Actresses

Chapter 93 Heart-to-Heart Talk

Xiao Zhao asked hesitantly, "Boss, which way are we going now?"

He Yuran said lazily from his seat, "Whatever, driving around the Fourth Ring Road or the Third Ring Road is fine."

Xiao Zhao looked confused. "Sis, the traffic is already getting congested here, it's rush hour. It's best to have a specific destination in mind, otherwise I'm afraid we'll have to refuel soon if we keep driving like this."

"Then let's get off the bus and take a taxi," He Yuran said casually.

"Okay, then I'll find a gas station first." Seeing that the boss was really just talking nonsense, Xiao Zhao unusually made the decision himself.

He Yuran curled up in her seat, closing her eyes to rest while listening to the navigation report the traffic conditions. Xiao Zhao wasn't actually driving recklessly; he was basically just cruising along the main road to the east. He Yuran opened her eyes and looked out the window; it was already dark. The road was filled with the dazzling taillights of cars, so bright that she couldn't even see the lights in the buildings next door.

She gazed out the window for a moment, then suddenly said, "Should we go to Blue Harbor for a while?"

"Boss, there's a lot of traffic at Blueport right now. It might take a long time to get there."

"It's okay, as long as you have enough oil."

"Okay." Xiao Zhao quickly switched to navigation.

For some reason, when He Yuran heard the navigation say that the journey would take another hour, she lay down comfortably and leaned back in her seat. This time, being stuck on the road with nowhere to go, made her feel exceptionally at ease, completely forgetting what she was running away from. If you added a little imagination, it was no different from filming a movie; the outside was calm, but her heart was in turmoil.

Are you curious why we're going to Blue Harbor?

"Yeah, I don't think I've heard you made any appointments, boss."

He Yuran clapped his hands. "That's right, it's because I didn't make an appointment that I'm going to go back again now, to think about some things in peace."

Xiao Zhao's face was filled with question marks when he looked in the rearview mirror.

He Yuran was in a very good mood, as if she was heading towards the past and then saying goodbye to it properly.

"Boss, it's lunchtime. Why don't you have a proper meal?"

"What? I'm not hungry."

"But that's bad for your stomach."

He Yuran frowned, thinking to herself, "When did you, Xiao Zhao, start meddling in these things? Even Sister Lian Jun is very tactful when interfering with my meals and daily life. Xiao Zhao, something's not right." "Why are you suddenly bringing this up? If you're hungry, let's go eat."

"Boss, I am indeed a little hungry, but I also have an obligation to remind you to pay attention to regular eating habits."

"Since when has this become your obligation? Just drive your car properly."

"Uh... actually, it was Sister Jiahe who told me to. If she sees you not eating again, she should remember to persuade you. She said that although you don't eat much, or maybe you're trying to maintain your figure or you're in a bad mood, it's okay to eat less, but you should still eat something because you've had a serious stomachache before, and you're afraid that long-term hunger will cause problems. After all, you're almost forty."

Although it was meant to be kind, He Yuran found it increasingly unpleasant to hear. Why was age being brought up? She couldn't help but exclaim, "So what if I'm forty? You just believe everything your sister Jiahe says? She's already gone and doesn't care about me anymore, how could she possibly still care? Just forget everything she said about me!"

"Boss, Jiahe's concern for you is genuine; we can all see it. You might still be angry, but I think once you calm down, you'll remember her kindness. So I'll listen to what Jiahe told me."

He Yuran choked up.

"You, Shi Jiahe, you've left, but you've planted a spy by my side, your little follower. Is this your driver or mine?" She sighed helplessly, "Alright, I got it. Let's eat first at Blue Harbor. We can't both go hungry."

"Thank you, boss," Xiao Zhao said with a grin.

"Sigh, you've all had a tough time following me. Am I particularly temperamental?"

"It's not that he's weird, it's just that he has a bad temper," Xiao Zhao said seriously.

With Xiao Zhao so serious, He Yuran couldn't really get angry. "Then tell me, what does 'bad' mean?"

"Tell me, we're actually really afraid of you getting angry, but sometimes you get angry for no reason at all. For example, Jiahe might be talking about something normally, and I can see you suddenly get upset. Then Jiahe has to spend a lot of time soothing you up, and it's exhausting just watching her. I'm also glad I don't have this job, because I couldn't do it either. I'd rather drive than spend all my time sneaking around trying to appease someone." At this moment, Xiao Zhao was acting like he was drunk, saying things he wouldn't normally dare to say.

He Yuran suddenly felt a little scared. "Xiao Zhao, you're not going to quit, are you?! Are you starting to settle scores with me now?"

"No, I did quit my job, but I don't have that thought anymore. Maybe it's because I've come to terms with it. I think it's better to be honest with you, boss. If you don't listen, then I'll just find another job." Xiao Zhao said calmly.

"Why can't I listen to the truth? Wait, you resigned? When did that happen? How come I didn't know?"

"Just a few days before the company went to Gubei Water Town, I told Sister Jiahe that I was going to resign. She had a good talk with me and then negotiated with the company to make the team building trip happen again. So I didn't bring it up again."

"What did you say?" He Yuran was even more surprised. "You wanted to resign back then, but Jiahe stopped you, right? But what was your reason for resigning...?"

