Chapter 56 The day I met you was because of Jiang Jiaoming…
"Do I look familiar?" Liang Kongxiang asked Jiang Dongshi with a smile. She couldn't figure out what Jiang Dongshi meant by asking that question. He seemed to have been seriously examining her for a few seconds before asking the question unconsciously.
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Jiang Dongshi said, glancing at her for a moment before laughing. “I just thought it was a coincidence.”
Coincidence? Liang Kongxiang frowned, not understanding where the "coincidence" came from. She glanced at Jiang Jiaoming, who seemed not to have heard her, took a sip of tea, and remained expressionless.
Before Liang Kongxiang could ask anything else, Jiang Dongshi had already started talking about something else with He Ciqian. Jiang Jiaoming leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Bored? Want to come to my room?"
“No need,” Liang Kongxiang refused without hesitation. How could she not know what he was planning? Once she went to his room, she wouldn’t be able to come out for at least an hour. “It’s almost time for dinner.” He was deliberately making people wait.
“Okay.” Seeing that she didn’t seem too uncomfortable, Jiang Jiaoming didn’t insist. Spending more time with He Ciqian would be beneficial to her career. Whether she became an actress or moved behind the scenes, once she had He Ciqian’s connections, she would avoid many detours compared to most people.
The four chatted in the living room for a while, then moved to the dining table. Jiang Jiaoming and Jiang Dongshi deliberately posed questions to Liang Kongxiang, and Liang Kongxiang chatted quite well with He Ciqian.
"Then thank you for your hard work, Uncle He," Liang Kongxiang said with a smile, gently touching her wine glass to He Ciqian's. "I toast you."
"Don't be so polite. She's Jiaoming's girlfriend, almost like my daughter. Tell me, who wouldn't side with their own people?" He Ciqian tilted his wine glass towards hers, and the sound of their glasses clinking together was crisp.
They ate and chatted until 1:30 pm before finally finishing. He Ciqian only stayed for a short while before leaving. Jiang Dongshi asked Jiang Jiaoming to see him off, saying, "Your Uncle He's face is all red from drinking."
“Sigh,” He Ciqian waved his hand, but still put his arm around Jiang Jiaoming’s forearm: “I’m getting old, it’s the era of young people now.”
“Young people can rise to prominence because of the support of your generation,” Liang Kongxiang said with a smile. “Without your and President Jiang’s early exploration and achievements in the film industry, there would be no era for us young people. We are just standing on the shoulders of giants and enjoying the fruits of our labor.”
After hearing a few words of praise, He Ciqian happily helped Jiang Jiaoming walk into the car.
Now only Liang Kongxiang and Jiang Dongshi remained in the living room.
From the moment Jiang Dongshi asked Jiang Jiaoming to escort He Ciqian, she vaguely guessed that Jiang Dongshi probably had something to say to her.
"Sit down," Jiang Dongshi said, sitting back down at the table and pouring her a glass of warm water. "Is it alright for you to drink so much?"
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang." She held the warm water, her fingers rubbing the inside of the cup, but didn't drink it.
“You can call me uncle even when Jiaoming isn’t around,” Jiang Dongshi said, placing his hands on his chin and gazing at her face again. “Where did you and Jiaoming meet?”
"High school classmate."
Jiang Dongshi nodded. "What did you major in at university?"
Liang Kongxiang: "Directing major."
No wonder.
Jiang Dongshi said something that made Liang Kongxiang puzzled again.
She recalled his use of the word "skillful" and asked, "What did you mean by 'skillful'?"
"Literally speaking, Jiaoming probably won't tell you that it's not appropriate for me, as a third party, to get involved." Jiang Dongshi smiled. "This kid is emotionally detached and has never been close to anyone since he was a child. I thought he would have to take the path of arranged marriage."
Liang Kongxiang was initially curious about the first half of the sentence, but she fell silent for a moment when she heard the second half. Looking at Jiang Dongshi opposite her, she said something impolite, her tone slightly cold: "Uncle Jiang, you misunderstood. Jiaoming is not emotionally indifferent; he is very good to those who love him."
