Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2022-05-30 22:00:34 and 2022-06-01 21:34:34!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Yu (3 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 90
"Did Mom go see Jiang Lai?"
Lin Zhi closed the file, brushed her long hair aside, and frowned.
The assistant was incredibly nervous. Surely it was acceptable for President Lin's mother to ask her about her son-in-law's schedule? Besides, she only mentioned which city and hotel Jiang Lai was in, not the room. The fact that they'd run into each other meant they were destined to meet.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, my aunt told me not to tell you."
Lin Zhi sighed several times, walking back and forth between the office door and the window several times: "Who's your boss? I think you don't want to work here anymore."
The assistant shuddered and quickly pleaded for himself, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, I came here specifically to report to you."
"At least you have a conscience. Come with me to find my mother."
Lin Zhi picked up her coat and prepared to go out, but was stopped by her assistant's voice.
The assistant's voice trembled slightly as she said hesitantly, "Auntie went to see Jiang Lai two days ago, and she's probably back today..."
Lin Zhi felt dizzy and had to lean against the wall to keep her balance. She almost had to pinch her philtrum.
It's too late to blame the assistant now. The most urgent thing is to call Jiang Lai. Lin Zhi's biggest fear is that her mother might say something hurtful that might offend Jiang Lai. Jiang Lai has only just recovered from her illness, and Lin Zhi doesn't want her to shut herself off again because of her.
Although thinking this way might seem arrogant, we must be wary.
The landline on the table rang. Lin Zhi glared at her assistant resentfully, "I'll deal with you later." After saying that, she walked over and picked up the phone to answer it.
The call came from the front desk, saying that someone in the lobby claiming to be Lin Zhi's mother wanted to see her.
Lin Zhi was taken aback, and quickly said, "Please come up."
"Okay, Mr. Lin."
After finishing the phone call, Lin Zhi simply stopped thinking about it. No matter what her mother said to her when she came up, her love for Jiang Lai remained unwavering.
"Go make yourself a cup of tea."
"good."
Upon receiving the order, the assistant quickly slipped out of the office. As soon as he stepped outside, he was met by Lin's mother and the receptionist, Xiao Wang.
"Hello, Auntie, Mr. Lin is waiting for you inside."
Lin's mother nodded and said to Xiao Wang with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work, young lady. I can go in by myself."
Even so, Xiao Wang still pushed open the office door, greeted Lin Zhi, and then stepped aside to let Lin's mother in, before closing the door behind him.
Lin Zhi got up to greet her mother: "Mom, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
This was Lin's mother's first time visiting her daughter's company. It was more impressive than she had imagined, and there were many women in the company, each one more beautiful than the last.
After closing the door, Lin's mother pulled Lin Zhi to sit down. She stared at the door for a long time to make sure no one would come in before she asked, "Zhi, who recruited all the employees in your company?"
Lin Zhi was stunned, never expecting that her first words would be this: "Recruiting is the job of HR, but I basically have my own oversight."
"Oh, so... does Jiang Lai come to the company often?"
Upon hearing Jiang Lai's name, Lin Zhi thought that they had finally gotten down to business. She was about to express her determination when she realized that her mother hadn't asked about her and Jiang Lai.
Lin Zhi: "Her work is mostly in other places, and she comes back occasionally."
Lin's mother panicked and kept slapping her thigh: "That won't do! All your employees are so good-looking, especially the one next to Jiang Lai. Oh my, who wouldn't like her? You work together every day, what if something happens to you? You can't get married, what if she dumps you? Where will you go to cry?"
Lin's mother kept talking and nagging, giving Lin Zhi a headache, but she just listened patiently without interrupting.
My mother is worried that I will follow in her footsteps, so she came here to impart her experience. But isn't my mother also a complete failure, so much so that she can only use those two marriage certificates to keep my father.
Watching her mother talk endlessly about how to capture a woman's heart, Lin Zhi felt both amused and bittersweet.
The assistant knocked on the door, and when someone answered, he came in carrying a tray, placing a steaming cup of tea in front of Lin's mother.
Lin's mother picked up her teacup, took a sip, and kept her eyes fixed on Lin Zhi's assistant until she left.
"Your assistant is alright, not a threat."
"Mom, Lai Lai won't do that."
How can you be so sure?
“I have enough trust in her, and besides... you know about her family.”
Lin's mother rubbed her hands, unable to speak for a long time.
Lin Zhi knew what her mother was thinking. She held her mother's hand and said, "Don't worry, my teacher is very good to me, and everyone in her family is very good to me. I will be happier than you."
Yes, what Lin's mother most wanted to hear was the last sentence.
I will be happier than you.
——
This winter is not as cold as in previous years, and the snow came later. In previous years, there would be a heavy snowfall in December, but this year, with the end of the year approaching, the snow has been slow to fall.
To meet the deadline, the director had to borrow equipment to create an artificial snowfall, which also became the last shot of the TV series.
Jiang Lai changed into her costume, holding a long sword, and stood in the center of the crowd, holding her breath.
As the clapperboard fell, Jiang Lai exhaled a breath of cold air, and a murderous intent immediately flashed in her eyes.
In this scene, she fought against a hundred men single-handedly, and ultimately died in the male lead's arms.
The wind whistled past her ears; the extras were all martial arts professionals, and each blow truly landed on Jiang Lai.
