IPCFS: Chapter 141 Part 1

The official dinner was set in a five-star hotel of the highest standard in the region. It was luxurious and low-key.

The day of the dinner had a rare heavy rain for the season, but the weather couldn’t stop the star-chasing craze. There were still entertainment reporters and fans who rushed over after hearing the news, and they stood outside the hotel to wait for the stars attending the party.

Qin Yue and Ji Li arrived by car, and the lights crackled and flickered like music. It felt dazzling even through the car window.

The hotel employee approached in time for their arrival. He opened the car door and offered a black gold umbrella. “Sir, please.”

Qin Yue took the umbrella without thinking, his handsome eyes showing estranged politeness. “I’ll do it myself, thank you.”

The employee readily agreed.

The next second, he saw Qin Yue turning around with the umbrella and stretching out his hand toward the car. “Be careful, don’t get caught in the rain.”

Ji Li got out of the car with Qin Yue’s help and quickly let go. “I’m not that delicate. It doesn’t matter if a bit of rain gets on me.”

The interaction between the two of them entered the eyes of a photographer and resulted in a beautiful picture.

In the rain, the area under the umbrella was the unique world of the two people. One person lowered his eyes, while the other person raised his eyes. The warmth and love in their eyes were enough to melt everything.

Someone in the crowd urgently shouted, “It is Qin and Ji! Long Island Iced Tea! I love them in this movie!”

In an instant, all eyes focused on them.

It wasn’t a formal red carpet event, so Qin Yue and Ji Li were dressed in a very low-key manner. Nevertheless, they wore two suits from the same brand but from a different series. The former was calmer and elegant, while the latter was more aristocratic.

They exuded an aura that only existed between real couples. It entered into the eyes of outsiders, and the two of them felt indescribably well matched. This made people become even more addicted, and their screams intensified.

The sound of the cameras was loud and non-stop, while the fans who came to join in the excitement just cheered.

The place where people mainly focused on ‘Long Island Iced Tea’ was in North America, but it also achieved a good box office result in Europe and other countries. In addition, for this year’s Yana Film Festival, the two of them relied on the same movie to be nominated for Best Actor.

Some people felt that it was unfair and protested against the two nominations, but others applauded it.

“Chinese Rose! I love Chinese Rose! You are so well matched!”

“Ji, I like you so much!”

“The moment I saw Qin, I thought of Wen Qiong who loved until death. So much love!”

“Chinese Rose, I hope at least one of you wins the trophy!”

Ji Li maintained proper social etiquette and waved to the fans.

The employee standing to the side woke up at the shouts of the crowd and adhered to his code of conduct. “Gentlemen, please show me your invitations.”

Ji Li took the initiative to take out his invitation and smiled teasingly. “Don’t worry, we are genuine guests.”

The employee was shaken by his smile and bowed his head to invite them in. “Please come in.”

It wasn’t until Qin Yue and Ji Li entered the hotel and were led to the inner banquet hall by special staff members that the employee let out a long sigh of relief. He couldn’t help touching his hot cheeks.

To tell the truth, he was gay.

The moment ‘Long Island Iced Tea’ was released, he bought a ticket to watch it. From the moment Lu Yao, played by Ji Li, appeared, he fell deeply in love with his sunny and dazzling character.

Later, he was moved by the plot and watched it no less than ten times in the theater. After the movie was released, he transferred this love to the actor Ji Li.

This was the first time he fell in love with a Chinese actor, and it was also when he started learning about other Chinese movie and television works through Ji Li.

He heard that Ji Li was shortlisted for the Yana International Film Festival this time, but he hadn’t expected to meet Ji Li today!

They had only exchanged a few sentences in the name of work, but this was enough for him to remember it for a lifetime.

Ji’s smile is so beautiful!

I hope Qin will always love him with sincerity!

***

There were already many celebrities inside when Ji Li and Qin Yue entered the banquet hall. The brilliance that belonged exclusively to the entertainment industry was especially clear at this moment.

Qin Yue casually brought over two glasses of champagne and took advantage of the opportunity to speak quietly. “That employee just now is obviously your fan.”

“How do you know?” Ji Li replied in Chinese.

“When you joked with him and handed over the invitation, his look of being happy but having to suppress it couldn’t fool me.” Qin Yue’s radar had always been very keen.

Ever since Ji Li was stalked by the perverted fan at the hotel, he had been particularly concerned about the people who appeared around his lover.

Ji Li touched his wine glass to Qin Yue’s lightly and asked with a smile, “Teacher Qin Yue, you wouldn’t be jealous of something like this, right?”

Qin Yue raised an eyebrow and took a sip of the wine.

The love in the employee’s eyes wasn’t blatant, nor was there any madness that crossed the line. He shouldn’t have had any undeserving thoughts about Ji Li. Qin Yue naturally didn’t have to beware of a ‘rival in love.’

Ji Li looked around and continued to lower his voice. “Hurry up and help me find him. Where is Kim Seungyu?”

“Why?”

“No reason. I just want to see what he really looks like.”

The sharp-eyed Qin Yue pointed out a nearby place. “He should be the one in the white suit.”

Ji Li followed his instructions and saw a long and slender figure. The other person was wearing a white tuxedo design and had a black bow tie with a crystal texture at his neckline.

