Chapter 29 Standoff "He must have done it on purpose!"

"Teacher Jiang sings very well, at least I think she sings very well."

Just as the two were about to part, Shen Yuheng suddenly turned around and said those words.

Before Jiang Xinglan could react, Shen Yuheng left the private room first.

This is why Jiang Xinglan still has this sentence lingering in her mind.

Jiang Xinglan reached out and turned off the light.

In the instant the light went out, she seemed to return to the moment the candle went out.

The room was just as quiet, but unlike before.

She can now hear her own heartbeat very clearly.

After a long silence, a murmur suddenly drifted out of the room, "He must have done it on purpose!"

---

Zhou Cuo didn't get a response from Jiang Yunye, but he did get a post from Jiang Yunye on his WeChat Moments ten minutes earlier: "Making a fuss over nothing, mind your own business."

He instantly realized that Jiang Yunye had seen through his thoughts. "However, the words 'making a fuss over nothing' are enough to explain the matter."

Zhou Cuo gradually tightened his grip on the phone.

To him, making a fuss was tantamount to acceptance.

Having gone through something like that, how could Jiang Yunye possibly accept someone from the entertainment industry getting close to Xinglan?

A cold, emotionless smile played on his lips; he didn't believe it.

Jiang Yunye could not accept this!

Although in his view, given Shen Yuheng's current status in the industry, it seems that he doesn't need to climb up to Xingye Entertainment through Jiang Xinglan.

However, having learned from past mistakes, Jiang Yunye still had Chen Rui contact Shen Yuheng's team to schedule a time for a proper discussion.

But considering Jiang Xinglan's open and honest attitude, it seems unnecessary.

Besides, Xinglan always has her own principles, so it's best if he doesn't interfere rashly.

So Jiang Yunye sent Chen Rui another message, "No need to contact him for now."

Chen Rui: ?

"OK."

---

Unlike Jiang Yunye, who has temporarily shelved his plans, Jiang Xinglan is actively looking for the next opportunity for an "experiment".

However, Shen Yuheng received an email from the Asian Screen Association informing him that the film "Against the Current," which he shot at the end of last year, had successfully passed the initial review and received a nomination.

Nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor.

They also invited him to attend the film festival in mid-September.

Fortunately, Wei Yu had already started preparing when submitting the sample film, so even though the film festival was only a few days away, it wasn't too rushed.

Even so, Wei Yu still grabbed Shen Yuheng and took him to the airport early the next morning, flying directly to the film festival venue—Hai City.

Before boarding the plane, Shen Yuheng sent a message to Jiang Xinglan: "Good morning, Teacher Jiang. I'm going to Haishi today to participate in an event."

Jiang Xinglan saw this message while having breakfast, and at the same time, she also saw the shortlist announced on the official website last night.

After calculating the time, Jiang Xinglan realized that Shen Yuheng should still be on the plane, so she left him with the words "I wish you all your wishes come true" and went to the laboratory.

As soon as the plane arrived at the international airport, Shen Yuheng immediately turned off airplane mode. This message popped up along with a bunch of congratulatory messages.

Shen Yuheng immediately checked Jiang Xinglan's messages and replied before checking the messages from others.

Wei Yu then began contacting various brands to confirm that the clothing, makeup, accessories, and staff had all arrived at the hotel.

Only after seeing Shen Yuheng put down his phone did she begin to explain the arrangements for the next few days to him.

The film festival interviews, brand parties, press conferences... there was so much to hear that even Xiao Chen was amazed.

"Also, this is your first time receiving an international award nomination. Relax, even if you don't win, it's not a big deal," Wei Yu added as the car approached the hotel.

"Brother Wei, don't worry, I understand," Shen Yuheng said with a smile. "Besides, Brother Wei, think positively. What if you bring home an award?"

"That's true, then keep it up!"

For a while, Shen Yuheng and the others were so busy that they barely had time to breathe, and he could only chat with Jiang Xinglan for a few minutes during his spare time.

To be more precise, I left a message for Jiang Xinglan and then waited for her reply.

Because it was the day after Shen Yuheng flew to Shanghai.

Jiang Xinglan also received an email from the journal editor, asking her to provide some supplementary information, and attached a list of the supplementary information.

After replying to the editor's email, Jiang Xinglan led her team to prepare items one by one according to the checklist.

Given that some of the content involved experimental data from several years ago, and that the journal's requirements for figures and tables have changed slightly in recent years, Jiang Xinglan had to reorganize the data and attach an analysis report.

Similarly, Jiang Xinglan could only reply to Shen Yuheng's messages in her spare time.

So when Song Yu shared in the lab that "Against the Current" had won "Best Film" at the Asian Film Awards, Jiang Xinglan and Shen Yuheng barely had a chance to talk.

"And what about him?" Jiang Xinglan asked, putting down the data record book in her hand.

"Huh?" Song Yu was taken aback. "Senior sister, you mean Shen Yuheng?"

