Chapter 251: Big Fool for Love
After she was done thinking about the benefits that she was about to give her fans, Jiang Yuning could finally relax. Although she was more than happy to welcome the increasingly strong Ginger Candies, she had always felt that she should make sure to act in a way that is worthy of their adoration if she was well-liked and loved by her fans. This was her responsibility as a public figure.
Some people thrived hard to be popular and loved just so they could enjoy the most luxurious life. They would just enjoy their lives everyday without worrying about their own characters or behaviors. On the other hand, there were also others who felt more burdened with such positive attention because they would be afraid of not being able to measure up to the expectations and standards that they had set for themselves.
“Well, there is one more thing that I need you to help me with. I need you to help me find the location of these three items in the list. I want you to find it as soon as possible,” Jiang Yuning replied as she thought about the relics that second brother had sold off in order to raise money to pay off her family debts in the past. This was something that she really wanted to do for him.
“Give me the list.”
“Do not let anyone else know about this, especially not second brother,” Jiang Yuning replied as she handed the list in her hand over to Vera.
Vera glanced at it for a brief moment before she folded the list and placed it into her pocket.
For the next two days, the Ginger Candies were continuously urging Jiang Yuning to make an appearance online.
[Sobs. Sister Yuning, didn’t you say that you would reward us all with some sort of benefit when you reach two million fans? Why is there no activity from you at all?]
[I really want to see more pictures of you in traditional Chinese outfits! It has been a long time since our Sister Yuning sent us any new pictures.]
[I have already watched the second issue of over ten times! Sister Yuning, please continue to be this awesome.]
[Sister Yuning, have you forgotten about the promise that you had made us?]
A short while later, Xue Li appeared online to try and appease the rest of the Ginger Candies. “Shhh…Sister Yuning is already in the midst of preparing the reward that she has promised to the Ginger Candies upon hitting two million fans. Please do not be impatient!”
After all, it was a platform for education and psychological counselling purposes. Many things had to be planned and arranged before it could be implemented.
However, Xue Li did not reveal anything that she already knew to the public. Instead, she handled everything quietly without arousing any unwanted attention. She had learned all of these traits from Jiang Yuning. If she was not discreet, this would have turned out to be yet another blockbuster bomb.
…
Later in the afternoon, Vera brought a dress over to the Royal Dragon Villa for Jiang Yuning. She had chosen a simple long black dress with only some small diamonds embellished around the waistline. It seemed as though Vera had already fully understood Jiang Yuning’s preferences.
“Why do you like to wear black so much?” Vera suddenly asked Jiang Yuning when the makeup artist was applying Jiang Yuning’s makeup for her.
“Because you can never go wrong with black. Moreover, black is a very elegant colour in itself, and I would not need to compare with anyone else and still be beautiful in my own simplistic sense.”
“That makes sense. By the way, I forgot to inform you that tonight’s banquet will be held at Chairman Gu’s mansion instead. I heard that he had already booked the banquet hall at the hotel for this event, but I am not quite sure why he suddenly changed his mind at the very last minute.”
After listening to Vera’s words, Jiang Yuning immediately knew that the reason why Gu Pingsheng decided to change the venue was because she had asked second brother to be at the party tonight.
If the event was held at the hotel, there would be no reason for Lu Jingzhi to be there.
However, if the event was held at Gu Pingsheng’s mansion instead, it would only be ordinary for Lu Jingzhi, as his nephew, to come and go as he pleased, and this would not raise any doubts or suspicions amongst the other guests.
“Just look at your face right now. You are really a big fool for love!” Vera could not help but laugh when she saw Jiang Yuning’s expression. She immediately knew the reason behind Jiang Yuning’s silly smile.
Of course, she could already tell that someone would be escorting her to the party tonight just from looking at Jiang Yuning’s reaction.
This would be for the best because there would be many popular and top-notch actors and actresses from Guangying Media who would be attending the banquet tonight. Vera believed that amongst these artistes, not many of them would be able to truly recognize and acknowledge Jiang Yuning as an artiste.
Therefore, if the second young master Lu was there, they would not have the guts to bully Jiang Yuning even if they did not respect her,
“It’s almost time to leave. Grab your bag. We have to go now,” Vera reminded Jiang Yuning after looking at the time.
“Wait.” Jiang Yuning took this opportunity to drop Lu Jingzhi a short text message asking, “Second brother, will you be coming home first or going to the banquet directly after work?”
“I will go to uncle’s house right after I am done with my meeting. Be good, okay?”
“I got it.” Jiang Yuning put her cell phone away before she grabbed her clutch and headed out of the villa with Vera.
She did not even know if Lu Jingzhi would reveal himself later.
…
At seven o’clock that night, the guests who were attending the banquet were already gathering at Gu Pingsheng’s mansion at this time. Everyone found the change of venue extremely unexpected.
However, they did not know what was going on in their boss’s mind.
In fact, Gu Pingsheng had made the necessary changes and arrangement as soon as he received a phone call from Lu Jingzhi. As Jiang Yuning had thought, it would have been too awkward for Lu Jingzhi to make an appearance if the banquet had been held at the hotel.
