"Shanghai is a place where people make their fortunes by making money in the film industry. There are many tricks involved; I'll take you on a tour another day."
"What's the movie called?" Huaiyu asked.
"《夙很》. I bet the female lead will be there for the ribbon-cutting ceremony later."
At the main entrance of the Paradise World, a crowd had already gathered, staring at a row of a dozen or so large, bright red satin pieces, whispering among themselves:
What is that?
"Have you arrived yet?"
"Don't push or squeeze!"
Suddenly a commotion arose, and a small path appeared as if it had been parted by an invisible magic hand.
The group was led by two men, followed by two women, and then two more men.
The first woman, intelligent and beautiful, accompanied and looked after the female protagonist. She was her "secretary." There wasn't much secretarial work involved; she simply accompanied her to social events. Mary said with a smile:
"Isn't it too late?"
The man smiled ingratiatingly.
"It's only a little late, less than two hours, it's okay, it's okay."
The crowd began to stir; they had seen Duan Pingting.
Miss Duan walked with confidence, her purple satin high heels clicking softly. Looking up at her slender feet, a small section of the vibrant purple satin cheongsam was subtly revealed, as her entire body was wrapped in a very dark sable fur coat. Even with such a tight covering, one could still use her gait to imagine the magnificent scene inside.
Even with her fur collar turned up, her neatly styled hair parted in a 3:7 ratio, three parts held still while the other seven parts flowed loosely and lightly, needing no brushing. Her eyes, like the hand parting a curtain, radiated a dazzling brilliance without even a hint of force.
Even with her eyes downcast and not looking at anything, she knew perfectly well that she was being watched—it was incredibly annoying.
Mr. Jin stood with Ms. Duan in front of the red ribbon that stretched out in the air. Flashes of camera light rang out, and with a swift movement of the scissors, the ribbon and colorful balls were abruptly severed, collapsing weakly to the ground, the bright red satin ribbon billowing out.
One dressing mirror after another, oh dear, they were all uneven. Even if you were a celestial being, when you looked in the mirror, you would either appear short and fat or stretched thin and long. Your face would remain the same, but your appearance would be completely changed. It was hard to tell whether it was your past life or your future life. Everyone burst into laughter.
The "funhouse mirrors" at Le World had an astonishing appeal. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, they were left to be spread among the common people. Duan Pingting stood in front of the mirror and was surprised to see herself transformed into a grotesque shape. However, due to her status, the elegant and beautiful Ren Ge only smiled faintly. Another ugly shadow appeared in the mirror, flashing unintentionally before disappearing again.
Duan Bizai turned around and saw the handsome Huaiyu, a completely transformed version of the person in the mirror.
Shi Zhongming introduced them: "Miss Duan, these are Mr. Tang Huaiyu, Mr. Li Shengtian, and Mr. Wei Jinbao. They are all famous actors from Beiping and will be performing in the next few days."
Duan Pingting—she lightly shook hands. Her gaze was unfocused, so her movements seemed weak—she didn't even seem to want to look you in the eye. Her smoky eyes glanced casually here and there, indifferent and perfunctory. The light shimmered aimlessly, more white than black, as if to say: she had no idea who you were. You and she were complete strangers, going your separate ways, never to meet again.
Huaiyu recognized him at a glance and immediately blurted out:
"Oh! I've seen you before!"
"Have you seen him?"
Huaiyu felt embarrassed for her rudeness.
"—When you came to Beiping to perform—"
"Yes, we were performing a song and dance show at True Light. Mary, which movie was it?" I couldn't remember.
"It's 'Hometown Dream'."
"Ha, this gentleman—what's his name?" He deliberately forgot and asked again.
“Mr. Tang.” Mary performed her role as secretary very competently.
Has Mr. Tang come to see us?
Huaiyu's face flushed even more. Back then, he was just a nobody, a nobody from Tianqiao, and could only stammer:
"—I have seen your photos. It seems that besides Miss Duan, there is also… I forgot the name."
Duan Pingting remained calm and smiled faintly:
"Um, I'm so confused, why are all the supporting actors getting their photos printed and given away? Really!"
Huaiyu had never seen such arrogance before, and for a moment he couldn't help but:
"You can't say that. One person can't put on a whole play!"
Pingting's face darkened.
The City God Temple is a Taoist temple. Taoism has the most deities: the Jade Emperor in heaven, Yama on earth, as well as the City God, the Earth God, the Dragon King, the Mountain God, the Thunder God, the Rain Master… and even door gods. Each has its own responsibilities, and whoever has the most power can establish themselves there.
In Shanghai, the Yu Garden and the City God Temple in Nanshi are well-known to young and old alike and have always been popular tourist destinations. Inside and outside the temples, numerous food stalls offer a variety of flavors. Zhu Shengli is introducing everyone to a famous Shanghai snack called Nanxiang Steamed Buns. Although it's just a type of steamed bun, it's small and delicate, with a thin, translucent skin. When the steamer is opened, the steam rises red and the buns are all puffed up.
Zhu Shenglin was a rather impatient person and didn't stand on ceremony with them, saying:
"Eat it while it's hot, the broth is so good!"
I picked one up first and dipped it in ginger and rice vinegar.
While eating, he criticized Huaiyu:
"You just offended someone, do you know that?"
"I just can't stand it. She's Xiang Tingting, that's none of my business, why bother arguing with her?"
"Female celebrities have a huge audience and are so popular, so naturally they have an air of superiority. Everyone around them spoils them, so they like to show off."
“She’s really arrogant,” Li Shengtian said, protecting Huaiyu. “We just introduced her, and she immediately said she couldn’t remember.”