The crowd surrounded him as he entered through the back door, with twenty-five minutes remaining before the event began.
Yáng Xī personally led the “Best Actor” to the backstage lounge. It was rare for him to arrive this early.
Lù Chéng tried to steady his nerves and flipped open the brochure of the new car.
Yáng Xī’s phone rang. Seeing it was Zhōng Yì’s number, she stepped outside to find a quiet spot to answer.
Zhōng Yì was about ten minutes from the venue. “Which entrance should I find you at?”
Yáng Xī said, “Entrance 3. I’ll send you the location.”
Zhōng Yì ended the call and focused on driving.
It was her first time at the International Conference Center, and after much effort, she finally found a parking spot.
A white sedan parked opposite her had its driver’s door half-open. Seeing it was her car, the driver closed the door again.
Táng Nuòyún didn’t expect to run into Zhōng Yì in the parking lot, so she decided to stay in her car a while longer.
The company had given their department an invitation to the launch event.
Knowing she was in a bad mood recently after withdrawing from a project, and that she was a fan of Lù Chéng, their direct boss handed the invitation to her.
Táng Nuòyún was on the phone with her mother. She was silent for a while before her mother asked, “Is the signal bad?”
“Maybe. I’m outside.”
Yáng Jiāyuàn said, “Mom will come back to see you in a few days. Don’t overthink it.”
Táng Nuòyún smiled, “No need to come back. It’s no big deal, like I’m heartbroken or something.”
If heartbroken, she could find someone else. So there was no need to be upset.
Her bad mood wasn’t because of losing the project—though that was a pity—but because of whether her mother and father really had feelings for each other.
Her mother had been so eager to have her, was it to sever any thought of reconciling with Jiāng Jìngyuān?
Yáng Jiāyuàn apologized to her daughter, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to hide it. I just thought it wasn’t necessary to say. After so many years, if others don’t mention it, I can barely remember.”
Táng Nuòyún had looked up her mother’s past with Jiāng Jìngyuān online. They had been so reckless when they were young.
While feeling sad herself, she also pitied her mother and felt sorrow on her behalf.
Yáng Jiāyuàn said, “I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.”
When her daughter returned to develop her career in China, it was because of the food she liked, the lively atmosphere, and convenience.
Most importantly, the semiconductor industry had promising prospects in China.
So she and her husband supported her decision to return.
Her daughter chose Jinghe for two reasons: the best pay and room for growth, and her boyfriend was in another department there.
The couple didn’t have to worry about missing each other due to overtime; they could meet at lunch.
Her thoughts were simple at the time. Jiāng Jìngyuān was a shareholder in Jinghe but never involved in group affairs. Besides, Jinghe had tens of thousands of R&D personnel—who really knew whom?
Who would have guessed that an old matter from twenty-six years ago would resurface?
Now, it was impossible to hide.
“Mom, you don’t have to apologize. It’s not your fault.”
Yáng Jiāyuàn asked, “Are you off today?”
“Yes. Just came out to see a car launch event.”
“Then go quickly. Your dad has booked my plane ticket. Mom misses you and wants to see you. We’ll talk when we meet.”
Táng Nuòyún glanced outside; Zhōng Yì had already walked away.
Zhōng Yì opened her phone’s navigation and found Entrance 3. Just as she was about to call Yáng Xī, “Zhōng Jie!” Yáng Xī came out from inside the entrance and waved.
It felt like the day of the art exhibition, when Yáng Xī waited for her outside the gallery.
Zhōng Yì smiled and waved, slipping her phone back into the Canvas Bag.
Yáng Xī hurried over and linked arms with her as they walked inside.
Noticing the Canvas Bag, she asked, “New bag?”
“Yeah, it’s from Laoshi’s new work.”
“What’s it called?”
“‘Qu 2.0.’”
***
In the painting, a young father sat in a courtyard, holding a brush in one hand and painting on a canvas, while cradling a three- or four-year-old girl with the other.
The girl rested on her father’s arm, barefoot, with her feet propped on his other arm, clutching a slice of watermelon as she bit into it.
Pink watermelon juice stained her all over, and her father’s white shirt was smeared everywhere too.
Yáng Xī said, “That’s a painting of you and Chairman Jiang, right?”
“Yes. My dad was helping me finish Laoshi’s assignment.”