Even though he was Gu Pingsheng’s nephew, his identity was still special and it would be difficult for him to go to the hotel without creating a commotion. Therefore, the best choice would be to conduct the annual dinner at Gu Pingsheng’s mansion.
At this time, Gu Pingsheng’s private garden had already been set up with an outdoor event stage. The artistes working under Guangying Media actually preferred this location in comparison to having the annual dinner at the hotel because it was private and free from any public or media interference. The entertainers and artistes could just gather around to drink and chat together, and it was a much more relaxing atmosphere as compared to how it would have been if the annual dinner were to be held at a hotel.
“Have you met that little actress who seems to be on fire lately?”
“All of us have been busy filming. How could we have made time to meet up with her? Anyway, the internet and entertainment news have been overflowing with news about her for the past few months already.”
“I heard that she is multitalented, with a lot of hidden skills and abilities. I wonder what sort of skills she could show us today?”
“Oh, speak of the devil—there she is.”
Everyone held their champagne glasses in their hand as they turned around to look at Jiang Yuning, who had just appeared at the front door of the mansion.
She was currently one of the youngest artistes signed up by Guangying Media, as Guangying Media did not specialize in training juniors or newbies. Moreover, Jiang Yuning was also one of the first artistes to venture into the variety show business under Guangying Media.
At this time, Shen Yichen, who was wearing a full plaid suit, quickly walked up to Jiang Yuning with a wine glass in his hand. He tilted his head before he asked, “Why don’t I bring you around to meet everyone?”
“Okay.” Jiang Yuning nodded her head.
There were many well-established and very well-known artistes signed under Guangying Media. Currently, there were about over a dozen artistes appointed and these artistes were all taken care of by Gu Pingsheng. Jiang Yuning had already seen all those faces on television. Although all the film emperors and empress were kind enough to greet Jiang Yuning and refer to her as their younger sister, Jiang Yuning already felt alienated just by looking at the expressions in their eyes.
This was especially so for the senior female artistes because age itself was already a taboo.
It was very tedious and tiring to maintain conversations with them because she could not let her guard down. Otherwise, she could easily offend them if she were to make a simple mistake. It was very uncomfortable for her to walk and mingle with everyone else, as she had to be on defence throughout the night.
At this time, Jiang Yuning finally found a quiet place to sit and rest.
A short while later, Vera approached Jiang Yuning with a tall girl who had single eyelids by her side.
“This is An Yiqing. She signed an employment contract under Guangying Media just a few days ago. I believe that both of you would be able to get along very well.”
“Wow! I feel as though I am looking at my idol face-to-face now. I watched the variety show that you were in recently and I really like it so much!” An Yiqing said as she grabbed Jiang Yuning’s arm.
Jiang Yuning was about to react when he saw how enthusiastic and excited the other party was but at this time, a man’s voice resounded behind them immediately.
“Yiqing, who are you running away with?” At this time, An Yiqing’s agent caught up to her and when he saw Jiang Yuning next to An Yiqing, he greeted her politely before he led An Yiqing away.
Chapter 252: Sorry, You Can’t Escape Anymore
“Brother Xuan, why won’t you let me chat with Sister Yuning for a little while? It was not easy for me to finally have the opportunity to meet her,” An Yiqing pouted as she asked her agent with a puzzled expression on her face.
“You are a film and television graduate from a reputable university. Director Shen has very high expectations of you. Jiang Yuning is meanwhile just an artiste who has become a little bit famous because of a variety program. How could she even be compared to you?” the agent reminded An Yiqing in a serious manner. “Just focus on your own acting. How long do you think someone like Jiang Yuning will be famous for?”
“If she could gain some fame for herself, even if through a variety show, then it must be due to her own talents and abilities,” An Yiqing replied as she did not agree with her agent’s opinion.
The both of them spoke quietly at a corner. Although their voices were clearly soft, there was also a hint of harshness in their words.
In fact, Jiang Yuning and Vera already knew what was running through the agent’s mind.
They already knew that in the eyes of the other artistes signed under Guangying Media, Jiang Yuning was someone who did not belong in the same circle or class as them. The contempt that they had in their eyes was unmistakable.
“You have already given your best and worked very hard to turn your own situation around. This is not your fault,” Vera said as she tried to appease Jiang Yuning. “And as long as it is not a matter relating to your character, there is no one who can judge you or think that they are more superior than you.”
Jiang Yuning laughed slightly and tried not to be affected by the situation. At this time, a woman who was dressed glamorously in a red dress walked over to Jiang Yuning before she said, “Yuning, do you know how to dance?”
“Sister Hua Xin, I would not want to embarrass myself in front of you,” Jiang Yuning answered immediately.
“It is a rare opportunity that I am offering you so you can help to cheer everyone up tonight. After all, all of us believe that you are a very versatile artiste with many different unexpected talents. If you refuse to show us some of your talents, does that mean that you are not giving us face?”
The other party continued challenging Jiang Yuning and at this time, Vera suddenly stepped forward to defend Jiang Yuning. “Sister Hua Xin, please be more lenient towards Yuning today. How can she dance when she is wearing such high heels right now? Maybe she can show you a dance next time?”
“If your heels are high…you can just take them off. Yuning, don’t you agree with me?” Hua Xin asked as she smiled coldly at Jiang Yuning.
