The hotel where Gao Qinyuan and Li Wen were staying was sponsored by the organizers of this London Fashion Show, so celebrities from all over the world who came to attend the event were all putting up here.
As the three of them just got out of the cab outside the hotel, they could already see quite a few reporters wielding their “long lenses and heavy artillery”¹ lurking around everywhere. Every now and then, when a big star stepped out of a car, they’d immediately swarm over for an interview—and they wouldn’t call it quits until the star had entered the hotel and the security guards outside had blocked their way.
“Are you two going to get mobbed when you get out?” When they were about to step out, Jiang Fei, sitting in the passenger seat, turned back to look at Gao Qinyuan and Li Wen.
Gao Qinyuan gave a charming smile and said, “You’re overthinking it. These European and American reporters—they only know and care about Hollywood stars. They all have a natural face blindness when it comes to Asians; they can’t tell one from another, let alone come up to interview us. Back home in China, there are only maybe two or three big-name actors and actresses who’ve made it in Hollywood who get this kind of paparazzi-swarming treatment abroad.”
And just as Gao Qinyuan had said—
When the three of them got out of the car, the reporters just watched them walk straight into the hotel, pass through the security check, and guess that they were probably invitees—but not a single one of them showed any interest in coming over for an interview.
Indeed, these reporters simply didn’t know who Gao Qinyuan was, and neither did their readers. So there was no point in interviewing her.
Gao Qinyuan and Li Wen were long used to this, so it didn’t bother them at all. In fact, back home they were hounded by cameras everywhere they went. Now that they were abroad, where reporters paid them no mind and nobody recognized them, they could live and shop like ordinary people—which was actually a nice change of pace.
Jiang Fei, however, felt a little wistful about it all, a bit disheartened even.
Celebrities in the Chinese entertainment industry—even if they’re top-tier, A-list stars at home—the moment they go abroad, especially outside of Asia to Western countries, they’re practically indistinguishable from random extras. Whether in the media or in the eyes of ordinary people, they carry zero influence.
Yet foreign celebrities can attract huge crowds of fans and legions of devoted followers in China. There are even those obsessive fans who worship foreign stars above all else, willing to live or die for them.
Outsiders can run wild and dominate on our turf. But we can’t even make it out there—we’re stuck in our own corner, and even on our home ground we don’t always get the respect we deserve…
In that sense, isn’t it just like Traditional Chinese Medicine?
TCM is fairly well-known in China—especially after Jiang Fei defeated the Western medicine delegation, took over as president of the TCM Association, and pushed through a series of reforms that boosted its reputation domestically and improved how the public sees it.
But once TCM steps outside of China—how many people still recognize it?
Admittedly, in Europe and America, there’s a small subset of people who absolutely love TCM. It’s expensive, too—most ordinary folks can’t even afford it.
But that “small subset” is really tiny. Only they truly understand TCM, and know that for certain conditions, it’s the only thing that can get to the root of the problem.
The vast majority of Westerners know next to nothing about it.
To them, acupuncture, cupping, and the like probably look no different from witchcraft…
Promoting TCM, expanding Jiang’s Pharmaceutical Company globally, and opening up the world’s pharmaceutical markets—that’s a long road ahead, with heavy responsibilities and a long way to go.
Shaking off those thoughts, Jiang Fei followed Gao Qinyuan and Li Wen into the hotel after they presented their invitations and explained his identity to security.
Even though the fashion show wasn’t until tomorrow, most of the stars had already arrived. So the hotel lobby was buzzing with activity, almost like a small cocktail party in full swing.
Of course, this wasn’t a formal gathering—just the celebrity guests mingling on their own. Those who knew each other would naturally gravitate together and start chatting.
The entertainment world is both small and large at the same time.
Everyone here is famous. Being invited to this kind of fashion event means they’ve already achieved considerable success and recognition in their respective fields. Even if they’ve never met in person, they’ve certainly heard of each other, seen photos online, and are familiar with each other’s work—so conversation comes easily.
Jiang Fei casually scanned the room and spotted quite a few familiar faces—mostly people he’d seen on the big screen before.
