ISWMQ – Chapter 144

Chu Siyue returned to the company, her face full of doubt.

The staff who had been waiting for a long time took two steps forward, their minds fraught with worry.

Chu Siyue knew what they were waiting for. She held a short meeting and briefly explained the upcoming arrangements.

“For now, let it ferment. Don’t do anything about it. The PR team can follow up and control the direction of public opinion, just don’t let it go too far. Rong Guang has an awards ceremony to attend the day after tomorrow. Eight nominations, and it’s estimated she’ll win at least two awards. Get ready. We’ll strike after this blows over.” Chu Siyue thought for a moment and added, “Let me review the PR drafts this time. Also, these two are absolute ancestors. Be careful with them and handle them with kid gloves.”

The people below nodded timidly.

As Chu Siyue spoke, she started to laugh to herself.

In previous years, Chu Feiliang had been relentlessly keeping a low profile, like a puppet on the verge of decay. She often ignored the outside world, didn’t appear on variety shows, and didn’t accept any judging roles or unnecessary advertising offers, truly embodying the mystique of an actress to the fullest.

In the last two years, she had become a bit more lively.

Especially after meeting Rong Guang, her mental age seemed to be regressing to below three years old.

It was a good thing, though.

On the day of the Mid-Year Music Festival, Rong Guang woke up especially early.

Chu Feiliang followed her around in circles, a sour expression on her face. “What kind of stupid festival has to be held at night? Are they all planning to stay up all night? And they say it’ll be over in four hours. If you go at seven, it’ll be a miracle if you’re back by two in the morning.”

After speaking, Chu Feiliang forcefully stuffed a wool coat into Rong Guang’s suitcase.

Rong Guang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. “Sister, it’s not that cold right now.”

“Bring it anyway.” Chu Feiliang looked listless. Seemingly tired from sitting, she simply plopped down on the floor, looked up at her, and said resentfully, “Do you really have to go for three days?”

“The travel time is long,” Rong Guang said simply. “The round-trip flights will take a day. There’s no way to shorten it, and there are a lot of interviews afterward.”

Chu Feiliang rubbed her face and said, “Fine.”

As Rong Guang was about to board the plane, Chu Feiliang watched her from the car and said with a very serious expression, “It’s not convenient for me to go to the Music Festival. Next time, for the National Drama Festival, we’ll go together.”

A wave of excitement washed over Rong Guang.

Chu Feiliang was also aware of the quality of The Eldest Princess, which was why she said such a thing.

She nodded and looked at Chu Feiliang. “Okay!”

Rong Guang turned to get on the plane, but her hand was grabbed from behind.

The moment she turned back, she felt her face being cupped in an instant, and in the next second, a hand wrapped around her waist.

She subconsciously lifted her head, meeting Chu Feiliang, who was leaning down to kiss her.

Rong Guang blinked.

But Chu Feiliang gave a brief, light bite before pulling back, smiling as she said, “Teacher Rong, come back early. I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

“Okay.” Rong Guang blushed from her eyes all the way down to her neck.

The Mid-Year Music Festival didn’t actually have any major awards. Rong Guang had many nominations, but most were for the NO.1 group.

The team was supposed to reunite, but this time, one person was missing.

Tang Shi, knowing nothing, kept looking around after they reached their seats, saying, “I haven’t been able to contact Yi Chun these past few days. Her assistant just said she’s busy with work. Where is she?”

Rong Guang gave a brief smile but said nothing.

It was Duan Nong beside her who couldn’t hold back. “She’s just an ungrateful wolf. Don’t mention her. Rong Guang, are you really okay recently? Do you need help?”

As she spoke, Duan Nong’s floodgates opened, and she chattered on, “Is Chu Siyue’s company any good? This thing has been fermenting for two days. Those people online are one step away from hanging a sign on your door calling you a third party. Did you see that group of people in front? They’re talking about you, still looking!”

Furious, Duan Nong stood up from her chair with wide eyes.

The few artists in front who kept turning their heads all awkwardly retracted their heads.

Rong Guang, at a loss whether to laugh or cry, pulled Duan Nong back down, smiling as she said, “There are cameras everywhere, four cameras per person. Are you trying to get famous?”

“Do I need to rely on this to get famous?” Duan Nong scoffed. “The production team wouldn’t actually broadcast this part. It’s a proper awards ceremony, after all. If this video got out, with good management, I could ride a wave of popularity for being ‘blunt.’ Are they stupid enough to pave the way for me? We’re getting off-topic, we were talking about you!”

“There are other arrangements,” Rong Guang said with a smile.

Only then did Tang Shi finally find a gap to ask, “What on earth happened? What’s wrong with Yi Chun?”

Among the four of them, Yi Chun was the only one with a fresh and pure image. The team had previously branded her as a cute, forest-type fairy maiden, detached from worldly competition.

Duan Nong had always been indifferent towards Yi Chun. Yi Chun had made a habit of fawning over her, and since the group was always a single entity, she had always brought her along back then.

Among the four, Rong Guang was the solid dance lead and captain, Tang Shi was a talented and upright singer-songwriter, and she herself was at least a proper visual with a likable personality, which was how she fought her way out from so many people. Only Yi Chun’s presence was relatively weak, and she never had much of an advantage.