This was clearly malice, and Hua Xin was no longer doing this just to humiliate Jiang Yuning. At this time, Jiang Yuning also laughed as she replied, “Sister Hua Xin, I am just an insignificant junior who should not be hindering you or getting in your way at this banquet tonight. I hope that we will not have any conflict because I do not want things to get ugly between us.”
“Since you have already acknowledged that you are my junior, why are you rejecting my invitation then? Are you really not going to give me any face at all?”
After listening to Hua Xin’s words, Vera was about to pull Jiang Yuning away from the confrontation but at this time, Jiang Yuning pushed Vera aside before she dropped the glass of champagne that she held in her hand all along. Everyone turned around and cast their eyes on both Jiang Yuning and Hua Xin as soon as they heard the sound of the glass shattering as it hit the ground.
“Do you really think that I have so much respect for you just because I am addressing you as my senior? Are you qualified enough to even ask me to dance for you?” After speaking, Jiang Yuning took one of her ATM cards out before she threw it at Hua Xin. “There is two million yuan in this card alone. Why don’t you take the money and dance for me instead? After all…how much money have you actually made even after acting in so many different dramas?”
“You…” Hua Xin was stunned.
This was because no one would have expected Jiang Yuning to have the courage to act in this manner.
This young artiste was ferocious. Hua Xin initially assumed that it would be easy to bully and humiliate Jiang Yuning, as the newer and younger artistes would usually be picked on a lot and would always give in to all of their seniors’ request to avoid any trouble in future. However, Jiang Yuning was completely different. She immediately stood up for herself because she refused to be bullied.
“Hua Xin, did you know that even if I do not continue being an artiste or actress, I already have enough money to last me for this lifetime. It is not very wise of you to come and offend me and try to humiliate me. I believe that since we are working under the same company, we should have mutual respect for one another. I might respect you, but that does not mean that I am afraid of you.”
Hua Xin’s face was as red as a tomato and she fidgeted because she did not expect to be placed in such an awkward situation. She had never imagined that a young artiste such as Jiang Yuning, who was her junior, would actually dare to teach her a lesson.
This was especially embarrassing because everyone had their eyes on them at the moment. Hua Xin was at a loss for words and in that instant, all that she could do was to point her finger at Jiang Yuning and say, “You have guts!”Read more chapter on NovelFull
It would have been completely fine if Hua Xin did not say those words because Jiang Yuning was even more annoyed as soon as she heard those words.
Sorry, you can’t escape anymore.
Therefore, Jiang Yuning yelled directly at Hua Xin. “Stop! Don’t move. Vera, please get Chairman Gu to come over here.”
Even though Vera did not know what Jiang Yuning was going to do, she quickly did as she was instructed to. After a short while, Gu Pingsheng walked out from the living room and into the garden before he walked towards both of them. “Young lass, what is the problem?”
“Chairman Gu, when I joined Guangying Media as one of your artistes, you promised that you would give me a fair and just treatment. But now, Hua Xin wants me to take off my high heels and dance for her. Does she think that I am a monkey who is here to entertain her? Am I here to make her happy?”
“Chairman Gu…” Hua Xin said as she tried to explain herself. “We were just trying to include our junior, Yuning, in the crowd because we saw that she was all alone. The situation is not as bad as she has just made it out to be. This is all just a misunderstanding.”
“Do you dare to say that you were not trying to make things difficult for me?” Jiang Yuning asked Hua Xin immediately. “You told me that if my high heels were too high…I could just take off my high heels and dance for you. Are you saying that you did not say that?”
Gu Pingsheng knew Jiang Yuning’s personality and temper very well and he knew that if the other party had not bullied her and gone overboard, Jiang Yuning would never have reacted in this manner, especially in front of so many people.
Hua Xin must have started the confrontation with Jiang Yuning.
Both of them had very unequal statuses in Guangying Media because Hua Xin had already been under Guangying Media’s management for a very long time.
Everyone who was watching the spectacle was certain that Chairman Gu would definitely take Hua Xin’s side in the end. After all, the weight and importance that both Hua Xin and Jiang Yuning held in Guangying Media was incomparable.
Jiang Yuning was a little too self-conceited.
However, much to everyone’s surprise, Gu Pingsheng glanced at both of them before he looked at Hua Xin and asked, “Do you really like to watch other people dancing so much? Would you like me to dance for you too?”
“Chairman Gu…I…”
“How many years have you been signed under Guangying Media already? When you first entered Guangying Media as a new artiste, had anyone insulted you like this?”
Hua Xin did not speak as she lowered her head. She did not dare to look at Gu Pingsheng at this time.
“I can vaguely remember that when you first entered Guangying Media, you were still very young and fresh…”
“But I am an actress.”
“Are you so noble and great just because you are an actress? If you really are so noble, then why are you doing things to humiliate others?” Gu Pingsheng questioned Hua Xin directly. “Can you really have a clear conscience by acting in this manner? Have you forgotten how hard you had to struggle to achieve everything that you have now? Have you already been blinded and brainwashed just because you have achieved some fame? She…”
At this time, Gu Pingsheng pointed a finger at Jiang Yuning before he continued, “…did not steal or grab any resources or attention from anyone else. Instead, she relied on her own strength and worked hard to clean up her reputation, and she finally got to where she is right now even though she was just a backlisted artiste whom everyone despised a few months ago. Do you think that you would be able to do the same? Do you really think that you are so amazing just because you can act?”
