuses again?!”

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Cheng Fei said, “He donated 100 million, how much money do you think he has left?”

Jin Yanliu smiled, “Then you underestimate me. If I don’t have tens of millions, don’t I have hundreds of thousands?”

At dinner that night, Jin Yanliu did give out more benefits.

This time it wasn’t money, it was a luxurious half-month trip abroad.

“Food, accommodation, travel, I’ll cover everything, you just have to have fun.”

Everyone was excited, mainly because the travel itinerary Jin Yanliu had planned was incredibly luxurious and exciting.

“Brother Yanliu, are you coming with us?” Xiao Pangzi said, “Let’s bring Brother Yang, but he might not have such a long vacation.”

“I’m not going,” Jin Yanliu smiled, “I’m lazy, I just want to sleep in at home.”

“You’re not taking any work, so you’re giving us a vacation.” Cheng Fei said, “Come with us, with us around, you don’t have to worry about anything, we’ll make sure you have a relaxing time.”

Everyone echoed his sentiment.

Jin Yanliu stood up smiling. Cheng Fei felt that Jin Yanliu today, perhaps after a few extra drinks, was exceptionally gentle and calm.

Jin Yanliu raised his glass, and everyone stood up with him.

“Most of you have been with me for four years, Xiao Huang is the newest, almost two years, right?” He smiled, “I’ve achieved what I have today because everyone accompanied me all the way. We’ve experienced glory and crisis. I have this kind of temper, rather self-willed, I like to do things my own way, and everyone has suffered some grievances to cooperate with me.”

Cheng Fei laughed, “You pay us well, those grievances are nothing.”

Everyone laughed along, Jin Yanliu said, “Don’t interrupt me, I’m getting sentimental.”

“Okay, okay, continue, we won’t speak, it’s rare to see you so sentimental.”

Jin Yanliu said with a smile, “Especially Fei-ge, I often clash with you.”

He paused, his eyes slightly moist, “But no matter what, we’re all family. I often say, our studio isn’t a company, it’s a small workshop, a big family, we share our success and failure, joy and sorrow. They say there are no farewells without end, perhaps people will leave sooner or later, or maybe I’ll suddenly have a whim and quit the entertainment industry, and then everyone will go their separate ways. But I want to say, we worked hard together, climbed to the top of the entertainment industry, experienced the glory, enjoyed it to the fullest, and this memory is something no one will ever forget. I sincerely thank everyone, no matter what, I love you all, cheers!”

Everyone touched glasses emotionally, the atmosphere became rather sentimental, Cheng Fei suddenly laughed, “My goodness, if you didn’t know any better, you’d think our team is disbanding.”

Everyone burst into laughter, Jin Yanliu finished his drink, “Come, come, come, enjoy life’s pleasures to the fullest, don’t let the wine cup remain empty before the moon!”

“So cultured,” Xiao Pangzi patted his own arm.

The atmosphere immediately became lively again. Jin Yanliu sat down, undoing his shirt collar.

They continued chatting, no work talk today, only gossip, about each other’s lives. The hot pot was bubbling, the steam rising. Jin Yanliu smiled, his gaze sweeping over everyone’s faces.

By the time this group returned from their overseas trip, he should have already been replaced.

This farewell was good. The farewells that should be said were said, and the things that should be said were said. He hadn’t done anything reckless to hurt their feelings, nor had he deliberately fired them. He said goodbye to everyone in a very perfect way.

When Zhou Beiyang arrived from the company, they were almost done.

“Why did you let him drink so much again?” Zhou Beiyang said as soon as he sat down.

Jin Yanliu, his face flushed, leaned back in his chair, putting his hand on his shoulder, “Why are you so late?”

“Something came up, I was delayed.”

“No one forced him to drink, he insisted on toasting each of us individually, we couldn’t stop him, and he even got upset if we didn’t let him drink,” Cheng Fei said.

“Since you’re here,” Jin Yanliu said, raising his glass again, “Come, Xiao Yang, let’s toast again.”

Everyone stood up again. Jin Yanliu stumbled slightly when he stood up, and Zhou Beiyang quickly supported him. He leaned against Zhou Beiyang, toasting with everyone.

Cheng Fei watched from the side, thinking they were a perfect match.

Just leaning lazily against Zhou Beiyang like that, they were such a perfect pair.

At 10:30 PM, everyone left the hot pot restaurant. A cold north wind was blowing outside. Jin Yanliu leaned on Zhou Beiyang, his scarf almost covering half his face. This time, he didn’t leave first but sent them off to their cars one by one in the cold wind.

“Yanliu drank too much,” Cheng Fei said, “Beiyang, take care of him.”

Zhou Beiyang nodded.

Xiao Pangzi was the last to leave, “Should I not go to your place tomorrow then?”

Jin Yanliu said, “Pack your luggage at home and get ready for the trip.”

Xiao Pangzi had spent the most time with him in recent years, more than Zhou Beiyang, more than his family. He was almost always around to take care of him. Jin Yanliu reached out his arms, “Come, let ge give you a hug.”

Xiao Pangzi was a little awkward and even glanced at Zhou Beiyang. Jin Yanliu immediately hugged him tightly.

“You should lose some weight, lose weight and then find a girlfriend. Anyway, you’ve got plenty of money now,” Jin Yanliu said.

Xiao Pangzi laughed, “Okay, after this trip, I’ll find a romantic encounter and bring her back to show you.”

Jin Yanliu patted his back and let go of him, “Go on.”

Xiao Pangzi got into the taxi and waved to them.

Everyone’s farewells were very straightforward, which made Jin Yanliu feel sentimental.

He leaned on Zhou Beiyang, watching the taxi drive away. The cold wind blew on his face, it was cold, only the Zhou Beiyang behind him was warm.