CH 36

The Xilin Film Festival was held abroad. In addition to various actors, there would also be several famous singers to assist with the opening and closing ceremonies.

Invitations for the Xilin Film Festival were relatively easy to get compared to other film festivals of the same caliber. 

Therefore, the Xilin Film Festival was also the film festival that was most likely to have celebrities there just for the publicity.

This was mainly because they had a lot of sponsors. The sponsors were usually able to get a blank invitation.

Every year, there would be a lot of celebrities who were not invited. Rather, they would go through various channels to get their hands on a blank invitation. Then, they would wear their finest, most expensive dresses and loiter around the red carpet for several minutes.

Ye Li wasn’t really expecting Gu Qingchi to get that much publicity. He just wanted him to gain some more experience. 

The Xilin Film Festival received quite a bit of attention. The event would be broadcasted live on their official website. The Xilin Film Festival’s lineup had always been magnificent. Each and every guest was certain to be incredibly influential. It was practically a river of stars.

Whether it was the media or the film festival, their focus would probably be on the international superstars like Xie Luyu.

Wang Haisheng joked about Gu Qingchi making a public appearance, but Gu Qingchi was way too transparent. He probably wouldn’t even get a single shot.

The only time he’d be able to show his face in front of the camera would be those ten or so seconds that he was on the red carpet.

So, Ye Li just wanted Gu Qingchi to get used to the atmosphere. He didn’t really put much importance on it. He didn’t have the team go with him either. The only one going with Gu Qingchi would be Xiao Ke.

There weren’t that many flights, so it was very normal to run into others on the way there. While they were on the plane, Xiao Ke managed to recognize several celebrities. She whispered to Gu Qingchi.

“Gu ge, look over there. There are a lot of seniors here. Cheng Xian’s in front of us. He debuted through a talent show. Lately, he’s been trying to change his image. There are a lot of celebrities in his company who endorsed the brands sponsoring the film festival. He probably got an invitation from one of the artists in his company and wants to walk the red carpet for the publicity.”

“Also, Yang Shuoshuo’s over there. She’s an amazing actress, but her luck hasn’t been very good. She’s attended this film festival for several years now. Maybe she’ll get an award this time. Oh, there are a few more. Over there is Wang Yingling.” 

Xiao Ke’s hometown dialect was starting to come out.

“Oh my god, she’s got four assistants with her, and they’re all sitting in first-class. Gosh, they must be rich. I had to plead with Ye ge for such a long time in order to get this first-class seat.”

“I’m eighty percent sure Wang Yingling’s walking the red carpet for the publicity. I heard that Wang Yingling doesn’t have a very good temper. Gu ge, you should try to avoid her. That one over there isn’t very friendly either.”

Gu Qingchi wasn’t very sensitive to directions and faces. He had a little bit of face blindness. He couldn’t really tell who was who. He just blankly moved his gaze along with Xiao Ke’s finger. 

Xiao Ke spoke very quickly. After she finished speaking, Gu Qingchi took one last glance at the direction she was pointing and looked at Xiao Ke with admiration.

Xiao Ke felt very proud of herself. She patted her chest and promised.

“Gu ge, it’s okay if you can’t recognize them. I’ll just recognize them for you.”

Then, she suddenly started getting nervous again. She grabbed the seat in front of her with both hands and shrank into her shoulders, muttering to herself. 

“Actually, it’s better if you can’t recognize them. That way, you won’t get nervous. Pretend they’re all cabbage-heads, cabbage-heads, they’re all cabbage-heads. Xiao Ke, you can do this.”

Gu Qingchi turned his head and looked into Xiao Ke’s eyes. Then, he earnestly started complimenting her.

“Xiao Ke’s the best. You’re the most capable assistant I’ve ever seen.”

Gu Qingchi was sitting right next to her. They were so close that Xiao Ke could even see her reflection in Gu Qingchi’s eyes. 

Xiao Ke’s face slowly turned red. She let go of the seat in front of her and couldn’t help bringing her hands to her face, giggling. She even forgot to be nervous.

“Hehe, I guess I’m not bad.”

Xiao Ke and Gu Qingchi stayed in the corner. They had boarded the plane pretty early.

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When the flight attendant walked by, Gu Qingchi asked for a blanket. Then, he laid the blanket over Xiao Ke.

