Chapter 4 - Chapter 4I have no idea who you are.

"Ms. Ye, where is the press conference being held?"The car drove out of the suburbs and onto the main road leading to the capital. Yang Xi had no prior knowledge of the press conference venue, so she glanced at Ye Jialan in the rearview mirror."The venue? Oh no, I forgot to ask Brother Qi!"Ye Jialan slapped her forehead hard, then instinctively sat up straight, nearly hitting her head on the car roof.Yang Xi: ... Never mind. She was already used to this."Then I'll give Brother Qi a call.""Yeah, yeah! Whatever you do, don't tell him I forgot, or else..."Before Ye Jialan could finish her sentence, the phone in her hand rang.Glancing at the lit screen, Ye Jialan answered immediately."Hello, Brother Qi! Yeah, we'll be there soon. Wait a second, Brother Qi!"At the film press conference held on the first floor of Shengxin Entertainment, Tang Qichen's face darkened instantly when he heard Ye Jialan say "wait a second". "Princess, what's wrong with you this time?""Hehe... uh, where exactly is the press conference taking place?"Ye Jialan tried her best to keep her voice soft and gentle, fearing she might accidentally annoy Tang Qichen.At the press conference venue, Tang Qichen stood up from his seat, took a sharp breath, and strode quickly toward the lounge."Well, well, well. If it isn't the ex-manager and ex-boyfriend of our Best Actress Bai Xiuwen! How come your newly signed rookie is such a big shot? Still not here yet—could it be she's still in bed with some sugar daddy...?"The man speaking was Han Qi. What a coincidence—both his and Tang Qichen's names contained a character pronounced "Qi", though the characters themselves were different. Their statuses in the entertainment industry, however, were worlds apart.Tang Qichen was a renowned top-tier agent in the industry; every artist he'd managed had gone on to become A-list celebrities.Take, for example, former Best Actress Qin Miao, and current Best Actress Bai Xiuwen...Of course, Bai Xiuwen had since gotten too big for her boots. Convinced she'd made it as a red-hot Best Actress, she'd publicly fired Tang Qichen.If he hadn't run into Ye Jialan by chance on the street, Tang Qichen's career as an agent might very well have come to an end."Hello? Brother Qi? Brother Qi...?"Tang Qichen snapped out of his thoughts, told Ye Jialan the address over the phone, then hung up abruptly. He turned around, a flash of sharp malice flickering in his eyes."I wondered where that barking dog came from. So it's the lapdog of a Best Actress! Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? Who gave you the right?"Tang Qichen was notoriously strict in the industry, and his tongue was just as sharp. Han Qi was right—he was Bai Xiuwen's ex, the man who'd single-handedly made her a star. When Bai Xiuwen first entered the entertainment industry, she'd been as pure and untainted as a blank sheet of paper, even in that murky world.He'd still used his own methods to make her a household name...Han Qi's face turned bright red with rage at Tang Qichen's retort. So what if Tang Qichen was a top agent who'd been in the business a few years longer?It was all in the past—there was nothing to brag about.Now he, Han Qi, was the agent of the reigning Best Actress Bai Xiuwen. Everyone treated him with deference wherever he went.Han Qi took a deep breath, telling himself not to stoop to Tang Qichen's level. After all: "Let's be honest, Brother Qi—you've always had a way with things, haven't you? A total nobody with no connections or background, yet she lands the second female lead in Director Ji's new film. I'm sure she didn't get that role without paying a little extra behind the scenes, did she?"The words were like nails on a chalkboard. In the cutthroat entertainment industry, it was harder than climbing to the sky for someone without money, power, or connections to make it big.That was why Tang Qichen had worried about this exact issue before the movie premiered yesterday. But after he'd met that man, all his worries had vanished without a trace.At that moment, outside the gate of Shengxin Entertainment, a pink Volkswagen sports car screeched to a halt smoothly right in front of the building.Yang Xi opened the driver's seat door, got out, walked around the car, and pulled open the rear passenger door.As the door swung open, a light blue crystal high heel stepped onto the polished marble floor.What came into everyone's view next was a slender, straight calf—its skin as white as snow, so flawless that not a single pore was visible even up close."Wow, those legs are so white and straight!""Yeah, yeah! Just looking at those legs is enough to keep me occupied for a whole year!""