CH 18

This translation is originally posted on

The awards ceremony came to a successful conclusion after the mysterious guest appeared, but it wasn't time to leave just yet.

Hundreds of celebrities, guided by the organizers' staff, gradually made their way backstage to prepare for the evening banquet.

After sitting at the awards ceremony for nearly three hours, Shen Qingzhi was already hungry, and upon hearing that dinner was finally being served, she rushed forward with more enthusiasm than anyone else.

The venue for the evening banquet was nearly a thousand square meters, decorated in a magnificent and grand manner. The organizers spared no expense in inviting renowned chefs from all over, and each table was filled with a variety of sumptuous dishes.

Shen Qingzhi quickly found her seat and observed that her tablemates seemed calm and unhurried. She even took on the role of guides with enthusiasm.

After everyone had settled in their seats, the organizers proceeded with their opening remarks.

It was nothing more than the usual pleasantries of "hoping everyone feels at home."

In the current situation, apart from someone who is solely focused on eating, most people don't take these words seriously.

Sitting next to Shen Qingzhi, Yu Kexin shifted her chair and noticed that the vegetation next to her was growing in a peculiar way. Curiously, she reached and dug it out. Camera x 1. 

This is too secretive.

She withdrew her hand awkwardly, and turned the turntable slightly to distract her attention. The shape of those toothpick holders is unique. Taking a closer look, the camera × 2.

Can people still eat like this?

"Psst, psst." She made a subtle sound to get Shen Qingzhi's attention, who was happily devouring a crab beside her, but she seemed completely absorbed in the food.

Shen Qingzhi carefully picked out all the meat from the crab legs and ate it before finally paying attention to Yu Kexin next to her, who seemed to be having eye cramps.

She had also noticed the two cameras just now. With so many celebrities and such great footage, it would be strange if the organizers let it go easily.

But she still needed to eat. Only after being full could she have the energy to deal with other things.

She kindly picked up a crab and put it in Yu Kexin's plate. "It's late, aren't you hungry? Just have a meal, it's no big deal even if someone takes a photo."

Yu Kexin admired her mentality: "That's true, but your way of eating is... a bit too enthusiastic. Look over there."

Shen Qingzhi followed Yu Kexin's gaze and saw Jiang Ke'er, their tablemate, elegantly picking up a small piece of tofu with her chopsticks. Her plate was shining like a mirror.

Jiang Ke'er only ate a small piece of tofu, wiped her mouth with a tissue three times, and then picked up her wine glass to toast the senior at the neighboring table.

Shen Qingzhi was too hungry and exhausted to pay attention to anything else. As long as Jiang Ke'er didn't bother her, she could toast whoever she wanted.

She shifted her gaze and aimed at a scallop. However, the conversation nearby was still clear and distinct.

A sweet and fawning voice said: "Senior Gu, I've admired you so much even before entering the industry. I've watched your film 'Special Agent S' five times, it's truly amazing! I must raise this glass to you."

Polite and gentle voice: "I'm sorry, but I have to drive tonight, so I'll pass on the alcohol. I remember your name is Jiang Ke'er, right? Are you sitting at that table?"

This translation is originally posted on

Surprised and delighted voice: "Yes, yes, yes! I can't believe you, esteemed senior Gu, remember my name. Would you like to come and see the dishes at our table? They might be different from what you have at your table."

Polite and gentle voice: "Okay."

As the footsteps drew closer, Shen Qingzhi focused on her plate of food, but her ears unconsciously perked up.

She maintained a calm expression while the young actors and actresses at her table all stood up almost simultaneously, chanting "Senior Gu" like a folk song.

Gu Jinrong greeted the young actors and actresses at the table with warmth and courtesy, exchanging a few words that instantly brightened their spirits.

Shen Qingzhi could feel the aura emanating from everyone at the table, which was completely different from before. It was as if a flower had bloomed on each person's face, their smiles radiant.

She picked up a piece of foie gras with her chopsticks, treating it as someone's cherished heart, and took a hearty bite.

Gu Jinrong approached Shen Qingzhi's seat with an elegant and graceful smile. "Qing... Qingzhi, is the foie gras delicious?"

Among all the people at the table, it was only Shen Qingzhi, the food lover, who was personally mentioned by the esteemed Gu Jinrong. Many others cast envious and jealous glances at her in secret.

There were so many people at the table, only Shen Qingzhi, a foodie, was called by Queen Gu, and many people quietly cast envious glances at her.

Shen Qingzhi was inexplicably annoyed at the moment and didn't want to engage with anyone. However, she remembered the surrounding cameras and Song Ling's repeated reminders, so she reluctantly put down her chopsticks, turned her head, and forced a smile that felt insincere even to herself.

"It's delicious, tastes like chicken, crunchy*." The last three words were said through gritted teeth.

*from Bear Grylls' Man vs Wild, a survival tv series on Discovery Channel, though not said at the same time, it was a recurring line, and somehow became a buzzword among netizens.

Upon hearing her words, several people beside her exchanged glances, while Gu Jinrong herself is like a spring breeze.

"It's that good? Then can I sit down and try it too? It seems our table doesn't have foie gras."

The question didn't even reach Shen Qingzhi as the actress on her left quickly offered her seat and went to find a new chair and utensils not far away.

