Chapter 290: The Meaning of Struggle
After soaking in the hot spring, she put on the Japanese-style yukata the hotel provided, tied up her hair, and walked alone in the corridor. When she was alone before, she would often walk around by herself. When she had no work and no friends, she would walk around everywhere, look at the scenery, and wander around, even though she had no money in her hands. She still liked to do this.
She had been in this world for almost twenty years, and she was used to not having family around. To her, family was like a fantasy in a dream. She felt that it was impossible for her to have any family by her side in this lifetime, already impossible. And she didn’t plan to get married either. In the future, it was impossible for her to have her own children, let alone be a mother.
She came into this world with nothing, and in the end, she couldn’t take anything with her. Perhaps this was her fate. She had originally wanted to leave many things behind in this world, but she found that it was too difficult to leave a legacy that future generations would forever remember.
“Phew…”
She let out a hot breath. The winter air was very cold, and her hands were trembling. She still remembered one winter when she had no cotton clothes or gloves to get through the winter, she had run to steal an adult’s gloves. At that time, two adults were taking care of a child and didn’t notice a little blonde girl sneaking up behind them and stealing a pair of gloves from their shopping bag. The gloves Yu Linna had stolen at that time were just the right size. They were very comfortable to wear, and she wore them for many years. Even when they were damaged, she would mend them, reluctant to throw them away, until finally there was no place left to patch.
Now, she was no longer at an age where she couldn’t afford gloves, but she still missed those poor days of the past. If it weren’t for those poor days, how could she have been motivated to strive upwards and work hard to change her situation? At that time, she had studied hard and had also thought about making a name for herself after graduation to change her life. When she was even younger, she had even thought about becoming a writer. Now, her dream had come true.
She walked to the hotel lobby again. The TV in the lobby was broadcasting news about Shion-sensei. This big celebrity was on TV again, but this time it was negative news. Affected by the animation of Ballad of the Enchantress, this big celebrity was bombarded by many readers. Although there were also rational fans who said that the animation had nothing to do with the author, there were still inevitably haters who seized on this point to flame her to death.
“Wenqing’s great author, Shion, has recently been bombarded by many netizens due to the terrible effects of the animation Ballad of the Enchantress. There are even die-hard fans who have organized a large group of people to protest and demonstrate downstairs at the Wenqing editorial department, threatening to have Shion-sensei come out and explain. But Shion has never appeared. Some say that Shion is being a diva, while others say that Shion is under pressure. Putting personal feelings aside, Ballad of the Enchantress really can’t be said to be a good animation. The terrible editing and narration, and the blurred characters, are really not a…”
Even the news was commenting on her. Just how famous had she become? But she also knew very well that things would reverse when they reached an extreme. If she couldn’t pull herself together again, someone would surely replace her. This was the law of the world. If you don’t want to be eliminated, you have to work hard, work hard to stabilize your position.
Yu Linna returned to her room. Lan Ranyan was currently scrolling through her phone in the room. Seeing her return, she took off her headphones.
“Where did you go?”
“For a walk.”
“Mmm.”
Lan Ranyan didn’t ask any more questions and just responded faintly. She was the big sister of the dorm, but she never interfered with anyone’s privacy in the dorm, nor did she ask too many unnecessary questions. No one knew what Lan Ranyan’s family did. She never talked about it. But looking at the brand-name skincare she used and the trendy clothes she wore, plus her usual spending level, she didn’t look like a child from an ordinary family. And she was also a girl from Beijing, so her identity easily made people’s imaginations run wild.
“Let’s go eat later.”
“Mmm.”
Lan Ranyan still responded faintly, unwilling to say another word. Yu Linna and Lan Ranyan were both the cold and indifferent type. The two of them quickly ran out of topics, fell silent, and went about their own business.
…
When the plane landed at the Los Angeles airport in the United States, Ye Zhiyun and Zendaya came out of the security checkpoint, carrying not much luggage, and stepped onto this land. Ye Zhiyun had often come to the United States to play before and was quite familiar with this place. And she had learned English well since she was a child, so dealing with foreigners was not a problem at all. The first thing Zendaya did after returning to the United States was to buy a cheeseburger and eat it happily.
“Zendaya, where are we going?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve arranged a hotel for you to stay at. You can stay in the United States for a few days. As for raising investment, we’ll discuss it in the long run.”
Ye Zhiyun sighed in her heart.
Wanting to pull someone in to start a company together was not an easy task. One wrong move and you could really lose money. Clearly, Zendaya still didn’t believe she had the ability to lead a company. There was nothing to be done about it. When Zendaya first met her, Ye Zhiyun was still very young. At that age, she would often spend a lot of money, buying lottery tickets or building a private swimming pool, extremely extravagant and wasteful. Zendaya’s first impression was not very good.
