DAEYTT Chapter 001: Is the Entertainment Industry Really That Fun?
Title: Debuting After Eight Years of Time Travel
Author: Ming Ye
Genre: Urban Novel
After traveling through time for eight years, I just wanted to live among you as an ordinary person!
But instead, what I got was a divorce!
So I...
am laying all my cards on the table.
Chapter 001: Is the Entertainment Industry Really That Fun?
In a high-end music bar on the Bund in Magic City, a man and a woman sat facing each other in a corner.
The man was dressed in casual clothes, looking handsome and composed. The woman was wrapped in a black trench coat, wearing a black mask that covered most of her face. However, her delicate features hinted at a high level of beauty.
"Are you sure you don't want any breakup fee?" the woman asked seriously. "After all, I'm the one who brought it up. I'm willing to compensate you to make your future life a bit smoother. But, I hope..."
The man took a sip of his juice, looked at her, and smiled. "Are you hoping I won't speak out about this? To not ruin your perfect, pure image of never having been in a relationship in the public eye? Do you want me to sign a confidentiality agreement?"
The woman fell silent, taking a sip of water to hide her awkwardness.
To the outside world, she was the perfect pure queen who had been in the industry for eight years without any romantic history or scandals. Even the top paparazzi, Brother Wei, said he had tracked her for half a year without finding any dirt, calling her the perfect queen.
But the public didn't know that she had been married before her debut, during her senior year of college. Only their closest relatives, friends, and her manager knew about it.
The man, Wang Qian, glanced around the bar and said lightly, "Yao Yao, do you know how many years it's been since we last saw each other?"
Li Qingyao looked at the man who seemed different from her memory. Deep down, she felt a strong sense of guilt. She had been too busy with her career to care about him and their small home. She remained silent in the face of his question.
Wang Qian shrugged and smiled easily. "Actually, you could have just sent your manager to talk to me. We haven't seen each other for over three years. I gave up my career for you back then. We were both about to graduate and just starting out. You were ambitious, and I wanted a home, so I stayed home to support you."
"Eight years have passed, and you've forgotten your home and me. Naturally, I won't force you to stay. Bring the agreement, and I'll sign it."
"As for a breakup fee, there's no need! I haven't been idle these past two years. I opened two restaurants in Magic City, and business is good. I have plans to expand, so I can easily support myself."
Li Qingyao carefully observed Wang Qian, trying to discern if he was masking his true feelings, if he was outwardly calm but inwardly hurt. After a few seconds, she couldn't detect any sadness, only a genuine calm and confidence. She felt a slight sense of loss but showed no emotion on her face. Her eyes moistened, and she quickly looked down, not wanting Wang Qian to see any weakness or sorrow. She spoke in a steady voice, "Good, it's better if you think this way. I still remember how wonderful it was when we were together. Those are my most precious memories. I hope they remain as beautiful as they are."
Wang Qian nodded. "I remember those times too. I hope those beautiful memories are never ruined."
Of course, he wouldn't forget. When he first came to this world, he and Li Qingyao had already established a relationship. At that time, he had once considered Li Qingyao his sole psychological support, spending every day with her for six months. Later, they naturally got married. Then, Li Qingyao's career took off, achieving top success in both TV and music, now being a queen of both acting and singing, a rising star in the Chinese entertainment industry.
As for Wang Qian, he had spent over ten years in the entertainment industry in his previous life, working as an actor, director, and producer, experiencing all sorts of dark sides, and feeling exhausted. He grew tired of the industry, so after getting married, he enjoyed having a home and living a simple life, willingly becoming the man behind Li Qingyao's success.
This role lasted for eight years. Eight years that led to a divorce.
Having lived two lives, Wang Qian, who had spent many years in the entertainment industry in his previous life, was not surprised by this outcome and felt no sadness. If they had divorced three or five years ago, he would have been heartbroken. Now, he had long been mentally prepared. Starting a few years ago, when Li Qingyao's calls went from three times a day to once every three days, and then once a month, he knew this day would come sooner or later.
