Chapter 57: The First Time We Met
"Sorry for being late!" The door to the private room was abruptly pushed open, and a dignified middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a suit, strode in. Following him, a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, tall and slender with an oval face, skin as delicate as a baby's, and beautiful single-lidded eyes, entered the room with small steps.
Seeing the girl, Jiang Cheng felt as if his mind had suddenly been stuffed with ignited dynamite and exploded!
Isn't she... Liu Yifei, yes, it's definitely her!
He was absolutely sure, even though she was still young and looked somewhat childish. He would never forget her face and voice!
She was the capricious Bai Xiuzhu in "[The Story of a Noble Family]," the learned Wang Yuyan in "[Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils]," the innocent Zhao Ling'er in "[Chinese Paladin]," and the ethereal Xiao Longnu in "[The Return of the Condor Heroes]."
But what left the deepest impression on Jiang Cheng was the image of her in white from his previous life's last memory!
Yes, she was the person Jiang Cheng had seen on TV just before his death in his previous life, the last image in his memory. Thus, she was deeply engraved in his heart, unforgettable and indelible.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Cheng tried to calm his tumultuously beating heart, but to little effect. His usual composure was thrown to the winds. Seeing her, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but bitterly smile to himself: indeed, she had become an obsession!
After his rebirth, the memories and personalities of Jiang Cheng and Jiang Cheng from the previous life intertwined, becoming inseparable. Generally, Jiang Cheng's personality in this life was more dominant, with memories from the previous life serving as a supplementary role. However, there were two obsessions from the previous life that Jiang Cheng couldn't control.
One was his passion for filmmaking, compelling him to make movies whenever possible, which was why he had daringly bought Apex Studios despite not being fully established. Fortunately, this obsession wasn't too overpowering, as Jiang Cheng also shared it, though not as intensely.
And the other... was her, Liu Yifei! The woman from his previous life's final vision, the woman he swore to marry someone like her in his next life, the woman he could never forget!
He had thought, despite being in the same entertainment industry, the chance of meeting her wouldn't be immediate. By the time they did meet, perhaps his obsession would have waned.
But fate had its own plans, and she appeared before him sooner than expected. Now, Jiang Cheng realized the depth and intensity of his obsession, which made it hard for him to contain himself.
Was this love? It seemed so, yet not entirely.
Jiang Cheng couldn't pinpoint it exactly; all he knew was that he would probably never forget her in this lifetime.
As Jiang Cheng was lost in his complex thoughts, Zhang Ji had already welcomed the new arrivals.
The middle-aged man, wearing a slight smile that lacked any genuine apology, was greeted by Zhang Ji with a similar expression: "No problem, we have just arrived too!"
Zhang Ji then turned to introduce the others: "Mr. Chen, this is the director of the advertisement, Li Wei Ran!"
Jiang Cheng guessed the identity of the man; he must be Chen Jinfei, known as Liu Yifei's godfather.
Zhang Ji introduced Jiang Cheng to Chen, "This is..."
"I am Jiang Cheng, Mr. Chen, nice to meet you!" Jiang Cheng interrupted, extending his hand, seemingly regaining his usual calm demeanor. However, only he knew that his heart was racing, and his behavior was far from normal.
The others were surprised by his initiative. Zhang Ji looked at him curiously, wondering why Jiang Cheng was so proactive. But considering Chen Jinfei's status, Zhang Ji understood. If Chen invested in a few of their Tangren dramas, Jiang Cheng's fame would rise even further. Zhang Ji concluded that even a renowned author like Jiang Cheng had ambitions.
Chen Jinfei, momentarily taken aback, shook Jiang Cheng's hand and responded warmly, "Nice to meet you! I suppose you are the male lead of this advertisement!"
Misunderstanding Jiang Cheng's intentions, Zhang Ji explained, "Yes, Jiang Cheng is the male lead. He's a popular young artist and also a famous author known as 'Bright Moon.' He's published three books so far. Despite his young age, he's very talented!"
"Too kind, Manager Zhang. I'm just a young guy," Jiang Cheng replied modestly.
"Oh, I've read your [Stories About The Ming Dynasty], and I loved it. It's really well written!" Chen Jinfei's smile grew even brighter, though Jiang Cheng noted the ingenuity behind it.
Pretending to be surprised, Jiang Cheng said, "Mr. Chen has read my book?"
"Of course, I've always been interested in history. Your book made me realize history can be so engaging!" Chen replied with an increasingly "sincere" smile.
Jiang Cheng responded with a "flattered" smile: "It seems Mr. Chen is quite knowledgeable in history. How about we discuss it later?"
"I can't, I can't," Chen waved his hands, joking, "I'm like an unshaken full bottle. I can blabber, but I know nothing about the professional stuff. I'd rather not embarrass myself in front of an 'expert' like you."
Everyone laughed at his humorous remark. Jiang Cheng initially meant it as a polite offer but gladly backed off.
After their brief exchange, Zhang Ji introduced, "This is Mr. Chen, a real estate tycoon, and this is Miss Liu Yifei, the female lead of the advertisement!"
Compared to Chen's sophistication, Liu Yifei appeared much more inexperienced. Nevertheless, even at her young age, she was more mature and composed than many of her peers, greeting everyone with poise.
However, what warmed Jiang Cheng's heart was that Liu Yifei's gaze held a hint of excitement and fervor, reminiscent of a fan meeting their idol. Having seen such looks in the eyes of his book fans, he wondered if Liu Yifei was a fan of his writing.
