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Jiang Yi stood inside the elevator, the metal doors sleek and shiny, reflecting his silhouette. He looked past them and saw the tennis court.
After she had finished speaking, he had stared at her. She recovered and whispered, "I"m sorry," before walking pa.s.sed him with quick steps.
The sunset had dyed the entire sky making it look dazzlingly beautiful. As she rushed away, her silhouette looked lonely, becoming smaller and smaller until at last he couldn"t see her at all.
Lin Hao didn"t understand what had happened to him, and in fact, he didn"t quite understand his actions either. He had always treated his fans gently. He had not asked her to do anything for him, but when they supported him he also wanted to praise and encourage them. But he treated Jian Wei like that.
Even if he was worried about her, he could have been gentler. But when he saw her acting rashly like that, disregarding her own safety, he was unable to control himself.
Perhaps the way he spoke was a little heavy-handed.
But she was also childish. What was the question she asked at the end…
What did that have to do with it, ah!
He walked through the hotel"s garden. The summer breeze was blisteringly hot and quickly his whole body was covered in a sheen of sweat. His mood became increasingly agitated. He almost wanted to find a swimming pool, but in the end just returned to the hotel.
The corridor on the first floor of the hotel had steps leading to the garden on both sides and an elevator at the end. The corridor was empty, with only two or three people standing in front of the elevator.
Jiang Yi turned to the corner at the other end, and his footsteps became sluggish because he saw a familiar figure.
Jian Wei was still wearing the same clothes as before, the only addition was a mask covering her face. Lin Zequn stood facing her and at his side stood his a.s.sistants. It looked as if they had encountered each other while waiting for the elevator.
Sure enough, after a second Jian Wei said, "Lin-laoshi, I"ve suddenly remembered that there is something I need to buy, you go up first."
She turned around wanting to leave, but was stopped by the a.s.sistant who blocked her path. Jian Wei paused for a few seconds before turning. Lin Zequn smiled and said, "I"ve never asked, why do you always wear a mask? Is there something no one can underneath?"
Jian Wei replied, "My face is very sensitive, I don"t want to show it."
Lin Zequn exhaled.
He lifted his hand as if he wanted to pull her mask off, and Jian Wei subconsciously moved backwards. His hand stopped in midair, and under everyone"s eyes a trace of malice flashed across his face. His hand moved forward and he slapped her straight across the face.
The sharp sound stunned everyone.
The elevator doors opened and he walked in. Facing the girl who hadn"t responded, he smiled and said, "Thank you for teaching me how to behave. That slap just now, is my teaching to you."
As if all the blood had rushed to his head, Jiang Yi felt a rushing in his ears, as if there were thousands upon thousands of birds. .h.i.tting his eardrums. He clenched his fist tightly, unexpectedly he wanted to charge forward, but he was grabbed from behind.
"Yi-ge, Yi-ge you need to calm down! Don"t go, ah!" Lin Hao didn"t expect that he would run into a situation like this. He was so anxious he had to low his voice, "What are you going to do? If you hit Lin Zequn this matter will blow up! Do you know what will be written in the news? Don"t you value your career! Moreover, moreover, Jian-xiaojie is a girl. She must be embarra.s.sed and if you go out now she"ll only lose more face! Yi-ge, don"t be impulsive, ah!"
"Let me go!" Jiang Yi said through clenched teeth.
Lin Hao felt sweat beading his forehead, and only G.o.d knew how much courage it took, but he continued to hold Jiang Yi back. Lin Zequn"s elevator went up and another figure rushed in from the garden on the left, running towards Jian Wei in a few paces.
"Are you okay? Heavens, la, I saw what was happening from over there but there wasn"t enough time to come over. Lin-laoshi, he unexpectedly… Does it hurt, ah? How can he hit you?"
It was the co-ordinator Li Meng.
Jian Wei covered her face and slowly said, "I"m alright."
Then she thought of something and said, "Fortunately, he didn"t see."
Jiang Yi stopped moving.