As soon as he covered her with the blanket, he heard the sound of a camera shutter coming from a few rows in front of him. When Gu Qingchi turned his head, he saw a boy quickly pull his phone back.

Ye Li had already told Gu Qingchi that, once he was a little more famous, there would be lots of people pointing their phones at him anytime, anywhere. 

So Gu Qingchi didn’t care.

Xiao Ke happened to wake up just as it was time to get off the plane.

While the film festival was being held, reporters would be stationed at the airport.

Some of them were there to take pictures of superstars like Xie Luyu. Others had already been paid and received information beforehand. They were there to take pictures of a specific person so that this celebrity could get a little more publicity. 

After all, this was the Xilin Film Festival. Countless stars were trying their best to shine. It was necessary for them to create some discussion around them.

The two of them had brought two bags and one suitcase. Gu Qingchi pushed the luggage cart.

Xiao Ke walked beside him. She felt a little bad. After all, the suitcase and one of the bags were hers.

“Gu ge, I can push it.” 

Gu Qingchi waved her off.

“You need to keep your spirits up. There are more important things for you to do.”

Gu Qingchi noticed that Xiao Ke still seemed a little ill at ease.

He ended up speaking a little bit more than usual. 

“I don’t really know much about these kinds of things. I’ll be relying on you.”

Xiao Ke straightened her back.

“It’s on me. Don’t worry, Gu ge. I’m a professional. I already asked several seniors for advice before coming here.”

Not too far away, a reporter took a picture of the two of them. 

In the photo, Gu Qingchi was pushing the luggage cart, and Xiao Ke was walking beside him.

The colleague next to him didn’t quite understand.

“Is that the rookie who worked with Xie Luyu recently? What are you taking a photo of this for? It’s true that he’s a rookie with a lot of momentum, but it’s obvious this is just an assistant. There’s nothing interesting there.”

The reporter looked down at the photo. 

“We can’t put it in the newspaper, but we can put it on the official blog. The composition’s pretty good. We already made the trip out here, so we might as well take a few more photos. It’s not like it takes a whole lot of effort. There! I sent it out.”

The other reporter took a closer look and sighed.

“No wonder he went viral before he even debuted. Just look at him. His looks are outstanding. He already looks like this without any retouching. It would almost be a shame if he didn’t enter the industry. If he keeps at it like this and nothing bad happens, he’ll end up being a top celebrity.”

“I agree. Let’s go. We’ve got Wang Yingling’s photos. We’ve already received the money. We just need to give her an eye-catching spot on the cover, and we’ll be done. However, if you ask me, her management team’s really no good. Look at what she’s wearing today. It looks like the money they gave us is going to waste again. They’ve already spent all this money on publicity fees. You’d think they’d put some of that money towards a better stylist.” 

“Her formal wear isn’t that good either. Last year, her red carpet outfit ended up trending, the one that looked like a bucket.”

The two looked at each other and laughed.

Xiao Ke and Gu Qingchi rested for an entire night. The opening ceremony would be the next evening.

Xiao Ke was in charge of Gu Qingchi’s clothing. She was truly an outstanding assistant. There wasn’t anything that she couldn’t do. The only thing she lacked was some practical experience. 

In fact, Ye Li’s biggest goal for this film festival was to give Xiao Ke some practice. Gu Qingchi was an afterthought. Either way, it wasn’t likely for him to make any waves.

Even Ye Li could tell that the movie had a lot of flaws in it. After all, it was a commercial film that was filmed within just a few months.

Besides, real life wasn’t like those novels. He was very optimistic about Gu Qingchi, but he didn’t think that Gu Qingchi would be able to bring home a trophy so easily.

There were only a handful of artists who were able to win their very first nomination. The last person to do so was Xie Luyu. He had been an incredibly gifted newcomer, completely obliterating the competition. 

Ye Li had also seen that movie. At the time, he was just a teenager, but his talent was terrifying.

Xiao Ke played it safe and went with a black suit, black tie, and white button-up for Gu Qingchi. Aside from the lapel pin on his chest, there weren’t any other decorative accessories.

It was a well-known Italian brand.

They had been short of time, so they bought ready-made clothes. The leather shoes were of the same brand. It wasn’t particularly expensive, but it was rather appropriate for the occasion. 

The clothes looked breathtaking on him.

