Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Yun Nan smiled encouragingly at her, so Shi Xiu continued, âBefore this, I never knew there was such suffering in this world. I didnât know there are truly people who are as tough as grass and determinedly survive the tempestuous storms of their lives. Xiao He is my guiding light; she helped me find a goal and pathway to strive towards. I feel that saying anything else is too vague, so my fundamental message is to be kind, cherish life, and be a star to yourself and others, and youâll definitely become an angel!â The applause at the end of her speech was thunderous. Shi Xiu bowed deeply to the audience.
âMiss Shi Xiu, may I ask which school you graduated from? How did you get this role?â someone asked.
The emcee smiled and said, âIt seems that everyone canât wait to ask questions, but we havenât reached the Q&A segment yet. Why donât we first let our director tell us about the movieâs original premise?â
A male reporter wearing a cap caustically retorted, âWe donât think the original premise is all that important. What we do want to know is why the studio hasnât conducted any follow-up investigation into the yet-to-have-subsided ruckus caused by your previous lead actressâGao Beiâsâinexplicable disappearance and breach of contract. Could it be that youâd planned the incident all along? Did you do all this to attract attention and increase your movieâs popularity? You made a mystery of everything later by hiding the entire production crew away. I have to say, this marketing method is quite brilliant. The entire industry should learn a thing or two from you!â
The atmosphere instantly turned cold. Although many people had similar questions, not everyone dared to ask those questions aloud in person.
The production crew members on stage looked at each other; some of them were already feeling nonplussed. Yun Nan got hold of the emceeâs microphone, but Fang Xi beat her to the punch. She had already taken a microphone from a staff member on the other side and indicated to Yun Nan to keep quiet.
Fang Xi smiled as she held the microphone and replied, âThe gentleman with the cap; I know you. Youâre Mr. Wang Weiâchief reporter of Xinyan Pressâ entertainment paper. â
The young man with the cap named Wang Wei was evidently stunned at being called out. Xinyan Press had a terrible reputation in their industry. They fabricated news and dug up dirt on celebrities; like extreme fans, everyone hated them. However, they tenaciously and miraculously survived because they became an important mouthpiece in the game played between celebrities, entertainment agencies, major entertainment companies, and the bourgeois. Xinyan Press would speak for whoever gave them the most money.
When Fang Xi pointed out Wang Weiâs identity, those around him immediately looked at him with disdain. However, Wang Wei didnât care at all. Instead, his expression was haughty as he aggressively stated, âThatâs right, itâs me. Miss Fang Xi, would you like to give us a satisfactory answer on behalf of Miss Shi Xiu? Weâre all ears!â
Except for that man from her past, Fang Xi was never one to give ground when it came to words. She smiled and answered, âIâm very thankful to Mr. Wang Wei for bringing this question to the table and allowing me to explain and reply to all the negative news concerning us lately. Weâre very popular, so everyone has been very polite. Although people would curiously discuss these topics in private, theyâre too shy to ask us questions because theyâre afraid of hurting our reputation and our relationship with the media, which would be detrimental for all of us.â n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The crowd couldnât help but laugh kindly at her words, and the tense atmosphere Wang Wei had stirred up immediately relaxed. Mr. MO proudly commented to Shi Nian, âThat girl possesses a rare quick wit. Iâve always wanted to recruit her, but unfortunately, she refused to work for me.â
Shi Nian chuckled, âMaybe your offer wasnât attractive enough? From what Iâve seen, she is extremely protective of Yun Nan.â
Mr. MO was dumbfounded. He pointed at Shi Nian and light-heartedly complained, âBrat, do you have to be biased about something like this, too?â
Shi Nian just pursed his lips into a smile, indicating for him to listen to what Fang Xi had to say.
Fang Xi told the reporters, âThe original lead actress of our movie was Miss Gao Bei. As everyone knows, Gao Bei suddenly disappeared a week after we started filming. Even her manager couldnât find her. We were also very anxious about her disappearance. We quickly discussed countermeasures and did our best to help Gao Beiâs manager, Xiao Ya, find her. If Mr. Wang wants evidence, you can get them from the police station. The police report documented all of the names of the people on the scene, ours included, and the statement Xiao Ya made right before the police, expressing sheâll offer us compensation.â
Fang Xi added, âBut we know Xiao Ya dotes on every single one of her artistes and treats them like siblings. She spent most of her money on her artistes, so she didnât have the financial ability to pay compensation. Besides, our top priority at the time was to continue filming â4:30 P.M.â because each day of suspended work is money out the window.â Fang Xiâs words made many people in the know, and experienced media people and directors empathize with them..