Chapter 38
◎A Few Things About the Crown Prince's Romance◎
"Why?" Lille asked, bewildered. This didn't make sense. Normally, he would definitely attend the wedding and be on the front lines of the spectacle, while his brother would just make a brief appearance or send an officiant.
“Because it might not be safe,” Regas said directly, without hiding anything from him.
"Could something big be about to happen?" Riel clearly missed the point Regas was making, and instead seemed a little excited.
Regas looked at his foolish younger brother with a bit of helplessness, and sighed softly. Judging from his expression, he knew that even if he knew there was danger, he would still have to go. So he said, "Then you can stay closer to Mother."
“Can’t I go with you?” Riel asked.
"The people around me are the most dangerous."
Lille: "..."
*
Lan Ye's comeback announcement on Xingbo caused a sensation in the entertainment industry, with everyone eagerly anticipating his return, though their motives differed.
However, after issuing an announcement, Lan Ye seems to have remained silent.
"It's been almost half a month since he was said to be making a comeback, right? I see that Lan Ye's blog has been abandoned again, and I haven't seen any other activity."
"It feels like his Xingbo came back to life once and then went back to bed."
"I strongly suspect that Lan Ye's Xingbo account has been hacked."
"Could it be that the Third Prince and Jia Ni saw Lan Ye's announcement and had him arrested and sent to the sanatorium again overnight?"
"Hahaha, that's hilarious. I think it's not impossible."
...
Just when people were increasingly convinced that Lan Ye's Weibo account had been hacked and that his supposed comeback was nothing more than a prank by the hacker, Lan Ye's Weibo account posted another message. However, upon seeing this message, everyone felt that the speculation that Lan Ye's account had been hacked was confirmed. The reason was simple: this message was utterly ridiculous.
Lan Ye's so-called comeback doesn't mean resuming her acting career; instead, she plans to invest in a film. This isn't unusual, as Lan Ye isn't the first to do this kind of comeback. But the absurdity lies in the film itself.
After Lan Ye released the synopsis of this movie, the entire StarNet exploded. It was even said that the movie generated more buzz than Lan Ye's comeback, because it was a blatant parody of His Highness the Crown Prince!
The movie's title is rather carelessly chosen, but it's a blatant attempt to piggyback on the Crown Prince's fame. It's tentatively titled "The Crown Prince's Romantic Affair," and one of the main characters is the Crown Prince of the Sel Empire, named Agares…
The synopsis is even more captivating:
Agares is the crown prince of the Sel Empire and also the empire's most handsome man. He appears to be of noble birth and in a secure position, but in reality, he is surrounded by dangers, especially since the Sel Empire's royal family were originally core members of the ancient Earth's mysterious society—the Rosicrucian Order.
To consolidate his power, and driven by ulterior motives and conspiracies, the Crown Prince decides to use his beauty to seduce Ides Narcissus, the heir of the Narcissus family. The Narcissus family is notorious for its obsession with good looks and narcissism, and is one of the most powerful noble families in the Sel Empire; their family crest is the daffodil totem.
The Narcissus family has always been capricious, choosing partners solely based on looks and their mood. The Crown Prince, with his unparalleled beauty, quickly captured the heart of Ides Narcissus, and the two lived a shameless and blissful life together ever since…
But this happy period was short-lived. His Highness the Crown Prince, while on official business, suffered an unexpected death. Ides Narcissus was heartbroken, feeling the world had lost its color; after all, handsome men were plentiful, but truly exceptional beauties were few and far between. Until—
The Crown Prince's younger brother appears...
The Crown Prince's younger brother, Vinay, bears a striking resemblance to Agares. Previously, because Agares was so dazzling, Vinay, though also a rare beauty, paled in comparison. However, Agares' death has stirred the other princes' ambitions, all vying for the crown prince position.
Vinay was chosen by Ides Narcissus because she looked most like Agareth—specifically, her face. Being a sucker for good looks, Ides Narcissus naturally doted on Vinay. With Ides Narcissus's help, Vinay successfully obtained the position of crown prince, and from then on, she lived happily ever after with Ides. Over.
...
"Applause. So there's more than one crown prince in the whole story. I don't know if this is a plot twist or just a clever name choice... Speechless. I can only say the screenwriter's imagination is a black hole. Who is the screenwriter? Does anyone know? Please let your child avoid this site. I'll stay away from the screenwriter in the future. Thank you."
"...The Crown Prince, Agales, an accident during an official trip... OMG, it's too easy to make connections. But the plot is blatant fabrication! With such a farce involving the royal family, doesn't the royal family care?"
"If Agares is a metaphor for His Highness the Crown Prince, then who are Vinay and Ides respectively? Don't say it's Osei and Gani... If it were Gani or Osei who invested, that would be possible, but wasn't this movie invested by Lan Ye? As the absolute protagonist, Ides Narcissus couldn't possibly be based on Gani, right...? Someone please sort this out for me, I'm confused."
