The smoke exhaled by Jiang Zhiyuan swirled around him, and the flickering cigarette butt reflected his furrowed brows.
In fact, he had been hesitating for many days. When Dai Jia gave him the mobile phone number, he had been struggling with it and had not slept well in recent days.
He shouldn't do what he wanted to do, he thought rationally, but his instincts prevented him from doing it.
That kind of blood connection can never be severed in a lifetime.
He hesitated for a long time, and there were already a lot of cigarette butts piled up at his feet. Jiang Zhiyuan finally made up his mind, took a deep puff of the cigarette, and let the smell of tobacco be inhaled into his body, swirled around, and when it was exhaled from his mouth, he finally made up his mind, picked up the phone, and pressed the dial key.
In fact, he already remembered this mobile phone number very well, but when he dialed it, he was still very cautious, as if he was afraid of pressing the wrong number.
After pressing the button, he checked again and again to make sure he had not pressed the wrong button. Then he licked his lips and his fingers trembled for a long time before he finally pressed the dial button.
When he pressed this button, he actually felt a little regretful and wanted to hang up. He was thinking, if the phone rang three times and Jiang Se still didn't answer, maybe this was fate. This might be God's arrangement, wanting his daughter to have a smooth life and destined not to have a father like him.
When the phone rang for the second time, Jiang Zhiyuan instinctively put his finger on the hang-up button, but the next moment, before he could press it, he heard Jiang Se's voice:
"Hello."
This was the first time Jiang Zhiyuan heard her talk to him like this. At that moment, he forgot where he was, forgot everything in the first half of his life, and even forgot who he was. He could not even hear his own heartbeat or breathing. He clutched the note tightly and tried hard to hold his breathing, fearing that the sound was too loud and would drown out her voice.
He had seen Jiang Se on TV and heard Jiang Se talking to him. He had lost control once. He had seen her up close when she met Feng Nan. He had passed by her in order to push away Feng Nan who was trying to hurt her.
But Jiang Zhiyuan had never felt so deeply before: his daughter was talking to him.
He pressed his ear closer to the receiver, listening to her almost greedily, even if it was just to hear her breathing through the microphone.
"Hello, who are you?"
She said one more thing, and he tried desperately to grit his teeth, but he felt powerless.
He subconsciously clenched the still burning cigarette butt tightly, the red flame burned his flesh with a sizzling sound, and the stinging pain brought back his sanity and calmed him down.
He shouldn't have made this call, he couldn't speak.
"Hello?"
She was already a little confused, and her tone gradually became a little alert, and he raised the corner of his mouth.
This was right. She shouldn't have taken unfamiliar phone calls lightly. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell her any of the warnings the father had given his daughter.
He suddenly felt a little regretful. Perhaps too many things had happened recently, and he could no longer be as calm as before.
"Thunder?"
She heard someone talking on the other end of the phone, and it sounded like the agent next to her, named Xia Chaoqun.
Jiang Zhiyuan had checked the existence of this woman and found out that she was very capable and treated her very well, protecting her meticulously.
"Did anyone call?"
Xia Chaoqun asked. She had just been discussing something with Mo Anqi and others. When she heard Jiang Se talking, she came over to take a look. Jiang Se was holding a mobile phone. There was silence on the other end of the phone. The number calling was an unfamiliar number, and the caller didn't speak either.
This mobile phone number is her private number. Pei Yi has handled it for her. The information is absolutely confidential. There is no possibility that someone will get her information and make harassing calls to her at will.
"No sound."
She shook her head and smiled:
"Maybe it was a wrong number."
As she said this, she hung up the phone without saying anything else.
"Go to bed early. I'll ask Angie and the others to continue the discussion in my room later."
Xia Chaoqun leaned against the door and watched her lower her head to turn off her phone. He then turned his eyes away and said, "We still have a lot of things to do tomorrow."
Tomorrow's red carpet show is very important. Jiang Se will appear in the camera of every cameraman in the world. She must maintain an excellent mental state so that people can see the charm of China.
