The sweetest in the entertainment industry

Chapter 27 A phone call

Back home, after removing her makeup and taking a shower, Gu Lanxi was leisurely listening to financial news while wearing a face mask when she received a call from Lu's mother, Zhang Ruolan.

The accented Mandarin sounded especially warm: "Manman, I heard you're going to sell your shares in Su Cha?"

Once Li Jingxiu started making moves, people in the industry would immediately receive the news. Some financial news outlets might already be drafting articles. Zhang Ruolan received the news immediately, and Gu Lanxi was not surprised at all.

In fact, the only reason Zhang Ruolan didn't invest in Su Cha was that Gu Lanxi would have at least informed her before selling it.

"Yes."

"Are you short of money?"

Zhang Ruolan had always been very good to her, and had been hoping for her to marry into the Lu family for many years.

Now that she and Lu Nanting have secretly registered their marriage, the reason they are raising money is to buy a wedding house. Even with her strong mental fortitude, Gu Lanxi was still a little nervous when she received this call.

"No, no, Auntie, don't worry about me. If I need money, I will definitely tell you. I did this mainly because I realized something was wrong."

The specifics of what was wrong couldn't be explained over the phone.

Since that's the case, Zhang Ruolan didn't ask any further questions, but simply smiled and asked her:
"It's been a long time since we last met. I wonder if you have some free time? I have an investment that I'm a bit unsure about, and I'd like to invite you for tea."

Gu Lanxi will be joining a film crew next week to shoot an action movie themed around "anti-gang crime" in a small county called Kaiyuan. She probably won't be back until autumn.

Since it was important business, Gu Lanxi naturally wouldn't delay. After asking when the other person was free, she directly arranged to meet her in the afternoon.

Seeing that it was still early, Gu Lanxi set her alarm, took a half-hour nap, and then got up to wash her face, do her skincare routine, and change her clothes.

As I was about to leave, I looked at the simple wedding ring on my hand, and after thinking about it, I took it off.

Although female celebrities don't have any taboos about wearing rings, and they don't care which finger they wear them on as long as they like, sometimes they even wear them like a high-end display stand just for publicity, she still didn't want to wear them in front of Lu's mother.

Even a plain ring with a name engraved on the inner band and diamonds set in it would be ruined if you took it off and looked at it.

Most people wouldn't even look at her jewelry, but Zhang Ruolan might.

Gu Lanxi was poor when she was a child. Many things, such as jewelry and antiques, she had never seen at her relatives' houses. No one taught her how to distinguish between good and bad, and she had never handled them herself, so she naturally did not know how to appreciate them.

In this respect, Zhang Ruolan is an expert.

Gu Lanxi was only nineteen when she entered the entertainment industry. Once, she walked the red carpet and was ridiculed by the entire internet because of her poor makeup and styling. Zhang Ruolan felt sorry for her but didn't want to say anything. Every time they met, she would take out a lot of jewelry and ask Gu Lanxi to help her see which one was better.

When she said she didn't understand, Zhang Ruolan would tell her that everyone has a different perspective and that it was just another opinion to consider, and that she could say whatever she wanted.

Once she has it in her hands, I will naturally tell her what kind of gemstone it is, what kind of diamond it is, why this piece of jade is cheap, and why that piece of jadeite is expensive.

Besides these, under her arrangement, her two sisters-in-law also began to broaden her horizons.

Lu Nanting was born late in life. His second brother was eight years older than him, and his eldest brother was nineteen years older than him, already forty-one years old this year.

Her two sisters-in-law and brother were all the same age, and naturally much older than Gu Lanxi.

My sister-in-law is a very famous painter. She is tall and thin with an oval face. Because she has always lived in a loving environment, even though she is forty years old, she still retains the innocence of a young girl. She is a very kind and sincere person.

She would talk to Gu Lanxi about painting styles from ancient to modern times, and how to appreciate the works of various masters. She would take her to exhibitions, and occasionally take her to good auctions.

As for the second sister-in-law, she was more lively and charming, and had a more outgoing personality. She spoke frankly, but was not cunning.

She studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins during her university years. Although she did not become a fashion designer after marriage, but instead became a curator, she has always had excellent taste in clothing. She usually enjoys going shopping and watching fashion shows with Gu Lanxi.

During this process, her second sister-in-law would share her own tips on dressing.

Color matching, fashion trends, clothing fabrics, accessory materials...

Combining theory with practice, her second sister-in-law treated her with utmost care, much like a teacher.

