Chapter 252: The Golden Agreement This May, you will…
I hitched a ride with Rong Juezhang to the vicinity of the restaurant entrance, and from afar I could see a large group of reporters surrounding the area, including several Westerners with high noses and deep-set eyes.
Seeing this scene, Li Sishi wasn't surprised at all: as the only international film queen in China, Kong Wei ranks high among Chinese actresses, and it's a major life event like her wedding, so it's perfectly normal for a few foreign reporters to come and stake out the event for interviews and reports.
However, tonight, the bride and groom, Kong Wei and Wang Heyang, mostly just smiled in the face of the flashing lights from various media outlets. They didn't seem to be happy to answer the reporters' questions just because it was their wedding. They only answered some questions about the wedding banquet or some unimportant ones.
After the secretary announced that they would not accept interviews, they arranged for their assistant to send the reporters wedding photos for their writing. The whole process was smooth and elegant. They avoided being bombarded by reporters and still managed to save face for them. Everyone was comfortable.
With no opportunity to interview the male and female leads of the night, the reporters immediately set their sights on the guests attending the banquet. From Mr. Zhou Yunhua, the big boss of Jiasui Film Company, to the Shang couple of Rongsheng Film Company, to big stars such as Pei Yansang and Xia Yingyun, all of them became targets of their pursuit and ambush.
Rong Juezhang and Li Sishi, who came with them, were inevitably surrounded by reporters when they got out of the car. In particular, Li Sishi and Kong Wei had previously been rumored to have been replaced, so the reporters greeted Li Sishi very warmly, even neglecting Rong Juezhang, who had worked with Kong Wei many times and was a more popular star.
Until they discovered Li Sishi's rather "old-fashioned" gold jewelry as a wedding gift.
Although it was quite valuable, gold jewelry was something that would be easier for them to understand if it were a gift from Li Sishi's grandmother, Madam Li...
The problem is, this gift was chosen by Li Sishi, a seemingly fashionable and trendy young woman—a young girl who will only turn 20 after this year's Lantern Festival, yet she gives gifts with the mindset of someone in their fifties or sixties. What's going on here?!
Could it be that Li Sishi is still holding a grudge about the previous casting controversy, so she deliberately chose such an old-fashioned gift to annoy Kong Wei? On the surface, it's a lavish gift, but in reality, it's a hurtful veiled insult that Kong Wei, who comes from the mainland, is "rustic" and can't shake off her past.
However, Li Sishi's past records show no dislike for her motherland. In fact, she frequently expressed her longing and admiration for her country in various interviews and variety shows, and she even speaks Mandarin exceptionally well.
This resulted in her always getting a spot in any joint performance...
Just as the group of reporters were considering whether to use this as an opportunity to speculate and make a fuss, Kong Wei saw the two of them appear and immediately greeted them with a smile: "Thank you, please come in and have a seat!"
After Rong Juezhang presented his crystal ornament wrapped in a bright red silk ribbon, Li Sishi quickly presented her own beautifully packaged gold jewelry set: "Sister Kong Wei, this is my wedding gift to you. Congratulations!"
When Kong Wei accepted the gift with a beaming smile and opened the box to find a complete set of gold jewelry inside, her surprise was absolutely genuine: "Thank you so much, I love this gift..."
What happened?!
Has the current fashion trend shifted back to "gold" from "diamonds"?
But as young people themselves, they didn't think that gold, this "old-fashioned" thing, could beat the latest dazzling new favorite, diamond.
After observing the couple's affectionate behavior for a while, it seemed genuine. Finally, some of the older people realized the key point: it probably wasn't that Li Sishi was subtly mocking Kong Wei for being "rustic" by giving her a gift, but rather that people on the mainland are now more pragmatic. In their traditional view, the diamond jewelry series that Hong Kong has recently been marketing is indeed not as classic and valuable as gold.
Kong Wei, in particular, is the kind of person who is straightforward. Although she was very grateful when Rong Juezhang gave her the crystal ornament, she clearly did not show the same joy as when she was with Li Sishi. It turned out that Li Sishi's gold jewelry set was not a "subtle sarcasm", but rather "catering to her tastes"!
By the way, it's rumored that the gift-giving rules in Hong Kong's high society are the same: those who don't understand give expensive gifts, while those who do understand give appropriate gifts. Li Sishi has experienced ups and downs in the wealthy family, so she probably understands the principles of gift-giving better than the average young girl.
After all, the old lady of the Li family was no pushover back then. She managed to protect herself and her young child from the sprawling family and gradually separate to form her own faction, safeguarding the family business of the third branch. If Li Sishi, her granddaughter, had even half of her strength, she would be able to dominate most celebrities in the entertainment industry.
Isn't that exactly what's happening now?
