chapter 8

After a brief silence, Su Jin Fan’s uncertain voice came through: “Are you making fun of me?”

Su Jin Fan didn’t want to guess the meaning behind Liu Ming’s burst of laughter earlier. However, in her current disheveled state, she certainly didn’t want to become the butt of Liu Ming’s jokes—after all, she was still a female celebrity!

Su Jin Fan resolved to be extra careful from now on, determined not to embarrass herself again! Otherwise, how many more times would Liu Ming get to laugh at her?

Liu Ming awkwardly suppressed his smile, though his eyes still shimmered with amusement, and explained, “Miss Su, rest assured, I would never tell anyone about this.”

“Swear it!” Su Jinfan snorted coldly, but considering he was Su Jinfan’s director, she decided not to press the matter further.

After this incident, however, the atmosphere between the two subtly shifted, growing increasingly harmonious. Whether it was Su Jinfan or Liu Ming, their expressions softened considerably, and their interactions became more like those of ordinary friends.

“Miss Su, earlier you mentioned that the recent buzz around the movie was due to some behind-the-scenes maneuvering on my part? But I’ve never done such a thing—in fact, I thought it might have been arranged by your company.”

Su Jinfan was stunned—she was completely baffled now. The company hadn’t discussed pushing her popularity with her, and Liu Ming’s reaction clearly indicated it wasn’t his doing either. But in this situation, who would voluntarily help her and effortlessly land her on the trending list?

Truth be told, Su Jinfan usually paid close attention to trending topics online and naturally wouldn’t miss any discussions about herself, especially after the car accident, when the entire page was flooded with negative rumors. However, during this period, all the negative news had been replaced by updates about “Chang Ge” or positive reports. There was undoubtedly someone behind this, but the direction remained unclear, and Su Jinfan couldn’t yet figure out who was responsible.

In the afternoon, an hour before the press conference—just in time for dinner—Fang Yao arrived at Su Jinfan’s dressing room carrying two meal boxes.

“Fang Yao, have you been behind all these news stories these days?” Su Jinfan asked while eating her boxed lunch, a puzzled expression on her face.

“Xiao Fan, I’m not powerful enough to influence the media’s actions. The mastermind behind this is quite obvious—it’s that investor from A&R Group who has taken a special liking to you.”

The name Shen Bai flashed through Su Jin Fan’s mind, but she still couldn’t confirm his true identity.

“If someone supports you, just accept it. Not everyone gets favored by such a major corporation so easily.” Fang Yao seemed unfazed, her expression revealing neither joy nor anger.

Right now, she just wanted Su Jin Fan to focus on preparing for the upcoming press conference. Multiple media outlets would be attending, and LL TV’s Entertainment Update would broadcast it live. If she misspoke even a single word, those media vultures wouldn’t let Su Jin Fan off the hook while she was already in the eye of the storm.

“Darling, you could at least give us a pretty smile!”

Fang Yao forced a smile and glanced at her watch.

It has to be said, this wasn’t just any ordinary press conference—it was also her first public appearance before the media, announcing Su Jin’s return to the entertainment industry. Naturally, there would be plenty of sharp and biting questions.

Let’s face it, in this seemingly glamorous showbiz world, if you want an easy ride, you’d better not aim for stardom.

It must be said that Su Jinfan has now mastered the art of compartmentalization—one moment looking slightly awkward, the next flashing a radiant smile.

“The press conference starts in half an hour. Do you want to take a break?” Liu Ming leaned against the doorframe, noticing Su Jinfan’s continued reluctance to speak. Thinking he was being considerate, he assumed she must still be dwelling on the issue they had discussed earlier in the car.

“No need. If I rest now, I might not be able to get up later.” Su Jinfan stood up and stretched lazily.

Reporters from various media outlets had already gathered. Today, LL TV’s exclusive interview had invited seven media organizations, all seated in rows in the conference room, whispering and exchanging information and opinions among themselves.

“You mentioned the movie ‘Chang Ge’. When estimating its box office potential initially, it was capped at thirty million at most. Now someone is making a grand investment and even held a special press conference. Could it be that Ding Sheng Company has some undisclosed plans for ‘Chang Ge’?” A reporter seemed quite familiar with Ding Sheng Company, but who knows—perhaps even Su Jinfan and Elsa from Ding Sheng Company have no idea why this investment came about.

“How would you know? I think Ding Sheng Company actually wants to terminate the contract with Su Jinfan and, out of consideration for her years of contributions, is giving her one last favor,” retorted another reporter sitting nearby, looking rather smug.

“Elsa from Ding Sheng has always been reluctant to give media interviews or explain why they invested in ‘Chang Ge,’ hasn’t she? I think Su Jinfan’s background might be more complicated than it seems. Just think about it—she’s had smooth sailing for three years since her debut. You don’t see that kind of luck anywhere else in the entertainment industry.”

