Chapter 128: I Was Betrayed by a Woman

Chapter 128: I Got Played by a Woman

It was only a game on an entertainment show. Winning or losing was hardly important.

Neither Yang Xin'er nor Zhang Le, nor Lin Yang and Chen Fang, had taken part in the game to gain some profound insight from it. It was simply a game meant to entertain the audience.

In his previous life, Zhang Le had attended an outdoor team-building course in which participants came to understand various principles through games. One of them had been similar to this one. The difference was that, instead of carrying someone through obstacles, participants had to support each other along a completely unfamiliar path. No one knew what they might encounter along the way.

The unknown was undoubtedly the most frightening thing. Amid such fear, the only person you could rely on and trust was the one supporting you. It was an experience meant to inspire psychological insight.

Clearly, this entertainment show lacked that kind of atmosphere. There was no instructor standing nearby, patiently guiding the participants with words. The game was supposed to inspire an understanding of trust and dependence, highlighting how important the other person was to you, but that effect had been diluted by the show's lighthearted atmosphere.

Although Chen Fang and Lin Yang had shifted some of the obstacles, they had not moved many, so Zhang Le was not affected very much.

Neither Zhang Le nor Yang Xin'er had played this game before. Now they had to remain silent, unable to communicate through words, like deaf-mutes. One was more or less blind, while the other was more or less lame.

Yang Xin'er was Zhang Le's eyes. And how could Zhang Le not be Yang Xin'er's legs?

Their mutual dependence was fully displayed at that moment. Unfortunately, neither Zhang Le nor Yang Xin'er gave it the slightest thought.

"Is this what they call walking as if on level ground?" Lin Yang stared, dumbfounded, at the speed with which Zhang Le carried Yang Xin'er through the obstacles. After a long while, he finally managed to force out a sentence.

The others nodded mechanically.

Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er completed the course with ease, using very little time. Compared with Lin Yang and Chen Fang, they had needed only a fraction of the time.

When an ordinary person suddenly loses the ability to see, they certainly do not possess the same sense of direction as someone who is blind. When you close your eyes, you may think you are walking in a straight line, when in fact you are moving diagonally or taking a winding route.

Zhang Le, however, was a martial artist, and his sense of direction was far superior to that of ordinary people.

The contrast in their performances was striking. Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er left everyone astonished, while Lin Yang and Chen Fang had the entire group laughing uncontrollably. In terms of entertainment value, it was impossible to say which pair was better. In fact, the differing effects only enhanced the show as a whole.

Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er were appearing on only one episode, yet their appearance fees were higher than those of Chen Fang and Lin Yang, the show's regular guests. And even that was a friendly rate offered to He Jun.

Although Zhang Le and Yang Xin'er were not paid at the very highest level for their appearances and film roles, they were unquestionably among the industry's first tier. Zhang Le believed that after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, both of their market values would rise substantially.

Zhang Le in particular might even catch up with Yang Xin'er if Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon performed well at domestic and international award ceremonies.

Still, neither Zhang Le nor Yang Xin'er currently earned most of their income from acting fees or appearance fees.

Negotiations for The Voice had gone quite smoothly. Central Television clearly did not have much confidence in the program, so it was naturally easier for them to accept Xingle Pictures' tiered pricing proposal.

There were four mentors in total, three men and one woman. Yang Xin'er was extremely interested in the talent show. Although she was still young and lacked the seniority expected of a mentor, her tremendous fame more than made up for it. Besides, the program was a joint production between Xingle Pictures and Central Television.

Naturally, no one objected to Yang Xin'er becoming a mentor, whether inside or outside the entertainment industry.

The other three mentors, however, carried considerably more weight than Yang Xin'er. The plan was to invite one from Taiwan, one from Hong Kong, and one from mainland China. All of them were to be legendary figures in the industry. Yet in terms of present-day fame, they fell far short of Yang Xin'er.

"You had me come all the way out here. Don't tell me you're asking me to go fishing with you? I don't have as much free time as you do." Zhang Le sat down beside Wu Xiaoyong. He watched Wu Xiaoyong glance at him before turning his attention back to the fishing rod in his hand.

"Didn't Feng Lei say you've got nothing much to do these days?" Wu Xiaoyong said blandly. "Your Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon hasn't been released yet, has it? And as for the company, I know you're nothing but a hands-off owner."

Feng Lei had introduced Zhang Le and Wu Xiaoyong to each other. During their first meeting, the two had even gotten into a fight, causing quite a stir. After that, they gradually became familiar with one another and would occasionally get together when they were both free.

In Zhang Le's opinion, no matter how the media and the internet judged this wealthy heir, Wu Xiaoyong was genuinely loyal to his friends. Zhang Le's films, even Tang Xiao's movie, received considerable preferential treatment at Wu's family's cinemas when it came to screening schedules, despite Zhang Le never having asked him for it.

Of course, when Zhang Le had first decided to befriend Wu Xiaoyong, he had indeed been interested in the theater chain under Wu's control. But after getting to know him, Zhang Le found that Wu's temperament suited him. Their friendship gradually deepened, and they no longer bothered with unnecessary formalities when speaking.

"So I become completely idle the moment I'm not making a film or promoting one?" Zhang Le shook his head with a laugh. "Go on, then. Why did you ask me here?"

"Let's fish for a while. There's still plenty of time before lunch. Don't tell me you have to hurry home later to cook for your Xin'er?" Wu Xiaoyong pointed at the fishing gear beside Zhang Le, teasing him.

"All right, then. I'll consider this a little leisure in the middle of a busy day." Zhang Le smiled. "When you feel like talking later, we'll see whether I feel like listening."

"That arrogant?" Wu Xiaoyong laughed, naturally understanding that Zhang Le was joking.

"I'm merely following in your footsteps." Zhang Le smiled.

With that, he picked up the fishing gear without hesitation and began fishing. Fishing was undoubtedly an exercise in cultivating patience. For people with hot tempers, it was almost unbearable. Zhang Le, however, had a steady disposition and could endure the waiting that fishing required.

"I got played by a woman," Wu Xiaoyong suddenly said.

"What? What did you say?" Zhang Le was startled. He thought he must have misheard.

What kind of man was Wu Xiaoyong? He was an old hand when it came to women. He moved through a hundred flowers without a single petal clinging to him—that was the sort of man he was. Yet here and now, in this place and under these circumstances, he had actually said that a woman had played him, and he had said it so casually that Zhang Le could not help wondering whether his ears were deceiving him.

"I got played by a woman!" Wu Xiaoyong said helplessly. "I've lived this long, and I've always been the one sleeping with women. When has a woman ever slept with me?"

Zhang Le wanted to laugh, but he also felt puzzled. He could not hear the slightest trace of anger in Wu Xiaoyong's voice. For a proud man to have been slept with by a woman without showing any anger at all was deeply strange.

Besides, for Wu Xiaoyong, this ought to have been humiliating. Something like that was usually the sort of thing a man would swallow in silence, not bring up and tell someone else.

Zhang Le and Wu Xiaoyong were on good terms, but not so close that Zhang Le would have expected to become Wu Xiaoyong's confidant.