Jiang Se nodded, and Xia Chaoqun closed the door. She heard the rustling sound of a group of people packing up their things next door. She was still thinking about the previous phone call in which the other party did not say a word.
On the last day of the closing ceremony of "A Century of Filmmakers", the originally extremely wide square in front of the sacred auditorium had been decorated.
A hundred-meter-long red carpet connects the lounge of the sacred auditorium with the formal theater, and armed guards maintain order on the scene.
There are media seats on both sides of the red carpet, divided according to the size of the media influence, and each media seat can accommodate a maximum of two people.
A long cordon was set up behind the media, and the circled area was reserved for the lucky ones from all over the world who successfully applied for admission on the official website of "Centennial Filmmakers". They applied for places on the official website of "Centennial Filmmakers" and after being invited, they will personally witness this once-in-three-years event. After the stars walked the red carpet, they will have the opportunity to enter the sacred auditorium and witness the subsequent awards ceremony.
After arriving in the United States, Tao Tao was so excited that she could not sleep for the past two days. She has been in the industry for many years and has dealt with many stars, big and small, but this year is the first year that Longxing Studio has successfully applied for the interview qualification of "Century Filmmakers".
If Tao Tao had not obtained an admission ticket as a 'candidate' media, and had not relied on the qualifications of Longxing Studio, even if such an event was held for several more sessions, it would still be difficult for her to enter openly.
Although Longxing Studio has emerged in China in recent years and has won several exclusive headlines, in terms of strength and status, it still ranks last among the 100 media invited by the "Century of Filmmakers".
The conference allocated only one interview location for Longxing Studio, which was at the outermost edge of the block.
This is not a good location, but its biggest advantage may be that it is closest to the stars' temporary lounge. Every star who is about to step onto the red carpet will start their journey from here.
Standing on tiptoe from where Tao Tao was standing, she could vaguely see the shining stars in the hall in the distance.
There are still several hours before the actual award ceremony. Tao Tao must handle all the subsequent interviews by herself today. She is a little excited. This feeling seems to have taken her back to her youthful days as a newcomer, and she is looking forward to seeing the stars appear on the red carpet.
She was wondering what kind of dress Jiang Se would wear today. Jiang Se's clothes were always very good. Whenever she went out, her look was always stunning. She was well-dressed, elegant and charming. In such a grand occasion today, in Tao Tao's eyes, she might be the brightest star.
Time passed by minute by minute. At noon, the venue staff had already carried decorative flowers and other items to both sides of the red carpet, which meant that the time to walk the red carpet was approaching.
Several cameras of "Centennial Filmmakers" have been pointed at the red carpet and will broadcast tonight's closing ceremony to audiences around the world, bringing everyone's performance and subsequent excellent works to the eyes of hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.
The time to walk on the red carpet was getting closer and closer. Xia Chaoqun looked at the time and found that there were still more than two hours before Jiang Se entered the venue.
She had put on her makeup and dress, and in order not to show off her belly, she hadn't eaten properly for nearly twenty hours.
There were buffets and desserts in the lounge, but no star dared to eat. In order to avoid having to go to the toilet later, Jiang Se didn't even dare to drink too much water. He was really thirsty, so he used a straw to drink a little to moisten his lips.
Originally, with Jiang Se's status, even if she starred in "God's Redemption", she should have been arranged by the conference to walk in the worst time period, but she was lucky to get the support of Donald. Donald wanted to take her to walk the red carpet tonight, so her red carpet time was postponed a little, and she was classified as the most important guest.
The official red carpet show started at 16:00 local time in the United States. As time approached, Tao Tao could hardly remain calm.
All the major media outlets in the media seats were already prepared, with some people looking down and repeatedly checking the camera lenses to avoid any mistakes.
Tao Tao's hands were shaking as she checked her equipment. Her legs were shaking as she was extremely excited for the upcoming red carpet event.
The cell phone kept vibrating. My colleagues in China should also be paying attention to the live broadcast of China Television. My colleagues in the work group were enthusiastically discussing the scene in front of the sacred auditorium.
