Chapter 296: Invitation for the Venice Film Festival
Yun Xiangxiang had always been a goody-two-shoes. Her parents had groomed her into an upright lady. She was also a reserved person. Spewing her drink was out of character, so that piqued Li Xiangling’s curiosity.
Song Meng stopped fighting with Li Xiangling. She looked at Yun Xiangxiang excitedly. “Come on, tell us. I want to know too.”
“It’s nothing.” Yun Xiangxiang shared it with her friends since it wasn’t anything worth keeping a secret.
Song Meng guffawed when Yun Xiangxiang finished telling what happened. “I want to see the look on Faye’s face at that moment.”
Song Meng could hold a grudge. Faye tried to use them to attack Yun Xiangxiang today, planning to turn her and Li Xiangling against Yun Xiangxiang. That was stupid. Faye knew nothing about them.
Faye’s plan backfired. Song Meng now hated her more. When she heard Faye getting humiliated, Song Meng was elated.
“It must’ve been quite the look,” Li Xiangling nodded. She could imagine it.
“Go to sleep,” Yun Xiangxiang said good night when she saw that her friends had cheered up.
The girls still had to go to work the next day. Yun Xiangxiang had to keep on filming. She was about to power off her phone when a message popped up. Wu Zhao sent it to the film’s group and tagged everyone.
[Wu Zhao: Venice is going to have a film festival near August’s end. Any one of you can go?]
[Sun Qiluo: Which part of the film festival is the film going to take part?]
[Wu Zhao: Best Picture, Film of The Year, Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Director…]
Wu Zhao made a list of the categories “The King’s Plan” would be taking part in. Everyone was excited, but Xiong Ao doused their flames of excitement.
[Xiong Ao: These are just possible categories. Even if we get nominated for every single one of them, we might still not win for any of them. That would be rather tragic.]
[Wu Zhao: …]
Yun Xiangxiang pursed her lips and smiled. Wu Zhao was probably thinking of kicking Xiong Ao out of the chat group now.]
[Yun Xiangxiang: I have time for that since it’s August.]
Her cla.s.ses wouldn’t start until September came. She would have been done with “First Love” and the selection for “Flying Sky” by then. She didn’t have anything better to do anyway, so she might as well go to expand her horizons.
She could go to the Xibai Film Festival in her past life thanks to her endors.e.m.e.nt, but she didn’t have the chance to go to any international film festivals.
She didn’t think she would be awarded as the international best female lead, but she still wanted to see the Venice Film Festival’s glory. The compet.i.tors would be the best films in the world. Going there as a partic.i.p.ant and going there as an amba.s.sador for a product were two different things.
[Hou Cang: I won’t be going. I have a lot of matters to settle at home.]
[He Xingzhou: I will be joining in the fun.]
[Sun Qiluo: I want to go, but I just took a new job that needs me to start work in mid-August…]
Sun Qiluo was a supporting actress in “The King’s Plan.” The best supporting actress was the most challenging award to get in international film festivals. Even if the film were acknowledged, the leads would get the awards first before the supporting actors were considered.
If the film weren’t acknowledged, the leads wouldn’t even be awarded, let alone the supporting cast.
Sun Qiluo wasn’t planning on going. She could get some attention by going to a red carpet event, but it wouldn’t be aired in the nation.
Sun Qiluo did have plans to go global, but she walked a different path from Yun Xiangxiang. She would focus on filming dramas first.
“Let’s hope Xiangxiang gets the best actress for a leading role award again!” Song Meng was excited at the news. Her sleepiness was blown away.
Yun Xiangxiang only smiled. If she spoke, it would take forever for Song Meng to shut up. Yun Xiangxiang closed her eyes.
The girls went to their workplaces the next day. Qi Jun called Yun Xiangxiang at noon.
“I’m leaving Paris, but I have some people here. Go to the vineyard and seek them out if you need anything. I will be back in half a month.”
“What luck. I managed to get you as my guardian right before your departure,” Yun Xiangxiang teased. “Now everyone knows I’m close to Young Master Qi. I don’t think anyone would dare trouble me.”
Qi Jun laughed, “I’m glad that my n.o.ble lady acknowledges my prestige, but I think Song Mian’s prestige is a better one, no? About Faye, it’s been a few years since I last saw her. She has changed. A lot. You better keep an eye out while you’re in Paris.”
When they met yesterday, Qi Jun noticed that the confident, gorgeous Faye had become a scheming, sly woman.
Faye spent a lot of effort pursuing Song Mian over the years, but she failed. n.o.body knew Song Mian’s whereabouts, not even his father.
As Qi Jun didn’t know what the current Faye was like, he had to remind Yun Xiangxiang. He did have someone keep an eye out for her, and he did say he would come back quickly. But Yun Xiangxiang still had to stay for more than half a month, and she was on Faye’s turf.
“Come what may, I’ll face it head on,” Yun Xiangxiang didn’t care. She couldn’t prevent these from happening.
Nor did she have the time and resources to keep an eye on Faye. Even if she did, she might not know how Faye would attack. She wouldn’t waste her time worrying about this.
She had just ended the call with Qi Jun when Chloe called her, asking her out for tea.
Yun Xiangxiang didn’t have any filming to do in the afternoon. She wanted to stay back to learn from the crew. But since Chloe invited her, Yun Xiangxiang agreed to it.
Chloe chose a cafe in a remote area. When Yun Xiangxiang arrived at the place, Chloe seemed to have been waiting for a while.
“Their coffee is quite unique. I ordered a cup for you. Do please see if it’s to your liking.” When Yun Xiangxiang sat down, a waiter served her a cup of coffee. Chloe gestured to him, telling the waiter to place the coffee cup in front of Yun Xiangxiang.
“There is no good or bad coffee for me.” Yun Xiangxiang didn’t know how to taste them.
Yun Xiangxiang had a weird trait in her past life. Coffee wouldn’t invigorate her. It would make her sleepier.
No matter the brand of coffee, it was the same for her. To keep working intensely, she chose to drink tea.
“Then try the pastry here,” Chloe suggested Yun Xiangxiang some desserts.
Yun Xiangxiang loved desserts. She had a few and thought they were decent. “I don’t think you’re asking me out just for tea, Miss Chloe.”
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Chloe was earnest. “I knew Faye in a club.”
“You don’t have to apologize, Miss Chloe. You did not hurt me in any way,” Yun Xiangxiang wiped her mouth.”
Yun Xiangxiang was the one curious about Chloe’s strange gaze. She was the one asking to meet Faye.
Chloe only neglected to remind Yun Xiangxiang when she knew Faye was about to attack her. Yun Xiangxiang didn’t mind.
She shared no relations.h.i.+p with Chloe. Their collaboration hadn’t even started. Chloe didn’t have any obligation to remind her.
“You are truly different,” Chloe praised earnestly.
Technically speaking, Chloe did nothing wrong. But Chloe had her principles. She didn’t remind Yun Xiangxiang even when she knew Faye was going to embarra.s.s her. Not to mention she invited Yun Xiangxiang. Chloe felt guilty.