The thought secretly delighted Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng now understood why the script had been changed at the last minute—it was likely due to Liu Yifei replacing the previous female lead. He wondered what Wahaha's intentions were with these sudden changes, which could potentially cause significant issues for the advertisement's production.
Like Jiang Cheng, Liu Yifei had also received a new script from Zhang Ji, hastily revised by Li Wei Ran based on Jiang Cheng's suggestions. Noticing the obvious edits, she looked up, puzzled, at Zhang Ji. Chen also noticed the changes and inquired about them.
Zhang Ji explained, "The original script was already revised by Director Li, but after Jiang Cheng reviewed it, he felt it could be improved. We agreed with his suggestions. This script is freshly revised by Director Li based on Jiang Cheng's ideas. Miss Liu, please familiarize yourself with it for now. We'll provide a fully revised version tomorrow."
Hearing this, Chen looked appreciatively at Jiang Cheng, "What talent, young Jiang!"
Jiang Cheng modestly replied, "Just good at storytelling."
Chen complimented further, "That's quite a talent!"
Jiang Cheng jokingly said, "So, I am the best actor among screenwriters, and the best screenwriter among actors!"
Everyone laughed at his witty comment, unfamiliar with such humorous self-deprecation.
After the laughter, Chen said, "We've caused you some trouble for our Xi Xi's first advertisement shoot. Please order anything you'd like for dinner as a small token of my appreciation."
Before Jiang Cheng and Li Wei Ran could respond, Zhang Ji quickly interjected, "Not at all, Mr. Chen. You're a friend of our chairman. It's a trivial matter!"
Jiang Cheng then realized the sudden change in the female lead and script was due to Chen Jinfei's influence.
Thinking about it, it made sense. Although Wahaha was a giant beverage corporation, Chen Jinfei was also a tycoon of a significant group, on par with Wahaha's chairman. Both being at similar levels and with non-conflicting business interests, their friendship was natural. In the circles of the wealthy, relationships are important, as no one knows when they might fall on hard times.
Chen smiled and turned to Jiang Cheng and Li Wei Ran, "Xi Xi is new to advertisements and lacks experience. Please take care of her."
Both quickly assured, "Of course, we'll do our best!"
Jiang Cheng glanced at Chen and then covertly at Liu Yifei, engrossed in the script. He guessed Chen must dote on Liu Yifei significantly, not just as a godfather-daughter relationship. Otherwise, Chen wouldn't have accompanied her personally, leaving his busy business behind.
In the entertainment industry, having a strong backing is crucial. Most artists come from ordinary or even below-average backgrounds, so their families can't provide much support. Thus, their management companies become their biggest pillar. A good company is an artist's greatest wish; landing in companies like Emperor Entertainment Group or South Korea's S*M is simply bad luck. Jiang Cheng remembered the case of Han Geng in his previous life, who signed a long contract that practically lasted until retirement and couldn't take leaves or breaks even when ill – a truly inhumane situation.
In contrast, Tangren, Jiang Cheng's current company, was much more humane. Jiang Cheng had a good relationship with Tangren's CEO Cai Yining. Cai had forgiven Jiang Cheng for his earlier transgression, showing utmost kindness. If it weren't for Jiang Cheng's aspiration to become a director, he would have been content to stay with Tangren, even though it wasn't a very large company.
Artists like Liu Yifei, who could thrive without signing with a company due to their powerful family background, were rare in the entertainment industry. As for Jiang Cheng, he was unaware that his own family was also influential, but due to circumstances involving Jiang Dejun, he couldn't rely on that power. This, however, is a story for another time.
While Jiang Cheng was engaged in conversation with Chen Jinfei, Li Wei Ran, and Zhang Ji, he was unaware that Liu Yifei, ostensibly reading the script, was also stealing glances at him.
Before coming here, Chen Jinfei had informed her that this opportunity was secured through his connections, replacing another actress for her. She was to co-star with the current "popular young artist" Jiang Cheng, a boy only three years older than her. Liu Yifei, who had lived in the United States with her mother, had little concept of what a "popular artist" meant in China, but she was intrigued by a young boy achieving such success. So, she gathered information about Jiang Cheng and was surprised to discover that he was famous for his writing!
An artist known for writing rather than acting or singing was unusual. Curious, Liu Yifei read Jiang Cheng's works, "[Stories About The Ming Dynasty]" and "[Kunlun]," and was deeply captivated.
Initially skeptical about the claim that Jiang Cheng was "China's J.K. Rowling," she came to agree after reading his books. She became an admirer of Jiang Cheng, especially after reading his latest book, "[Zhu Xian]." She was thoroughly impressed by his creativity and couldn't help but wonder what kind of person "Bright Moon" was to be so talented at such a young age.
Observing Jiang Cheng confidently conversing with the others, without a hint of stage fright and exuding a maturity beyond his years, Liu Yifei felt a string in her heart being gently plucked.
Unbeknownst to each other, they observed one another, each lost in their thoughts. It was unknown if their thoughts were aligned.
If life were only like the first encounter!
As they mingled, Jiang Cheng and Liu Yifei, along with Chen Jinfei and others, discussed various topics, creating a pleasant atmosphere. The unexpected early encounter between Jiang Cheng and Liu Yifei, under such circumstances, added a new and intriguing dimension to their upcoming collaboration.
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