Garden District, Lanyue Club.

Besides Xie Guan, Wang Zhe had also brought two newly signed female artists, both of whom were still students at an arts school. Xie Guan recognized one of them as the famous internet celebrity "Miss Lisa," whose real name was Yin Lisha; he had seen her at the company before. The other, an introverted and shy girl named Sun Xiao, had barely said a few words the entire way, her fingers constantly twisting the metal chain of her backpack. She looked very nervous, perhaps she wasn't here willingly.

Xie Guan scoffed inwardly at his own untimely thoughts. He himself was a clay Bodhisattva crossing a river—barely able to save himself—yet he had the spare mind to worry if others were willing.

When he saw that Weibo post, the bottom line he had always refused to compromise on seemed to waver. The speed of its collapse startled Xie Guan; for a moment, all the hairs on his body stood on end. But he soon realized his wavering wasn't out of envy for those around him. Rather, from the moment he tasted what it was like to be valued, he could no longer endure the obscure days of his past.

Filming The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea had shown him a distant glimmer of light, and it also made him confront the darkness he was in with extreme clarity.

Agreeing to Wang Zhe's dinner party tonight was an opportunity. Even if The Rising Tides of the Azure Sea wasn't a huge hit, it would at least maintain a certain level of popularity for a while. With the boost from this drama, Xie Guan only needed to reach out a little further to touch the ceiling. If he entertained at a few drinking parties now, showed the company a compliant and tame attitude, secured one or two good resources, and slowly built up his own popularity, he could at least, to some extent, escape his current situation of being completely under the company's control.

The only thing that scared him was that once he broke his rule, it would be difficult to reclaim his former principles. He was afraid that after tasting the sweet benefits of selling his smiles, he would look back on those four years of being benched and think it was an act of utter foolishness.

His compromise was to walk out of the darkness, not to sink deeper into it.

Since he was bringing "newcomers" to the drinking table, Wang Zhe gave them a few extra instructions in the car. It was nothing more than to have a good attitude, not to be arrogant and annoying, and to do whatever the investors asked. He also made empty promises to do his best to fight for resources for them after this event. Even as he walked out of the elevator, Xie Guan still felt a hazy sense of unreality, as if his consciousness was still stuck hours ago, with no premonition of what was about to happen.

The heavy, soundproof door of the private room opened to another world. A clamor of voices and a cloud of smoke rushed out to meet them, as noisy as a live poultry market. The one who had arranged this dinner party was a well-known producer in the industry. Sitting next to him was a director whose name he hadn't heard, called Han Ke; the rest were all high-level executives from film and television companies. Wang Zhe bowed and scraped his way through a round of pleasantries, but few people gave their group a proper look. It was no wonder—the room was full of men, so Xie Guan naturally held little appeal. As for Yin Lisha and Sun Xiao, their looks were only considered average in the entertainment industry.

Director Han Ke, however, stared at Xie Guan for a few moments and said with a smile, "You look a bit familiar. What works have you been in?"

Xie Guan quickly listed a few, but he rarely had much screen time, and it was impossible for Han Ke to have a deep impression of a background character. In the end, nothing came of the questioning.

Xie Guan and the others took their seats at the end of the table. The two main seats were still empty. The banquet hadn't started yet, so the guests' main activities were smoking, chatting, and exchanging business cards. They couldn't get a word in, so they could only maintain a smile and act as silent wallflowers. Before long, Xie Guan felt someone touch his hand under the table. Yin Lisha secretly passed him two pieces of chocolate and whispered, "Eat something sweet first to line your stomach. It'll be harder to get drunk later."

Xie Guan was starving, so he gave her a grateful smile.

He hadn't even fully swallowed the first piece of chocolate when the private room door opened again. This time, everyone in the room stood up. A man and a woman walked in from outside. The producer hurried forward to greet them, his face wreathed in a brilliant, convincing smile. "President Zhang, President Nie, come, come, please have a seat."

The two were escorted to the main seats, and fine wine and delicacies were served like a flowing stream. Xie Guan was called over to pour wine for the female president surnamed Nie. He was quite perceptive. He had no place in the conversations of those at the table, nor did he try to push his way in. He just focused on serving President Nie gently and carefully, occasionally helping her deflect a drink or two. Several times in a row, just as she had a thought of wanting something, the young man beside her had already prepared it. President Nie couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.

Xie Guan was very handsome, but not in an effeminate or delicate way. His features were harmonious; you couldn't say any single part was exceptionally beautiful, but together they were especially pleasing to the eye. His movements showed no signs of immaturity or awkwardness, and the few deliberate attempts to curry favor were masked by his calm and gentle actions. He possessed both the bright and handsome spirit of a youth and the steady, mature temperament of a man.

President Nie was nearly fifty, successful in her career but with no children. Xie Guan actually managed to stir a bit of motherly affection in her, and her gaze toward him softened considerably. She took a small bowl of sweet soup that Xie Guan offered with both hands. "Alright, rest for a bit. You look a bit familiar to me. What dramas have you been in?"

Xie Guan's alcohol tolerance was average, and he was already half-drunk from being forced to drink, making him more open than usual. This question had been asked several times today, but he still patiently answered President Nie one by one. The experiences of an 18th-tier starlet playing bit parts were nothing worth mentioning in the industry; they were usually told as jokes.