The co-ordinator also looked at her and said, "You"re talking about Jiang Yi? This thing… is because of him? I saw the post you made on Weibo this afternoon. You actually didn"t mention any names, ah. Moreover you deleted it. Lin-loashi still acted like…”
After the co-ordinator spoke, she felt like her whole opinion of Lin Zequn had changed. After all, in her heart he was the one with the best temper among the whole cast and crew. Who would have imagined that in private he actually had this kind of face. Even if she sent out a post criticising him, would you slap the girl? Zhou Peipei doesn"t slap people!
She wanted to examine Jian Wei"s face, but Jian Wei tilted her head away. She didn"t dare to do anything and could only say, "It"ll be okay. Go back and put some ice on it and it"ll get better soon. It probably won"t leave any marks."
Lin Zequn hadn"t used all of his strength and because of the mask it didn"t hurt too much. But the insult from the action was one that she had never experienced.
She looked at the floor and suddenly thought of that evening at the tennis court. After calming down, she understood why Jiang Yi had acted like that. It was probably to protect her. He always protected his fans. Before, he hadn"t let Zhou Peipei bully her, and this time he didn"t want her to offend Lin Zequn.
And the facts prove that he was correct.
She said, "I was the one who was stupid. I shouldn"t have sent out that Weibo post."
"This matter can"t be blamed on you, ah! Regardless of what you said, he is the one who hit you so he"s wrong, in short, ai…"
The co-ordinator looked at Jian Wei"s expression and thought of something. With how smart she was, how could she not think that the Weibo post would offend Lin Zequn? The cause could only be that she was distracted. Because she cared too much about that person, she threw her ability to judge the situation to the back of her head.
The co-ordinator muttered, "So you really must like Jiang-laoshi?"
There was a long silence. Jian Wei suddenly let out a long sigh. She smiled and said, "Correct, ah. I really like him."
She seemed to have suddenly confided *, and sat down on the stairs beside her, the co-ordinator sitting next to her. In the night breeze, her voice was very soft, "I still haven"t told you yet, right. My grandmother is a professor at A University, but I"m actually not a Beijing-er. I grew up in Chengdu."
"You and Jiang-laoshi…"
"Right, the same as Jiang Yi. We"re from the same place. My mother was originally a professor at one of the universities in Beijing. Later she was sent to Sichuan by the government and she met my father who was working at the same university. They fell in love at first sight, and after they got married my mother stayed in Chengdu. Because my mum married so far away, although my grandmother didn"t say anything, she hoped that I would be able to live close by her. So when I was young it was basically decided that I would enter A University."
Even though the co-ordinator didn"t understand why she was talking about this, she listened unconsciously, forgetting about everything else. Antic.i.p.ating the same ordinary plot line, she asked, "You didn"t like A university?"
"At that time I had no idea. I didn"t not like it, and I didn"t like it. I was only a little unhappy that everything was completely decided by my elders. When I was in elementary school they made me skip two grades. When it became time to graduate, I couldn"t find a single friend to take a graduation photo with…"
Really.
She couldn"t help but ask, "What happened later?"
"Afterwards I ignored their nagging, ah. I said that I didn"t want to study mathematics, I wanted to study philosophy. I said I wouldn"t go to A University, I wanted to go to Shanghai, or Hong Kong. In any case, I wouldn"t go to Beijing. At that time I made my family very angry.
The co-ordinator imagined a 12 or 13 year old little girl. She was obviously yielding and silly, but with a temper, just like every young girl in their rebellious period.
"But in the end you still went to A University in the end." She said.
"Yes. Do you know why?"
Jian Wei"s eyes were gleaming and she looked at her face to face. She subconsciously asked, "Why?"
"Because of Jiang Yi, ah."
The co-ordinator stared at her.
Jian Wei"s voice finally had a trace of emotion as she said, "I was 13 years old the year that I began to like him. At that time the situation in my family was at it"s worst. I even skipped school. One afternoon when I was skipping cla.s.s, I went to an internet café to look up information about him. I watched lots of interviews…"
It was the time when Jiang Yi had just taken part in the popular, nation-wide singing compet.i.tion, and had already entered the top ten. Jian Wei had fallen in love with him at first sight when she saw him on the big TV outside the school gym. Afterwards she had considered him to be one of her pillars of support. She had specially bought an MP3 so she could listen to his voice every day before she fell asleep.
