Chapter One Hundred

  He followed closely behind Jiang Chuan, seemingly oblivious to the crowd and the media, not caring how many eyes were on them. He didn't even turn his head as he pulled Jin Yan into a corner, only releasing his hand after they stopped. When he looked up, he found that the young man with black hair was still looking back at Andrei, who was standing in place. The man's eyebrows furrowed deeply, and he grasped the young man's chin, forcing him to lift his head and meet his own eyes. Then, with an expressionless face and little emotion, he asked, "What are you still looking at?"

  "It doesn't matter."

  "If you want to go back, then you can go back." Jiang Chuan said calmly.

  Although his tone of speech sounds like "although the words gave you absolute freedom, but as long as you dare to take a step forward, I will twist your neck off".

  He slightly moved his lips, unsure if Jiang Chuan was intentionally saying this or really misunderstanding. He shook his head and withdrew his gaze, his black pupils flickering uncertainly as he looked at Jiang Chuan in front of him, with a hesitant expression - but at this moment, even if he didn't say a word, just by making eye contact for one second, Jiang Chuan could guess what he was thinking. He slightly narrowed his azure eyes, making the emotions in his eyes not so easy to discern. He leaned in closer to Jin Ran and asked: "Want to go back?"

  He pushed open the door of Jiang Chuan's room and frowned: "Where are you going?"

  Through the shoulders of a young man with black hair, Jiang Chuan slowly raised his eyelids and glanced at Andre, who was not far away, holding a wine glass and chatting with other female stars, and said after a pause: "Next to that guy."

  "What the hell." He raised his hand, looking somewhat annoyed, and messed up the hair that had been styled perfectly by the stylist earlier. "I'm worried about you."

  Jiang Chuan let out a faint sneer, his eyes narrowing into an attractive arc: "What's there to worry about?"

  His eyebrows furrowed even tighter: "Andrei that person——"

  Jiang Chuan moved his head, took the red wine from the passing waiter's tray, gently swirled it and put it to his lips for a light sip, then asked in a subtle tone: "You call him 'Andrei'?"

  He hastily shut his mouth, but it was already too late. All he could hear was Jiang Chuan letting out a faint laugh with an ambiguous tone: "Looks like you two really did know each other before, I thought he had found you by chance..."

  As he spoke, the man casually placed the wine glass on the table behind him and suddenly bent down to sniff the young black-haired person's neck. Before he could even retreat, the aura surrounding him dissipated, and when he looked up, he saw that Jiang Chuan's lips were slightly curled: "The scent of roses - was the bouquet he was holding earlier a gift for you?"

  "...do you know him?"

  "Recognition - just now he called my name, you didn't hear it, and there's nothing strange about it. After all, their family business is so big, some business dealings are not surprising." Jiang Chuan replied without thinking, his expression on his face also looked very calm, only when he said "their family business is so big" his eyes slightly raised as if he thought he had told a pretty interesting joke, and then he paused, his eyes returned to normal and glanced at the black-haired young man in front of him, "Moreover, this question should be asked by me instead."

  "What?"

  "How did you meet?"

  He hadn't noticed at all that the focus had been shifted, and just a second ago he was still worried about whether Jiang Chuan would get into trouble with Andrei because of his words, but now he had easily forgotten about it after being asked by him. As for Jiang Chuan's question "How did you and Andrei Mond meet?", Jin Yan thought about it but didn't know how to answer, so in the end he simply said: "We were classmates when we studied in Germany."

  "He should be two years older than you."

  A school.

  He said, while seemingly subconsciously putting his hand into his pocket and rubbing the area near his waist. This action was noticed by Jiang Chuan, who didn't express any doubt about it. Seeing that the young man with black hair seemed unwilling to say more, he smiled and said in a casual tone: "Fellow student? You still remember me after all these years and even send me a bouquet of red roses on Valentine's Day. It seems your relationship was pretty good back then."

  Jin Ran responded with a distracted "uh-huh", his eyes darting back and forth like a small animal that had just narrowly escaped death and was still shaken. He seemed completely uninterested in what Jiang Chuan had said - at this moment, Jin Ran's mind was still reeling, having imagined countless times the scenario of running into this man again, if he could help it, he would rather not mention or see him for the rest of his life. He thought they might get into a fight; or maybe Andrei would overpower him and beat him up one-sidedly; most likely, however, was that they would pretend to be strangers after meeting again...

  That fiery red rose and the kiss under the watchful eyes of everyone had already exceeded the scope of cautious imagination.

