pdf-ebookys Chapter 86 Gradually Changing
Chapter 86 Gradually Changing
chapter 86
It's obvious without even guessing that someone is up to no good!
After thinking for a long time, Meng Youcheng finally dialed Xu Xingcheng's number...
"What's wrong, Xiao Meng?"
The man thought for a moment, then replied, "You did it, didn't you?"
"What?"
Meng Youcheng thought for a minute, then sighed, "No need to pretend anymore, I know it must be you. Situ Ming wouldn't have the guts to raise the votes so much, afraid of being exposed for cheating, but you're different..."
"hehe……"
The person on the other end of the phone chuckled. "I did it... and then what?"
Meng Youcheng immediately became agitated and said, "Why did you do this? Do you know how much screen time the lead actor had in this semi-final? And how much screen time did the second male lead have? The difference is huge... Didn't you want him to win Best Actor? Why...?"
"Meng Youcheng...!"
Xu Xingcheng suddenly interrupted him, "I never said I wanted him to be a Best Actor. That's your idea, not mine. I've never mentored Jiang Yuming for the Best Actor award."
Meng Youcheng froze for a few seconds...
"You...don't want him to be the Best Actor?"
Xu Xingcheng: "That's your idea, but it doesn't hinder my plan. We can cooperate. I can make him a movie star. As long as you behave, your wish will be fulfilled..."
"Although I don't know why you so desperately want him to become a Best Actor, I know that this obsession runs very deep within you. Do as I say, and I will help you achieve it..."
Meng Youcheng pondered for a few minutes, then asked, "What exactly do you want?!"
"Don't you think Jiang Yuming is very immature?"
The boss chuckled and continued, "He should let go of his so-called naive ideas. In this world, power, influence, and money are more important than anything else. Didn't he tell you that he wanted to become a movie star because of Luffy...?"
"Stop joking... He's been brainwashed by those anime. It's time to wake up and take a good look at this world and figure out how to survive in it."
After a long pause, the man finally uttered, "What should I do?"
……
"This role should be mine..."
Jiang Yuming sat backstage, tightly gripping Meng Youcheng's hand. "This role should be mine, Uncle... I finally became number one, just to get this role, so I can get closer and closer to the championship..."
"If I miss out on this role and it goes to someone else, I will never become a champion, and my championship trophy will be taken away by someone else, and that person will be Situ Ming..."
"He definitely rigged it. Why couldn't it be fair? Didn't we agree on fair competition? Why did he do this? Is it because he's less skilled... so he resorts to such underhanded tactics?"
Meng Youcheng glanced at him, hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.
The boy gripped the man's hand tighter and tighter. "Uncle... am I going to miss out on this championship?"
"It's the semifinals now, a crucial moment. If I lose this opportunity, it will be very difficult to turn the tide. What should I do?"
Just then, Situ Ming walked in...
He glanced at the two people sitting next to him, a smirk playing on his lips, and said with a smile, "Life is truly unpredictable. You know, I was originally in second place, how did I suddenly turn things around and become number one?"
"Sigh, this role has so many scenes, I don't even know how to act it. But it's okay, having a lot of scenes is a good thing. Maybe I'll accidentally become the champion?"
Jiang Yuming gripped Meng Youcheng's hand tightly, closed his eyes, and forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart...
Situ Ming turned to look at him. "What do you think, Mr. Jiang?"
The boy could no longer bear it and abruptly stood up. "Why did you do this? Why couldn't we compete fairly? Why did you have to pull strings? This role should have been mine! It should have been mine!"
"Oh……"
Situ Ming sneered, "You probably don't know this, but this role was secured for me by the boss. Do you know why? Because he abandoned you. He felt you were no longer useful, so he discarded you and devoted himself to developing me..."
"You spend all day fantasizing about a peaceful world where everyone competes fairly, about becoming a good person, a peerless hero, unparalleled in the world. Stop kidding yourself! Open your eyes and look at this world…!"
"Everyone is desperately climbing the ladder for power and influence, but you... are just standing still. Stop dreaming, stop indulging in your fantasies, and take a serious look at this world, at this decadent world!"