Even amidst the casting controversy, Li Sishi remained affectionate and close to Kong Wei, showing no signs of resentment due to the change in roles. Furthermore, she presented Kong Wei with a thoughtful and valuable gift that was both appropriate and appreciated.
(8)
This will eliminate the previous rumors of discord in one fell swoop.
If Li Sishi, who is now almost certainly a heiress to a wealthy family, is still willing to continue in the entertainment industry, she will definitely go very far in the future with this calm and generous demeanor...
I don't know why suddenly
They came up with this idea through divergent thinking, but the older reporters quickly shook their heads and laughed, dismissing the idea: With Li Sishi's current conditions, whether she enters the elite circles or the entertainment industry, it will be difficult for her to experience a downturn. On the contrary, she will only seize opportunities to rise step by step, reaching the pinnacle of glory.
Not wanting to pay any more attention to the reporters' overt and covert activities, Li Sishi followed Kong Wei's directions into the restaurant and quickly found her seat for the evening.
Kong Wei probably remembered that Li Sishi had helped solve the filming problems before, and also knew that Li Sishi had a good relationship with Rong Juezhang, Pei Yansang and others, so she arranged a table for her that was quite close to the main table.
As soon as Li Sishi sat down, she could immediately see Pei Yansang sitting to her right, smiling and waiting for her to sit down.
"Sister Pei, it's been a long time!" Li Sishi greeted her with a smile.
"Sigh, it's because we've both been so busy lately, which has benefited that loser, Rong." Pei Yansang put her arm around her shoulder and laughed heartily.
"Yeah, yeah, it's such a good deal for me to take care of her. Would you like such a great deal?" In response to Pei Yansang's teasing, Rong Juezhang immediately launched into the usual banter between close friends.
"You have such a beautiful Miss Hong Kong winner taking care of you, and you still complain. No wonder you're still a bachelor!" Pei Yansang rolled her eyes very cleverly.
"How much better are you than me?" Single people just have to hurt each other. Rong Juezhang asked himself, there is a difference between his situation of choosing to be single and Pei Yansang's situation of being forced to be single because she can't find a good partner.
"What are you talking about, so happily?" Kong Wei, holding a bouquet of flowers, took a moment to walk over and ask.
"Laugh at the pretty girl next to me who's desperate to get married. Sigh, I've known her for so many years and she still can't find a husband. Now she still has the nerve to go around attending other people's weddings... Oh dear, if you can't argue with me, then hit me?!" Rong Juezhang responded in an exaggerated tone, and the next moment he was met with a mixed doubles attack from Li Sishi and Pei Yansang.
Knowing that his mouth doesn't quite flow out of his mind when he's around acquaintances, but that's just how it is these days—everyone teases each other about their old friends. You say I'm short, I say you're fat. So, Kong Wei, who had once been called fat by Rong Juezhang, couldn't help but chuckle and playfully punched him: "Serves you right! You shorty!"
"Forget it, forget it, it's another 'Third Sister Teaches Her Son' game. A good man doesn't fight with a woman." Rong Juezhang dodged the attack with a smile and quickly started rummaging through the wine bottles on the table, seemingly wanting to have some first.
"I've prepared plenty of good wine, please take what you like and don't be shy." Kong Wei said a few words to the newlyweds and then hurried over to the groom's side.
"What would you like to drink, white or red?" Rong Juezhang asked as he handed out the drinks.
"We're all so familiar with each other, don't you know what I want?" Pei Yansang readily took the bottle of liquor from his hand.
"Don't drink so much. It's a joyous occasion, don't go on a drunken rampage." Rong Juezhang reminded Pei Yansang twice, only to receive another disgruntled glare from her. He then turned and grabbed two wine glasses to pour wine for himself and Li Sishi.
"Okay, okay, don't say so much. I still need to memorize the script when I get back." Li Sishi waved her hands repeatedly.
Seeing her looking like she was counting every single drop, Rong Juezhang stopped what he was doing, but continued to grumble with a hint of dissatisfaction: "It's good for a young lady to drink a little red wine, no need to be so stingy about the amount..."
Alcohol is a substance that can easily make you drunk.
"I need to be more sober now..." Before Li Sishi could finish speaking, Pei Yansang, who had already gulped down a large glass of wine, stared at her with wide eyes.
"How could such a small amount make you drunk!" Pei Yansang hiccuped and continued pouring wine.
"With your drunken state, you really don't dare to let me take care of my cousin..." Rong Juezhang glanced at her with disdain, then half-dragged and half-helped her up, gesturing for Pei Yansang to stand up and participate in the long-awaited bouquet toss.
This is one of the highlights of weddings in Hong Kong. Because of the legend that "the girl who catches the bride's bouquet will become the next bride", some people who are hoping to find their Mr. Right soon will pay special attention to this part and desperately try to catch the bouquet that is thrown out.