Gu Qingchi’s figure was stunning. His proportions were even better than a lot of professional models.

Suits tended to make people’s legs look short. However, when it came to Gu Qingchi, there wasn’t anything of the sort.

There was also a little pigtail at the back of his head. 

He looked like he had walked out of a manga.

Xiao Ke took a look at her watch.

“Gu ge, it’s almost time. We should leave in about half an hour.”

Gu Qingchi was used to standing upright in front of others. However, he was pretty familiar with Xiao Ke now, so his posture was a lot more relaxed. 

At the moment, the suit jacket had been thrown to the side. He crossed his legs and sat on the sofa, leaning against the cushions. He had one arm outstretched and the other arm propped against the back of the sofa. He looked very much at ease.

Since he wasn’t wearing the jacket, his waist was particularly eye-catching. Even so, the belt was properly looped around his waist and his shirt was meticulously buttoned. He gave off an air of restraint.

Xiao Ke had also brought a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, the kind with the chains, and had Gu Qingchi try it on. It was just a pair of glasses, but it instantly made Gu Qingchi’s aura so much stronger.

For some reason, it gave off the feeling of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. 

Xiao Ke felt that this outfit had a lot of feeling. However, considering that this was a formal occasion, it was better to show a calm and steady image. In the end, she had Gu Qingchi take the glasses off.

Still, she asked Gu Qingchi to strike several poses. She took several photos and prepared to post them onto Weibo as a treat for the fans.

Xiao Ke and Gu Qingchi arrived at the venue very early. That is, they were ready to walk the red carpet.

There was a specific order in which everyone would enter the venue. Superstars like Xie Luyu were the first to enter. Then, guests with invitations were next. Finally, the last to enter were artists that managed to get a blank invitation—the so-called red carpet moochers. 

However, every year, there were always a few people who tried to cut in line. They didn’t have the guts to cut in front of the superstars, but they didn’t have any qualms about the people in the back.

Actors couldn’t compete with influencers when it came to internet traffic. Sometimes, their auras weren’t as strong either. If an actor wasn’t particularly famous, it was easy for them to be ignored by the public.

Besides, it wasn’t like the person could turn around and go back once they were on the red carpet. This kind of thing would always happen despite being prohibited. It had become an understood fact.

Gu Qingchi was scheduled a little bit towards the end. 

It was just about to be Gu Qingchi’s turn. Xiao Ke was a little nervous. She tidied up Gu Qingchi one more time.

“Gu ge, do you see the people in front of us? That’s about the speed that you should walk at. Don’t pay attention to the people behind you. They’re just here to promote themselves. Don’t walk too fast or too slow. If you walk too fast, the photographers might not be able to get your picture. If you’re too slow, you’ll be made fun of. This is all being broadcasted live.”

She knelt down and helped Gu Qingchi adjust the leg of his pants. Then, she immediately stood up. The star that was in front of them had already reached the end of the red carpet.

“Alright. It’s our turn.” 

Xiao Ke pushed Gu Qingchi forward.

Before Gu Qingchi was able to step into the spotlight, another actress quickly stepped onto the red carpet. An assistant sorted out her skirt from behind her.

After sorting everything out, she slowly and gracefully walked out onto the red carpet.

Xiao Ke stomped her feet. 

“It’s Wang Yingling. She’s been mooching off the red carpet for years. She’s gotten used to doing whatever she wants.”

Gu Qingchi looked down and comforted her.

“It’s okay. We can just go after her.”

Xiao Ke sighed helplessly. Wang Yingling spent a solid four or five minutes walking those ten or so meters of red carpet. Finally, she reluctantly ended her little stroll when a security guard came and urged her to move it along. 

“Remember, not too fast and not too slow. Pause for a little bit in the middle.”

Gu Qingchi nodded. Then, he stepped onto the red carpet.

The crowd of photographers had been a cacophony of voices, but, now, they gradually started quieting down.

All that was left was the sound of the camera shutter and the relentless flash of the camera. 

Gu Qingchi stuck strictly to Xiao Ke’s teachings. He wasn’t fast, and he wasn’t slow. When he got to the middle, he paused. He was practically a textbook example of what walking the red carpet should look like.

When he got to the middle of the carpet, he stopped and stood there.

The camera flashes were almost blinding.

There were people behind him shouting out in English. 

“Hey, darling! Turn around! Look over here!”