Chapter 1 Part2 (1/2)
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Jia He is basically holding her breath and trying to maintain a good impression with her idol, but… CRINGE! >_< the=”” last=”” little=”” bit…=””>
Chapter 1.2 — Filming-Kickoff Press Conference (2)
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Since Yi Wenze was not speaking, Jia He could only stand there beside the door.
In contrast to the function hall with its warm, amber lights, here it was actually a little brighter, but because the lighting was stark white, this place seemed especially cold and bleak.
Jia He suddenly remembered how one time during their university days, in order to see w.a.n.g Leehom, Qiao Qiao had followed some television reporters to the airport late at night to meet his flight. However, when she came back, she had heaved sighs and moans, saying, when she truly did get to meet him, she had actually not even dared to say to him that she had liked him for many years. At the time, Jia He had scorned her, yet now wasn't she doing the same? It would seem that idols are still more suitable for coming into contact with through television or the Internet…
Her mobile phone in her pocket all of a sudden began vibrating. Hurriedly, she covered it with her hand. After a short while, Yi Wenze appeared to have heard the noise, and turning his head, he brought his gaze onto her, his eyes carrying a slight look of polite inquiring.
She quickly pulled out her phone. On the other end of the line was Qiao Qiao's voice, and there was obvious edginess in it. ”Have you found him?”
Jia He answered in a low voice, ”I found him. He's right by my side.”
It was evident Qiao Qiao was already at the point where she could not handle things anymore on her side. ”Forget it. Come down in the elevator. The van's in front of the hotel doors.”
Jia He gave an ”mm-hmm,” then looked at him. ”The van's downstairs already.”
He stubbed out his cigarette and walked over to Jia He. ”It's going to be almost four hours on the road. Do you need to bring some light refreshments along?”
The tone he used was inquiring, but he was already opening the door for her first.
Gazing puzzledly at him, Jia He was motionless with surprise for three or four seconds before comprehending his intention. ”That would be good. From what I could see, everybody didn't really eat much this evening. I'll go pack some food. What do you want to eat?” There were countless cameras out there already, lying in waiting, and it would be best now for them to split up to leave, so as not to bring about any trouble.
He smiled. ”Anything will be fine.”
Not daring to say anymore, she left that stairwell first.
Sometimes, merely a single photograph is enough for a news story, so ridiculous you are beyond laughter or tears, to be fabricated. In particular, during this last half a month since the divorce news, Yi Wenze's ex-wife, Tian Chu, had time and again gone on various programs and wept heartbrokenly, like all the land should be grief-stricken with her. Yi Wenzi, on the other hand, all along had not accepted any questions that directly addressed the matter. If he were to be photographed at this time with a woman, it would basically be equivalent to throwing himself into the line of fire.
She had someone pack up two boxes of refreshments and then went into the elevator with a few staff members.
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When they arrived downstairs, the blazing hotel lobby was filled with the shrieks of fans and shouts of questions from the reporters.
Yi Wenze was again surrounded by the media downstairs. However, unlike the earlier routine interviews for the start of a new drama project, currently each of these people was more excited than the previous, and each person's voice was crying out louder than the one before. Relentlessly, they repeated the words Tian Chu had said ten minutes ago on a television talk show, and they continuously pressed to know whether Yi Wenze had been the one to first propose divorce and whether they had been living apart for a long time already.
Qiao Qiao was beside him, her hands extended outwards to block any person who got too close, the smile on her face obviously already forced and stiff. Even the hotel security guards were nosily taking a few extra looks at Yi Wenze as they s.h.i.+elded the several of them. The entire time, however, Yi Wenze wore a very well-mannered smile on his lips, and repeatedly he urged the people all around him to watch their steps. Other than this, towards any questions thrown at him, he maintained the proper silence that he should.
After they were inside the van, Qiao Qiao at last slid the door shut forcefully, cutting off from them all the flashes of the cameras outside and leaving them with only the silence in the interior of the car.
Yi Wenze took a seat beside Jia He.
Jia He gave a sniffle of her nose, not daring to utter a word. Qiao Qiao picked up her own mobile phone and sent a text message to her: Hey, missy, I just told you to go find a person, but it still ended up being so difficult. And here I was saying that I was giving you a chance to get close to your idol. All it did was cause me trouble.
