By simply looking at the reception of fans at the airport, the difference between Jennie and Ling Ziyi was clear to see. Rumors could spread all they wanted, but as soon as Jennie made an appearance, one glance was enough to distinguish what was true popularity and capability.
Just before boarding their plane, Rosé spotted Chungha and Ling Ziyi. She lowered her head and said to Jennie, "Do you want to go over and say hi? Chungha is following that newcomer around everywhere. It's obvious how important she must be to her."
"There's no need," Jennie replied swiftly. Rosé seemed to have already forgotten about the kneeling incident that happened not too long ago, but Jennie was going to remember it for the rest of her life.
In actual fact, Rosé hadn't completely forgotten, she simply didn't want to stress Jennie out, so she pretended to be relaxed.
Rosé nodded her head and whispered into Jennie's ear, "Boss has gotten more and more black bellied..."
"Is this the first day you've known him?"
In reality, Ling Ziyi had wanted to use Jennie's name to boost her own popularity. However, Jennie also knew how to flip the situation around and use it to prove the level of her status. At the moment, she had a break from filming, but even if she had been absent for a few more days, would she have lost her status?
If she was signed with a different agency, perhaps. But, did they consider who was backing Jennie?
Chungha naturally noticed Jennie and Rosé. Most importantly she also noticed the man with a king-like presence who she didn't dare to look directly at.
"I simply stole a few good resources right out of Jennie's hands. Why can't Manoban Entertainment accept it?" Ling Ziyi complained. "They should stop saying that I would be nothing if Jennie had appeared at Fashion Week, when in reality, Jennie gave up on Fashion Week herself."
"Your current status isn't enough for you to be mentioned in the same breath as Jennie. Just put up with it for a little," Chungha tried to convince Ling Ziyi. "Jennie got to where she is today because of her ability to endure."
"But..."
"That's enough. This time at Feng Ge's wedding, we will see people from all walks of life. Make good use of this opportunity. You will catch up to Jennie very soon."
Although Chungha didn't understand why Jennie had given up on Fashion Week, she never once believed the rumors that were going around. Because no one knew how clear minded Jennie was, better than she did.
However, right now, the thing that she was most worried about, was that Lisa still had something up his sleeves. So, she decided it would be best not to provoke Jennie, in case she attracted a face slap.
After all, the incident with Ian had only just passed.
...
Suzy and Minho arrived at the wedding destination before Jennie. As soon as they reunited, Suzy couldn't help but hug Jennie and pull her into the bedroom for some 'girls talk'.
"The recently famous Ling Ziyi will also be attending the wedding tonight, how do you plan on dealing with this? The media are bound to cling to you..."
"What can I do? It's true that I didn't attend Fashion Week," Jennie smiled with her usual calmness.
"I saw the entertainment news just a moment ago. It seems you and President Manoban made quite a stir with your appearance. I think I'm beginning to understand President Manoban's intentions."
"Regardless, even if your film is a complete failure, you still have me!"
Hearing this, Jennie was a little uncomfortable. So, she opened her eyes wide and glared at Suzy, "You're the failure..."
"But, you're a model! If I was in your position, I would only be able to take on the role of a corpse - the ones that lie still on the floor," Suzy completely doubted Jennie. "So, you..."
Suzy couldn't be blamed for not believing in Jennie's acting ability. If others hadn't seen it with their own eyes, not many people would have believed that she had such an amazing stage presence.
Plus, Jennie did not say anything to explain herself. She simply smiled because she knew time would be able to prove who was right and who was wrong.
As there was still quite some time until the wedding, the men gathered in the study room to discuss business while the women watched a movie to pass time.
At this moment, Rosé seemed to have remembered something. She suddenly jumped up from her seat and presented her phone to Suzy like it was a precious treasure, "Do you want to watch Jennie's rehearsal? I guarantee it is very impressive!"
"Rehearsal?" Suzy put down the red wine in her hand and received the phone.
"Yep. As you are aware, Jennie appeared on set out of nowhere. At that time, none of the crew liked her, especially the top actor Lin Sheng. So, Jennie powerfully declared to the director that she wanted to try out a scene and that she wanted the crew to be judges. If someone felt her acting wasn't up to speed, they could have directly told her to leave!"
Suzy was a little curious, but she wasn't surprised. This was something Jennie often did when she was prepared to give face slaps, but...they were talking about acting this time...