Stars from all over the world were here, with Western faces making up the majority.
Among the smaller number of Eastern faces, Chinese celebrities were the main group, with a few from Japan and South Korea rounding it out.
After all, this fashion show’s theme was Chinese elements—like ink-wash landscapes, cheongsams, and the like—so naturally they’d invited more Chinese celebrities.
As Gao Qinyuan and Li Wen walked in, a few stars who were on good terms with them immediately waved and invited them over.
“Jiang Fei, mind hanging out with us for a bit?” Gao Qinyuan asked, looking at him.
Having been in the industry for years, they’d been to countless cocktail parties like this—going or not going didn’t really matter to them. It all depended on what Jiang Fei wanted, since he was their guest. Naturally, they’d let him decide.
If an ordinary person were suddenly thrown into this kind of scene, they’d probably be thrilled—maybe even starry-eyed, running around asking for autographs and photos with their idols.
As for Jiang Fei—well, seeing all these gorgeous women of different exotic types actually gave him a little thrill too. He’d never experienced anything like this before.
“Of course not,” Jiang Fei said with a smile.
It wasn’t like he was the shy, stage-fright type.
“Wow, Qinyuan and Wenwen—you two went out alone today, and now you’re bringing back a handsome guy at night? Come on, fess up—whose guy is he?” A voluptuous, fair-skinned actress walked over and teased them.
Her name was Li Lu. When she first started out, she starred in an art-house film that won her a Golden Horse Award for Best Actress. For some reason, she didn’t do many movies after that, but instead appeared in a string of well-known TV dramas.
Li Lu was around the same age as Gao Qinyuan—both had debuted around the same time and were both over thirty. But while Gao Qinyuan was still single, Li Lu was already married with a four- or five-year-old daughter.
Jiang Fei recognized her too.
Even though the internet was flooded with rumors about her getting plastic surgery and breast implants in recent years, he still kind of liked her.
“Wait, hang on…” Before Gao Qinyuan or Li Wen could explain, Li Lu rested her finger on her chin and sized Jiang Fei up. “This guy looks kind of familiar. Have I seen him somewhere before? Is he also in the industry—a new heartthrob or something?”
“Hey handsome, what’s your name? Don’t mind me—I’m a mom now, so I haven’t kept up with the new heartthrobs in years. I don’t recognize most newcomers.”
“I’m Jiang Fei. Not a new heartthrob in the industry, so it’s totally normal that you don’t recognize me, Miss Li,” Jiang Fei said with a wry smile.
He didn’t expect to be called a “heartthrob”—was that a compliment on his looks, or on how young he looked?
These women sure do know how to tell the truth.
“Oh, so you’re not in the biz. I was gonna say—I actually do keep pretty close tabs on the rising stars in the industry. If a handsome guy like you had shown up, I’d definitely remember his name.” Li Lu, who’d just said she hadn’t followed new heartthrobs in years, promptly changed her tune.
“——————”
Jiang Fei was speechless. He never expected that these stars, who seemed so distant and untouchable on TV, could be such goofballs in private—completely different from the image he’d had in his head.
“Li Lu! Would you stop it already!” Gao Qinyuan hooked her arm around Li Lu’s and gave her a dirty look.
Then she turned to Jiang Fei and said with a smile, “Don’t mind her, Jiang Fei. Ever since Li Lu got married, she’s thrown all decency and restraint out the window, using her ‘married woman’ status to tease us nonstop. That’s why we don’t even bother inviting her to our get-togethers anymore.”
Li Wen nodded and chimed in with a laugh, “Exactly. And she’s always lecturing us, or flaunting her precious daughter like she’s the only person in the world who has one.”
“Hey, hey, Gao Qinyuan, Li Wen—what are you two saying?! Do you have a daughter? Huh? Then have one if you’re so capable!” Li Lu protested and lunged at them, ready to tickle them.
But just as she started, she suddenly yelped, “Ah!”—stopped in her tracks, and turned her gaze back to Jiang Fei.
