Chapter 7: Sorry, The Wind Was Strong
Source: https://www.gongzicp.com/novel-1711067.html
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The Glazed Pagoda is a faux ancient building. The long corridor has dome murals that are fine and stunning. Elegant gold bronze palace lanterns hang overhead. On the surrounding walls float landscape reliefs with lucky meaning. Soft light pours over them. Figures move through the space. They look like lines of immortals drifting in clouds.
The most shocking sight is a towering golden tree in the center. It shines with golden light. The leaves are made of real gold. They turn lightly and make clear, beautiful sounds. There is no refined classical music here. There is only jade striking gold. That alone is enough to stir the heart.
People who enter the hall for the first time all lift their heads and stop to look. They do not dare gasp loudly. After a short daze, they all take out their phones to film.
Zhou Yun holds a small studded diamond clutch. She looks left and right and holds back the scream in her heart. Around her neck is the ruby Ma Gu’er brought her to prop up her image. This kind of gem needs bright red lips. After dressing up like this, her natural villain face looks even sharper.
"Thinking of themselves as gods... They've really gone all out. Just the view from this building alone is enough to overshadow that adopted daughter's hot searches.”
A spiral staircase leads all the way to the top floor. The surrounding corridors have only servers moving around to deliver food. In the center is a cylindrical elevator with transparent sides. The steel cables hide behind the golden tree. They look like branches falling from the sky.
The elevator goes straight to the top floor among clusters of golden leaves. It looks like ascending on the spot.
The elevator rises slowly. Ma Gu’er waits behind the stairs for a gap to take the regular elevator. She turns back and glances. She vaguely sees several familiar faces.
“So much money spent. It feels like going to heaven. It’s pretty interesting.”
Ma Gu’er turns back and steps into the bronze colored elevator. “When it opens later, they’ll probably charge to ride this elevator. We can come down later and sit and play.”
"Then let's wait for two more trips, and we should be able to experience it too."
Zhou Yun pretends she’s about to pull Ma Gu’er out of the elevator. She can’t wait to try the feeling of ascending and becoming a god.
Ma Gu’er glances at Zhou Yun. She lifts her chin proudly and presses the top floor button. “Going up is going to heaven. Coming down is a fairy descending to the mortal world. We've been having such bad luck lately, let's be a little more auspicious.”
When they reach the top floor, it isn’t as loud or flashy as the main hall. It’s antique and elegant, with carved beams and painted rafters. The luxury is very low key.
The banquet hall doors are fully open. The surrounding corridor is full of celebrities chatting and laughing. After agreeing to meet under the golden tree, the two split up.
Zhou Yun lifts her wine glass and enters social mode. She bends slightly to toast one person after another. If she can chat a few lines, she does. If she doesn’t want to chat, she politely says goodbye and moves on. At worst, she shows her face and leaves an impression.
Ma Gu’er can’t do anything too much. Coming here is purely to make Yi Anran and Yang Sang feel annoyed. No matter how she got in, to outsiders it looks like Yi Anran invited her. With so many people here, if Yi Anran wants to save face, she’ll pretend not to see her. She also won’t allow Yang Sang to make trouble in this kind of place.
After all, the Yi family should all be here today.
The main host hasn’t appeared yet. Ma Gu’er eats a bit, then finds a group of women to drink tea and chat.
“Gu’er, where have you been taking care of your skin lately? It looks good.”
“Really?” Ma Gu’er waves her hand, her face full of spring breeze. “I didn’t do any care. I just found a young one. Once the hormones rise, the complexion naturally gets better.”
“A young one?”
A few women got curious. They had all heard Ma Gu’er got a villa in Jin’an District. They didn’t know if it was true that she and Director Yi had split, and no one dared bring it up. After all, if it was just a small quarrel, holding a grudge later wouldn’t be worth it.
Now that Ma Gu’er brought it up herself, they couldn’t let such big news go.
“Gu’er, are you and Director Yi really done? And that Yang Sang... what’s her deal? She’s just a female student, and Director Yi likes her so much? You’ve been together for how many years... they’re really dating now?”
