The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Ask Her What on Earth She Meant…

Waking up from sleep, her stomach was still being pierced by waves of needle-like pain; the stomach medicine from last night must not have worked.

When Cao Xin came to pick her up, she was startled by the puffiness on Song Xiangwan’s face and quickly said, “My dear, did you not sleep last night? Did you go for a second round of partying?”

“I slept, just not well,” Song Xiangwan vaguely replied.

Today, she had a brand launch event for S.N, the only high-end endorsement Song Xiangwan had kept.

In Song Xiangwan’s mind, it didn’t matter if she kept the endorsement or not; she didn’t care about it anymore. But Cao Xin had planned for her for a long time, spending considerable effort these two years. If she couldn’t even keep this, Cao Xin’s career might be jeopardized.

Song Xiangwan ultimately felt guilty and had long ago agreed to cooperate fully with all S.N events to keep the endorsement.

After terminating her contract with Rongxing, Song Xiangwan signed with the current Changning Entertainment, and Cao Xin began managing her around that time.

Cao Xin was unaware of Song Xiangwan’s past with Ming Jin and mistakenly thought her own lack of ability was causing Song Xiangwan’s resources to decline, leading to much self-reproach.

The S.N launch event was held in the banquet hall of Haicheng Binhai Hotel. Binhai Hotel is a five-star hotel with high standards, frequented by all manner of celebrities and dignitaries.

When Song Xiangwan got out of the car, she was holding a cup of iced Americano. There was no helping it; she was so puffy in the morning that one cup of iced Americano couldn’t suppress it, and this was already her second.

Fortunately, Song Xiangwan had good natural looks. The swelling had gone down somewhat. Although she hadn’t put on makeup yet, her phoenix eyes were refined, her features outstanding, and she was still a dazzling beauty.

S.N had signed several spokespersons over the past two years, along with brand ambassadors and brand friends—a bewildering array of titles. Song Xiangwan had a good relationship with the brand and, relying on her seniority, held the title of Asia-Pacific Spokesperson. Her treatment was decent, including a separate dressing room.

However, Song Xiangwan waited for a long time in the dressing room but couldn’t get the makeup artist to come over.

After asking twice, Cao Xin finally looked embarrassed and whispered, “Xiangwan, Sister Lili said she would come over after finishing the room next door.”

“Next door?” Song Xiangwan’s voice paused slightly. She rarely paid attention to such things and didn’t know who was next door.

“Su Chenxing. You’ve met her. She’s also with our company, under Li Jing,” Cao Xin explained.

“Oh, her…” Hearing that name, Song Xiangwan was familiar with it.

The most sought-after agent at Changning Entertainment was Li Jing. It was rumored that any artist she managed would skyrocket to fame. When Song Xiangwan first signed with Changning, Li Jing managed her for three months. However, at that time, Song Xiangwan was a bit listless and not in good form while filming, so Li Jing gave up on her and passed her to Cao Xin.

The most famous artist under Li Jing these past two years is the current popular young actress Su Chenxing. She initially became famous through a few small-budget web dramas and can now carry the lead role in S+ major productions, making her the hottest female artist in the last two years.

Last year, S.N signed Su Chenxing, but because Song Xiangwan already held the Asia-Pacific Spokesperson title, Su Chenxing was only given the title of Brand Ambassador.

The fans of the two had fought over this. It started with Su Chenxing’s fans acting condescendingly in Song Xiangwan’s fan forum, saying that she was past her prime and didn’t deserve to stand in Su Chenxing’s way.

Song Xiangwan’s fans were naturally unhappy and caused a scene in the opponent’s fan forum. But the result was a complete victory for Su Chenxing’s fans, and Song Xiangwan was mocked online for three days.

Song Xiangwan didn’t care, and the matter was dismissed. She didn’t expect to run into Su Chenxing today.

“Is the company so cheap they only hire one makeup artist?” Song Xiangwan muttered softly, not taking it seriously, and scrolled through social media on her phone.

Cao Xin didn’t dare elaborate, only saying, “Only two of our artists are attending this event, so one makeup artist is enough.”

She was afraid that saying more would anger Song Xiangwan, because the company’s original words were that Lili could finish Su Chenxing and then easily take care of Song Xiangwan without spending extra money.

Song Xiangwan might not even be angry if she heard that, as she hasn’t cared much about these things in the past two years. She used to loudly proclaim that acting was her dream and life’s work, but mostly it was because she didn’t want to stay in that house.

Now that she suddenly had free time, she felt she didn’t care about these things much anymore. Filming dramas or attending variety shows felt like being pushed forward by the company, and she herself wasn’t that enthusiastic.

She couldn’t figure out what she truly wanted.

The second iced Americano was finished, and Song Xiangwan felt her stomach beginning to ache again.

The makeup artist, Lili, finally arrived, speaking beautifully with a beaming smile as soon as she entered: “Teacher Song, I apologize for the wait. Teacher Song has such a good foundation that I don’t need to put much effort in, so I spent a little more time next door. Please don’t mind.”

Song Xiangwan was an A-list serious actress in her prime years ago, and these people are sharp; they use sweet words when there’s no need to offend anyone.

Song Xiangwan didn’t mind and smiled, saying, “It’s fine, I’m not in a hurry. There’s still plenty of time.”

Song Xiangwan’s foundation was indeed excellent. After the puffiness subsided, her jawline was delicate and attractive, her complexion was fair, and her skin condition was good, requiring little concealer or contouring.

She was just a bit pale. Lili used some colored makeup to slightly brighten her complexion, making her entire face glow. Her captivating phoenix eyes, combined with the rouge-red tear mole at the corner of her eye, made her look enchantingly beautiful, like a wild rose on a wall.