"What fair competition... Only a fool would compete fairly. Fairness has never existed in this world. People like you, born with access to resources and a silver spoon in their mouths, how could you possibly expect fairness?"
"Your brother and your father are both on the world's richest list. Everyone will fawn over you. These are resources that should belong to you, but you don't cherish them. You think about so-called fairness, so the ones who benefit are people like me."
Situ Ming spoke at length, finally reaching out to pat him on the shoulder, "In this world, there has never been fairness. In this world, power is everything. Everyone is desperately striving for money and power..."
"And what gives you the right to remain unscathed?"
"If you really want to stay this listless and depressed because of some so-called fantasy, then be prepared to be abandoned by this world."
Faced with Situ Ming's series of words, Jiang Yuming was unable to refute them. He hesitated, his words lingering for a long time...
They still didn't say anything.
Only after Situ Ming left did he collapse to the ground, as if all his strength had left him...
Meng Youcheng quickly stepped forward to support him, "Jiang Yuming...!"
"Uncle...is this world... really like this?"
The boy muttered dejectedly, "Is this world... really as dilapidated as he said?"
Meng Youcheng pondered for a moment and replied with a single word, "Hmm."
Jiang Yuming's eyes welled with tears as she turned to look at him, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Why... is it not what I imagined? Why... is this the world? Why is there no fairness? Is profit and money really more important than everything? Is it really... like that?"
"Yes……"
Meng Youcheng hardened his heart and said, "That's how this world is. Everyone is fighting for their own interests. Outcasts can't survive long in this world. This world will abandon them."
Tears streamed continuously from the boy's eyes...
He kept muttering to himself, "What should I do...? What should I do? Do I... have to be like them to survive safely in this world?"
"Uncle, tell me... should I also strive for profit and keep climbing up the ladder? I don't trust anyone, I don't want to listen to anyone else, I only trust you. Tell me, what should I do?"
Looking into the boy's pained eyes...
The words he had once spoken lingered in Meng Youcheng's mind.
"Uncle... I don't want to become like my brother and my dad. If one day I turn bad, you must stop me, because at that time, I'm afraid I'll only listen to you."
The man's heart tightened, and he said, "If... you don't want to be abandoned by this world, if... you want to keep going, if... you want to hold my hand and walk with me forever, then let go of your illusions and accept..."
Meng Youcheng gritted his teeth. "Let's be realistic."
The boy's eyes were red and swollen. He looked up at him, tears streaming down his face, and murmured, "Uncle... I... am in pain..."
Meng Youcheng patted his head and said nothing more.
After a moment, he simply hugged the boy tightly, still without saying a word...
The boy kept calling out in his arms, "Uncle... Uncle..."
The man hardened his heart, neither bowing his head nor replying.
"Uncle...I love you...for you..."
The boy choked up, and finally said, "I will pay any price, really."
……
Two hours later, the performance ended.
Situ Ming's acting was superb, securing a landslide victory and first place. Jiang Yuming's performance was also decent, maintaining his second-place position.
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Yuming has changed a lot. He focuses on studying acting skills and often locks himself in his room. He always smiles when he's with Meng Youcheng, but his smile becomes very strange when he's with other people...
He spoke less and less, becoming increasingly aloof. Aside from Meng Youcheng, he rarely spoke to anyone, obsessively studying his acting skills as if he were possessed...
Since that semi-final, his resources have not been very good, and he has remained in second place, making it difficult to overtake him.
Tomorrow is the final, the ultimate showdown, and only four players remain from the four teams.
Everyone was eager to try and preparing for tomorrow's competition...
Meng Youcheng was taking a shower in the bathroom when he heard his cell phone ringing outside...
Jiang Yuming: "Hey bro... how have you been lately?"
Meng Youcheng couldn't hear the reply from the other end of the phone; perhaps it was just the two brothers exchanging pleasantries...
But after spending so much time with Jiang Yuming, it seems he has never called his brother.
Jiang Yuming: "Did you watch my match? I've been stuck in second place, it's hard to break through. Can you help me?"
"I've never asked you for anything since I was a child. Please help me this time. Let me be number one and win the championship."