Chapter 278: 278 Dinner (4)

“Popularity, being in the spotlight, all these are fleeting. A hundred years from now, no, it doesn’t even take a century, perhaps in ten or twenty years, will you still remember the idol you adored in your youth? You might remember, or you might laugh at how ‘uncool’ it was back then. Only the works are tangible, they are what live on.”

Just like now, when she occasionally searches for her mother’s name, she finds that there are still people silently following, still commenting. Even Shang Feifei, who had bad relations with her, could speak eloquently about her mother. Her mother had been out of the industry for so many years, yet people still remembered her. All the bad things from the past had vanished like smoke, what everyone remembered were the glowing moments from her movies, the scenes from her dances.

She was not lacking in money, nor did she care for these superficial honors. What she wanted was to hone herself. In her youth, she might not have understood the significance behind these films, but now, after six years adrift in the entertainment industry, she understood.

Maybe the hard work of the past six months on “Spring Light” might end up in a box office flop, or she might not win any awards. But she had taken that step, refusing to stay always in her comfort zone. She wasn’t a house cat, kept just for her owner’s pleasure. She wanted to be the tiger roaming the forest, the lion sprinting across the savanna, the cheetah!

Qin Baizhou watched her for a long time. Since he had known her, Xia Siyu had always been thick-skinned. If others praised her, she took it as her due. If they criticized her, she assumed they were jealous. In short, her confidence knew no bounds—she was unrivaled in her own eyes!

Acting was easy for her, her very first role had made her a fan favorite, and she had had a steady stream of good roles and business deals since. She’d had a slump because of scandals and messy rumors, but she had never fallen from the top tier.

Having been an agent for so many years, he knew that in this industry, everyone wanted to be famous. It was normal to want fame; the image of being content like a chrysanthemum only fed fans’ fantasies. But the ambition of most artists extended at most to reaching Xia Siyu’s position or maybe slightly lower, being fairly popular, earning a lot, having influence was enough.

He too had thought only about how to keep Xia Siyu at the top for a long time, to continue to be a top influencer, but it turned out that she didn’t want any of these dazzling prospects.

“But this way, you might waste more than half a year. You should know how precious half a year is for a female actress.”

“I know, I don’t care. That’s why I want to act.”

Qin Baizhou nodded on the surface, “Alright, I got it, I will make the arrangements.”

In the past, Xia Siyu would never have talked back to him like this. It was not that he didn’t let her take roles; he simply didn’t want her to recklessly try a new team.

It seemed that her change had happened only recently.

Could it be because of—Bo Yan?

At the thought of Bo Yan, Qin Baizhou’s face instantly lost all trace of a smile.

As they talked, they arrived at the venue. Xia Siyu got out of the car, originally intending to wave goodbye to Qin Baizhou, but unexpectedly, he got out as well and even greeted the person in charge, “Sorry, if our Siyu lacks anything here, please take care.”

After greeting everyone, he finally got back in the car, which quickly drove off.

However, today, Xia Siyu still encountered quite a few acquaintances.

There were those with whom she had a bad relationship and those with whom it was neutral.