The chosen outfit was a strapless rose-red mermaid dress with a long, layered lace train that resembled a dense patch of flourishing flowers.

The necklace and earrings were a matching set in the red rose design—S.N’s new collection this year and one of the stars of today’s launch event.

If her face were slightly less striking, the vivid color would have overwhelmed her. But on Song Xiangwan, it merely served as a backdrop for her face, making her look like a sprite born from a flower.

Lili praised her repeatedly, inwardly agreeing with what was said online: Song Xiangwan’s beauty sustains her career. It was just that she had absolutely no career ambition these past two years, not promoting much or taking many scripts, which allowed the cluster of younger actresses to overshadow her.

Song Xiangwan had given Cheng Cheng an extended leave, so she didn’t even have an assistant today. Fortunately, Cao Xin wasn’t busy and stayed close behind her, holding her skirt train.

Stepping onto the red carpet, Song Xiangwan wore a polite smile, waving to the media cameras, which triggered a flurry of rapid shutter clicks.

Song Xiangwan was the last to walk the red carpet. Su Chenxing was the person just before her.

As the host smiled and approached, Su Chenxing had just stepped off the stage. Song Xiangwan didn’t know if it was her imagination, but when she looked up, her eyes met Su Chenxing’s.

Su Chenxing curved her lips into a smile that held a hint of provocation.

Song Xiangwan was startled, then returned the gesture with an equally flamboyant smile. She was not a soft persimmon to be bullied.

“Wow, wow, wow, so beautiful! I thought a flower fairy had arrived. Our Xiangwan, please say hello to everyone,” the host welcomed her.

“Hello everyone, I’m Song Xiangwan,” Song Xiangwan composed herself, no longer paying attention to Su Chenxing, and chatted with the host.

The host had clearly done her homework: “I heard that Director Wu’s $Qīng Chéng is preparing to start filming. Is Xiangwan going to join the cast?”

“That… I don’t know…” Song Xiangwan laughed vaguely. “Where did you hear this rumor?”

Such news had to wait for the production team’s official announcement, so she couldn’t confirm it directly.

“Besides Xiangwan, I can’t think of anyone who could play that role well,” the host said with a smile. “I think we can all anticipate an official announcement.”

After chatting for a couple of minutes, the topic shifted to today’s jewelry: “This set Xiangwan is wearing is S.N’s Rose series this year, which is our main featured collection.”

“Today is its debut on the red carpet. Xiangwan, please pose for a few photos for our photographers.”

Following the standard procedure, Song Xiangwan was expertly skilled. She struck a few poses to showcase the jewelry. Her dazzling smile combined with the jewelry made her look absolutely radiant.

Song Xiangwan had attended countless events like this. After the general process, she took her seat in the audience, which happened to be right next to Su Chenxing.

Su Chenxing wore a champagne-colored dress, and her earrings and necklace were black pearls. Her delicate, doll-like face made her look sweet when she smiled.

“Hello, Teacher Song,” she greeted Song Xiangwan first.

Song Xiangwan nodded slightly in response but didn’t engage further. Since Su Chenxing had been so provocative earlier, she wasn’t interested in making friendly conversation with an unenthusiastic person.

As the launch event continued, Song Xiangwan’s face gradually became paler. The slight discomfort from the morning had now turned into agonizing, churning pain. Perhaps it was the double dose of iced Americano; she felt unwell, and cold sweat beaded on her skin.

Unfortunately, this was a situation where she absolutely could not look cold or ill-tempered. Being photographed with a poor expression would lead to another wave of damaging public opinion.

By the end of the event, when Song Xiangwan took off her dress, she was drenched as if she’d been pulled from water, with layers of cold sweat covering her back.

She couldn’t hide it anymore and confessed to Cao Xin that her stomach hurt. Cao Xin grew anxious, urgently insisting on taking her to the hospital.

She didn’t even remove her makeup, just put on a mask, and was quickly escorted out by Cao Xin.

The elevator display numbers jumped down one by one, finally opening on the ground floor.

Song Xiangwan leaned on Cao Xin’s arm and walked out. After just two steps, her steps suddenly halted. Under the mask, her face turned another shade paler.

A group of people was walking into the building, a crowd surging around the person in the very center.

That face—Song Xiangwan would never forget it.

Those light brown pupils held a chilling coldness, and the upturned corners of her eyes carried an imposing and commanding aura.

She was only wearing a black shirt, her long hair casually draped, exuding a standoffish, noble presence that warned others not to approach.

Everything was as it was, except for the… wheelchair she was sitting in…

It was a manual wheelchair, pushed by a girl in her twenties behind her. The girl was leaning down, seemingly saying something to Ming Jin. The vibrant energy and smile on the girl’s face, along with the intimate atmosphere between the two, were palpable.

Three years. She saw Ming Jin again. She thought this person was just a dream, and once the dream was over, she would never see her again.

Cao Xin lowered her voice: “What’s wrong, Xiangwan? Are you in too much pain to walk? Maybe we should stop and rest for a moment.”

Song Xiangwan was staring at Ming Jin, but Ming Jin clearly hadn’t noticed her. They were heading toward the dedicated elevator for the top floor. They weren’t far now; the elevator doors were open, and in a few dozen more steps, they would enter it.

Song Xiangwan gritted her teeth, feeling more cold sweat break out on her back.

She released Cao Xin’s arm and straightened her spine.

She definitely had to go and ask. Ask her what on earth she meant, and ask her what happened these past few years.

But she could not appear before Ming Jin in such a state of distress.

She took a deep breath, then stepped forward decisively.