As we walked through the corridor, Leyao deliberately slowed her pace until she was walking beside me. She asked, “For such an important press conference today, why didn’t your company’s female investor behind the scenes from Lukou attend?”
“Who do you mean? Do you mean Jian Wei?”
“Do you die if you don’t play dumb?”
I smiled and said, “Since you find her so annoying, she decided to stay away to keep you from getting upset. After all, your title as ‘National Goddess’ is just too dazzling. Anything you dislike should naturally step aside!”
Leyao replied with a half-smile, “Why do I feel like an Empress Dowager?”
“That’s not a wrong feeling at all. You are indeed so noble and revered!”
Leyao disliked my sarcastic compliment and, while others weren’t looking, lifted her foot to stomp on mine. I reacted quickly, sidestepped, and raised my foot to avoid her, but accidentally bumped into Li Xiao, the scriptwriter following behind. She instinctively let out a startled cry, instantly drawing everyone’s attention. However, Leyao, the instigator, continued walking ahead nonchalantly, as if stepping on my foot was secondary and her real intention was to make me bump into Li Xiao, causing me embarrassment. Even after becoming the “National Goddess,” she was still as mischievous as ever.
I apologized to Li Xiao for my clumsiness, and she smiled and gestured that it was fine. The others didn’t dwell on the incident either and continued walking forward. As a result, I ended up walking beside Li Xiao, and I told her, “Ms. Li, I recently watched your drama ‘Roses Amidst the Flames of War,’ and I really cried!”
Li Xiao looked at me somewhat surprised and asked, “President Zhao, did you understand its deeper meaning?”
I nodded and replied earnestly, “I think war is truly a disregard for humanity, a massive meat grinder. Within this meat grinder, peering into light and peace becomes a penetrating force that will eventually evolve into a shared belief for all mankind. It drives people to pursue peace through the sense of responsibility of being alive, and only then do life and love follow…”
Li Xiao nodded thoughtfully and after a while said, “President Zhao, perhaps you understand it even more profoundly. I didn’t expect you to be such a thoughtful person.”
“You flatter me. Compared to you people who truly have depth, I haven’t fully evolved yet!”
Li Xiao smiled and said, “I almost forgot that you used to be in a rock band, President Zhao. You people may seem wild, but you’re truly giants in terms of thought!”
As we talked, we finally exited the corridor, and immediately the flashing of cameras erupted. Then came an almost chaotic scene as all the attending media rushed to secure the best positions and angles to capture photos of Leyao and Cao Jinfei appearing together. After the security personnel struggled to regain control, the scene finally settled down, and the press conference officially began.
First, I delivered a speech on behalf of the micro-film investors. I knew I wasn’t the main focus of this event. Following the prepared speech, I explained the significance of this micro-film production and expressed my gratitude to all the participants. After finishing my speech, according to the schedule, Leyao proceeded to give her remarks, and the cameras flashed again.
Leyao first greeted the attending media and then explained why she participated in this micro-film. She emphasized, “It’s not just because of my friendship with Zhao Yang that I accepted this role. Mainly, I wanted to give a meaningful gift to my upcoming married life with Cao Jinfei.”
A journalist then asked her, “Miss Leyao, what are your personal thoughts about being called the ‘National Goddess’ online?”
Leyao’s response was quite aloof: “Sorry, I only wish to answer questions related to the theme of today’s press conference.”
Another reporter asked, “Then, Miss Leyao, can you reveal the remuneration for this micro-film? And will you use this opportunity to return to the entertainment industry?”
“As for the remuneration, you can consult President Zhao from Lukou Travel Culture Company since we haven’t even discussed it yet… Regarding returning to the entertainment industry, how should I respond? Hmm… If I had a manager by my side now, he should come out and help me avoid this question, but I don’t have one! Do you think I would even consider returning to the entertainment industry if I didn’t even have a manager? At least for now, I don’t.”
Leyao was actually very skilled in emotional intelligence. If she had simply said whether or not she would return to the entertainment industry, it wouldn’t have been convincing enough. Therefore, she used the fact that she currently didn’t have a manager to increase her credibility and avoid further questioning from the reporters on this key issue.
After a few questions, the journalists shifted their focus to Cao Jinfei and Luo Ben. Neither of them was particularly fond of such press conferences. No matter how the reporters asked, they only gave brief, terse answers, which left the journalists feeling helpless and unsatisfied. This was actually a good thing for me, as it helped maintain the event’s momentum until the Christmas event organized by Zhuomei. At that time, we would hold a commencement ceremony at Zhuomei, which would coincide with the wedding day of Leyao and Cao Jinfei. According to the original plan, they would first have a wedding ceremony in Suzhou on Christmas, followed by another one back in Beijing.
