At the wrap party, the sounds of guests chatting and toasting accompanied the soft strains of piano music.
The overhead lights were dazzling, and waiters in suits and vests politely moved among the crowd carrying trays of wine.
In the corner, Yan Yunzhou sat quietly on the sofa, half of his face blurred by the light, the other half hidden in the darkness, his head bowed.
He asked if it was okay not to go to him.
Jiang Fei looked down at the large hand on his wrist. Even though his illness had been cured, the years of suffering still made his skin whiter than others.
“Sigh,” after a long while, Jiang Fei sighed softly, her sigh carrying a touch of alluring charm, “Mr. Yan, I really am a person who is easily moved to pity.”
Yan Yunzhou's lowered eyelashes paused slightly, and he looked up at her.
Jiang Fei turned to the side and stood in front of Yan Yunzhou. She gently took his hand that was holding hers, bent down and leaned close to his face: "I'm so soft-hearted that I can't bear to see Mr. Yan looking at me like that."
Yan Yunzhou looked into her eyes and slowly said, "So?"
“So,” Jiang Fei placed his hand on his knee and stood up, “there are some things I have to do, and you can’t stop me.”
After saying that, he turned and walked towards Qin Mo.
Yan Yunzhou watched her back for a long time, then reached out and touched her heart. He could feel her heart beating rhythmically.
Jiang Fei cured the incurable disease in just half an hour.
There are too many things in this world that cannot be explained by science.
She is one of them.
However, even though the depleted heart has been healed, it still hurts, just like when it flared up before.
Couldn't he stop it?
If Qin Mo is trampled into the dust, what will he use to compete with him?
...
Qin Mo watched the woman walking towards him step by step, his hand holding the wine glass tightened unconsciously, and his breathing became cautious.
He could see it clearly: she had abandoned Yan Yunzhou and chosen him.
Jiang Fei had already walked up to him, looking into his eyes. The two were separated by a hazy lamplight, and neither of them spoke.
Finally, Jiang Fei stepped forward and gently covered his hand that was holding the wine glass.
Qin Mo was taken aback. He felt the softness of her fingertips on the back of his taut hand and his grip loosened considerably.
Jiang Fei gently took the wine glass from him: "Mr. Qin's stomach isn't very good, so he should drink less." Her voice was soft, her politeness impeccable, but it concealed a deep affection that was not easily noticed by others.
Qin Mo stared straight at her: "Jiang Fei..."
Jiang Fei lowered her head, avoiding his gaze, and explained, "I came to thank Mr. Qin for helping me out last time, regarding the rumors circulating online that I was a third party."
Qin Mo sensed her distant attitude, and his throat tightened: "I'm telling the truth," he paused, "Jiang Fei, I've never been with Ye Qingqing, I..."
"Qin Mo!" Jiang Fei interrupted him quickly, pursing her lips, "Let's go outside to talk."
Qin Mo quickly glanced in Yan Yunzhou's direction and nodded.
Outside the banquet hall, there is a long, narrow corridor surrounded by glass walls and brightly lit.
Jiang Fei stopped and turned to look at Qin Mo's face, her expression more worried than before: "...How is your injury?"
Qin Mo was stunned, and a warm feeling inexplicably welled up in his heart.
She still cared about him after all.
"It's all better now." Qin Mo looked at her, his eyes swirling with emotion.
"That's good," Jiang Fei breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and looked up, saying, "You used to dislike applying medicine, finding it troublesome, and also..."
She stopped talking as she met his gaze.
Qin Mo laughed: "Besides disliking applying medicine, what else did I have before?"
Jiang Fei didn't speak for a long time, then her eyes suddenly reddened. She quickly lowered her head and smiled, "Qin Mo, I had a dream."
“I dreamt that you proposed to me, and I said yes. There was no explosion, no disfigurement, and none of what happened afterward. Then, we naturally got married.”
"In my dream, you were very good to me, and we were very happy. When you had free time, you would cook dinner with me in the kitchen, and when you were busy, you would come to the film set to see me. You would drink when you were discussing business, and sometimes I would go with you to shield you from some of the drinks. I also had many events, and you always made time to accompany me..." Qin Mo looked at her with a dazed expression. He had also imagined and longed for this dream.
“This dream is so beautiful,” Jiang Fei continued, “but at the end of that dream, one day you got drunk and touched my face, calling me ‘Qingqing’.”
Qin Mo's face turned pale.
