ushernet Chapter 277 Preaching
Chapter 277 Preaching
The atmosphere at home changed abruptly the moment Yu Xinglan uttered those words.
"You child..."
Yu Xinglan's rare "rebellious" remarks left the mother at a loss for words, her hand, which was tidying up the clothing tags, frozen in mid-air.
The father stopped drinking his tea, looked up, and asked, "Don't you want to be an actor?"
Yu Xinglan seemed to sense the change in atmosphere, and her hands, hanging by her sides, slowly clenched.
Years of passive acceptance had almost robbed him of the courage to resist.
But recalling her own empty expression no matter how she acted, Yu Xinglan reaffirmed her resolve: "Yes, I don't want to."
"You don't want to?" The mother's voice was full of astonishment.
A money tree that was bearing fruit suddenly said it wanted to cut itself off.
This is ridiculous.
Fearing her child might do something rash, the mother's voice became shrill: "Do you know how many people are desperate to take this path?"
Yu Xinglan knew.
As we all know, the child star industry has always been a game of capital; you can't get in without money.
Most families that can nurture child stars are well-off.
Yu Xinglan knew that some parents would go to great lengths, even paying out of their own pockets, to get their children the opportunity to film.
They go to such lengths for two reasons: first, to give their child opportunities to grow; and second, to gamble on the potential for a hundredfold reward once their child becomes famous.
This is precisely why most child stars eventually choose to transition into acting.
But Yu Xinglan is an exception.
He became a child star entirely on his own merits.
No matter how tiring or dangerous the filming was, Yu Xinglan participated in it all.
He can do what others can do.
He can do what others cannot.
With an ability to endure hardship far exceeding that of his peers, he forged his own path amidst high-intensity and high-risk filming, which led to his current achievements.
But none of this was ever Yu Xinglan's own will.
He'd had enough of being controlled and having no autonomy in his life. He took a deep breath and said:
“I can’t act.” Yu Xinglan heard his voice trembling, but he still stubbornly continued, “I prefer singing, dancing, and songwriting.”
"How much is that worth?" the father said coldly. In his eyes, acting was a sure-fire way to make money.
The mother chimed in, "Yes, we don't object to you doing what you like, but the audition opportunity given by Senior Zhou is very rare. He said that if you're willing to put in the effort..."
Yu Xinglan took a half step back, shook her head, and said with disappointment in her eyes, "You weren't listening to me at all. I told you, I don't want to act."
"We've done all this for your own good. Do you know how much we've sacrificed to raise you?" The father slammed his fist on the table and stood up. "We've found you the best teachers, traveled all over the country with you, and taken care of you in every possible way. Is this how you repay your parents?"
The mother took a few steps forward and tried to take Yu Xinglan's hand, but he dodged her.
She could only withdraw her hand and soften her voice: "Xingxing, I don't remember you being such a willful child. From childhood to adulthood, you've always been the most sensible. How did you become like this?"
Not only do parents not understand them, but they also become difficult to communicate with.
A fire seemed to be burning in his heart, making his eyes sting.
What have I actually done all these years?
Yu Xinglan stared at the pigeon-egg-sized diamond ring on her mother's ring finger.
It was a gift from her father for her birthday last year; he said he bought it with the prize money from the "Child Star Agent Competition".
But Yu Xinglan knew it wasn't true.
The prize money for that competition wasn't that much.
Clearly, the money for this ring came from one of his endorsement fees or acting fees.
Although the law stipulates that the income of minors belongs to them, it is not uncommon for guardians to misappropriate the earnings of child stars when the accounts are managed by their parents.
Many child stars never get back the money they earned in their lifetime.
Yu Xinglan had never thought there was anything wrong with this. As children, it was only natural to be filial to our parents.
But at this moment, the diamond ring, the size of a pigeon's egg, stung his eyes.
He wasn't distressed about his money. Over the years, he had no concrete idea of how much money he had earned, and his parents had never told him either.
Yu Xinglan only knew that her family had not only moved into several new houses, but had also bought a lot of expensive bags.
So, even though she has already "repaid" so much, why isn't it enough?
Overwhelmed with resentment, Yu Xinglan's eyes reddened.
Perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, the mother quickly tried to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, the child is going through a rebellious phase, let's not talk about it anymore, Xingxing, we'll discuss it again tomorrow..."
“No need to discuss it anymore.” Yu Xinglan turned and walked towards the room. “I’ve already contacted a new agency. They want me to be a trainee. I’ll have a trial lesson tomorrow.”
"You dare!" The father stood up abruptly. "If you dare to go, don't even think about getting a single penny from me again!"
Yu Xinglan's hand stopped on the doorknob, her knuckles turning white from the force.
"Okay," he said softly, pushing open the door. "Then I'll earn it myself from now on."
Bai Li witnessed this huge turning point firsthand—the crucial moment when Yu Xinglan ended her life as a child star and entered the trainee field.
Although Yu Xinglan mustered up the courage to express her true thoughts to her parents and stood up to them, she was still, after all, a child who hadn't grown up.
The consequences of acting impulsively are often unpredictable.
Thinking about the company he signed with after deciding to become an idol, Bai Li sighed heavily.
But she could probably understand Yu Xinglan.
He desperately wanted to break free from his parents' control.
Therefore, he was eager to prove himself.
But in the end, he acted too hastily, which led him into another abyss.
Yu Xinglan did nothing wrong; he simply let out the emotions he had suppressed for decades.
His parents were the ones who were wrong.
They were completely unable to perceive or understand Yu Xinglan's emotional problems, and therefore, they were completely unable to empathize with him.
In Bai Li's view, Yu Xinglan's parents are typical "utilitarian parents".
Due to economic anxiety, cognitive limitations, emotional incompetence, and other reasons, they regard their children as a source of income and provide only "instrumental" love.
Initially, when they discovered Yu Xinglan's talent as a child star and the potential for high income for the family, they quickly pushed her onto the path of child stardom without fully considering the child's physical and mental development needs.
Afterwards, they completely rationalized these selfish behaviors:
"For you, we also gave up a stable life and traveled all over the country with you."
"Being an actor will lead to better future prospects; it's all for your own good."
"It was us who painstakingly nurtured you into a successful person; you should thank us."
……
Yu Xinglan's parents attributed their success to themselves, and their years of hard work only moved themselves.
Therefore, Yu Xinglan's "rebellion" today seems very unbelievable to them.
Do they really love Yu Xinglan?
也许是的。
But this love is complicated.
Yu Xinglan's parents were not entirely indifferent to him.
Yu Xinglan receives daily care and concern from his parents, which may be the reason why he has persisted for so many years.
But this also became the source of his suffering.
Because this love is not unconditional.
He can only receive this love when he obediently accepts his work assignments, no matter how tiring or difficult it is.
Bai Li suddenly understood the last personality trait described on Yu Xinglan's card.
—“Martyr-like dedication: stemming from childhood trauma, believing that love must be exchanged for pain.”
Yu Xinglan's parents projected their boundless desires onto him, treating him as a tool to make money.
Their relationship was no longer just familial; it also included a superior-subordinate dynamic.
The family is like a mini entertainment company. Yu Xinglan is an artist, and her parents are not only the bosses, but also her agents and assistants, as well as the financial managers. Yu Xinglan's daily life and work arrangements must all be arranged by her parents.
In such a family environment, kinship is overshadowed by self-interest, and superior-subordinate relationships replace pure parent-child affection.
Yu Xinglan's childhood was deeply intertwined with labor; at a young age, she had to shoulder the responsibility of earning money.
Growing up in such an environment, even the most well-behaved and sensible child will experience uncontrollable changes in their personality.
Ultimately, this led to the idea that "you have to give to be loved."
In this standoff that was destined to result in mutual destruction, Yu Xinglan was like a moth trapped in a spider web, struggling desperately only to tighten the threads around her.
His yearning for freedom was certainly courageous, but his already formed personality was deeply ingrained in his very being.
Always by your side.
Perhaps the unfair treatment I encountered after joining the new agency was simply an inevitable part of my destiny.
Bai Li rubbed her forehead.
How tragic.
The argument completely reopened the wounds of family conflict, and the relationship between Yu Xinglan and her parents could never be the same again.