“You can look down on others and you can even judge anyone whom you want to judge, but tell me, how great could your personality be if you look down on others like that? Who are you to think that you are more superior than others? Tell me, who gave you the right to look down on others?”
Hua Xin was completely at a loss for words in the face of Gu Pingsheng’s loud questioning. She had a shocked expression and tears started flowing down her face.
At this time, Lu Jingzhi suddenly entered the front door of Gu Pingsheng’s house.
Everyone turned around and stared at Lu Jingzhi as though a god had just entered the house. Why would Lu Jingzhi come here today? It was definitely Lu Jingzhi.
Could they…have mistaken someone else for him?
Chapter 253: How Many Love Rivals Do You Want Me to Have?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In an instant, it felt as though everyone was holding their breaths.
At this time, Lu Jingzhi quickly walked over to Gu Pingsheng and Jiang Yuning before he greeted indifferently, “Uncle.”
What?
Gu Pingsheng was Lu Jingzhi’s uncle?
How could that even be possible?
No one had ever known that Gu Pingsheng had this sort of family background.
“Second brother…” Jiang Yuning also greeted Lu Jingzhi in an aggrieved manner at this time.
“What happened? Why do you sound so upset? Did someone bully you?” Lu Jingzhi reached out his hand and pinched Jiang Yuning’s cheeks gently in front of everyone else.
Everyone took a deep breath before they secretly heaved a huge sigh of relief. They were all rejoicing because fortunately enough, they were not the person who had just asked Jiang Yuning to take off her high heels and dance for them.
The expression on Hua Xin’s face was even more ugly at this point.
“Who would dare to bully her? There would be people who would have flown to her rescue immediately,” Gu Pingsheng replied as he glared at Jiang Yuning. “Both of you can go inside and chat with each other. There is nothing for you to do out here anymore.”
The corners of Lu Jingzhi’s mouth curved up slightly. In fact, Vera had already told and explained the entire situation to Lu Jingzhi. No one knew when Vera slipped away during the confrontation, but the process was not important because what mattered most was the end result.
Lu Jingzhi reached out his hands and placed his arms around Jiang Yuning’s shoulders before he turned around and faced the other guests once again. He smiled slightly and winked before he said, “If anyone else would like to watch someone dancing in future, feel free to approach me and ask me to dance or perform for you. My dancing skills can be pretty impressive too.”
At this time, everyone could not help but take a step back.
This was because even though most of them were top actors and actresses in the entertainment industry, in front of the Lu family, they were nothing more than just entertainers or performers.
Gu Pingsheng could only glance at Jiang Yuning before he glared at Lu Jingzhi. “You little brat.”
“Go now.” Lu Jingzhi then brought Jiang Yuning into the living room before they headed into Gu Pingsheng’s private living quarters.
It was only at this point that the guests finally realized the reason why Jiang Yuning could be so courageous and confident. They vaguely knew that Jiang Yuning and Lu Jingzhi were apparently childhood friends who grew up together. Even though the Jiang family had gone bankrupt a few years ago, they could tell that the Jiang family and the Lu family were still on close terms, judging by Lu Jingzhi’s protective attitude towards Jiang Yuning.
Who would actually have the right to ask Jiang Yuning to take off her high heels to dance for them to entertain them? That was simply impossible.
At this time, the agent who had just stopped An Yiqing from chatting with Jiang Yuning suddenly turned around and told An Yiqing, “You can do whatever you want when you see Jiang Yuning in future. I will not stop you or interfere if you want to talk to her or spend time with her in future.”
“Alright then! I will ask Sister Yuning for her autograph later!” An Yiqing squealed excitedly.
…
At this time, on the balcony on the second floor of the mansion, Lu Jingzhi was hugging Jiang Yuning from the back as they both gazed down at the guests who were all gathered in the garden and courtyard.
“Second brother…I don’t think that it would be good for us to be so intimate right now. This is still uncle’s house after all…” Jiang Yuning replied as she felt a little uneasy.
“This place right here…is my room,” Lu Jingzhi whispered into Jiang Yuning’s ear. “In the past, I would always look very cold and indifferent whenever I came to visit my uncle with my mother. That is why he had decided to prepare a private room especially for me so that he would not need to look at me. Out of sight, out of mind.”
“Uncle would definitely not despise you…”
“I really thought that…you would have taken off your high heels and danced for that actress when she had asked you to do so earlier.”
As soon as Jiang Yuning heard Lu Jingzhi’s words, she quickly turned around and shook her head as she continued hugging him. “I can’t dance for her. There are some things that I will never give in to or agree to because I do not want to embarrass my husband.”
Lu Jingzhi squeezed Jiang Yuning’s chin and kissed her gently on her lips as soon as he realized that she had this awareness. “It’s good that you know when to take a stand.”
The both of them were having a peaceful moment to themselves but at this time, the other guests in the courtyard and garden were racking their brains as they tried to picture what they were both doing inside the mansion at this time.
