Only Starlight - Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

‘Entertainment New Forces Festival’ would officially start at 7 p.m., but from 5 p.m. onwards, for the whole hour, the red carpet ceremony would be broadcast throughout the network.

At 5.37 p.m, there had already been stars that appeared on the red carpet, wearing either a suit or a dress, greeting both the media and fans. The flashes were everywhere as the fans stood on either side of the fence, holding the camera in their hands while shouting the names of their idols. Their screams were so loud that it almost broke through the sky.

Seeing this scene through the laptop screen, Lin Hao couldn’t help but exclaim: “Really is a big event ah. So many artists parading at the festival.”

Jiang Yi was sitting in the back of the car. Today, he wore a black suit without a tie. His narrow waist, long legs and long neck created a look of elegance.

When he heard his assistant’s words, he kept his silence. Although Zhu Jing had said to let the matter go, if Zhou Peipei really didn’t come today, then he really couldn’t afford to be absent. The invitation had been issued a while ago, and even if he would face embarrassment in arriving alone, he still must bite the bullet and attend the festival.

Although he had a look of indifference on his face, Jiang Yi’s mood was not so calm. Zhou Peipei’s popularity actually had no relationship with this thing as it was the company’s strategy for them to be a paired cp. Long before Zhou Peipei had become popular, they’d both agreed on this matter. That was one of the reasons why they picked this drama to act together. The airport scandal from before, even though it was an accident, it indeed coincided with that plan. However, based on Zhou Peipei’s behavior right now, it would certainly had a reverse effect; that they were in discord.

Zhou Peipei could afford to be indifferent about it because she had succeeded, but he still hadn’t reached that point yet. When the airport scandal broke, some people had already criticized him for using Zhou Peipei’s popularity. Now, if the rumor of discord between them was spread, it was equivalent to admitting that the criticism was true.

His new drama will soon be broadcast, and it was also his first play of the year, so the entire company took this matter very seriously. At this moment, his image was very important; one careless mistake could cause a whole year’s hard work to go to waste. It’s no wonder that Zhu Jing got so upset with it.

Jiang Yi raised his hand to massage his eyebrows. He never liked to argue with a woman, but if Zhou Peipei really used her popularity to go back on her words and walk on him, the he really was in a hard place.

Zhu Jing, who was sitting next to him, saw his action and immediately said: “Be careful, don’t mess the make-up.”

Although a few hours ago she was really irritated, Zhu Jing had already accepted there was nothing else that she could do about Zhou Peipei’s absence. Now, she only focused on accompanying Jiang Yi to finish this event.

Although she appeared to look calm, her tensed up lips couldn’t hide the fact that she was still a little unhappy with how things turned out. Jiang Yi patted her hand and gave her a reassuring smile, “Rest assured, I know. Jing jie, you also should relax a bit. Women who are always angry will get old easily. If you are not careful, no would believe that you and I are having an affair.”

Male artists and female agents were often misunderstood by the public as a pair, but Zhu Jing had managed Jiang Yi since he was a teenager. In addition, she was not really well-maintained so the age gap between them appeared too large, so there were very few rumors about the two of them – and even when there was a bit of a scandal  it was only spread online. So, unless they were perfectly matched and had a lot of cp powder, it was impossible for them to be linked together.

Zhu Jing was amused by Jiang Yi’s words and gave him a blank glance, “As long as you behave yourself, do a good job and give me less things to worry about, I naturally won’t get old that easily.”

Jiang Yi laughed, and taking advantage of when Zhu Jing was not paying attention, he gave a thumbs up.

Lin Hao as an assistant was very responsible in other areas – except for the fact that he was very afraid of Zhu Jing. Every time Zhu Jing got angry, it was Jiang Yi who had to personally come forward to deal with her anger. Even Lin Hao himself felt that if he hadn’t followed Jiang Yi for so many years already, he would have suffered a great deal.

Zhu Jing had such a bad temper that not many people dared to go against her when she was angry. Jiang Yi suddenly recalled this evening in the lounge; someone had actually dared to go up against her when she was in her monstrous mood.  That girl, even though she was obviously very scared, still raised her hand like a primary student that wanted to answer the teacher’s question. With her big black eyes wide open, she courageously said that everything that happened had nothing to do with him and that the fault was on her.

That appearance really looked somewhat foolish.

Thinking about it, his lips unconsciously hooked upwards. His eyes occasionally glanced out of the window before they suddenly came to a halt and flashed disbelief.

His action was noticed by Zhu Jing who asked, “What’s going on?”

“Stop.”

The driver was surprised by his word, “What did you say?”

Jiang Yi turned his head around and raised his voice, “I said, stop!”

The car suddenly stopped and the people inside it still hadn’t reacted when Jiang Yi suddenly opened the door. This place was only half a street from the festival scene and the screams of the fans could be heard. A lot of cars stopped alongside the road. His steps were fast and steady as he just walked a few step to the first car and opened the door.

