Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 150 On and off stage, Cheng Xiao is in a complete mess.
Cheng Xiao's fingers tightened and loosened as she looked at Jiang Qing standing tall and leisurely with a microphone in her hand, and her throat suddenly felt a little dry.

He didn't even bother to style his hair; his bangs were blown wildly by the air conditioner, yet his demeanor was more striking than anyone else's.

"With President Jiang's words, I feel that our [start] is already secure."

Han Zijie stood on the stage, bowing slightly, and opened his hand holding the cue card towards Jiang Qing.

"I heard that Mr. Jiang improvised quite a bit during filming, and Director Sun thought your acting style was better, so he made many detailed modifications?"

"Actually, it's not just me. MaiMai, teachers Liu Yijun and Huang Jue have all had similar experiences. We all studied and discussed together, all for the sake of the final presentation effect."

Jiang Qing smiled, speaking at a measured pace, exuding composure.

At first glance, it looks like Han Zijie is interviewing him.

Suddenly, a series of camera shutter clicks came from the back row. Cheng Xiao turned around and saw three reporters lying on the ground trying to find the right angle.

She pouted, recalling that when she recorded the show last week, even when she accidentally fell on the stage, no one filmed her so enthusiastically.

"As far as I know, is this President Jiang's first foray into a new field?"

Han Zijie smiled and raised an eyebrow at Jiang Qing.

"It seems that President Jiang has a special connection with our penguin."

Scattered laughter echoed through the venue.

Jiang Qing flicked her finger and rubbed the tip of her nose, a gesture that reminded Cheng Xiao of the senior who always ranked first in the grade when they were in school.

"Actually, it was the second time. Mr. Han may have forgotten that I also made a cameo appearance in Sihai."

From the second row came Dilraba's signature hearty laughter. She clapped and turned to the side, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Jiang Qing.

Cheng Xiao suddenly realized that probably only a top female celebrity like Dilraba could have some wonderful stories with someone like Jiang Qing.

Unlike me, I get nervous talking to him.

"One last question."

Han Zijie showed an expression of great interest.

Will President Jiang consider further cross-industry ventures in the future?

Just as Jiang Qing was about to answer, Yang Wei suddenly tugged at his clothes.

The moment their eyes met, Cheng Xiao saw a sly smile curl up at the corner of his mouth.

"That depends on what other promises our producer Yang can make for me."

Amidst laughter from the audience, he casually handed the microphone to a staff member between sentences.

"However, let's wait and see how the 'beginning' airs. If it performs too poorly, no one will dare to use it in the future."

The laughter at the scene rose several decibels.

Liu Yifei suddenly raised her phone and waved it. Cheng Xiao could tell that she was taking a picture of Jiang Qing's profile.

She actually wanted to do that too, but...

"Cheng Xiao!"

Du Hua suddenly slapped her thigh, and the girl jumped, realizing that the two on stage had finished their conversation and Jiang Qing had taken her seat.

"Why are you so dazed!"

Du Hua rolled the process booklet into a tube and poked it into her waist.

"Don't make any mistakes in the performance later, or you'll be working as an extra in Hengdian for the rest of the year!"

Cheng Xiao nodded, hunching his shoulders, and caught a glimpse of Wu Xuanyi touching up her makeup out of the corner of her eye.

She used a cotton swab to apply eyeliner to the corners of her eyes, not even noticing that her mascara had clumped up.

Meng Meiqi fared even worse. Her newly changed tulle dress was stepped on by a staff member, causing a ten-centimeter-long tear. She was currently squatting in the aisle, fastening a safety pin.

Jiang Qing seemed to be discussing a crosstalk performance with that producer Yang, and when she got excited, she even made a tongue twister gesture.

As Cheng Xiao gazed at his smooth profile, she suddenly remembered that during a magazine shoot, the photographer had said her eyes resembled "a lamb that had strayed into a pack of wolves."

Amidst the crowd of people dressed in suits, the only one who truly felt at ease was probably this tech upstart who had crossed over from another field.

"Next, let's welcome Ms. Cheng Xiao to the stage performance!"

The host's announcement startled Cheng Xiao so much that she almost jumped up. She quickly composed herself and gave a polite smile before the camera switched to her.

As Cheng Xiao stood up, he suddenly heard a gentle, smiling voice coming from the front row.