Although she also used her own abilities to make her two sisters-in-law's savings grow bigger and bigger, her gratitude to them was endless.

Because of this relationship, sometimes when I buy new jewelry or new clothes, they will give their opinions.

Gu Lanxi enjoys practicing martial arts and usually prefers earrings and necklaces, rather than bracelets and rings. If she suddenly went out wearing a plain, unremarkable ring, people would definitely wonder what was so special about it.

When Gu Lanxi arrived, her second sister-in-law, Wang Peiling, was also there.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking about something; one smiled with her eyes crinkling, and the other laughed heartily, both lively and cheerful.

Lu's mother has a very spirited appearance. She's a bit heavier now than when she was younger, which makes her look less sharp, especially when she smiles, she seems very kind. Wang Peiling is a little shorter than Gu Lanxi, and has a very hot figure, like a ripe peach, completely different from Gu Lanxi's supple and slender build.

When Gu Lanxi first met her, she had just given birth to Lu Jianing and was recuperating at the old house. Before she knew it, her child was already five years old.

It has to be said, time flies.

Why isn't Jia Ning here today?

When Gu Lanxi came in, her second sister-in-law immediately poured her tea, and Gu Lanxi then asked about her daughter.

“Jia Ning went to her uncle’s house to play today. It’s a rare day of leisure. I heard that Mom invited you, so I came along too.”

Gu Lanxi was familiar with them all, and she sat down and listened quietly to their conversation, only speaking when she mentioned herself.

She was as quiet, gentle, and composed as ever, and didn't look 22 at all.

My second sister-in-law is very lively. After only a few words, she asked me about her new movie.

"Is the male lead Zhou Sinian? My mom and I really like him! You have to help us get some autographed photos later!"

Perhaps because their family runs a toy business, both Wang's mother and daughter have a childlike spirit. Even though Wang's mother is quite old, she still loves following celebrities.

Once, Gu Lanxi secretly went to listen to Lu Nanting's concert, and her seat happened to be next to this mother and daughter. It was so embarrassing.

It's strange, though. They're both in the entertainment industry, but when they want autographed photos, they don't go to their uncle or Lu Nanting, they always come to her.

It wasn't a big deal, and Gu Lanxi immediately agreed when she spoke up.

In the new movie, Gu Lanxi plays an undercover agent who infiltrates a mountain village rife with organized crime, working with outsiders to solve a major case.

The male lead, played by Zhou Sinian, is her colleague and also her mentor.

There are no romantic subplots in the entire film; it's a pure crime action movie. The action scenes were directed by a martial arts choreographer from Hong Kong, whom Gu Lanxi had met once before. There was no language barrier between them, and when they talked about the uncle who runs a martial arts school, they found out that they knew each other, which brought them even closer. So, even before filming started, she was already looking forward to the movie.

Zhou Sinian is already in his forties and is a veteran actor. He has excellent personal ethics, otherwise he wouldn't be able to act in this type of movie.

After a brief discussion, Gu Lanxi, thinking that she still needed to go home for dinner, asked Lu's mother to explain the details of the investment.

Zhang Ruolan came prepared, opening her bag and taking out a thick stack of documents.

I'm going to Luoyang next week.

If any friends in Luoyang know, does it rain a lot there? I'd like to know if I need to bring an umbrella.

Is Didi Chuxing (a ride-hailing app) convenient? How much cash should I carry to be safe?
The fact that I'd never been to a city before made me extremely anxious. I needed to go there for business, but I couldn't avoid it.

My neighbor across the street moved out, and I only found out from her complaints that the monthly rent was 5800 yuan. Hearing that made my heart flutter, and I even considered renting out my apartment.

Another family is moving out, leaving only our family on the entire floor.

Although we don't usually play together, I always feel a bit lonely.

I'm really reluctant to part with it.

I used to envy those old neighbors who lived together for decades, their relationships as close as sisters.

The TV series "The People in the Alley" has been filmed; I loved it when I read the novel back then.

I recommend you watch it! It's really good.

I really like Jiang Xin.

This only represents personal preference; please do not apply it to the novel.

None of the characters in the novel have real-life counterparts.

A few days ago, I was reading a novel about the entertainment industry. I saw a sentence in the synopsis that said, "There are no real-life prototypes; whoever it represents will have their career ruined." It cracked me up.

I won't curse you like that; you can project any celebrity you like onto me, but it's a secret, keep it quiet. Otherwise, I might get scolded by others if I say it out loud.

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(End of this chapter)