Chapter 100: The Event

"What are you saying?" Gao Xiang hadn't caught Song Wan's muttering and couldn't help asking.

Song Wan simply shook her head. No way—it was just a bit of jealousy, no need to make it public knowledge, right?

That said, her resistance to the promotional arrangements had faded considerably. If you want something, you have to pay for it. Nothing ever falls from the sky for free—and if it does, it's bound to be a trap meant to lull you into complacency.

Gao Xiang smiled. She always appreciated how quick Song Wan was on the uptake.

"If you don't want to attend these events you think are pointless, then climb higher as fast as you can." Gao Xiang's eyes held the clarity of someone who had seen through the ways of the world. "When you're strong enough, no one will dare force you. Even if you treat your work as charity, others won't fault you—they'll only see it as a blessing."

The entertainment industry was, after all, the most realistic world imaginable. Aside from a rare few, everyone had to abide by the unspoken rule that fame trumped all.

Song Wan knew this better than anyone. The entirety of her previous life had been the truest testament to that rule.

If before, Song Wan had only wanted to climb high enough to make Tang Su taste the bitterness she herself had once endured, and to keep herself from being trampled, then in this moment, she understood with absolute clarity that to live comfortably in this circle, being merely popular—merely more popular than Tang Su—was far from enough.

Song Wan sighed. "I understand."

Gao Xiang chuckled. Seizing the moment when Song Wan sighed, she reached out and ruffled her hair hard. "Tsk, I've had my eye on this hair forever. Finally got to touch it."

Song Wan shot Gao Xiang a fierce glare, then burst out laughing.

"Don't worry, Sister Gao. I know what I'm doing."

"Since you know what you're doing, then sweetheart, shouldn't we get going? We're running out of time."

"Let's go."

Song Wan rose, grabbed her handbag, and headed for the door. Fortunately, her luggage had already been loaded into the car by her assistant and driver beforehand; Song Wan and Gao Xiang just needed to head down.

-

Song Wan's first promotional stop was in S City.

By the time Song Wan arrived, she found Hua Yu already backstage. At the awards ceremony earlier, Song Wan had been disappointed not to run into Hua Yu—who knew they'd meet at the very first stop of this promotional tour?

Hua Yu was sitting with her eyes closed, having her makeup done. When she heard footsteps, she opened her eyes.

"Song Wan, what took you so long?" Hua Yu looked at her with delight, the corners of her mouth lifting involuntarily.

Song Wan was infected by her smile and couldn't help beaming back. "This is my first time at a movie promotional event. When I first saw the packed schedule, I was completely stunned. By the time I snapped out of it and got to the airport, I realized I'd already missed our booked flight."

Hua Yu stared at Song Wan, utterly speechless.

Song Wan felt a little embarrassed and scratched her cheek. "But luckily, Sister Gao managed to get us on the latest flight, or I might have been late."

Hua Yu rolled her eyes. "We shot together for so long—how did I never notice you were this adorably clueless?"

Scared stiff by a schedule? Other people would kill for an itinerary like that.

Song Wan sighed, feeling acutely that she still had too little experience. "Over ten cities back to back, barely any rest time packed in... I've never had anything like this before."

She had thought her previous life, shuttling between sets, was busy enough—little did she realize that these seemingly glamorous stars were even busier. She supposed every industry had its own unspoken hardships.

Hua Yu thought about it. True enough—Song Wan was still a brand-new newcomer, and "Splendid Dream" was only her second production.

And yet, before even her second drama had aired, Song Wan's popularity had already overtaken hers—Hua Yu, a "veteran" who had clawed her way through the entertainment industry for years. She had to admit, it stung a little.

Fortunately, she had a good mindset and adjusted quickly.

"You..." Hua Yu sighed. "You'll get used to it eventually. 'Splendid Dream' is just the beginning for you."

Song Wan nodded. "That's what Sister Gao said too."

She took the seat beside Hua Yu and let Zhou Zhou do her makeup. Hua Yu fell silent as well, not daring to talk and break her concentration.

The promotional event was about to start—today, absolutely nothing could go wrong.

-

"Please welcome the two leads of 'Splendid Dream,' Hua Yu... and Song Wan!"

The moment the host finished speaking, Hua Yu walked out onto the stage holding Song Wan's hand.

"Hello everyone, I'm Hua Yu, who plays Liu Wan." Hua Yu spoke first.

Song Wan took the microphone with poise. "Hello everyone, I'm Song Wan, who plays Liu Ya."

...

Because "Splendid Dream" was set to release on May fifteenth, the promotional schedule was tight, meaning not every lead could attend every event.

The S City stop was handled by Hua Yu and Song Wan.

Li Yang, the director, and the second male lead, meanwhile, were at another promotional city.

Fortunately, the fans were used to this style of promotion and were all understanding, without a hint of complaint.

But even though the others weren't present, the host couldn't just ask about Hua Yu and Song Wan's roles. After covering Liu Ya and Liu Wan, he promptly turned the topic to Qi Yang, the character played by Li Yang.

"Now we all know that Liu Ya is a breathtakingly beautiful woman who, though ruthless, is someone you can't help but pity. We also know Liu Wan is a gentle, refined lady who carries the world in her heart." The host smiled, his gaze landing on Song Wan. "So, Song Wan, can you tell us what kind of character the male lead Qi Yang is? Dominant? Handsome? Brilliant? Or gentle as polished jade?"

Song Wan was momentarily taken aback, then quickly turned to Hua Yu. "Brother Deng, how can you ask me that? I didn't have much interaction with Qi Yang in the film—how would I know him well? You should be asking Qi Yang's dear childhood sweetheart Liu Wan that. Right, Sister Yu?"