“Exactly, Su Jinfan’s rise has been too smooth. If it weren’t for that car accident, she’d probably be a household name by now.”

“It couldn’t be a sugar daddy situation, could it?” The reporter’s words were always sharp, laced with speculation. The press conference proceeded as scheduled.

All the main cast members of the film crew came out, walking onto the stage in pairs. The reporters had each prepared their questions, and naturally, the sharpest ones were undoubtedly aimed at Su Jin Fan.

The reporters bombarded her with questions nonstop, while camera flashes flickered incessantly.

“Miss Su, do you find this performance challenging for you?”

“Could you disclose who the investors are for this film?”

“It’s been revealed that the investment came from A&R Group. May we ask if you have any personal connections with them?”

    ……

“This role presents a significant age range challenge for me, but I believe it has greatly advanced and tested my acting skills. As for other investors’ matters, I’m truly unaware—you’d need to consult my agency for specifics.”

Su Jinfan calmly answered each of their questions, clearly stating her position: she has no hidden dealings and no private connections with A&R Group’s executives.

The floor was given to a reporter, who asked unhurriedly, “Miss Su, last time Liu Xin claimed you stole her role. After that, you were involved in a car accident. Was it because the director wanted to replace you with Liu Xin as the lead in ‘Peerless Beauty,’ and you staged this as a publicity stunt?”

The question was sharp, clearly casting doubt on the reason behind Su Jin Fan’s car accident and implying that Liu Xin replaced her in Director Fang Hua’s film due to her lack of acting prowess.

“The media’s job is to inform the public of the truth and expose facts to everyone, but it should never be used to spread rumors. I know you’re all very concerned about my relationship with Liu Xin, but that is a private matter between us and doesn’t need to be disclosed to the public. However, considering the many baseless rumors circulating online recently, I must emphasize once again—this was absolutely not a publicity stunt.”

Su Jin Fan rarely spoke so much at once, let alone with such intensity. She was truly driven to frustration by the media’s relentless bombardment of this one question. Her words carried a tone of condemnation, silencing many reporters present. To be honest, they weren’t particularly interested in which films Su Jin Fan had acted in—they were far more invested in the dynamics between her and Liu Xin.

Su Jinfan clearly understood the art of speaking well, choosing her words carefully and avoiding direct accusations against any particular journalist for spreading false rumors.

Just then, a woman slowly walked in through the door, instantly breaking the awkward tension. Liu Xin stepped forward in front of the media under everyone’s gaze and said, “My relationship with Su Jinfan is quite good. There’s no need for everyone to worry.”

Liu Xin’s appearance turned the press conference into complete chaos. While her presence might have been intended to dispel rumors of discord between her and Su Jinfan, from Su Jinfan’s perspective, it only made the situation even harder to control.

“Today is the press conference for Su’s new film, so of course I came to show my support,” Liu Xin replied to the reporters unhurriedly. Dressed in a striking red strapless mini dress, she flaunted her enviable figure, instantly overshadowing Su Jinfan, who wore only a simple floral dress.

Liu Xin definitely didn’t come to support her, but to stir up trouble.

“I don’t want to talk about my movie today either, because after all, this is my little sister’s movie premiere. Thank you everyone.”

All eyes remained fixed on Liu Xin, eager to hear some gossip from her mouth.

Seeing that this press conference was about to become Liu Xin’s solo stage, Liu Ming couldn’t stay seated any longer and stood up from her chair.

“Ladies and gentlemen, since Sister Liu Xin happens to be here today, I might as well share with you that the theme song of our movie, ‘The Long Song of the Palace,’ will be performed by Su Jin Fan.” Director Liu Ming’s sudden announcement left everyone speechless with shock, instantly drawing all eyes back to him.

The theme song of the movie? Such a major event—everyone would want to be the first to break the news. Su Jin Fan stared blankly at Liu Ming. When did this happen? How could she not know about it!

“Director Liu Ming, do you think Miss Su’s acting is good? Why was she chosen to sing the theme song?” Some reporters couldn’t wait to start asking questions.

“Miss Su, you’ve never sung before. Why did you decide to perform the theme song for this movie?”

For a moment, all sorts of questions came pouring in, and the microphones in front of Liu Xin were pushed toward Su Jin Fan and Liu Ming. She stood there slightly awkwardly—Liu Ming and Su Jin Fan were certainly not easy to deal with.

“One question at a time. The press conference has thirty minutes left, and each journalist gets one question,” Fang Yao interrupted the barrage of questions to maintain order.

The journalists understood the situation and politely proceeded to ask their questions in an orderly manner.

Su Jin Fan answered most of the questions, skirting past those she didn’t want to answer or didn’t know how to address. The final few questions were directed at Director Liu Ming.

“I really like Su Jin Fan as an actress. It’s been a pleasure working with her, and her acting skills are the best among all the mainland’s new generation of actresses I’ve seen. So I hope everyone will give her your full support.”