At this time, Donald and Cesare arrived late in the lounge. After greeting many familiar people, they found Jiang Se sitting in the corner.
The heater was on in the lounge, but she was wearing a shawl and didn't say a word.
"Jiang, you look very beautiful tonight."
She was wrapped in a silk scarf, with her short hair combed back and the ends curled to make it look like a bun, revealing her delicate ears, jawline and a swan-like, slender, jade-like neck.
Among the white actresses around her, she is not inferior at all. Her complexion is glowing white, and her exquisite makeup and smooth skin make her very eye-catching. Compared with the deep faces of Europeans and Americans with high noses and deep eyes, she has a unique kind of graceful and exquisite beauty.
Her dress was wrapped in silk, so it was not very clear. One could only see the black embroidered gauze in a fishtail shape at the bottom of her dress. Her slender and delicate legs were faintly visible under the gauze, which was extremely alluring.
Jiang Se was wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes of the same color. Even though the platinum chain with diamonds on the shoes around her ankle was covered by a tulle, it still reflected a dazzling luster under the light.
"Thanks."
Jiang Se stood up and gave the two of them a gentle hug.
Cesare seemed extremely happy tonight. His long dark blond hair was combed neatly. He wore a standard white shirt, black suit and dark blue tie, looking elegant and pleasant.
Don Dena wore a black shirt with a suit of the same color. His slightly curly light blonde short hair was combed back, revealing his forehead. Even though he was old, his every move was still graceful and his temperament could not be concealed.
Cesare saw an acquaintance, said hello and left.
"Nervous?"
Donald checked the time and his assistant found a chair for him and asked him to sit down. This was a social occasion and he obviously had no intention of socializing. He even handed the wine glass to the waiter.
He originally saw Jiang Se and her group sitting here alone. Because she was a stranger, almost no one came to greet her. He originally wanted to sit with Jiang Se to ease her embarrassment.
But from time to time producers and directors would come up to talk to him. While greeting him, these people would also turn to look at Jiang Se, as if they were surprised that Donald had become friends with Jiang Se because of a movie.
He is not an approachable person, and among actors, his personality is relatively introverted.
But Donald has been in the industry for many years and has maintained a very good friendship with many well-known directors. Some hall-of-fame directors like to use him when preparing movies that want to compete for important awards. I didn't expect that he would maintain a friendship with a newcomer, and it seems that they are more than just nodding acquaintances.
People have already started to come out outside, and the appearance of each star instantly attracted a lot of reporters' cameras, causing fans who got admission tickets to exclaim in surprise.
There were fewer and fewer stars in the lounge, while the red carpet outside was shining with stars. The first stars to appear entered the sacred auditorium under the guidance of the on-site staff.
Tao Tao has been shooting for more than half an hour. She has gained a lot tonight. She has captured every star who appeared in her camera, for fear of missing anyone who passes by her.
The phone in her pocket has been vibrating with message alerts since she officially walked onto the red carpet half an hour ago, but she was too busy to look down.
Jiang Se hasn't shown up yet. Tao Tao can imagine that her colleagues in China may be waiting for Jiang Se just like her.
Logically speaking, with Jiang Se's status, she should have appeared earlier and entered the venue first, but now most of the time for walking the red carpet has passed and it is almost over. Each of the remaining guests is a heavyweight figure. She was worried that something had happened to Jiang Se's itinerary this time.
She was so nervous that her palms were sweating. While she was lost in thought, she looked at the lounge not far away.
At this time, in the headquarters building of Hua Xia Information, media reporters were sitting in an office. On the TV wall in the office, the official live broadcast of "A Century of Filmmakers" was being played, narrated by the well-known domestic host Sheng Jingzhi and the popular female anchor of Hua Xia TV.
In the work group of Huaxia Information, Yu Zilin and Guan Mingming have sent back many photos of celebrities at the scene, making full use of the advantages of being the largest media in China. (To be continued)