Song Wan grinned and nudged Hua Yu, as if she hadn't noticed the trap the host had dug for her.

But the fans weren't stupid. Even if they didn't live in the entertainment world, the host's trap was so obvious—how could they not see it?

Immediately, both Song Wan's and Hua Yu's fans started making a ruckus.

Fortunately, they remembered they were at a promotional event for a film starring both actresses, so they restrained themselves. They kept their voices to a level that, while boisterous, wouldn't disrupt the interview on stage.

But the looks they shot the host were daggers, as if they wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.

Other fans, seeing this, gained a newfound fondness for both fanbases. Conversely, the way they looked at the host who was inexplicably stirring up trouble was far from kind.

Hua Yu narrowed her eyes, giving the host an unfriendly look. "Yeah, what's going on with you, Brother Deng? I'm the one who's Qi Yang's wife, and you're asking Liu Ya? Are you asking Liu Ya to tell you that Qi Yang's a fool who gets played like a fiddle? Or that he's an idiot who locks himself in his own iron chains?"

The host gave an awkward chuckle, realizing his question had offended both women at once. He quickly scrambled to patch things up. "Why would you say that about the male lead? Isn't the male lead usually the one playing everyone else like a fiddle? Is our film not following the usual formula?"

Hua Yu smiled, curling her lips. "We still follow the formula somewhat—the male lead is smart, after all."

The host's forehead began to bead with cold sweat, his smile barely holding. "Then why did you say something different before, Sister Yu?"

His heart lurched at his own question, terrified that Hua Yu might just reply, "When the movie comes out, go to the theater and you'll find out." That line would have been fine normally, but when everyone with eyes could see Hua Yu was displeased with him, answering that way might get him a sack over the head from the fans.

—It wouldn't literally come to that, of course, but having offended both Song Wan and Hua Yu at once, his hosting career was probably over anyway.

At this point, he no longer cared about the instructions he'd been given to make things difficult for Song Wan. He looked at Hua Yu with pleading eyes.

Both fanbases were staring intently at Hua Yu as well. How they would react next depended entirely on her answer.

Song Wan tugged at Hua Yu's skirt and shook her head.

As obvious as it was that the host was targeting her, today was, after all, a promotional event for the film—it couldn't be ruined.

Hua Yu raised an eyebrow, her gaze saying, "Do you really think I need your reminder?"

She turned her head and swept a cool glance over the host before answering seriously. "Because..." She dragged the word out deliberately, waiting until the host's face had turned green before graciously continuing, "Even though the male lead is a brilliant and resourceful strategist, Liu Ya the villain is clearly even smarter. So he ends up being toyed with in the palm of her hand."

She looked at the fans and smiled again. "You have no idea—when I first got the script, I really, really wanted to play Liu Ya. But you know my manager—she's a control freak who micromanages everything. She never even asked what I wanted, just went ahead and signed the contract for the female lead."

Song Wan chimed in from the side. "I know about this. I actually asked Sister Yu's manager about it later. And you want to know what the manager said?"

Hua Yu shoved Song Wan. "No sharing my embarrassing stories!"

Song Wan winked playfully at the audience. "Do you want to know Sister Yu's embarrassing story?"

"Yes—"

A thunderous roar erupted from the crowd.

Song Wan burst into laughter. "Because the manager said, 'With a figure like yours, you want to play Liu Ya? Liu Ya crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood—she'd be rail-thin. And you?'"

Song Wan mimicked Hua Yu's manager's tone and mannerisms perfectly. Hua Yu's fans, who knew the manager well, howled with laughter.

Hua Yu immediately took offense. "What about me? Am I not skinny? I'm one sixty-five centimeters tall and weigh only a hundred pounds! Tell me, am I fat?"

"Not fat—"

Song Wan delivered the killing blow. "But your chest is a sight to behold!"

Hua Yu's face instantly turned green.

The fans looked at her—weren't they right? Hua Yu's bust was the infamous 36E that the whole industry knew about. There was no way a spy who'd suffered since childhood would have grown those.

In an instant, laughter erupted like a tidal wave from the audience.

"Hahahahaha..."

Hua Yu flushed with a mix of embarrassment and indignation, shoving Song Wan away. "And you're one to talk? Are yours any smaller than mine?"

Song Wan widened her eyes, then said with a perfectly straight face, "Mine should fall within the normal range for a human being."

The fans burst into laughter again. Hua Yu's expression twisted, and she let out a cold snort, turning her head away from Song Wan.

Seeing this, Song Wan quickly begged for mercy. "Sister Yu, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have exposed your sore spot. Even if your bust is unmatched by anyone, I shouldn't have said it in front of everyone."

Hua Yu was absolutely furious.

The fans, however, were doubled over in laughter at Song Wan's apology—which was ostensibly an apology but actually stabbed Hua Yu in the back a second time.

Only the host sat off to the side, awkward and miserable, on the verge of tears.

-

"So, are you getting used to it?" After the event ended, Hua Yu turned to ask Song Wan. "I saw that your fans are very enthusiastic. You weren't scared off by them again, were you?"

Song Wan shook her head with a smile. "Sister Yu, where is your mind going? How could I be afraid of my own fans?"

But thinking back to the scene just now, Song Wan couldn't help smiling to herself. Her fans really were passionate—she'd nearly been overwhelmed several times.

Hua Yu laughed along. "I didn't expect you to have more female fans than male ones, though. Usually, female celebrities have mostly male fans."

Song Wan was taken aback. "I suppose that's true."

There must have been close to a hundred fans at the venue today, but what stuck in Song Wan's mind most vividly was the crowd of girls cheering without pause...

"Hahaha..." Hua Yu covered her mouth, laughing hard. "Your fans really are something else."

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