The night of early spring was cool.
When Tang Zhou drove away from Tang’s family home, the wind whistled in through the car windows and poured into his heart, which was cold and icy.
He didn’t want to stay at the Tang family’s manor, nor did he want to go back to his place and confront an empty house all alone.
He stopped the car at the riverside.
The wind by the river was even stronger, causing people’s heads to freeze halfway.
Tang Zhou took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the storage compartment, stuffed them into his pocket, got out of the car, and stood in front of the railing by the river.
The river’s surface was fluctuating, small waves hitting the shore, creating a scattered commotion.
Tang Zhou was about to light a cigarette when he paused slightly.
Not far away, someone was attempting to climb over the railing.
Tang Zhou was startled, without much thought, he quickly shouted, “Brother, you’ve got a lighter?”
The person hesitated, turned to look at Tang Zhou, and in the dim light, he couldn’t see his expression.
Tang Zhou remained composed, pretending not to have seen anything. He approached slowly, and his gaze met a young yet sorrowful face.
“Brother, lend me a lighter.” He gestured with the cigarette between his fingers.
The person hesitated, “I didn’t bring a lighter.”
Eyes bloodshot, clearly not well-rested, and there was no glimmer of light inside both eyes.
Tang Zhou sighed, “I didn’t expect to run into someone this late.”
The person remained silent, one leg still propped on the railing, staring blankly at the river.
Tang Zhou continued, “Can you chat with me?”
The young man kept his head down and remained silent. It seemed like he wouldn’t be easily persuaded.
Tang Zhou approached again, intentionally playing the sympathy card to try to bring back the other person’s sanity. “I’ve been kicked out of my house, and now I have nowhere to go.”
He rambled on with a string of miserable stories. The young man finally couldn’t resist and spoke, “That car of yours, it could fetch a few million.”
Tang Zhou: “……”
The young man added: “Your cigarettes, those are also quite expensive.”
“……”
“I don’t really want to end my life; I just want to go down and take a bath.”
Tang Zhou, expressionless, replied, “I’m afraid you’d end up washing in mud.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Qtb kbeiv yfilfnf atja!
Ktf sbecu wjc rlutfv, “Dea atfgf’r cb mtblmf; P mjc’a fnfc joobgv atf kjafg jcv fifmaglmlas yliir.”
“……”
Pc afgwr bo qbgagjslcu j wlrfgjyif rlaejalbc, Kjcu Itbe kjr eaafgis vfofjafv.
“Jjc sbe ifcv wf j mlujgfaaf?” Ktf sbecu wjc wbnfv tlr ifu vbkc, tlr ilofifrr fsfr olzfv bc Kjcu Itbe.
“……”
Tang Zhou handed him the cigarette.
“Can I borrow a lighter?”
Tang Zhou hesitated for a moment, then took out a lighter from his pocket.
The young man glanced at it, “Limited edition, that’s not cheap.” He seemed to have a good eye and showed no envy or jealousy in his expression.
He took a gentle puff, and amidst the hazy smoke, he asked Tang Zhou in a hoarse voice, “Can I borrow your bathroom?”
Tang Zhou wasn’t one to let sympathy overflow him. Seeing that the person seemed to have no suicidal thoughts anymore, he intended to refuse. However, as he was going to do so, he saw the person’s eyes suddenly turn red, shedding two clear tears.
“In fact, I don’t want to jump down to take a bath, I just want to kill myself.”
“My ex-boyfriend was a scamist liar. He took all my savings.”
“I can’t afford the rent and got kicked out by my landlord.”
“What’s the point of living now? I might as well get it over with it.”
The young man wiped away his tears, his voice trembling as he asked Tang Zhou, “Do you think I still have a reason to live?”
Tang Zhou remained expressionless, “You can work on a construction site and earn a hundred or so a day by moving bricks. Collecting scrap is not bad, and street sweeping is an option too. Many people make a living like that, so why belittle yourself? You’re not lacking in capability.”
Young man: “……”
Tang Zhou continued to mercilessly suggest, “With your looks, I think you could make a living as an extra in films and TV dramas.”
“……”
The young man stared at him, deliberated for a while before solemnly saying, “I think we have a lot to talk about. You can definitely understand me.”
Tang Zhou raised an eyebrow, since he intended to bid farewell to this person.
“I’m actually a screenwriter.”
Tang Zhou thought to himself that it was quite evident, as he seemed skilled at making up stories.
“I’ve been involved in some scripts before, saved up some money, and planned to make a pay down payment, but I’ve been scammed out of it all.”
Tang Zhou: You can report it to the police.
“I wrote a script, intending to sell it and make some money, but I kept hitting walls everywhere. How can those investors and big directors appreciate the script of a small figure like me?”
“I think you’re quite wealthy, and your mindset is compatible with mine. Why don’t you take a look at the script? If you’re interested, we can work together.”
Tang Zhou found it quite novel; it was the first time someone had used this approach on him to attract investment. “What if I’m not interested?”