"My family is pressuring me to go back home and get married, and I'm also thinking, am I getting too old? Besides, driving all this time doesn't really have much of a future, so I mentioned to Jiahe that I wondered if I could try some advertising or similar work. Jiahe refused, but she told me to read more, think more, and look for opportunities later. Over this time, I've slowly realized that I should first master one thing: driving itself can satisfy all my boss's needs, while I also need to learn more about the world. I shouldn't be thinking about what job is stable. There's no such thing as a stable life, especially for someone like me."

He Yuran felt increasingly conflicted. "Xiao Zhao... I'm sorry, is it because I always make you wait endlessly that you're upset?"

"Boss, this is my job, and the income I get isn't low in the industry. I'm just wondering, one year, two years, maybe I can do it for ten years? Also, is all you need from me just driving?"

"Sigh, don't overthink it. To me, you're all like my own little sisters. It's just that I sometimes neglect you. Maybe it's the way I usually interact with Jiahe... that has made you see a less pleasant side of me."

"No, sis, that's between you and Jiahe. I'm thinking about what I'll do in the future. I was so naive before, thinking I'd follow you, the boss, or follow Jiahe. But people change so fast. It seems like you two broke up overnight. Actually, I've been really scared these past few days. I'm so afraid the studio will just fall apart like this...?"

"No, Xiao Zhao, no!" As He Yuran spoke, she felt her pitiful sense of security vanish instantly. She was the one who truly couldn't accept another person leaving the studio, and in her excitement, she said, "I promise you, Jiahe will be back! I won't let you down again, okay?"

"Boss, are you serious?" Xiao Zhao's voice rang with excitement. "Jiahe is coming back?"

This time, He Yuran honestly said, "I'm not entirely confident, but give me some time, and I think I should be able to."

"Actually, I also think Sister Jiahe will come back!" Xiao Zhao nodded vigorously.

"What do you want to eat later? You can decide, don't worry about the price," He Yuran said.

"Thank you, boss."

For some reason, looking at Xiao Zhao's happy expression, He Yuran suddenly felt that what she needed to do that night seemed clearer. It shouldn't be a farewell.

After parking the car and coming up from the Blue Harbor underground parking garage, it was already past 7 p.m. Although Xiao Zhao didn't mention which restaurant she was going to, He Yuran couldn't help but walk towards the light-meal Western restaurant she knew best.

Looking up at the signboard, He Yuran asked, "Is this place okay?"

"Sure. I'll eat whatever the boss eats."

He Yuran went in without hesitation. What she didn't say was, "I ate here with your sister Jiahe before, and I still remember the prices." After sitting down, she ordered everything they had ordered last time they came. Then, Xiao Zhao ordered two other dishes he wanted to eat, in addition to drinks.

Then He Yuran looked out the window again.

At night, Blue Harbor is bustling with young people and families with children, creating a vibrant atmosphere of everyday life. This commercial district has only been open for a little over a decade, experiencing rapid growth alongside the times, but now it's quickly showing signs of aging. It evokes a feeling that is both nostalgic and wistful.

"Sis, how many of these people do you think will end up staying in Beijing?" Xiao Zhao asked thoughtfully.

He Yuran narrowed her eyes. This question was actually quite unfamiliar to her. When she first came to Beijing to study, she was also preoccupied with the idea of ​​staying in Beijing, but because she became famous early, money was never a problem, and that kind of anxiety from her student days had long since faded. But thinking about it, for an ordinary young person like Xiao Zhao in his twenties, how long could he stay in Beijing? That was probably the real question she was thinking about every day.

But He Yuran told herself, "Don't talk nonsense! Don't use your own situation to judge Xiao Zhao."

"I now think that what's important is where people want to go. A city is attractive not because of where it is, but because of who lives in it."

"Boss, what do you mean by that?"

"I initially came to Beijing to study because I wanted to be an actor, but I never really thought about what kind of place Beijing was. Later, when I was filming, I went wherever the crew was. In recent years, I've filmed less and spent more time in Beijing, but I still don't have that particularly deep feeling of being integrated into Beijing, and I don't feel like I belong here. You might think I'm being a bit hypocritical, but what I really think about is, what you want to do most, and where the relevant group of people are, that's where you'll want to go. For example, if you want to enter the film and television industry, Beijing is indeed a better choice, but the industry is so sluggish now, so I don't know how to answer that. If I were starting to study acting now, I might not choose Beijing again, I might choose Shanghai instead."

"That makes sense. Come to think of it, I've never really thought about what I want to do."

He Yuran then realized what was happening and suddenly pretended to be fierce, saying, "No matter what you want to do, you're not allowed to resign!"

Xiao Zhao laughed, "Sis, I didn't mean to quit my job. I was just thinking about what I want to do in ten years. Actually, you are sometimes quite like our older sister, but I feel there's too much distance between us. I... don't dare to treat you like an older sister."

He Yuran couldn't help but laugh as she listened, but then suddenly covered her face and closed her eyes.

"Boss, what's wrong?" Xiao Zhao panicked and quickly handed over a napkin.

Afraid of attracting attention from other tables, He Yuran hid behind Xiao Zhao. She cried silently for a while, and only after the emotions subsided did she raise her head and say in a trembling voice, "Actually, I know what it feels like to be truly treated as an older sister. But, I've lost my only younger sister too."