Shang Zewen looked at Jiang Li without any reservation, boldly sizing her up.
When Jiang Li left the drama troupe today, she had removed her stage makeup in advance. Without the makeup, her features appeared even more delicate and charming. Her relaxed and lazy demeanor exuded a natural beauty.
This kind of beauty that came from within, untouched by adornments, was the most captivating. His eyes gradually turned greedy.
Jiang Li was no naive rookie in the society. She could clearly see the man's intentions.
Having been in this industry for a long time, being able to read people's expressions was a necessary skill, especially when it came to the implicit hints in the looks and words of the opposite sex. It was a compulsory lesson she had to learn.
She was especially good at dealing with such situations and always handled them with ease.
When she was a celebrity before, she had to be careful not to give others a chance to misinterpret her actions and use them for negative publicity. But now, without such concerns, she was not afraid at all. "Sometimes, men are more petty than women."
"That depends on the field," Shang Zewen said with a smile, trying to touch Jiang Li's hand under the dim light.
But she had already seen through his intention and dodged by picking up her wine glass. She flashed a bright smile without showing any sign of uneasiness. "In any field, men always care about gains and losses."
"For example, aren't you here to get something from me, which is why you invited me for drinks?"
By directly exposing their unspoken understanding, it was obvious that she didn't want to have any entanglement with him. So she didn't even bother to beat around the bush. "The copyright fee for the script has already been paid. If you want more, Mr. Shang, I'm afraid it's out of the scope of our cooperation."
Her words were blunt. Shang Zewen squinted his eyes slightly, not satisfied with her response. "Baby, on the streets of France, there are no women as unromantic as you. Especially those who have accepted an invitation and are sitting in a bar. You shouldn't be so straightforward. It'll ruin the sense of mystery."
What he meant was that she shouldn't spoil the fun.
"Unfortunately, Mr. Shang, this is China," Jiang Li said with a smile, the corners of her lips curving gracefully. "Moreover, in any country, there is no convention that a woman's mere acceptance of a man's invitation for drinks means she's okay with him getting more intimate."
"Women should be respected and, just like men, have the right to choose and make decisions."
Jiang Li remained calm. "Besides, I'm the one treating today. I paid the bill just now, Mr. Shang."
Her eyes were full of meaning, and her aura was as imposing as a man's, making people feel in awe.
Although neither of them said anything more explicit, the atmosphere became sharper than before. In an instant, she seemed to have shown all her thorns, not allowing anyone to get closer.
Shang Zewen looked at her for a few seconds. After only two seconds of hesitation, the last trace of his false smile faded. Finally, he said meaningfully, "Jiang Li, you're a rose, bright and charming, but you have too many thorns. I don't like that."
She was indeed beautiful. She was beautiful with makeup, and even more beautiful without it. She was beautiful when she didn't smile, and even more so when she did.
Her natural charm was hard to ignore.
"Mr. Shang, there are many people in this world who praise me for my beauty," she said with a gentle smile, taking a sip of her whiskey. "But I have to thank you for not liking me."
She was never short of compliments or admiration.
Who in this world didn't love a rose?
"I wonder how much it would cost to pick this rose of yours," Shang Zewen said as he downed the last bit of tequila in his glass. "I'm afraid even if someone throws a fortune at it, it'll be all in vain."
He glanced at Jiang Li again and said sarcastically, "For your own good, I have to teach you this—sometimes, when a woman sets her price too high, she'll easily lose her market."
Jiang Li could hear the sarcasm in his words.
It was absurd for a beautiful actress to expect to be respected while remaining pure and clean and to have a place in the industry.
Jiang Li just felt numb.
The higher a man was in status, the more he was like this. Once he had a bit of social status, he thought he had the great mission to educate women.
"That only means, Mr. Shang, that you're not among those who can afford me," she knew she couldn't change his mind in a short time, so she didn't care about his belittling remarks. "You shouldn't blame me for setting my price too high. Instead, you should think about when you can improve your ability to afford me."
She smiled brightly, using Shang Zewen's own way to fight back. She said humorously, "I hope I can welcome your patronage soon."
Shang Zewen suddenly burst into laughter. His hand holding the wine glass trembled because he was laughing so hard. "Interesting, really interesting. You're such an interesting woman. It's hard to forget you."
His laughter was cold. He said word by word, "In this world, men are the masters. Women are beautiful flowers, rewards for a victorious war, and that's all."
"I've watched your movies. I have to say, from an artistic perspective, your acting is very powerful. But so what?"
He shrugged and said indifferently, "Even in movies, an art form that's far from reality, women still end up as victims in a chaotic world, not even leaving behind a name."
At this moment, Jiang Li finally understood.
All the things Shang Zewen had said, from his initial tentative touches to his later grand speeches, were, in a sense, just to tell her one thing.
He was arrogant, proud, and self - centered. He never had the slightest respect for women.
To him, women were just objects. He might hold a beautiful one in his hand and coax her, but as for the plain ones, they probably wouldn't even catch his eye.
She wasn't unfamiliar with such people. She had met quite a few in the world of fame and fortune. Most of them were in high positions and could easily blacklist her with a single gesture. She couldn't afford to offend them.
Even when she met them, she could only consider herself unlucky and put on a fake smile.
But now, she didn't have to be so cautious.
There was no one she couldn't afford to offend.
She shook her head and smiled. All her interest in continuing the conversation vanished in an instant.
Jiang Li's face turned cold. She was ready to end this unpleasant evening. "I've already paid the bill. If you want to continue drinking, Mr. Shang, please do it alone. Excuse me."
She showed her alienation and disgust without reservation and didn't even bother to look at Shang Zewen's expression. She got up and left resolutely.
She walked very fast and didn't even want to hear Shang Zewen's reply.
The waiter came back to their table and asked if he wanted to order more drinks. Shang Zewen shook his glass. A more playful look flashed in his eyes, and he said casually, "No, thanks."
Shang Zewen had returned to China to catch the prey that had escaped him before. But he was pleasantly surprised to find a new prey that was even more attractive to him.
This made him extremely excited.