As soon as Jiang Yuning and Lu Jingzhi went into the mansion, Gu Pingsheng quickly took action to try and remedy the entire situation. He instructed Hua Xin’s agent to bring her back to her residence and to try and appease her so that she would cool down.
However, before Hua Xin left the banquet, Gu Pingsheng took this opportunity to give a warning and heads up to all of his guests. “I did not expect this to happen tonight but I hope that everyone can keep this matter to themselves and not spread this news out to the public. What I am referring to is my relationship with Jingzhi.”
There were dozens of people present at this event and as soon as they heard Gu Pingsheng’s words, they nodded their heads because they naturally knew what they should or should not be speaking about after this.
However, it seemed as though Hua Xin…had already develop a strong hatred towards Jiang Yuning at this time.
Amongst the sea of people, An Yiqing was holding onto Vera and refusing to let her go as she continued pestering Vera to give her some spoilers of the next issue of <Desert Island Rescue>. Even though Vera felt that An Yiqing’s agent was very snobbish and arrogant, she could not push An Yiqing away because she felt that this young girl was really very innocent and adorable.
However, as they were both chatting in the aisle, An Yiqing happened to be blocking the path as Hua Xin was trying to leave the banquet. Hua Xin’s agent immediately yelled at the two of them, “Make way!”
“Oh, I am so sorry,” An Yiqing quickly apologized as she stepped aside immediately but at this time, Hua Xin still glared at her.
“You! Very good.”
From Hua Xin’s reaction, Vera could tell that she had already considered An Yiqing one of her enemies because she thought that she was on Jiang Yuning’s side.
Not only did she look down on those who could not act, but she also looked down on her juniors who had good acting skills.
“Hua Xin glared at you so maliciously earlier. Aren’t you afraid at all?” Vera asked as she looked at An Yiqing with a curious expression on her face.
“Why should I be afraid? I did not do anything wrong. The only thing I had done was to get in her way, but it was completely unintentional. Moreover, I had already stepped aside and made way for her as soon as I realized my mistake…”
Alright then…
She was indeed an adorable and naïve young girl.
“But I would still advise you to keep your distance from Yuning and myself. Otherwise, your agent will definitely have a huge headache.”
“I am not afraid!”
When Vera saw An Yiqing acting like a child who had yet to see how scary and terrifying this world could be, she could only sigh as she patted her on her head gently.
“Yuning just sent me a text message telling me that she wants to go home already. You can go and look for your agent now.”
“Alright then, Sister Vera. I hope to see you soon!” An Yiqing waved goodbye to Vera before she walked over to her agent.
“Yiqing, just now…did you intentionally stand in Hua Xin’s path? Was it deliberate?” This was because An Yiqing’s agent had seen that An Yiqing was initially standing on the same side as Vera, until Hua Xin started coming their way.
“Brother Xuan, what are you trying to say? I don’t understand what you mean.” After that, An Yiqing left her agent and headed straight to the dining area.
At this time, Brother Xuan looked suspiciously at An Yiqing’s back as she walked away from him. Being friends with someone who has a background like Jiang Yuning would indeed be very beneficial for An Yiqing. Moreover, it could also guarantee her a very bright and fruitful career path ahead.
Furthermore, what other ways could be faster and easier for An Yiqing to befriend Jiang Yuning other than to offend Hua Xin together with her?
This was because Jiang Yuning would then definitely think that Hua Xin was deliberately finding fault with An Yiqing because she wanted to be closer to Jiang Yuning.
This could be the reason why An Yiqing had deliberately stood in Hua Xin’s way.
Would his assumption be right?
Brother Xuan suddenly felt a chill running down his spine because he could not imagine someone as young as An Yiqing having such deep and hidden motives behind her actions.
He must be thinking too much. He was definitely overthinking it.
…
Very soon, Lu Jingzhi brought Jiang Yuning out of Gu Pingsheng’s mansion.
At this time, Gu Pingsheng was still chatting with and entertaining some of his guests in the living room. He only waved at them both as he instructed Lu Jingzhi, “Make sure to send Yuning home safely.”
Both of them exited the living room in a low-key manner but at this time, An Yiqing suddenly appeared out of nowhere as she grabbed hold of Jiang Yuning’s arm and begged her for her personal contact information. “Sister Yuning, please give it to me. Please give me your cell phone number.”
Jiang Yuning glanced at Lu Jingzhi for a few seconds before she finally gave in. She wrote her cell phone number down and handed it to An Yiqing.
“Sister Yuning, I really like you so much!”
Jiang Yuning could not help but smile as soon as she heard An Yiqing’s words. She looked at An Yiqing before she said, “Good luck! Do your best.”
“I will!”
At this moment, Lu Jingzhi suddenly lowered his head and leaned towards Jiang Yuning as he whispered in her ear, “How many love rivals do you want me to have?”
Chapter 254: Aren’t You Taking the Score Too Far Back?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Are you jealous of her too?” Jiang Yuning asked as her ears reddened and she started blushing immediately.
From some of the guests’ perspective, Lu Jingzhi and Jiang Yuning’s faces seemed to be too close together from this angle and this made many of the artistes present exclaim in surprise. Weren’t they being too intimate?
