140: An unexpected encounter with Qincheng

Under the massive crystal chandeliers, the air was filled with the scent of perfume and the clinking of glasses.

Yang Mi, who had just won the Best Actress award, was surrounded by several brand executives, chatting and laughing.

Not far away, a few popular young starlets, Zhou Yutong and Zhao Jinmai, were holding champagne and striking up conversations with a well-known director, their faces wearing standard smiles.

Liu Haocun, dressed in a haute couture gown, moved through the crowd like a beautiful white swan, basking in the pursuit of photographers' lenses.

Even Tian Xiwei, whom Cao Lang had just seen on television, was sitting quietly in a corner wearing a light pink long dress; her tranquil appearance seemed somewhat special amidst the glitzy banquet.

This was the forefront of fame and fortune, a showcase where capital and beauty intertwined; every smile and every toast could potentially involve resources worth tens of millions.

These stars, usually so proud, now had faces full of smiles, offering their etiquette and sincerity to every big shot who approached them.

These stars were wearing jewelry worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, which was one of the rules required by the brands.

High society... here, only the plutocrats and dignitaries with assets over ten billion were considered high society; the stars could only be said to have barely reached the threshold.

At the very least, a star of Tian Xiwei's level did not count as true high society.

The role they played at this banquet was, to put it nicely, honored guests, but to put it bluntly, they were temporary jewelry saleswomen.

If a big shot took a fancy and bought the jewelry they were wearing, the star's commission could be as much as millions.

Wu Zun, among a group of wealthy women, pulled down his collar to show off his pectoral muscles and the gems hanging around his neck.

The wealthy women's eyes sparkled as they held Wu Zun's hand, carefully asking if he was tired from filming recently.

"Is there any pressure?"

"Do you need any investment?"

Even mature male actors like Huang Bo, Qiao Shan, and Shen Teng were smiling and clinking glasses with older women; even drinking with arms linked while chatting was a common occurrence.

Cao Lang and Li Meng wandered around; he had no interest in the gossip of the circle. His gaze swept over the crowd and landed on the jewelry display area at one side of the banquet hall.

It was relatively quiet there, with individual glass display cases standing silently under soft spotlights, displaying the featured jewelry of Bvlgari for this banquet.

The designs were extremely luxurious, with the brilliance of diamonds and various gemstones reflecting off each other; there were no price tags, and not even a single sales consultant wearing a badge could be seen.

Every piece of jewelry on display here had an identical version being worn by a female star in the hall.

They were walking billboards; the value of the jewelry complemented their status, waiting for truly capable buyers to take notice.

Cao Lang and Li Meng, dressed simply in a way that was out of place with the environment, naturally didn't attract any special attention.

At this moment, two more people approached the display stand.

Qin Cheng, the president of Qins Media, had a popular young starlet, Zhou Ye, on his arm.

Zhou Ye's makeup was exquisite and her temperament cold; the platinum necklace on her swan-like neck was particularly eye-catching. The pendant was a sapphire the size of a pigeon's egg, surrounded by fine diamonds, reflecting a soul-stirring brilliance under the lights.

This necklace was worth thirty million; if she could facilitate the sale tonight, she would get a three-million-yuan commission.

"Xiao Ye, this necklace on your neck matches your dress today very well." Qin Cheng raised his glass, gesturing toward the display case not far away, his tone carrying a hint of undeniable intimacy.

Zhou Ye glanced in the direction of his gaze and merely gave a faint "Mm," without even forcing a professional smile.

Although she wanted to sell the necklace, she didn't want to sell it to Qin Cheng. Having struggled in the entertainment industry until now, she was no longer the pushover newcomer she once was; she only felt disgusted by the self-righteous predator look in Qin Cheng's eyes.

However, the Qin Group had assets in the hundreds of billions, and Qins Media had a gathering of big stars; even Yang Mi, the authority among the female stars tonight, had to show Qin Cheng some respect.

In the vanity fair, one sometimes has to bow their head; having attended this banquet, Zhou Ye could only try her best to adapt to the atmosphere.

Qin Cheng saw this, but instead of being angry, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.

He liked this kind of thorny rose; it gave him a greater sense of accomplishment to conquer. He calculated in his mind that no matter what, he would make this cold leading lady yield to his pleasure tonight.

"Xiao Ye, I'll buy this necklace. Come with me to have it wrapped." Qin Cheng's large hand lightly rested on Zhou Ye's slender waist; feeling her slight resistance, a twisted excitement was hidden beneath his calm expression.

Heh, why act so innocent? Won't I get you sooner or later anyway?

Turning his gaze, Qin Cheng suddenly saw Cao Lang standing alone in front of a display case, along with Li Meng beside him.

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes; looking at Li Meng's temperament, she didn't look like a star at all.

Rather, she looked like a... housekeeper... He had a female star by his side, while Cao Lang only had a housekeeper with him.

This made Qin Cheng feel very comfortable; since he couldn't suppress Xingyao Media, there was no problem with enjoying a moment of verbal superiority.

He walked closer.

"Isn't this CEO Cao of Xingyao Media?" Qin Cheng's voice was neither too loud nor too soft.

He unashamedly looked Li Meng up and down in her professional suit, a slight sneer on his face: "I've heard much of your name, CEO Cao. Did you bring your girlfriend here to buy jewelry?"

Cao Lang turned around to see that it was indeed Qin Cheng.

Even the experienced Li Meng was a bit flustered at this moment, not knowing what to say.

Her intuition told her the best choice was to say nothing and wait for her boss to speak first.

This kind of barbed rhetoric, in this setting, could be a playful gesture of intimacy or a mocking attempt to pick a fight, depending entirely on the relationship between the two parties.

Although Cao Lang and Qin Cheng knew each other's backgrounds, they had never spoken; Xingyao Media had even been suppressed by Qins Media, so there was no doubt it was the latter.

The conflict between them originated from Ye Wanqing.

Qin Cheng had been eyeing Ye Wanqing for two years, painstakingly designing a situation to saddle her with a massive breach-of-contract penalty and forbidding all media companies from collaborating with her.

Unexpectedly, Cao Lang paid the penalty for Ye Wanqing, let her star in a movie, and finally brought her into Tan Palace right under his nose.

It was said that Qin Cheng was vengeful and had many tricks.

In that case, Cao Lang chuckled: "My girlfriend is Ye Wanqing; I recall President Qin knows her, right? Is your memory that bad?"

Hearing Ye Wanqing's name, Qin Cheng's heart twitched violently.

This was rubbing salt into his wound!

Cao Lang took a small step forward and whispered in a voice only Qin Cheng and Zhou Ye could hear: "Wanqing is truly... smooth."

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