Because this is reality, and apart from accepting it, there is no other way. The entertainment industry is filled with too many temptations. Li Qingyao, wanting to advance further in her career and not wanting to stay with someone who was almost an ordinary person like Wang Qian, was understandable.
Wang Qian couldn't provide any help for her career, so he was abandoned. Even if Wang Qian were successful in the entertainment industry, the result would still be a divorce because they would be too busy to see each other, their feelings would fade, and the outcome would remain unchanged.
If I pick up the bricks, I can't stay with you.
If I put down the bricks, I can't afford to support you!
Fortunately, their divorce wasn't due to either of them being caught cheating. It didn't end in an ugly scene. Like now, the atmosphere was calm, even somewhat peaceful. They looked at each other calmly, like old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time.
Li Qingyao was the first to look away, fearing that her eyes might reveal a hint of weakness. She picked up her phone. "Sister Liu, bring the agreement."
Soon, a middle-aged woman in a professional outfit walked over. Wang Qian recognized her. She was Li Qingyao's agent, Liu Lihua, one of the top agents in the entertainment industry, and one of the three ace agents at Jinhwang Entertainment, with many first- and second-tier stars under her wing.
Liu Lihua sat down politely, handed two documents to Wang Qian, and smiled. "Hello, Wang Qian. These are two agreements: one is the divorce agreement, and the other is a confidentiality agreement. You love Yao Yao, and if you care about her future, please do her a favor and sign these two agreements."
Wang Qian picked them up and glanced through them. In his previous life on another Earth, he had also been divorced, so he was familiar with this process. He skimmed through the documents.
The divorce agreement was simple: an amicable divorce, no disputes over property, and each would go their own way.
The confidentiality agreement required Wang Qian to keep their marriage a secret and never disclose that he had been married to Li Qingyao. This matter was to be treated as if it never happened. If Wang Qian breached the confidentiality agreement, he would have to pay a penalty of up to 100 million yuan!
Upon seeing this amount, Wang Qian put down the confidentiality agreement and chuckled. "If that's the case, then I won't sign it."
He looked up at Liu Lihua. "I have no obligation to keep your secrets, so I have no liability for breach of contract. If you want me to pay a penalty for breach, then I need a confidentiality fee. Since the breach penalty is 100 million, then the confidentiality fee should be 100 million per year. You can calculate how many years you want me to keep the secret."
Liu Lihua maintained her smile. "Wang Qian, the so-called breach penalty is just a constraint, don't take it seriously."
Wang Qian didn't waste words. "No need to say more. Either change it, or give me 100 million per year."
He wasn't going to fall for this trick.
He's still so assertive, Li Qingyao thought as she nodded. "Sister Liu, go ahead and change it."
Liu Lihua didn't say anything more. Facing an artist of Li Qingyao's stature, she gave enough respect and autonomy. She immediately got up to make the changes.
Wang Qian leaned back in his chair and looked at the young woman singing on the stage in the bar. He asked, "Is the entertainment industry really that fun?"
Li Qingyao was taken aback, a hint of fatigue flashing in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination and hope. She said to Wang Qian, "It's fun if you're successful."
Wang Qian turned to look at Li Qingyao, a relaxed smile on his face. "What about me? Do you think if I joined, I could be successful?"
Li Qingyao's eyes showed a mix of amusement and nostalgia. "You're a bit old now. The trend is for younger handsome guys, the 'little fresh meat' types. If it were eight years ago and you signed with a big company, you might have had a chance. Now, it's very difficult. You haven't acted in years, so your skills must be rusty. You can't sing or dance, though your looks are still okay. But as I said, you're too old, and your looks aren't fresh. No agency would invest in you."
Wang Qian nodded, not arguing with her. He got up and walked towards the stage. He called out to the woman singing a popular song, "Miss, can I sing a song?"
The woman stopped singing and looked at Wang Qian, not unfamiliar with this request.
In this music bar, guests would often take the stage to sing, a unique feature of the place. There were no noisy DJs, no scantily clad dancers, just music, drinks, and soft-spoken stories, along with the clear view of the blue beach through the glass windows.
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