"Those were all fake," Xiao Yanzhi said in a strained voice. "I never told her any stories. That was just a pretext she always used. The cake was bought by Xue An. Most of the things were arranged for others to handle. I rarely bothered myself with them."
Jiang Li listened, finding it utterly ridiculous.
All fake.
But she had seen with her own eyes how tenderly he had treated Qin Yaoyao.
From his expression to his actions, there was nothing but care and consideration.
Yet now he said those were all false.
If those actions were fake, then what reason did she have to believe that everything he was doing for her now was real?
Xiao Yanzhi said in a low voice, "I never had feelings for her."
"How could others know whether you had feelings or not?" Jiang Li pursed her lips tightly and said mockingly, "It's not impossible to develop real feelings during a fake act."
"Li Li, I really didn't..."
"Alright, I don't want to discuss what's real and what's fake with you." Jiang Li calmed down. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and gradually regained her composure. "It's getting late. I'm going to bed."
After saying that, she hung up the phone.
She didn't even bother to say good night to him.
After hanging up, she quickly turned off the bedside lamp and lay down on the bed.
After these few phone calls with Xiao Yanzhi, her emotions had been completely distracted. She had forgotten the sadness caused by the movie's withdrawal. Her eyes felt heavy from crying, and drowsiness gradually crept over her. She soon fell asleep.
Xiao Yanzhi was left speechless.
He stood by the roadside, looking down at his phone, wondering whether he should call her back to comfort her as she had said.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice a silvery - white car stop in front of him.
A woman got out of the car. Her high - heels clicked steadily and gracefully as she walked up to him. Her voice was gentle and soft. "A Yan, good evening."
Xiao Yanzhi was feeling impatient and his face was cold. Seeing Yu Wan only annoyed him more. He stuffed his phone into his pocket and said indifferently, "What do you want?"
"I heard from the people in the company that there was a problem with a movie that Jiang Yu had invested in before. You've been very troubled by it. You even specially invited the director to discuss solutions today."
Yu Wan tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling. Her tone was also very proper. "If there's anything I can do to help, just tell me."
Xiao Yanzhi glanced at her.
The atmosphere was a bit tense, but Yu Wan still smiled calmly.
Xiao Yanzhi remained expressionless. He casually looked across the road and then sized her up from head to toe. Then he curled his lips and said, "Go buy me a pack of cigarettes."
His tone was no different from when he gave orders to his subordinates.
Yu Wan was stunned for a moment but quickly recovered. She said with a smile, "Okay. Wait for me to come back."
After saying that, she walked towards the convenience store across the road and bought the brand of cigarettes he usually smoked.
When she came out of the store, she looked up. The roadside across was empty. There was no sign of Xiao Yanzhi.
Xiao Yanzhi's emotions had been unpredictable a few years ago, and now, a few years later, he seemed even more difficult to understand.
Something must have happened during these years, Yu Wan thought.
---
For Xiao Yanzhi, money was not an issue when it came to dealing with the movie's release. The problem was finding the right breakthrough point.
If they chose to release the movie overseas, they would have to consider the local religion, cultural beliefs, and the understanding of concepts, which would completely affect the movie's reputation.
Moreover, the overseas circle was different from the domestic one. Ying Chengqi hardly had any acquaintances there. It was even more difficult to find a way to open up the market. They could only bite the bullet and try.
But this was a rare opportunity for the movie to be released again, and he was more concerned about it than anyone else.
At the same time, Xiao Yanzhi also arranged for Xue An to look for suitable partners to see if they could find a reliable distributor as soon as possible.
"Xiao, have you encountered some difficulties recently?" At the dinner table, Shang Zewen raised his glass and got straight to the point.
Xiao Yanzhi nodded. He flicked the ash off his cigarette and said casually, "A movie was rejected by the domestic review committee. I'm planning to find another way to get it released smoothly."
"To please your little lover?" Shang Zewen smiled enigmatically. His eyes seemed to have seen through some secrets.
It was obvious that Xiao Yanzhi cared a great deal about Jiang Li.
Xiao Yanzhi frowned. "Yes, she's the lead actress of the movie."
"No wonder," Shang Zewen said with a laugh after getting a positive answer. He raised his glass and drained it in one gulp. He teased, "She's really beautiful. It's worth spending a fortune on her."
This way of measuring a person's value based on a woman's appearance annoyed Xiao Yanzhi. He squinted his eyes slightly and took a sip of his wine calmly.
"However," Shang Zewen paused and deliberately dragged out his tone, "spending so much money just to make a beauty smile isn't really a good deal."
"It's a good deal if I can make her smile," Xiao Yanzhi looked back at him calmly. He didn't beat around the bush. "Do you have any suitable distributors to recommend?"
Shang Zewen couldn't have come to him for no reason.
They were all businessmen. They all knew the hidden motives in each other's minds.
They could play and have fun on normal days, but when it came to making money, they would all come around at the slightest sign of profit.
Sure enough, he curled his lips. "Xiao, do you know what I do in France?"
Xiao Yanzhi said, "I'd like to hear more."
Shang Zewen shrugged and said cheerfully, "I told you before that I'm in the art field. It's easy for me to know some distributors in my daily life."
Xiao Yanzhi wasn't surprised. His eyes were still clear, and his aura was noble and intimidating. His gaze fell on Shang Zewen. "Then tell me your conditions."
"My friends are quite expensive," Shang Zewen took a puff of his cigar.
Xiao Yanzhi said, "It doesn't matter. I'm ready to pay."
Hearing this, Shang Zewen laughed uncontrollably. "Xiao, are you serious? You're going to accept all the conditions?"
"I'll accept all of them," he said sparingly, simply expressing his attitude.
The more Shang Zewen looked at him, the more he found it funny. He murmured to himself, "Xiao, with this money, you could keep ten women like Jiang Li. Do you understand?"
"It's getting late," Xiao Yanzhi fastened his cufflinks. He was losing patience. "I'll take my leave first."
"Hey—" Seeing him really stand up, Shang Zewen called out to him, "Xiao, the Chinese people value implicit beauty. Why are you so straightforward? It's not fun at all."
Xiao Yanzhi sat back down on his chair and looked at him leisurely. "I don't like to be too implicit when it comes to business."
Seeing that Xiao Yanzhi was losing patience, Shang Zewen decided not to push it too far. He held up five fingers and waved them. "Fifty million. I'll help you smooth out the relationships, do the public relations, and ensure that the movie can be released smoothly in France."
After thinking for a while, he added, "But I still need to evaluate the commercial value of this movie in advance. You have to let me watch the movie first."
Xiao Yanzhi nodded slightly. "Deal."