Chapter 7: Award Ceremony

There was a lot of noise coming from the other side. She didn’t want anyone to see her, and she was especially afraid Liu Qin would come over to find her. After crying for a while, Meng Ying hastily wiped her tears, took a deep breath, and stood still for a moment before she turned to leave. But when she lifted her eyes, she stopped in her tracks.

Gu Yan, dressed in a black robe, stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a pillar, his deep gaze fixed on her.

Meng Ying’s heart skipped a beat. She forced a smile and said, “Senior Gu…”

Gu Yan didn’t move.

He just looked at her.

Her eyes were red, her nose was also red, and her delicate shoulders hunched as she gripped her sleeves, standing in the corridor looking pitiful. Meng Ying felt embarrassed and quickly wiped the corners of her eyes again. She forced a smile, nodded at Gu Yan, then lifted her skirt and turned to leave.

“Meng Ying.” Gu Yan’s deep voice called from behind.

Meng Ying hesitated.

Then she heard his voice again, “Who made you cry like this?”

At that question, Meng Ying’s heart almost jumped out of her chest. She didn’t dare turn around, but simply replied, “Senior, it’s nothing. It’s just some family matters.”

After speaking, she didn’t linger, quickly walking away. Her skirt fluttered, and her black hair tangled with it. Gu Yan watched her slender figure, squinting his eyes. The emotions she was feeling were directed at someone else.

After hanging up, Xu Dian leaned against the desk, fiddling with his glasses. Zhou Yang stretched his long legs on the couch and laughed, “Look at you, you’re just like a cold-hearted lover.”

Xu Dian smiled, turned around, and moved the notebook on the desk.

On the screen, the trending topic was open, with pictures of Meng Ying and Gu Yan together. The photos were shared far and wide, ten by ten, a hundred by a hundred—just their pictures. The man was handsome, the woman beautiful, and they made a perfect pair. Xu Dian’s gaze lingered on the image of them holding hands, his peach blossom eyes quietly studying her waist. He stared for a few seconds.

Then, with an expressionless face, he clicked the “X” to close the page and shut the laptop. Xu Dian stood up straight, walked over, and kicked Zhou Yang’s calf.

“Let’s go.”

Zhou Yang stood up laughing and said, “Going to find Jiang Yu?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Haha, that girl named Meng Ying really drew the short straw being with you. Tell me, aren’t you bad?” Zhou Yang laughed as he walked out the door. When he reached the elevator, he added, “And yet so many rich girls still want to marry you… Tsk, tsk.”

“Are you getting married or not? Didn’t your family arrange a blind date for you recently?”

As they entered the elevator, Xu Dian put his hands in his pockets and gave a low chuckle. “Do you want to go?”

Zhou Yang glanced at him. “I’m not going.”

Xu Dian: “Then that’s terrible.”

Zhou Yang clicked his tongue and laughed.

“I told you, Xu Dian won’t have deep feelings for her, but you just wouldn’t believe me.” Yang Tong was sitting on the sofa, smiling as she spoke into the phone.

“Really?” The soft voice of a woman replied from the other end.

“Yes, you saw it too, this trending topic… Haha.”

What normal man would push his girlfriend onto a trending topic with another man? The woman on the other end went silent for a moment, and after a few seconds, under Yang Tong’s smile, she said, “You should take it easy and change your temper.”

“I know.” Yang Tong glanced at her painted nails, sounding indifferent.

The woman on the other end spoke again, “Don’t cause trouble like that; it’s hard for him to be supportive of you.”

“I’m not causing trouble!” Yang Tong retorted, “Yes, I do have a bad temper, but I pay them well. Sis, don’t lecture me anymore…”

The woman on the other end hummed lightly in response. The two exchanged a few more words before Yang Tong hung up. After ending the call, she looked at the tablet on the table. It had a picture of Meng Ying and Gu Yan. She stared at it for a while, tapping on Meng Ying’s face with her finger, then smiled.

What’s the use of being his girlfriend?

He doesn’t love you.

Heh.

In the next two months, Meng Ying threw herself fully into filming. Nine Heavens required shooting at three different locations, and because of the weather, the crew aimed to finish filming before summer. So, the whole team worked like a well-oiled machine, shooting non-stop at three locations.

Busy with filming, Meng Ying often returned to the hotel, fell into bed, and woke up to a new day, only to rush off to the next shooting location. The busy filming schedule helped her temporarily forget many things, including Xu Dian. In fact, over the past two months, she hadn’t sent him a single message.

But he didn’t message her either, and her trending topics with Gu Yan occasionally popped up. With a change of clothes or a new plot twist, the crew seemed to become bolder, frequently revealing behind-the-scenes moments of Meng Ying and Gu Yan. Whether it was the two of them together or just talking privately, these moments made it onto Weibo repeatedly. People either criticized her, praised her, or supported her relationship with Gu Yan.

There were also fans worshipping her and Gu Yan as a couple. The internet can be quite captivating, with people editing and creating videos, adding captions and clips, and soon, some began to believe that Meng Ying and Gu Yan were a couple. Whenever she posted on Weibo, someone would tag Gu Yan, and if he liked the post, fans would tag her in his comments, urging them to interact.

Under the pressure of so many netizens, Meng Ying and Gu Yan did start interacting, though it was just sharing behind-the-scenes content from the set.

However, the fans went wild, shouting how they were fed “dog food” (a slang term for couples being overly sweet in public), saying it was so sweet and delicious…

She smiled on the outside.

But her heart sank further and further.

While the Weibo “couple” had become such a sensation, Xu Dian didn’t make a single move, not a single sign.

For two whole months.

