Chapter 276: At the Premiere
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Close” as uttered by Tang Anqi did not refer to the relationship between two people. Did the fact that the two company CEOs walking side by side mean that, in the future, these two companies, which were at their peak, would work together on more projects? Perhaps produce another epic film?
If she were to bring that train of thought to Young Master Hong Dali who was behind all of that…
Tang Anqi mumbled, “My god, the day has finally arrived. This must be… must be the biggest news in the country this year! It must be!”
With that thought, Tang Anqi was no longer interested in getting interviews. She rushed to the doorway, presented her invitation to the attending staff, and entered the premiere hall—the bunch of idiots outside, what information could they glean from interviews now? The most they could get was a couple of pictures. It was more important that she went in now while there were fewer people and grab an advantageous reporting seat nearest to the rostrum.
Right in the middle of the premiere hall was a rostrum with a huge poster of the movie. The male and female leads were in the middle of the poster. On the left was the impossibly handsome Mu Zixiao with a red birthmark in the center of his forehead. Big Turtle the Black Tortoise was on the right. Tang Anqi’s attention was immediately captured by the poster. She especially could not take her eyes off Mu Zixiao. She mumbled, “This man is…”
She took another look and was positive that, simply by having this handsome character, the box office takings for this film would definitely not be low.
The seats in the main premiere hall were already almost full. Most occupied by fans who got in by pulling strings.
Tang Anqi had gotten in early. A whole group of stupid reporters was crowding around the entrance and the seats that were reserved for the media were almost empty. Tang Anqi quickly picked a seat near the front and sat down. This was it!
The seats at such events were usually numbered, so Tang Anqi took out her cell phone and made a call. “Boss He, I’m at the premiere now. There will probably be a big announcement today, can you help me secure a seat in the front row?”
Previously, Tang Anqi had reported the inaugural gaming fest without permission. It was a huge success, and the sales figures of Star Entertainment Magazine doubled. Now, when she said that there would be big news, the voice on the other end of the line was resolute. “Wait a while, I will contact the people in charge on site!”
Soon, a representative approached Tang Anqi and asked, smiling, “Are you Miss Tang? Our manager has instructed me to arrange for an extra chair for you in the front row. Unfortunately, the quality of the chair is not as good as the ones here. May I know if you mind?”
It was a last minute addition? It seems that Boss He has put in a lot of effort this time!
Tang Anqi nodded resolutely. “It will do! Thank you!”
You must know, the seats at an event such as this could not be added on a whim. The center seats of the front few rows were all reserved for the privileged guests. They would be close to the stars and had access to free refreshments. Those people were mostly influential people, entrepreneurs, and management executives. There were rumors that the seat closest to the rostrum was auctioned off for the price of one million yuan, and the demand far exceeded the available seats!
Tang Anqi took some photographs of the events at the site. The photographs were precious as she would need them to complete the task assigned to her when she reported back to the office. Just after two shots, she saw a big group of seventeen- to eighteen-year-olds enter boisterously.
Tang Anqi gazed at the group of people entering the hall. “These people…” At first, she was not sure who they were, but she soon realized!
These people were definitely Young Master Hong Dali’s classmates! There was no way they could be here in such a big group if it were some other rich kids.
Tang Anqi could not make up her mind. “Should I approach them…”
Hong Dali’s classmates must have quite a bit of insider news. The problem was, they were just normal people. It seemed inappropriate for her to go over and ask questions as a reporter. Of course, she was thick-skinned and had guts a reporter should have. The problem was, the group was seated in the center, and there was no way she could squeeze in.
The main hall was beginning to fill up. Tang Anqi could only stay where she was. The middle zone was, after all, only for important guests. She was just an insignificant reporter and could not enter. As she sat gloomily, she heard the low voices of a man and a woman in conversation near her. She glanced over and saw that they both had reporter passes on their chests. They were reporters from Beijin TV Station. However, they did not dress like reporters.
With some reservations in her heart, Tang Anqi quickly went over to greet them. “Are the both of you here as reporters?” She spoke in a low voice as if signaling a fellow rebel.
The male scanned his surroundings. “Ah, are you a real reporter?” He saw that there was no one near them and said in a low voice, “I’m Yang Chao, and this is my wife, Su Yan. We are here to support Young Master Dali because he had previously given me a piece of jade worth more than two million yuan!”
Tang Anqi was completely shocked. “A piece of jade worth more than two million! You must be very close to him?!”
“Not really,” Yang Chao replied sheepishly. “It was just a one-off meeting by chance. We chatted, and then Young Master Dali gifted me a piece of jade, saying it was a meeting gift.”
Tang Anqi was speechless. “My god! He was so generous when it was his first time meeting you?”
Yang Chao said excitedly, “Exactly! Young Master Dali has always been generous. I admit defeat!”
