Chapter 116-Part 1

Two more months passed, nearing the end of the year. Various major award ceremonies and banquets were being held one after another. This period was the liveliest time of the year. Although Jiang Nian had been quiet for half a year, she still received quite a few invitations.

On this day, Jiang Nian had just finished a smooth and good-looking action scene, earning praise from the director. Satisfied, she skillfully holstered the prop gun back to her waist, took the water handed to her by her assistant, and walked to the side for a break.

Jia Ping walked over, smiling: “Except for those unpleasant incidents with Sun Xu and Wang Jingjing these days, you haven’t had much exposure in the past six months. I think there are several events you could attend to make an appearance. Otherwise, the audience might forget about you. Moreover, the filming for ‘Dawn’ is almost finished.”

Jiang Nian pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, “I’d rather not go. Without any ongoing projects, even if there’s news about me, it won’t be anything good. The old gossip about me will be brought up again. It’s better to avoid this exposure. Besides, most of the people who spoke up for me online before did so out of sympathy. If the media keeps hyping it up, even if others don’t get tired of it, I will.”

“Jiang Nian, if you don’t attend the year-end events and don’t have any endorsement activities, do you plan to wait until ‘Dawn’ is released? ‘Dawn’ is scheduled to premiere next October. That’s too long a gap. Not only the audience, but even your fans might forget about you.”

“So please help me get some good scripts, Big Brother Jia,” Jiang Nian said.

“Although I won against Sun Xu and Wang Jingjing in our competition, I also lost half of it. I can’t turn things around just by getting exposure. Having the audience glance at me a few more times won’t benefit me in any way. What can really help me is work and acting skills that are recognized by the audience and the industry.”

That made sense.

Jia Ping realized that Jiang Nian was indeed a rare, insightful person, even more perceptive than him. Of course, the most important thing was not just her ability to endure but also her excellent self-awareness, without blind confidence.

She could weather the storm and endure loneliness.

As a result, by the end of the year, not only did the shadows of Sun Xu and Wang Jingjing disappear from major occasions, but so did Jiang Nian’s.

Jia Ping now focuses all his efforts on finding good scripts. He had high hopes for Jiang Nian. Firstly, because Jiang Nian had a good foundation and a lot of ideas, fame only needed the right opportunity.

The second reason was Xue Hang. With Xue Hang guiding Jiang Nian, even if she didn’t want to be famous, it would be difficult.

He wasn’t foolish enough to disregard Jiang Nian just because of her current difficulties.

However, while she could skip other events, there was one she couldn’t ignore: “The Xue Corporation’s annual meeting; are you going?”

Jiang Nian: “…………”

In her mind, she pictured the noble and heroic Xue Hang being surrounded; every move exuding elegance, even his hair strands carried the scent of wealth… If she went there, her adventurous life would probably be severely shaken! That would be terrifying!

Jiang Nian: “Then I’ll go. I still understand the principle of repaying kindness. After all, Xue Corporation was the only one to lend a hand to me at my lowest point.”

Jia Ping smiled knowingly.

Xue Corporation, he clearly saw it as Xue Hang’s personal favor.

“Alright, I’ll prepare the outfit you’ll wear on the day of the event.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of trouble.”

Jia Ping went to make arrangements.

Jiang Nian couldn’t help but reflect on her wavering determination. It was all because of the lure of wealth. There was no denying that people had selfish desires.

She also looked at her protagonist’s halo, which had risen to over fifty points. It was much better than it was when she first arrived.

At that time, it was almost at the red light level. She had worked hard for almost half a year, and the score had only risen slowly, albeit faster, when Sun Xu and Wang Jingjing were in trouble.

Meanwhile, Xue Hang’s heart raced when he heard that Jiang Nian had accepted the invitation to attend the Xue Corporation’s annual meeting.

He curled his lips slightly, smiling, but his smile froze abruptly when he saw that his assistant also looked genuinely happy for him. He forced down his smile and asked coldly, “Is there something else? Or is work too idle?”

The assistant quickly shook his head and said it was nothing, leaving the office feeling quite aggrieved.

Once the office was empty, Xue Hang held a pen but couldn’t focus on work. Eventually, he temporarily set aside his work, got up, and walked to the window, looking out at the tall building below.

He was somewhat nervous, but more than that, he was filled with anticipation. Although he had stayed in contact with Jiang Nian over the past two months, they hadn’t seen each other since their last parting.

Jiang Nian declined all other events but was willing to attend the Xue Corporation’s annual meeting. Was it really just about repaying kindness?

He certainly hoped for more than that.

His attitude was so obvious, but he didn’t know if Jiang Nian had been moved by it, if her heartache had lessened because of him, or if she had let go of the past.

Xue Hang felt anxious and restless for the first time because of liking a girl, but when he thought of Jiang Nian, he was filled with joy, willingly embracing it all.

…

The Xue Corporation’s annual meeting was held at a five-star hotel under the Xue Corporation’s name.

On the day of the meeting, the red carpet in front of the hotel’s entrance was bustling with people.

Besides Xue Corporation’s employees, there were also several invited celebrity performers, and naturally, many reporters had come. It was like a mini-red carpet event, lively and bustling.

Xue Hang wore a black suit, his black hair meticulously styled. He looked impeccable from head to toe, not a single flaw in sight.

He even wore a black tie around his collar and a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist. He asked, “Has Jiang Nian arrived?”

The assistant replied, “She’s already here.”

He nodded faintly and buttoned up his suit jacket before heading towards the banquet hall.

At this time, Jiang Nian had been there for a while, sitting in her seat, bored. She had eaten a few snacks and fruits. Jia Ping whispered the introductions of some important figures from the Xue Corporation into her ear. After finishing, he chuckled softly and said, “Actually, you’ve already met the most formidable one from the Xue Corporation.

You don’t need to worry too much about these people. But relationships are unpredictable; there are marriages and divorces. It doesn’t hurt to get to know a few more people. Relationships are the most important thing in this circle.”