Chapter 9 - 2#

Jin Yan delivered the welcome speech on stage, while Duan Hanzhi simply pulled out a chair and sat in his seat. The hostess didn’t recognize the great Director Duan and asked timidly, “Could you please sit according to your name? This seat is…”

Duan Hanzhi suddenly raised his head, his beautiful and sharp eyes staring at her unblinkingly.

Hostess: “…”

“Since I’m sitting here now.”

“…”

“This seat is mine.”

“…”

The two stared at each other for a long time. Thirty seconds later, the hostess fled in panic: “Please, please sit! Please feel free to sit! I-I-I-I’ll go pour you another glass of wine—!”

Jiang Qin: “…”

“I’m really washed up now,” Duan Hanzhi said to Jiang Qin incredulously. “It actually took thirty seconds to scare a little girl!”

Jiang Qin suddenly felt a throbbing pain in his temples.

The speech ended quickly, and the chamber orchestra began to play serenades in the hall. Jin Yan strode down from the podium and was about to go over to talk to Jiang Qin when he was surrounded by a crowd of celebrities and stars. The reporters’ long guns and short cannons quickly found their target, each wanting to stuff their recording pen into his mouth.

Jiang Qin glanced at him through the crowd, turned around with his wine glass, and walked onto the balcony.

Compared to the lively and noisy hall, the balcony under the night breeze had a more romantic and aesthetic atmosphere. Clumps of roses were planted on the gold-lacquered bronze railings carved with European patterns, and the fragrance of water lilies lingered from the hotel garden. A waiter in a vest and bow tie walked over with a wine tray and politely asked if he needed more champagne, which Jiang Qin politely declined.

He had a premonition that Jin Yan would definitely be drunk and then he would have to drive home, so it was better to drink less.

In fact, if he didn’t want to, no one would deliberately try to get him drunk. After all, there were too few people in this circle who knew him. Second- and third-rate actors didn’t take him seriously, the company’s middle-level cadres couldn’t figure out who he was, and the big stars only knew that he had some ambiguous relationship with Jin Yan, but he didn’t look like a powerful character, so there was no need to bother dealing with him.

Only a few people knew that he was one of the founders of Star Entertainment, an important shareholder holding 12% of the shares, and the apple of company boss Jin Yan’s eye and his lifeblood. But these people—for example, Duan Hanzhi and Wei Hong, etc.—were luminous bodies wherever they went. As long as they were alone, they would be caught and eaten by reporters.

Jiang Qin enjoyed the breeze for a while and felt a bit bored, so he casually put down the empty wine glass and wanted to go to the hall to eat something.

However, when he turned around, he instantly saw a beauty in a golden long dress standing at the glass door, looking at him with her arms crossed. He didn’t know how long she had been watching.

“…Do you need something?”

The beauty smiled generously, walked over slowly, extended her hand, and said, “Finally met, Mr. Jiang. I am Xu Xiaoxuan.”

Jiang Qin stared coldly at her fair hand wearing a diamond bracelet, without any response.

“Or should I call you President Jiang.” Xu Xiaoxuan withdrew her hand and smiled: “President Jiang is a noble person, do you still remember me? I sent you a text message.”

Jiang Qin’s eyes moved slightly: “—Oh, deeply impressed.”

“Since I knew you were a company director, I have been very terrified. Although I have some status in this circle, I never expected that one day I would snatch a man from the company’s big boss—oh no,” Xu Xiaoxuan leaned against the railing, smiling and brushing her hair: “Look at my mouth, I really can’t speak. Actually, it’s not called snatching, after all, it was just an accident. Do you mind, President Jiang?”

Jiang Qin stared at her expressionlessly.

“You are also a man, you know what a man should look like after losing his virtue when drunk. I heard that you and President Jin have been very unhappy recently, so I feel very uneasy.”

Although she said so, there was no look of uneasiness on Xu Xiaoxuan’s face.

“I think I have a responsibility to talk to you. I hope you don’t blame President Jin. After all, it’s not easy for President Jin. With such a big company and hundreds of people up and down, no one can be too demanding about his small unintentional mistake, what do you think?”

Jiang Qin leaned one side of his body against the railing, the other hand in his suit pants pocket, staring at her without saying a word.