"Has Lan Ye gone mad?! Making up stories about the royal family just for attention, has he not had enough time in the sanatorium?"
"Is this movie really going to be made? Won't it get blocked by the royal family? And I'm really curious, who will play Agareth, Vinay, and Ides? Who has the guts to act in a movie that is clearly a smear against His Highness the Crown Prince? Whoever plays Agareth, I bet that actor will be sacked by the public for the rest of their life."
"Putting everything else aside, this plot is just too outrageous..."
"To be honest, I'm really looking forward to watching it... Hahaha, the plot is unconventional and quite bizarre. Anyway, it's much more fun than a boring, smug movie like 'Moonlight Beauty'."
"Upstairs +1"
"Am I the only one curious? Is the so-called relationship between the royal family and the Rosicrucians really a hidden agenda?"
"You're overthinking it. It's just a movie trying to ride the coattails of the royal family. Lan Ye can't even get into high society, so what would he know about royal secrets? He's just using the royal family's fame to promote his comeback."
"As expected, Lan Ye is going to stir things up as soon as he makes his comeback. Compared to the stagnant entertainment industry before, I prefer this kind of entertainment industry, hahaha."
...
Lan Ye's second Weibo post announcing his comeback successfully propelled his name to the top of the StarNet headlines. Besides Lan Ye, other trending topics included: "The Crown Prince's Romantic Affair," "Regas Agales," "Osei," "Gani," "Venei," "Ides," and "The Rosicrucian Order"...
After causing a huge stir on StarNet, Lan Ye posted his third StarBlog post: He will attend the press conference for "The Crown Prince's Love Affair" at the Grey Fans Palace Hotel in the capital city as an investor, along with the film's main creators.
As soon as the news broke, all the media outlets were scrambling for invitations to the press conference for "The Crown Prince's Romantic Affair." Besides the film's high profile due to its obvious character allusions and intriguing plot, Lan Ye herself was the main focus of the interviews. Since announcing her comeback, Lan Ye has only posted three Weibo updates and hasn't released any videos, yet she's already stirred up several storms on the internet… Lan Ye is a walking hot topic. This press conference can be considered Lan Ye's first appearance since her return, and securing firsthand information is crucial!
*
The Greyvans Palace Hotel on the capital planet was once a residence of the Sopedu family. Later, when Queen Eve married into the royal family, Greyvans Palace was given to her as part of her dowry and became her private property. With the Queen owning numerous assets, Greyvans Palace was largely unused. Therefore, the Queen's Asset Management Bureau converted the residence into a hotel for public operation.
Because of the Sopedou family and royal connections, the Grevan Palace Hotel has become one of the most luxurious and high-end hotels in the capital city, and many wealthy and large film crews like to hold press conferences here.
The celebration banquet for "Beauty Under the Moon" was also held here. Coincidentally, it was the same day that Lan Ye posted his second Weibo post about investing in the film "The Crown Prince's Romance"...
The names Jia Ni and Lan Ye are inextricably linked due to various past events. Lan Ye's comeback and announcement of investing in a film alluding to royalty caused a huge stir on the StarNet, and the media present at the celebration banquet naturally received the news immediately. Coincidentally, both "The Moonlit Beauty" and "The Moonlit Beauty" explicitly state that the protagonist is a member of the royal family and the object of affection is a noble prince, making the two films somewhat similar in their backgrounds.
"Jia Ni, did you know that Lan Ye just announced he's going to invest in a movie?" the media person asked.
Gani looked bewildered and surprised: "Huh? I only knew he said he was going to make a comeback, but I didn't know anything else."
"So what are your thoughts on his comeback?"
Gani smiled gently: "I always respect other people's choices. Since he wants to make a comeback, of course I wish him well and hope his comeback goes smoothly."
"He wants to invest in a movie with a similar theme to 'Moonlight Beauty.' What are your thoughts?"
Gani said gently, "I still maintain that I respect his choice. However, well... 'The Moon Under the Moon' is based on a real-life story, and many of the locations and props are authentic, which is why it presents a wonderful and realistic story. This type of subject matter has high investment costs and requires a deep understanding of the relevant background, so the investment of both money and energy is huge. If you are new to film investment, you can try starting with other low-budget, everyday subjects."
Gani said sincerely, "This way, the cost is lower and the probability of success is greater."
...
After the celebration banquet, Gani returned to Hoffman's Palace. He was genuinely unaware that Lan Ye was going to invest in the film, so he went online to check out Lan Ye's blog.
After reading Lan Ye's second Weibo post, Jia Ni's face turned extremely pale...
"How could the Lan family release him?" Jia Ni said through gritted teeth. "A mere clown dares to slander His Highness the Crown Prince!"
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