Kong Wei is one of her best friends and had previously hinted that she hoped she would find a good partner soon, so Pei Yansang immediately started rubbing her hands together, adopting a fierce stance of "no one can take her from me".
Surprisingly, despite her fierce and domineering stance, she didn't have to worry about not getting the bouquet at all—because Kong Wei simply skipped the throwing motion and shoved the bouquet into Pei Yansang's arms...
Seeing Pei Yansang's unusually bewildered expression, the scene erupted in laughter.
"Alright, alright, you've 'hated' enough, you're next." Rong Juezhang said with a laugh as he and Li Sishi worked together to pull the bewildered Pei Yansang back to her seat.
The food had already started being served, and everyone ate and chatted while waiting for the groom.
When the bride comes over to offer a toast, you get up to congratulate her again, and the wedding banquet enters its second half in a lively and bustling manner.
After a hearty meal, the group moved to another ballroom on another floor to continue their revelry.
"Why don't you go dancing? Look, Pei has already changed three dance partners."
Seeing Li Sishi looking pitiful as she ate her snacks with her eyes at the long dining table, Rong Juezhang, who had just finished dancing, couldn't help but walk over and chuckle.
"Shh, I'm having a really hard time finding a dance partner, I'd better stay here." Li Sishi gestured for silence.
Rong Juezhang raised an eyebrow and looked in the direction pointed by Li Sishi's other hand. He could see that there were quite a few beautiful and well-proportioned young girls dancing with a group of strangely dressed men in suits on the dance floor.
"I see." Rong Juezhang nodded.
“Sigh, when I was still fulfilling my duties as Miss Hong Kong, I often went to these kinds of banquets. But because I was young, I was quite well taken care of and didn’t have to always be thinking about finding a ‘good match’.” Li Sishi sighed. “It’s not that I don’t like this kind of behavior. Everyone has their own ambitions. It’s actually quite difficult to survive in the entertainment industry. Being able to find a good partner and move on is actually a good opportunity for them to change their social class.”
Wasn't that the same mindset she held in her past life?
By the time she "woke up" and realized that people ultimately need to rely on themselves, it was too late—fortunately, she has the chance to start over in this life.
"The beauty pageants of the past two years... have indeed been quite tumultuous." Rong Juezhang sighed.
Last year, the neighboring channel changed the rule to allow registration without age restrictions, and a mature and beautiful Miss Asia contestant in her forties emerged, stealing the limelight from Miss Hong Kong. The two channels then competed fiercely, but neither gained an advantage. As a result, the contestants from both channels in this year's competition didn't make much of a splash, and in the end, they all thought about seizing the brief glory of being the contestants and rushing to work in the circles of the wealthy.
Seeing these situations, it's understandable that Li Sishi, who also came from a beauty pageant background, would feel a sense of shared sorrow and unhappiness.
However, it's not just beauty pageant contestants who are like this. With the film industry in a slump and television dramas not being very profitable, many female artists are thinking of taking advantage of their current fame to marry into wealthy families, so they won't have to keep struggling in the entertainment industry.
Little did they know, every circle is just as cruel.
They all drain away their youth and beauty in order to ultimately nurture this prosperous and magnificent scene.
And those sparkling jewels under the lights, aren't they Pandora's box that tempts them to willingly accept the bondage?
Then, from
"The Pandora's box that lured them astray ultimately became a shackle that bound their freedom?" Li Sishi continued.
"Thinking too much will only make you more unhappy. After all, beauties are common, but Shu Ningning, Shang Lanyu, and Li Sishi are not so common, so..." Rong Juezhang smiled, bent down slightly, and reached out his hand again, asking with a double meaning, "May I?"
Amused by his words, Li Sishi put her hand on his, thinking she was going to be pulled into the dance floor, but instead she was pulled to an empty terrace.
"Are you a little drunk?" Sensing that his dance steps were slightly disordered, Li Sishi looked up and could barely see the redness in his eyes in the dim light of the hall.
“A little bit of red wine, how could I get drunk…” Rong Juezhang denied softly.
"Then why did you step on me?!" Li Sishi gritted her teeth.
"I'm sorry, the environment is rather dim..."
It was impossible for Rong Juezhang to admit to having a problem with his alcohol tolerance, so he apologized repeatedly and quickly moved away from where he had taken the wrong step.
"No, you have to make it up to me—" Li Sishi chased after me in her high heels, "Either you owe me one, or you let me step on you back!"
Seeing the pair of gold pointed high heels that he had picked out for Li Sishi, Rong Juezhang, who knew that their weight and lethality were just as "extraordinary" as their appearance, did not hesitate to choose the former: "Tell me, what do you want from me this time?"
"Got 'you'?" Li Sishi smiled slyly. "I just suddenly had an idea, so—would you like to come to Cannes with me this May?"
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