“What’s wrong?” Gao Qinyuan was startled by her dramatics. “Li Lu, don’t tell me you’ve actually got your eyes on Jiang Fei now? Careful—your husband might find out…”
Li Lu shook her head, thinking hard, muttering Jiang Fei’s name over and over.
“Jiang Fei… Jiang Fei… Jiang Fei…” After a moment, her eyes lit up, and she snapped her fingers excitedly. “I remember now! You’re the piano master who played Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Qiao Yiyi’s concert and conquered the ears of listeners worldwide! And you’re also the one who made a huge splash in the TCM newspapers, single-handedly beating the Western medicine delegation—the one they call the TCM Master, the Acupuncture King, the reincarnation of Hua Tuo!”
In one breath, she rattled off a long string of Jiang Fei’s titles, then looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Am I right? Did I get it right?”
Jiang Fei rubbed his nose, helpless. “You… got it right.”
Being recognized by another big star gave him a little swell of pride and satisfaction—it meant he was actually pretty well-known.
Gao Qinyuan and Li Wen were even more surprised. “Li Lu, I never took you for such a well-informed person. No wonder you’re known as the gossip queen of our circle.”
“Naturally,” Li Lu said, taking it as a compliment rather than an insult. Then she gave Jiang Fei a strange look. “Jiang Fei, let me ask you something—are you and Qiao Yiyi really a couple, like the reporters say?”
“——————”
Jiang Fei was once again at a loss for words.
Just then, a stiff, heavily accented voice in Mandarin came from behind them: “Da jia hao.”²
They turned around to see a well-dressed man in a suit, handsome and impeccably put together, walking over with a smile.
He politely nodded at Gao Qinyuan and Li Lu in greeting, then walked straight up to Li Wen and said with great familiarity, “Wenwen, when did you arrive today? Why didn’t you let me know?”
Li Wen frowned almost imperceptibly, a hint of displeasure in her eyes. She subtly moved away from him and said coolly, “I’ve been in London for a few days now.”
“Then you should’ve told me even more,” the man said, shamelessly closing the distance again.
Jiang Fei, Gao Qinyuan, and Li Lu were standing together, so he overheard Li Lu whisper curiously to Gao Qinyuan, “Qinyuan, what’s going on here? This guy seems to be a Korean star—Choi Dae-won, right?”
Gao Qinyuan explained, “A while back, Wenwen joined a reality dating show—the kind where she’s paired with a guy as a ‘couple’ for the duration, acting all lovey-dovey. This Choi Dae-won is her partner from that show.”
“Oh! I remember now!” Li Lu said, suddenly enlightened. “I read in the tabloids that because of this show, Wenwen and this Choi guy actually started dating for real. Is that true?”
Gao Qinyuan shook her head. “Not at all. After the show ended, Wenwen walked away clean. But this Choi guy just won’t leave her alone. He’s been hounding her ever since, and sometimes she just can’t shake him off. So when reporters snap photos of them together, they assume they’re an actual couple.”
Li Lu nodded. “So it’s the guy who caught feelings and wants to actually date Wenwen. I’m not a big fan of Koreans, but they actually look pretty good together—both blessed with those long legs that everyone envies. What’s Wenwen’s take on this?”
“Li Lu, don’t you dare joke around in private and try to convince Wenwen to get with this Choi guy—she’ll actually get mad,” Gao Qinyuan warned quickly.
Li Lu was curious. “Wenwen really dislikes him that much? This long-legged oppa³ is good-looking and has decent charm—not bad at all.”
Gao Qinyuan only said two words: “His character.”
Li Lu understood immediately.
Gao Qinyuan was implying that this Korean star had issues with his character, which was why Li Wen didn’t like him.
Jiang Fei listened to the two women’s conversation, while the atmosphere between Li Wen and Choi Dae-won grew more and more tense.
They’d played pretend lovers for months on the show—holding hands, hugging, even kissing cheeks were routine. Choi had developed a habit of it, and instinctively reached for Li Wen’s hand to pull her aside for a talk.
But the strong-willed Li Wen immediately yanked her hand back and demanded coldly, “Choi Dae-won, what do you think you’re doing?! Show some respect!”
