Entertainment: After singing her CEO best friend to tears, she repaid him with her body.

Chapter 19 Come to my house, there are resources there.

"I know a little bit," Wang Bo said modestly.

"That's great." Lin Wan took out a business card from her handbag and handed it to him. "The show starts filming next month. If you're interested, we can discuss it in detail. As for the compensation, you won't be shortchanged."

When she handed him her business card, her fingers "inadvertently" touched the back of Wang Bo's hand.

Wang Bo accepted the business card and thanked him politely.

Lin Wan chatted with Su Xiaoxiao for a few more minutes, mostly with the same old advice like "the company should develop steadily" and "don't be too eager for quick success," before she left.

As soon as she left, Zhou Yuji leaned close to Wang Bo's ear and whispered, "Wow, Wang Bo, you got an invitation already? Lin Wan is a well-known powerful woman in the cultural circle; countless young men would love to be with her but can't."

Wang Bo said seriously, "Sister Zhou, don't joke around."

"I'm not joking." Zhou Yuji sat up straight, swirling the juice in her glass—she hadn't been drinking tonight, saying she wanted to stay sober for Wang Bo's assistant. "But Wang Bo, I have to remind you, in this kind of setting, 90% of these people's interest in you has nothing to do with your talent. They're either doing it for Xiaoxiao's sake, or because you're handsome, or because they find you novel. After tonight's performance, if you perform well, their interest will turn into sexual interest; if they perform even better, then it will become investment value; if they don't perform well..."

"Sister Zhou, I'm not new to this industry, I know it very well," Wang Bo said.

In the next half hour, several more groups of people arrived.

A male classmate came over to try and get close to Su Xiaoxiao, subtly inquiring whether she had a boyfriend and whether her company needed funding, as he happened to know a few investors.

Some powerful women came over to chat with Wang Bo. Some were direct, some were subtle, but the core message was the same: "Young man, you have good looks. Are you interested in developing a career in the film and television industry? Come to my house. I have resources there."

Su Yiyi was relatively quiet. Occasionally, someone would recognize her as a music academy teacher and come over to chat about music education, to which she would respond gently. But most of the time, she would just sit quietly, like a lily standing alone outside the hustle and bustle.

Wang Bo dealt with these social interactions with a polite smile on his face, but the sense of alienation in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

He watched those successful people chatting and laughing, watching them exchange business cards, watching them casually say things like, "I just invested in a project last month," "I'm currently negotiating a merger and acquisition," "I'm going to New York next month to ring the bell at the stock exchange"...

This is a circle, a circle he has never truly entered, nor may he want to enter.

Tonight, he stands on the edge of this circle, treated as an exhibit or a potential stock, being evaluated, questioned, and traded.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Su Yiyi suddenly asked softly.

Wang Bo turned his head and met her clear eyes.

"A little," he honestly admitted.

"That's normal," Su Yiyi smiled. "The first time I attended such an event, I almost ran away. Later, I gradually realized that socializing is also a kind of performance, only the stage is bigger and the audience is larger. You can choose to get into the role, or you can choose to be a sober observer."

"So what do you choose?" Wang Bo asked.

"I choose to be a music teacher." Su Yiyi smiled, a smile so pure it was captivating. "It's simpler, and more authentic that way."

At 7 p.m., the lights in the stadium went out.

The large screen on the stage lit up, playing a promotional video about the century-long history of the provincial university.

Stirring music, weighty narration, and flashing old photographs—the thatched huts in the early days of the school, the relocation during the war, the rapid development after reform and opening up, and the construction in the new century…

The promotional video ended, and the lights came back on.

School leaders delivered speeches.

The principal was a sprightly old man with gray hair, but a loud voice.

He reviewed the university's 100-year history, thanked the alumni for their support, and looked forward to future development... His speech was brilliant and very long.

After speaking for about ten minutes, Wang Bo gently touched Su Xiaoxiao's arm.

"I'm going backstage now," he said in a low voice.

Su Xiaoxiao nodded: "Keep it up."

Zhou Yuji stood up: "I'll go with you. We agreed that I'd be your temporary assistant."

The two quietly left their seats, passed through the VIP area, and headed towards the backstage passage.

As they left, Wang Bo could feel several gazes following them—some concerned, some curious, and some indifferent.