  Just as everything was about to spiral out of control, Jiang Chuan appeared and effortlessly led him away from the terrifying scene. Now it seemed like everything had returned to its original calmness. He stood on one side of the banquet hall, Andrei on the other, each surrounded by different people.

  They don't even make eye contact anymore.

  Only that one bunch of fiery red, perfectly bloomed roses abandoned by someone in the corner of the banquet hall confirmed that everything that had just happened was no longer a mere nightmare.

  Here is the translation:

  Thinking of this, the young man with black hair couldn't help but rub his temples and calm down. He finally remembered to worry about whether Jiang Chuan had offended Andrei. Just as Jiang Chuan was bending down to study a small chocolate cake with great interest, he stood behind him and pulled on his sleeve, frowning and speaking in a worried tone: "Jiang Chuan, you said your family has some business dealings with the Mond family... wasn't the atmosphere between you two just now not very good? Is this okay?"

  Jiang Chuan put that piece of chocolate cake on his own plate, and in order to prevent the intact cherry on top from falling off, he was concentrating hard, so without lifting his head, he said: "What's wrong with that?"

  "That guy Wang is vengeful, he might remember even the smallest things for a long time. I'm worried that if there's any issue between you two, it'll directly affect your family..."

  "Don't worry too much." Jiang Chuan straightened his body, "Open your mouth."

  At this moment, his mind was a bit messy and he didn't have time to think too much. When Jiang Chuan inexplicably gave him directions, he also inexplicably followed them step by step. Subconsciously, he opened his mouth, and the next second, something cold was thrown into it. He froze for a moment, closed his mouth, and refused to accept what had just happened. But then he felt the sweet and icy cherry juice bursting in his mouth... Jiang Chuan had actually thrown the cherry from the cake earlier into his mouth.

  His lips twitched slightly, just about to say "I'm talking serious business with you", but before he could even open his mouth, he heard Jiang Chuan ask: "The chocolate cake is not bad, do you want some?"

  "Aren't you not eating sweets?"

  "Not eating doesn't mean I don't have the ability to judge their quality," Jiang Chuan said seriously, "Eat or not?... Never mind, open your mouth."

  He carefully opened his mouth again and let Jiang Chuan stuff the cake into his mouth - each piece of cake was a four-sided square about half the size of a palm, just right for one bite to put in his mouth. Jin Yan only felt that after the cherry, there was something with rich sweetness of chocolate spreading in his mouth, almost without chewing, the cake melted very well in his mouth, he swallowed it down, and then heard Jiang Chuan ask: "Is your mood a little better?"

  “……I'm just worried about you.” Jian Ran furrowed his brow, “And the investor of 'Mysterious Seeds' is him, it's a bit troublesome for me too. After all, I have a lot of scenes in the second part, ahahahaha, at this rate, I don't even need them to persuade me to quit, I'll just leave on my own——”

  Jiang Chuan didn't ask Jin Ran what was wrong, he simply reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, gently wiping away the chocolate crumbs from the young man's lips. He then said calmly: "I've told you before, people on the list don't need to be taken seriously. Generally speaking, the ones who really put up the money and effort are the powers behind them..."

  "Isn't Mond's power enough?" Jin Yan asked frantically.

  "Big." Jiang Chuan stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket and lowered his eyes, saying calmly, "But there are always those who are stronger than them."

  He hung his head in shame and said dejectedly: "I didn't expect this."

  Jiang Chuan smiled: "Then don't think about it, focus on acting your part, aren't you going to conquer Hollywood?"

  The man finished speaking and found that the young black-haired man standing in front of him, who had been looking down with his head lowered, suddenly looked up at him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you looking at?" But he didn't expect the other person to stare at his face for a while, as if he had discovered a new continent. This scorching gaze made Jiang Chuan change from raising an eyebrow to furrowing his brow, and only then did he say: "I've found that since coming here, you seem to be really different from before..."

  "What?"

  "There is quite a bit of an unscrupulous feeling."

  “……”

  Jiang Chuan pushed Jin Ran away with a helpless expression, at this time the banquet had officially started, all the guests had arrived, the band was playing music, and the whole banquet hall was filled with laughter and chatter, anyone who was pulled out from the crowd would be someone else's bootlicker in their own circle.

  Because Jiang Chuan was there, Jian Ran didn't bother to pay attention to any of them.

  In the conversation between Jin Yan and Jiang Chuan, various exquisite dishes were placed on the long table behind them. After a series of frights, Jin Yan's stomach was also a little hungry, so he casually picked up some food closest to him and went with Jiang Chuan to the corner of the dining hall to eat - because in this kind of place, it didn't feel like back home where the media would sneak shots of everything. Jin Yan felt very relaxed, except for Andrei Mond in the banquet hall who made him feel a bit uncomfortable, everything else was fine, he could laugh freely or write his emotions on his face... After all, this was abroad, and he was just a new actor, no one would care about his gossip.