But none of the three had ever imagined that after switching companies, Yi Chun would choose to climb up by slinging mud at Rong Guang.

“What’s in it for her?” After hearing everything, Tang Shi was stunned.

“If we’re both moving into the film and television industry, Yi Chun and I are on a collision course,” Rong Guang said with a light laugh. “It’s understandable that her company would do this. No one wants to eat someone else’s leftovers forever. If Yi Chun wants to get acting roles under the NO.1 name, she has to push me out first.”

Tang Shi pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, not quite able to understand all this.

Her current company had been introduced to her by Rong Guang.

The boss loved music, and although he couldn’t escape the merchant’s instinct to chase profits, he still took care of the people under him. Tang Shi had talent and looks. With some serious packaging, she would definitely not be a loss. Moreover, her songs were widely sung, and her target audience was young people with significant spending power, so her situation at the new company had always been very good.

Therefore, she couldn’t understand at all why Yi Chun would turn against them.

“Let’s not talk about this,” Rong Guang turned her head and said to Tang Shi, “The three of us have quite a few individual nominations too. If, and I’m just saying if, any of us actually wins an award, be careful during the interviews afterward. Don’t let anything slip. Regarding her, just say there was a work conflict. You don’t need to worry about my side either; the company will help me resolve it.”

Tang Shi nodded.

Duan Nong still wanted to shout something, but the host on stage had already started the announcements, giving her no more chance to speak.

In the end, Rong Guang won four awards: one team award and three individual awards.

These awards undoubtedly added another layer of gold to her prestige.

During the post-ceremony interview, the host turned out to be someone she knew and was relatively familiar with, a woman named Feng Mi. Her hosting style had always been gentle and considerate. Rong Guang had a rough idea of what to expect, so she wasn’t flustered as she sat in the interview room.

Seeing that Rong Guang was seated, Feng Mi smiled and said, “This is a live broadcast, you know. The number of online viewers has already broken… wow, forty million. Guangguang, you’d better think carefully.”

Rong Guang chuckled and nodded, not even looking at the bullet comments below, and said calmly, “Go ahead and ask.”

“So calm.” Feng Mi laughed and said, “This time, including the award for NO.1 as a whole, you’ve won four awards. Is there anything you’d like to say to everyone?”

“Not much.” Rong Guang tilted her head and uttered a phrase she had said back when she debuted: “Well-deserved and a fitting honor.”

As expected, the bullet comments started scrolling frantically again.

Even without looking, Feng Mi had a good idea of what was being said, but the smile on her face grew wider. She and Rong Guang knew each other from before, and she understood her well enough to know that what Rong Guang said was true.

It was indeed well-deserved, and it was indeed a fitting honor.

She paused, then said with a smile, “You’re still so confident. In that case, I won’t be polite. Do you know what I’m going to ask next?”

Rong Guang smiled.

She glanced at the cameras in the interview room, thought for a moment, and said, “Can I see the audience’s bullet comments?”

Feng Mi glanced over. After Rong Guang said this, the bullet comments grew even more frantic. Each one barely stayed on screen for a second, the refresh rate seemingly on double speed.

Rong Guang clicked and looked at a few.

【Got the guts to respond?】

【Someone shameless enough to be a third party is shameless enough to accept an award on stage.】

【The entertainment industry is full of people like this, it’s doomed.】

Feng Mi pursed her lips, her expression turning a little sour.

Any artist had probably seen these kinds of attacks. But when you saw them directed at others, you could still laugh it off, since the sorrows and joys of human beings are not interconnected.

But once you’ve experienced it yourself, you can never truly remain detached; it always feels heart-wrenching.

She looked at Rong Guang, only to see the young woman looking relaxed, with a smile even playing at the corners of her eyes, as she said something to the staff beside her.

Feng Mi’s eye twitched as she heard Rong Guang ask a staff member to give her her phone.

After getting her phone, Rong Guang turned back, faced the camera directly, cleared her throat, and said, “Didn’t you want a response?”

The bullet comments continued to fly by frantically, leaving almost no room for Feng Mi to interject.

Rong Guang had taken complete control of the situation.

She was used to typing with Pinyin nine-key, her thumb tapping continuously on the screen. After a moment, she said without looking up, “I’m managing my own Weibo now. My company has also given me the greatest degree of freedom. I am responsible for everything I say. Now, you can see.”

Feng Mi couldn’t help but look at the large screen in the interview room. Displayed on it was Rong Guang’s Weibo page.

She had published a post one minute ago.

Rong Guang:

No third party, no husband, and no ex.

You got the wrong gossip, let me correct it.

This is my actual partner, not the rumored kind. The idol I chased for years and finally got for real not long ago @Chu Feiliang

Thanks to the great matchmaker @Zhang Nanchuan for setting us up.

Lastly, my girlfriend isn’t pregnant, she’s just happily plump.

Rong Guang put her phone away and gave the camera a brilliant smile. “Did you all see that?”

Feng Mi’s mouth fell open, not knowing how to salvage the situation.

But then, Rong Guang’s tone shifted, losing its earlier crispness and flamboyance, becoming soft, sweet, and obedient. Clutching the microphone in her hand, she said to the camera in a gentle voice, “Sister, did you see that?”

Feng Mi was stunned.

Then, she saw several large words appear on the interview room director’s whiteboard: You can stop! The hot search has exploded!