No matter what kind of event a star of Jiang Nianzhi’s stature attended, she was always accompanied by staff members designated to guide her.
The moment she stepped out, Jiang Nianzhi followed the staff member leading the way. As if approaching an exit, the surrounding noise grew louder and louder: the boisterous voice of the host, the cheering of fans, and a chaotic mix of clamor, interspersed with the hurried footsteps of staff running back and forth, and the urgent chatter of workplace communication.
The commotion pulled her whole body and soul toward the stage.
Jiang Nianzhi had long grown accustomed to tuning out these sounds. Living under the constant adulation of fans had built an instinctive immunity to the noise.
That was, until a voice broke through.
“Hey there, gorgeous!”
The voice sounded so familiar, yet Jiang Nianzhi couldn’t immediately recall why it caught her attention, nor could she place where she had heard it before.
Her pace slowed for a fraction of a second, but she quickly resumed walking, albeit at a much slower speed.
The familiar voice drew closer. “Excuse me, miss, could I borrow your phone to call my assistant?”
“Haha, I forgot to bring my phone when I stepped out. Well, I left it with her, and now we’ve gotten separated.”
“Alright, thank you so much! Not only are you beautiful, but you’re kindhearted, too.”
The voice carried a lazy, lighthearted tone paired with adept flirting skills, smoothly putting the person on the receiving end in a delightful mood.
Jiang Nianzhi turned her head toward the sound.
The woman wore a black trench coat with the sleeves pushed up along her forearms, over a loose white shirt with a few top buttons unfastened, exposing a section of her neck and collarbone. The coat was belted tightly around her waist, and below it, a pair of greyish-brown wide-leg jeans draped over leather shoes.
She looked sharp and stylish, so it was no wonder the staff member had been so easily charmed.
Jiang Nianzhi’s eyes swept across the woman’s face, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise. It was actually the woman from the set earlier.
Suddenly, the woman turned her sharp eyes toward her. The very next second, her expression melted into a smile.
The wind rustled the hem of her trench coat, accentuating her strikingly beautiful face. She blinked at Jiang Nianzhi, her peach-blossom eyes casting an alluring glance, while her pale face bloomed like a vivid flower.
Jiang Nianzhi’s movements paused almost imperceptibly.
She was undeniably stunning, the kind of beauty that would earn praise from everyone even if she were a celebrity herself.
In the next moment, however, a whistle drifted over.
Jiang Nianzhi looked up, meeting the woman’s eyes. The woman across from her smiled radiantly and blew another cheeky, rogue-like whistle right at Jiang Nianzhi’s pretty face.
Jiang Nianzhi kept silent.
The woman in the black evening gown lightly kicked the hem of her dress, pulled up her slipping shawl, and rolled her eyes at the person playing the rogue. Her layered, flowing black gown resembled a beautiful black rose. Tossing her gorgeous hair behind her back, Jiang Nianzhi walked away without looking back.
She left behind only the gradually fading sound of her high heels.
“Sis? Sis?!” Zhao Xiao shouted at the top of her lungs through the phone, but received no reply.
Startled by the loud voice, Sui Ning cleared her throat before saying leisurely, “What are you shouting for? Find someone to pick me up at the East City Grand Theatre. I’m waiting at the main entrance.”
“Weren’t we just talking about a project in West City? That’s a distance of a thousand kilometers! Why did you go back? And it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours yet! Why did you head back?!” Zhao Xiao was genuinely bewildered.
Her boss had insisted that this business trip was extremely important, telling her not to cause trouble and suggesting that everyone stay in the hotel for twenty-four hours without going out.
Yet, having only arrived at the hotel at 11:00 PM last night, her boss, Sui Ning, was already back in East City by 5:00 PM today, and at the East City Grand Theatre, no less. The speed was astonishing.
On the other end of the line, however, Sui Ning let out a light chuckle, as if she had witnessed something amusing. Her tone was completely relaxed and untroubled.
Zhao Xiao felt that her boss’s laugh sounded almost mocking toward the other person. Yet, it gave off the vibe of a coal tycoon watching her kept canary make a scene: far from embarrassed, she seemed rather proud.
“Sis? What’s wrong with you? What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing. I just saw a cat take a tumble.”
Jiang Nianzhi clutched her dress, taking two steps at a time in her high heels. For the first time during an appearance, she completely disregarded her image, striding forward rapidly. As her hands swung back and forth with her movements, she unwittingly let the edges of her dress drag along the ground, walking step by step toward her seat amidst the screams of her fans.
What a rogue!
She cursed inwardly, failing to notice the bunched-up carpet beneath her feet.
Lifting her foot slightly, she tripped over the fold.
Before Jiang Nianzhi could react, her legs caught on her dress, and she fell straight onto the carpet.
Her eyes widened, her pupils dilating in shock, her face a picture of sheer disbelief.
Everyone around Jiang Nianzhi was startled. Xiao Mei rushed over from behind.
Joining hands from both sides, they hastily helped Jiang Nianzhi to her feet.
By the time Jiang Nianzhi belatedly regained her composure, a dense crowd had already gathered around her.
Not far away, the cameras of the media and the flashbulbs of fans went off one after another.
Jiang Nianzhi remained silent.
What a complete embarrassment!
It was all the fault of that female rogue just now! It was bad enough that she wandered around showing off that face of hers, but she even blew a whistle!
She teased her on purpose!
If she ever ran into that female rogue again, she would definitely take action.