Several people around sighed for being a second too late in their actions.

Gu Jinrong took the clean utensils and thanked the actress before picking up a piece of foie gras to taste.

"Mmm, it's delicious. So, you like this pan-seared style?"

Shen Qingzhi remained silent, focusing even more on her food than before.

Jiang Ke'er, who had been closely observing the situation, sensed something amiss. "Senior Gu, are you and Qingzhi very familiar with each other?"

Gu Jinrong's eyebrow raised slightly, about to respond, but her words were cut off.

"Not familiar!"

Shen Qingzhi, who had been playing dumb for a while, answered decisively, "Today is the first time we've met at work."

Work place, first time. She wasn't lying.

Gu Jinrong's gaze followed Shen Qingzhi's delicate nose and landed on her moist lips. She lowered her eyelids and remained silent.

Jiang Ke'er readily believed Shen Qingzhi's explanation, as she also didn't want the impression that they were close. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her, and she laughed innocently. 

"Speaking of it, there seems to be a special connection between Shen Qingzhi and Senior Gu. I remember when Shen Qingzhi first debuted, many people called her the 'Little Gu Jinrong'."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the people around them became quite interesting. Each of them buried their heads and ate with even more concentration than Shen Qingzhi earlier.

In the entertainment industry, titles like "Little XXX" are generally taboo. Such titles are usually created either by newcomers trying to gain attention or by unscrupulous marketing accounts attempting to generate controversy and increase traffic.

Regardless of the situation, XXX and their fans would definitely be unhappy. Who wants to be bound and imitated by others?

According to the fans, they would say: "My XXX is living well and doesn't need a successor."

When Shen Qingzhi first debuted, her consecutive roles overlapped with Gu Jinrong's early works. They both had high popularity and quickly rose to fame. As a result, marketing accounts forcefully associated them together.

During that time, Gu Jinrong's main activities were in Country M, but she still had many fans in China.

Naturally, Gu's fans couldn't bear the fact that their idol, who was going international, was being landed on the moon*, touching porcelain** by a little black red actor***.

*Landing on the moon can mean two things 

1. tying up with someone with a big status gap

2. referring to the conspiracy theory that NASA faked the moon landing; meaning the issue was faked or staged and just a forced marketing strategy.

**Touching or bumping porcelain is a scamming MO, similar to moon landing definition #2, Fake accidents to claim compensation, charging someone for breaking an already broken vase

***for actors, black means unpopular, red means popular, therefore a black red actor is an up and coming/small-time/rising actor. (This gave me a headache)

Shen's fans, shortly after falling in love with her, have already honed their skills in various fierce battles, each capable of dancing one against ten.

The fans on both sides engage in back-and-forth battles, with skirmishes taking place on platforms like Green Bubbles, Weibo, and B Station*. The accumulated grievances have long been simmering.

*Green Bubble= WeChat, a messaging app, B Station/Site=Bilibili, a video sharing platform like YouTube, Weibo, social networking site similar to Twitter

Currently, Gu Jinrong herself has returned to the country, holding the Golden Bear Award, and her fans in China have multiplied several times compared to before.

However, they consider themselves to have a certain level of sophistication and are unwilling to continue the fight with Shen Qingzhi's fans. The prolonged battle has finally calmed down in recent months.

At this moment, Jiang K'er deliberately brought up old matters, specifically mentioning them in front of the two parties involved, undoubtedly aiming to provoke tension between them.

In the entertainment industry, no matter how decent everyone appears on the surface, who wouldn't mind such things deep down?

As a result, Gu Jinrong's impression of Shen Qingzhi is bound to be tarnished.

Regarding this nickname, Gu Jinrong had heard of it before, but now, when Jiang Ke'er mentioned it, not only did she not show the slightest displeasure, but her gentle expression became even more apparent.

"Oh, really? Qingzhi is a very talented actress, and she's so beautiful. If people say she resembles me, I'm delighted."

As soon as these words were spoken, several people nearby were secretly amazed: Truly deserving of the title 'Movie Queen Gu' We can't decide whether to praise her acting skills or her demeanor.

Jiang K'er didn't expect such a reaction from Gu Jinrong and forced a smile.

"It seems like Senior Gu holds a high opinion of Qingzhi."

Gu Jinrong nodded and reaffirmed, "The future looks promising."

Shen Qingzhi, who had been focused on eating, realized that she had to say something now that more than ten pairs of eyes were staring at her.

Isn't it just mutual compliments in the industry? Not a big deal.

She swallowed the food in her mouth and said sincerely:

"Actually, Gu Jinrong is also a quite hardworking actress. Her future holds great potential too."

As soon as her words were spoken, everyone at the table was stunned. It was quite a skill to step on three landmines with just one sentence.

(T/N: not sure about what three land mines, I'm guessing 1. she didn't thank/wasn't that appreciative to the compliment given by a senior. 2. she spoke casually and called Gu Jinrong by her name. Calling someone older, more senior than you by name is taboo and considered rude. 3. Not sure about the third but probably complimenting a senior in a casual manner may also come off rude)

Yu Kexin, who was nearby, gasped in disbelief: "Buddy, you'd better focus on eating and not speak."

Author's Note:

The kid acted indirectly stupid because she subconsciously regards the two of them as equals.

***

Random red envelope: 50