“A Massive Shura Field [Asura Field / Scene of Bitter Rivalry]”
Apart from Qi Huai, who made his appearance first as the global spokesperson, the order of the red carpet was entirely based on status. In the front were all some minor starlets and small-time trending figures, while the truly big shots of a grand tier were all at the back.
Jiang Zhi and Ye Yanxi were considered to be in a position moderately toward the back. Walking together with Ye Yanxi was the organizer’s suggestion, and Jiang Zhi’s manager had also agreed.
The rumor about the two of them was a small matter; bringing Jiang Zhi into the public eye was the most critical thing.
Ye Yanxi’s target audience consisted entirely of young people, so relying on Jiang Zhi’s physical appearance alone would cause a wave of popularity.
When Jiang Zhi and Ye Yanxi sat inside the exact same car, he was still a bit dazed. Fate was truly a hard thing to say for sure; he was not a person who could sit still and wait for death, so he chose to be the first to speak.
“Hello, my name is Jiang Zhi.”
“We… shouldn’t need to introduce ourselves, right?” Ye Yanxi looked toward him in surprise. “Alumni and archenemies—it’s been a long time.”
For a moment, Jiang Zhi didn’t catch his meaning.
“It’s quite magical, isn’t it? Our reputations precede us, yet we have actually never even met face-to-face once,” Ye Yanxi smiled and sighed.
“It is quite magical, and can also be considered a special kind of fate,” Jiang Zhi said.
Ye Yanxi shook the watch dial on his hand. “The wristwatches on our hands are a couple’s matching model. Happy cooperating later.”
Hearing this, Jiang Zhi looked toward Ye Yanxi’s person. Compared to himself, Ye Yanxi’s entire body was glittering—wristwatch, bracelet, cufflinks—and he had even specially coordinated a shirtless inner layer to match the necklace in front of his neck.
“Aren’t you… cold?” he asked in conflict.
Ye Yanxi burst out laughing. “For those doing this line of work, even if it’s thirty degrees below zero, one cannot say it’s cold.”
“True.” Jiang Zhi glanced out the window; there were still two cars ahead.
Recalling the matter from last time, Ye Yanxi asked casually.
“Are you and Fu Yunting engaged?”
“How do you know?” Jiang Zhi was astonished.
Ye Yanxi smiled. “The strength of both your families is so formidable; this time’s marriage alliance is probably something no one in the entire upper circle doesn’t know about. However, the Fu family is a complicated family; have you really thought it through?”
“You know Fu Yunting?” For a moment, Jiang Zhi couldn’t see through the other party’s meaning.
“The Second Young Master of the Fu family—I suppose there is no one in Yuncheng who doesn’t know him, right?” Ye Yanxi asked back.
“Is that so?” Jiang Zhi curled the corners of his mouth. “Then he is truly infamous.”
“If you have really decided to marry Fu Yunting, prepare yourself psychologically, and even more so, be careful of his brothers and sisters,” Ye Yanxi reminded him.
Jiang Zhi’s heart gave a leap. “Why do you say that? Do you happen to know something?”
Ye Yanxi spread his hands. “Probably not much more than what you know, just a well-intentioned reminder.”
“Thank you,” Jiang Zhi said. “I will.”
The car quickly drove to the front of the red carpet, and the two of them got out of the car, one from the left and one from the right. Their cooperation was considered reasonably tacit; from the entrance to the front of the stage, it was entirely media and fans.
As the two of them walked forward side by side, Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but marvel, “You have so many fans.”
Ye Yanxi, on the other hand, was calm. “Popularity in the entertainment industry is just a flash in the pan. By comparison, I actually quite envy you.”
“How could that be?” Jiang Zhi only took it as him being modest.
The two of them whispered to each other as they walked. Standing in the photo area, Ye Yanxi even subconsciously reminded him to smile.
Jiang Zhi curled his lips; when things actually happened, it didn’t seem as bad as imagined.
Moreover, how could he forget that Ye Yanxi was the protagonist of the book? A person like this carried all kinds of well-intentioned labels on his body, and by no means looked like someone who would proactively provoke others.
On the contrary, for someone like himself, although his family was intact, his character was full of flaws.
