Chapter 29 Olive Branch (I)

"Huo Yan, how are you?"

　　The two of them lingered at the door for a few minutes before a thin woman came up to greet them. Her dark blue suit was well-cut, with a double-breasted design that buttoned the collar on the left side of her waist. Her curly short hair just reached her shoulders, and the fine lines at the end of her eyes revealed the calmness of a middle-aged person.

　　"Teacher Yi, long time no see."

　　The smile on Huo Yan's face deepened, revealing the cordiality of meeting an acquaintance, and he took the initiative to extend his hand and shake hands with him.

　　Yi Hong leaned over and hugged her as if to shake hands, and when she stood up again, her eyes were still smiling lovingly.

"It's been a long time. I've been abroad for the past few years, and I didn't expect the domestic entertainment industry to change so much. I heard that you invested in a movie and the returns were pretty good?"

　　Huo Yan nodded modestly: "It's just luck."

　　Yi Hong corrected her: "You have a good eye. In fact, you have always had opinions on the film and television industry. The singer I manage is going to release a new song soon. I will have to ask for your opinion more often then."

　　"my pleasure."

　　"Haha, you are still like this, steady and calm, talking like an old man. I heard you got married, why don't you have a wedding? I want to be a witness."

　　Huo Yan shrugged and said, "No time."

　　Then he waved to Lan Su, motioning her to come forward: "Su Su, this is Teacher Yi, Yi Hong. Her wife Melody is the chief designer of our company. I knew nothing about jewelry at the beginning, and they were the ones who introduced me to it."

　　Facing the elder, Lan Su stepped forward obediently and bowed to her according to the Lan family's rules. When she stood up, she found that Yi Hong wanted to reach out and shake hands with her, so she awkwardly shook hands with both hands, which was quite embarrassing.

　　"Haha." Yi Hong was not surprised. She narrowed her eyes slightly with delicate makeup. "I saw the news. Your name is Lan Su, right?"

　　Lan Su nodded respectfully: "Yes, Teacher Yi."

Seeing that she was nervous, Huo Yan held her hand quietly, just like he did when they walked on the red carpet before, and gave Yi Hong an apologetic smile:

　　"Sorry, Teacher Yi, she's a little introverted."

　　"No, that's good." Yi Hong looked at Lan Su with satisfaction. "Being introverted is good. Compared to those people who pretend to be enthusiastic as if they have known each other for more than ten years even though they have never met before, Lan Su is very real."

　　I looked up and down at this girl who looked so determined in her black dress. The more I looked at her, the more I liked her. So I asked:

　　"What kind of job is Miss Lan doing now? Are you interested in joining the entertainment industry?"

　　Yi Hong was the top agent back then. Half of the superstars active in the film and music circles more than a decade ago were brought up by her team. Although she retired in recent years, they returned to China again as her lover recovered from a serious illness. Countless artist teams came to visit her, but she turned them all away.

　　And now, she took the initiative to ask Lan Su if he was interested.

　　This is an opportunity comparable to being hit by a meteor.

　　Huo Yan squeezed his hand and said, "Su Su, Teacher Yi is asking you."

　　Lan Su looked at her, then at Yi Hong: "What do you do in the entertainment industry?"

　　"Hahaha!"

Yi Hong laughed out loud. To be honest, she hadn't been moved by a real person for a long time.

　　"Miss Lan, you are really vivid."

　　She took out a business card from her clutch and handed it over: "The artist I'm currently managing is called Guo Le, and he's planning to shoot a music video for a new song. Miss Lan, I'd like to formally invite you to play the leading role in the music video. Are you willing?"

　　Lan Su was confused. During the years she was trained by the Lan family, she had only dealt with tomb robbers and antiques. She knew nothing about the entertainment industry and didn't even know what an MV was.

　　But she agreed.

　　Because Yi Hong's smile was so gentle that it reminded her of her mother in heaven.

