Chapter 33: Encounter

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The big screen behind suddenly lit up. A still image of Cheng Mu in the film appeared. He was dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit, with his hair combed in a 1920s style. He had his hands in his pockets and stood upright against the background of the old Shanghai bund, his expression was perplexed and full of melancholy, which made him appear even more handsome.

The venue erupted into screams when this still appeared. Many young female fans shouted Cheng Mu’s name with excited expressions on their faces.

Under the screams of the female fans, Cheng Mu, dressed in a dark blue suit, slowly stepped onto the stage and greeted the audience. “Hello, I’m Cheng Mu. In this movie, I’m Han Zhixian, a zealous revolutionary youth. I hope everyone will like it.”

“Okay, the next to come on stage is… our eternal queen, Wen Ruoyi!”

Although she was a bit aggressive on set, Wen Ruoyi had completely restored the dignity and grace of the best actress. Dressed in a Cardin evening gown covered with crystals, it set off her beautiful figure and facial features. She looked younger and prettier, her curly hair was tied up in a bun and she wore precious jewelry around her neck. The moment she came out, applause sounded from the audience.

Looking around, Wen Ruoyi nodded gracefully. “I’m very happy to be able to act in this movie, ‘On the Bank of Qing River’. In this film, I play the second female lead, the stepmother of the female lead, Su Ying. She’s a very sad woman, who fell in love with someone she shouldn’t have. She had a tragic and desolate ending in the end, and is a representation of women in the new era.”

The leading actors of the film stepped onto the stage one by one to introduce their characters to the audience. In addition, guest actors also stepped onto the stage, which gave rise to waves in the venue.

Tang Xiaoxiao sat leisurely on the corner seat in the first row. Behind her was the camera, but she was not afraid of being exposed to the camera lens. This was also her favorite position when she was still Ye Yuxin. She felt satisfied from the bottom of her heart when she looked at the artists she had made popular glowing on the stage.

Finally, Li Jun and Chang Lina nervously said, “Next, we have the last two members of the movie, who are the most highly anticipated, the director, Mr Cao Hao, and Miss Yang Shan, the new Cao girl!”

Under the gaze of countless pairs of eyes, as well as thunderous applause, a pure and beautiful girl in a blue dress slowly stepped onto the stage with her arm linked with Cao Hao’s.

As soon as Yang Shan appeared, she attracted the attention of everyone. Countless spotlights lit up, which made the whole venue submerged in a sea of white light.

Yang Shan’s first reaction when the spotlights shone on her was to close her eyes. She almost stepped back in fear, but Cao Hao, who was holding her arm, stopped her and whispered, “Open your eyes, smile, and don’t step back!”

Yang Shan hesitated for a moment before she gritted her teeth and kept up with Cao Hao’s pace. Although she tried to open her eyes, the glare of the spotlights was so strong that she struggled to open her eyes. Her legs were trembling and the smile on her face was extremely stiff. She was almost dragged out on stage by Director Cao Hao.

“I’m very happy that you can attend the premiere of our movie. All of you seated here are friends and fans of this movie and I believe it can show you the most beautiful and purest love in China during the 1920s.” Cao Hao said with a smile, “This lady standing beside me is the female lead of this movie, Miss Yang Shan. In consideration of the movie, forgive me to have kept her away from the public eye for such a long time.”

With that, Cao Hao shot Yang Shan a look.

Yang Shan stood there in a daze and seemed to have completely ignored Cao Hao’s gaze.

Cheng Mu saw this and poked Yang Shan secretly.

Finally regaining her senses, Yang Shan took, in a deep breath and said slightly bashfully, “Hello, my name is Yang Shan. I’m… the female lead of this movie. I hope everyone will enjoy it.”

Cao Hao breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I’m sorry, everyone. Yang Shan is still a newcomer and she’s not accustomed to such an occasion. I hope everyone can show mercy on her and turn your targets towards Cheng Mu.”

Cheng Mu could not help rolling his eyes and threw back a comment in casual jest, “Director, aren’t you too biased?”

The crew happily shared the details of the shooting process with the audience on the stage. Of course, it was Wen Ruoyi and Cheng Mu who were the main focus. As for the newcomer Yang Shan, who was not very good at speaking, she was carefully taken care of by the others and was rarely given a chance to speak.

Tang Xiaoxiao kept shaking her head and sighing below the stage. This Yang Shan had really let Cao Hao down. Under normal circumstances, other members would try their best to pass the topic to a newcomer like her on this type of occasion. However, at present, she was not even given a chance to speak. It was obvious that she had been abandoned and was only used as eye candy in the movie.

What a waste…

“Why are you shaking your head?” A clear and charming voice suddenly sounded beside her, with a trace of a smile in it. “Is there something wrong?”

Shocked by the voice, Tang Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head and gave a small smile. “Nothing.”

“Such a beautiful girl should be standing on this stage, right?” The other party seemed to be slightly overcome with emotion. “Beautiful people should stand in the public eye and let others admire.”

Tang Xiaoxiao did not look at the person next to her. She merely lifted the corners of her lips and said in a casual tone, “Sir, don’t you think that the most beautiful thing is when it’s rare? Good things don’t need to be left for others to admire, just admire it by yourself… Besides, we all have different perspectives. You might find it beautiful, but in the eyes of others, they might have different views.”

“Haha, what a lovely lady.” The other party’s voice was soft and pleasant. “Few people can resist this honor.”

Tang Xiaoxiao tilted her head and smiled. “It’s also an honor to watch yourself lead your artist bit by bit to the peak that belongs to you.”

“Oh? Such a young and beautiful young lady is a manager? I wouldn’t have known.” The other party smiled and the cap on his head cast a dark shadow on the side of his face. There was a trace of curiosity and doubt in his voice. “I wonder, of the artists on stage, whose manager are you?”

“I’m Cheng Mu’s manager.” Tang Xiaoxiao tidied up her things and took a look at the time. It was almost time to go backstage to prepare for the lip-syncing. As she stood up, she glanced at the person beside her and said with a mixture of pride and elegance, “Sir, don’t you think you’re asking too many questions? Also, if you’re someone from the industry, this type of thing… isn’t it easier to ask around?”

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