So when she found out that Jiang Yi was also hiding the fact that he was competing in the compet.i.tion from his family, Jian Wei felt like she had found the best comrade. She even began to chose foreign schools for herself.
Then, that afternoon, she skipped cla.s.s and went to the internet café.
She still remembered that one interview, he was wearing white clothes, washed out white jeans, and seemed honest and handsome.
The anchor was a Taiwanese TV hostess, and they made some small talk before she finally asked him whether he was also the rebellious type as he was hiding his partic.i.p.ation in the compet.i.tion from his family.
At that time, the "rebellious" type was trending and all of the contestants in the show had showed their own rebelliousness to different degrees. Only Jiang Yi seemed normal. The most suitable thing for him to also jump on the trend was his secret partic.i.p.ation in the compet.i.tion.
Jian Wei had waited with wide eyes. On the computer screen, Jiang Yi had been silent for two seconds. He didn"t follow along with what the hostess had said, instead he lightly smiled and said, "I"ve always thought, my parents, or whoever wants me to make me do something, are not the most important thing. The reason I am partic.i.p.ating in the compet.i.tion is because I want to do something like this. I like to sing. I think this is the path I ought to take. This is in order to follow my own heart, not in order to rebel.
"I hope everyone doesn"t blindly imitate me. Before you do things, listen to your own thoughts. Be aware that to rebel against others is not difficult. What is more difficult is to be loyal to yourself.”
In the warm sunshine, Jian Wei sat in the internet café, her huge school bag at her side. She thought of the madness of this period, and suddenly did not understand what she was doing.
She liked maths, she was also good at it, and A University"s maths department was the best. Her family is helping her to choose, but if she were to choose herself, rationally, the outcome would be the same.
She should not for the sake of throwing a tantrum try to escape.
Actually, this way of thinking was very simple. For many people, when they grow up they will naturally understand it. But, for the 13 year old Jian Wei, these things are what he taught her. He let her realise that being loyal to yourself is the most important thing.
"He asked me why I like him. Of course I will like him, ah. My entire life has been changed by him…"
Jian Wei finally couldn"t help it and the rims of her eyes slightly reddened. The co-ordinator had a complicated expression, as though she understood but at the same time didn"t understand. In the end she lifted her arms and held her. Jian Wei leaned her head on her shoulder, her gaze falling on the floor and her own fuzzy shadow.
She didn"t know whether or not every girl who chased after their idol had had this kind of experience or not and was inspired by them. But for her, Jiang Yi was not a joke or someone she followed for entertainment; he is her guide. He is very important to her.
Only, this kind of important person said to her that if he doesn"t make her happy she should not like him anymore.
She knew that she was very childish, and her own questioning was very naïve. He didn"t owe her anything. On the contrary, he had always given her support and strength.
She wanted to make him understand, even if she was slapped on the face, she wanted him to understand. Her love for him is far more profound and sincere than he imagined…
But now, she can only be thankful that he did not see this scene. She didn"t want to bring him any trouble anymore.
Around the corner, Lin Hao dazedly stared at Jiang Yi. Jian Wei"s words had touched him. He had never imagined that his family"s boss could have helped someone as a life mentor, and it was actually as this kind of talented girl"s life tutor.
The shock was so big he could barely process it.
Jiang Yi pursed his lips. Under the bright lighting his expression was unable to be made out. Lin Hao wanted to gauge his mood, but unexpectedly, he turned around and with large strides walked away.
Lin Hao quickly caught up to him, "Yi-ge, where are you going, ah?" Don"t try to find Lin Zequn to beat him up, okay!
Jiang Yi walked to the end of the corridor before taking out his phone. A few seconds after dialling a voice came through. He stared at the pitch-black night sky and his voice was also dark, "h.e.l.lo, Jing-jie? I have something I want to talk to you about."
The incident with the magazine quickly expanded on the internet.