This kind of intimacy made many of the female artistes there envious because although they were already used to seeing and being around the handsome male artistes in the entertainment circle, it was not every day that they could see someone of Lu Jingzhi’s caliber face-to-face. If they were not from the same family background as Jiang Yuning, they could only just daydream about ever getting close to Lu Jingzhi.
“Who knows if Lu Jingzhi, the heir of the Lu family, is actually still single or available?” a female artiste dressed in a silver dress suddenly asked her companions.
“How would ordinary people like us know the answer to that question? Anyway, whether Lu Jingzhi is single or otherwise would not make any difference. After all, the only person who would be able to be on such close terms with Lu Jingzhi now is probably Jiang Yuning because they were childhood friends. What is the point of being envious? Moreover, isn’t the Jiang family rich again now?” her companion replied immediately.
“So what if she is rich again? This does not change the fact that she is still an artiste in the messed up and complicated entertainment industry. Jiang Yuning could probably be Lu Jingzhi’s playmate, sister, or even his lover, but it would definitely be impossible for her to ever become his wife,” another person chimed in to join the conversation at this time.
“Why?” the actress in the silver dress asked again.
“Do you think that the prestigious Lu family would actually accept a high school graduate who is in the entertainment industry as their daughter-in-law? Huo Yuxi is a completely different case because there is absolutely no comparison between Lu Zongye and Lu Jingzhi at all! Moreover, Lu Jingzhi is the one and only heir of the Lu family.”
Therefore, the highlight of the dinner hosted by Guangying Media turned out to be the discussions related to the relationship between Jiang Yuning and Lu Jingzhi.
Since Jiang Yuning had such a close relationship with Lu Jingzhi, it was no wonder why Gu Pingsheng had chosen to stand by Jiang Yuning even though he might have offended Hua Xin in the process.
In fact, Gu Pingsheng only chose to support Jiang Yuning because he wanted to defend and protect his own family. Since that girl was already legally married to Lu Jingzhi, then Jiang Yuning was now also part of his family and he would never allow any outsiders to bully her so casually.
…
On the way back to the villa, Lu Jingzhi and Jiang Yuning were both sitting in the back seat while Vera was sitting beside the driver. When Vera thought about the funny questions that the guests at the banquet had asked her earlier, she quickly turned around to gossip with Jiang Yuning. “Did you know? Since second young master Lu arrived at the banquet, so many people walked up to me to ask me about the nature of your relationship with second young master Lu. I also heard many people sneering and making fun of you behind your back. They said that it would definitely be impossible for you to ever marry into the Lu family in this lifetime. Alas, a woman’s jealousy is really a scary thing. Once you reveal your relationship with the second young master Lu to the public, I believe these people would probably faint from the shock.”
“My second brother belongs to me alone. I will not publicize my relationship with him just because of what they said,” Jiang Yuning replied immediately.
“But…” Vera observed Lu Jingzhi’s reaction before she carefully added, “There were also a few male actors…who came up to me to ask for your personal contact information. Of course, I gave all of them my own contact number…”
Lu Jingzhi glanced at Vera with an indifferent expression on his face. He was not angry.
Jiang Yuning laughed as she praised Vera, “You are really witty.”
“Well, there are a few of them who are not that bad…”
“Vera, you are a top agent in your field. You should not be so easily distracted by these sugar-coated distractions…” Jiang Yuning replied. After observing Lu Jingzhi’s reaction, Jiang Yuning pointed a finger at Vera before she added, “And, can you afford to do so?”
“Sigh. All I care about is making more money! Although, it wouldn’t hurt for me to be able to find some sweet love and romance occasionally…”
Jiang Yuning quickly reached out her hand to cover Vera’s mouth. “Promise me that you will not try and destroy those poor boys…”
“I am not interested in any of those actors! The production team of <Desert Island Rescue> have not notified us about the date for the recording of the fourth issue. You can relax and rest more for the next few days. However, I would like to follow you to the shooting range tomorrow to check on your progress so far.”
“Whatever.”
“One last thing. I feel that Hua Xin seems to hate An Yiqing now because she thinks that An Yiqing is on our side. Do you want me to watch over her on your behalf?” Vera asked. “It does not seem good to implicate innocent people in this matter.”
“It is up to you.”
As both of them continued chatting, the black car had already entered the gates of the Royal Dragon Villa. After sending both Lu Jingzhi and Jiang Yuning home, Vera asked the driver to drop her off at the company’s headquarters.
Halfway through the journey, Vera was sorting through her social media profile when she realized that a stranger had just sent her a friend request.
Who was that?
Vera was afraid that it could be someone important that she did not know, and thus, she subsequently approved the friend request. However, after adding that stranger into her friends list, she did not do anything else.
…
After entering the house, Lu Jingzhi pinned Jiang Yuning against the wall as he rubbed his nose against hers. “How many male celebrities have tried going after you…in the past five years?”
Jiang Yuning was a little surprised because she did not expect to hear this question from Lu Jingzhi. “Second brother, aren’t you taking the score too far back?”
“I just want to know which one of them…is that bold.”
