An Ruo furrowed her brows slightly. She could understand a female celebrity having a bit of a diva attitude, but this Pan Zhiyao was speaking extremely harshly. She was starting to regret agreeing to let this person participate in the competition.
Turning her gaze to Song Weiwei, who seemed completely unfazed by those words, she tossed her long hair, with a full chest and a slender waist—curvy in all the right places, slim and elegant where it mattered. Calling her a vision of beauty was no exaggeration.
She cast a fearless glance at Pan Zhiyao, whose face was nearly twisted with rage, and gave a light laugh. After finishing her makeup, she was heading off to shoot.
Pan Zhiyao blocked her. "Stop! You think you can just run off like that? My dress is ruined by you, you owe me an explanation, don't you?"
"I've already consulted a lawyer. If you have any evidence, go talk to him. If you can really prove I tore your dress, I'll accept whatever the law decides. But if you can't prove it, or if you're just slandering me maliciously, I'll sue you for defamation!" She coldly brushed past Pan Zhiyao. "Don't block my way. My photographer is still waiting for me."
This calm, unhurried speech left the crowd murmuring in surprise.
The onlookers packed at the doorway quickly made way, and Pan Zhiyao stood dumbfounded as she watched Song Weiwei stride out of the dressing room with an air of pride.
Song Weiwei moved like the wind, nearly bumping into An Ruo as she turned a corner. They both paused for a moment, then exchanged apologies.
"You... are An Ruo, the person in charge of this talent show, right?" Song Weiwei extended her hand gracefully. "Hello, I'm Song Weiwei. I've been meaning to interview you in person, but I just flew back to Shencheng a couple of days ago and was too exhausted, so I stayed at the hotel to adjust to the time difference. My apologies."
She had none of the airs of a female celebrity—approachable, gentle, and poised. More importantly, she was even more beautiful in person than on TV!
"Hello." An Ruo shook her hand, a slight smile forming on her lips, revealing two dimples. "Miss Song, you're too kind. We're already incredibly grateful that you've honored us by participating in this competition at Lanzhen."
"Miss An, you seem younger than me. To be a veteran at Lanzhen at such a young age, you must be very capable. I'll have to learn a lot from you during this time."
Being praised by a popular actress left An Ruo feeling genuinely flattered. She waved her hand. "Not at all, Miss Song is joking. I'm not very knowledgeable; the CEO saw that I work diligently and sent me out to gain some experience and broaden my horizons."
Song Weiwei chuckled softly, forming a good first impression of this girl. She made friends based on a gut feeling, and she found the conversation with An Ruo very pleasant.
Just as they exchanged a few brief words and she was about to say more, her agent Qiao Yu came over to remind her about the promotional photo shoot.
"Miss An, talk to you later."
"Sure." An Ruo nodded with a smile.
...
Song Weiwei bid the girl farewell and walked off, speaking quietly with Qiao Yu. As they passed the next corner, a man and a woman approached from the side, and the faint sound of a girl's coquettish voice could be heard.
"A Chao, just come with me, please. What could be more important than me?"
The man frowned impatiently as she continued to pester him lightly. "Please, I really like that place..."
"Let go of me first."
Song Weiwei walked straight ahead as the two passed by her side. She was discussing the talent show with Qiao Yu when she suddenly heard that familiar voice, startling her so much that she spun around.
The man wore a sharp, dark suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and tall frame. The girl clung to his arm, pouting and acting spoiled. He seemed somewhat resistant but didn't push her away, letting her carry on.
Song Weiwei furrowed her brows. Was she hallucinating? She had just heard his voice!
Impossible—years ago, he... was already gone.
Qiao Yu noticed she hadn't followed and turned back to ask, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Song Weiwei shook her head. She must not have slept well lately; she was starting to hallucinate.
But just as she turned to continue walking with Qiao Yu, Gu Chao inexplicably looked back. He saw a woman in the distance, her face turned sideways as she spoke to the man beside her. Whatever they were discussing made her lips curl into a smile, eerily reminiscent of the face in his memory.
In an instant, he felt his blood boil, his long-stilled heart suddenly pounding wildly. Staring at that graceful figure, he stood frozen, his eyes burning with intensity.
Just as he was about to chase after her, Zhou Mingyue grabbed his arm tightly. "What are you doing? Trying to ditch me and run off again?"
"Let go!"
"No!"
Gu Chao had to use some force to shake her off. Ignoring Zhou Mingyue's angry shouts, he rushed desperately toward where that figure had disappeared...
His frantic demeanor startled passersby, who kept glancing his way.
An Ruo heard Zhou Mingyue's voice and followed the sound over. "Mingyue, what are you doing here?"
Zhou Mingyue, watching the man vanish into the distance, stomped her feet in frustration.
She turned around, her tone a bit irritable. "I finally managed to corner him, thinking I'd come see you, but who knows what got into him—he bolted off like his life depended on it!"
"..." An Ruo smiled and tried to calm her. "Take it easy. How about I treat you to coffee?"
Zhou Mingyue cursed under her breath, then reluctantly followed An Ruo for coffee.
Meanwhile, Gu Chao chased the woman's silhouette all the way to a stairwell corner, where it disappeared at a fork in the path. He stood alone in the corridor, his heart gradually settling from its wild pounding back to calm.
After a long moment, he finally came to his senses, leaning wearily against the wall with a bitter laugh.
How many times had this happened?
Every time he stumbled after that figure, when the back turned around, it was always a different face.
He had to accept the reality that Mu Yan was dead.