Chapter 278: Going Against the Grain - Shall We Add Some Thrill...?
Pei Yansang's casual answer not only made Le Yun, who was being ignored, look bewildered as if someone had stolen her thunder, but even Lu Yiting, who had asked the question first, was taken aback.
Seeing the two of them, Pei Yansang looked relaxed: it wasn't the first time she'd been involved in a scandal with a girl, and as long as things were handled properly, she really didn't mind helping her good friend out of a current crisis...
Unfortunately, the only problem right now is that while she doesn't mind, some people do mind quite a bit.
Look, look! Those who invite elders over, those who take roundabout routes, those who offer their services willingly, and those who stir up trouble while the cooperation is in progress—tsk, they're all a bunch of troublemakers who love to join in the fun!
Faced with Pei Yansang's scrutiny, Le Yun finally came to her senses and immediately smiled and advised, "No need, Pei. If you get involved, it will only make things more complicated. Let Erjian, your senior brother, help Ah May. It'll also be a good opportunity for them to create a romantic pairing through the 'People in the Jianghu' movie series..."
“Since you’ve already asked me, whether I participate or not doesn’t really matter—” Pei Yansang slowly drew out her words, then continued, “However, even if I withdraw from this 'competition,’ the others might not be willing, after all, you know a few of them…”
Le Yun sighed: How could he not know the competitive intentions of the others?
Originally, the plan was to create a time difference to help their apprentice seize the first spot and gain an advantage. However, not only did they run into Rong Juezhang, who was arguably the best choice at the moment, but Shang Hanyou and Lingchen, the two young men, were also well-informed. Although they couldn't make it to the event in time, they both rushed over to reserve a spot...
“Based on my previous conversation with Ah May, Ah May is more inclined towards Lester, and right now Lester is indeed the place with the most operational foundation and room for maneuver…” As she said this, Lu Yiting also glanced at Le Yun, who was sighing.
For someone as superficial as her, Cheng Erjian was definitely a handsome guy with a unique charm, and his appearance was a perfect match for Li Sishi. But the key issue was that Cheng Erjian was really lacking in ambition, and at his age, he was addicted to video games all day long. He seemed to have only half-understood the tricks of love and romance, and he looked more like a playful older brother than a boyfriend...
If it weren't for the many reliable elders and friends around him who could keep him in check, Cheng Erjian's own decent professional skills, and a bit of rare luck...
Otherwise, "the fifth day"
The title of "King" may not necessarily fall to him.
As for Wu Shanluan, who is currently with Li Sishi, he is handsome enough, and his status in the industry is about the same as Cheng Erjian's, except that one is more artistic and the other is more business-oriented... But he is even less ambitious than Cheng Erjian!
At least Cheng Erjian still had the will to take on acting roles and other projects. But Wu Shanluan, this handsome musician, is a different story. There are plenty of rumors in the industry about directors trying to get him to act, only for him to whine and say he didn't want to go. If it weren't for his well-known, almost obstinate, personality, "he'd definitely be on the list of diva-like celebrities..."
Moreover, from the perspective of an agent, as the only female artist under her management, if Li Sishi wants to create scandals, she must partner with a male artist of a higher level to climb up the social ladder rather than compatibility with someone of a lower level.
Even though Cheng Erjian is Li Sishi's senior, Li Sishi's current status in the industry and her development potential are obviously higher than his. In that case, if it's not true love but just a publicity stunt, he will definitely choose the most advantageous option.
Thinking of this, Lu Yiting took the initiative to play the "ugly duckling" and politely declined Le Yun's suggestion with a smile: "After all, Lester is going to Cannes with Ah May, and the two of them are more compatible in all aspects. If there are no surprises, Miss Zhuang and I also prefer to choose Lester."
A good agent should know when to step forward and protect their artist from harm.
Especially when faced with situations where it's hard to refuse such a kind offer without offending anyone, if she steps forward to politely decline those less-than-ideal choices, people will only say that she, as the agent, is meddling, and won't hold it against Li Sishi.
"On another note, I haven't seen Miss Zhuang recently. Where did she go?"
Seeing that Lu Yiting was clearly going to work on Rong Juezhang, Pei Yansang quickly chimed in and changed the subject.
"Oh, Miss Zhuang recently went to Shuicheng to attend the Shuicheng Film Festival. I heard that there was a very young Best Actress nominee this year, so Miss Zhuang went to check it out." That's what they said, but Pei Yansang and Le Yun, being insiders in the industry, immediately understood why Zhuang Menghua went to the Shuicheng Film Festival.
No wonder rising star Li Sishi went to Cannes instead of Venice this year; there's another reason: Cannes produced a Chinese Best Actress last year, so Li Sishi might be at a disadvantage if she went again this year; while Venice is relatively easier to win, if the Best Actress team lists such a "young prodigy," then...
Whether a competitor wins or loses, they are easily subject to controversy.
The atmosphere in Lu Yiting's office gradually became more harmonious as the sensible people chatted, while Li Sishi continued to wait quietly.
The silence was probably a bit awkward, so Wu Shanluan took the initiative that a man should have and started chatting quietly with Li Sishi.
After a few words, even the seemingly innocent and naive Xiao Lu couldn't resist her innate gossip instincts and subtly inquired about Li Sishi's opinion on the news.