"Is that so?"
"If scheming is considered a good thing, then he is indeed very good to you," Jiang Dongshi said calmly.
Liang Kongxiang laughed and wasn't fooled: "As a father, you want to drive a wedge between your son and girlfriend, Mr. Jiang. Not only are you different in how you raise your son, but you also go too far in other aspects of your behavior."
"Just a reminder. I know my son's character best; he's not suited for marriage."
She refrained from speaking bluntly out of consideration for her reputation. She only realized Jiang Dongshi's ulterior motives a few minutes ago, and couldn't help but sigh, living with someone like him inevitably makes one become indifferent.
After listening, Jiang Dongshi only said, "Not too stupid."
Liang Kongxiang found this condescending tone unbearable and frowned.
Just then, Jiang Jiaoming walked in from outside. As soon as he saw her, he noticed something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong?" After asking, he looked coldly at Jiang Dongshi across the table and asked, "What did you say to her?"
"We only chatted briefly, what's there to be guilty about?" Jiang Dongshi had finished eating and had no interest in watching his son date, so he turned around and went upstairs.
Jiang Jiaoming squatted down between Liang Kongxiang's legs, looked up at her, scratched her chin with his fingertips, and asked, "What's wrong, baby? Tell me."
"It's okay, let's go home." Liang Kongxiang put her arm around Jiang Jiaoming's neck and sighed, "I don't want to leave."
"Why are you willing to give me so many treats today?" Jiang Jiaoming picked her up, supporting her buttocks with his forearm, and walked towards the garage. He pressed the car key, and the G-Class flashed. He opened the car door with one hand, put Liang Kongxiang in the back seat, and waved for someone to come and drive.
She looked like she'd just been pulled from the water, leaning on his shoulder with her eyes closed, seemingly uninterested. Jiang Jiaoming guessed that Jiang Dongshi had said something to her. He raised his hand and gently pinched her cheek.
When they got home, Jiang Jiaoming made her some honey water, and after she drank it, he held her and they slept for a while. When he woke up, he found Liang Kongxiang's arms wrapped around his waist and her face buried in his chest. He pulled away and looked at her sleeping face for a while, then kissed her rosy cheeks.
He didn't know what Jiang Dongshi had said to her, but in the following days, Liang Kongxiang became almost as clingy as she had been during their long-distance relationship, and she was very accommodating to his possessiveness. He originally wanted to ask her what she had talked about with his father, but later they both became increasingly busy, and he didn't find the opportunity.
As in previous years, the films shortlisted for the main competition will be announced six weeks before the opening ceremony, which is two months later.
These past few months have been a break from filming for Liang Kongxiang, but it also coincides with the end of the year when various fashion weeks and red carpet events are in full swing. After attending a drama festival at the end of November, she flew abroad to attend a fashion show. She thought she could finally rest after filming, but when she checked her schedule, she found that there was no time to rest.
Jiang Jiaoming was busy with the New Year's Eve release from December. On the day Liang Kongxiang flew to Paris, he was busy and could only keep making video calls to her.
It was raining in Paris that night, and the streets were shrouded in a dim, yellowish drizzle. Liang Kongxiang went to a convenience store to buy a box of candy, holding an umbrella in her other hand. She switched the camera to look at herself and said to Jiang Jiaoming on the phone with a helpless tone, "There are no bad people. Chang Xin is with me at the hotel."
The incident began last night when she arrived at the hotel and a blond, blue-eyed, muscular man handed her a room key. Jiang Jiaoming was on the phone with him at the time, and she instinctively glanced at his phone screen. Sure enough, he coldly told her to "get lost." The man, seeing she had a boyfriend, didn't press the matter further, but Jiang Jiaoming insisted on booking a flight immediately. Liang Kongxiang had to promise to video call him 24/7 before Jiang Jiaoming backed down. He was extremely reluctant to refer to other men as rivals, so he used "bad guy" as a euphemism.