  Moreover, it's unclear whether it's because of Jiang Chuan's intimidating appearance, but since he arrived by her side, the number of people who come up to chat with her has decreased. The few who do are brief and to the point, their eyes darting back and forth as they quickly get straight to the topic before leaving. From start to finish, Jiang Chuan didn't say a word, silently sitting beside her watching those people hurry by.

  "It's quite impolite of you," Jian Ran said, deftly moving the green peppers from Jiang Chuan's plate to his own, and then dividing the meat on his own plate with Jiang Chuan. Without even lifting his head, he continued, "When Director Chris came over to talk to me just now, at least crack a smile or something, don't just sit there like a big shot with a frozen face."

  As they spoke, they noticed Mandrake sitting not far from them, his eyes fixed intently on them.

  "What's this guy up to again?" A hint of doubt flashed through Jian Ran's mind, but at that moment, Jiang Chuan, who was sitting next to him, suddenly scooped the fish from his plate into Jian Ran's plate. The latter raised his head and glanced at him: "What's going on?"

  "I don't eat fish." Jiang Chuan furrowed his brow, "Give it to you."

  Just as he was about to mock the man's childish picky eating, his peripheral vision caught Mandro, who had been "itching for action" all along, finally making a move. He got up and hastily walked over to them, then plopped down in a seat, looking at Jiang Chuan with a serious expression: "Are you interested in entering Hollywood?"

  He almost spat out the food in his mouth.

  Kang Chuan raised an eyebrow, seemingly also looking quite surprised. He turned his head to glance at Mandel for a moment, then, with a hint of playfulness, curled up the corner of his lips and said something in German - his speech was very fast, and Jian Ran couldn't understand what he was saying at all, only knowing that he seemed to have mentioned someone's name. When Mandel heard that person's name, he first also showed a look of astonishment, then his facial muscles twitched, and he burst out laughing like a madman.

  He raised the cup in his hand, proactively clinking it with Jiang Chuan's, then turned around to wink at Rang Yan and said: "Ran, this time you have to help me out - come help me persuade your stubborn friend to join my new movie. Trust me, this is absolutely not a reckless decision made on a whim. You two sitting together would be perfect, oh, when you see the script and understand the relationship between the main characters, you'll definitely agree with me too. Most importantly, when I saw him, I almost felt like the person in my script had come to life."

  What Mandoro said "he" naturally refers to Jiang Chuan.

  It's almost unbelievable to turn around and glance at the man sitting in his original position, just smiling. It's hard to believe that... using "maybe can be picked up by Hollywood because of eye fate" as a reason to cheat men into attending the premiere ceremony and accompany themselves on Valentine's Day, but unexpectedly, this guy really wants to pick up a role?

  Was it Mandrake who personally selected them?

  What kind of godly luck is this?

  He put down his utensils calmly: "Alright, Mr. Mandrake, don't worry, he has no reason to refuse you."

  Mandoro's eyes sparkled and he burst into laughter again, patting Jian Ran's shoulder with a serious tone, saying "Then I'll leave it to you". Before the black-haired young man could speak again, Mandoro picked up his wine cup and strode away - his steps were light and bouncy, almost as if he was about to jump up, looking like he was in an extremely good mood.

  ……

  After the banquet, all the guests were invited to a huge screening hall - at this time, the atmosphere on the scene finally became slightly tense, because next was the premiere of "Mysterious Seed: Origin" in Berlin Station, which can also be said to be global.

  After finishing the TV series at home, the production team will give the sample tape to the actors in advance for them to enjoy at home, but it's not the same. Probably because there is no such rule abroad, even if an actor like Andre participated in the filming work, they haven't seen the complete content. Now, according to the arrangement, he sat down in the second row with other actors - the first row was naturally occupied by the male and female leads, the director, producer, and other important figures, as well as investors like Andre.

  But sitting in the second row also has its advantages.

  Jin Yan was sitting next to Jiang Chuan, who had his legs crossed and looked quite comfortable in the second row seat. At this time, he was lowering his head to take advantage of the last bit of light to read the brochure in his hand - Jin Yan was busy looking around, glanced at him suddenly and went "hmm". The Jiang Chuan sitting next to him slowly turned over a page of the brochure: "What?"

  "...The middle seat in the first row is empty." Jian Yan said softly, "It's almost time to start the show, whose seat is that, why isn't anyone here?"

