Chapter 115: Best Actress? I’m Going for the Best Actress Award! (Please Vote)

After hanging up the phone, Wang Mo suddenly felt the atmosphere turn somewhat eerie.

Looking up, he noticed Hao Mingxing and three others staring at him intently, their eyes filled with shock and confusion.

Wang Mo cleared his throat. “What’s wrong with you all?”

Immediately, everyone spoke up.

“Brother Mo, was that just the actress Xu Mengqi on the phone?”

“She said you appeared in a TV drama?”

“Is that true?”

“...”

Wang Mo shook his head with a wry smile. “Given my current situation, how could I possibly act in a TV drama? I just happened to visit the set of ‘Eternal Fate’ once, and due to some circumstances, I appeared on screen for a few seconds. Well... those few seconds were just a fleeting silhouette, so it’s no big deal. After all, you all know if I were truly to appear on a show, that drama wouldn’t even air.”

Everyone then suddenly understood.

Hao Mingxing, however, wore a thoughtful expression. He felt that if Wang Mo had only appeared as an insignificant shadow, Xu Mengqi wouldn’t have bothered to call specifically.

But Wang Mo was right—he really shouldn’t be appearing on camera now.

That made things strange.

Hao Mingxing pondered for a while but couldn’t figure out the key point.

As for Wang Mo writing a song for Xu Mengqi, since he hadn’t mentioned it, the others remained unaware.

That night, the group gathered for dinner until after two in the morning before breaking up.

Throughout the evening, whether it was Hao Mingxing, Su Xueyao, Tang Qinyun, or Fu Zhuang, their phones rang at least a dozen times.

Yet all four tacitly ignored the calls.

This night belonged solely to them.

They didn’t want any work-related matters to disrupt this rare gathering.

Wang Mo clearly sensed that because of the dinner, in just a few hours, the four had grown much closer to him. Especially Fu Zhuang and Tang Qinyun, who chatted with ease, shedding their earlier reserve and becoming noticeably more intimate.

“It seems we should have these get-togethers more often,” Wang Mo thought to himself.

In any circle, only through frequent contact and communication can relationships be maintained.

If left uncontacted for a long time, even the deepest bonds would fade.

...

After the gathering ended that night, Hao Mingxing personally escorted Wang Mo back to his apartment before heading home.

On the way, his phone rang again—this was the thirtieth call that night.

Hao Mingxing glanced at the screen and then answered, “Zheng Lai.”

Zheng Lai’s voice was full of frustration. “Brother Xing, can you please stop being so stubborn? Tomorrow early morning—no, today around five a.m.—we have a flight to Yangcheng for a very important press conference. Yet you went MIA yesterday and refused to answer your phone? The flight leaves in less than three hours. If you don’t answer now, I’ll have to cancel the event and call the organizers to apologize.”

Hao Mingxing replied, “I told you, I’m at a dinner.”

Zheng Lai grew even angrier. “Big brother, you won’t even pick up your phone for a dinner? What’s so important about this dinner? You—”

Before he finished, Hao Mingxing cut him off.

“I’m having dinner with Brother Mo.”

Zheng Lai suddenly paused, all his resentment vanishing. He cleared his throat and forced a smile. “Oh, I see. Then enjoy your meal; the event isn’t important. By the way... send me the restaurant and room number—I’ll pick up the tab.”

Hao Mingxing said, “It’s already over.”

Zheng Lai: “That quick? Want to go sing karaoke? I’ll book a room for you.”

...

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After Tang Qinyun returned, she saw her manager waiting at the door and suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

Since her official debut, the company had assigned her a seasoned manager: Xia Li.

Xia Li was a highly capable manager. Normally, a newcomer like Tang Qinyun wouldn’t have her as a handler. But since Tang Qinyun had obtained a song from Wang Mo and become the spokesperson for Gao Niu Yogurt, with a promising future ahead, the company specially assigned Xia Li to guide her.

Though Xia Li treated her well, she was very strict about certain principles. For example, she had stipulated that Tang Qinyun could go out to dinner with friends but had to be back before midnight.

“Sis Li, I...” Tang Qinyun glanced at the time—it was already past three a.m.

The expected storm of reprimands never came.

Instead, Xia Li smiled warmly and asked, “Did Wang Mo go?”

Tang Qinyun nodded. “Yes, along with Brother Hao, Sister Yao Yao, and Brother Fu.”

Xia Li asked, “Did you have a good time?”

Tang Qinyun nodded again. “Very happy.”

Xia Li smiled. “If there’s a chance like this again, spend more time with them. No need to rush back. If it gets too late, just call me—I’ll come pick you up.”

Tang Qinyun blinked in surprise. “Okay, Sis Li.”

Xia Li then asked, “Who paid the bill?”

Tang Qinyun: “Brother Hao.”

Xia Li: “Next time, I’ll give you a dedicated card so you can pay when you go out with them.”

Tang Qinyun: “Okay.”

