Jiang Nan’an knew Yan Jie would attend tonight’s banquet, but hadn’t expected him to appear in the makeup room at this time.
Since it was a formal occasion, Yan Jie had also dressed himself up nicely today, wearing a black turtleneck under a haute couture suit jacket, with his hair slicked back, looking much more mature and steady than usual.
Xiao Sun at the door saw Yan Jie and instinctively ground his molars, his voice sounding like it was squeezed through his teeth:
“Why are you here…?”
“I…” Yan Jie finally came to his senses and laughed dryly:
“Just taking a stroll around.”
Jiang Nan’an’s gaze lingered on Yan Jie for a long time, until Qi Hong called him from the side:
“Jiang baby? Jiang Nan’an! Come here, let me put this brooch on you.”
Only then did Jiang Nan’an snap back to reality and move a step toward Qi Hong.
Qi Hong took out a jewelry box from her bag, removed a butterfly brooch, and was comparing its position on Jiang Nan’an, about to pin it on him when her phone suddenly rang.
Qi Hong answered the call.
Work calls were annoyingly verbose; the little intern couldn’t clearly describe the issue despite taking forever. Qi Hong wanted to properly explain things to the other person, but she was also in a hurry to send Jiang Nan’an to the event venue. Just as she was about to wedge the phone between her shoulder to free her hands for pinning the brooch on Jiang Nan’an, a hand suddenly reached out from beside her:
“Let me do it.”
Qi Hong glanced over; it was Yan Jie.
She had dealt with Yan Jie several times and was fairly familiar with him. Knowing his family background, she trusted his experience and aesthetic sense in these matters, so she said nothing, handed the item to him, and walked aside to continue her phone call.
Yan Jie took the brooch and looked down to examine it.
The butterfly brooch was made entirely of white gold, with wing patterns inlaid with black diamonds, quite matching Jiang Nan’an’s styling today.
After finding the right position, Yan Jie pinned the brooch to the fabric on Jiang Nan’an’s chest, moving very slowly because at such close distance, he couldn’t resist looking into Jiang Nan’an’s eyes.
“I finally understand what it means to be bullied by beauty, Teacher Jiang.”
He spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Jiang Nan’an raised an eyebrow slightly: “Are you complimenting me or insulting me?”
“Complimenting you. Complimenting your beauty.”
As he spoke, he sighed again:
“Once you go out there, you’ll be surrounded by cameras. I really don’t want to let you out for others to see.”
The brooch was secured, and Yan Jie gently rubbed the edge of the metal butterfly wing with his fingertip, while Jiang Nan’an leaned against the chair, looking up to meet his gaze.
-This was the scene Qi Hong saw when she finished her call.
Actually, the two men weren’t standing particularly close, both being men at a normal social distance, and their interaction was just helping with a brooch. But in that moment, a terrifying possibility flashed through her mind like an electric current.
Unfortunately, time was tight, and she had no time, or perhaps no courage, to think about it further.
“Ahem.”
Qi Hong cleared her throat and walked over to pat Jiang Nan’an’s arm:
“Jiang Nan’an, let’s go.”
“Bye-bye.” Yan Jie curved his lips into a smile:
“See you later, Teacher Jiang.”
“Mm.” Jiang Nan’an responded faintly, following beside Qi Hong as they left the makeup room together.
Qi Hong couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Nan’an.
His expression was as normal as ever, but Qi Hong really couldn’t help overthinking, especially with all those messy “sugar-coated” posts she had seen on Weibo before…
“Jiang Nan’an, are you…”
“Hmm?”
Jiang Nan’an raised his eyebrows, looking at her.
Meeting his calm eyes, Qi Hong suddenly couldn’t say anything.
“…Never mind, forget it.”
She sighed, about to drop the subject, when as she shifted her gaze, she happened to glimpse Xiao Sun’s expression.
Xiao Sun was someone who couldn’t hide his thoughts; everything was written on his face. At this moment, he was nervously pressing his lips together, eyes wide, secretly looking at her, and when she looked over, he quickly turned away pretending nothing had happened, a standard guilty look.
Qi Hong narrowed her eyes slightly: “?”
Tonight’s event was divided into two parts: the red carpet and the banquet. The red carpet walk would be livestreamed on video platforms, and Qi Hong and Xiao Sun, as manager and assistant, needed to accompany the artist throughout the entire event.
The theme of this red carpet was “Contrast,” and each artist’s attire stepped out of their style comfort zone. For example, Sheng Yujia, who always had a mature and steady image, had braided dreadlocks today to become a rock boy; sweet and cute Jiang Shanshan had curled big waves and wore red lipstick for a domineering sister vibe; and the super A-list North Star on stage had changed into an elegant white dress.