"Mm." Jiang Xinglan had already picked up her phone.

“Shen Yuheng only received a nomination for ‘Best Actor’ and did not win,” Song Yu said with a hint of disappointment, but the emotion quickly disappeared. “Having a nomination is already very good. After all, my brother is still young and will have plenty of opportunities!”

"Yes, that's true."

Jiang Xinglan opened the app, and the top posts were all about the film festival.

Her gaze fell on the hashtag #ShenYuhengNomination#, and the first post she clicked on was Shen Yuheng's recent repost of the video that won an award, along with his thanks for being nominated.

Jiang Xinglan liked the post and then opened the group.

The group was filled with jubilation, with the stars either celebrating their own brothers' nominations or the film winning an award.

"Congratulations on winning the award for 'Against the Current'." Jiang Xinglan sent a message to Shen Yuheng.

"Thank you for your blessings, Teacher Jiang." This time, Shen Yuheng replied quickly.

"With Teacher Jiang's words, I'm not sad even if I don't win Best Actor." Shen Yuheng was sitting in the car letting the makeup artist touch up his makeup.

But to be honest, he still cared a little.

He not only saw the discussions among fans a while ago, but he even agreed with their ideas.

Even today, he still believes that he has a long way to go before he can stand by her side.

If I can actually win the award this time, I'll probably feel more confident.

However, given his qualifications, not winning an award was entirely expected.

"sad"

Jiang Xinglan's gaze lingered on those two words.

Yes, that's true. No matter what, there's bound to be some degree of it.

Even he himself felt some regret about it, let alone him.

But she didn't want him to dwell on those emotions.

"I've also experienced rejections. It's okay, if you get rejected, just try again."

"Besides, given how excellent Teacher Shen is, she will definitely be able to do it next time."

Shen Yuheng held his phone and smiled happily. Look, this is the person he likes—kind and wonderful.

At the same time, he was certain that Jiang Xinglan's feelings for him were truly different from before.

"With Teacher Jiang's words, we can definitely do it." He fought back the tears welling up in his eyes, pressed send, and then put his phone aside.

He wanted to look at it a little longer; he was really afraid of ruining his freshly applied makeup.

"Yuheng wants to discuss something with you," Wei Yu said, opening the car door and getting in. "As planned, after the banquet, we'll go back to the hotel, then have lunch with the 'Against the Current' crew tomorrow at noon, and then return to Beijing in the afternoon."

“However, because we have the first roadshow of ‘Starlight Never Fails’ to be held in Beijing tomorrow morning,” Wei Yu said quickly, “we have already communicated with Director Zheng, so the dinner will be postponed. But after the dinner, we will fly to Beijing.”

"If there are no problems, I'll get started on the arrangements?"

"Yes, no problem!" Shen Yuheng said readily.

"What? You seemed a little listless just now, but you're all better now?" Wei Yu finished booking the tickets, glanced at Shen Yuheng, and noticed the phone in his hand. "Or did your goddess message you?"

“She told me that she could definitely do it next time,” Shen Yuheng said.

"Yeah, that's what I think too. Next time, let's pick a good notebook and try again. I think that would really work."

"Good manuscripts are hard to come by, let nature take its course!" Jiang Xinglan's words did indeed improve Shen Yuheng's mood considerably.

---

The banquet was a star-studded affair.

Besides directors and actors, this place also attracts many investors and funders.

As the lead actor in tonight's Best Film, Shen Yuheng followed behind Director Zheng, raising his wine glass and exchanging pleasantries with everyone.

Suddenly, someone stopped in front of Director Zheng and Shen Yuheng. "Director Zheng, congratulations."

"So it's President Zhou. I didn't expect you to be here at the film festival," Director Zheng said politely, introducing Shen Yuheng beside him. "This is Shen Yuheng, the lead actor in our film 'Against the Current'."

"Yuheng, this is President Zhou of the Zhou family," Director Zheng introduced to Shen Yuheng.

For some reason, ever since this "General Manager Zhou" came, he felt that he was hostile towards him.

However, out of courtesy, Shen Yuheng extended his hand first, "Mr. Zhou, hello."

The saying goes, "You can't hit someone who's smiling."

Zhou Cuo also extended his hand, "So this is the movie star Shen Yingdi, I've heard so much about him."

Shen Yuheng felt the power coming from his hand and thought to himself that his feeling was indeed correct.

However, in the spirit of reciprocity, Shen Yuheng did not hold back and increased the pressure on his hands.

Director Zheng seemed to sense that the two were not getting along, and patted Shen Yuheng on the shoulder, "Yes, although Xiao Shen is young, his acting skills are not bad, and he has a bright future!"

Shen Yuheng understood Director Zheng's meaning and readily let go of his hand, saying modestly, "Director Zheng, you flatter me."

“Since Director Zheng praises Actor Shen so highly, he must have some extraordinary talent,” Zhou Cuo also withdrew his hand. “I have a project here, Actor Shen, would you mind talking to me privately?”

