Chapter 1: Hearing News of Her Again
In November, during the late autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, the Silver Sail International Film Festival took place in Milan, Italy.
Breaking news: #Who will win the 68th Golden Olive Award for Best Actress?#
A quick scroll through domestic social media reveals numerous headlines like these. Almost everyone is focused on who will win this year's "Golden Olive Best Actress Award."
This was Wen Jia's first international appearance since her comeback, and everyone was watching her: passersby were just watching the spectacle; fans were watching for success or failure; the media were watching the winds of change; and her rivals were watching for weaknesses. She knew that this result was crucial for her.
The nearly 100-meter-long red carpet stretched out from the entrance of the Milan Film Festival Palace. Black vans, carrying elegantly dressed guests, parked precisely at their designated spots in front of the red carpet before leaving in an orderly fashion. Everything was choreographed.
Wen Jia's red carpet appearances tonight are later in the order, and she is currently coming out of the studio after finishing her styling.
"Buzzing—buzzing—"
A sudden noise broke the silence under the setting sun.
Assistant Yu Kaiqing held Wen Jia's handbag, inside which her phone vibrated regularly. Wen Jia listened but deliberately ignored it.
It wasn't until Yu Kaiqing's palms were numb from the shock that she couldn't help but take it out and glance at it, then awkwardly reminded her, "Are you sure you don't want to reply to the boss's message?"
Wen Jia scoffed lightly, her voice calm, "What good could he possibly want from a message? I'm not replying."
Yu Kaiqing read the message, glanced at her, and hesitated before speaking. "He said... the investors value this film festival very much. If there are no results this time, the company will not try to get you resources of the same level next year."
Upon hearing this, Wen Jia slowly raised her eyes. "The investors?"
These two words suddenly transformed into a familiar yet unfamiliar face in her mind: handsome features, and an indifferent expression.
It appeared too abruptly.
Her usually calm expression changed slightly at this moment, but it was extremely subtle and lasted less than half a second. She quickly composed herself, simply nodded, and said nothing, while inwardly cursing her boss to the core.
Milan in November isn't exactly cold, but it's rarely sunny, and the sun sets early. At this moment, only a sliver of orange-red afterglow remains on the horizon, shining intensely on the people walking slowly in the sunset.
"The waist is way too cinched," Wen Jia frowned, running her hand over the waist of the dress. "Runway styles are really hard to wear."
Yu Kaiqing spoke up for her, saying, "Just bear with it. The more you pinch the waistline, the more the foreign media will praise you in their press releases tomorrow."
Wen Jia gave her a half-smile.
The Alphard minivan glided into her view at just the right moment, then braked lightly and came to a stop.
The formal dress was restrictive, and Wen Jia was also wrapped in a shawl, making it difficult for her to move around. With the help of staff, she stepped into the van.
The styling studio was a bit far from the red carpet venue. The car slowly drove through the streets of Milan. The bark of the sycamore trees along the roadside was mottled and peeling off due to the weather, leaving only bare branches reflected on the closed car windows.
After getting on the bus, Wen Jia didn't say much, turning her head to look at the blurry tree shadows outside the window.
Yu Kaiqing glanced at Wen Jia, unable to guess what she was thinking, so she nudged her elbow: "What are you thinking about? Nervous?"
She wasn't exactly nervous, but Wen Jia was concerned. Her career had been in a slump for nearly three years, and she had only been on set once. It wasn't that no directors were looking for her; on the contrary, good scripts were handed to her one after another, but she wasn't in the mood to read them and Yu Kaiqing rejected them all.
Three years is enough time for many possibilities, especially in the entertainment industry, a place where fame and fortune change and evolve in the blink of an eye.
No matter how fast development progresses, those who cannot maintain their footing will be replaced, while those who have established themselves through their own strength will be replaced.
Wen Jia could be considered the latter, albeit with some difficulty.
“Tell me,” Wen Jia suddenly spoke, her gaze still fixed on the fleeting shadows of the trees outside the window, “what will the domestic press releases say if we come away empty-handed today? 'A washed-up actress makes a comeback on the international stage, only to return defeated'?”
Yu Kaiqing shook her head and bluntly said, "Do you still think the domestic media is so kind? The press release headlines should at least be 'Wen Jia goes to Cannes, returns from the red carpet with only a carpet left' or something like 'Red carpet gown worth millions, Best Actress running alongside becomes a habit,' which rhymes a little more."
Wen Jia gave a fake laugh: "I'll talk to the company and let you work as a marketing account."
Yu Kaiqing laughed it off, glanced at her, and then pursed her lips and fell silent, looking rather annoyed.
About fifteen minutes later, the van came to a smooth stop. The driver, an Italian, said something brief that the two women didn't understand, but they could guess that he was telling them they had arrived.
Wen Jia took off her shawl and gave it to Yu Kaiqing.
Two Italian men in black suits stood respectfully outside the car door. They opened the door and, upon seeing her, nodded slightly in greeting.
One of the men extended his broad palm, and Wen Jia, lightly covering her chest, bent down and took his hand for support.
Both feet landed firmly.