Jia He was indeed in the wrong in the first place. She sent back a reply: He wanted to have a smoke and just some quiet time, and I didn't dare just drag him away.
Qiao Qiao suddenly turned around and shot a look of contempt at her.
The tall buildings rising on either side of them crowded against the heavens until only a narrow line of sky remained. The decorative streetscape lighting was changing, flas.h.i.+ng through various city-type slogans, obscuring the glow of the moon and stars. Qiao Qiao was making phone call after phone call, quietly talking about work-related matters. Jia He could do nothing but self-consciously stare out the window. Here, on the streets of Shanghai on Valentine's Day, it was as if everyone ought to be hand in hand with someone else, ought to be like a docile, little woman leaning against a man, and ought to be holding roses.
But all these ”ought to bes” happening and piling up right before her eyes actually caused the atmosphere to become even more awkward.
Yi Wenze was sitting right next to her, not moving in the slightest, and even after the vehicle had driven out of Shanghai, he was still maintaining the same posture.
”Call from Mai Jie[1] [Big Sister Mai].” His a.s.sistant, Qing, suddenly answered a phone call and then immediately handed her mobile phone over to him.
Mai Jie was Yi Wenze's agent. There was no need to guess what she was calling about.
He took the phone. As a result of the overly quiet atmosphere in the van, the rises and falls of that female voice on the other end of the line were very obvious, and with a rapid rhythm to her words, she stated what Tian Chu had said on the talk show. Jia He was so close and, feeling discomfited, heard it all clearly. From beginning to end, Yi Wenze only gave two sounds of ”mm,” not showing much other reaction. After the call went on for ten minutes, he finally switched the phone from his left ear to his right one and said in a low voice, ”Phone's out of battery. We'll talk again when I get to Hengdian.”
With those words, he unhesitatingly hung up.
”I just charged my phone.” Qing muttered this one sentence, taking her mobile phone back.
When a mountain range, swathed in the curtain of night, could be seen, Qiao Qiao at last grumbled out a sentence of ”I'm hungry.” Instantly, as if she had been set free, Jia He stuffed one box of refreshments over to her. ”Here, eat. I purposely got it for you.”
Qiao Qiao looked at her with astonishment. ”Since when did you become so thoughtful?”
Having no words to say to that, Jia He continued looking out the window.
For the entire four-hour drive, she did not dare doze off for even half a minute, bearing through the whole way with nerves stretched taut until they arrived in Hengdian.
Only when they had all gotten off the van did she slip over beside Qiao Qiao. ”You and I are staying in one room?”
Qiao Qiao jeered at her, ”You wish. You're staying next door to Director Jiang. The story editor didn't come, so you can just await the torture from Director Jiang.”
Jia He had more to say, but Qiao Qiao was already lowering her voice to inform her, ”I'll tell you, that Taiwanese guy is coming. Don't disturb me.”
Jia He looked in surprise at her. Just the mention of Qiao Qiao's Taiwanese boyfriend immediately brought on a headache for her. She had no idea where Qiao Qiao had met this nearly forty-year-old fellow who claimed to be one of the leading ba.s.s players in Taiwan. However, the very first time Jia He saw him, she had already been given quite the scare.
She could still remember that first meeting with him at Lippo Plaza[2]. When the black car door opened, two stick-thin legs wrapped in snake-skin pants had stretched out from inside, followed by a face covered in wrinkles and a head of long hair that was not at all light and flowing… For the entire dinnertime, that great ba.s.s-playing talent had repeated incessantly that people should eat nutritiously. Then, he had very cautiously ordered one order of rice, one order of flat rice noodles, and one order of rice porridge for the three of them to share.
A leading ba.s.s player of Taiwan, when treating people to dinner, was only willing to spend enough to order dishes of staple foods. Would you believe that? Qiao Qiao believed it…
Jia He had no intention of hearing more about Qiao Qiao's ”life of sweetness” in which she was being duped but still enjoying herself. Pulling her suitcase, Jia He walked into the hotel.