She didn’t contact him, and he would never contact her. The gossip floated around, but he showed no reaction, no sign, no words, no phone calls.

At first, Xu Qing would hurt her, but later, she started to feel sympathy for her and began comforting her.

By this point, she had already become numb.

Comfort was completely useless.

She had come to realize more clearly that Xu Dian probably… didn’t even like her?

As the filming of Nine Heavens wrapped up, the weather had begun to heat up. After the wrap party, that night, Meng Ying had to rush back to Li City because there was an awards ceremony the next evening.

The advantage of being involved in the gossip with Gu Yan was that she gained more attention. Even the awards ceremony sent her an invitation. After getting off the plane and returning home, Meng Ying threw herself onto the sofa, staring at the ceiling with her mind in chaos, not sure what she was thinking. She tried to sit up but then lay back down again. Her vision gradually blurred, and she began to feel sleepy.

Liu Qin called: “You should rest for a bit. You need to get your makeup done at three. This awards ceremony is different. A lot of people will be watching you.”

“Okay.” Meng Ying rolled over, holding the phone.

“I asked around, Yang Tong will be wearing red tonight. You should wear black. I’ve picked out the dress for you. You’ve got to outshine her.” Liu Qin babbled on from the other end of the line. She couldn’t let them wear the same thing, and she had spent quite a bit of money on this.

“Mm-hmm, you should rest too.” Meng Ying glanced at the time. It was already four in the morning.

“Okay.”

Liu Qin hung up the phone.

Meng Ying clutched the phone, too lazy to go upstairs. She just laid on the sofa and fell asleep right there. Her dreams were chaotic. Xu Dian squatted not far away, looking at her with a smile in his peach blossom eyes. She walked toward him in high heels, but when she reached him, he stepped back. Every time she moved forward, he retreated.

No matter how much she tried, she could never reach him. The sense of helplessness and desperation followed her tightly, making it hard to breathe.

Finally, she woke up with a start from the dream, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes turned red again. She really loved him. She had run from the A-grade school district to the financial district just to have a meal, traveling back and forth for thirty minutes each time, just to catch a glimpse of him in the cafeteria or the library. She had done this for two years.

Her roommates all thought she had a boyfriend.

They didn’t know she was just going to see a man, a man who didn’t even know she existed. Sneaking glances at him over and over had become her motivation. His every smile and gesture, especially his nonchalant attitude, was deeply etched in her heart.

It was still early. Meng Ying got up and started tidying up her room. It had been over two months since she last stayed there, so there was some dust. After cleaning, she practiced yoga, had lunch, and started her skincare routine.

Around three, Liu Qin, along with Chen Jie and the makeup artist, came over to do her makeup at home.

Liu Qin’s dress was a gift from a sponsor. It was a black, form-fitting, shoulder-length gown. The makeup artist moved Meng Ying’s hair to the side and set it, then picked out a pair of earrings. Meng Ying, almost in a trance, chose a red earring. The makeup artist smiled, “Perfect, it suits you.”

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Meng Ying smiled. Before leaving, she couldn’t resist pulling out her phone to send a message to Xu Dian.

Meng Ying: “I’ve wrapped up, where are you?”

After sending it, she could almost hear Xu Qian scolding her.

Yet, Xu Dian still hadn’t replied. Meng Ying threw her phone forcefully into her bag. Out of sight, out of mind.

The award ceremony was held in the fashion capital’s venue. There was some traffic, so she arrived late, and many celebrities had already entered. Meng Ying saw Xu Qian ahead of her, dressed in a white gown, giving a slight smile. The two exchanged smiles, but because of their differing statuses, they couldn’t walk together.

Xu Qian went in first, her long white gown swaying gracefully, a sight to behold.

Meng Ying got out of the car.

Flashes of light immediately surrounded her. She smiled gently, walked to the signing area, and then, holding her dress, entered the venue. Staff guided her to her seat. Many people had already taken their seats. Yang Tong was among them, talking to a man. When she saw Meng Ying, she nudged the man.

The man looked up, smiling at her.

Meng Ying’s steps froze.

Xu Dian.

He glanced at her, his eyes briefly scanning her earrings and her cheek, then turned away, listening to Yang Tong continue speaking. He was utterly indifferent, as if he didn’t know her.

At that moment, Meng Ying thought of leaving, but then a low male voice called out to her. She turned her gaze and saw Gu Yan, wearing a black suit, pointing to the seat next to him. “Here.”

She steadied herself, smiled, lifted her dress, and walked over, sitting beside him, on the right side, and just next to Xu Dian on the left. She could smell a faint fragrance coming from Xu Dian.

Gu Yan turned his head and smiled at her, saying, “Last night, the director got drunk and acted crazy, but you left so quickly.”

“Really? Didn’t you take any photos? There was no buzz in the group chat…” Meng Ying found it hard to believe, knowing how serious the director usually was.

“They didn’t allow it.” Gu Yan laughed softly, his eyes scanning her face. Her makeup tonight was especially beautiful, and the earrings were stunning.

Meng Ying smiled and said, “He’s shy.”

“Is he? How do you act when you drink?” Gu Yan asked.

Meng Ying straightened her hair, thinking for a moment. “Uh… one drink and I’m done?”

Gu Yan laughed heartily. “Next time, we’ll see…”

The two continued chatting, while cameras flashed around them, capturing their good atmosphere. Nearby, Yang Tong paused mid-sentence, glancing at the two who were almost leaning into each other, then looked at the man next to her. Xu Dian’s long fingers tapped the armrest lightly. His peach blossom eyes were deep, showing no trace of emotion.

He was eerily calm.

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