　　"Okay, I'll have my assistant send you the agreement later. I look forward to working with you, Miss Lan."

　　Yi Hong's figure disappeared in the flow of people, and the two people's clasped hands were finally separated.

　　Huo Yan leaned back in his chair and looked up, a ray of light reflected from his glasses. A hint of relief and anticipation of the flower bud blooming spread across his eyes.

　　"Okay, I'm going to call you little star from now on."

Lan Su pursed his lips and said, "You can call me anything you want, but can you please not call me that?"

　　"Which one?"

　　"That's... the one you called me in front of Teacher Yi."

　　Huo Yan thought for a moment and recalled: "Su Su?"

　　Lan Su seemed to be stepped on: "Don't call me that."

　　Huo Yan became interested: "What's the matter?"

　　Lan Su grabbed the hem of her leather skirt uncomfortably, rubbing her thumb and index finger back and forth, her voice weakened:

　　"Even though it's just acting, it's... a little corny."

　　After saying that, she walked quickly along the aisle and sat down in the first row next to Huo Yan reserved for her by the organizer.

　　The steps were quite fast, but when the soft long hair was blown by the wind, the scarlet earlobes pierced into Huo Yan's eyes, rippling the waves of boiling water——

　　Lan Su is shy.

　　The film festival proceeded step by step under the careful control of the organizers. Lan Su sat next to Huo Yan with his back straight throughout the whole process, witnessing those glamorous faces coming on stage with anxiety and then leaving to thunderous applause.

　　Everyone is beautiful, both men and women, with fluffy and straight hair, fitted and bold dresses, and a consistent smile in front of the camera.

　　Is this what celebrities are like?

　　Will she be like this in the future?

I left the conference hall under the pretext of going to the restroom and walked along the red carpeted aisle. There was no one in front of me and no one behind me. It was as if I was walking on the muddy streets that I had stepped on barefoot when the incident happened. There was a mud puddle with every step, dirty water splashed, and spots of mud covered my calves.

　　The backstage employees were busy and hurried, each handling three tasks at the same time, racing against time in the long and narrow corridor.

　　No one knows her, so naturally no one cares about her.

　　Lan Su put on her coat and walked into the winter night outside, like Cinderella breaking into a quiet forest.

　　"Woo… woo…"

　　Walking around the northwest corner of the studio building, Lan Su heard a girl crying. She looked through the small garden and saw the person squatting on the ground like a gopher, hugging her knees in pain.

　　Lan Su was very familiar with that posture. She cried like this when she was a child, hugging her knees tightly, because that way she could regain a little warmth from lying in her mother's arms.

　　"What's wrong with you?"

　　She couldn't bear it, so she went up to comfort him. She was not good at comforting people, but she felt that she had to do something.

The other party was a very young girl who had just graduated from college. However, due to her mediocre work ability, her probation period was extended. Today was the final test, and the company gave her one last chance - to interview Huo Yan.

　　"But I only saw her assistant and was kicked out!"

　　Lu Xiaoxiao rubbed her eyes hard, and her nose turned red.

　　"If I can't interview her, I'll be fired when I go back! I also want to use my first salary to buy a mobile phone for my mother. She has always lived in the countryside and has never used a mobile phone..."

　　The more she talked, the more she cried. Lan Su felt distressed, but she couldn't make Huo Yan call her out for an interview. She had no choice but to suggest:

　　"How about you interview me? I'm her wife, so I can get the job done, right?"

　　"Really?!"

　　Lu Xiaoxiao jumped up and quickly pulled Lan Su inside. She asked the guard to open a room, made some simple arrangements, and turned on the camera.

　　The whole interview process was very quick. The other party seemed to be a very professional reporter. The interviewee changed from Huo Yan to Lan Su, and he was able to ask many smooth questions on the spot.

In comparison, Lan Su felt much more awkward when facing the camera alone for the first time.

