Xie Qian had fantasised about this moment countless times.
When it actually happened, it was not as earth-shattering as he had imagined. The first half of the kiss was silent.
It was only in the second half that sounds emerged.
Xie Qian first heard his own heartbeat, then Wen Ying’s.
Both hearts were racing, like two piano beginners with no sense of coordination forcing their way through a four-hand duet. The piece was chaotic, the rhythms completely out of sync.
Yet Wen Ying did not push Xie Qian away.
The most beautiful night river view, the most moving first kiss. Wen Ying was lost in it herself. How could she spoil the moment?
At the critical point, Xie Qian still had more self-control than Wen Ying. The kiss began with him, and it ended with him.
“It tastes sweet.”
Xie Qian spoke as though summing up, yet also savouring the memory.
Wen Ying snapped out of her daze. She could not suppress her frantic heartbeat. She glared at Xie Qian, but the glare was soft and lacked any real force.
“…What nonsense.”
Wen Ying had not tasted any sweetness at all. When Xie Qian suddenly kissed her, her mind had been in turmoil. In her haze, she seemed to catch the fresh scent of grass after rain.
Of course, Wen Ying would never describe it to Xie Qian in detail. She felt a little embarrassed.
Leaning on the balcony earlier to admire the night view had been relaxed and comfortable. After the first kiss, she no longer knew where to put her hands and feet. Xie Qian suggested taking her back to the hotel.
“Shall I pick you up tomorrow for the signing?”
“The publisher is sending a car.”
Wen Ying was still thinking like a straightforward girl. Xie Qian was long used to it. “The publisher is the publisher. A boyfriend is a boyfriend. They don’t conflict.”
After Wang Shuang and Li Mengjiao started dating, they wanted to be together every day. Whenever Li Mengjiao had an event, Wang Shuang followed if he could. During shoots, Wang Shuang waited quietly with his laptop, working on his own things. The moment Li Mengjiao paused for a break, Wang Shuang sprang up to bring her tea or water. Outsiders who did not know might think Li Mengjiao had hired a new assistant.
Though Xie Qian could not be as fawning and attentive as Wang Shuang, he still wanted to accompany Wen Ying to her events.
A signing session would take several hours at least. Patience was something Xie Qian had in abundance.
“Alright then. I need to leave at seven tomorrow morning. Be on time.”
Xie Qian gave a soft hum of agreement.
Going downstairs, Xie Qian naturally took Wen Ying’s hand.
They had already done something far more intimate. Holding hands now felt even more natural than before. Even Driver Yang thought they looked perfectly matched.
The boss and the future lady boss were growing closer. Driver Yang wished he could vanish on the spot.
That night, Wen Ying, usually so carefree, suffered from insomnia.
In her mind, the scene of Xie Qian leaning in to kiss her replayed in slow motion at least dozens of times.
During the kiss itself, she had not had time to think much. Afterwards, she inevitably thought too much. The next morning, she woke up with faint dark circles under her eyes.
Xie Qian looked bright and energetic, seemingly unaffected.
Wen Ying kept her eyes fixed ahead, avoiding stray glances. Only then did Xie Qian turn to look at her.
From her eyes to her brows, her nose to her mouth, even her hair. Everything about Wen Ying perfectly matched Xie Qian’s aesthetic. The more he looked, the more he liked her.
Today was the release day for the second book in the Nine Cauldrons series, Exploring Jing. After discussion with Yuan Fenghui, Ding Chao had opened online pre-orders for Exploring Jing. Readers were paying before the book even hit shelves, and they were willing. In just one week of pre-sales, nearly 100,000 copies had been ordered online. The figure delighted Ding Chao.
Meeting Wen Ying, Ding Chao shook her hand with visible joy. “Teacher Xiaoyu, several thousand readers are here today. Your hand is going to suffer again.”
Wen Ying looked at the sea of people, feeling a mix of joy and worry.
She was happy that her popularity had not waned and her new book was still enthusiastically received. She worried that after the signing, her arm would ache for days.
Xie Qian stayed in the nanny van and did not get out, yet he could hear the thunderous cheers from outside.
He had known Wen Ying was popular, but he had never experienced the terrifying scale of her fanbase so directly.
Li Mengjiao was a big star, but Wen Ying’s popularity was no less.
Before the signing began, there was the usual journalist interview. Wen Ying had prepared plenty of material about Exploring Jing, yet the journalists kept fixating on events from before the New Year. They asked about the filming progress of Divine Capital: Youth and about the 5 million she had received for the script.
Wen Ying had been asked these questions many times and was tired of them. Her answers carried a touch of impatience.
“Is 5 million for a film script expensive? I don’t care how others price theirs. From now on, I won’t sell a film script for less than 5 million.”
The journalists nearly lost their minds.
“Xiaoyu, will all your future film scripts be priced at 5 million?”
“You really won’t sell for less than 5 million…”
“What if someone offers 3 million or 4 million? You still won’t sell?”
Wen Ying kept a straight face and did not want to answer.
The readers had waited a long time and only wanted their signed books. The journalists showed no interest in Exploring Jing and kept pressing about script fees. The readers could bear it no longer and collectively booed, driving the journalists away.
“If you think it’s too expensive, don’t buy. Are you all annoying or what?”
“Exactly. Even the film companies haven’t complained. You lot keep harping on about Xiaoyu’s script price. Mind your own business.”
“Xiaoyu would live very comfortably even without writing scripts. We’d rather she put all her energy into novels.”
“Yes, yes. If those film companies think it’s too expensive, they should stop bothering Xiaoyu.”
Public opinion was hard to suppress. The readers all stood on Wen Ying’s side, leaving the journalists unable to get a word in.
Still, the journalists left with smiles. They had got the news impact they wanted.
The signing could finally proceed normally.
Xie Qian thought this must be Wen Ying’s usual event routine, more difficult to handle than he had imagined. When Wen Ying said her future film scripts would not sell for less than 5 million, Xie Qian saw nothing wrong with it.
If other companies thought it too expensive, Jiaxin could simply step in and buy. Xie Qian felt that earning only 5 million for a script was too little. He wanted to add a zero to the end of that figure.
Xie Qian’s phone suddenly rang. It was Jiang Youjia calling.
Jiang Youjia told Xie Qian two things.
The first concerned the drama adapted from Shui Mingyue’s work. After Jiaxin took over mid-production, all post-production was finally complete. Several television stations were interested and had already enquired about pricing.
The second matter was connected to the first.
“We cut a lot of Luo Hao’s scenes in post-production. He’s still the male lead, but he won’t stand out much. If the drama becomes a hit, it will be Pei Yiyi who explodes, not Luo Hao. But I heard Luo Hao somehow connected with Huanyu. The film Huanyu is currently shooting wants him for the second male lead.”
Huanyu was the Ran family’s company.
The film Huanyu was shooting was the one led by Ran Keqing, intended to compete directly with Divine Capital: Youth.
“You mean Huanyu plans to sign Luo Hao?”
That was indeed Jiang Youjia’s guess.
If they were not signing him, why reserve the second male lead role for him?
