Edited by: Ocelot
Chapter 12
The black car moved steadily forward before it finally stopped in front of the red carpet entrance. Although the noise from outside was so loud that it almost broke through the window, inside the car, not even a person was speaking; it was as if they were from two different worlds.
Lai Xiao Shuang: "Really…really going to do this?" She was having a mental breakdown. She really wished that she could get rid of her brain. She never expected that things would go this far. Staring at Jian Wei, she couldn"t help but pull the hem of her skirt, "Hey, you think about it clearly. This is not a joke…" Her words were cut off by Zhu Jing. The broker gave her a dissatisfied glacial glare, causing her to not dare to utter another word.
Under their gazes, Jian Wei felt that she hadn"t heard a word; her eyes were looking straight at Jiang Yi. He gave a lazy smile, neither urging nor pressuring her. His eyes were like water flowing softly through mountains and valleys, only going through without wanting to change a thing. Jian Wei knew that as long as he said the word "No", she would be able to leave immediately, leaving this uncontrollable situation far behind.
But…
She remembered the diary that she had written, the song lyrics that she had copied, those sleepless nights. People"s obsessions were really deep and unshakable. In this world, if there was anything that she couldn"t refuse, it was him.
Only him.
Jiang Yi looked like he was inclined to leave, like he had given up.
She raised her hand and gently grabbed his cuffs.
Jiang Yi looked down. Her white fingers were clutching his back suit cuffs.
Her fingers between the diamond cuffs looked sparkly.
Jiang Yi asked: "Do you believe me?"
Although she was so nervous that even her scalp felt numb, Jian Wei still meet his eyes and nodded her head.
Jiang Yi laughed as he said, "Then hold my hand."
The door was pushed open. Like a gateway to another world, slowly opening in front of her. The screeching tide as well as the bright lights sort of rushed forth, letting her know that she had entered a world she"d never encountered before. As Jian Wei raised her head, countless lights flashed in front of her eyes.
Zhou Peipei was sitting inside a car nearby. If she just turned around, she would be able to see the sea of people that stood in front of Stage K, the red carpet ceremony location. She looked at the clock and saw that it was already 5:58 p.m. and there was still no sign of those people. Zhou Peipei"s lips curved upwards as she smoothed her dress. It had all been in vain. She had deliberately changed into a dress and rushed over, but the end result was still just as she predicted. Those people only dared to threaten her, but didn"t have the guts to go through with the threat.
Who knew how many negative news articles Jiang Yi would be subjected to the next morning? This "changing my mind at the last minute" thing was certainly not a small matter. It implicated a lot of people who had a relationship with her. But, it was nothing. Based on his level of popularity, to even have an article mentioning him was already a good thing. So in the end, she had done him a favor.
Suddenly, her phone went off. It was a text message from Jiang Yi. What more could he have to say right now? Was he finally willing to admit defeat to her? Zhou Peipei smiled in ridicule as she opened the message. It only contained four simple words: "Watch the live stream."
She frowned as she suddenly had a bad feeling.
Her eyes fell onto the computer screen. The time right now was 6:01. The live streaming should already over, but the screen was still off. Zhou Peipei could see the host"s surprised expression as the lens turned to show that under the flashing lights, two people were exiting the car, walking step by step with each other. The man was wearing a suit, walking gracefully alongside the woman who was wearing a long dress and holding the man"s hand. Because it was so far her face was not clear, but judging from the screaming fans, it seemed like she was laughing.
Zhou Peipei looked at the face for a long time before a "CRASH!" sound was heard as the laptop fell on the ground!
Jian Wei"s felt like she was walking on a cloud.
The red carpet looked so long, without an end. Both sides were crowded with people. Although there were fences blocking them, it still didn"t stop the fans from pushing forward. Countless cameras were focusing on her. She, who is in a costume, is the focus of their attention. Thousands of people were watching her at this moment through the network .
Never, in her 20 years of life, did Jian Wei feel as stimulated as she was at the moment.
"Peipei, look here! Look here!"
"Jiang Yi, give me a smile! Yes! Peipei, give me one as well!"
"Can you two stand closer?!"
The media shouting soon followed, making Jian Wei feel that she really was floating on air because the situation seemed so surreal. The situation was much more than what she had expected. She was feeling dizzy from looking at the reporters" faces. Her steps were getting more and more unstable. With a great effort, she tried to brace the crowd which seemed like it was on the verge of breaking down the barrier. She began to feel a hint of panic creeping inside her mind. She was gradually getting swept up in it.
"Don"t be afraid."
She suddenly heard Jiang Yi"s voice and as she turned to her left, the man was naturally looking at her while greeting the media.
"You smiled very well. Just walk and smile. Don"t forget to wave to your right."
She had seen him at the much antic.i.p.ated, glamorous red carpet events numerous times, but back then she was always watching him from the other side the screen, out of her reach.
This time, she was by his side.
Jian Wei tried very hard not to expose her bottled up feelings, but her eyes still unconsciously revealed the need for help. Her puppy-like eyes stared pitifully at him, as if he was the only one that she could rely on in this world.
Jiang Yi was silent for a moment before he raised his arm and let his hand fall to her slender waist. He motioned for her to come closer and made a gesture for her to look where he pointed before putting his lips close to her ear, "Look at the left side". Jian Wei reflexively looked at the edge of the red carpet. Zhu Jing, Lin Hao, Lai Xiao Shuang and the driver of Lai Xiao Shuang"s friend were standing there.
Jian Wei was dumbfounded, unable to understand what he was trying to say. Jiang Yi said: "I was thinking, in that car, it can accommodate five people?"
"I…I guess so?"
Jiang Yi raised his eyebrows, and whispered with a voice that only she could hear: "I didn"t expect… we took a fake star to attend red carpet event, but the main point is, we were overloaded…"
Jian Wei was stunned for about three seconds before she reflexively grabbed his hand, "How can you focus on that right now?"