Tang Anqi was suddenly very interested. “Why are both of you seated at the media section, then? Can you tell me?”
Yang Chao helplessly said, “I did not have a choice. I have only ever met Young Master Dali once and did not want to trouble him, so I pulled some strings to gain entry as a reporter. Hehe, what about you? Did you also pull strings to get in? I can see your chair is newly added. You must be one of us!”
Tang Anqi nodded affirmatively. “This… Yes, I have had some contact with Young Master Dali.”
“That’s good, that’s good!” Yang Chao glanced toward Hong Dali’s classmates in the middle seats and enviously said, “Look at them, they are the people within Young Mater Dali’s circle. They are all his classmates. We are at most mere acquaintances.”
Tang Anqi did not whether to laugh or to cry. “Okay… just acquaintances… Brother Yang, do you have any exclusive insider news for me?”
“Insider news? I don’t have any…” As Yang Chao replied, Su Yan, who was beside him, suddenly thought of something. She whispered, “I might know something. Darling, there was someone with Young Master Dali the last time he came to our place. I recall it was Penghui’s CEO Lao Deming? What did he address Young Master Dali as that time? Young Master?!”
Su Yan’s words jolted Yang Chao’s memory. “Right, right, right. He called him Young Master! He called him Young Master!”
Tang Anqi was taken by surprise. “Young Master! Only Hong Dali’s henchmen call him Young Master, isn’t it? Don’t tell me Lao Deming is now…” Tang Anqi could no longer stay in her seat. “I have really come to the right place today. It seems there will be some explosive news being announced today!”
As the trio spoke, the various stars had all started entering the hall in pairs. Soon, the hall was fully seated.
Tang Anqi looked left and right. She exclaimed, “My god, this is really a gathering of big shots! Eh? That handsome guy over there is… It’s Mingxin Network’s Liu Mingxin? Even he is here?!”
Yang Chao looked toward the rostrum. “That’s Mu Zixiao from the Mu Family! I heard he is acting as the antagonist in the movie. Eh, that person over there, is he the playboy from the Liang Family? Liang Yifeng?”
“My god, even Tai Yajing is here! Chu Zhongqin as well!” Tang Anqi exclaimed in surprise, with eyes as wide as saucers.
There were so many big shots in attendance at the premiere, it was no wonder the atmosphere was electric. Tang Anqi was shocked beyond belief. “Young Master Dali is planning to unify the entertainment industry!”
She stood stunned for a moment, then pulled her gaze back. She spotted someone in the crowd and asked quietly, “Who is that lady in the front row? She looks familiar?”
Yang Chao looked in the direction Tang Anqi pointed. “That lady?” Envy evident on his face as he said, “Her name is Ling Xiaoyi. She is Hong Dali’s Number One lackey. A talented person! Sigh, if only I could be Young Master Dali’s lackey!”
Tang Anqi was stunned by what she heard.
Yang Chao must be someone influential in his own right if he was able to gain credentials as a reporter from Beijin TV Station just by calling in favors. Someone like him was envious of Hong Dali’s lackey… I shall not report on anything else in the future. I will concentrate solely on reporting news that concerns Hong Dali. That will guarantee my reports will be in the headlines!
Just then, Yang Chao looked at his watch and asked curiously, “It’s two minutes to 1:00 PM. Young Master Dali is not here yet?”
Su Yan consoled him. “Young Master Dali is not a member of the production team. It’s normal if he doesn’t show up. Just enjoy the show, don’t make a fuss.”
Chastised by his wife, Yang Chao said, “Wifey is right!”
They were feeling disappointed when a commotion was heard. Yang Chao turned his head to look and cried out happily. “Miss Nianwei is here.”
Tang Anqi turned her head to look. Li Nianwei was dressed in a light purple gown, with the mystical one dollar coin adorning her neck. She walked slowly toward the rostrum.
It was hard not to admire her perfect figure, elegant bearing, and glowing flawless complexion.
The camera flashes in the hands of the reporters on the scene started lighting up at the frequency of one every 0.01 seconds. The entire hall was bathed in flashes of white. The legendary saying befitting the scene would probably be “blinding the 24K khorium dog-eyes 1 .”
“Goddess, I love you!” “Nianwei, my goddess!” “Ah! It’s the one dollar coin!” The screams reverberated non-stop like the Yellow River Flood. Almost everyone there was her die-hard fan.
Once she saw Li Nianwei, the slightly built Tang Anqi rushed towards her like a bull seeing red. She shoved everyone in her way aside and made a clear path to Li Nianwei’s front. She shoved her microphone straight over and called out loudly, “Miss Li Nianwei, it’s unexpected that you would attend this premiere. May I know if this is a sign that Caiwei Entertainment and Penghui Films are intending to take their cooperation to another level?!”