..."Lustful whispers rippled through the crowd of men.When the car door opened fully and Ye Jialan stepped out, clad in a light blue dress, everyone's eyes widened—no one dared to blink.Beautiful. She was gorgeous.The people gathered there were either sharp-eyed entertainment reporters or die-hard fans of various celebrities. In an era where looks were everything, Ye Jialan's natural, unadorned beauty was like a plum blossom blooming in the winter—strikingly eye-catching."Wow, she's so beautiful!""I can't take it anymore—I think I'm falling in love with her! Oh my god, I'm done for! I'm a girl, and my heart's still racing!"Praise poured in endlessly. Of course, there were also die-hard fans of other celebrities—Bai Xiuwen's fans, for instance."Tch. She's just relying on her looks, and she only played a fool in the movie. What's there to be proud of?""Exactly! We're all here for the leading lady, Bai Xiuwen! How dare this rookie steal the Best Actress's thunder?"Ye Jialan smiled the entire time. Liuliu had told her—since she'd just returned to China and her Chinese wasn't that good, whenever she couldn't understand what people were saying, all she needed to do was smile."Ms. Ye, let's go inside first. Brother Qi will start getting anxious soon."Yang Xi carefully guided Ye Jialan toward the lobby of Shengxin Entertainment. But just then, someone in the crowd shouted, "Bai Xiuwen is here! Oh my god!"After all, she was the red-hot new Best Actress in the industry—her appearance was bound to cause a sensation.Everyone turned and rushed toward a stretched Rolls-Royce parked behind Ye Jialan's car. For a moment, Yang Xi had no choice but to help Ye Jialan step aside.But then, some clumsy oaf accidentally bumped into Ye Jialan, nearly knocking her over."Ow, that hurts!"Ye Jialan's beautiful eyebrows furrowed. These people were so rude! They'd bumped into her and hadn't even apologized. Hadn't Liuliu told her that when you bump into someone, you have to say "sorry"?"Ms. Ye, are you okay?!"Yang Xi's voice was a little loud. If Ye Jialan had gotten hurt, she didn't dare imagine what would happen to her when that man found out.But what she didn't expect was that her words would be heard by Bai Xiuwen, who was surrounded by the crowd.Bai Xiuwen was wearing an elegant nude-colored dress and matching high heels. A graceful smile on her face, she walked through the crowd and over to Ye Jialan."Aren't you Ms. Ye—the actress who played the naive girl Xiaoxiao in the movie? Oh right, what was your full name again?"After all, she was a Best Actress—she had to maintain a certain level of prestige. She needed to leave her fans and moviegoers with the impression that she was gentle, virtuous, elegant, and kind, while at the same time subtly highlighting the gap between her and Ye Jialan.Everyone in the country knew her name, Bai Xiuwen. Meanwhile, Ye Jialan was just a rookie who'd played a fool—a nobody not even worthy of having her name remembered by a Best Actress.Ye Jialan looked up at Bai Xiuwen, her gaze calm and unwavering, not a single ripple of emotion in her big, bright eyes. There was even a hint of confusion in them.Just as the crowd was about to laugh at Ye Jialan for being tongue-tied, she spoke up."You? Who are you?" In other words—do I know you?The moment the words left her mouth, not only did Bai Xiuwen freeze in shock, but the countless fans behind her were stunned into silence as well.Oh my god! Where on earth had this girl been dug up from? How could she not recognize the newly crowned Best Actress Bai Xiuwen?Truly a one-of-a-kind oddity!