"Actually, I really hope this news is true." Li Sishi lowered her eyes and smiled very faintly. "My family situation has been reported in many newspapers and magazines before, have you seen them?"
Wu Shanluan nodded: "I've read a little bit... I still read some gossip when I'm at home."
"So you probably understand now, my biological father—sigh, although children shouldn't speak ill of their parents, he really went too far..." Although he couldn't reveal that Li Jinhuai had actually betrayed his wife and daughter back then, the fact that he abandoned his wife and daughter and ran away alone after his business failed was enough to make people despise such an irresponsible man.
“Indeed, your current dad is much better than your previous one.” Even someone with Wu Shanluan’s personality felt that Li Jinhao was far better than Li Jinhuai in the role of “father.”
“However… one’s background cannot define a person; only the person themselves can define a person.” Wu Shanluan thought for a moment and then offered Li Sishi another piece of advice.
Li Sishi glanced at his unusually serious expression: among the people she knew, Wu Shanluan, being of mixed race, was indeed the most qualified to speak on this matter.
Moreover, his paternal lineage traces back to Ryukyu, which is situated between China and Japan. Therefore, he must have been subjected to a lot of manipulation regarding his bloodline during his childhood.
"Of course I understand that, but I just feel a little bit of 'regret'." Li Sishi smiled and shook her head. "After all, while I am accepting this love, I am also the most unavoidable 'obstacle' to this love."
“But the love that parents have for their children is a very special kind of love.” Wu Shanluan’s expression became more and more serious. “If you can feel this love, you will eventually understand that this kind of love, which is full of ‘giving,’ is not limited by any external factors. It’s just because they want to love you and only want to love you—it’s that simple.”
"Perhaps." Li Sishi knew, of course, that dwelling on regrets was not a good thing. "If I hadn't told you, I probably wouldn't have said any of this."
Most of the friends she knows have had unhappy families and childhoods, or both of them have had unhappy childhoods. Compared to Wu Shanluan's "happy" family, whose parents are busy but have always supported his pursuit of musical dreams, there is definitely a difference in their spiritual lives.
"I'd be happy to help you in any way." He grinned, and his appearance instantly transformed from that of a stunning forest deer that had happened to pass by by chance into something else entirely—roughly speaking, it looked like a silly roe deer that had been sold out but was still helping to count the money...
She didn't quite understand why he could change other people's perception of him with just a smile, but Li Sishi still appreciated his act of comforting her under the guise of gossip, so she thanked him again.
“You’re welcome. Actually, I don’t have many friends here in Hong Kong who would talk to me like that,” Wu Shanluan replied.
Although he had a "life-or-death friendship" with boys his age like Cheng Erjian, who could steal each other's character lives while playing games, he found it difficult to keep up with them when it came to topics about life.
Just as Li Sishi was about to say something more, a voice suddenly came from behind her: "Hey, you guys were hiding here! I had such a hard time finding you!"
"Why are you here to pick me up, cousin?" Li Sishi turned around at the sound of his voice and saw Rong Juezhang standing behind their table.
"Don't you know your current situation?" Rong Juezhang slapped her, both amused and exasperated. "Both your van and your private car are 'on the list' in major media outlets right now. If I don't come to pick you up, how are you going to leave later?"
“I could actually take her away from here…” Wu Shanluan was about to argue when Rong Juezhang quickly pulled Li Sishi up and said rapidly, “Time is of the essence, so I won’t say much. Thank you for taking care of May for a while. I’ll take care of May from now on.”
Before Wu Shanluan could react, he hurriedly pulled Li Sishi to the silver sports car not far away, then shoved her into the car while whispering a reminder, "Hold on tight, I saw 'dogs' coming this way when I came..."
Li Sishi immediately understood, fastening her seatbelt with one hand and gripping the passenger side handle with the other.
Rong Juezhang was allowed to drive his sports car at a speed and attitude that suggested he no longer cared about life...
"How's it going? Have you shaken them off yet?" Rong Juezhang, engrossed in his high-speed chase, had no time to...
Looking back, I could only ask Li Sishi when I had a spare moment.
“There’s another one.” Li Sishi turned around with difficulty to look, “It looks like it’s another one from Qu Weekly…”
"Damn it, this magazine and we two are really incompatible!" Rong Juezhang had been the subject of many bad articles written about by this magazine before, and now, seeing them forcing him to pursue the person he had personally promised to protect, he couldn't help but curse after accumulating both old and new grudges.
Anger welled up in his heart and evil thoughts took hold. Rong Juezhang immediately asked Li Sishi, "Want to do something exciting?"
"Okay!" Seeing his eager look, Li Sishi, who had been chased away for most of the day, nodded angrily.
The moment Li Sishi responded, their silver sports car made a sharp U-turn on the bend ahead, heading menacingly towards the pursuing van!
Seeing how vicious the two men were, even the reporter from Qu Weekly, known for its ruthless methods of digging up celebrities' secrets, was frightened. The driver hurriedly turned the steering wheel, narrowly avoiding the impact.
However, before the driver and reporter in the van could catch their breath, the silver sports car, which had been going the opposite way, sped off again towards their location—
"Drive faster! Rong Juezhang has gone completely mad today!" The reporters in the car forgot about their cameras and recorders and urged the driver to drive quickly to avoid the pursuit.
From chasing to being chased, this was the first time in their journalistic careers they had ever been so embarrassed!
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