He was tired of being controlled throughout his life, and naturally he would not obediently follow the path his parents had laid out for him.
Yu Xinglan's body belongs to him. Even if his parents manage to secure an audition opportunity, they can do nothing if he refuses to act.
In the end, they could only let go and allow Yu Xinglan to pursue her own path.
However, the path to freedom was fraught with thorns, and the company he signed with did not become his safe haven; instead, it pushed him into an even deeper vortex.
Hidden within those meticulously crafted star-making myths lies a far colder exploitation machine than family control.
The undercurrents unseen under the spotlight, as fragments of memory unfold, emerge one by one before Bai Li.
After joining a new agency, Yu Xinglan is determined to start afresh.
Filled with love for the stage and aspirations for the future, he began practicing almost to the point of self-torture.
Repeat arm swings a thousand times in front of the mirror in the dance studio, and hone the broken notes late at night in the vocal classroom.
The training clothes were soaked with sweat, drying and then getting wet again;
The scabbed-over knee left a bluish-purple mark on the floor...
However, the market is far more ruthless than imagined.
The popularity she gained as a child star quickly dissipated like the receding tide. The exposure and quality of resources Yu Xinglan received after debuting as an idol were worlds apart from what she had experienced before.
He is actually good enough.
But that's the market environment.
In the capital-driven entertainment industry, child stars and actors seem to be inherently more valuable than idol singers and dancers.
What happened next is what Shirari knows.
She had already heard some things about that former company from Yu Xinglan herself or from Brother Shen, such as contract exploitation, copyright infringement, and huge breach of contract penalties.
But after seeing Yu Xinglan's memories, Bai Li realized that what they said was only one-tenth of the evil deeds.
The entire company, from top to bottom, had an extremely vulgar atmosphere, and the management was utterly corrupt.
The company's superiors seem to have a particular fondness for using psychological pressure, manipulation, insults, and other methods to deliberately undermine the self-confidence of their artists.
"He's so ugly, he looks like a pig on camera."
"It would be completely unremarkable if placed on the street."
They even publicly mocked Yu Xinglan's past as a child star...
It's euphemistically called "honing resilience," but it's actually a kind of obedience test, allowing the company to manipulate artists and make them completely obedient and afraid to resist.
Yu Xinglan was ostracized by her former team members, and the management company's indifference to this was also a significant factor.
The company not only failed to act, but also fueled and encouraged bullying behavior.
In addition, the company has some bizarre practices that Bai Li finds utterly baffling:
Block individual variety show invitations for artists, only allowing them to participate in group activities;
Fabricating negative stories about fellow artists to engage in malicious competition;
Selling celebrities' schedule information to obsessive fans;
……
It's as if they're afraid their artists will become popular.
The blood flowing through this star-making factory is black, warm, thick, and has a nauseatingly sweet and fishy smell.
Yu Xinglan's recollection reveals the darkest moments behind the industry without reservation.
From Shirai's perspective, all the scenes are like a black and white silent film.
In the shadows, enemies are everywhere, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
The only bright spot in the fragments of memory is Yu Xinglan himself, as well as his manager, Brother Shen, and his assistant, Xiao Xiao, who helped him.
In such an environment, very few people can maintain their original intentions. Perhaps this is why the three of them were able to come together, leave the company, and start their own studio...
But leaving the company is a matter for later. For now, Yu Xinglan is still trapped in a low-quality company, and his talent is gradually fading away as he is worn down day by day.
Bai Li now fully understands why Yu Xinglan was so wary during her first job interview.
No matter who it was, after experiencing all this, they would not be able to let their guard down.
Thinking back to how she was able to successfully sign Yu Xinglan, Bai Li couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.
Just as Bai Li was feeling sentimental, the black-and-white silent film in front of her ended, and the scene continued to change.
Something unexpected seems to have happened at home.
When Yu Xinglan was eighteen, his younger brother was born.
—His name is "Heaven-sent".
For Yu Xinglan, the company's exploitation was not the most suffocating thing.
The feeling of being abandoned by his parents was the final straw that broke him.
Yu Xinglan can accept having a younger brother, but she cannot accept a younger brother who is eighteen years younger than her.