But Xie Guan didn't hide it. He frankly used his on-set experiences as anecdotes to make President Nie laugh, sending those around them into fits of laughter, while he calmly poured her tea without batting an eye. "Drink some water, soothe your throat."

President Nie was most susceptible to this kind of genuine obedience. She secretly took note of this young star named Xie Guan, thinking that this kid had upright features and a good personality. As long as someone gave him a suitable opportunity, soaring to fame would be no problem.

As she was pondering this, a suppressed commotion suddenly came from the side. President Nie turned to look. The two female artists Wang Zhe had brought were sitting on either side of President Zhang. Above the table, the old man looked respectable enough, but below it, his short, thick fingers had already slipped under the hem of one of the female artist's short skirt. The girl's face was flushed red, but she didn't dare make a sound, only twisting slightly in an attempt to break free.

President Nie frowned slightly but quickly composed herself and turned her head away.

President Zhang was notorious for his lechery and love for playing with starlets. The projects he handled couldn't keep up with the speed at which he slept with female stars, and he often refused to acknowledge it afterward, making his reputation infamous even in the entertainment industry, which was rife with unspoken rules. The manager definitely knew about this, but it seemed he hadn't told the artists.

Following President Nie's gaze, Xie Guan also noticed the commotion. However, Sun Xiao, who was being held by President Zhang, had her back to him. He couldn't tell if her slight struggles were out of reluctance or a playful act, so he couldn't rashly speak up.

Yin Lisha saw a film of tears welling up in Sun Xiao's eyes. She was terribly frightened and couldn't bear to watch anymore, so she filled President Zhang's glass and offered him a toast, hoping to divert his attention from Sun Xiao.

Who knew that the old bastard would slur drunkenly, "A toast... that's not how you do it! You come here... I'll teach you."

Yin Lisha cursed him inwardly but had to force a smile on her face. "Then how should it be done, sir?"

President Zhang, his face flushed from drinking, took a gulp of wine from his cup. He squinted at Yin Lisha with a grin, then suddenly reached out, wrapped an arm around her neck, and pressed his heavy body onto her, intending to force a mouth-to-mouth "skin cup."

Everyone at the table was watching them and burst into raucous laughter.

Suddenly, a muffled "thud" came from under the table.

Yin Lisha didn't know where she found the strength, but she shoved President Zhang off her. The old man swayed, lost his balance, and tumbled headfirst under the table.

People immediately rushed over to help him up, and the scene instantly devolved into chaos. In the confusion, someone said, "Coming here to entertain with drinks and sell smiles, why pretend to be a chaste martyr? Who are you putting on a show of virtue for?"

Yin Lisha was standing a little away from the table. Hearing this, she swayed and had to lean against the wall behind her to stay upright.

President Zhang, who was being helped up by a crowd of people, wasn't seriously hurt, but he had lost face and looked extremely embarrassed. With a dark expression, he pushed aside those supporting him, walked straight up to Yin Lisha, grabbed her by the hair, and slapped her across the face. He spat viciously, "Little bitch!"

Yin Lisha was dragged stumbling towards the door by her hair and tripped near the wine cabinet. President Zhang, still fuming, grabbed her head and was about to smash it against the corner of the cabinet.

A circle of well-dressed men stood around, yet not a single one moved to stop him.

In the end, the blow didn't land.

Xie Guan reached out and blocked the corner of the cabinet, cupping Yin Lisha's forehead in his palm. With his other hand, he effortlessly restrained President Zhang's arm.

"President Zhang," he said steadily, "she was being ignorant just now and offended you, and you've already taught her a lesson. If this blow really lands, someone could die."

Wang Zhe, who had been playing dead this whole time, finally spoke up. "Xie Guan, this has nothing to do with you, get out of the way!"

President Zhang stared at his face, then at the hand holding him back, and said with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes, "Heh, you've got guts. Is this bitch your mistress? Coming here to play the hero for me—"

"She's my colleague," Xie Guan said in a still-humble tone. "I'll have her apologize to you, but she's a girl and can't take a beating. I ask you to be merciful."

President Zhang's next words were accompanied by the whistling wind of a punch: "—Who the fuck do you think you are!"

As it turned out, Xie Guan could take on five of these old men—who spent their days overfed and were pickled in alcohol—with one hand.

He tilted his head to dodge President Zhang's punch, gently pushed Yin Lisha away, and took a step back and to the right. President Zhang lunged forward violently but hit nothing but air.

The crowd watched this farce, dumbfounded. Xie Guan's martial arts weren't particularly damaging; action films required speed and graceful movements. He dodged nimbly left and right by the door, his figure so fast it was almost a blur. President Zhang threw several punches in a row but couldn't even touch the corner of his clothes. The old bastard went crazy like a rabid dog, pressing him step by step. Xie Guan kept retreating until his back was against the cold door panel. Seeing there was no way out, he suddenly heard a waiter knocking on the door.

Everything happened in a flash. President Zhang angrily brought his fist down. Xie Guan's eyes darted, and the hand behind his back twisted the doorknob. He abruptly turned and pulled the private room door open.

President Zhang watched wide-eyed as a waiter, who suddenly appeared at the door, stared in astonishment. Xie Guan, whom he thought couldn't escape, was now standing behind the door, out of his reach. However, his momentum was unstoppable. The punch, carrying the full force of his body, landed squarely and powerfully on the waiter's face—

Crash.