“You didn’t become a painter because Chairman Jiang delayed you.”
Zhōng Yì laughed, “Thanks for the compliment, President Yáng.”
They chatted as they entered the backstage area of the launch event.
Yáng Xī checked her watch; there were eleven minutes before the official start.
“Most guests have arrived. Shall I escort you inside? If you stay backstage, you might run into President Zhou.”
Zhōng Yì said, “Okay, I’ll head to the conference hall.”
Yáng Xī pointed to the VIP lounge ahead and whispered, “The spokesperson arrived early and is familiarizing himself with the car info. Do you want a photo with the Best Actor?”
She tilted her head and asked, “Zhōng—”
Zhōng Yì quickly waved her off, “No need.”
They had to pass the VIP lounge’s entrance to get into the conference hall. Zhōng Yì quickened her pace.
It wasn’t that she didn’t dare face Lù Chéng—if Zhōu Shíyì found out, he’d get jealous again.
But before they could pass the VIP lounge, the door suddenly opened from the inside, and that tall figure appeared unexpectedly right in front of her.
Seeing the person less than two meters away, Lù Chéng froze in place.
That relationship had ended seven and a half years ago, memories even blurred.
Yet, when she appeared before him, his heartbeat uncontrollably quickened, and all memories instantly came alive as if the breakup had been just last month.
Those painful, sorrowful feelings rushed back.
The image of him spinning her around on the playground after the college entrance exam, making her dizzy and unable to stand, was as vivid as ever.
She had repeatedly asked him on the phone, “When will you come to see me?”
Seven and a half years had passed, and he finally saw her.
He hadn’t intended to greet her, pretending she was a stranger.
At that moment, Sister Cen stepped out beside him and greeted Zhōng Yì with a smile, “What a coincidence. Long time no see.”
Zhōng Yì glanced at her coolly, not even nodding.
To this day, she still remembered how Sister Cen had personally approached her years ago, asking her to set conditions for breaking up.
The most agonizing part was Yáng Xī, who felt as if she had witnessed a secret she shouldn’t have known.
She didn’t look at Zhōng Yì’s expression but locked her gaze on the Best Actor’s face in front of her. In his eyes, she saw the same look Zhōu Shíyì had for Zhōng Yì at the art exhibition’s celebration banquet.
That was definitely not the gaze of a stranger or an ordinary friend of the opposite sex.
Pieces in Yáng Xī’s mind began to connect. Zhōng Yì grew up in Laoshi’s hometown, and both Lù Chéng and Laoshi were from the same town.
Sister Cen’s “Long time no see” proved they knew each other. She thought of the song “Yì” that Lù Chéng wrote the lyrics and music for.
Zhōng Yì nodded slightly to Lù Chéng and was about to step forward when a sudden commotion came from behind.
Du (杜总) hurried over, persuading his boss, “At least ten minutes. You can’t finish even one complete question in three to five minutes during the interaction.”
“No matter what, you have to explain the Intelligent Driving Assistance System thoroughly.”
As he spoke, Zhōu Shíyì suddenly looked up toward the front.
Du followed his line of sight and also looked ahead.
He didn’t notice others but saw the short-haired figure from afar.
“Look, even President Zhōng came to support. Don’t you have to explain the Intelligent Driving Assistance System thoroughly?”
This system was currently the most mature and advanced intelligent driving assistance system on the market.
The project they were cooperating on with Jinghe was an even higher-level one.
Zhōu Shíyì didn’t reply but stared straight at the two people ahead.
By the VIP lounge entrance, Sister Cen was the first to notice Zhōu Shíyì and Du arriving.
She said, “President Zhōu and Du have arrived.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhōng Yì suddenly turned around.
Lù Chéng withdrew his gaze from Zhōng Yì and quickly looked up as well.
Zhōu Shíyì looked at both of them who were looking his way. He stopped looking at Lù Chéng and fixed his eyes solely on her.
Zhān Liáng watched the scene, unsure what to do.
Zhōu Shíyì’s expression remained unchanged, and he walked over calmly.
Du hurried to catch up.
Having met Lù Chéng on the day of the official endorsement announcement, regardless of whether his boss was a fan of Lù Chéng, he formally introduced, “This is our spokesperson Lù Chéng, and this is our Kuncheng Motors President Zhōu.”