The man, dressed in a suit, stood right in front of him, like a thick wall.
Lu Zhanji was stunned for a couple of seconds, and his tone suddenly turned cold. "Mr. Xiao, please step aside."
Xiao Yanzhi remained unmoved and still blocked his way. He said simply, "Jiang Li doesn't want to see you."
"This is a matter between her and me." Lu Zhanji looked at Xiao Yanzhi and suddenly grew vigilant. "Mr. Xiao, you have no right to make any decisions on her behalf."
He straightened his back and seriously warned, "Please respect her."
"Did you respect her just now?" Xiao Yanzhi narrowed his eyes dangerously. He put a cigarette between his lips. The moment he lit it with a lighter, he took a puff and exhaled a puff of smoke. "When you slandered her without knowing the truth or the facts, why didn't you talk about respect?"
Lu Zhanji was left speechless.
After a moment of thought, he said again, "I need to see her to apologize for what I said and did just now."
Xiao Yanzhi remained expressionless. "Do you think she'll forgive you? Why didn't you think about the consequences when you said those words?"
His words were still merciless. "You're a senior she respects in the industry and a kind and upright senior brother. When you said those things to her, did you ever think about how much it would hurt her?"
These few words made Lu Zhanji feel too ashamed to face Jiang Li.
Xiao Yanzhi didn't come back just to educate Lu Zhanji. He walked in, got his suit, and then said slowly, "But you were right about one thing. I did help only for Jiang Li's sake."
Lu Zhanji was taken aback.
"But it's not what you think." When saying this, Xiao Yanzhi no longer had that aloof distance. His tone was straightforward. "I just want her to be happy."
After saying that, Xiao Yanzhi left in a hurry.
When he got back to the roadside, Jiang Li was still squatting at the hotel entrance, counting the cars. Staring at one car after another speeding past her, she got lost in a daze.
She wasn't deliberately waiting for Xiao Yanzhi. It was just that this was the peak hour, and there was a queue for taxis.
"Still here?"
Xiao Yanzhi walked over and squatted down beside her. He asked if she was cold.
She turned to look at him for a second and then continued counting the cars as if no one else was around.
Thanks to his interruption, which car was she up to just now?
"Get up. I'll take you home." He leaned closer, his tone calm. He didn't give her a chance to refuse.
She didn't move. So Xiao Yanzhi reached out to grab her hand, but she dodged.
Suddenly, she spoke up indifferently. "You saw what happened at the dinner table just now. They think I 'offered myself' and resorted to any means to get the movie released."
Xiao Yanzhi paused for a moment and then simply replied, "You didn't."
"Sometimes the truth isn't that important." Jiang Li replied casually. "You can stop them from talking like that, but can you change their minds so they won't think that way?"
She patted her knees, stood up, and looked at Xiao Yanzhi, who had also stood up. "The moment you gave me a coat, they could start having endless fantasies."
"For most people, the reason I can get good resources, endorsements, and brand invitations isn't because I'm outstanding. It's because they think I have some 'special skills' in certain aspects."
Under the streetlights, although she was smiling, the disappointment in her eyes was obvious.
She said self - deprecatingly, "No matter what I do, they'll always think I must have taken some shortcuts. They'll never believe I made it on my own, and they'll never think it's honorable."
Xiao Yanzhi paused. He heard the loneliness and helplessness in her words and calmly said, "So that's why you've been so eager to become a best actress."
The smile on Jiang Li's face froze for a moment.
Xiao Yanzhi lowered his head. His tone was flat, as if he didn't care much, but in fact, he knew her very well. "That's why you're always so serious when filming and so dedicated to acting. You just want to prove your strength."
How could he not know?
Every time she won an award, the smile on her face was the most genuine.
In the night, Jiang Li was only wearing a cheongsam, and now her body was trembling slightly.
But she still stubbornly straightened her back and lifted her chin high, just like a proud peacock, not letting anyone see a bit of her vulnerability.
Xiao Yanzhi looked down at her for a while and then directly draped his suit jacket over her shoulders, covering most of her body.
He pulled up the collar of the jacket with his palm to cover the flower - buttoned part of her chest so that the wind couldn't get in.
"You're already very excellent."
His voice was as deep as an ancient well. Without blinking, he helped her recall. "You won two rookie awards right after your debut. Your first movie, *Thorn Rose*, became the box - office champion of that year as soon as it was released. You became a top - tier celebrity in the industry within a year. And you were short - listed for the Best Actress award last year. These are your honors."
"Before the movie *The Embroidery Girl* was released, domestic reviewers had predicted that you would win the Golden Diamond Best Actress award with this movie."
Hearing this, Jiang Li's eyes suddenly felt a bit sour.
He actually remembered all these.
He even paid attention to the industry's predictions about her, which really surprised her.
"How do you remember all these so clearly..."
Xiao Yanzhi just stared into her eyes. "Didn't you say yourself that you wanted to be the best actress in China?"
It was so long ago.
So long that even Jiang Li herself almost forgot when she had said this to Xiao Yanzhi.
Maybe it was when they first met, or maybe it was when she won her first rookie award. Anyway, the longer she had been an actress, the less courage she had to say this.
"But now I realize that I'm just over - ambitious." She turned her face away and slightly lifted the corner of her lips. "I'm stupid, cowardly, and too concerned about what others think. I'm just not cut out for this career."
"Jiang Li, has no one ever told you? When you say the opposite of what you really mean, you'll habitually tug at your clothes."
Jiang Li was stunned. She immediately looked down and found that her hand was unconsciously playing with the last button of his suit. Her little action was completely exposed in front of him.
She hurriedly let go, but then felt that she was just making it worse. So she said in a huff, "I just wanted to fasten the button. It's too cold outside."
Xiao Yanzhi smiled silently and took her excuse. "Since it's so cold, why don't we sit in the car? There's heating in the car."
After standing at the entrance for so long, Jiang Li's nose was already red from the cold. She knew she wouldn't be able to get a taxi, so she pinched the collar of the suit with one hand and lifted the hem of the cheongsam with the other, then got into the car.
Xiao Yanzhi quickly got in after her and closed the car door.
The car started its engine.
On the way, neither of them mentioned the previous topic again. After the car had been driving for a few minutes, Xiao Yanzhi slowly said, "Can you tell me about what happened between you and Mr. Sheng last time?"
The heating in the car was really strong. After just a few minutes, Jiang Li felt warm all over. She took off the suit and sniffled. "It's already been resolved."