Lai Xiao Shuang and Zhu Jing were watching those two people on the red carpet interact. Originally, Jian Wei seemed to be very nervous. They didn"t know what Jiang Yi had said to her that made her forgot to be nervous, and even forget the cameras around them, but instead turned to looked at him. The two of them looked at each other for a moment before Jian Wei suddenly burst out laughing. She became more relaxed as the media captured the interaction with much enthusiasm.
Zhu Jing suddenly exclaimed, "That Jian Wei, she"s quite steady. What does she do for a living?"
For someone who never received any training, suddenly faced with so many cameras, it is really not a joke. It"s possible to be scared senseless on the spot, but she was actually able to hold herself well! She even managed to crack a joke with Jiang Yi!
Lai Xiao Shuang"s mouth twitched as she answered, "She"s still a student, but she studied really well so she had attracted people"s attention since she was a child. You can say that she had quite an experience…" She didn"t dare to mention the most important reason. After all, Jian Wei was used to being chased by Zhou Peipei"s fans.
The live streaming was over when they finished walking down the red carpet, so they didn"t have to do the interview. Jian Wei really thought the heavens were helping her because, in any case, even if she and Zhou Peipei looked a lot like each other, their voices were quite different. If she was really asked to answer a question then she would have had no choice but to pretend to have a sore throat.
Today"s event was not held in a particularly large venue. Apart from the eye-catching stage in front, the stars and guests were seated on a roundtable format, just like during dinner. The difference was, there"s only water on the table instead of food.
Jian Wei stood at the entrance, looking at the beautifully decorated hall as she let out the long breath that she had been holding. Her heart was still trembling. She could still recall the dazzling lights and the tsunami-like cries of the fans just now. She had just come to accept the fact that she had done something so thrilling.
"Let"s go to the side. We"re blocking the way."
Saying that, Jiang Yi led her to her left. Jian turned around and looked at him with such a pair of bright eyes, looking straight into his eyes. "We did it!" She lowered her voice, and repeated, "A Yi, we did it!" Her hands were clutching his as they stood face to face, her face shining with an eye-catching allure. It seemed that if her dress hadn"t been so c.u.mbersome, she probably would have already jumped up on the spot.
Jiang Yi looked at her faintly without saying a word. Jian Wei"s excitement faded a little bit as she looked at his cold expression. Did she do something wrong? She didn"t recall doing anything wrong ah……
He suddenly smiled and gave her forehead a flick, "Ah, good girl. You did it."
Jian Wei"s face instantly became red. This person, actually teasing her! The frustrating thing was, she wasn"t able to be mad at him for it!
Jiang Yi"s eyes were bright, like he was really happy. Looking at him, Jian Wei suddenly remembered that just now inside the car, his eyes were just like stars, and his little smile just like a light, illuminating her entire world. He said to her, ‘we hadn"t lost‘. That kind of juvenile thinking, at that moment, seemed to have transported her back to the time when she first loved him. Although he was 5 years older than her, he didn"t grow up like other youngsters. He even secretly went to join the singing compet.i.tion without his family"s knowledge.
At that time, he said that he wanted to do something that he desired.
So many years had pa.s.sed, yet he still didn"t change.
Jian Wei bowed her head to hide her joy because she was getting too emotional. Even if it was for a short while, she was lucky enough to enter his world, to get a glimpse of his true emotions.
Not that cordial but distant smile, but the most real him.
After a long while, she finally whispered: "We did it…"
"What?" He didn"t catch her words.
Jian Wei didn"t repeat what she had just said. They did it, not just her. This was so meaningful to her because it was something that they managed to achieve together. Other things were not important, only this that couldn"t be missed.
From the crowd, Lin Hao suddenly ran over towards them, "Yi ge, Zhou, Zhou laoshi, it"s…it"s been hard on you…"
His face was quite complicated, as Jiang Yi asked, "Where"s Jing jie?"
"She asked me to take you to your seat, she had something to deal with, something to finish…"
Something to deal with. Jian Wei immediately reacted. She"s only pretending to be Zhou Peipei on the red carpet. Later there would be a need to speak, but this was being broadcast on live television, it was impossible to leave. Even if Jian Wei dared to go on stage, Zhu Jing would not allow it.
So, the reason they did this was to let Zhou Peipei obediently come back to accept the award. Now that Zhou Peipei had seen the red carpet, she must have changed her mind. Both sides didn"t dare to act so rashly and were finally able to communicate…
She felt as if the blood were draining from her body. She felt that she really lacked courage. She hated Zhou Peipei. She wanted to help Jiang Yi, but when she was posing as Zhou Peipei, she actually had a guilty conscience. There"s actually no grudge between the two of them. She didn"t know what situation Zhou Peipei was in right now, but probably…she"s ready to blow up…
"Do you have a way? If she"s really furious, how are you going to handle it?" Jian Wei was really worried, "and…"
"And?"
Jian Wei looked around for a little bit, "And I feel that the reason she suddenly left yesterday, it"s not because she had anything against you. There should be other reasons…"
Jiang Yi pondered about it for a moment, "You don"t have to concern yourself about this. Even if she wants to blow up at someone, it won"t be you."
Jian Wei was thinking that if Zhou Peipei wanted to get revenge she wouldn"t let go of anyone, but hearing Jiang Yi"s words, she suddenly had a sense of security, "Oh, if she really wants to get revenge against me, you have to protect me! I don"t want to be dragged to an alley to fight!"
She only said it as a joke, but suddenly regretted saying that. Looking at their relationship, this speech was quite…
Jiang Yi smiled as he a.s.sured her, "I"m the one who let you come. Of course I"ll protect you."