“Then I’ll just jump into the river.” The young man finished his last puff and looked wearily at the river.
Tang Zhou, who was originally very sympathetic with him, hesitated. If possible, he wouldn’t hesitate to help, after all, he had tasted the bitterness of despair and helplessness himself.
However, seeing how unpredictable this person was, he cautiously asked, “What’s the name of the script?”
The young man flashed a big grin full of white teeth, and suddenly, there was a gleam in his eyes. “I’m Not a Hero.” But the name doesn’t matter; do you want to hear the content?”
Tang Zhou was decisive, “No need.”
The light in the young man’s eyes was instantly annihilated.
But he heard Tang Zhou say, “I’ll invest.”
It wasn’t until he brought the aspiring screenwriter home that Tang Zhou realized what he had done tonight.
He never expected that just going to the riverside for some fresh air would result in him picking up and bringing home a dark horse screenwriter.
Even Tang Zhou, who had no interest in the film and television industry, had heard about the movie “I’m Not a Hero” in his dreams.
A low-budget movie with minimal investment became the most explosive dark horse of the year, earning billions at the box office. If it weren’t for the actors who rose to fame thanks to this movie endorsing Deep Blue’s game advertisements, Tang Zhou might not have noticed.
However, that movie came out several years later, and he never expected the script to appear in front of him so early. If the aspiring screenwriter didn’t lie, then he truly stumbled upon a great opportunity.
Following this movie, the aspiring screenwriter had several more successful films.
This wasn’t just a few billions in box office revenue, and even Tang Zhou couldn’t help but be tempted.
Having comfortably finished bathing, Ai Mo changed into ill-fitting pajamas. He hesitantly entered the living room and sat across from Tang Zhou, lowering his head in embarrassment.
Tang Zhou spoke in a casual tone, “You were quite talkative just now.”
Ai Mo candidly replied, “I couldn’t see clearly when we were by the river. I didn’t expect the boss to look like this.”
Tang Zhou: “…” he almost forgot it, this person used to have a boyfriend. (n/t: He forgot Ai Mo’s gay).
“Just call me by my name. Tell me about the script.”
Ai Mo wasn’t an scheming person, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been tricked so badly. He just began blurting out the general content of the script to Tang Zhou, without stopping.
Considering the movie’s popularity, Tang Zhou was fortunate enough to be invited by Fu Shen in his dreams to watch it together.
The overall plot was similar to what Ai Mo described, but there were some discrepancies in the details.
However, he could understand that the final product, produced several years later, would undoubtedly undergo some changes.
After Ai Mo finished talking, Tang Zhou offered a few pertinent suggestions. Ai Mo stared at him wide-eyed, the light inside those eyes almost blinding Tang Zhou.
“I knew you were my confidant!” Ai Mo exclaimed with excitement, his face reddening. “I’ll definitely improve the script to perfection!”
Tang Zhou: “…”
No, your confidant is actually yourself several years later.
“It’s too late today. You can stay in the guest room for now. We’ll talk about cooperation once your script is truly completed.”
“Okay!”
Having experienced too many things that day, Tang Zhou was physically and mentally exhausted. He entered dreamland as soon as his head touched the pillow.
The next day, Fu Shen woke up very early, and the first thing he did was check his phone messages.
Mi Shu had already sent the information he had found out. It turned out that Tang Zhou had beaten Tang Zhen yesterday.
Beating his own father in front of company employees, what exactly did Tang Zhou want to do?
Fu Shen couldn’t help but furrow his brows, feeling a vague sense of worry.
After this incident, the Tang family was bound to experience turbulences. Fu Shen wondered how Tang Zhou was doing now.
Unable to sleep, he tossed and turned in bed. Thinking that, since he was his living assistant, he might as well take the opportunity to check on things under the guise of making breakfast.
At this moment, he realized that the title of “assistant” was quite handy.
Without disturbing his three roommates who were sound asleep, Fu Shen quietly left the dormitory and rode a shared bicycle to Tang Zhou’s place.
By this time, it was already bright outside.
He had fingerprint access to enter the house, but considering not to wake Tang Zhou, he opened the door himself and stepped into the entrance hall.
As soon as he came in, he sensed that something was wrong.
There were two pairs of shoes lying messily in the entrance hall—one pair was very familiar, while the other was unfamiliar.
The door of the guest room suddenly opened, and Fu Shen instinctively looked up.
A handsome young man, wearing ill-fitting pajamas, leaned against the door and yawned.
Fu Shen’s gaze deepened.
If he wasn’t mistaken, that set of pajamas belonged to Tang Zhou.
Hahaha, what a encounter!
Thank You for the new chapter (´,,•ω•,,)♡
Fu Shen: “I thought I was your fake boyfriend! Where did this other guy come from?”
that’s exactly what I thought lmao he must have felt so vexed
Time to drink vinegar
Lmaooo i sense an revolutionary friendship brewing between Ai Mo and Tang Zhou. Ai Mo is hilarious