Chapter 70 – Sowing Dissension (8)
Four days later, the wrap party was held at a hotel in the city. Lan Jinyao was surprised to see that Fu Bainian was also present.
Taking advantage of the fact that all the people around them were chatting, Lan Jinyao tapped Fu Bainian's hand under the table and asked him in a low voice, "How come you're here? It's not because of me, right?"
When Fu Bainian heard that, he casually replied, "You're overthinking things."
Soon after, Alan clarified Lan Jinyao's doubts when he held up his wine glass and said, "Everyone, here’s to President Fu! It was all thanks to his financial support and investment that we managed to successfully wrap up the drama!"
Lan Jinyao was totally baffled. As far as she knew, Fu Bainian hadn't invested in the drama at all. However, looking at everyone's reaction, it seemed that they were all aware that he had. She was the only one who didn't know.
"Of course, besides President Fu, we also have to toast Meimei! She was a major contributor in our team!"
While Alan was talking, he winked at Lan Jinyao.
When everyone raised their wine glass to toast to Lan Jinyao, a clear and cold humph resounded throughout the room.
Only then did Lan Jinyao take note of Xu Jin'ge, who was sitting next to the Assistant Director.
Lan Jinyao saw that Xu Jin'ge still looked as arrogant as ever, so she supposed that Xu Jin'ge probably didn't know yet that she was going to be forced to go abroad soon.
Amidst the banquet, Fu Bainian left for a while, but Lan Jinyao didn’t care too much since Alan was walking towards her. He then told her, "Your acting skills are superb. I certainly didn’t pick the wrong person for the role. I have another upcoming work; are you interested in participating? Your role will still be the female lead, how about that?"
"Of course, I'm interested! It's my honour to work with you again. But, around when does the shoot start? I may need to schedule things beforehand on my end so that, when the time comes, I still have a time slot…"
She had to attend Chen Zetao's movie audition soon, and she must definitely win that role because that film would be the stepping-stone towards the movie Goddess title. If Shen Wei'an was smart enough, then she would undoubtedly join the audition.
Alan snapped his fingers and said, "No problem at all! The script hasn’t even been written yet."
Lan Jinyao: "…"
Fine! So, it's turned out to be a blank cheque.
Alan patted her on the shoulder before adding, "Don’t despair, when Rouge Fermentation comes out, you’re going to be a big hit! You have to believe in your abilities, and you also have to believe in mine!"
"We ought to thank your lucky stars for that!" Lan Jinyao indifferently responded.
Xu Jin'ge stood in the corridor outside the bathroom and looked in front of her from time to time. When Fu Bainian had left earlier, she'd quickly followed behind him.
It wasn't long before Fu Bainian came out of the bathroom. When he saw Xu Jin'ge, he frowned and asked, "Were you waiting for me?"
"Mhm! There’s something I want to talk to you about," said Xu Jin’ge with a sweet smile on her face.
Fu Bainian nodded. "If you have something to say, then just say it!"
His expression was icy, so the smile on Xu Jin'ge's face gradually faded. She walked over to Fu Bainian and extended her hand to hold his hand.
However, in the next second, Fu Bainian put his hand into his pocket. The hand that Xu Jin'ge had extended froze in the air for a long while before she slowly withdrew it, her expression somewhat disappointed.
"The agency has asked me to go abroad to develop my acting career. Was that your decision?"
Xu Jin'ge's voice sounded a bit weak, with a hint of grievances. She knew that acting like this was the most useful way to make one feel sympathy and take pity on her.
Fu Bainian didn't nod or shake his head. Instead, he just casually said, "Your current acting skills aren't bad, but they're just above average. Going abroad will be greatly beneficial to your future development. Besides, you should become more sensible now and realise what you really want."
Xu Jin'ge stubbornly lifted her head and passionately stared at him. "Fu Bainian, I don't want to go abroad. I'm already an adult; I know what I want!"
Her voice was a little loud, so everyone who'd gone to the bathroom looked towards them.
"Are you sure you know what you want?" Fu Bainian’s expression darkened a little as he asked her this question.
Xu Jin'ge's eyes were a little red, but she stubbornly refused to look away and loudly replied, "Of course I know! What I want is…”
Her words came to an abrupt end.
Lan Jinyao stood not too far away and quietly observed them.