The stars’ makeup, outfits, and demeanor on the red carpet have always been hot topics among netizens. Tonight’s theme was particularly eye-catching, with the Personality Gala nearly dominating the entertainment hot search list, especially after Jiang Nan’an’s appearance, which contributed three deep red trending topics with the word “explosive” in them.
#Personality Jiang Nan’an#, #Jiang Nan’an Black Butterfly#, #Jiang Nan’an Contrast#…
The livestreaming platform nearly lagged due to the surge in comments when Jiang Nan’an appeared. Fans and casual viewers hadn’t expected that Jiang Nan’an, who rarely attends such events, would give everyone such a big surprise on one of his rare appearances-
The long hair giving off a melancholic artist vibe, the smudged under-eye liner, the butterfly wing cutout shirt… People initially thought the livestream and media’s unedited photos were impressive enough, but the eighteen-grid photoshoot later released by his studio sparked a new round of frenzy.
The brooch and rings he wore were quickly identified in official stores and sold out. Sales of other accessories featuring black butterfly elements also increased several times. At this rate, bloggers would likely start posting makeup tutorials mimicking his look from tomorrow, making this wave of popularity quite considerable, with sustained attention expected to follow.
Qi Hong was very satisfied with the red carpet results, so she temporarily put aside her earlier suspicions and concerns, happily accompanying Jiang Nan’an to the banquet venue.
Before entering, she took out a pair of gold-rimmed glasses from her pocket and handed them to Jiang Nan’an.
This was Jiang Nan’an’s necessary routine before entering social occasions. He was long accustomed to it, so he took the glasses, opened the temples, and placed them on the bridge of his nose.
The seating arrangement for the banquet was officially predetermined. Jiang Nan’an found his seat, but unfortunately, he didn’t encounter any familiar faces around him this time.
Inside the venue, the sounds of people talking and music mixed together. Banquet guests and celebrity artists chatted and took photos together, creating quite a noisy atmosphere.
Jiang Nan’an leisurely ate the small cake in front of him, occasionally glancing in other directions, but didn’t spot Yan Jie. However, other people did come to take photos with him. As an actor, he was quite skilled at this and didn’t refuse.
“Hey, Teacher Jiang!”
With only the last bite of tiramisu remaining, Jiang Nan’an was about to scoop it up with his small spoon and put it in his mouth when he heard someone calling him from the side.
He glanced toward the source of the voice and saw it was Liang Cheng.
Liang Cheng was a popular young actor who had suddenly risen to fame in the past two years. He had quite a proper appearance and sold a puppy-like persona to the public, but in private… Jiang Nan’an didn’t comment on others’ private lives, and his like or dislike of colleagues wasn’t based on such things, only on professional ability.
Jiang Nan’an had collaborated with Liang Cheng not long ago, but that experience wasn’t particularly pleasant, mainly because Liang Cheng’s professional skills were really subpar. Later, they had a small conflict, which turned somewhat ugly.
So, as Jiang Nan’an, he didn’t particularly want to deal with Liang Cheng again, but unfortunately, his current persona was “Gu Qingze.”
“Hello, long time no see.”
Jiang Nan’an nodded to Liang Cheng.
Seeing his reaction, Liang Cheng seemed to secretly breathe a sigh of relief, then quickly smiled at him again, introducing a man in a suit beside him:
“This is Mr. Liu from Qijiang, who has long wanted to meet you. Since we’re all here together, I’ve taken the liberty to help with the introduction. Mr. Liu, this is Teacher Jiang, Jiang Nan’an.”
Qijiang? Jiang Nan’an had heard this name before. It seemed to be a major domestic company with significant influence in both fashion and entertainment circles.
Although Jiang Nan’an didn’t care about the power struggles and resource competitions within the industry, when someone specifically came to introduce themselves, the appropriate social etiquette couldn’t be neglected.
He stood up and extended his hand to Mr. Liu: “Hello.”
Mr. Liu appeared to be in his thirties or forties, with a refined demeanor. He took Jiang Nan’an’s hand: “Hello.”
Jiang Nan’an felt that when Mr. Liu shook his hand, he seemed to deliberately squeeze his fingers.
This gesture made him somewhat uncomfortable, and he unconsciously frowned slightly.
With the introduction complete, Liang Cheng had fulfilled his task and found an excuse to leave first. Mr. Liu, however, didn’t seem to plan on leaving. He just smiled at Jiang Nan’an and engaged him in conversation:
“I’ve wanted to meet Teacher Jiang Nan’an for a long time, but never had the chance. You today… are very attractive.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ve seen your work before; you’re an excellent actor. By the way, you must have heard of our Qijiang, right? Are you interested in collaborating with me?”