"come on."

She turned around in surprise and found Jiang Qing smiling at her. After a brief pause, she quickly nodded in response.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang!"

Seeing him nod again and turn around, the girl breathed a sigh of relief and walked straight to the stage with renewed spirit.

For some reason, she was more nervous than ever today.

She subtly didn't want to lose face in front of Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing watched the girl walk towards the stage in her sparkly sequined dress, and a sense of anticipation rose in her heart.

This girl looks timid; I wonder what she's like when she performs on stage.

As Cheng Xiao stepped onto the stairs, her calf muscles twitched involuntarily. She pretended to adjust the metal tassels around her waist, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw several advertisers in the front row taking pictures of Dilraba's profile with their phones.

With such loud background music, don't you guys even glance at it?

She thought to herself with a bitter feeling.

The moment the spotlight came on, Cheng Xiao heard a faint electrical hum in his in-ear monitor.

"Three, two, one!"

The director's countdown started half a beat ahead of the music, and she reflexively stood on tiptoe.

The flashes of phone screens from the audience seemed like a silent mockery, but she had anticipated it.

There are no fans in this kind of setting, and no one will cheer for you.

The moment the drumbeats blared, Cheng Xiao's pupils suddenly contracted.

As her hand swept through the air, it created shimmering silver light, and her ten-centimeter strappy high-heeled boots landed firmly on the heavy beat.

Yang Wei, who had been curled up in his seat, suddenly sat up straight, spilling a few drops of his oolong tea onto the process booklet.

"This woman is really good at dancing."

He nudged Jiang Qing's elbow; the latter was staring at a swift, precise bending motion on the stage.

The white sequined dress shimmered like fish scales with the wave movement, and Cheng Xiao's long hair flew when she tossed her head, giving the illusion that her hair was dancing.

Jiang Qing noticed that she always positioned herself precisely at the edge of the spotlight, and even the arc of her skirt rising when she did the splits in mid-air seemed to be calculated.

"The stage performance looked great, and the actress had good looks and figure, but the popularity seemed rather average?"

As he turned his head to ask the question, the girl on stage was performing a backbend, her body so supple it seemed boneless.

"What's the use? There aren't any music show stages in the Chinese entertainment industry."

Yang Wei swiped his phone to bring up the information and shoved it in front of Jiang Qing.

“The e-sports drama she starred in last month was met with a lot of criticism. Although the plot was indeed problematic, her acting skills were really bad. She was paired with Xu Kai, a popular young actor, but he still couldn't carry her.”

Between his complaints, he kept glancing at Cheng Xiao on stage, watching with great interest. However, her dancing was indeed quite good.

Jiang Qing pushed his phone away and turned her gaze back to the stage.

The second chorus suddenly begins, and Cheng Xiao abruptly rips open her corset.

A black sheer blouse slipped off her shoulders, revealing a crystal-encrusted collarbone necklace.

Jiang Qing frowned; the gesture seemed too deliberate.

This design clearly exceeded expectations, and the director hurriedly switched to close-up shots, finally allowing a few scattered camera shutter sounds to be heard from the audience.

"See that diamond choker?"

Yang Wei pointed to the shimmering light on her neck and explained the reason to Jiang Qing.

"The brand borrowed it, and if the images aren't ready today, we have to return it tomorrow."

Jiang Qing watched as Cheng Xiao performed three consecutive leaps in place, finally attracting some attention from the audience.

Liu Yifei tapped the armrest of the seat with her slender fingers in rhythm, watching with great interest.

Dilraba gently rested her chin on the back of her hand, as if she was very interested.

"Those of them who transition from idols to actresses will eventually end up acting in idol dramas."

Yang Wei rolled the process booklet into a tube and tapped it on his palm.

"Cheng Xiao has a drama called 'Good Words and Wise Thoughts' on Tencent Video in the second half of the year, co-starring with Luo Yunxi, a popular young actor. It's a modern romance with a business theme, a familiar formula, but..."

He drew out the last syllable, then turned and grinned at Jiang Qing.

"It's highly likely to flop. When she first returned to China, iQiyi bought shares in her company, and then it was Tencent. Unfortunately, she didn't capitalize on that opportunity."

Jiang Qing couldn't help but feel a little curious. Just how bad was this acting?