In the next second, Xu Jin'ge quickly tiptoed and tightly hugged Fu Bainian before he noticed the person standing nearby in the corridor. Xu Jin'ge choked with sobs as she whispered in his ear, "Don’t send me abroad! Otherwise, I won't keep Chen Meimei’s secret any longer. She's, in fact, Lan Jinyao, right?! What a shocking fact! I don’t know what Old Chen would think if he learned about this."
Fu Bainian's body stiffened upon hearing that and his gaze which was staring at the wall gradually deepened.
"This is my only request! I just want to stay here!" Xu Jin'ge softly stated.
She then slowly released Fu Bainian and looked at the empty corridor, her lips slightly curled upwards.
"Fu Bainian, do you agree to my request or not?" she asked again with a nasally voice, sounding slightly rusty.
Fu Bainian frowned and looked a little perplexed as he asked, "How did you know that? Who else knows about this?"
He knew very well that this secret mustn't be told to anyone, or else, it would be just as Xu Jin'ge had said. Just the Chen family alone wouldn't let her get away with this.
At this instant, Fu Bainian's expression dramatically darkened, seemingly shrouding him in the depths of a cold layer of frost brimming with gloominess. Xu Jin'ge felt somewhat terrified when she saw him like this.
"No one else!" She shook her head before she continued, "I didn’t tell anyone. I discovered this secret on my own, so no one knows about it besides me. However, if you insist on sending me abroad, then I can’t guarantee that no one else will know about it."
This was a simple threat, but apparently, this threat just so happened to be Fu Bainian's weakness.
After a while, Fu Bainian slightly nodded and said, "I'll make the proper arrangements for this later!"
Following that, he intently stared at Xu Jin'ge before turning around and walking away.
Xu Jin'ge, who was still standing on the same spot, watched the man's departing figure. Her smile then became all the more dazzling.
When Fu Bainian returned to the room, those present were already starting to get drunk. He swept a quick glance around the room, but he didn't see Lan Jinyao anywhere.
Alan was already drunk, and when he saw Fu Bainian enter, he smiled and said, "Why did it take you so long to get back? Meimei went to look for you, but why hasn’t she come back yet?"
"She went to look for me? When did she leave?" asked Fu Bainian with contracted pupils.
Alan leisurely said, "It's been a while already. Didn't you see her on your way back? Could it be that she's already left?"
At this moment, Fu Bainian finally understood why Xu Jin'ge had suddenly hugged him. He then instantly changed his mind. Jinyao was right; Xu Jin'ge was indeed trouble.
Chapter 71 – Cold War (1)
At the top of Blue Hall Entertainment's building, Lan Jinyao was leaning against the wall, her eyesight blurry.
The dark sky was glittering with a few bright stars, and the cool breeze occasionally caressed her hair.
In this situation, she recalled that night. She stood here as she watched Shen Wei'an shouting hysterically, blaming all the injustices in this world. At that time, Lan Jinyao had only felt sad, but now, she understood that there was no such thing as fairness in this world.
Back then, she hadn't known what love was, and she hadn't understood the meaning of a life.
But now, she understood that love wasn't equal to life. For a lifetime, it was just way too long, thorny, and full of disappointments.
As Lan Jinyao looked up at the quiet sky, a silent shadow appeared from the stairway. The figure stopped and looked around for a while before continuing to Lan Jinyao and sitting beside her.
Lan Jinyao tilted her head to look at Lan Xin, the corner of her mouth raising to form a sneer.
She'd thought she was the only one who'd wanted to calm down here for a while when upset. She hadn't expected that she could meet an acquaintance here.
In that split moment, the previous grudge between them seemed to disappear, and Lan Jinyao faintly asked, "Do you still like Fu Bainian?"
Staring at the face that was identical to her old one, Lan Jinyao felt something flashing in her mind. But, it flashed too fast, just like a white light, and before she could even catch it, it disappeared. She couldn't remember what it was, no matter how hard she tried.
Lan Xin was staring into the distance for a long while and snapped back to reality when she heard the question. She swept a glance at Lan Jinyao before she faintly smiled. "I'll tell you the truth. Actually, I don't like Fu Bainian at all. Although it's undeniable that the man is indeed handsome, I only have one person in my heart. I will never fall in love with another in my life."
"You have someone you like?"
This answer was beyond Lan Jinyao's expectation. She'd thought that this woman was all about Fu Bainian. That day, in the restaurant, Lan Xin had suffered not only from her accusation but also from the malicious glares of the people in the restaurant. For a woman, if she had no particular purpose, people would hardly believe that it was true love.