“Don’t listen to whatever Vera had just said!”
“Hmm…” Lu Jingzhi was still skeptical.
“Well, even if there had been some guys who wanted to befriend me and get to know me better, I did not accept any of them anyway. Otherwise, why else would I have suffered and struggled so much in the last five years?” Jiang Yuning replied frankly. “Although part of my suffering was because Lu Zongye had bullied me and made life difficult for me, the real reason behind my struggle was because you are the only one in my heart all along. In the past five years, the one thing that I am really proud of is the fact that I had not conformed to the lifestyle that most of the people succumb to when they are involved in the entertainment circle. I remained true to myself.”
Lu Jingzhi listened to Jiang Yuning’s words carefully before he patted her gently on her head. “There are so many good-looking men in the entertainment industry. Are you sure that none of them could replace me?”
“Of course not! Are you kidding?” Jiang Yuning retorted immediately. “And I also had very high defences against all the other men who tried to get closer to me because of Lu Zongye. You are the only one…”
Just a phone call from him and she accepted his invitation to live with him immediately.
Other than him, there was no one else whom she wanted.
“Second brother…I am already married to you. I know how to keep my distance from all the other men.”
“I am not worried about that…” Lu Jingzhi trusted Jiang Yuning with all of his heart. “But…when will you finally be willing to publicize our relationship?”
“Can you please give me a little more time to prepare myself?” Jiang Yuning asked as she raised her hand to make a little hand gesture at Lu Jingzhi. “Is that okay?”
“So you want to continue keeping our relationship underground?”
“Just bear with me a little longer…”
Under the dim light, Lu Jingzhi stared at Jiang Yuning and after a short while, he finally lowered his head as he lifted Jiang Yuning’s chin up to kiss her soft and moist lips. “If you want a man to do something for you, then you have to show the corresponding attitude. According to the nature of the matter, you will then have to…pay your dues.”
…
On the other hand, Xiao Chennan was sitting on the sofa in his living room and at this time, he was looking at his cell phone as he was searching through Vera’s circle of friends.
He could tell that Vera was a really dedicated and responsible agent because all of the content that she had posted on her social media account was related to Jiang Yuning.
She did not even post a single picture of herself online.
This was the reason why Xiao Chennan did not have any excuse to get closer to Vera. In fact, it was not difficult for him to obtain Vera’s contact information. However, he did not know how to approach her.
So, Xiao Chennan sent his assistant out to inquire and find out about Jiang Yuning’s itinerary. This was how he knew that Jiang Yuning would always go to the shooting range in the evening to practice her marksmanship. In this case, would Vera be there too?
Chapter 255: Your Desire to Survive is Too Strong!
The next day, Vera followed Jiang Yuning to the shooting range as planned. At this point, Jiang Yuning had already learned everything that she needed to know, and she needed to do was to keep practicing and improving her posture and aim.
The second young master Lu did not appear at the shooting range so often nowadays because Jiang Yuning was already able to cope on her own.
Watching Jiang Yuning’s professional posture and skills, Vera could not help but have the urge to try it out for herself. However, as soon as she fired the first shot, she was immediately struck by the strong recoil because she was not used to it. Moreover, Jiang Yuning was no longer practicing her shooting using the original 92FS Beretta that she started off with as a beginner.
“Be careful!” Jiang Yuning quickly grabbed Vera’s hand. “Would you like me to teach you the proper posture and way to shoot?”
Vera shook her head and she was just about to reject Jiang Yuning’s offer when a tall and muscular man dressed in black sports attire suddenly walked into the shooting range. There was a small and thin boy following right behind him.
Xiao Chennan?
Vera was a little taken back. How could they coincidentally bump into one another at the shooting range?
Xiao Chennan started putting on his gloves as he stared at Vera, who was still in a daze. This woman looked a little different compared to the first time he saw her.
“Brother Nan…” Vera greeted him immediately as she tugged at Jiang Yuning’s sleeves.
At this time, Jiang Yuning turned around and greeted Xiao Chennan as soon as she saw him. “Brother Nan.”
“Oh. Are you also here to practice your shooting?” Xiao Chennan replied before he quickly reloaded his pistol and then fired a shot at the target, hitting the bullseye even before the two girls could react.
After looking at Xiao Chennan’s skills, Jiang Yuning smiled slightly because she had already seen Lu Jingzhi shoot before this and in her eyes, he had the most handsome shooting posture in the world. However, things were different for Vera because this was the first time she had seen a man firing a shot and hitting a bullseye live. He looked so cool.
“I am preparing for ,” Jiang Yuning quickly replied.
At this time, Vera finally regained her senses and quickly spoke up, “It’s almost time to leave now, Yuning. We should go home already. Brother Nan, have a good day. Hope to see you again soon.”
Jiang Yuning was puzzled by Vera’s action because there were clearly ten bullets left on her table.
However, Vera started packing up immediately before she dragged Jiang Yuning out of the shooting range.
“What are you doing?”
“Don’t you think that this is too coincidental?” Vera asked as she whispered to Jiang Yuning. “I am just worried that Brother Nan is interested in you. How am I supposed to face the second young master Lu if I allowed that to happen?”
