Chapter Thirty-Four: Reflection and Silence

  I was thinking and thinking, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. When I woke up, the sky was already completely dark. I turned on the light and looked at my watch, which showed that it was past 2 o'clock in the morning. My stomach was growling loudly, and only then did I realize that I had forgotten to eat lunch. I quickly cooked five packs of instant noodles to fill my stomach, and only then did I feel a bit more comfortable and energized. Suddenly, I thought about how ridiculous my thoughts were yesterday, and I couldn't help but laugh awkwardly for a few moments.

  "In my heart, I think: 'What's the point of worrying about things that haven't even begun? Between men and women, it requires mutual affection to be together. From now on, I'll just go with the flow and not force anything. After all, I was once a cultivator, how could worldly etiquette and rules bind me? My actions don't seek for everything to go my way, but only for my heart's intentions to be clear and not controlled by others. If all of you sisters are in harmony with me, why would I choose just one and give up on the rest? As long as they're willing, we can spend our lives together, what need is there to care about the gossip and slander of worldly people?"

  After calming down, Zhang Chengyuan's mood improved a lot. He thought that he was still young and his sisters' intentions were not clear yet, thinking about these things seemed too early, so he stopped overthinking and reviewed the acting skills and techniques he learned in recent days before going back to bed.

  When he woke up again, the sky was already bright. After a round of fist and foot in the small courtyard, he suddenly had an urge to see Fin.k.l's four girls immediately. When he was about to take action, he suddenly remembered that they went to Atlanta, USA a few days ago for some performance and planned to stay there for a while. It is estimated that they have not returned yet. A hot blood suddenly dissipated, his mind cleared up, and he secretly warned himself: "Do nothing without cause, but do not be reckless. If this ruins your Taoist heart, you may not even maintain the current peak state of 'practicing energy and refining essence', and it may further damage your original spirit that has not fully recovered."

  After being most alert, Zhang Chengyuan returned to his room to meditate and circulate the air, silently reciting the Huang Ting, stabilizing his mind and spirit. He reflected: "Since my rebirth a year ago, my greedy heart has gradually grown stronger, and by today it was almost uncontrollable. Once I become a slave to desire, the cultivation of my past life will likely be completely destroyed and cannot be revived. If that's the case, then living is worse than dying."

  There's a saying that goes, "A gentleman makes his fortune in a proper way." Over the past year, I've been working hard in the entertainment industry based on my own abilities and efforts. Although I may have taken some shortcuts, I've never done anything underhanded or shameful. I can hold my head high with pride and not be swayed by temptation. It should be the same with love, but now that I've caught feelings for someone, I've developed a guilty conscience, making me feel uneasy and unable to calm down, almost to the point of losing my moral integrity. It seems like from now on, I need to constantly reflect on myself, or else I'll end up repeating the mistakes of today."

  To calm his mind, Zhang Chengyuan spent most of his time at home reading Taoist scriptures, in addition to attending school, doing necessary work and occasionally visiting friends. Although he had written these scriptures himself and was extremely familiar with them, every time he carefully pondered over them again, he would gain new insights, not only about Taoist theories but also about the philosophy of life, which would have a significant guiding effect on his future behavior and dealings.

  During this time, Park Byung-ryul was very considerate of Jang Sung-won being a busy high school student preparing for the college entrance exam, so he didn't give Jang many tasks. On the other hand, his mind was gradually drawn to the company's new model Kim Tae-hee, and he no longer revolved around Jang every day. Recently, Kim Tae-hee has risen to fame in the fashion world and advertising industry with her refreshing and elegant image, becoming the most popular new star model of the time, as if she had suddenly swept up a fierce storm, and her popularity was even more overwhelming than Jang's last year.

  According to Park Byung-ryul and Jang Sung-won, there are several possible reasons for this: Firstly, Kim Tae-hee has the gold signboard of Seoul National University. Jang Sung-won's fame, apart from his outstanding appearance and temperament, is largely due to the help of Jang Dong-gun, as can be seen from the fact that he was called "Jang Dong-gun's younger brother". As for Kim Tae-hee, apart from her almost unparalleled beauty, she relies on the reputation and brand effect of Seoul National University. It is worth noting that people who have graduated from top universities like Seoul National University have a huge influence in Korean society, covering politics, finance, business, entertainment and other fields. Under equal conditions, those who have graduated from top universities will always be treated preferentially.

  Second, Kim Tae-hee has an age advantage. Jang Sung-won is still a minor and is in high school, so many products cannot be endorsed, such as liquor, credit cards, financial products, and apartment buildings that are for adults only. On the other hand, Kim Tae-hee does not have these restrictions, and the variety and number of products she endorses are unmatched by many top stars. Moreover, university coursework is relatively easier than high school, with more freedom to come and go, and even delaying graduation by a few years is no big deal, so naturally there is more time and energy to devote to work, which is why she can endorse more and higher-end products.

  Third, using the advertising industry's standards for selecting models, when choosing male models, in addition to considering their appearance and physique, they also need to consider the model's temperament and product matching degree equally or even more highly. When choosing female models, in many cases, appearance is the primary consideration, followed by other factors, and sometimes other factors can be completely ignored, because under the support of makeup technology, the temperament of a stunning beauty can basically change with ease and adapt to most types of products. In this regard, Zhang Chengyuan currently finds it difficult to meet these standards.

  The first two points are the common views of Park Hyung-ryeol and Jang Seong-won, while the third point is Park's personal feeling, which he concluded after carefully observing the advertising industry over the years. As for whether it matches the actual situation, that depends on individual perspectives.

  Park Byung-ryul and Jang Sung-won also came to the same conclusion: In the next two or three years, Jang Sung-won's performance will definitely not be able to surpass Kim Tae-hee.

  Given that Zhang Chengyuan still had to prepare for the college entrance examination this year, Park Byung-ryul naturally shifted the focus of the company to Kim Tae-hee. Of course, with his long-term vision, he would not do anything to neglect Zhang Chengyuan. Even considering that Zhang Chengyuan might have grievances against Kim Tae-hee for stealing his thunder, he repeatedly talked to Zhang Chengyuan, advising him to prioritize his studies and wait until next year to make a big move, and hinted to Zhang Chengyuan that he was still the company's most valued artist, telling him to relax and focus on studying hard to get into a top university, and not have any unnecessary thoughts.

  This made Zhang Chengyuan somewhat perplexed, as he had a good impression of Kim Tae-hee. Although he had given up on pursuing her after confirming that she already had a boyfriend, he remained very friendly towards her. The two formed a relatively close sister-brother relationship during their limited interactions. Due to the short time they had known each other, their relationship could not be compared to Zhang Chengyuan's sibling-like affection for Fin.K.L just yet.

  Besides, with Zhang Chengyuan's cold and proud personality to the bone, how could he put down his self-esteem to be jealous of others, let alone a woman?

  Zhang Chengyuan not only didn't feel jealous, but was very at ease with the current situation, and wasn't worried about his career which hadn't made any progress in several months. Just as he had thought before, do nothing that is not natural, and follow the natural course of things.

  Park Byung-ryul was delighted with Kim Tae-hee's rising career, but also worried about Jang Sung-won's stagnant career. The Korean entertainment industry is good at packaging idol stars, and most stars will disappear quickly after releasing dazzling light. Park Byung-ryul was afraid that Jang Sung-won would become a shooting star that would regret if he didn't make progress, so in June, he heard that KBS TV station was about to start filming a youth romance drama, which needed several new young actors to participate. He urgently got the relevant materials for Jang Sung-won and asked him to prepare fully to compete for a good role.

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