Although they later became very good friends, in Zendaya’s heart, Ye Zhiyun was just a young miss. She rarely paid attention to the business Ye Zhiyun was doing in her home country.
Staying in a hotel in the United States, Ye Zhiyun was of course not idle these days. She lobbied Zendaya, went to find Henry, and also went everywhere to find partners. She had thought that if it really didn’t work out, she would first open a small advertising company, but even so, there was still no sponsorship. In the past, she had always invested in movies. Now she wanted others to invest in her, but this was very difficult.
After many days, there was still no progress. On the contrary, her legs were about to break from running around, and her mouth was dry, but still no one was willing to help her. She was a young miss. When she was doing business in her home country, many people would give her face. Generally, medium-sized enterprises would give her some investment on account of her father, and she could also use this opportunity to make a few deals. It was the same with investing in movies. Because of her father’s face, many directors also met with her, and the production companies would also give her a good face.
She also had the ability to do her job well. Although everyone called her “Miss Ye,” many people still recognized her ability.
But the United States was not like her home country. This was not her territory. Everything had to be done by herself, starting from scratch. She didn’t know where to start her business. She had hit a brick wall.
“I’ve already told you, don’t do these things anymore. Please, darling, you’re still young. You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future. You’re only 19. You want to start a company now? It’s too fast. They won’t believe you have this ability.”
Zendaya said this when she was having a drink with her. She was a little surprised that Ye Zhiyun was so persistent about starting a company. She didn’t remember Ye Zhiyun being such a persistent person. The Ye Zhiyun of the past was clearly a person with a three-minute passion. If she got tired of a swimming pool, she would immediately go and buy a garden. She was a true young miss.
It was only in recent years that Ye Zhiyun had become more restrained. After suffering a little hardship outside, she had shifted the focus of her career to investment and no longer spent money recklessly. She invested in movies in her home country, started an online store, and even got into real estate, and she had also made money. But she still couldn’t reach her father’s level.
“Zhiyun, forget about those unhappy things. Have a good time in the United States. When you go back, don’t think about anything. Even if you don’t start a company, your family’s company will surely have a place for you. Why do you have to care so much?”
Zendaya smiled and handed her a drink, comforting her not to be disappointed. But could Ye Zhiyun really accept it?
She certainly knew that her father’s company would have a place for her, but to have a stake in the company now was still too early. Her father would not agree to give it to her. Plus, with her aunt around, she had to be anxious. Just as her aunt had said, she had a year. If she didn’t achieve any practical results after a year, then…
She wanted to protect Yu Linna, and she also wanted to get her love. But without money as a foundation, this was absolutely impossible.
After returning to the hotel, Ye Zhiyun stood alone on the balcony, the cool wind blowing, a chill in her heart. The cool wind in the United States was not any weaker than in her home country, or perhaps her heart was just that cold. During these days abroad, she had never had a smooth time, always hitting a brick wall wherever she went. She wanted to pull Zendaya in, but Zendaya was unwilling. She still didn’t believe in Ye Zhiyun’s ability.
So, what should she do next?
“Nana…”
She chanted the name she missed the most. During the days of hitting a wall abroad, her heart was always on one person, on the person who could bring her hope. She wanted to give her a better life, and she also wanted to exchange money for social status to better protect her. But this was really so hard, too hard.
She was still not strong enough.
I want to see her so much.
She called Dai Wenqian and asked her what she thought about starting a company. Dai Wenqian was usually carefree, but she was also from a young miss background. She was very clear about business matters.
“Well, it’s indeed a very difficult thing. Let’s not talk about how much money we can make first. First, we have to ensure that the amount of money we lose is within an acceptable range for us. We have one advantage, and that is that we are not afraid of small losses. To put it bluntly, we have strong backing.”
“But this has also become an important factor limiting our development.”
“Yes. Because of this, we may not have the motivation. If it’s just for fun, we definitely won’t make money. I’m also thinking about how to manage it well.”
“Wenqian, does this mean you’ve agreed? You’ve been hesitating these past two days.”
“Well… ahem.”
On the other end of the phone, Dai Wenqian thought for a moment, considering how to say it.
“Isn’t the process of striving for a dream very wonderful? There might only be one chance in life. Like this, with our own money, we start a company, and then our personal assets exceed our parents’. Wow, just thinking about it is exciting. We’ll become legends.”
The frown that had been on Ye Zhiyun’s brow for days finally relaxed, and the corners of her mouth slightly lifted.
“Wenqian, thank you.”
At least, she was not alone now. There was someone to be crazy with her.
“Don’t be too happy too soon. You haven’t pulled in enough partners yet, and you haven’t thought about the startup plan for the company. In short, all things are difficult at the beginning.”
“That’s what makes the struggle meaningful, isn’t it?”
She put down her phone and looked up at the starry sky. She always felt that after this night passed, tomorrow would surely be better.