…
When the two of them arrived at the indoor venue for the showcase, Jiang Zhi suddenly smiled. He had always been afraid of encountering him before, but looking at it now, it actually wasn’t without a way to resolve it.
“Are our seats together later?” Jiang Zhi didn’t know many artists, and there weren’t many familiar names on the guest list, so it wouldn’t hurt to take the opportunity to find out.
Ye Yanxi thought about it. “Today we are in a relationship of archenemies breaking the ice, and the media side hasn’t taken enough photos yet, so we should be together.”
“That’s good.” Jiang Zhi was somewhat dazed. Growing up to this age, he had never proactively approached anyone or curried favor with anyone.
Compared to the commercial cocktail party of that day, a gala dinner like this was more like a massive venue of vanity, where everyone was bedecked in jewels and their faces were full of compliance.
Jiang Zhi thought that with Ye Yanxi’s current popularity, he would at least be as lively and bustling as the others, but he hadn’t expected him to be just like himself, simply sitting in his seat and looking coldly at these goings-on.
He recalled the assistant mentioning earlier that Ye Yanxi’s state didn’t seem good recently, so he proactively opened his mouth to express concern.
“Are you… in a bad mood?”
Ye Yanxi took a sip of champagne, looking at him with great interest. “Why do you say that?”
“Everyone is busy getting up to socialize, yet you don’t seem to have a single thought about it?” Jiang Zhi asked him.
“Yeah, I know quite a lot of people, but none can be considered familiar,” Ye Yanxi said. “You also know that the friends one can make in this circle are limited.”
Jiang Zhi nodded. “I understand your meaning.”
“Jiang Zhi…” After Ye Yanxi called out his name, he asked politely, “Can I call you that?”
Jiang Zhi burst out laughing. “My name was originally Jiang Zhi anyway, what else did you want to call me?”
Perhaps it was due to being blessed with a protagonist’s aura, but Jiang Zhi always felt that Ye Yanxi was somewhat different from the other people he knew—whether in appearance or temperament, complex yet sincere.
“Um… great pianist? Musician?” Ye Yanxi had a good impression of Jiang Zhi. After returning from the cocktail party that day, he had looked up Jiang Zhi’s information; his resume was glittering gold, and he also possessed a striking musical talent.
Having watched a few of Jiang Zhi’s piano recitals, he held quite a lot of goodwill toward him, always feeling that he resembled an aristocratic prince who had walked out from the Middle Ages—noble and beautiful.
“Are you mocking me?” Jiang Zhi showed embarrassment on his face. “What kind of pianist am I? At best, I’m just a piano player, um… a keyboardist?”
“You are truly modest.” Ye Yanxi picked up his wine glass and clinked it with his. “Do you currently have the intention to develop a career within the entertainment industry?”
Jiang Zhi was startled, his mind entirely shaking its head. “Not at all, I only know how to play the piano, I’m not suited for the entertainment industry.”
“Only knowing how to play the piano is also much stronger than most people. I remember before that you seemed to have collaborated with Gan Shize a few times, so I thought you were going to transform your career.”
Hearing Gan Shize’s name from Ye Yanxi’s mouth, the warning bells in Jiang Zhi’s mind still couldn’t help but ring loudly.
“That can’t happen!” he flatly denied. “At that time I had just returned to the country and had no foundation domestically; it just so happened that there was an opportunity, so I went along with the flow.”
“Understandable,” Ye Yanxi said.
Seeing that Ye Yanxi’s expression was plain and without any change, Jiang Zhi couldn’t help but ask him, “You and Gan Shize know each other?”
“We’ve met; after all, we’re in the same circle. However, he walks the path of the powerhouse category and has already won quite a few domestic acting awards; he is different from me and many people.”
“Is he a good person?” Jiang Zhi probed.
“Whether he’s a good person or not, I don’t know, but his acting skills and singing ability are both very strong,” Ye Yanxi said fairly.
“You guys are in the same field, so I thought you would usually associate with each other,” Jiang Zhi smiled.
“There are tons of people in a single circle,” Ye Yanxi said. “Not everyone has the good fortune to hang out with a movie king.”
Jiang Zhi moved the corners of his lips, having a kind of impulse to give him a plot spoiler.
Of course, Ye Yanxi would probably treat him as a madman and kick him out.
