Chapter 72 – Cold War (2)
Before 12 PM, Fu Bainian had searched the entire building and still hadn't found any trace of Lan Jinyao.
When he came to the top building, there was a figure visible within the shadows. In that second, Fu Bainian's expression was absent-minded. It seemed like he could see Lan Jinyao standing there as if she hadn't fallen!
However, as he walked closer, he woke up from his dream. The person standing there wasn't Lan Jinyao. Instead, it was the person who had the same face as Lan Jinyao; Lan Xin.
"What are you doing here so late at night?"
Lan Xin stared at him with a burning gaze. Then, she suddenly smiled. It was a kind of coquettish smile that resembled the one Lan Jinyao used to use as the female lead in some dramas. She slowly walked towards Fu Bainian and softly said, "Then, what is President Fu doing here this late? Could it be to remember the past?"
Fu Bainian swiftly glanced at her. "You're overthinking things. I just came here to find someone."
"Are you looking for me?" The smile on Lan Xin's mouth was gradually increasing.
Fu Bainian just ignored her and looked around, but he didn't see the one he was looking for, so he turned to leave. But, his sleeve was caught just as he turned around.
"It seems that you really like Chen Meimei. What a pity, I thought that you could have the same…"
The same what?
Lan Xin didn't continue, and Fu Bainian didn't bother to ask.
He only said, "My current situation is good enough; I'm very satisfied!"
Then, he hurriedly walked towards the stairs while behind him, a woman's laughter echoed under the silent night sky. That laugh sounded ethereal, giving gooseb.u.mps to anyone who heard it.
Meanwhile, Lan Jinyao, who'd already returned home, had already washed up and gone to bed.
She had more than 20 missed calls on her phone screen. The phone's notification light constantly flashed in the dark room, making it obvious.
When the exhausted Fu Bainian returned home, he saw the shoes lined up at the doorway. The pair of high-heeled shoes were the one that Lan Jinyao had worn at the party this evening; she was back!
Due to this, he immediately rushed inside. There were no lights on in the living room, and it was extremely quiet, so he tiptoed into the bedroom.
The bedroom door wasn't locked; he could go in as long as he twisted the doork.n.o.b.
The quilt on the bed was raised, revealing only a head that was facing away from the door.
At this moment, he felt that his restless heart calm down. He lightly stalked forward as to not make any sound, and sat on the bed.
Fu Bainian remembered that the last time she'd been sulking, she'd locked him outside in anger. But, this time, she hadn't locked the door. Did that mean she was retreating? Or, did it mean that she wasn't all that angry at him?
His fingertips gently caressed her cheek as he was afraid that his movement would disturb her sleep. After quite some time, he planted a soft kiss on her lips.
"Jinyao, don't worry, Xu Jin'ge will leave!"
Lan Jinyao was right, Xu Jin'ge's presence would have too much of an impact on their feelings. She had too many childish methods, just like a mischievous kid with endless energy that could cause endless headaches for adults.
Perhaps she was tired due to filming, but Lan Jinyao was deep asleep, and she ended up sleeping until 8 AM. When she awoke, the room was so dark that it wasn't until she'd opened the curtains that she realised that the sun had risen high in the sky. She stood in front of the window for a while before heading to the bathroom.
After freshening up, she went straight downstairs. The table had already been spread with breakfast; all of which were her favourite foods.
Lan Jinyao looked around the room, and after she was sure that she was alone, she sat down and slowly started enjoying her breakfast.
"The taste isn't bad, but don't think that I'll forgive you yet! You actually dared to have a rendezvous with another woman!" When Lan Jinyao recalled the scene she'd witnessed last night, she felt that her heart was in a bad mood. At that time, her way of handling things was too weak, and she'd immediately turned around and left. She should've just gone over and pushed Xu Jin'ge away; it didn't matter that she was about to be sent away.
When she was eating breakfast, Li Qi called her. As a Manager, Li Qi was simply too unqualified. In the past, he'd never left her side, but ever since she'd become Chen Meimei, Li Qi seemed to have loosened his control and no longer made many demands.
Thus, when she answered the phone, Lan Jinyao couldn't help but mock him. "What? After disappearing for such a long time, you're suddenly calling me? Are you going to tell me the good news? Did she accept you? When will the wedding be?"
Li Qi unhappily replied, "I am here for you, but I'm busy. When would I be chasing after a girl? Don't you want to act in Chen Zetao's film? Although, President Fu is also invested in the film, so it's easy to decide if you want to act. However, you still have to go through the standard procedures, so I'll help you to get an audition spot for next month!"
Lan Jinyao slowly put down the chopsticks in her hand. "If I remember correctly, Director Chen Zetao has already given me a spot. It seems that you don't have to trouble yourself?"
Hadn't Chen Zetao visited her last time to tell her this?
Li Qi chuckled and said, "That's not the point. The main point is that in order for you to successfully pa.s.s the audition, and to become the genuine female lead, we have to first arrange for you to have training."
"Training?" Did she mishear him? She still needed training? When she'd first entered Blue Hall Entertainment, she'd been placed into training. It could be said that most of her time as a budding artist had been spent in the training room practising.
If she had to go back to training again, Lan Jinyao felt that it was a waste of time. This time, it was better to take on one endors.e.m.e.nt or more.
"Don't forget, Chen Meimei: although you've partic.i.p.ated in TV dramas before, in some department you simply can't fake it. When you first entered the company, no form of training was arranged for you," he paused before continuing, this time bringing up other points. "Listen, even if your acting skills are convincing to the Directors and investors, there'll still be backstabbing people who'll say that you rely on relations.h.i.+ps, or by entering through the back door. Even if you use your own strengths, would those people ever believe it?"
What Li Qi meant was that gossip is a fearful thing. This was often true in this industry.
Lan Jinyao thought for a while and said to Li Qi, "I believe in my acting skills. I think that training is completely useless. However, I promise you that I'll go to the company later today."
In reality, she wasn't at all worried about what people would say about her; she was just worried that her ident.i.ty would be discovered. After all, Chen Meimei and Lan Jinyao were two totally different people.