Huayu: Reborn in 97, transferring to the Central Academy of Drama's star-studded class

"Breaking News! Jiang Lai rendezvous with married actress Maggie Cheung; the two reportedly fell in love on set, sharing a passionate kiss on the beach and a romantic encounter at a hotel! —Next Magazine"

One stone caused a thousand waves!

With Cannes just over and discussions reaching unprecedented heights, Next Magazine suddenly released a set of photos, sending the entire city of Hong Kong into a frenzy.

Who is Maggie Cheung? Since winning her first Golden Horse Award in 1989, she has won three Golden Horse Best Actress awards, four Hong Kong Film Awards Best Actress awards, and is the first Chinese actress to win the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress award.

Almost every year there are various news stories about her, and she is no longer just a pretty face, but an undisputed superstar in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

Last year, the news that she had secretly married French director Olivier Assayas was enough to shock Hong Kong. But this year's news is even more explosive, even more so than the "Wong-Feng romance" in March.

And the person involved is none other than Jiang Lai, who has recently been making headlines in Hong Kong entertainment news!

A mysterious mainland tycoon, known as "Brother Bao," collaborated with Johnnie To and even won Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the Berlin International Film Festival with his girlfriend. He was also making headlines at the recent Cannes Film Festival.

Any one of these news items would have been enough to keep the discussion going for a long time, but then an even more explosive one came along.

The words "mysterious tycoon" and "married woman" alone are enough to attract attention, let alone the addition of these two names, it's simply a dream scoop.

Next Magazine sold out like crazy!

The beach photos could be attributed to poor lighting and only a resemblance, but the photos of the two getting wet and entering the hotel together, with the bright lights of the hotel lobby, made them instantly recognizable.

Seeing this trend, other media outlets rushed to buy the photo negatives from Next Magazine, and then quickly followed up with embellished stories by picking out some ambiguous angles from photos taken by their own reporters.

"Breaking the news! Maggie Cheung may be facing marital problems! She's been spotted with a mainland tycoon thirteen years her junior, embracing passionately on the beach!"

Exclusive! The seemingly loving couple was just putting on an act? Zhang Ziyi was tragically used as a shield, while Jiang Lai was secretly having an affair with Zhang Manyu!

"Breaking News! Jiang Lai was a playboy! Zhang Ziyi was used as a publicity stunt tool; Jiang Lai used her to whitewash his philandering image while secretly targeting married women!"

"A twisted love triangle! A philandering man seduces two actresses! Insiders reveal Jiang Lai's history of infidelity!"

A series of gossip items ignited May.

Mainland media retaliated by reprinting the article, saying, "You, Jiang Lai, won't accept interviews, so it's okay for me to reprint it, right?"

And so, the first shocking scandal of the new millennium was born. So, what about the parties involved?

Before the news reached Europe, Maggie Cheung reunited with her husband after Cannes, while Jiang Lai was flying back home.

As the leader, Sister Ying noticed the news immediately and realized something was wrong. She immediately called in bodyguards from the company and rushed to the airport to wait for them.

Exit of Beijing Capital International Airport.

Jiang Lai and Zhang Ziyi walked side by side, with smiles on their faces, while Jiang Wen and his wife and children followed behind them.

The group walked out chatting and laughing.

Then they couldn't get out.

A large crowd gathered from all directions, instantly blocking the way; there were reporters and fans.

Jiang Lai was still stunned when Sister Ying rushed over from the side with several bodyguards, grabbed Jiang Lai's arm, and whispered, "Don't answer anything, just leave."

Jiang Wen also realized what was happening and helped to block the people next to him.

The media pushed forward, their cameras and microphones shoved in his face, bombarding him with questions.

"Jiang Lai! Are you and Zhang Ziyi a real couple or just pretending? Is this just a publicity stunt?"

"Jiang Lai! Is it true that you and Zhang Manyu booked a hotel room together?"

"Zhang Ziyi! Do you know about Jiang Lai and Zhang Manyu's affair? Were you kept in the dark or did you tacitly approve?"

"Jiang Lai! Some people say you're using Zhang Ziyi to whitewash your womanizing image. How do you respond?"

Several questions left Jiang Lai and Zhang Ziyi completely bewildered. Jiang Wen frowned; he was more experienced in this kind of situation. He gruffly shouted, "Get out of the way! We can talk about the questions later!"

But nobody listened to him.

Reporters blocked the front like a wall, and fans behind them kept pushing forward. The scene gradually got out of control, and some pinks started cursing incessantly.

"Jiang Lai, you scumbag! How could you do this to Zi Yi?!"

"Shameless! Seducing someone else's wife!"

"Zhang Ziyi, open your eyes and see this person clearly! He's a fraud!"

A few bodyguards were far from enough, so all the airport security personnel were mobilized, holding hands to barely create a passage.

The group struggled to move out, and as they listened to those words, Zhang Ziyi seemed to realize something, and his face began to turn pale.