Suddenly, golden paper flowers burst open on the stage, and Cheng Xiao completed the final back kick of the Purple Gold Crown amidst the fluttering fragments.

Jiang Qing noticed that her ankle twisted slightly when she landed, but her smile remained unchanged.

The applause was sparse, like autumn raindrops.

In the front row, advertising representatives were diligently handing Dilraba bottled water, while in the back row, a few investors huddled together discussing Liu Yifei's new jewelry endorsement deal. Many more people were chatting in small groups about Han Zijie's newly announced project, but no one paid any attention to the girl on stage.

Cheng Xiao maintained her ending pose, her chest heaving violently, standing alone in the center of the stage, a smile still on her face.

Jiang Qing suddenly raised her hand.

The crisp applause startled the drowsy lighting technician, and two spotlights hurriedly followed.

Yang Wei stared wide-eyed at Jiang Qing, then grinned and joined in the applause.

Like dominoes falling, Liu Yifei clapped her hands gracefully, Dilraba glanced at Jiang Qing, then smiled and gave a thumbs up to the stage, and even the bald investor patted his belly perfunctorily.

Cheng Xiao was still panting when she bowed, and the moment she straightened up, her gaze precisely caught Jiang Qing's hand that had not yet been lowered.

The clapping gesture was both casual and earnest, like a polite expression of admiration after appreciating a piece of art in a museum.

But that's enough.

Back in her seat, Cheng Xiao hadn't even caught her breath when her gaze involuntarily drifted to the row in front of her.

Jiang Qing was discussing something with Yang Wei, gesturing with her finger towards the direction of the stage.

"Mr. Jiang."

Cheng Xiao mustered his courage and leaned forward.

Seeing him turn his head with a smile, she suddenly realized the lingering smell of sweat on her body and felt incredibly embarrassed.

"Thank you for your help earlier."

The voice was hoarser than he had imagined, and Cheng Xiao pursed his lips in annoyance.

"The stage was fantastic. Also, is Ms. Cheng alright with her knee?"

Jiang Qing looked at the cautious girl in front of her and recalled her sliding kneeling motion just now.

Hmm... watching it made his knees hurt.

Cheng Xiao froze, then subconsciously reached for his right knee.

She hadn't expected Jiang Qing to notice this detail.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang. It's no trouble at all. I dance all the time and I'm used to it."

Suddenly snapping out of her daze, she quickly waved to Jiang Qing, but a strange, indescribable emotion welled up inside her.

"That's good."

Jiang Qing nodded in understanding.

"By the way, when will Miss Cheng's 'Words of Wisdom' air?"

The girl whose name was called sat up abruptly.

Cheng Xiao heard Jiang Qing seem to chuckle softly, and the tips of his ears burned.

"Around November."

"I just heard from a friend that Ms. Cheng looks great in it."

Jiang Qing looked at her stage makeup that she hadn't removed yet.

"I'm actually looking forward to it."

Cheng Xiao's fingers, which were gripping the hem of her skirt, suddenly tightened.

"Mr. Jiang."

Du Hua suddenly squeezed into the gap between Cheng Xiao's seats, smiling broadly.

“Our Xiao Xiao is very dedicated on set. The director praised her for her hard work. Can you see the bruises on her knees? These are from last week on set. She fell seventeen times while filming a rain scene.”

As Cheng Xiao watched his boss tug at his finger, he suddenly remembered the cats for sale in the pet store window.

The bruise was actually from a fall during dance practice, but Du Hua described it as "falling seventeen times while filming a rain scene."

"Yes, Miss Cheng is indeed very dedicated."

Seeing the girl's embarrassed expression, Jiang Qing pretended not to know anything. When he saw that Du Hua was excited and wanted to speak again, he raised his hand to signal to the stage.

When Han Zijie returned to the stage, Du Hua immediately shut up.

"Ms. Cheng, let's talk again when we have time."

"Ah... okay, okay."

Cheng Xiao hurriedly responded, and when he looked up, he saw that Jiang Qing had already turned around and sat down, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Immediately, a feeling of shame belatedly welled up in my heart.

She knew that Jiang Qing actually understood everything, but just didn't say it out loud.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Reba suddenly switch seats with someone and sit directly in front of Jiang Qing.

My heart suddenly tightened.

(End of this chapter)