Suzy opened the video on Rosé's phone with extreme curiosity. She then saw the recording of Jennie acting as the female lead; it was the scene where she had just discovered she was pregnant.
Jennie did not join in with the two women. She simply looked outside at the rain and felt the weather wasn't ideal for a wedding.
Suzy didn't know when she finished watching the short video. After putting down the phone, she only had one thought, "If I was Lisa, I would have also got you to pursue acting. Forget about the runway!"
"I always thought you were meant for the runway, but after seeing you act, modeling might as well become a secondary career for you to play around with."
"You're no longer against it?" Jennie laughed as she asked Suzy.
"After being on the runway for so many years, you must be well aware that our industry feeds off youth. There are so many talented models these days and competition is getting fierce. By the time we turn 30, I doubt anyone will still remember our names," Suzy sighed as she held onto her head and took a sip of her wine.
"On the other hand, actors are different..."
"Actors have films."
"They leave something behind for the world..."
"From the looks of it, I reckon Lisa is prepping you to become a top actress. When that time comes, our status would be driven miles apart."
"If that's the case, let people talk all they want. Who cares if you've given up on Fashion Week?"
"Go ahead and act!"
"When the film gets released you will definitely shock everyone - just like how you've shocked me!" This was what Suzy truly felt, because she had indeed been shocked by Jennie.
She had originally thought that Jennie was on the same level as her.
But, who would have thought, when officially compared, there was actually a difference.
"That's not something that I can control" Jennie did not continue the conversation and smoothly changed the topic to Yu Feng's wedding, "It seems a lot people have been getting married lately..."
"Feeling envious?" Suzy teased. "You and President Manoban were married a long time ago, is this something you should be envious about?"
"Ting and I have decided to announce our marriage after filming is completed," Jennie suddenly announced in seriousness to the two women before her.
"While we're on the topic, how did you guys end up getting married in the first place? I've never heard you mention it before..." Suzy was filled with curiosity.
In reality, even when it came to Jennie herself, she still felt her marriage was quite unbelievable. So, her lips slowly curved upwards, "On the day that we got married, it was only the second time we had ever met each other. The first time was merely at an event."
"..."
"On that day, I directly stood in his path and asked if he wanted to get married."
"..."
"He quickly agreed and within half an hour, we had the marriage certificate in our hands."
...
2:30pm. Yu Feng officially held his wedding at COMO hotel. On the grounds of the hotel was a luxurious palace-style gothic cathedral where all the guests were gathered.
At this time, Ling Ziyi was seated at the lower left of Jennie. Every now and then, she would glance over at Jennie with a sense of hatred and hostility. However, Jennie smiled the entire time under Lisa's protection.
After the wedding ceremony finished, it was time for the wedding reception.
At an event like this, it was the perfect opportunity for managers to find resources for their artists.
However, for superstars like Jennie and Suzy, they no longer needed to suck up to people in the same way.
Unfortunately, because of her absence from Fashion Week, Jennie became the talk of the modeling industry. Apart from discussions about the possibility that she was in 'Stupid', there were also discussions about how she managed to seduce the Big Boss of the entertainment industry.
It seemed, no matter where she went, she couldn't avoid being the target of gossip.
Inside the beautiful fountain-centered European-style ballroom, Lisa weaved through the guests with his arm around Jennie's waist. However, a little while later, Lisa pulled out his phone and leaned over to say, "I need to pick up an important phone call."
Jennie nodded her head. Dressed in a long white sleeveless gown, Jennie waited patiently by the doorway as she held onto her handbag. At this time, a couple in their early fifties led a roughly 70-year-old man into the room.
As soon as she saw the middle-aged woman, Jennie froze. It was Kim Jongin's mother; the woman that had married a famous director.
Who would have thought they'd cross paths here...
Jennie looked over and nodded her head politely, but the receiving party did not seem accepting of this gesture.
Mother Kim looked Jennie up and down before turning to her husband and sneering, "I've just spotted a disgusting person..."
"What's wrong?"
"That's the model that ruined my son's career and ended up rising to the top!" Mother Kim pointed her chin towards Jennie, "The world sure is small when it comes to enemies!"
"Do you want me to get revenge for you?"
"Not right now. Let's hold back for the sake of Yu Feng," Mother Kim scoffed, preventing her husband from making a move.