The once-perfect clothes were torn, and blood gushed from the tear. The director behind the screen dared not breathe, afraid that even a single breath would ruin this exquisite scene.
The camera pans, and the male protagonist descends from the sky suspended by wires, one arm around the female protagonist, the other holding a sword as he fights against a hundred people.
"Cut! Congratulations on wrapping up filming!"
With the director's command, the TV series came to an end.
Jiang Lai broke free from the male lead's embrace and took a tissue from a staff member to wipe the blood off her face.
"I'm very happy with this collaboration, and I hope we can work together again next time." The actor who played the male lead extended his hand.
Jiang Lai politely returned the handshake and said courteously, "I'm very happy too."
Anna watched the male lead's departing figure and said with disgust, "He was clearly trying to use you to create hype, especially after you won the Best Actress award at the end of September. After you came back, he acted like a lapdog. With paparazzi around, he couldn't wait to stick to you."
Jiang Lai was nominated for the Golden Rooster Award for her role in "The Lonely Island" but missed out. However, thanks to the success of her previous TV series, she not only received a nomination but also won the Best Actress award, instantly boosting her value. She even gained many more "friends," with people in her WeChat list whose names she couldn't even recall sending her congratulations. Jiang Lai not only didn't reply but didn't even look at them.
Jiang Lai threw away the tissue and said as she walked, "I know that now is the time to test my emotional intelligence. Anna, you also need to learn to control your temper. Even if you know that the other person is only getting close to you to curry favor, you still have to greet them with a smile."
Anna nodded: "I know, my fellow villagers and classmates all know I'm your assistant and asked me to get your autographs."
Jiang Lai said nonchalantly, "Then sign it. Give me a copy later and I'll sign one for you."
Anna held up two fingers, as if making a V-sign: "That might not be enough, we need two."
Jiang Lai: ......
Becoming famous brings many troubles. For example, she has to use the VIP channel at the airport. In order not to make her fans wait in vain, Jiang Lai always arrives at the airport four or five hours in advance.
Jiang Lai arrived relatively early this time, found a chair to sit down, and the fans were very considerate, keeping a safe distance from her.
"Lai Lai, I heard that you had to temporarily retire because of depression, is that true?"
An arm stretched out from the crowd, a phone almost shoved into Jiang Lai's face, and the tone of the question was that of a former reporter.
Anna frowned, stood up and blocked Jiang Lai's path, and said fiercely, "If you're not a fan, what are you doing getting involved? Paparazzi aren't welcome!"
The fans joined in the commotion, demanding that the paparazzi be kicked out of the airport.
"It is indeed depression."
Jiang Lai's voice was calm, and the noise from the crowd immediately subsided, but there were still clicking sounds of cameras taking pictures.
The paparazzi squeezed through the crowd, holding a microphone, and asked, "So why are you depressed?"
Jiang Lai approached, raising an eyebrow: "Whose family are you from?"
The paparazzi, a tall man standing at 1.8 meters, was rendered speechless by Jiang Lai's imposing presence. He swallowed hard and announced the name of the studio.
Jiang Lai nodded and replied in an extremely relaxed tone, "Of course it's because I'm depressed from agonizing over whether to go home and inherit the company or stay in the entertainment industry to continue my career."
His answer elicited a burst of laughter.
The paparazzi's forehead veins bulged, feeling like he'd been tricked. He was about to ask the next question when Jiang Lai's next words left him speechless.
"The previous question was given to you for free. If you want to ask another question, ask your boss to prepare the money, and then you can contact me and we can talk about it slowly."
After Jiang Lai finished speaking, she put on sunglasses and walked to the security checkpoint under the protection of security personnel.
The paparazzo cursed Jiang Lai in his mind. If it weren't for making money, he wouldn't have followed this troublesome person.
I don't know why, but such a small thing actually made it to the top of Weibo's trending topics, with the hashtag "Jiang Lai acts like a diva". However, Zhengzheng Risheng didn't care about this, because the Weibo posts and comments under the hashtag were all in Jiang Lai's favor.
The reason it's trending is simply because of that paparazzi; the trending is generated by criticizing him.
Wu Qianqian's matter remained an unfillable pit in Jiang Lai's heart. It was only because a woman named Lin Zhi entered her life that she was able to climb out of the pit and move forward.
cemetery--
This was Jiang Lai's first time here. As she stepped up the stairs, her legs grew heavier and heavier, as if they were filled with lead.
Finally, Jiang Lai found the girl who was beautiful but didn't smile much. She placed a bunch of white chrysanthemums in front of the girl's tombstone. Jiang Lai bent down and found that the items placed next to the white chrysanthemums were all her own merchandise.
Jiang Lai couldn't help but smile. These were all merchandise items made by fans, some of which she didn't even own. After looking at them one by one, she put them back exactly as they were.
Footsteps slowly approached from the side, and Jiang Lai quickly turned her back, as if fleeing.
"Lai Lai!" the man called out to her.
Jiang Lai was startled and turned around: "Sister...Sister?"
Lin Zhi was wearing a women's suit, clearly having just finished work. It gets dark especially quickly in winter; the sun was still out when she arrived, but in the blink of an eye, the horizon was already ablaze with red.
Lin Zhi bowed deeply to Wu Qianqian's photo. After a long while, she stood up and said, "I was a bit rushed today. I'll come see you again next time."