“Your desire to survive is too strong!” Jiang Yuning replied as she smiled. “However, I am certain that Brother Nan did not come to the shooting range because of me.”
“How could you be so sure that he is not a wolf dressed in a sheep’s clothing?”
“Because we are already about to start filming a drama together. We cannot simply assume that someone is interested in me just because of such a small coincidence. I am not that shameless or narcissistic yet,” Jiang Yuning replied as she rolled her eyes. “Vera, you are really too afraid of second brother.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. If you were in my position, wouldn’t you be afraid of him? We had better come to the shooting range at a different time tomorrow.”
Jiang Yuning was speechless.
The top actor and film emperor would never imagine that he would be treated as the big bad wolf when this was the first time that he had ever tried to get close to a girl. The other party even acted like she was a mouse that was desperately trying to escape from the cat. She was avoiding him completely!
Subsequently, Xiao Chennan sent a message in his social media account, posting a picture of himself at the shooting range with the caption: “Missed the shot.”
Unfortunately, Vera was not the type to check out anyone else’s social media all the time.
So, she did not see his post at all. Hehehe.
…
Three days later, Jiang Yuning’s fan support team finally announced the benefit that Jiang Yuning had prepared for her twenty million fans.
@JiangYuningFanSupport: The benefit that Jiang Yuning has prepared for her twenty million fans has arrived! Stay tuned to find out more about the benefit!
The Ginger Candies were all extremely excited because they were certain that their little fairy would definitely be posting pictures of herself for them. However, they did not expect to see the fan club’s support team posting a letter to the Ginger Candies instead.
“We received a secret mission a few days ago to set up an educational and psychological counselling platform for the Ginger Candies. When we received the news, all of us in the fan support team were shocked. Sister Vera told Sister Xue Li that this was the benefit that our fairy Yuning has prepared to thank her twenty million fans and followers.”
“She wants to build this educational and psychological counselling platform in hope that she would be able to help the Ginger Candies who are mostly students. She wants to ensure that the Ginger Candies would be able to master the correct learning methods and also excel in their education, and at the same time be able to release their stress and avoid falling into depression.”
“After understanding our kind fairy’s intention, the administrators of the fan club have decided to work hard to build the platform and ensure that everything would be running smoothly once the platform is officially launched. Therefore, for the past few days, we have been busy researching the best technology and websites to build our very own platform.”
“Our fairy has promised that this educational and psychological counselling platform would always be open to all of the Ginger Candies at no cost at all. Our fairy also hopes that this platform will always exist as a power charging station to all the Ginger Candies.”
“The website will be officially launched today and we hope that all of the Ginger Candies can take good care of this powerhouse.”
“Here, the entire management of the fan support team sincerely hopes that all of the Ginger Candies will appreciate everything that our dear fairy has sincerely prepared for us. Please always help to maintain and ensure the integrity of this platform. Even if you might not love this idea, please do not try and hurt others.”
Beneath the letter, there was a private link to the educational and psychological counselling platform developed by Jiang Yuning’s fan club.
This platform was only made available to the registered members of the fan support club, which meant that it was exclusive to the Ginger Candies.
After that, many mothers quickly registered and signed up to use the platform and subsequently discovered that the online education experts and counsellors engaged to provide help and education were all highly established and well-known in China.
As a result, all the Ginger Candies were so touched and grateful that they could burst into tears.
[Sobs. I am amazed at the idol that I am so in love with. Other people’s idol would just send them pictures of themselves eating or sleeping, but my idol has actually prepared an education platform to thank her fans. My mother would never have to worry about whether I am having problems with my studies in future.]
[I am so grateful that I feel that my tears are about to overflow. I am currently in my third year of high school and I have been suffering from insomnia because of all the stress that I am facing. I felt that I was going insane! Sister Yuning, you are the best!]
[Although I am not a student anymore, I am still very touched by this little gesture. In future, I will definitely tell the baby in my stomach about how amazing Yuning really is!]
The educational and psychological counselling platform was not advertised through Jiang Yuning’s public social media account because she was already receiving a lot of attention from the public because of .
Jiang Yuning sincerely hoped that this platform would help her young fans and she did not want to use this platform to garner more attention for herself.
Even though that was the case, the platform made it to the hot search as soon as it was launched.
#Jiang Yuning’s Fan Benefit#
The netizens initially thought that this kind of boring news would never make it to the hot search. Instead, they thought that the hot search would be occupied by news about social hotspots or any other major news.
[Why is there a hot search on some artiste doing welfare for her fans? This actress is really annoying!]
However, this person soon received plenty of replies and criticism from the netizens.
Jiang Yuning had already instructed Xue Li not to spread this matter out to the public and not to publicize the educational platform online. After all, things would be good if they did well, but if they did not do a good job, they would be a joke to the public.
However, the father of one of the Ginger Candies wrote a long message and posted it online after realizing that his daughter’s idol had set up an educational and psychological counselling platform to help the students who might be struggling with their studies or finding it difficult to cope with stress. He wrote the message after realizing that they really did learn something as he accompanied his daughter who consulted with the online education expert through the platform.
The keyboard warrior, who had insulted Jiang Yuning without even checking out the platform, was immediately reprimanded and criticized by the other netizens.