“What female student? That little vixen can act... In my last drama, I was supposed to play the straight woman. When I acted opposite her, I scolded her a couple of lines. The next day, Director Yi replaced me... Gu’er, that girl isn’t going to behave. Don’t really fall for her tricks. When she shows up later, you need to teach her a lesson...”
Sitting across, Xi Sisi was a regular in the film circle. She had been in the industry for over ten years. With her pure face, even at thirty, she still acted in youth-oriented art films.
Someone was curious: “Director Yi really did that? No way. Sisi has been her longtime actress…”
Ma Gu’er had heard Yi Anran mention it. Yi Anran said something like, “Xi Sisi’s age shows; she’s losing that youthful charm. Moreover, she didn’t listen about doing skincare, so she’s not lively anymore... Anyway, she compensated her with a drama. Whether I use her again, we’ll see…”
Ma Gu’er crossed her legs and sipped her wine, choosing the moment to speak: “I remember Director Yi said she compensated you with a drama.”
Source: https://www.gongzicp.com/novel-1711067.html
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
The moment she said that, Xi Sisi’s expression darkened instantly.
Everyone knew the entertainment world had a hierarchy. Film actors going to TV dramas meant a demotion. Sure, you still earned money, but for a veteran of over ten years, it was basically saying: You’re done here.
No one dared to bring this up, except Ma Gu’er, who had long left the entertainment circle.
Xi Sisi frowned. “I’m looking out for you. What do you mean?”
“I saw a small popular actress before. She went from films to TV dramas. Not bad, right? Didn’t earn less than in movies.” Ma Gu’er glanced at the people around. Those shooting TV dramas didn’t dare look at Xi Sisi.
She bit her lip, smiling innocently. “…I thought the entertainment world had changed. Sorry about that.”
Xi Sisi couldn’t back down. She thought, Ma Gu’er had no backing anyway. Gritting her teeth, she muttered unhappily, “A Dog bites Lu Dongbin*.”
*From 狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心 (Gǒu yǎo lǚdòngbīn, bù shí hǎo rénxīn) - A dog bites Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a kind heart. - Describes someone who fails to recognize kindness and instead responds with hostility or ingratitude. Lu Dongbin is one of the Eight Immortals in Taoist folklore known for his wisdom and compassion.
Ma Gu’er raised her eyes. It had been years since anyone dared curse her to her face. On the day she broke up with Yi Anran, she knew a day like this would come, but didn’t expect it to come so soon.
“What good intentions do you have?” Ma Gu’er’s fingers tapped on her wine glass. She pretended to think, then let out an ‘oh’. “You want to use me as a pawn, huh? If only I could be a Transformer… but… it’s not impossible…”
Ma Gu’er pressed her tiger tooth against her lower lip. “…If you called me ‘Mom’, I’d be happy to take the hit for my daughter.”
Xi Sisi’s face turned red, then green, then black. Just as she was about to explode, the crowd suddenly quieted. Xi Sisi glanced back. Yi Anran walked out, holding a young woman. Xi Sisi could only hold back for now. “Wait.”
The others, who were watching the spectacle with a fondness for stirring things up, started trying to reconcile the two when they stopped fighting. Ma Gu'er, having finished her tirade, forgot all about it, threw down her wine glass, and gracefully went to join the fun.
In the middle of the crowd, the woman had refined features and high brows, matching her proud aura. Her bright eyes sparkled when she spoke, and her smile showed shallow dimples.
Today she wore a delicate long hairstyle, a low-key cashmere shawl, and a black halter dress that outlined her perfect figure. The pearl and green stone necklace couldn’t overshadow her beauty, only added calm elegance to her nobility.
The two locked eyes almost instantly. As always, Yi Anran could spot her in the crowd at first glance.
Yi Anran didn’t look very surprised, just gave a soft smile, as if her presence was expected.
Ma Gu’er also smiled gently, but her gaze quickly swept past Yi Anran, landing on Yi Xianqi instead. Yi Xianqi wasn’t as composed as her mother; the curve of her lips was slightly bigger, showing obvious happiness.
The three exchanged glances briefly. Flashes and camera clicks echoed, and amid the congratulations, Ma Gu’er stepped out of the crowd.