"Go ahead." Director Zheng saw through Zhou Cuo's intentions; he was after Shen Yuheng.

“Okay,” Shen Yuheng nodded to Director Zheng, also wanting to figure out what Mr. Zhou’s intentions were. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Shen Yuheng followed Zhou Cuo through the crowd to a less crowded place.

"Stay away from Xinglan," Zhou Cuo stopped, turned around, faced Shen Yuheng, and got straight to the point, "I don't care what you're up to, stay away from her, she's not worthy of someone like you."

Shen Yuheng smiled; he finally understood the reason for this hostility.

But what is the relationship between this person and Jiang Xinglan?

Although Shen Yuheng had doubts, he still found President Zhou in front of him somewhat ridiculous.

He simply didn't understand what Jiang Xinglan meant by wanting to distance herself from him.

No one needs to say anything; as long as Jiang Xinglan speaks, he will stay far away.

But the premise is that Jiang Xinglan said it herself.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhou Cuo asked, somewhat annoyed. He heard sarcasm in the laughter.

"I wonder what capacity Mr. Zhou is on in making this request?" Shen Yuheng asked.

"I--"

"I'd also like to know from what standpoint you're making this statement?" Another man in a suit walked over and interrupted Zhou Cuo.

The visitor was easy to recognize: Jiang Yunye, the president of Xingye Entertainment and also Jiang Xinglan's older brother.

Jiang Yunye walked directly to Shen Yuheng's side, facing Zhou Cuo, and repeated, "May I ask what your status is for interfering in my Xinglan's affairs?"

"Yunye," Zhou Cuo's tone shifted, no longer arrogant as before, but rather earnest, "Have you forgotten that matter?"

Jiang Yunye certainly hadn't forgotten.

When Hoshino first started acting, I was on set keeping an eye on him.

Xinglan happened to be nearby, so she came over to have dinner with him.

He was probably spotted by a young actor from the film crew, who then learned that Xinglan was his sister.

He knocked on Jiang Xinglan's door in the middle of the night, pretending that he had asked her to deliver a message, and got Xinglan to open the door.

Then a marketing account took a picture and started spreading rumors.

Fortunately, she ran into paparazzi who were taking photos of her when she returned to the hotel. They got the photos, but the young actress still cried about it online.

However, because there were no photos and Zhichen intervened, the matter was quickly resolved.

Therefore, from then on, Jiang Yunye would never allow such a thing to happen again, which is why he specifically instructed the public relations department to keep an eye on their family's news.

Jiang Yunye glanced at Shen Yuheng, "However, given Shen Yingdi's current status, Xingye can't offer any help."

“Hoshino is no good, but Zhichen is,” Zhou Cuo said sarcastically. “If Zhichen Group had the support this time, Mr. Shen could have won the ‘Best Actor’ award.”

"I never thought of that..."

Jiang Yunye raised his hand to stop Shen Yuheng's rebuttal, and looked at Zhou Cuo, "It's none of your business to interfere in Xinglan's private affairs."

"Yunye, you..."

“You know Xinglan’s personality; she doesn’t like others interfering in her affairs. You’ve already crossed the line.”

After saying that, Jiang Yunye glanced at Shen Yuheng and left, regardless of what Zhou Cuo thought.

Shen Yuheng understood and followed.

"President Jiang, I didn't intend to use Xinglan to achieve any purpose." Shen Yuheng said as he caught up with Jiang Yunye, feeling that he needed to make this clear to Jiang Yunye.

“Yes, I know,” Jiang Yunye nodded lightly, “and it’s fortunate that you didn’t have any ulterior motives.”

The two remained silent for a while. Facing Jiang Yunye, Shen Yuheng was still somewhat reserved.

"You like Xinglan?" Jiang Yunye suddenly asked.

"Yes." Shen Yuheng admitted it immediately.

"You're quick to admit it," Jiang Yunye said. "What if I told you to stay away from Xinglan?"

“Unless she tells me herself.” Shen Yuheng looked at Jiang Yunye firmly.

Jiang Yunye smiled and said, "As I just said, Xinglan doesn't like others interfering in her affairs, and neither can I."

“So, I take back what I just said,” Jiang Yunye stared intently at Shen Yuheng. “Also, I wasn’t trying to help you just now, so I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

“I know,” Shen Yuheng nodded, “but I still want to thank President Jiang for getting me out of that predicament.”

Jiang Yunye waved his hand. "Of course, I won't tell Xinglan that you like her." Jiang Yunye's tone became slightly serious as he changed the subject. "But that doesn't mean I support it. If you do anything excessive, then that's another story."

“I wouldn’t,” Shen Yuheng said firmly. “How could I possibly hurt her?”

"That would be best."

Watching Jiang Yunye's departing figure, Shen Yuheng sighed.

The road to winning back his wife is long and arduous~