After saying that, she quickly went into the bathroom to wash up.

Behind her, Xia Li stared at her retreating figure and sighed. “Little girl, you have no idea how lucky you really are.”

...

Time flew by.

December had already passed in the blink of an eye.

January 1st, New Year’s Day.

China observed a three-day holiday... well, actually just one day, but the holiday office added the weekend to extend it.

At just past midnight, Ye Yuanhang released his new song, “Against the Current.”

Yet Ye Yuanhang remained tense, constantly refreshing the charts.

His previous failures had made him a nervous wreck, fearing that suddenly a top star or an unknown song might unexpectedly appear on the charts.

Thankfully, by past two a.m., the charts were still calm.

Instead, his new song “Against the Current” had garnered considerable acclaim from fans.

“Wow, Brother Hang released a new song?”

“I listened—this one’s actually pretty good.”

“Yes, it’s passionate and inspiring, with a great melody. Truly worthy of a future top star.”

“Ye Yuanhang keeps bouncing back despite setbacks.”

“But this song really is high quality.”

“...”

The fans’ praise lifted Ye Yuanhang’s spirits and boosted his confidence.

By the morning of the first, his new song “Against the Current” firmly held the top spot on the new song chart, with its metrics more than double those of second place.

This was the best result Ye Yuanhang had achieved since releasing songs over the past few months.

“I... finally reclaimed my honor,” Ye Yuanhang’s eyes gleamed with light.

He looked at his manager and beckoned, “Go get me some sunshine grapes!”

This time, he could finally enjoy grapes in comfort.

After all, he still liked sunshine grapes.

His manager smiled and headed to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, the manager returned carrying a plate of sunshine grapes, though his expression was somewhat serious.

Ye Yuanhang casually plucked a grape and popped it into his mouth, savoring its sweetness before asking, “What’s wrong?”

The manager’s tone grew grave. “Do you know the TV drama ‘Eternal Fate’?”

Ye Yuanhang nodded. “Of course. It’s a massive xianxia drama rumored to have over 200 million yuan invested. The cast is packed with top celebrities, and actress Xu Mengqi plays the female lead. Recently, it’s been heavily hyped—news everywhere. No surprise, it’s probably about to air.”

“You’re right,” the manager said. “At 10 a.m. today, the official ‘Eternal Fate’ Weibo and Mango TV jointly announced that at 8 p.m. tonight, the drama will officially premiere on Mango TV.”

Ye Yuanhang shrugged. “So what? What does that have to do with us?”

The manager continued, “The drama airing doesn’t involve you, but there’s another matter that does. ‘Eternal Fate’ announced that after tonight’s broadcast, its theme song and ending song will be simultaneously released on music platforms.”

“The theme song is by a young idol—not a big deal.”

“The main concern is the ending song. I just saw the news: this time, the ending song will be sung by none other than actress Xu Mengqi herself.”

Hearing this, Ye Yuanhang sat up a little straighter. “The ending song is sung by actress Xu Mengqi?”

The manager nodded. “Yes... so I’m a bit worried. Your new song might clash with Xu Mengqi’s track.”

“Oh?”

Ye Yuanhang didn’t share his manager’s concern. Instead, he raised his eyebrows.

After a moment, he suddenly burst into laughter.

The manager was stunned. “You’re not worried?”

Ye Yuanhang laughed heartily. “Worried about what? That she’ll steal my number one spot? Tell me, how’s Xu Mengqi’s singing?”

The manager thought for a moment. “Not great, I guess?”

Ye Yuanhang beamed. “That’s all I need! Xu Mengqi acts well—she crushes me in acting—but in singing? Do you think I’ll lose to her? Ha! My luck has finally turned. After months of setbacks, my shining moment is coming. I thought I’d be the lone star on the new song charts this time. Instead, a top actress is here to be my stepping stone.”

At this, Ye Yuanhang’s eyes burned with fierce light. “A top actress? I’m taking on a top actress!”

He had thought winning January’s crown would be dull, but now, with a top actress as his rival, it was far more meaningful.

That night, Ye Yuanhang sat eagerly on his sofa, thoroughly enjoying “Eternal Fate.”

The opening was the theme song, indeed sung by a young idol. Called “Chasing Dreams in the Nine Heavens,” it was decent, capturing the xianxia vibe, but still a notch below “Against the Current.”

“Some merit, but nothing to worry about,” Ye Yuanhang assessed after listening.

As for the drama itself, it was well-produced.

Even Ye Yuanhang, who rarely watched dramas, found himself engrossed.

At nine o’clock, as the first episode ended, the ending song finally played.

Lounging lazily on the sofa, Ye Yuanhang smiled at his manager. “Come on, let’s enjoy actress Xu Mengqi’s singing.”

At the start of the month, he hoped for a few monthly votes—asking everyone for at least one guaranteed vote, lest the monthly vote count be embarrassingly low.

(The chapter ends here.)