Reporters followed relentlessly, their flashes never ceasing.

"Jiang Lai! Does your silence mean you're admitting it?"

"What's your relationship now? Can you still be together?"

Sister Ying stood at the front, her face cold and silent, as she and the bodyguards squeezed their way to the parking lot.

Several people climbed into the car, the door closed, and the noise outside was shut out, leaving only muffled shouts.

As the car started, Jiang Lai let out a long sigh of relief, while Zhang Ziyi, standing beside him, still gripped his arm tightly.

"What happened?" Jiang asked.

Yingjie sat in the passenger seat, took out a magazine, and threw it into the back seat without looking back.

Jiang Lai caught it. The cover was a photo of a man and a woman walking towards a hotel, both of them wet. The image was a bit blurry, but you could still make out their faces.

It was him and Maggie Cheung.

The photo also had several lines of large, bold, and red text printed on it.

"Breaking News! Jiang Lai rendezvous with married actress Maggie Cheung; the two reportedly fell in love while filming, sharing a passionate kiss on the beach and engaging in intimate acts at a hotel!"

Jiang Lai's face darkened.

He was about to say something when Zhang Ziyi, who was staring intently at the magazine cover, raised his hand and said, "We'll talk about it when we get back."

The carriage quieted down, and Zhang Ziyi took the magazine and flipped through it page by page, staring at each photo for a long time.

Jiang Lai watched from the side. The photos were taken at tricky angles and at just the right time, each one making his relationship with Zhang Manyu seem ambiguous.

Jiang Wen and his wife in the back row exchanged a glance and remained silent in tacit agreement.

They drove all the way to the building where Jiang Lai and Zhang Ziyi lived at No. 6 Gongyuan. Zhang Ziyi held the magazine and got out of the car without saying a word.

Jiang Laigang had just followed when Sister Ying asked, "What should we do?"

Yingjie didn't care whether the matter was true or false. The most important thing now was to maintain a good public image. Besides, she knew this young man too well; he wouldn't do such a thing.

Jiang Lai waved his hand, "Let's deny it publicly for now."

He wasn't in the mood to deal with this baseless rumor, especially since nothing had actually happened between him and Maggie Cheung.

He'd only taken two steps when he turned back. "Help me take Jiang Wen back. Boss, I won't see you off!"

After saying that, he waved to the people in the car, turned around and went upstairs.

In the living room, the magazine was on the coffee table. Zhang Ziyi slumped into the sofa, hugged her knees, and stared blankly at the magazine cover.

Jiang Lai walked over and leaned against the wall, looking at Zhang Ziyi.

Neither of them spoke, and they remained silent. Jiang Lai had never encountered anything like this before and didn't know how to explain it.

After a long silence, Zhang Ziyi lowered her head and whispered, "Where am I inferior to her?"

Jiang Lai didn't hear clearly, "What?"

Zhang Ziyi suddenly stood up, her eyes red, and shouted, "I'll tell you, in what way am I inferior to her!"

"I can give you anything you want! I'll do whatever you like! I'll do whatever you ask!"

"Why? Why are you doing this to me?"

Her voice trembled, and tears fell one by one. Jiang Lai felt a pang in his heart at the sight of her broken eyes. He stepped forward and grabbed Zhang Ziyi's arm.

"Nothing happened between me and Maggie Cheung! Really!"

Zhang Ziyi broke free, her eyes brimming with tears.

Do you think I'm stupid?

"I called you that night, it was already past midnight, but you answered so quickly, and you were even out of breath. You said you came back from a run."

"Why are you running in the middle of the night?"

Zhang Ziyi's voice grew softer and softer, and more and more hoarse.

"After thinking about it, I realized maybe I was overthinking it, so I didn't ask again."

"But now? How do you explain these photos?!"

She grabbed the magazine and threw it at Jiang Lai.

Jiang Lai remained silent, as if any explanation he gave would sound like a sophistry.

Zhang Ziyi looked at him and cried even harder. She staggered back a few steps and collapsed onto the sofa.

"Jiang Lai, from Zhou Xun to the current Zhang Manyu, how many other women do you have that I don't know about? Am I not good enough for you?"

She murmured to herself, as if asking Jiang Lai, or perhaps asking herself.

"Yes, I'm not good enough for you."

Jiang Lai felt a tightness in his chest. He hadn't done it, but those photos were there, and he couldn't explain it away.

He went over and tried to hug her, but Zhang Ziyi pushed him away desperately, shaking her head and crying out.

"Let me go! Go away! Just leave..."

"Please, please let me be alone for a while, okay?"

Jiang Lai retreated helplessly, watching Zhang Ziyi curled up on the sofa, his heart feeling like it was being torn apart.

He stood there for a moment, then turned and walked towards the door.

"I will prove it."

The door closed.

Zhang Ziyi buried her face in the sofa, her shoulders trembling, tears soaking the sofa.