Suddenly, someone in the crowd exclaimed in Italian, and the photographers on both sides of the red carpet turned away from the movie stars they were taking pictures of.
All eyes and lenses were focused on Wenjia.
Finally, a web of flashing lights followed.
With the net spread so densely, Wen Jia had no choice but to stand still at her post, raise her hand as if to greet them, and turn her body slightly to make sure each camera around her was covered.
Once most of the photographers had quieted down, she lifted her skirt and stepped onto the red carpet in her high heels, occasionally taking a few steps and stopping to pose for the photographers.
"Wenjia, look here."
There were photographers from China present, and Wen Jia took care of him first. Someone set a good example, and then English mixed with accents kept being heard around.
She smiled brightly and generously to both sides of the red carpet.
Seeing that her allotted time was almost up, she began to walk towards the gates of the Palace of Shadows.
This year's Silver Sail Film Festival took a unique approach, replacing the traditional signature wall with a camera lens. She walked in front of the camera, took the pen, and signed her Chinese name on the lens.
*
Meanwhile, in Linzhou City, China.
The pitch-black Linzhou Century Bridge.
It was already late at night when Wen Jia stepped onto the red carpet in her high heels, just as the city was swept by a torrential autumn rain.
The air was thick with mist and fog.
The bright, glaring headlights illuminated the wet asphalt road, making it appear as if covered with a layer of silvery white, stretching endlessly.
Looking down from the bridge, several large cruise ships floated on the water, their sterns churning with white waves reflecting the lights.
All of these images were magnified a million times and reflected in the man's deep pupils. The man blinked, looked away, and then closed his eyelids.
He sat in the back seat of the car. The black Maybach was extremely smooth to drive, gliding silently, with the engine vibrations completely isolated.
The atmosphere inside the car froze. The man didn't speak, and Lin Youzhe, who was driving, naturally didn't say anything either. He looked in the rearview mirror for a while, and perhaps feeling that it was too quiet, he reached out and pressed the radio button on the center console.
Lin Youzhe was good at reading people's expressions. His original intention was to play some light music to help the men sitting in the back relax. However, instead of light music, a bright and clear radio anchor's voice came out.
"...Never be bored on the road, stay up-to-date with the latest entertainment news! Here's some exciting entertainment news: Wen Jia, a talented actress in China, has been nominated for Best Actress at the Silver Sail International Film Festival for her outstanding performance in 'Wild Journey'..."
Lin Youzhe's brow twitched. He figured that the people in the back row naturally didn't like or care about this kind of entertainment news. He raised his eyes and looked in the rearview mirror again, only to see that the man's eyelids were still closed, and his expression remained unreadable from beginning to end.
Lin Youzhe couldn't tell if he was asleep or not, but he could at least see that there was no displeasure in the man's expression. He then let out a breath and neatly switched off the radio.
The next second I heard—
"Redirect it back."
Xu Shaoting didn't even lift his eyelids, but simply gave the order in a calm tone.
Lin Youzhe seemed not to have reacted to his command, thinking he had misheard. His finger hovered over the central control, undecided, and he hesitated to switch the radio back.
"Reassign him back." Seeing that he didn't react, Xu Shaoting patiently repeated the exact same words.
Revert it?
When did you start liking to listen to this kind of entertainment news?
Lin Youzhe was slightly surprised, at least he thought Xu Shaoting wouldn't repeat the order twice for such entertainment news.
But he was a smart man, and he would never ask that question aloud. He would do whatever a man said.
The radio station was switched back to the entertainment channel it had been on.
"...Three of the nominees for Best Actress this year are from Asia. Besides Wen Jia, the most anticipated are Japanese actress Shiori Nozaki and South Korean actress Kang Seul-ra, a goddess from Chungmuro. This competitor's strength should not be underestimated. This East Asian Best Actress competition is truly something to watch; calling it a battle of titans wouldn't be an exaggeration. Even more interesting is that renowned producer Zhou Jingcheng also voiced his support for Wen Jia this morning via Weibo, hoping she will win the Best Actress award this year..."
The female anchor forced a fake smile, and what followed perfectly illustrated the typical style of entertainment news:
"I've heard about Wen Jia and Zhou Jingcheng before. Could this be considered another form of official announcement? Actually, more than who wins the Best Actress award, the public is probably more interested in the rumors about Wen Jia and Zhou Jingcheng..."
As the voices subsided, the radio switched to a brief intermittent burst of relaxing music.
About ten seconds later, the music stopped, and the man sitting in the back slowly opened his eyes. The radio broadcast was still going on.
"So who will take home the Golden Olive Award this time? Let's wait and see! Dear listeners, if you want to know more entertainment and fashion news, please continue to follow FM98.6's 'Entertainment Trends' for more behind-the-scenes scoops! Don't miss it!"
Before the female anchor's laughter had completely subsided, Xu Shaoting calmly ordered, "Turn it off."
He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. The radio broadcast gradually faded, but the two words "Wen Jia" that came through the radio still lingered in his ears.
He never imagined he would hear from her again in this way.
She never thought about why another man's name would appear with her.
A note from the author:
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