Xiao Yanzhi heard clearly. Did Chen Siqi just shout “our Lili”?
Good.
Xiao Yanzhi didn't say a word, and his expression remained unchanged, but the aura around him inexplicably turned cold.
“How have you been lately? Is your work tiring? These days—”
“Chen Siqi.” Jiang Li called out to him, interrupting his impulse to continue chatting. “I'm a bit busy now. Let's not catch up for the time being.”
Saying so, she subtly tugged at Berry's arm.
Berry was a woman who had seen the world of fame and fortune. Sensing the change in Jiang Li's expression beside her, she immediately found an excuse and led Jiang Li away quickly.
When they reached a less crowded place, Berry whispered, “Aren't you and General Manager Chen...?”
“I had no choice,” Jiang Li sighed and forced a smile helplessly. “We're a forced-on-screen couple. We should 'break up' by the end of this month.”
After hearing these words, Berry immediately understood and couldn't help but look at her pityingly. “Being a celebrity is really hard. You can't afford to offend any capital.”
Jiang Li turned her face away, pursed her lips, and smiled helplessly. “Yes, you can't afford to offend anyone.”
How much was a celebrity like her worth? In this industry, how much weight did her words carry?
That's how it was in this circle. Who became famous, who shot to stardom overnight, and who faded into obscurity.
In this game, they were the competing participants, while the powerful and influential were all onlookers, commenting on the game with ease and grace.
They had no right to protest. They could only strive to perform well in this game and let these onlookers pay happily.
Berry led Jiang Li to walk back and forth in the hall. Her hand holding the wine glass never dropped, and the arc of her lips remained upturned as always.
She was like a spinning doll in a music box, seemingly never getting tired.
Jiang Li's long dress trailed behind her. Her eyes held a unique charm and coldness, making people yearn for her but also hold back.
Chen Siqi stood in the distance and didn't come closer again, but his eyes never left Jiang Li for a moment.
Just then, a tall figure blocked his sight, obscuring the woman's charming figure. “General Manager Chen, long time no see.”
Xiao Yanzhi stood in front of Chen Siqi. There was a faint smile on his lips, but his posture was still haughty. “Rare for General Manager Chen to travel all the way here to support the artists under my company. You're so kind.”
“General Manager Xiao is being polite. After all, Lili is my...”
Xiao Yanzhi suddenly interrupted, “One month is long enough, and the heat of the public opinion is almost over. I hope General Manager Chen will fulfill the agreement soon.”
With just a few words, there was already a strong sense of oppression.
Xiao Yanzhi was forcing Chen Siqi to draw a clear line from Jiang Li as soon as possible and stop swaggering around under the identity of a couple.
The lights in the grand banquet hall were very bright, but they illuminated the faces of the two men very sternly, each with their own aura.
Noticing that someone was looking in their direction, Xiao Yanzhi lifted his chin nonchalantly. “Shall we talk next door?”
Next to the hall were several small meeting boxes, specially provided for bosses or investors to do business. The facilities were very complete.
The two casually found a box and went in.
Xiao Yanzhi skillfully took out a cigarette, pinched the cigarette tube with his fingers, and said calmly, “Boss Chen, it's better for both of us if I make some things clear.”
“I'd like to hear more.”
“Jiang Li has only met Sheng Shuocheng once.”
Xiao Yanzhi flicked the ash. “Moreover, the favor between them has been repaid. You don't need to waste your effort anymore. She can't bring you anything.”
Hearing this, Chen Siqi just smiled. “If that's really the case, then why is General Manager Xiao still holding on to her?”
“Or rather, does General Manager Xiao really plan to marry her home and protect her everywhere?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yanzhi sneered and said in an extremely indifferent and contemptuous tone, “There's no tradition in the Xiao family of marrying a celebrity. I'm not going to fall out with my family for her. It's not worth it.”
“I'm protecting her because she's very valuable now.”
Xiao Yanzhi said casually, “Do you know how much the endorsement fee for Vitaly's one-year endorsement this time is?”
Just then, Jiang Li came out looking for the toilet. Seeing the door of this box half-closed and hearing Xiao Yanzhi's voice, she curiously took two steps closer.
So she heard all his words clearly. Her palms curled unconsciously.
She stood there for a few seconds, then lowered her head and self-deprecatingly twitched her lips. Looking up, she saw Berry waving to her not far away. She collected her emotions and walked quickly towards her.
The conversation in the box continued.
“I guessed so,” Chen Siqi said with a meaningful look in his eyes. “Then I'll pursue her openly. You shouldn't have any objections, right?”
“There's no such rule in the Chen family, and Jiang Li is really beautiful.”
Chen Siqi paused slightly. “Anyway, she's going to terminate her contract with Jiang Entertainment this year. After that, General Manager Xiao shouldn't interfere too much in her life, right?”
There was an obvious hint of probing in this sentence.
Xiao Yanzhi had finished smoking his cigarette. He snuffed it out and said indifferently, not caring at all, “After terminating the contract, she has nothing to do with Jiang Entertainment.”
“I won't have any relationship with her either. It's up to General Manager Chen's preference.”
...
Vitaly's centenary celebration was very grand. Not only did the brand boss attend, but all previous designers were also invited to the scene to express their feelings and blessings.
Jiang Li stood in the most prominent position. Her smile was perfect from beginning to end. Even the people who took the stage to speak couldn't help but take a few more glances at her and praised her as the most perfect spokesperson in Vitaly's history.
She just smiled without saying a word, covered her chest with her hand, and bowed to express her gratitude.
Polite yet proud, everything was just right, making people couldn't help but be amazed and at the same time respect her.
The celebration dinner lasted for almost four and a half hours. By the time it was almost over, it was already eleven o'clock at night.
As the organizer's words of thanks ended, the people in the hall began to leave the venue one after another.
Jingyi had already gone downstairs to find a car first. Jiang Li held her phone and waited for her to report the parking location so that she could go to the corresponding place.
A few minutes later, the phone rang.
As soon as Jiang Li answered, Jingyi's voice came over anxiously. “Sister Jiang Li, something's wrong.”
Jiang Li's breath caught. “What's wrong?”
“There's a young man causing trouble downstairs in the hotel. He says he's your younger brother and that you abandoned your relatives and only got resources by sleeping with rich people...”
Jingyi didn't finish her sentence. There were still noisy roars of a man in the background of the receiver. “Jiang Li is really a cheap bitch! She looks glamorous on the surface, but in fact, she's a slut ridden by everyone!”
The voice in the receiver was very clear and directly penetrated into Jiang Li's eardrums.