Jiang Fei laughed: "I woke up. In reality, my face is ruined, and everything has already happened."
Qin Mo looked at her smile, his heart aching, and murmured softly, "Feifei..."
Jiang Fei still smiled: "Back when I was in the hospital, I thought every day that it would be great if you could come and see me, even just for a moment. But you never came. So I tried my best to comfort myself, thinking that if you had come, you would have seen my ugliest side. Luckily you didn't come."
"But Qin Mo, during that time, when I was in the most pain," tears finally streamed down her face, "where were you?"
Qin Mo looked at her tearful eyes helplessly and murmured, "I'm sorry." He stepped forward, gently wiped away her tears, and tenderly embraced her. "I'm sorry, Fei Fei."
Qin Mo's favorability rating: 95.
Jiang Fei leaned against him, listening to the system's voice, and her emotions gradually calmed down.
"Feifei, from now on, let's stay together forever, okay?" Qin Mo said in a hoarse voice.
Jiang Fei froze, quickly pushed Qin Mo away, and took two steps back: "Qin Mo... I've already joined Mr. Yan's group."
Qin Mo's heart ached with a bitter taste: "He doesn't like you. A person like him would never fall in love with anyone." He took two steps toward her. "I'll go and tell him that we'll be doing business with the Yan family in a while, and I'd rather give up all the profits."
Jiang Fei just looked at him without saying a word.
Not far away, a black Bentley was parked on the side of the road.
Yan Yunzhou, separated by the glass wall, watched the man and woman gazing deeply into each other's eyes at the back of the corridor. His expression gradually turned cold, and his face turned ashen. After a long while, he finally withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice, "Let's go."
Assistant Wang also looked in that direction, and it was clearly Miss Jiang with another man. He cautiously glanced at Yan Yunzhou in the rearview mirror: "Mr. Yan, should we wait for Miss Jiang a little longer?"
Yan Yunzhou remained silent.
Assistant Wang paused for a moment, then took it upon himself to wait.
But after waiting and waiting, the man suddenly pulled Miss Jiang into his arms, in an intimate and ambiguous manner.
Assistant Wang felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly glanced at the rearview mirror, and without wasting even half a second, started the car and drove away.
Yan Yunzhou sat in the back seat, gently rubbing his wrist, and after a long while, he gave a self-deprecating smile.
Instead of returning to the villa, he went straight to the top floor of the hotel, standing at the highest point in the city, overlooking the night view alone.
A ridiculous thought suddenly popped into my head: if I survived, I would be all alone, and it would be better to have died in her kiss while lying in the hospital bed.
Yan Yunzhou suddenly laughed, his face turning deathly pale.
Humans are indeed insatiable.
Once you've gained some, you'll want more.
He was the same, even more greedy.
He wanted to capture her entire attention.
"What's missing here?" A soft, gentle voice came from behind.
Yan Yunzhou froze, and it took him a long time to turn around.
Not far away, a woman in a black evening gown stood under a dim wall lamp, leaning against the wall, smiling lazily at him.
Yan Yunzhou walked slowly towards her, his face expressionless, but his voice was unusually gentle: "What do you need?"
Jiang Fei lowered his eyes and chuckled softly: "I'm missing a woman."
Yan Yunzhou had already walked up to her, looking down at her intently: "Miss Jiang, do you wish to recommend yourself?"
Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow: "Is it okay?"
Yan Yunzhou leaned down and placed a kiss on the corner of her lips: "It's my pleasure."
As soon as he finished speaking, he reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist. For the first time, he almost lost control and kissed her lips, stealing her breath little by little, their lips and teeth intertwining.
His warm, moist breath fell on her eyebrows, the tip of her nose, her scars, and her smooth neck.
He tightened his grip on her hands, showering her with tender kisses on every inch of her skin.
Jiang Fei struggled in his arms and let out a dissatisfied groan.
Yan Yunzhou loosened his grip slightly, and a soft, choked sound escaped from deep in his throat as he called out to her, word by word: "Jiang Fei."
Jiang Fei chuckled softly, her voice murmuring, "I've already told you, I'm someone who's easily moved to tears."
Yan Yunzhou's favorability rating: 85.
...
Jiang Fei's scar removal surgery went smoothly, and the scars on her face have begun to heal.
For the past few months, she has rarely gone out and has stayed in the hotel.
Yan Yunzhou didn't say much, but he moved his office from the hotel where the film crew had stayed to this place.