Actually, it was normal for Mother Kim to to despise Jennie. After all, Kai's current state was all because of Jennie.
Jennie also felt extremely uncomfortable. She hated the fact that she always seemed to see people that she didn't want to see at events like this.
Seeing that Lisa wasn't around, the black suit clad Chungha decided to approach Jennie. She grabbed two glasses of champagne from the passing waiter and handed one to Jennie, "Would you like a drink?"
"I didn't think politeness still existed between us," Jennie received the champagne but returned it to the waiter.
Chungha laughed at her own ridiculousness and shrugged her shoulders, "There's one thing I really want to ask you. When did you and Lisa start dating?"
The twinkle in Jennie's eyes were concealed beneath her dense eyelashes as she replied calmly, "It seems, you really want to become a joke."
"In other people's eyes, aren't you also a joke?" Chungha smirked. "You must know, no matter how many blessings you receive from your fans, the people within the industry will still have their doubts about your relationship."
Jennie listened but did not respond.
"You have Lisa protecting you right now... so, naturally, no one dares to do anything to you. But, cherish it while you can, because who's to say, when you wake up tomorrow, you won't be left with nothing." After speaking, Chungha emptied the glass of champagne into her mouth and left.
Doubts about their relationship...
Hearing this, Jennie felt chills down her spine.
But, a moment later, she simply smiled. Regardless of whether they had their doubts or not, she was already Lisa's wife.
Jennie lowered her head and regained her composure. As she lifted her head again, she saw Jisoo walking towards her, "The President needs to make a series of phone calls, so he asked me to introduce you to a few important business partners while you are waiting."
"Do I have to?" Jennie did not like the vibe in the room. She was well aware that many of them looked at her with their judgmental eyes.
"Just relax!" Jisoo shrugged his shoulders and handed Jennie a glass of champagne, "Let's go."
From directors, to past clients, to successful professionals; Jennie met them all. Eventually, Jisoo led her over to Mother Kim and smiled as he introduced her, "This is Mr. Zhang Qingping; honorary president of the film association, a top national actor and director and a set judge for the Fei Tian Awards."
It turned out, Jisoo wanted to introduce Jennie to the older man...
Mother Kim and her husband sat on the two sides of the old man. As soon as they saw Jennie, their expressions turned sour.
Jennie ignored the couple. She simply raised her glass towards the old man, holding it with both hands, "Mr. Zhang, it is an honour to meet you. Could I please give you a toast?"
The old man glanced at Jennie without responding. After quite some time, he finally said, "As if a mere model has the right to drink with me..."
The old man's words were loud and powerful, putting the ballroom into a stunned silence.
Everyone turned to look at the old man's direction. After they noticed the scene that was playing out, they felt a little bit sympathetic towards Jennie.
Actually, his reaction was quite reasonable. Zhang Qingping was an older generation artist and Mother Kim was his goddaughter. So, after he found out his godgrandson had been destroyed in the hands of Jennie, he of course wanted to get back at her.
Jennie's glass remained frozen mid-air, creating an awkward atmosphere...
For quite some time, life had been quite relaxing for Jennie because of Lisa; it must have been quite some time since someone dared to be rude to her. Who would have thought, at a grand event like this, she would offend an important person like this.
Everyone waited to see if Jennie could still continue being arrogant.
And most importantly, they wanted to see how Lisa would react.
Jennie continued holding onto the glass in her hands, but she did not get upset nor angry. Just as she was about to pull her arms back, someone took the glass out of her hands and said to the old man, "Then, do I have the right?"
The old man looked up and realized the man that had appeared beside Jennie - was Lisa!
"She represents me. If she doesn't have the right...then no one else present has the right to drink with you."
The old man's expression changed as he growled under his breath, "Lisa...I am still older than you..."
"Elder Zhang is at most a senior that bullies his juniors," Lisa said straightforwardly.
"Must you speak to me like that because of a mere model?"
"Yes, she's just a model, but she belongs to me and she represents me. If anyone is rude to her, they are being rude to me. Even if it's you Elder Zhang, I will not let it off lightly." After speaking, Lisa hooked his arm around Jennie's waist. As they walked off, he added, "Since you are in film, you should focus on film."
In other words...
... Lisa was telling him: "Keep your nose out of my business!"
"And keep your hands off my people!"