The person inside the car was shocked as she stared at him for a long time before Jiang Yi, with clenched teeth, asked: “Are you crazy?”

His line of sight fell on the slim girl that sat leaning against the window.

She was wearing a jade green oblique dress that contrasted with a pearl white skirt. The cover was thin and transparent as it spread down the chest area like a flow of water pooling on the ground, creating the illusion of a beautiful curvature. Her shoulder was bare, exposing her white skin. Her long legs were shrouded in light muslin as if it were the mist amongst blossoming flowers and the clouds around the moon, attracting a man’s yearning.

The girl’s hair was pulled high into a bun, with diamond earrings swaying on both ears. The already well-groomed face had become such work of art that it  caused people that looked at it to become unable to take their eyes off of her.

But right now, Jiang Yi didn’t have the mood to admire the scene in front of him as he pulled her hand and repeated the question: “I asked you, what are you planning to do by coming here?”

Jian Wei was completely dumbfounded, “You…you…you…how did you find me?!”

Since she had been taken away by mistake at the airport, Jian Wei had already predicted that she was destined to do a big thing on this trip. But she never imagined the thing that she had to do….was actually so big!

Lai Xiao Shuang said that in order to really scare Zhou Peipei, they must go all out. Of course, she didn’t mean to let Jian Wei to really walk the red carpet, but in order to force Zhou Peipei out, they had to act as if they were really planning to do that.

Although Jian Wei had some doubts about Lai Xiao Shuang’s positive thoughts, because she had caused her to lost her *rice bowl , in addition to Jiang Yi’s things, she half-forced/half-voluntarily agreed to do as she said.

[TN: It’s not a literal bowl that has rice in it, but it means her source of income, i.e. her job]

So, two hours ago, Lai Xiao Shuang had called out for help from her friends in Beijing and both of them had gone to an unknown person’s studio.  Jian Wei had stood at the door as she stared inside the studio. The room was twice the size of her bedroom and was covered with different brands and different styles of long dresses. The sun shone above the diamonds,sequins, and the tulle embroidery, the bright light full of radiance.  Behind her, Lai Xiao Shuang said: “Pick one that you like most.”

As soon as she heard this sentence, she felt that she had been transported into a fashion movie, mistakenly becoming a pretentious ugly duckling…

Not only that, Lai Xiao Shuang also personally gave her a makeover. Lai Xiao Shuang’s skills didn’t lose to those online beauty makeup blog owners who could make themselves look like popular stars. She used a picture of Zhou Peipei as a reference and had modified Jian Wei’s face, especially the area around the eyes and chin that were her distinct features. She even covered her tear mole so that even Jian Wei couldn’t tell the difference when she looked at the mirror!

After they had finished, they took a picture and sent it to Zhou Peipei, informing her that they would soon be going to the festival event and if she didn’t want to be impersonated, then she should hurry over there.

Lai Xiao Shuang, who was sitting on the side of the car, pulled Jiang Yi in, “You come inside first, you can’t let yourself to be seen! Jing jie, Assistant Lin, you guys also come in, all come in first!”

Zhu Jing and Lin Hao (who had rushed over as well) were stunned as they stared speechlessly at Jian Wei. Zhu Jing in particular, who recognized Lai Xiao Shuang as Zhou Peipei’s assistant, was stunned: “This is…is this Peipei?”

Jiang Yi suddenly bent over as he got into the car. They quickly moved to gave him room. Zhu Jing and Lin Hao hesitantly followed him inside.  After the door closed, Jiang Yi immediately asked: “Now can you tell me, what’s going on?”

Jian Wei didn’t get the chance to answer the question when the phone rang. Just as she was about to pick up the call, Jiang Yi’s hand was faster as he took the phone away and pressed the speaker on.

Zhou Peipei’s familiar voice came through: “Jian Wei, I’ve told you not to play this kind of game with me! I dare you to go to the red carpet! I’ll really admire you if you have the guts to go! You think you can tell me those words and force me to come back? Keep dreaming!”

“Zhou laoshi.”  Jiang Yi’s voice was cold.

Zhou Peipei was surprised for a moment before she let out a laugh: “Jiang laoshi, turns out you’re also there. Oh, really powerful ah. You don’t come forward yourself, but send a little girl to go against me. Good for you!”

Jian Wei: “I’ve told you, this thing has nothing to do with him, it’s my own decision!”

“If it weren’t for him, would you dare to threaten me?! Even if you had ten times the courage, you wouldn’t dare!”

Jiang Yi clenched the phone in his hand as he suddenly understood the situation right now.

He stared hard at Jian Wei as he tried hard to understand the girl’s thoughts. Was it really just for him that she could do this much?

Zhu Jing took the phone from his hand, “Peipei, where are you? Are you nearby?!”

She knew that since Jian Wei had made such a threat, Zhou Peipei certainly couldn’t let the matter go that easily. She was certainly going to be near the scene and wait to see in the end who was going to throw in the towel first, her or Jian Wei.