  Jiang Chuan heard this and only then lifted his head to take a glance, thought for a moment, closed the book in his hand, and threw out a sentence "I'm going to the restroom". Before the black-haired young man could react, he stood up and walked out. After waiting patiently for a while, Jiang Chuan came back. A little later, Jin Yan discovered that there had been a change in the seating arrangement of the first row. The person who was originally sitting next to him had shifted to the middle, filling in the vacant seat.

  He nodded again and muttered something, the person sitting next to him seemed speechless and asked: "What's wrong now?"

  "......The person who was supposed to sit in the middle isn't coming anymore?"

  Jiang Chuan: “……How can you be so careless.”

  "I'm just curious, can't I be?"

  "No."

  Jin Yan's lips twitched, ready to retort "what can't I do", when the lights around them suddenly dimmed - Jin Yan immediately tensed up and closed his mouth, this conditioned reflex-like reaction caused the man sitting next to him to let out a soft snicker. Jin Yan knew what he was laughing at, raised his hand in the darkness and silently patted his arm, the latter didn't dodge or evade, but merely suppressed his smile, turned serious and stared intently at the large screen not far away from them.

  The film begins with the melodious flute sound from the trailer, followed by the increasingly distant flute sound, and then the rain starts to fall. The 3D audio effect in the premiere hall is very good, and the rain sounds like it's right next to people's ears. On the screen, the entire bustling city is washed away by the heavy rain, with white-collar workers in suits holding briefcases and scurrying for shelter on the streets, cars honking their horns impatiently, and drivers pressing the horn repeatedly.

  At this time, the camera cuts to an interior scene, where a warm fireplace is burning, with crackling sounds coming from the wood in the fireplace. The male lead finally appears on screen, sitting on the edge of the bed, slowly looking at something by the natural light outside the window.

  The folder in hand, on which was written "Seed Plan" in bold headers...

  Below were scattered notes in English: "Project Suspended", "Confidential Leaked", "Environmental Crisis" ...

  He looked at it for a while before putting down the file in his hand, and his emerald eyes were filled with worry.

  At this time, he turned around and came to the window, pushed open the window as if wanting to take a breath of fresh air - at the moment he pushed open the window, the rain outside floated in and hit his face. He subconsciously stretched out his hand to touch, but when he touched his own face, he found something was wrong. He lowered his head, and at this time, the camera gave his hand a close-up shot, people can easily see that on his hand where there should be rainwater, it is now filled with a red color like blood.

  The male lead lifted his head and looked up at the sky, where the dark clouds that had been gathering were no longer pouring down transparent rainwater, but a blanket of red.

  The screen gradually darkens, and the voiceover begins. The male lead's low-pitched voice sounds: This is the last great rain that God gave to humanity in my memory.

  The following plot follows the normal script, from beginning to end, and has rarely appeared except at the beginning of the film. The male lead starts having ordinary dreams, and what he dreams about is the lake scene in the final scene, as well as the swaying tree shadows, and a silhouette sitting on a high branch with its back to him...

  That silhouette was slender, always just a vague figure, only faintly visible as if it were a completely naked male body, he sat there yet seemed to have no sense of incongruity at all, as if he had fully merged with the background...

  Suddenly seeing himself appear almost suffocating with tension.

  Just then, Jiang Chuan, who was sitting next to him, suddenly leaned over and asked in a low voice, "Were you naked when filming this scene?"

  "...wore underpants."

  "What's the difference between that and not wearing anything?" Jiang Chuan thought for a moment before adding, "No, it should be worse than not wearing anything."

  "This is for art."

  "Some people's eyes aren't necessarily," Jiang Chuan raised his chin, "see that golden retriever in front, and they're almost drooling."

  He fell silent.

  Finally, when Jian Ran officially appeared on stage, the complete version of that short segment in the promotional video appeared - it was a shot lasting over ten seconds, with him swimming naked in the emerald green lake water, clear lake water below with fish and ripples spreading out, the person in the water with black hair softly floating away with his movements...

  A mysterious and elegant flute melody echoes throughout the film.

  The male lead's dream had already provided enough foreshadowing, and when this mysterious character finally appeared, the movie seemed to enter a quiet and secretive climax. There was no thrilling fight, no terrifying monster, but at that moment, the entire theater was silent, with everyone staring intently at the big screen, as if they didn't want to miss a single second of this scene...

  He was a bit nervous, his hand grasped in mid-air, and finally grabbed Jiang Chuan's wrist.

  Then he turned his hand over and grasped it in the palm of his own, squeezing it slightly as he said meaningfully: "It seems that Hollywood movies are a bit dangerous after all."