Chapter 296 The Past Like Smoke 1

. In the future, Nu Ran, when recording programs, especially live ones, we can’t just say whatever we want like Director Lin Ning does—beating people up and throwing chairs are fine for him—but as art...Chapter 296: Bygone Days Like Smoke (Part 1)

Those days were indeed tough. She wanted fame, but it required her to give up something in return for the opportunity right before her eyes. As a proud woman, she was unwilling.

The year when Cai Xiaojing took her under her wing, she told her that as long as she could endure, there would be a day when she would succeed. She said she would find a way to make her famous. Han Bi chose to follow Cai Xiaojing's advice and quietly worked hard as a new talent, accepting the jobs arranged by Cai Xiaojing while maintaining a moderate level of exposure.

Yet, opportunities kept presenting themselves in front of her.

Once or twice she could smile coldly and let it go, but what about when this happened repeatedly

The female stars who debuted around the same time as her all had promising careers with glamorous appearances; only she couldn't secure good jobs despite being somewhat known, left to envy them.

She always thought that if she worked hard enough, one day everything would be hers.

Her looks and talent weren't inferior to anyone else's. She was sure she could rise above the rest eventually.

Without resorting to any underhanded methods, she believed she would still outshine others.

After starring in one or two popular idol dramas, she became somewhat famous. However, in reality, she was very poor; after the production company took their cut and her agent got their share, there wasn't much left for her.

To maintain her image as a star, she had to spend a lot of money on clothes and appearances. Otherwise, the media would say how shabby she looked.

She was poor since childhood, so she worked even harder to prove herself, hoping that she could live better and escape from her impoverished family life. She wanted to succeed.

Hence, she feared that the media might write negatively about her and damage her image. To outsiders, she seemed somewhat famous, but in reality, it was very heart-wrenching for her during those times; they couldn't imagine how hard she had to struggle.

Later on, when she shot a cosmetics advertisement, a director noticed her and wanted her to be the female lead of his TV drama. The condition was that she accompany him. If it were at the beginning, Han Bi would have turned him down outright. However, this time, Han Bi learned to play along smoothly without compromising herself. She put up with a few inappropriate advances from the director but secured an opportunity.

It was through that project that her fame truly skyrocketed.

During those days, who wouldn't envy her Han Bi felt very proud of herself for seizing the chance without resorting to any underhanded means. She was happy and took on many endorsements and activities; she had numerous projects lined up for her.

Gradually, she started to save some money, and her life began improving slowly.

Han Bi dreamed of becoming an overnight sensation and achieving fame and fortune. However, reality did not meet her expectations. After the TV drama's popularity faded, An Ning had a new batch of rising stars like Li Yuanyuan and Yang Yang. Han Bi felt threatened; she had the opportunity to act in Lin Ning’s film and move onto the big screen, only for that role to be snatched away by Li Yuanyuan.

The reason was that Li Yuanyuan and Lin Ning had a close relationship at the time, and Lin Ning liked her very much. When Han Bi saw someone else taking her place temporarily, she harbored resentment because what should have been an opportunity for herself ended up being given to someone else, which made her very indignant.

Back then, having spent two years in the entertainment industry, she had seen all kinds of darkness and was well aware of the rules of this circle. Everyone needed support from others; otherwise, it would be hard for them to make a name for themselves. She wondered why she had worked so hard, sacrificing her innocence just to earn fame and live a better life without being oppressed or looked down upon by others while watching other celebrities flaunt their success in front of her.

She wasn’t lacking in support; it was merely that she didn’t want it.

Han Bi held herself in high regard, but the entertainment industry wouldn’t accommodate someone’s lofty ideals if they couldn’t keep up with its demands. If one couldn’t play by its rules, they would be eliminated without a choice, as countless beautiful women constantly flooded into the industry, many of whom were talented and could be supported just like her.

That year, Cai Xiaojing had noticed Han Bi’s wavering resolve. As a new talent herself at that time, she had only recently become an agent but had already managed to make several people famous. Cheng Anya highly valued her work, and Cai Xiaojing honestly told Han Bi that if she could endure for another two or three years, she would definitely help her become a major star. Back then, Han Bi was eighteen years old with some fame under her belt, having starred in a couple of well-rated TV shows. However, due to her young age, it wasn’t the right time to rush things. Cai Xiaojing advised her to be patient and avoid drawing unnecessary attention since she sensed that Cheng Anya had high hopes for Han Bi.

Han Bi followed Cai Xiaojing’s advice, which was when she met Ye Feimo and fell in love with him. During this period of her career lull, the competition among Han Bi, Li Yuanyuan, Yang Yang, and others was fierce. As they were becoming more popular, she had no standout works to speak of, and Cai Xiaojing only assigned her minor roles. This left Han Bi feeling quite unbalanced.

Back then, Ye Feimo was young but exuded an air of nobility. Apart from a luxury watch, he didn’t possess much else. She loved him with all her heart, yet she prioritized her own career development.

To succeed was the only thought on her mind when she was younger; she wanted to figure out how to achieve success and earn more money for a better life. She never intended to lean on anyone else, even thinking that once they had enough money, she and Feimo could live happily together.

Back then, she was very innocent.

The slap was what changed her perception. Back then on the set, Li Yuanyuan had just started out later than she did; they were both artists under Anning Entertainment. One day, because of a minor disagreement with Ye Feimo that left her in a bad mood, she accidentally bumped into Li Yuanyuan, who slapped her.

Back then, the four most famous actresses at Anning International were Han Bi (number one), despite not having the highest fame. At that time, Li Yuanyuan was competing fiercely with her. Both of them could be considered semi-popular figures, but Li Yuanyuan had slightly more recognition than she did. Yet, it was because of a careless mistake on her part that she ended up being slapped.

Many artists on the set watched coldly; no one came to her aid.

In the end, under Li Yuanyuan's arrogant attitude, she had to suppress her anger and apologize. From then on, Han Bi thoroughly understood the reality of this industry and woke up completely. She couldn't afford to wait any longer.

Zhai Xiaojing always told her to wait and wait, but how long was she supposed to wait

She had even been slapped by a senior at the set, becoming the laughingstock of the studio. Late into the night when she replayed that scene in her dreams, those laughs felt like needles piercing her heart; Han Bi's resentment grew deeper and deeper.

In the end, she accompanied an investor to dinner and went to a hotel room with him.

At that moment, all she cared about was achieving success rather than being a minor artist who could be slapped by anyone on set.

Back then, her relationship with Ye Feimo was at its peak. This was the first time she had betrayed him; it felt like knives were slicing through her heart. For several days, she couldn't bring herself to look directly into his eyes. When she saw that he hadn't noticed anything, her courage grew a bit, but she still dared not let him know. She always managed to hide things well.ed dark and violent tendencies within himself. Both Babao and the children were terrified by it. Seeing his assailant bleed profusely, Sen Sen fainted in fear; Babao too was at a loss as to what to do...