They chose to have their Suzhou wedding on the day of the commencement ceremony in hopes that this micro-film would leave a profound mark on their married life, making it a special wedding. The Beijing wedding would be the most important one, where they would invite industry titans and influential figures. However, the Suzhou wedding would be more like the one they held for themselves, as Leyao and Cao Jinfei had originally stated.
This highly anticipated press conference lasted only about half an hour before it concluded. Of course, this was deliberately planned by me, similar to a marketing strategy of creating scarcity. I hoped to sustain the event’s popularity until Zhuomei’s Christmas event. However, this clearly commercial move made me feel deeply guilty toward Leyao because I was exploiting her popularity to assist in completing Zhuomei’s sales plan. Fortunately, she and Cao Jinfei seemed genuinely fond of this upcoming micro-film and did not show any signs of aversion despite the obvious commercial intentions.
After the press conference, Luo Ben and I went to the restroom to urinate. I said to him, “Thanks for coming to support me. I won’t say anything overly sentimental, but I’ll remember this favor.”
Luo Ben looked at me and only spoke after finishing, “If I didn’t come to support you, I’d be struck by lightning… But she shouldn’t have done it, you know?”
“What do you mean? Be more specific.”
“She’s Cao Jinfei’s woman now… You don’t know about your own entanglements with her?”
I was somewhat stunned and couldn’t respond for a while, just waiting for him to continue. Luo Ben went on, “If she really likes this micro-film, she could have filmed it privately… Why does she have to accompany your company to hold a press conference and attend the commencement ceremony at Zhuomei on Christmas… This commercial stench is so strong even I can smell it, yet she’s dragging Cao Jinfei into it…”
“Well…”
Luo Ben took one hand out to pat my shoulder and said, “This woman, Leyao, has really done everything she could for you Zhao Yang… As for the fame and fortune in the entertainment industry, she truly doesn’t care about them. If it weren’t for being dragged down by you all these years, she should have long returned to Xiao Rulin’s side and lived as a rich young lady. Why does she still have to struggle in this industry!”
I pulled up my pants and lit a cigarette, not knowing what to say. Luo Ben continued, “I don’t mean to make you feel pressured. Personally, I believe she does have strong feelings for Cao Jinfei, but her feelings for you over the years are not meaningless. So this is her using the last bit of her remaining warmth to give you Zhao Yang a helping hand. After this event, to be precise, since you invited her to participate in this micro-film project, she no longer owes you anything… I think this is the last thing she, as a friend over the years, is helping you with… Actually, people misunderstand Cao Jinfei. He’s a pretty decent guy when it comes to dealing with people. If she still thinks about you and betrays him, she’s just an idiot!”
I felt a lump in my heart. After a while, I joked with Luo Ben, “She’s the National Goddess! It’s Cao Jinfei who shouldn’t fail her!”
Luo Ben also pulled up his pants, fastened his belt, took a cigarette from my pack, lit it, and then walked toward the sink. I followed him with an indescribable feeling, and during the hand-washing process, we didn’t communicate anymore.
Luo Ben and I walked out of the restroom one after the other, just in time to meet Leyao and CC coming out of the restroom as well. Luo Ben naturally started chatting with CC, walking slightly faster than Leyao and me, so we fell behind them.
After a moment of hesitation, I said to Leyao, “If possible… stay for the banquet tonight with Cao Jinfei.”
“What? Is there a special segment at the banquet that makes you invite me and my husband so earnestly?”
“No, I just heard that Cao Jinfei has to return to Beijing tonight. If it’s not something particularly important, why not stay? We can all get together.”
“He does have something important. He’s already on his way to the airport by now.”
I nodded and after a while said, “Anyway, you can represent him. It’s fine if you stay.”
Leyao glared at me and said, “Don’t you think you’re being annoyingly fussy?”
“Damn it… I think you puffing up and glaring at me like a big star is even more annoying!”
Leyao gave me a sidelong glance and said with a half-smile, “I’m just acting like a big star… What are you going to do about it, huh?”
Suddenly, we fell back into our habitual rhythm of conversation, yet I couldn’t adapt to it again. I looked at Leyao, blinked a few times, and didn’t know what to say…
Leyao made a flirtatious expression with her fingers in a graceful pose and gave me a seductive look, saying, “Why are you so quiet now… Are you dazzled by the brilliance of your National Goddess? You little nobody!”
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