Jiang Fei's scars still need to be treated, which has almost become Yan Yunzhou's exclusive job. Every night, he goes to the rooftop to apply the medicine while enjoying the view.
She was happy to be free.
As the scars on my face slowly faded, "After Dawn" was released.
This film cost a lot of money in terms of publicity and production. As soon as it was released, it instantly became a box office hit, received rave reviews, and grossed more than 200 million yuan on its first day and nearly 500 million yuan on its second day.
Films that balance patriotism with personal love have moved audiences to tears.
The name Jiang Fei has also completed its transformation from a niche and art-house film actress to an actress who combines niche and commercial appeal.
Meanwhile, the historical drama "Red Wall," which was released a week later than "After Dawn," faced boycotts due to previous rumors of Ye Qingqing being a third party in a relationship. It was hastily scheduled for release but quickly fell victim to the overwhelming box office success of "After Dawn," resulting in a disastrous failure.
A week after the release of "After Dawn", Jiang Fei's face had recovered greatly, and she accepted the film company's invitation to hold a promotional tour. She will hold two promotional tours on that day.
This is Jiang Fei's first appearance in front of the audience and camera since filming the movie.
The audience in the cinema took out their phones to take pictures, and the cameramen on the side were constantly filming them.
Jiang Fei's name instantly became a trending topic.
The woman in the video has a beautiful face, with a captivating charm in her eyes and brows. Her skin is as white as snow, and most importantly, the scar on her cheek has disappeared.
Extremely beautiful.
"Today's roadshow also has a surprise for Ms. Jiang and all the fans here," the host said, holding the microphone and glancing at Jiang Fei. "Ms. Jiang, this 'surprise' is said to be someone who really likes your films."
Jiang Fei smiled politely.
The host turned around: "Next, let's welcome—"
"Yan Wang!"
A brief silence fell over the audience, followed by a few screams and then thunderous applause.
In a corner of the cinema, a man wearing a baseball cap and a mask slowly stood up, revealing only his captivating eyes, and walked step by step toward the stage, his gaze fixed on the woman in the center.
Jiang Fei raised an eyebrow and met his gaze.
If you think about it carefully, Yan Wang hasn't appeared for a long time.
Yan Wang stood in front of Jiang Fei, still wearing a mask, and smiled: "The host is right."
"I do indeed like Miss Jiang very much."
Jiang Fei smiled politely: "Thank you, Mr. Yan, for liking this film."
Yan Wang remained focused on her eyes and brows, without saying a word.
The host noticed that the atmosphere was a bit awkward and quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
After saying a few words about his thoughts on the film, Yan Wang left.
Half an hour later, the roadshow finally came to an end.
After saying goodbye to the audience, Jiang Fei glanced at the time. There was still an hour before the next roadshow, which was enough.
She slowed her pace and followed the staff at a distance.
Sure enough, as I turned the corner, my hand was suddenly pulled hard, and then I was pulled into a narrow cubicle.
There was only one dim light shining in the cubicle.
Yan Wang looked at the woman trapped between his arms and the wall, his voice hoarse: "Jiang Fei, long time no see."
Jiang Fei looked up at him. His hair was disheveled and hanging in front of his eyes. His peach blossom eyes were shimmering. His mask covered most of his face. He was breathing rapidly and his eyes were complicated.
"Long time no see." She nodded gently.
“Just now, I wasn’t talking about liking your movie.” Yan Wang reached out and stroked her left cheek, which had recovered. “You know what I was talking about.”
“You like me,” Jiang Fei said calmly.
Yan Wang's hand, which was stroking hers, froze for a moment, then he laughed, his eyes slightly red: "You still know that."
Jiang Fei looked at him and said earnestly, "Yan Wang, we missed each other from the very beginning..."
The sound suddenly stopped.
Yan Wang grabbed her hand and pulled down her mask, revealing an almost stunningly beautiful face.
Jiang Fei's gaze fell upon his eyes.
Yan Wang took her hand and stroked the bright red beauty mark under his eye: "Is it pretty, Jiang Fei?"
"You stay by Yan Yunzhou's side not because of this face, are you?"
"Now that I have one, can you stay by my side too?"
“Jiang Fei…”
“It’s too late, Yan Wang,” Jiang Fei interrupted him, her voice calm.
Yan Wang stopped abruptly, staring blankly at her.
Jiang Fei reached out and gently stroked the beauty mark under his eye with her index finger: "I like your..." She paused, then continued, "...your face."
As she spoke, she tried to withdraw her hand.