The end of the red carpet ceremony was in 10 minutes. They didn’t have enough time!

When Zhou Peipei heard her voice, her tone became colder, “Jing jie, sure enough, you are also in this thing. Good, really good! For Jiang Yi’s sake, you really can resort to all means to scheme against me. Hey, don’t tell me you guys are really having an affair? I’ve been curious about this matter for so many years…”

“Zhou Peipei!” Zhu Jing angrily shouted. She had been married for so many years and the relationship between her husband and her was so harmonious. Even if she had ignored the rumor before, hearing the accusation coming out from Zhou Peipei’s mouth was unacceptable.

“Don’t be so loud. Even if you shout louder, I’m still not coming back,” ridiculed Zhou Peipei.

The phone call was disconnected as silence fell inside the car.

Zhu Jing rubbed her temple in irritation. Lai Xiao Shuang looked more irritated that her. Initially she had wanted to get this matter solved to prove her capability to Zhu Jing. She didn’t expect that Zhu Jing and the others would suddenly appear, and Zhou Peipei would be so angry that she simply didn’t give her the opportunity to negotiate things. Her plan was completely disrupted!

She had carefully discussed with Jian Wei thousands of lines on the way here, and in the end, she didn’t even manage to say a word. Lai Xiao Shuang suddenly felt that she was too naïve; she really didn’t have the ability to handle a crisis.

Jian Wei lifted up her hand as if trying to appease everybody, “Don’t worry, don’t panic. Give the phone to me. I’ll think of a way. There must be a way…”

She suddenly took a sharp breath. Zhu Jing had carelessly dropped the phone in her hand, causing it hit her toes. Jiang Yi bent over to pick up the phone and put it on her palm before he held her hand and said: “Don’t panic.”

His tone was flat, impossible to distinguish whether he was happy or angry. Jian Wei’s calm front began to puncture as her expression turned soft. She withdrew her hand from his hold and with her head down, said: “I’m sorry…”

“Why are you apologizing?” asked Jiang Yi.

“I failed to get her to come back, and also made her became angrier…”

“How is it your fault that she’s not coming back?” He paused before he added, “You concern yourself to take responsibility like this?”

Jian Wei bit her lips, her voice getting lower, “I feel that we definitely can’t just sit still. Since there are other ways that we can try, it’s possible to solve this crisis…”

She used the word ‘we’, very spontaneously assigning herself to his side. After so many years, it was still the same. No matter what kind of negative news he encountered, she would always be the one to break through the enemy lines for him.

Jiang Yi’s eyes slightly shook. Jian Wei was looking up at him, her eyes filled with remorse, “But it seems like I was too naïve. I haven’t done anything right and I’ve made your situation worse. Today, I even offended Zhou laoshi. Later, she will continue to give you trouble. I’m sorry that I’ve caused you harm…”

Looking at her, Jiang Yi suddenly remembered the night when they first met. It was also inside the car, when the girl who was obviously trembling, still bravely looked at him and said, “No matter what you do, I’ll always support you. A Yi, as long as you’re happy…”

At that time, she had shed tears.

His heartstrings were gently struck, like a flower floating down a lake in March.

Jiang Yi raised his hand, his index finger touching her cheek.  Jian Wei’s eyes opened wide in shock.

Jiang Yi didn’t seem to find that his action was ambiguous as he stared at the fingertip that was on her tear mole, where there were traces of tears being held back, “You’ve grown up. This time you didn’t cry.”

His words didn’t make any sense to Jian Wei as she blankly stared at him. Jiang Yi didn’t give her any time to react as he lightly said, “I think you have misunderstood something.”

After getting the girl’s attention, he smiled as he said, “You didn’t think that I am really afraid of Zhou Peipei, right? That if she decides to mess with me, then I can’t do anything about it?”

Uh, don’t tell me it’s not like that? Zhou Peipei’s popularity was no joke! Didn’t gossip spread easily over a coffee talk in this circle?!

Jiang Yi’s smile deepened a bit. From the lips to the eyes, the whole person was glowing with a strange look. Just like when a lamp was turned on, the light through the glass illuminated to the earth.

He crooked his head and smiled as he said, “Jing jie, there’s something that I didn’t tell you. In fact, the first time you mentioned that you wanted her to pretend to be Zhou Peipei, I thought that this idea was the most interesting scenario that I had encountered this year.”

Zhu Jing’s brows wrinkled as she gave Lai Xiao Shuang and Lin Hao a glance, unsure of what Jiang Yi was trying to say.

Zhu Jing: “What do you mean?”

“Previously, I was scared that my little fan would be afraid, that’s why I didn’t agree. But since the little girl has so much courage, then it doesn’t matter anymore.”

Jian Wei looked at him as she suddenly understood his intention, her heart suddenly missing a beat.

Jiang Yi touched her head and said, “Don’t be afraid, we haven’t lost.”