CHAPTER 381: CHAPTER 211 GO BACK

"Why should I acknowledge him?"

Shu Wan retorted.

"You wish you could, but you’re not worthy,"

Li Ya said contemptuously, her gaze full of obvious mockery.

"Shu Wan, let it go. What she’s talking about is the Second Young Master of Bo Ying, who has a powerful background. We really can’t afford to provoke him."

Her colleague quietly informed Shu Wan, and only then did Shu Wan realize that the Second Young Master Li Ya mentioned was from the Zeng Family.

Among the five great families of Imperial City—Fu, Xiao, Lin, Qin, Zeng—even the side branches of these families were eagerly fawned over by countless people outside.

This Second Young Master from the Zeng Family was of direct descent and held an unchallenged position in the film industry. No wonder when faced with the provocations from the Shushan crew, nobody dared to resist and could only watch helplessly as the set was destroyed.

"Now you know fear?" Li Ya stared at Shu Wan’s face, which could be called perfect, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes, "Don’t think that just because you’re pretty, you don’t have to know your own weight."

At first, Li Ya and Shu Wan had competed for the same role, and Li Ya won. She had planned to step on Shu Wan’s fame to broaden her own popularity.

Who would have thought that Shu Wan would end up playing the Goddess in "Netherworld Ring," and Li Ya, also portraying the Goddess in the Shushan TV series. Compared to each other, Li Ya naturally became the subject of various ridicules.

During this time, Li Ya had been holding back resentment, and now, she finally managed to let out some of it.

Shu Wan glanced at Li Ya indifferently, as if she didn’t care at all about what Li Ya was saying. She asked her colleague, "Is the set completely gone?"

"Yeah, it’s been taken down."

Her colleague said while suppressing anger, but the words still seethed through clenched teeth.

"Then let’s call it a day."

The set was already torn down; dwelling on it was pointless. Shu Wan checked the time, "Let’s go home and have dinner."

"Ah? We’re just leaving?"

Over time, everyone had unconsciously come to see Shu Wan as their leader, looking to her for solutions when trouble arose.

Everyone thought that given Shu Wan’s strong character, she would surely lead them in confronting Li Ya for an explanation. But now that Shu Wan was preparing to leave, everyone was a bit confused.

"Everything’s gone, let’s go back for now."

Shu Wan waved her hand, not even glancing at Li Ya, and walked past her, leaving the Film and Television City.

"What’s she putting on airs for, she just married some nouveau riche and thinks she’s all that."

Watching Shu Wan’s departing figure, a sycophant next to Li Ya sneered disdainfully.

"Are you sure you’ve checked thoroughly?"

"Don’t worry, I had my uncle check into it. There’s no talk of Shu Wan marrying into any of the five great families of Imperial City. Besides, if Shu Wan had married someone with a strong background and influence, she wouldn’t have been able to resist showing off. It’s probably just some rich nouveau riche, completely insignificant."

"You’ve got a point," Li Ya sneered, "Let’s go, back to filming. Shu Wan just makes me sick."

"Don’t get angry. With the Second Young Master backing us up, Shu Wan won’t even be able to get through the doors of this Film and Television City again. Out of sight, out of mind."

Outside the Film and Television City at this moment, Shu Wan was pondering where she should go, having finished work early.

In the past, if she finished work early, Shu Wan would have gone straight to Fu Siyu’s company.

But the relationship between the two of them had been unclear lately, so Shu Wan gave up on that idea.

She wandered aimlessly down the street when suddenly, a little shop on the roadside caught her attention.

This was a very quaint little shop, its entrance lacking any fancy modern decor, similar to an ancient storefront with a grey and white signboard that simply bore the character "Trace."

Shu Wan approached the entrance and glanced inside. While the space inside was not large, it was arranged with simple and elegant antiques. Before she had even stepped in, a dense fragrance of tea wafted toward her. Behind the tea table sat a child-faced old man with white hair.

"Since fate has brought you here, why not come in and sit down?"

Although the old man’s eyes were closed, he seemed to know Shu Wan had arrived and spoke directly.

Shu Wan frowned slightly, uncertain why, but she found the atmosphere here somewhat unpleasant, as if all secrets would be laid bare in this place.

Shu Wan took a step inside, then stopped. She looked at the old man, "Do you know me?"

The old man opened his eyes, which, despite his advanced age, were clear and penetrating, as though they could see through life’s illusions.

He gazed at Shu Wan, his expression neither sad nor happy, "I do not know you, but I have always been waiting for the one destined to come."

The old man’s words were enigmatic, and Shu Wan did not understand them. She stood for a moment and then walked straight into the room to sit opposite the old man.

"Where does this fate begin?"

"It begins on the day one’s life falls."

Shu Wan was taken aback. She stared directly at the old man, "What are you trying to tell me? And what do you want me to do?"

"Seems the master of fate is more intelligent than I imagined, but the time is not yet ripe, and I cannot tell you anything."

Shu Wan’s gaze grew intent as she quickly sized up the old man, finding nothing on him that might give away his identity.

"If that is the case, I shall take my leave."

Everything about this place made Shu Wan uncomfortable, and since the old man seemed unwilling to say more, Shu Wan chose not to pry, understanding that more questions would only lead to more annoyance.

The old man, not expecting Shu Wan to leave so abruptly, only spoke again as her silhouette was about to vanish at the doorway, "Miss, you must return to where you belong."

Shu Wan paused and glanced back momentarily. A ray of sunlight filtered through the eaves onto her face, casting an indistinct halo, "There is no ’must’ or ’should’; I will be wherever I wish to be."

After speaking, Shu Wan promptly left.

The old man shook his head, resettling into his seat. Watching the tea mist curling upwards from the table, he sighed, "What a pity. One cannot defy destiny."

On the street, Shu Wan had walked a good distance away before turning back to glance at the shop once more.

From a distance, the shop’s storefront had almost no decoration; all she could see was a dark, quiet portal standing there.

Shu Wan’s eyes darkened, an inexplicable restlessness rising in her heart.

At that moment, her cell phone rang. She checked it and saw a call from Fu Siyu.

For some reason, upon seeing Fu Siyu’s photo, she felt an unexpected sense of relief, as if grounding herself. She pressed the answer button, "Hello?"

"Shu Wan," Fu Siyu’s voice transmitted through the phone, familiar and warm with a sense of security that was uniquely his, "I’ve finished up here. Shall I wait for you outside your set?"

"Just come over, we finished early."

"Where are you now?"

"On the corner street."

"Then wait for me a moment, I’ll be right there."

"Okay."

Arriving quicker than Shu Wan had anticipated, it wasn’t long before Fu Siyu’s car pulled up by the curb.

After getting into the car and seeing Fu Siyu, for some reason, Shu Wan instinctively said, "Can I hug you?"