　　"I'd like to ask Miss Lan, are you attending the red carpet with Mr. Huo today because you plan to enter the entertainment industry in the future?"

　　Lan Su was always honest. Thinking of the promise she made to Yi Hong to be the heroine in the MV, she nodded:

　　"right."

　　"Which work are you going to star in?"

　　"I don't know the name, but it's a music video."

　　"Which singer is it?"

　　"I forgot my name, I think it's Guo."

　　"Could it be King Guo, Guo Le?"

　　"That seems to be the name."

　　"And I want to ask..."

　　The interview lasted a total of 10 minutes. Lan Su was very cooperative. Before leaving, he even comforted Lu Xiaoxiao and asked her to work harder in the future.

　　As soon as he went out, he ran into Huo Yan on the veranda.

　　The wheelchair was parked at the edge of the porch facing outwards. His half-long hair was tied loosely behind his head. His glasses reflected strong light. His dark lips looked like blood from a snake bite. A ghost hand crawled out of the collar of his black shirt. The branches in the courtyard were swaying in the wind, baring their fangs and claws like ghost hands.

　　"You're quite busy."

　　The bland tone was like the teeth of a saw, containing a lot of blame.

　　Lan Su stepped forward and explained, "That reporter is very pitiful. If he fails to interview anyone, he will be fired tomorrow."

　　Huo Yan's attitude was rather cold-blooded: "Firing her means that her ability is not worthy of the job. If she relies on your mercy today and goes back to report, who will she rely on tomorrow?"

This made Lan Su unhappy: "Not everyone in the world is so good. She may have to use 100% of the effort others put in, and she also faces the risk of being fired from time to time. I only need to spend 10 minutes to help her get this job she likes. It's just a piece of cake."

　　Lan Su and Huo Yan rarely talked, let alone had arguments like this. Her eyes moved, and she saw Xu Panpan waving at her from behind Huo Yan to stop talking, and she got even angrier - Huo Yan was always so high and mighty, and couldn't understand what it meant that all living beings suffer.

　　Lan Su only knew that if someone could extend a hand and offer an olive branch like she did when she was crying on the roadside with her knees hugged, it would be a blessing that would make her happy even if she died at that moment.

　　"She is a good reporter." Lan Su stared into Huo Yan's eyes.

　　Huo Yan listened to her quietly until she finished speaking. Then he pressed the button on the armrest and drove towards the narrow room:

　　"Then let's see how she can be good."

　　The wheelchair stopped at the door, and the door panel was not closed tightly, leaving a gap as wide as a finger. Lan Su followed and stood at the door together. The conversation between Lu Xiaoxiao and the photographer could be heard from inside, which was like a needle piercing his throat.

"You just made up two sentences and believed them. How stupid!"

　　"Hahaha that's right! You really have great acting skills. You fooled her with just a few words!"

　　"It's all because of the good eye drops. I put one drop in and my whole body felt sore!"

　　"But she's really stupid enough to even mention the MV. Let's go back and confirm with the boss. I guess it must be the one with Guo Le! Then we'll have the exclusive news!"

　　The two of them were unaware that Lan Su had returned, and they were still replaying the scene just now, imitating Lan Su in a stupid tone.

　　"Hehe, you are a good reporter, keep working hard in the future."

　　"If you interview me, will you be able to get a good job? Hahahaha what an idiot! We were going for her in the first place, hahaha!"

　　The arrogant shout echoed in the room, and suddenly with a "bang", the door was pushed open from the outside and hit the wall with a loud noise. Looking back, I saw a dark corridor, and the light from the room reflected the figure of a person sitting in a wheelchair, like a lightning bolt hitting a Buddha statue in a ruined temple, and the strong light gathered on the two lenses, as dazzling as a knife.

　　Looking at the entire entertainment industry, there is only one person in a wheelchair.

　　"You, you are...you...Mr. Huo...Mr. Huo..."