Liang Kongxiang glanced at the time in the upper left corner of her phone; it was already 3 a.m. in China. "Go to sleep, I'll go back after I finish shopping."
"I'm not sleepy, I'll sleep when we get to the hotel."
Upon hearing this, Liang Kongxiang suddenly felt it was absolutely necessary for him, as the producer, to attend the flight to Germany. Otherwise, knowing she was with Xiang Hang, he would likely stay up all night again. Occasionally, she felt his possessiveness was too strong, always overthinking things, but last time she vaguely understood that his insecurity and anxiety in relationships were entirely predictable. Oh well, he's just a little clingy. Liang Kongxiang quickened her pace back to the hotel.
Fortunately, in February, the two of them had a few days off. Jiang Jiaoming went to Liang Kongxiang's mother's house for a week. It was during the Spring Festival, and Cao Lengyu came to Liang Kongxiang's house to pay New Year's greetings. She was dressed in all red, even her baseball cap was red.
Liang Kongxiang suddenly thought there was a fire burning at the door, and said with a smile, "Where did this little New Year doll come from?"
"You're still giving me face," Cao Lengyu said, hanging her hat by the door. "I thought you'd be talking about the Nian beast." She suddenly saw Jiang Jiaoming coming out of the kitchen wearing a pink apron. The two stared at each other for several seconds before she slowly raised an eyebrow: "President Jiang."
"Hmm, have a seat." Jiang Jiaoming greeted her calmly, holding a bowl of dumpling filling in his hand, and brought it to Liang Kongxiang's nose: "Smell it, does it smell good?"
Liang Kongxiang leaned back and said helplessly, "How can you smell that?" Then she smiled and pointed at Cao Lengyu, "The Nian beast is good at this."
Jiang Jiaoming then noticed that Cao Lengyu was dressed entirely in red today, and the couple exchanged a matching teasing remark: "Huh? Isn't it a no-fireworks policy in the city?"
Liang Kongxiang's eyes crinkled with laughter.
"Stop teasing me, I'm just hoping for a good omen." Cao Lengyu could retort when Liang Kongxiang teased her, but when Jiang Jiaoming teased her, she could only explain seriously, putting on that solemn air, "The shortlist will be announced soon."
Jiang Jiaoming glanced at his watch. "It's still early. You guys chat first, I'll go make dumplings."
He went into the kitchen, and Cao Lengyu teased her, "You two are quite the ladies' man."
Liang Kongxiang chose to ignore the teasing remark and poured her a glass of warm water. "Sit and wait for dinner. His cooking is pretty good." Looking at Cao Lengyu, she suddenly remembered the question Jiang Dongshi had asked her a while ago: "Did you know Jiang Jiaoming before you filmed your first movie?"
Why did Jiang Dongshi ask this question when he was making his first film? Why not before he made "Brilliant Past"?
My first movie...
Her first film was with Cao Lengyu.
"Do you know..." Liang Kongxiang began thoughtfully, "what's your relationship with Jiang Dongshi like?"
"Why are you suddenly asking about this?" Cao Lengyu glanced at the kitchen. "Is his father difficult to get along with?"
“It’s alright,” Liang Kongxiang said. “He just asked a question that puzzled me.”
"What's the problem?" Cao Lengyu asked.
Liang Kongxiang repeated Jiang Dongshi's question, but Cao Lengyu stared at her in silence.
“Kong Xiang,” Cao Lengyu paused for a few seconds, then lowered her voice, “Actually, I’ve wanted to ask you since the first movie started filming: did you know Jiang Jiaoming before?”
Liang Kongxiang was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
“You know, the fact that I came across your photography exhibition, or more accurately, that I chose you as the female lead, wasn’t exactly a coincidence,” Cao Lengyu continued.
"It was Jiang Jiaoming's suggestion that led to our meeting that day."
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Author's note: Actually, we at Kongxiang are really protective of our own.
Actually, our Ming is quite cunning.
What kind of side story do you want to see? *sobs*
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