Lan Xin nodded. "Yeah, but I can only like him from afar. I can never get close, and I can't get close either."
The way Lan Xin spoke was slightly strange. Lan Jinyao was confused, but her curiosity was roused.
"Why? If you like someone, then you should pursue him!" She paused before continuing, "Of course, I don't approve of destroying someone's family."
Lan Xin suddenly burst into laughter at her words.
She looked towards Lan Jinyao. "I hadn't expected that your morality would be so strong. I won't destroy someone's family; I would never do that!"
Lan Jinyao thought: weren't you trying to break Fu Bainian and me up before? Just so you know, we already have a marriage certificate, so by law, we're already a family.
As if she'd guessed Lan Jinyao's thoughts, Lan Xin's smile became even more prominent, her eyes which bent down and made her looked adorable.
She said, "You still remember that matter? Haven't you already reconciled with Fu Bainian? Actually, I know that what I did was wrong. I also felt very ashamed in my heart, but I had no choice; I had to do it. I'm really sorry for hurting you!"
The reason she'd had to do it was to get close to Fu Bainian? Wasn't it to break them apart? The questions in Lan Jinyao's mind grew larger.
Although the face in front of her looked exactly like her former self, she continuously felt that she couldn't tell what Lan Xin was thinking. She clearly didn't look all that old, but why did it seem that she was much more reserved than her peers? She seemed completely different compared to Xu Jin'ge.
"I'll tell you another secret!"
Lan Xin blinked. Her eyes were twinkling as if they contained starlight. Lan Jinyao suddenly felt that Lan Xin's current smile was somewhat dangerous. It was similar to a mischievous grin that someone would have before they pulled a prank. She subconsciously thought that the secret Lan Xin was going to tell her wouldn't be a pleasant secret.
"Actually…Fu Bainian has someone he likes!"
Lan Xin had deliberately dragged out her words for suspense, and her tone was somewhat smug.
However, the next second, the smugness on her face slowly faded. She looked at Lan Jinyao in puzzlement and asked, "Why aren't you upset? Or, are you with Fu Bainian because of a reason other than love?"
The corners of Lan Jinyao's lips curved upwards. At this moment, Lan Xin had an innocent look about her that matched her age.
Lan Jinyao shook her head. "I wouldn't be upset. What you want to say is that the person Fu Bainian likes is the dead actress, Lan Jinyao, right? I don't really care about this. After all, she's already dead."
Sometimes, fate was genuinely wonderful. Two people who'd been opposing each other not long ago could, at this moment, talk like a pair of old friends who'd known each other for a long time.
Just when Lan Jinyao was sighing inwardly, the atmosphere suddenly changed.
Obviously, Lan Xin wasn't happy.
In that moment, Lan Jinyao could almost see a surging emotion within her eyes. This emotion came without warning, which made Lan Jinyao feel a little confused.
After a long while, Lan Xin finally calmed down and stared at Lan Jinyao with her bright eyes as she stated, "She's not dead. She lives forever in my heart!"
Upon hearing the first half of her sentence, Lan Jinyao's heart thumped hard, and she thought that her secret had been discovered. But, when she heard the latter phrase, she was relieved.
"I'm her fan; the type that will always protect her."
Lan Jinyao was quite moved when she heard that. Her eyes softened as she asked, "Is it because you closely resemble her? Or maybe, it's purely her acting you like? Or, even her personality?"
She didn't know how many of her fans would remember her in their hearts after her death.
"Because she was just like me; very lonely."
At that moment, listening to Lan Xin's serious tone when spoke those words, the smile on Lan Jinyao's face finally disappeared.
That's right; no one could understand her loneliness. Even though she'd entered the entertainment industry and had learnt to smile intimately at anyone; the emotions buried deep inside her had never changed.
As the clock struck 9 PM, the time when Lan Jinyao had fallen off the building, Lan Xin stood up and looked down at the dark staircase.
"Do you want to come over and see? I heard that for people who die from falling off a building, their souls always linger below. At night, we might see signs of the soul!"
Lan Jinyao shook her head. "No!"
Her legs turned to jelly. Although she was standing on the roof of the very building she'd died from, she still hadn't overcome her trauma.
This time, she figured that she'd come here for nothing.