Chapter Sixty-One: Equality Between Men and Women

This voice was unfamiliar to Li Xiaowan, but to Tang Wei, it was all too familiar. She whipped around suddenly, only to see a "white-haired" youth slowly emerge from the corner, smiling brightly at her.

At the sight of him, Tang Wei’s melancholy vanished in an instant, replaced by a radiant joy that surged from deep within her heart. Her eyes sparkled, and a delighted smile blossomed across her face.

"Gu Zhi!"

As soon as she spoke, she broke free from Li Xiaowan’s grip and, taking quick, light steps, hurried to Gu Zhi's side. Without thinking, she tilted the umbrella so that most of it covered his head.

"Why are you here! The snow is so heavy—why aren't you using an umbrella? You'll catch a cold like this!"

While speaking, she reached out and gently brushed the snow from Gu Zhi’s shoulders and hair, shaking off a thick layer of flakes.

"Hehe, it's fine. I rarely see snow here, so when I woke up today and saw the world blanketed in white, I just went out without an umbrella."

Shenzhen’s average yearly temperature hovered between fifteen and twenty degrees Celsius; snowfall was a rarity. Today was a precious chance, and Gu Zhi was simply too delighted to remember something as mundane as bringing an umbrella.

He grinned foolishly at Tang Wei, who rolled her eyes at him but continued dusting the snow from his body.

Noticing that half her figure was exposed outside the umbrella, Gu Zhi was moved. He took her soft hand and drew her into his embrace, then reached out to take the umbrella from her other hand.

Their bodies pressed close together, almost as if they were hugging, making the small umbrella just large enough to shield them both.

Tang Wei was startled by the sudden embrace, her body stiffening with surprise. Then, she relaxed, leaning her head against Gu Zhi’s shoulder, resting entirely on him.

"He hugged me first, I didn’t go to him... His body is so warm..."

Li Xiaowan, watching this scene from the side, was seething with anger. All her previous words, the gentle persuasion, had nearly succeeded—never did she expect Gu Zhi to appear at that crucial moment, nor that Tang Wei would be so utterly transfixed upon seeing him.

Tang Wei’s mind seemed to have flown away altogether; all previous efforts were clearly wasted.

A thousand words, yet none could rival Gu Zhi’s single utterance.

Li Xiaowan’s gaze was frosty as she stared at the pair, gritting her teeth. "Gu Zhi, what a coincidence you’re here! I suppose you’ve been waiting for a while, haven’t you?"

Gu Zhi neither confirmed nor denied it, instead posing another question.

"Hello, and you are?"

He truly had never seen this formidable-looking woman before, but from what he’d overheard, the name "Rongxin Da" was clear enough. He could guess at her identity.

Li Xiaowan was visibly taken aback; her carefully prepared speech was derailed by Gu Zhi’s interruption and remained unsaid. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down before continuing.

"Rongxin Da, Li Xiaowan."

"Oh... So you’re President Li from Rongxin Da. I’ve heard so much about you, truly."

Heard so much, yet still didn’t recognize her...

Tang Wei couldn’t help but secretly laugh at Gu Zhi’s blatant lie, delivered with perfect composure.

"It’s snowing so heavily today—what brings President Li personally to Central Academy to visit our Tang Wei? If you’d let me know in advance, I could have come earlier to welcome you properly."

These words made Li Xiaowan’s face alternate between pale and flushed, her breath caught in her throat. Pointing at Gu Zhi, seeing his feigned sarcasm and mocking demeanor, she was so incensed she nearly exploded, yet unwilling to lose the dignity befitting her seniority. After struggling for a while, she finally managed to spit out three words.

"You... are good!"

Gu Zhi snickered, his smile widening to the heavens.

"Thank you for the compliment, President Li. If there’s nothing else, we’ll be on our way."

A little payback—just a few teasing words to annoy Li Xiaowan, and Gu Zhi was satisfied. With that, he prepared to leave with Tang Wei.

Poaching talent and job changes were commonplace in the entertainment industry, part of regular business competition, understandable enough. Someone coming to lure Tang Wei away would naturally vex Gu Zhi, but not to the point of true anger; after all, he might one day poach from other companies himself.

Since Tang Wei had been in Gu Zhi’s embrace, she’d said nothing. Now that he spoke of leaving, she offered no objection, thinking only, "As long as I follow Gu Zhi, everything will be fine."

Just as they were about to leave, Li Xiaowan’s slightly anxious voice sounded behind them, "Tang Wei, my promise remains. Think carefully about what I said when you get home. Remember, we women must always rely on ourselves."

Upon hearing this, Tang Wei finally straightened up from Gu Zhi, turning to face Li Xiaowan. She first bowed slightly, then lifted her head and spoke softly:

"Thank you, Sister Xiaowan, for your kindness. I will remember your guidance."

"But as a newcomer in the industry, there are some things I’m not sure if I should say."

"Speak freely."

These words came from Gu Zhi behind her.

He couldn’t help it—having watched too many dramas, he blurted out this classic line.

Of course, there was another layer to his meaning.

He was supporting Tang Wei, telling her by his actions: "It doesn’t matter if you’re new. If you say something wrong or offend someone, I’ll stand behind you. There’s nothing to fear."

So—speak freely.

Tang Wei heard this, turned back, saw Gu Zhi nod encouragingly, and felt a surge of calm within.

"Sister Xiaowan, you always say women must rely on themselves. Why, then, did you co-found Rongxin Da with Director Li Shaohong instead of striking out on your own?"

"Sister Shaohong is a woman too. I’ve worked with her for years in the industry, relying on ourselves all the way."

"So you mean that women relying on women is relying on oneself, but women relying on men is relying on others, and you draw this line based on gender?"

"Of course. We women can’t expect men to support us or live off them. Wait, what are you trying to say?"

Li Xiaowan was growing impatient, unable to understand why Tang Wei suddenly had so much to say.

"Do you think women are inferior to men?"

Tang Wei continued unabated, her confidence growing with Gu Zhi’s support.

"No, not at all. In fact, we’re better—Sister Shaohong and I are living examples."

"Is that truly what you believe? If so, why do you insist that women leaning on men means relying on others?"

"Because, subconsciously, you’ve placed women in the role of the weaker party and men as the strong. So for you, women helping women is the weak supporting each other, while women relying on men means the weak depending on the strong, thus relying on someone else to live."

"Don’t you find your words somewhat contradictory?"

"…"

Tang Wei calmly presented her point. Li Xiaowan wanted to refute her, but upon opening her mouth, she found no rebuttal.

"I believe people depend on each other. You and Director Li Shaohong have leaned on each other all these years; Gu Zhi and I are the same—he makes movies, I act in them, we support each other. There’s no one-sided dependency.

Whether man or woman, why must we draw a dividing line when it comes to capability? Our country has always promoted gender equality, yet many women instinctively see themselves as the weaker party, constantly emphasizing how hard things are for women, insisting women must help women. Isn’t this just reinforcing the notion of inequality between men and women? Men aren’t monsters or wild beasts—they’re just ordinary people.

Isn’t mutual support between men and women a good thing?"