The light in Yan Wang's eyes suddenly dimmed: "Jiang Fei!"
"..."
"Why?" Yan Wang murmured, grabbing her hand as she tried to pull it back and placing it on his face. "Back in the hospital, I was the one who took care of you, why..."
"Why isn't it you who can't forget me..."
Jiang Fei looked at him: "If I hadn't made that bet back then, would you have thought of me as Jiang Fei, or as Ye Qingqing?"
Yan Wang's face turned pale, and she stared at him without saying a word.
Jiang Fei smiled, withdrew her hand, and turned to leave.
Yan Wang's favorability rating: 99.
Jiang Fei frowned.
She really hates the feeling of stopping just before she's about to succeed.
The roadshow ended at 8:30 p.m.
Yan Yunzhou came to pick her up personally.
As soon as Jiang Fei got into the car, he pulled her into his arms. She struggled but to no avail, so she simply found a comfortable position, leaned against his chest, and closed her eyes to pretend to sleep.
"Are you tired today?" Yan Yunzhou's voice rang out above her head.
Jiang Fei responded lazily.
Yan Yunzhou smiled and used one hand to rub her temples: "I heard you were confessed to in public today?"
Jiang Fei didn't even open her eyes: "The fans are very enthusiastic. Many people confessed their love to me today."
Yan Yunzhou rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand: "You know who I'm talking about."
“Mr. Yan,” Jiang Fei lifted her head from his embrace and looked at him seriously, “Why don’t you just say directly, ‘I love you, I’m jealous’?”
Yan Yunzhou paused his hand on her cheek, then lowered his eyes: "I am indeed jealous."
Jiang Fei glared at him.
Yan Yunzhou is the kind of person who restrains his emotions to an appalling degree, and his level of affection fluctuates very little.
And his mouth is even harder than his popularity rating!
Yan Yunzhou met her gaze, pulled her back into his arms, and laughed.
At that very moment.
Suddenly, the system's notification sounded in Jiang Fei's mind, followed by the message: [Target Yan Wang is in mortal danger!]
...
Yan Wang went to his usual bar, sat in a corner, and drank bottle after bottle of alcohol.
His consciousness finally began to blur, and he managed to stop, sitting there with his gaze fixed in an unknown direction.
Jiang Fei.
He silently repeated the name in his heart.
It turns out that she had always known that when they first arrived at the hospital, if it weren't for that bet, he would have only treated her as a substitute.
But who would have thought that he would be the first to fall?
She was so desperate that she didn't hesitate to become a substitute for the person she hated most.
He tilted his head back and gulped down the last bottle of wine, then got up and went out to get more.
A sound of a bottle shattering and a man's angry voice came from not far away: "Damn it, so what if I touch you?"
Yan Wang ignored him, expressionlessly took his wine, and as he returned, his gaze swept over the waitress lying on the ground.
Wearing a waiter's uniform, with long hair falling across her face, fair skin, slightly upturned red lips, and... those slightly raised eyebrows and eyes.
Yan Wang stared intently at that face.
That face doesn't look like Ye Qingqing's.
Like Jiang Fei.
"I didn't break your wine on purpose. If you hadn't touched me inappropriately..." The girl squatted on the ground, trembling.
"I'm doing you a favor by touching you, damn it..." The insults were deafening.
Yan Wang stared at the girl's face on the ground, momentarily lost in thought.
That's Jiang Fei.
Jiang Fei, who sat alone on the hospital bed, all alone, her eyes filled with despair.
He rushed forward, punched the foul-mouthed man, then pinned him to the ground and relentlessly punched him repeatedly.
Those around were stunned for a moment before they finally reacted and pulled him away. After resisting for a while, he finally collapsed to the ground, his arms held up and his face punched repeatedly.
Yan Wang did not resist, and even laughed as the fight progressed.
Anyway, nobody likes it, so what if this face is ruined?
Later, my consciousness began to blur, and the sounds around me seemed to come and go.
A man smashed a beer bottle at him, and warm blood trickled down his head.
Before he fainted, he seemed to see a figure emerge from the dark crowd around him, radiating light, walk up to him, and protect him.
Yan Wang had a dream.
In the dream, he and Jiang Fei didn't make the bet. He used her, treating her as a substitute for Ye Qingqing, and feigned kindness towards her. But when she trusted him the most, he had the doctor completely transform her into Ye Qingqing's appearance.
In despair, she sat in front of the mirror, slashed her face, and then jumped from the high-rise building.
