"These people have quite a lot of free time."
Looking at the heated discussion in the comments section, Xiao He summarized with some emotion: "It has been quite insightful for my research."
Liu Rulan was speechless: "They're having a heated discussion, while you, the person involved, are just watching from the sidelines."
Xiao He shrugged: "They have a point! I won't change my mind because of what they say. Let them think what they want, I'll just listen, so what?"
Moreover, what these people said was true, there was nothing to refute, and their analysis was very insightful, so he accepted it all.
Liu Rulan rubbed her temples, looking a bit annoyed. "I'll have someone take these messages down first. This topic is a bit sensitive after all. At this point, neither praise nor criticism will be of much use to us."
Praise can breed unnecessary jealousy and defensiveness, while criticism can lead to unnecessary conflict and trouble.
This was very disadvantageous for Xiao He, who was still a newcomer.
No matter what you do, keeping quiet is the key to making a fortune.
“I know.” Xiao He nodded. “But I was quite surprised that Sister Liu agreed to let me continue to take on villainous roles in the first place.”
Xiao He originally thought he would have to have a serious talk with Sister Liu, but Liu Rulan was very receptive and accepted the matter in a second. She immediately found various scripts for Xiao He and didn't even try to persuade him.
Liu Rulan glanced at Xiao He: "Why make things difficult for yourself when you can develop in the way you are best at? Don't be swept up by the anxiety created by the group. Not everyone should break out of their 'comfort zone'. Besides, you haven't even fully established yourself as a villain yet, so there's no need for me to urge you to try more new things at this time."
Choosing the type of role is a personal choice, and not a path everyone should follow. When "stepping out of one's comfort zone" becomes the morally correct thing to do for actors in the industry, then actors may be forced to constantly squander their talent in unsuitable areas.
“There was an actress in the industry before named Guo Xinya. Because of her outstanding appearance and excellent acting skills, she became a professional beauty in many directors’ movies as soon as she debuted,” Liu Rulan said. “Later, she even won the title of Best Actress with her role as a femme fatale in a movie.”
However, this was followed by criticism within the industry. Many people felt that she always relied on her appearance to win the public's favor. Her appearance was both her advantage and her disadvantage. It seemed that she could only play roles that showcased charm and could not portray other ordinary people.
Actually, you should just take these words with a grain of salt. After all, there are plenty of sour grapes in the industry, and even more people who like to spout nonsense. They won't stay for you anyway, so there's no need to care about their opinions.
Unfortunately, Guo Xinya took it to heart.
"Later, she tried to play all sorts of ugly roles, trying to reduce her physical advantages and play all sorts of messy characters. In the end, not only were the roles she played very out of place, but her acting career also went further and further astray. Even her fans who were willing to support her left her one after another because of her continuous failures and increasingly outrageous character images."
By the time she realized what was happening, it was too late.
The entertainment industry is notoriously ruthless, and constant turnover is not a difficult thing. What it has in abundance is beautiful women.
When Guo Xinya tried to squeeze back into her comfort zone, she found that someone had already taken her place, and she had nowhere to go.
To return to the top, the only option is to start over.
Therefore, rather than rashly trying a field that may not be suitable for you, it is better to stay in your comfort zone and do your job well, despite the doubts of a few people.
Otherwise, that would be courting death.
After listening to Liu Rulan's account of the case, Xiao He sighed: "I know this actress too. I used to love watching her movies when I was a kid, but then I seemed to disappear from the public eye... I guess she changed her career path."
"So, discovering your talent, developing your strengths, and making a name for yourself—that's the most important thing," Liu Rulan said, spreading her hands. "With enough ability and confidence, no one will question why you only play villainous roles—"
Xiao He was so excited that he immediately stood up from the sofa: "That's so well said, I've decided to go for a few laps downstairs."
Liu Rulan followed with her arms crossed, her eyes slightly narrowed: "Speaking of which, the swimming coach told me today that you didn't go to their place for your daily practice."
Xiao He's eyes darted around: "Uh—"
"Ahem, Sister Liu, if I were to say... if I only studied for one day and already knew how to swim..."
As the woman's gaze sharpened, Xiao He's voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible.
The next moment, Liu Rulan's voice, as if a storm was brewing, came from the villa:
"Get to class right now!!!"
...
Just as Xiao He was struggling through various classes, the plot of "Shining Stars" finally came to an end.
After Li Shuo's instigation, Meng Zetian began to lose the trust of those above him.
No matter the era, when a person is not trusted by their superiors, they are not far from being dismissed.
Of course, Meng Zetian was no pushover either; he followed the clues and found something to hold against Bai Mingchuan.
Previously, Bai Mingchuan used his identity as a reporter to infiltrate the hospital to gather intelligence and successfully smuggled the information out.
Unfortunately, before he could move, he was intercepted by Meng Zetian and searched.
In order to prevent the intelligence from falling into the hands of these people and to avoid being exposed himself, Bai Mingchuan decisively used physical contact to boldly hide the intelligence on Meng Zetian's body, thus successfully escaping a disaster.
Although Li Shuo later managed to legally extract this intelligence from Meng Zetian, the incident ultimately left behind a hidden danger.
After realizing something was wrong, Meng Zetian immediately reviewed the situation, starting with screening people at the hospital one by one, and finally successfully found Bai Mingchuan's suspicious points.
By examining Bai Mingchuan's usual interpersonal relationships and past activities, he obtained concrete evidence of Bai Mingchuan's identity.
However, Meng Zetian was not in a hurry to arrest Bai Mingchuan.
Based on a retrospective analysis of what happened that day, Meng Zetian suspected that Li Shuo was the one who took the information from him—meaning that Li Shuo and Bai Mingchuan were in cahoots! They were both...
Just when Meng Zetian's position in the bureau was teetering on the brink of collapse, it was Li Shuo who, by playing both sides and flattering the bureau chief, rose step by step and was about to surpass Meng Zetian!
Meng Zetian could not tolerate this situation.
He worked like a slave, diligently and conscientiously, his hands stained with the blood of countless kinsmen. He was willing to betray his country for personal gain, all he wanted was a path to promotion.
Why is it that someone like Li Shuo, who sits in an office all day, can easily surpass his efforts just by talking and flattering him?
Meng Zetian was an extreme egoist. He would not work for those Japanese pirates, nor would he risk his life to help his country fight for a future like others. Everything he did was for his own benefit.
So after realizing that Li Shuo posed a threat to him, Meng Zetian immediately made a decision: he could not directly report Bai Mingchuan's matter—he would use Bai Mingchuan's matter to bring down Li Shuo!
Little did he know, this was a trap deliberately set for him by Li Shuo.
—Tonight is Meng Zetian's death day!
