Rebirth of a Star

After what had happened earlier, Lan Jinyao didn’t utter another word throughout the day. On the one hand, she was angry with Fu Bainian; she felt that he shouldn’t have compromised so easily. And, on the other hand, she was angry with herself; she shouldn’t have spoken to Fu Bainian in that manner since Fu Bainian must’ve made that decision with their best interests in mind. Albeit, he’d decided to let Jiang Cheng off the hook this time.

After Jiang Baitao had left, Fu Bainian had only said a word to her and then left in a hurry.

Jinyao, don’t worry, I’ll take care of this matter properly. Trust me; I would never allow anyone in the Jiang family to have a chance to hurt you again, I swear!

When Fu Bainian had said those words, Lan Jinyao was still in a fit of anger, so she’d ignored him. However, she’d stored everything that Fu Bainian had said in her heart. Fu Bainian had already said that he would take care of this, so she should trust him.

Following this, Lan Jinyao calmed down and wasn’t angry anymore.

As evening fell, Li Qi came to visit her. As soon as he entered the living room, he dashed to Lan Jinyao’s side, grabbed her hand, and kept yelling, “There’s good news, good news!!”

Lan Jinyao could already guess what Li Qi was about to say next. After all, Chen Zetao had already happily told her that she was nominated for the Best Actress Award, so it was not surprising for her to see Li Qi’s happy expression.

But, soon after, Lan Jinyao understood that her guess was wrong. Li Qi wasn’t happy because of her, but because of something else.

After holding onto her hand and yelling for a while, Li Qi finally calmed down. He scanned his surroundings and asked, “Didn’t President Fu return home? How come I don’t see him?”

“He did return, but he left again not long after,” Lan Jinyao explained. Then, she teased him by adding, “What, you’re here today not to see me, but Fu Bainian? Unfortunately, Fu Bainian has already left, so you’ll have to come back tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qi smiled sheepishly and then said, “Hey, what are you saying? Whether I’m here for him or you, it’s all the same because you’re a family after all. In fact, I’ve come here today to extend my thanks to President Fu. Xiaoyun could finally hold a concert! She’s also very happy about this and wanted to express her thanks. In the past, she could only hold small-scale performances in a bar, but now she could actually perform on a grand stage and convey her songs to even more people.”

“Oh, so this was the good news you were talking about. Actually, I personally think that Fu Bainian has a good eye for business and talent. Xiaoyun has a formidable presence, and she could hold the field well, so she’d definitely become famous sooner or later. Thus, there’s no need to thank Fu Bainian.”

Li Qi hurriedly said, “No, no, no, it’s a given that we must extend our thanks. Xiaoyun has the talent, but if Bainian hadn’t discovered her and given her a chance, then she wouldn’t be where she is right now. Of course, the credits also go to you, Meimei.”

Li Qi was truly an affectionate and righteous person. He’d gone to great lengths to help Xiaoyun.

“Of course, this wasn’t the most important announcement. I came here today to tell you that you’re nominated for the Best Actress Award! I’m sure that the title of Movie Goddess will be yours to take this time!”

Lan Jinyao merely smiled at him indifferently.

Seeing her reaction, Li Qi was stunned as he asked, “You’re not surprised? Are you not feeling even a tiny bit excited? If you were to win this award, it would be the first trophy that you’ll ever get. How can you stay so calm? This doesn’t make sense…”

“Could it be…you already knew?”

Lan Jinyao nodded and explained, “Yes, Director Chen was the one who told me. But, whether I’ll win the title of Movie Goddess or not, it’s hard to tell…”

Li Qi then asked about the previous incident again and, at that instant, the smile on Lan Jinyao’s face completely disappeared.

“That incident must be the biggest disaster I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. Even death can’t be compared to this ordeal, my child…is no more,” as Lan Jinyao recounted the events, she gently stroked her belly, but she knew that her child was already gone.

Upon hearing this, Li Qi’s expression also became heavy. “It’s because of…Jiang Cheng?”

Lan Jinyao softly responded with a ‘Mhm!’ before tears welled up in her eyes not long after.

Seeing her like this, Li Qi immediately got flustered and rushed to get her paper towels as he consoled, “Meimei, don’t cry… Although your first child is no more, you can have more in the future when your body recovers. The most important issue at hand is for you and President Fu to stay well, and to remain loving like before.”

Lan Jinyao calmed down and nodded in response.

Meanwhile, Fu Bainian had just returned home, and as soon as he stepped into the living room, he saw Lan Jinyao wiping her eyes with paper towels. At this sight, his eyebrows tightly furrowed, and he immediately asked, “What’s going on? Li Qi, what did you tell her?”

Fu Bainian strode over and sat down next to Lan Jinyao. He quickly embraced her as he asked softly, “Meimei, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

When Li Qi saw this, he shrugged and lowered his head. He didn’t do anything. President Fu’s gaze was truly terrifying!

“I really didn’t make Meimei cry. I only came here today to announce the good news. Meimei, don’t cry anymore, I’ll go back first. For tomorrow’s Award Ceremony, remember to dress beautifully.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Qi slipped away for fear that he’d suffer from a calamity without any reason if he stayed for even a second longer.

After Li Qi had left, Fu Bainian softly asked again, “Why are you crying? Are you still mad at me? About that…”

Fu Bainian seemingly wanted to explain the reason behind his actions, but he was interrupted by Jinyao. “Fu Bainian, I believe in you. Li Qi is right; although our baby is gone, we are still together, so we’ll surely have more…babies in the future.”

At this moment, her eyes and nose had already reddened, and she was seemingly on the verge of tears. Seeing her like this made Fu Bainian’s heart ache for her. Her current appearance was, in his eyes, still as beautiful as before. For him, all he could see was Lan Jinyao; there were no traces of the former Chen Meimei at all.

“Fu Bainian, let’s eat out later and, in passing, buy a new outfit. I don’t quite like the outfits that were sent over by the sponsors not long ago. It’s okay to wear those for daily occasions, but those aren’t glamorous enough for tomorrow’s Award Ceremony.”

Fu Bainian nodded in agreement.

Then, while they were at the restaurant, Lan Jinyao met the so-called Qingqing.

The brightly lit restaurant was packed with people when they got there. Fu Bainian specifically chose a corner with fewer people, letting Lan Jinyao sit in a not so visible corner. The rumours surrounding their divorce were still a hot topic out there, so if the media were to find out they were back together, it would undoubtedly be a big deal. By then, they would inevitably appear on the headlines again.

When they were placing their order, Lan Jinyao deliberately lowered the hat on her head. And, she had no choice but to accept the weird look the waiter was giving her.

Only after Fu Bainian lightly coughed did the waiter retreat.

It was right then that they heard someone sitting nearby cause a scene.

“What kind of attitude and service is this?! She spilt juice on me, and I’m not allowed to get justice for myself? How dare you hold me back? Get out of my way, or else I’ll instantly close down your restaurant.”

This kind of scene was, in fact, not of interest to Lan Jinyao. But, Fu Bainian, the almighty President of a conglomerate, was unexpectedly paying attention to this kind of small everyday ruckus. As a result, Lan Jinyao followed his line of sight, but she still couldn’t discern anything out of the ordinary.