The dream was so real, it was frighteningly real.
When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.
It was still that private hospital, and even the ward was the same one Jiang Fei had stayed in before.
Yan Wang stared at the stark white wall, his whole body aching, his head still spinning, his legs and arms in casts, and his face almost numb with pain.
He paused, ignoring his injuries, and still insisted on turning his head to look at the sofa.
Jiang Fei was sitting there, still wearing the clothes she wore during yesterday's roadshow, her long hair draped over her shoulders, revealing her fair skin, and her expression serene.
She protected him last night.
Yan Wang stared at her intently for a while, then suddenly said, "I want to eat strawberries."
Just like the first request she made when she was hospitalized.
Jiang Fei snapped out of her daze, glanced at Yan Wang, and turned to walk out.
When she returned, she was holding a box of strawberries. She opened it and placed it next to Yan Wang.
Yan Wang took one with his uninjured hand, put it in his mouth, and chewed it with difficulty: "It's sour," he said softly.
Jiang Fei didn't speak, but just looked at his face for a long time before saying, "Yan Wang."
Yan Wang didn't say anything, but took another strawberry and ate it, one after another, until the wound on his face was torn open from chewing, and bloodstains appeared on the bandage, but he didn't stop.
Jiang Fei didn't say anything more, watching him finish the last strawberry, pick up the box and put it aside, and then call the nurse to reapply the medicine to him.
"I don't want a nurse." Yan Wang looked at her.
Jiang Fei paused, then stepped forward and personally unwrapped the bandage from his face. There was a bloody gash from a shard of a broken bottle, which had been stitched up. "This won't heal," she said calmly. "The doctor said it will leave a scar."
Yan Wang's eyes flickered, landing on her cheek, and then he laughed: "You don't look like Yan Yunzhou anymore, do you?"
Jiang Fei looked into his eyes: "If you don't want to resemble him, why do you have this mole?"
Yan Wang's gaze froze for a moment, then he gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I want an opportunity."
An opportunity for her to stay by his side.
Jiang Fei didn't say anything more, and carefully wiped away the ointment stained with blood from his cheek.
Yan Wang also quieted down, staring intently at her. After a long while, he suddenly whispered, "So, there's absolutely no chance, is that right?"
Jiang Fei glanced at him, said nothing, applied the medicine, bandaged the wound, and then stood up.
Yan Wang hurriedly looked away.
He knew she was leaving, and he absolutely wouldn't watch her go.
However, the next second, everything went dark before his eyes.
Jiang Fei bent down and gently kissed his bandaged wound.
The kiss was very light.
"I've always known that you are Yan Wang." Jiang Fei said this and walked towards the door.
Yan Wang was still lying in bed.
She wasn't kissing the beauty mark that resembled Yan Yunzhou's, but rather the scar that least resembled Yan Yunzhou's.
Yan Wang's favorability rating: 100.
...
When Jiang Fei came out of the hospital, she saw a black Bentley parked at the entrance.
Yan Yunzhou stood in front of the car waiting for her, looking somewhat tired. When he saw her come out, he walked up to her and said gently, "Going home?"
"Mm." Jiang Fei nodded.
I stayed up late last night and I'm really sleepy now.
On the way back, Jiang Fei had just slumped back in her chair when someone pulled her over. Yan Yunzhou's breathing was right above her head, but he didn't say a word.
The journey was silent.
When they got back to the villa, Jiang Fei was about to get out of the car when someone grabbed her hand.
Yan Yunzhou looked ahead and said, "Assistant Wang, you're entitled to a day off today."
Assistant Wang was flattered and quickly nodded before getting out of the car.
Jiang Fei looked at Yan Yunzhou with a puzzled expression: "What?"
Yan Yunzhou stroked the back of her hand, leaned close to her, and asked in a muffled voice, "Jiang Fei, why do you always manage to turn around and leave without looking back?"
Jiang Fei looked at him from close range, then laughed and bit his lower lip.
Yan Yunzhou's gaze deepened.
Jiang Fei had already released his lips, her voice low and soft: "Perhaps it's because... he's become arrogant because he's been spoiled."
Yan Yunzhou was stunned, then gently held the back of her head, his fingers threading through her hair, and leaned forward to kiss her.
Their lips intertwined, and he longed to entwine her into his life.
He finally released her, panting heavily, and said in a hoarse voice, "Qin Mo, Yan Wang..."
"Jiang Fei, is it possible for me to be your choice just this once?"
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