“Saying this might make you feel very embarrassed.” Xu Xiaoxuan changed her way of speaking and said euphemistically: “Actually, after the matter ended… I had a few deep chats with President Jin. I hope you don’t mind, it was really just chatting. If you don’t believe it, you can ask President Jin to prove it for me.”

Jiang Qin seemed to find it very funny and said: “No need, I believe it.”

Xu Xiaoxuan looked relieved: “Really? That’s good. Before, I was always worried that you would… ah, look at my mouth, it’s really too fast.”

She looked up at Jiang Qin, her exquisitely painted eyes particularly moving under the moonlight. After a long while, she asked softly: “Do you really not want to know what President Jin and I talked about?”

Jiang Qin cooperated and asked: “What did you talk about?”

Xu Xiaoxuan smiled and said: “Nothing special, otherwise I wouldn’t know that you are an important shareholder of the company and that you are angry with President Jin recently.”

Looking at her, Jiang Qin suddenly felt very stupid. Not directed at this woman and everything she said, but the matter itself. From beginning to end for so many years, a taste of absurdity seemed to permeate in a trance.

He suddenly remembered the slapstick comedy he watched on TV when he was a child. The clown performed silently on the black and white screen. When everyone else laughed, only he frowned in confusion, as if falling into a confused and chaotic dream.

Maybe it didn’t change its appearance when I didn’t notice, Jiang Qin thought.

Maybe I saw it wrong from the beginning.

Xu Xiaoxuan laughed for a while, looked up at Jiang Qin happily: “Anyway, being able to talk it out with you today, I believe there will be no more misunderstandings in the future. I hope President Jin and you can forgive my impatience and rashness, okay?”

Jiang Qin looked at her, and after a while, he said gently: “I want to tell the truth, it might hurt you a little.”

Xu Xiaoxuan’s smile paused, and she made a gesture to please speak.

“Miss Xu, I never took you seriously.”

Xu Xiaoxuan’s face changed.

“I don’t care how you know that Jin Yan and I have had disputes recently, whether he told you or someone else told you—the problem between Jin Yan and me started a long time ago, and it has nothing to do with you.”

“I am very glad that you took the initiative to stand up and take responsibility, and I also thank you for your tolerance and understanding. It is indeed very rare for a woman to be as kind and magnanimous as you after losing a child, but sorry, I can’t imagine what kind of pain this is. After all, my child is still alive and well.”

Xu Xiaoxuan’s face turned slightly pale. She wanted to say something but couldn’t, her lips trembling all the time.

Jiang Qin smiled and patted her shoulder: “Next time you look for me, you’d better make an appointment first. Don’t forget that I am also your boss. There is a rule in the company that a vote of more than 15% of the shares can terminate the contract of a first-line artist, right?” He leaned into Xu Xiaoxuan’s ear and whispered: “Actually, the shares I can use are 15.5%. Don’t forget that I have half of the custody of your young owner.”

He made a very regretful expression and shrugged elegantly.

This action made by him was actually very good-looking, with a demeanor that made people’s hearts beat faster.

Xu Xiaoxuan was really speechless now, watching helplessly as Jiang Qin turned around and strode back to the magnificent banquet hall.

Jin Yan finally squeezed out of the crowd of reporters swarming up. Before he could take two steps, he saw Jiang Qin striding over with his hands in his pockets. When passing by, he dropped a sentence: “Get that woman on the balcony away, don’t let her make a fool of herself in public.”

Jin Yan looked suspiciously, instantly furious, pulled his secretary Zhao Xue over and asked sternly: “Why is Xu Xiaoxuan here?!”

The secretary trembled: “She is a signed artist… the company’s HR department… sent an invitation…”

“Kick her out for me! Immediately!”

Jin Yan straightened his collar forcefully. Just as he was about to turn around to chase Jiang Qin, he suddenly remembered something: “—Didn’t I say last time not to let her wander in front of my eyes?! No matter where the TV series is filmed, just send her to a far place! If I see her contacting Jiang Qin again, you and all the employees of the HR department can resign together!”

Zhao Xue didn’t dare to say a word, only nodding desperately.

Jin Yan pushed away a producer who came up to make connections and strode in the direction Jiang Qin left.