From this angle, the curve of his side face was very gentle, and he had a clear and seductive smile. He was indeed like an ‘aristocratic evil spirit.’

Of course, this exaggerated and strange title was given by Kim Seungyu’s fans in South Korea.

Kim Seungyu was one year older than the present Ji Li, but he made his debut as a child star in South Korea. He started to break into the international movie world after he was 18 years old. This year, he was finally nominated for the Yana International Film Festival with the literary movie ‘Along the Coastline.’

The reason why Ji Li was so curious about him and paid attention to him was because of what Qin Yue had said to him in the hotel.

In the beginning, Kim Seungyu’s team took the initiative to fight for the role of Lu Yao in ‘Long Island Iced Tea.’ From the movie team’s dissatisfied rejection in the beginning to the subsequent repeated auditions, he finally became the number one backup candidate on the casting list of the movie team.

Even so, Cameron wasn’t satisfied.

The director wanted an actor who fit the role in the script with one glance, not the Lu Yao who was ‘formed after some time.’ Thus he delayed things for a while without signing the contract.

It just so happened that at this time, Director Adolphe and Yuexing made a two-way recommendation to Cameron’s team, leading to a new opportunity.

In other words, if Ji Li had abandoned the script, then it likely would’ve been Kim Seungyu who acted out ‘Lu Yao’ in the movie.

“He really fits Lu Yao’s image,” Ji Li looked back and muttered in a low voice.

Ji Li felt more and more that his original choice was correct when he imagined the scenes of Qin Yue and Kim Seungyu filming together.

Strictly speaking, his heart was a bit sour when he thought of Qin Yue filming intimate scenes with other actors.

Qin Yue disagreed. “There is only one Lu Yao in my heart and no one else can be him. No matter how good they are, they can’t be him.”

Ji Li was dragged from his thoughts by these words and showed a shallow smile.

Yes, every character had their destined fate, and every actor would meet his own role.

Kim Seungyu had nothing to do with ‘Long Island Iced Tea’ but he still successfully entered the Yana International Film Festival with another movie.

In this respect, Ji Li sincerely admired his strength.

Qin Yue added, “The person standing beside him seems to be Director Norwegian.”

“Who?” Ji Li couldn’t respond for a moment.

“If Director Cameron is the godfather of literary movies, then he is the god of commercial movies,” Qin Yue explained.

Norwegian was one of the famous directors who had never been overturned.

Ji Li looked at him seriously and recognized this big, famous director. “…It seems that Kim Seungyu is making new contacts?”

“Who isn’t here to make new connections?”

“That’s right.”

Qin Yue looked around and glimpsed several familiar directors. “Let’s go. Director Cameron isn’t here today, so I’ll take you over to meet some directors and producers first.”

“Yes.”

Such occasions were just to form contacts. As long as a person could grasp the opportunity, they might be able to obtain a movie resource that would become a springboard.

In the eyes of outsiders, this was the first time Ji Li was participating in such an international party, but his calm demeanor and generous conversation were enough to win the favor of many directors and producers.

The friendly conversation lasted for nearly half an hour before Qin Yue and Ji Li moved away from the central crowd, slowly retreating to the dessert corner on the side.

“Baby, take a break. I just saw a famous visuals director and I want to take the opportunity to talk to him.”

The movie ‘Doomsday Evolution’ was still being filmed, but Qin Yue needed a heavy-weight and capable behind-the-scenes director. He wanted to take this opportunity to issue an invitation.

“Okay.”

Ji Li watched Qin Yue walk away and simply found a place to sit down. To be honest, he hadn’t fully adjusted to his jet lag and was tired after some time had passed.

Before Ji Li could relax, an unfamiliar voice was heard beside him. “Mr. Ji, hello.”

Ji Li looked sideways and found that it was Kim Seungyu. In order to show politeness, he immediately stood up and nodded. “Mr. Kim, hello.”

Kim Seungyu raised his glass slightly and took advantage of drinking his wine to scrutinize Ji Li without any trace.

There was inexplicable hostility in the seemingly ordinary gaze, making Ji Li feel a bit uncomfortable.

“I have long wanted to know you, Mr. Ji. You won a role in Cameron’s ‘Long Island Iced Tea’ in less than three years after your debut, stepping into the international movie industry for the first time.”

“There are very few actors like you who can enter an international film festival at such a young age.”

“I think Mr. Ji is not only working hard, but your team behind the scenes should also be very reliable.”

It sounded like a compliment, but there were actually needles hidden in the cotton. The more Ji Li listened, the more uncomfortable he became. “Mr. Ji has also been nominated for an award. When it comes to age, the two of us are approximately the same age.”

Debuting as a child star and stepping into the international movie industry at the age of 18. He was regarded as a proud representative of young actors by the people of South Korea. Who wouldn’t be excited about such an actor’s career?

“If there is nothing else, then I’ll go first.” Ji Li smiled in a perfunctory manner. His initial appreciation and good feelings for the opposing person had dissipated a lot.

He could detect that Kim Seungyu was hostile to him. It was probably due to his role in ‘Long Island Iced Tea.’

Kim Seungyu didn’t stop him, but the moment Ji Li turned around, malicious contempt appeared in his eyes. He threw out an inaudible sentence in Korean.

“A vile and disgusting thief who will only steal other people’s things.”

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Proofreader: Azure