“?” Jiang Nan’an didn’t understand what he meant:
“If Mr. Liu is interested in resource collaboration, you can contact my manager. I don’t understand these matters well and can’t make decisions on my own. I’m sorry.”
“That’s not what I meant…” Mr. Liu laughed:
“Collaborating with me, not with our company. Do you understand now? I’ve supported several newcomers before, and they’re all doing quite well now. You might have heard their names. Of course, Teacher Jiang is exceptional, incomparable to them. To be frank, my superior also admires you. If Teacher Jiang is interested, I can even introduce you directly to him. What he has at his disposal goes beyond just the entertainment circle. He also said that if you’re willing, film contracts, fashion resources, endorsements… he can give you the best of everything.”
This was direct enough that Jiang Nan’an could hardly misunderstand.
The unspoken rules of the entertainment industry were something he had heard and seen plenty of, and he was no stranger to them.
“No, thank you.”
Jiang Nan’an raised an eyebrow slightly, thought for a moment, then raised his hand to remove his glasses and hung them on his collar.
“Don’t be so quick to refuse.”
Mr. Liu handed him a business card:
“After the event ends, let’s go out for a drink and get to know each other first? You can first hear what I and that person can offer you, then decide whether to accept or not.”
“There’s no need to get to know each other.” Jiang Nan’an glanced at him, his gaze much colder than before:
“The essence is the same. You want to keep me, be my sugar daddy?”
Mr. Liu hadn’t expected him to be so direct, and was slightly taken aback, but quickly put on a smile again:
“If you find it difficult to accept, you can understand it as a resource exchange. You don’t need to give much, but you can gain a lot. In a place like the entertainment industry, such opportunities are rare. Others might even desperately seek them out.”
“Then go find someone who desperately wants this, go fulfill their dreams.” Jiang Nan’an’s tone was calm but with a sting:
“You, and the ‘person’ you mentioned, along with all your resources, I’m not interested in any of it. My profession is acting, I don’t sell my body.”
Mr. Liu hadn’t expected Jiang Nan’an to be so resistant to this kind of proposition; his attitude before and after discussing this matter was like night and day.
Being rejected so bluntly, Mr. Liu’s face showed signs of embarrassment:
“Teacher Jiang, I approached you with this because I truly admire you. Actually, to put it plainly, in our eyes you’re just a product packaged by the company. If we can’t make a deal, we can still be friends. There’s no need to be so harsh. The power and influence that the person at the top possesses is beyond your imagination. If we wanted to, this product-you-could be taken off the shelf at any time.”
Jiang Nan’an raised an eyebrow slightly, picked up the small spoon from his plate, put the last bite of tiramisu in his mouth, and only after slowly swallowing it did he say:
“I think I’ve been quite mild. If I wanted to embarrass you with my words, I would say that trading money or power for sex violates social morals and ethical standards. I don’t do that. Get lost.”
After speaking, he didn’t look at Mr. Liu’s expression because, by chance, he glanced up and saw Qi Hong in the distance.
Qi Hong’s expression was exaggerated. She didn’t know what had happened here, only seeing that Jiang Nan’an had hung his glasses on his collar while conversing with someone, which was a red-flag, level-one alert behavior in her book.
She pointed at her collar, then at her eyes, and fiercely made a throat-slitting gesture.
“…” Qi Hong’s pressure was a bit strong, so Jiang Nan’an silently put his glasses back on.
“Well. It seems some rumors about you might be true.”
Mr. Liu hadn’t noticed Jiang Nan’an’s actions; all his energy was spent maintaining his composure. So instead of turning and leaving, he continued with a smile:
“Let’s not talk about anything else. At least we can take a photo together, right?”
He had already taken many photos that evening, so one more didn’t matter. Jiang Nan’an pushed up his glasses and agreed to his request.
Mr. Liu then took out his phone from his pocket and handed it to his assistant to help take a photo.
Jiang Nan’an stood beside him waiting for the task to be completed, but the next second, he suddenly felt Mr. Liu’s arm around his waist, forcefully pulling him closer.
Jiang Nan’an frowned, the accumulated disgust suddenly flooding his mind.
Just as he was about to break free, the hand on his waist was removed by another force. He was slightly startled and instinctively looked over to see Yan Jie.
Yan Jie had pulled away Mr. Liu’s wrist, with an expression that made Jiang Nan’an feel somewhat unfamiliar-his entire demeanor cold and dangerous.
“What are you talking about?”
Yan Jie gave a cold laugh, narrowing his eyes at Mr. Liu in a threatening manner:
“You seem so happy, why not chat with me too, hmm?”
#
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
