Foolish Woman

Oval face, double eyelids, rosy lips, and fair skin—nothing about her suggested she was thirty.

Chen Ruowen scrutinized the woman before her and nodded in satisfaction. In person, she was even more attractive than on screen; there was a touch of tenacity beneath her innocent appearance, fitting the character’s profile well.

“You signed with Twin Star right after graduation?” Chen Ruowen tossed aside the dossier on Xu Xiangwei, her tone full of curiosity.

Chen Liwan had already left to prepare for a business dinner that evening, and Zhang Jiang had been sent away by Chen Ruowen on some pretext. Now, only the two women remained in the private room.

Xu Xiangwei was nervous. When a crew member told her that the heiress of Twin Star wanted to meet her, she thought it was a prank. During her time at Twin Star, she’d only glimpsed the legendary heiress twice from afar, but that striking beauty and innate pride—one glance was unforgettable.

Xu Xiangwei nodded stiffly, her fingers tightly entwined, unable to hide her unease.

Chen Ruowen seemed oblivious to Xu Xiangwei’s discomfort or the pressure she exuded, asking casually, “Twin Star isn’t one of those small agencies that ignores its artists after signing them. You’ve been here eight years and don’t have a single notable work. Why is that?”

Why didn’t she have a notable work…

Usually, it was the artists questioning the company about such things, but this reversal of roles didn’t feel at all inappropriate to Xu Xiangwei. Twin Star was a giant in the industry, but its internal system was known for being fair and its treatment of artists decent. Anyone who made it into Twin Star, even if not a superstar, would at least have had a brief moment in the spotlight. Xu Xiangwei, with eight years and not a single decent work, was indeed an outlier.

But her situation… Xu Xiangwei bit her lip, finding it hard to speak.

Just as she finally gathered the courage to answer, Chen Ruowen added unhurriedly, “Think carefully before you speak. You only get one chance.”

Xu Xiangwei gave a bitter smile.

Chen Ruowen’s words revealed nothing, yet her timing, the easy confidence in her tone, and the faint hint of implication made it impossible to brush off her question or dare to lie to her.

“This really is my responsibility,” Xu Xiangwei sighed deeply and began her story.

In her youth, Xu Xiangwei had been something of a star. At eighteen, she topped the entrance exams and got into the acting department at Southern City Drama Academy. She strictly followed the school’s rules, focusing on theory for the first two years and never joining a cast. By her third year, she was handpicked by her mentor to join a theater troupe, starting her stage career and earning some money on the side.

In her final year, she again received a teacher’s recommendation and smoothly signed with Twin Star, the country’s hottest entertainment company. A bright future lay ahead—or so it seemed.

After joining Twin Star, Xu Xiangwei underwent six months of rigorous training. Just as she was about to reap the benefits, her high school sweetheart proposed.

Her boyfriend was a complete outsider to the entertainment world, utterly clueless about it. He was fine with her performing in stage plays and even with a few minor roles at Twin Star, but things changed when Twin Star offered her a major supporting role in a new idol drama perfectly tailored to her image—a drama that later became a huge hit.

For a newcomer, it was an excellent opportunity, but her fiancé had strong objections—because the role involved kissing scenes.

It’s understandable for someone outside the industry to struggle with an actor’s work. After weighing her options, Xu Xiangwei turned down the big-budget drama that had been in the works.

Breaching the contract naturally infuriated the director and producers, but Xu Xiangwei, then focused solely on love, paid it little mind. She took small roles without romantic scenes to save money and waited to marry.

The wedding was delayed over a year, with both families haggling over the bride price. Eventually, a surprise pregnancy forced an agreement.

They took wedding photos, booked the hotel, paid the deposit on a new home. The night before registering their marriage, Xu Xiangwei discovered her fiancé had been cheating on her for a year.

The blow was immense. After a night of turmoil, Xu Xiangwei broke off the engagement, took two months’ leave from the company, terminated the pregnancy, and spent time recuperating.

If only the story had ended there. But her ex was her first love, the only man she’d ever loved. Their bond wasn’t so easily severed.

Later, her ex broke up with his mistress and came back, making grand promises never to stray again and to cherish her forever.

Having once loved him, Xu Xiangwei, though conflicted, decided to give them another chance.

By this point, Chen Ruowen was gripping her tablet so tightly she was close to snapping it in two. This groveling, self-abasing love, forgiving the one who abandoned her… Chen Ruowen could hardly believe Xu Xiangwei wasn’t an idiot.

Xu Xiangwei once again turned down a rare opportunity from a renowned director, ready to settle for an ordinary life.

The outcome was predictable.

A dog can’t change its ways, and her ex and his mistress were never truly over.

When Xu Xiangwei confronted her ex, demanding, “Which one of us do you want—me or her?” he replied, “Can’t I have both?” At last, Xu Xiangwei did the one thing Chen Ruowen had always dreamed of—she smashed her phone into the jerk’s face.

Xu Xiangwei finally woke up, but by then, there was no place for her at Twin Star. Years had slipped by; she was nearly twenty-seven when she came to her senses.

Her once-promising talent had long been forgotten in the ever-changing tides of the entertainment industry. The roles that could have made her name drowned before they saw the light of day.

All that remained were the directors and producers she’d offended, her ruined reputation, and the impossibility of resurfacing.

After hearing Xu Xiangwei’s story, Chen Ruowen hesitated. A woman foolish enough to trip over the same stone in love twice—could she really trust her with another chance? Who was to say she wouldn’t be burned again?