…
At this moment, a silhouette suddenly dropped down beside one side of Ye Yanxi. Jiang Zhi raised his eyes to look; it was precisely the owner of the two individuals’ previous topic of conversation.
Catching sight of his gaze, Gan Shize rarely took the initiative to say hello, “Long time no see.”
Jiang Zhi smiled forcedly, the emotions in his heart churning. What kind of massive Shura field was today exactly? Is the main storyline finally about to arrive?
“Why did you come?” The space between Ye Yanxi’s brows pressed down unconsciously.
“Why can’t I come?” Gan Shize sat down in a swaggering manner, somewhat different from his previous silent appearance. “When did the two of you get to know each other?”
Jiang Zhi’s eyes widened, and he quickly turned toward Ye Yanxi—just a moment ago he said they weren’t familiar.
Ye Yanxi smiled awkwardly. “Don’t pay attention to him, this guy is sick.”
Jiang Zhi: “…” Good grief, are they already developing a relationship?
He suddenly felt that things had become interesting. Watching from God’s perspective how a pair of already-destined protagonists came together—um… it was actually quite novel.
“Oh…”
Jiang Zhi lowered his head to take a sip of juice, keeping his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart [minding his own business]. Secretly paying attention to the two people beside him, as long as it didn’t involve himself, he could score a bite of gossip drama.
Gan Shize sat there without speaking either, simply propping his head up and staring intently at Ye Yanxi the entire time, causing several minor starlets at this table to frequently steal glances over.
Ye Yanxi was unable to endure it any longer and stood up intending to leave, but he was dragged down by Gan Shize’s hand. After Gan Shize whispered a few words into his ear, Ye Yanxi was forced to sit back down again.
Jiang Zhi curled his lips, his body silently shifting toward the other side.
Noticing his movement, Ye Yanxi grabbed him back. “What are you running for?”
Gan Shize raised his eyebrows, noticeably displeased.
“Jiang Zhi, right? I heard that you and… are already engaged?”
The people at the table were all from the entertainment industry and were not well-informed about the news of these wealthy families; even more so, they didn’t know Jiang Zhi’s background and family, and could only see some official information on Baidu Baike.
They had completely not expected that he would have a marriage engagement at such a young age.
Jiang Zhi pressed his hand to his forehead. Whom did he provoke or cross? Whether they could get married wasn’t even certain yet!
The two of them had collaborated twice, and he had never seen Gan Shize say an extra word to him. Now, look at this.
“Why do you care so much!” Ye Yanxi glared at him crossly.
Gan Shize shrugged his shoulders with an innocent face. “What’s wrong with asking? I’ve collaborated with Jiang Zhi a few times, so we can be considered friends.”
The corner of Jiang Zhi’s lips twitched. “Who is friends with you?”
Gan Shize: “???”
Seeing that the people at this table were all looking over at him, Jiang Zhi hurriedly covered for himself, “Clearly, I am more familiar with Yanxi.”
Ye Yanxi: “…”
“If I remember correctly, today should be the first time the two of you have met face-to-face, right?” Gan Shize was suspicious.
“You aren’t Ye Yanxi anyway.” Jiang Zhi turned around to look at Ye Yanxi in front of him. “Didn’t you say you weren’t familiar with him? Is it still called unfamiliar like this?”
Just as his words landed, before Ye Yanxi had time to counter, a person suddenly stood firmly behind Jiang Zhi.
Gan Shize lifted his chin, which counted as a token greeting.
Jiang Zhi suddenly felt a bit chilly behind his back, and subsequently, a large hand abruptly appeared on his shoulder, while a familiar voice came through at the same time.
“What are you chatting about?”
He was startled and turned around swiftly, only to see Fu Yunting, who just a moment ago had said he was working, unexpectedly appear behind him.
“…Why did you come?” Jiang Zhi said.
Fu Yunting stared fixedly at Jiang Zhi’s face without blinking for an instant, seemingly recalling many bad past events. His face was as dark as ink, and his entire being looked much colder than usual.
Jiang Zhi’s heart beat like a drum. If it weren’t a public venue, he was truly afraid the man would devour him. This was the first time since the two of them had known each other that Fu Yunting stared at him with such an expression.
Could it be that this destiny of the two of them really couldn’t be changed?