After checking out the scene, Ma Gu’er wanted to find Yang Sang. She had to seize the chance to return that slap, and if she could land herself on the front page while she was at it, all the better. Ideally, she and Yi Xianqi could help her mother claim the top two spots on the hot searches.
Strangely, after looking around, she couldn’t find Yang Sang.
Only the rooftop terrace remained. The top floor should have been for nobles. Ma Gu’er adjusted the fur collar on her arm and slowly stepped up. The outer corridor wind was biting, yet it was only a few meters' distance. By the time she stepped into the Cloud Window Mist Pavilion, even her hair strands were as cold as frost and snow.
Those talking in the high-backed sofa didn’t spare Ma Gu’er a glance. Only a server hurried over, smiling politely, and guided her away, “Guest, the banquet is downstairs. I’ll take you down.”
The rooftop wasn’t crowded, only five or six elegant, noble women drinking tea and chatting. Ma Gu’er scanned the scene and spotted one of them: Chairman Yi Xunchun of Fenghe, a figure often photographed at high-society events. This seemed to be the Yi family’s reserved area.
There was no sign of Yang Sang. Ma Gu’er had no choice but to give up and follow the server downstairs.
As she stepped out, a gust of wind hit her. Her hair curled across her cheek, blocking half her view. In the wind came a faint scent, not the smoothness of perfume, but more like dry smoke, the aroma of incense burned daily.
Turning a corner, she ran into ‘love’. An idol drama moment had somehow landed on her.
It’s worth noting that Ma Gu’er, in order to grab the golden goose Yi Anran, often arranged these kinds of “heart-throbbing” moments in her daily life.
So Ma Gu’er almost instinctively played along. She lowered her head, pressing her palm to her temple. When she looked up, she casually tossed her hair back, immediately putting on the practiced expression she’d rehearsed hundreds of times: apologetic yet pitiful.
“…Sorry, the wind was strong.”
She quickly started analyzing the woman in front of her.
The woman who had caught her eye had a casually braided side plait, long hair reaching her ribs, decorated with white pearls. Looking up, she had a pair of phoenix-like eyes and a mole on her nose. She hadn’t worn a formal dress here, just a soft, pale yellow cashmere coat, expensive and smooth, with a matching high-neck underneath, no logos or trademarks, custom-made, and no accessories at all.
Apart from her face, there was nothing eye-catching. If this wasn’t the top floor, Ma Gu’er wouldn’t have looked twice.
Is she from the Yi family?
The nearby server didn’t show any intention of inviting her downstairs, so it seemed likely she was.
“Dress warmer, it’s cold,” the woman said with a gentle smile, bright as stars and moonlight.
Stepping back a little, Ma Gu’er figured that if she were from the Yi family, she must have met everyone here. She didn’t plan to push forward, nodded politely, and the woman said “I’m leaving” with courtesy, then went inside. From a distance, her aura was even more obvious. Three words summed it up: noble and wealthy.
“Who was that?" Ma Gu’er withdrew her gaze.
“Yi San,” the server said after leaving the attic. His tense nerves relaxed slightly but he only said two words, revealing nothing more.
That was enough. Ma Gu’er hadn’t met much of the Yi family, but she had heard plenty about them from Yi Anran.
Whenever Yi Anran mentioned this Yi San, her voice always carried a faint bitterness.
Yi San, real name Yi Zhaoshu, is Yi Anran’s younger sister, ten years her junior. Yi Xunchun had a daughter late in life and doted on her completely, giving all her love and attention to this one daughter. Everything good was first thought for the youngest daughter. In recent years, she was given a nominal position under the Fenghe Supervisory Board.
But don’t be fooled by the word “nominal position”, there’s more to it.
A supervisor in a company holds significant authority and responsibility, including financial audits, oversight of directors and executives, and corrective actions. Even when directors change, the supervisor has some say. Any irregularities in the company are investigated and handled by the supervisor. In other words, Yi San is part of the Yi family’s “inspection team” planted within the group.
But the Yi family genes are really strong, everyone is this good-looking.