Jiang Yi"s fan, "Pumpkin Sauce is Mrs. Jiang" published a long Weibo post saying that the magazine article distorted the facts and had insulted Mr. Jiang"s reputation, and demanded an apology.
On the Weibo post, many directors and actors who had worked together with Jiang Yi posted their thoughts, in order to refute the article"s criticism of Jiang Yi"s professional qualities. In reality, even though Jiang Yi was originally a singer, after changing to acting he was even more motivated. Not only did he attend the Yang-Ying (???) for a one-year training cla.s.s, but he also had one-on-one lessons with a teacher for a long period specifically to develop his acting skills. For the drama he had acted in before, he had never been late and his efforts had been good. In this age when 80% of actors and actresses use dubbing, he even had two dramas that used the original audio!
After a glance, the Weibo post"s reb.u.t.tal could be said to be justified and convincing.
Maybe it was because of their great momentum, but the magazine at last put out a response. On their official Weibo they issued a statement saying the interview this time indeed had mistakes on both sides and that the editor who examined the ma.n.u.script also hadn"t paid attention, causing them to bring about a misunderstanding. To Mr. Jiang they expressed their sincere regret, and after this they will be stricter towards their own works in the future.
At this point there was nothing to fight for and the fans also knew to quit when they were ahead. After all, Jiang Yi would still have to mix in the circle and it was not good to be too inflexible.
However, this matter still hadn"t reached its conclusion because… Lin Zequn"s fans exploded.
Jiang Yi and Lin Zequn were shooting a movie together. Originally the relationship between the male lead"s fans and the second male lead"s fans had been subtle, especially as the second male lead was currently more popular than the male lead. Before, both sides had experienced friction several times, but everything was small-scale. This time resulted in a complete fight.
"Don"t bind it! Without my gege, can the magazine sell or what?"
"Ha, dead person. An 18th-tier has been singer, do we need to bind you? A person whose dramas aren"t good enough but who still doesn"t give way, overly sensitive people must not mix in the entertainment circle!"
From a fight about the magazine incident, it rapidly developed into a PK of both parties" new dramas.
It was a coincidence that on the third day of "Cold Night""s run at the same time, another TV series, "First-Rate Lady" would also be broadcast. To have two dramas broadcast at the same time would originally have easily led to conflict. Before, both sides had tried as much as possible to maintain an amicable atmosphere, but now all pretences were shed not because of anything other than that "First-Rate Lady""s second male lead was Lin Zequn.
After Lin Zequn"s fans exploded, the hearts of the fans became more ambitious. Originally because he was merely playing the second male lead, they hadn"t paid much attention to the drama. However, with Jiang Yi"s fans fighting and provoking their temper, they began to put all their hearts into promoting it. They threatened to let everyone know based on the work itself, who is really powerful!
Towards this, Jiang Yi"s fans started to mercilessly sneer, "Playing the second male lead, if he doesn"t exert all his strength, wouldn"t he be easily cut down? Some people all day long are the most popular in the universe, the result until now it he still let my Jiang Yi join, come back when you"re really the male lead to show off again, okay?"
"Exactly, even if "First Rate" really explodes, it"s got nothing to do with you, ah. The rating are the credit of the male and female lead! The sight of the second male lead"s fans s.n.a.t.c.hing the achievements, don"t be so ugly."
The fact that Lin Zequn had no main lead drama had always been his fans weak point. Jiang Yi"s fans poked their sore spot with this sentence, but Lin Zequn"s angry fans all pretended not to see it and roundly abused them on Weibo and the forums. These arguments were immediately screenshot-ed by Jiang Yi"s fans and collected to become evidence that Lin Zequn"s fans were of low moral character. It was a skilled ambush!
The fight online was in full swing. Clearly, both sides were not regarded as being particularly influential actors, but unexpectedly, the fight made it to the major headlines, and even more people became aware of the two dramas involved.
In this kind of heated atmosphere, the premiere date of "Cold Night" finally approached.
I have nothing to say. This was extremely late >_
In other news, we get to see a little bit of Jian Wei"s backstory and why Jiang Yi means so much to her, as well as The Slap.
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