Jiang Nianzhi thought to herself: If I run into her next time, I’ll buy milk tea for everyone except her! I’ll let her experience what it feels like to have everyone’s attention centered on them!
“Niannian, wake up!”
“Even though the shoot for this luxury brand is with old friends, you still need to take it seriously. Why did you fall asleep now?”
Jiang Nianzhi flipped over, pulled her blanket over her head, and used her back to block out her manager’s nagging from the phone.
Last night, she had been searching for vacation hotels, and by the time she finished booking and packing her luggage, it was already midnight.
Tonight, after finishing the shooting for the cosmetic brand’s new product concept short film, she would fly straight abroad.
She had been working for ten consecutive days without a single day of rest.
Her luggage for the trip had long been packed.
In fact, the suitcases were already in the car.
On the other end of the phone, her manager continued to nag endlessly. Jiang Nianzhi clutched her head tightly; her exhausted body wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and sleep.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the shooting location.
This shoot was taking place at a winery. To facilitate the filming, the crew had rented out the entire estate, ensuring no outsiders could enter except for the production staff.
Xiao Mei gently patted Jiang Nianzhi’s shoulder, reminding her, “Sis, we’ve arrived.”
Jiang Nianzhi gave a faint reply, remaining lying in her chair. After a long moment, her body moved beneath the blanket. As if acknowledging that she had to leave the warm cocoon, a pair of fluffy white feet stretched out first, resting quietly outside, followed by her fingers slowly poking out from under the cover.
Then, the rustling sounds suddenly ceased. Inside the vehicle, the only sound left was the howling wind outside and the snow striking the car window.
Her fingers curled slightly. As if finally finishing an internal struggle, the owner of the hands abruptly threw off the blanket.
Grabbing the down jacket beside her, she ducked her head and stepped out of the car.
Jiang Nianzhi was thoroughly satisfied with this routine of hers, as it kept her warm and protected from the cold.
However, as soon as she looked up, the incoming freezing wind snuck into her clothes, making her shudder uncontrollably. She instantly snapped awake, her vision clearing up significantly.
This winery was located in a very remote suburb, but the environment inside was exquisite, featuring a specially constructed greenhouse garden.
Vast white snow fell onto the glass structure of the greenhouse, contrasting with the clusters of hydrangeas blooming inside, creating a sight so captivating that one couldn’t tear their eyes away.
Not far off, the photographer from the crew saw their arrival and waved at Jiang Nianzhi.
Jiang Nianzhi pulled her eyes back, wrapped her down jacket tightly around herself, and slowly strolled over.
The photographer said, “Young Lady, if it weren’t for work opportunities, we wouldn’t have seen each other in three years.”
“Why are you so hard to book?”
Jiang Nianzhi stood in place in a daze, her face buried in the collar of her down jacket, leaving only the fluffy top of her head facing the photographer.
Hearing the photographer’s words, Jiang Nianzhi nodded, though the movement was so subtle it was barely noticeable.
The photographer let out a helpless sigh and spoke up, “Forget it, let’s head inside first. Drink some red ginger tea; we’ll need to start shooting in a bit.”
Jiang Nianzhi nodded and followed Xiao Mei inside.
The woman kept her eyes lowered, her black hair cascading loosely over her shoulders. She wore the most comfortable clothes, outfits that any ordinary person might wear, yet for some reason, as she walked from the greenhouse toward the lounge, all the staff members subconsciously fell silent and turned to steal a glance.
From their angle, they could only see her exquisite profile. Her cat-like eyes tilted upward slightly, and her long, curled black eyelashes fluttered gently. Lower down, her high-bridged nose drew the eye; many people had mentioned that Jiang Nianzhi’s nose bridge looked like a foreigner’s, very straight, but the slight upturn at the tip served to heighten her feminine charm.
This straight nose bridge added a touch of sharpness to Jiang Nianzhi, while the slightly upturned tip made her face look even more refined. But it was her red lips that truly elevated her features to perfection.
Jiang Nianzhi paid no attention to the reactions of those around her; in fact, she had long grown accustomed to it.
Suddenly, a loud THUD! drew everyone’s attention. Jiang Nianzhi also looked up toward the noise.
It was a woman standing next to a ladder that had fallen to the ground.
Fortunately, the adjacent space was relatively open, so the ladder fell flat without damaging any of the nearby flowerpots.
The sound of the ladder crashing to the floor brought everyone back to reality.
From Jiang Nianzhi’s perspective, she could only see the woman’s back, but she found the silhouette strangely familiar.
The woman wore a grey coat, with her long hair tied back into a high bun that formed a plush ball. Her tall, upright posture, along with the profile of her face revealed as she bent down to lift the ladder, all struck Jiang Nianzhi as intimately familiar.
Noticing that Jiang Nianzhi was standing still, staring at the person, someone immediately spoke up to reprimand the worker, “What are you doing, you worker over there? Why are you making so much noise? Can’t you be a bit quieter?”
Jiang Nianzhi frowned slightly. She had always disliked these unwritten rules of the entertainment industry, so she spoke up, “It’s fine, she didn’t startle me. I was just taking a look.”
Just what could she say?
A ladder and a person?
And a fallen ladder at that: what could she possibly make the other person do about it?
While Jiang Nianzhi was still thinking, the woman in the coat had already pulled the ladder back up and leaned it against the wall. Hearing the voice, she turned her head around.
Still searching for an excuse, Jiang Nianzhi happened to look up. The moment her eyes met those of the woman, she froze in disbelief.
How could it be her?