The aisle was quiet, a stark contrast to the clamor in the audience.

Zhou Yuji's high-heeled Martin boots clicked crisply on the ground as she walked beside him, her burgundy sequined dress still shimmering in the dim light.

"Are you nervous?" she asked.

"A little," Wang Bo admitted, "but not because of the performance."

"Because of those people's opinions?" Zhou Yuji said knowingly. "Ignore them. When you stand on the stage and the music starts, they'll shut up. If they don't, it means you didn't sing well enough."

These words were blunt, but strangely, they made Wang Bo relax a bit.

"Sister Zhou," he suddenly asked, "did you often attend these kinds of events when you used to run your company?"

"Often." Zhou Yuji shrugged. "At first, it was quite novel, and I felt like I was a successful person. But later I found that most of the time it was just mutual flattery, exchanging resources, and talking about projects that seemed high-end but were actually empty and meaningless. It was boring."

She paused, then smiled: "So I've decided to quit, close the company, travel the world, see the real world, meet real people, and do something real."

"Like being my temporary assistant?" Wang Bo joked.

Zhou Yuji nodded earnestly: "At least this is a real thing—helping you complete an important performance. This is more meaningful than negotiating a hundred fake collaborations."

The two walked to the backstage entrance, where staff checked their identification and allowed them to pass.

The backstage area was bustling with activity.

Makeup artists are touching up the actors' makeup, dancers are warming up, the host is rehearsing his lines, and staff members are running around with walkie-talkies...

Guan Lin, Lin Weiwei, and Xiao Kai all have their own private dressing rooms, with assistants standing guard at the entrance.

Wang Bo's "rest area" consisted of a chair in the corner of the corridor and a locker with "Wang Bo" on it.

Zhou Yuji glanced at it and raised an eyebrow: "That's it?"

"That's fine." Wang Bo didn't mind. "Anyway, I won't be sitting here for long."

He opened the locker, took out the guitar, and tuned it.

Zhou Yuji leaned against the wall, looking at his focused profile, and suddenly said, "Wang Bo, you know what? I'm starting to understand why Yiyi thinks so highly of you now."

Why?

"Because you have a kind of... authenticity," Zhou Yuji said. "In this industry, authenticity is the rarest thing. Most people are playing the roles that others expect, saying what others want to hear, and doing what others think is right. But you are different. You are just making music, simply and earnestly."

She smiled and said, "That's probably why Xiaoxiao wants to sign you. Although she talks about commercial value, she actually craves something real, just like we do."

Wang Bo tuned the strings, looked up at her, and said, "Sister Zhou, you're very genuine too."

"Me?" Zhou Yuji laughed self-deprecatingly. "I'm probably the most unreal one. Starting a company is an experience, closing a company is being willful, traveling around the world is escapism. In my whole life, I haven't found anything I truly want to stick to to the end."

"Then let's take our time looking," Wang Bo said. "The world is so big, we'll find it eventually."

Zhou Yuji looked at him with a complicated expression.

After a long pause, she said softly, "Wang Bo, if... I mean if, you really become famous tonight, remember to save me a ticket for your next concert. I want to sit in the front row, holding a glow stick, and cheer for you like a true fan."

"It's a deal." Wang Bo extended his hand.

Zhou Yuji held his hand tightly.

"Alright, temporary assistant, you should go check on the band." As Wang Bo sighed inwardly at how good his touch was, Zhou Yuji let go, reverting to her carefree demeanor. "You stay here and get ready, I'll go see if those guys have been secretly drinking."

She turned and left, her burgundy sequined dress drawing a dazzling arc under the corridor lights.

Wang Bo watched her retreating figure, then looked at the guitar in his hands.

Then he closed his eyes, and the melody flowed slowly through his mind.

The gazes from those in the VIP seats, the assessments from those successful people, the insincere small talk and probing...

It doesn't matter anymore.

The important thing is that he stands here, with a guitar in his hand and a song in his heart.

In the audience, there were three people who believed in him.

This is enough.

From the other end of the corridor came Zhou Yuji's clear voice: "Old Zhao, did you sneak a drink of energy drink again? I prepared that for Wang Bo!"

Then came the drummer, Lao Zhao's, aggrieved explanation: "I only tasted one bite..."