Seeing Gong Beibei approaching him in that attire, with everyone's eyes on her, Zhan Beijue's brow immediately furrowed.
What was she trying to do?
Was she going crazy?
Proposing marriage in a wedding dress in public?
Gong Beibei must have lost her mind!
He didn't like her, and he wouldn't marry her just because of public pressure. Doing this would only lead to public humiliation.
She clearly didn't understand Zhan Beijue's character at all!
Gong Beibei had clearly come prepared.
The moment she stood up, sentimental background music suddenly filled the event venue.
As she walked, she gazed affectionately at Zhan Beijue.
The reporters quickly took off their cameras, slung them over their shoulders, and scrambled to get in front of her.
"Hello, miss. May I ask your name?"
"Why are you dressed like this on such an important occasion today? What are you planning to do?"
"Did you plan this by yourself, or did you coordinate it with someone to give everyone a surprise?"
Gong Beibei calmly answered everyone's questions as she walked.
"My name is Gong Beibei, and I'm here today to propose to Mr. Zhan Beijue."
"Although we didn't plan this beforehand, we've grown up together since childhood. I believe he's ready for this moment."
"Miss, are you proposing to Mr. Zhan in public? How many years have you known each other?"
"You'll all know in a moment. Thank you for your attention, and please make sure to capture my best angles."
On stage, under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Zhan Beijue shot an angry glance at his mother.
He resolutely dropped his speech and turned to leave.
His mother stood up and grabbed his hand.
"A Jue, don't be so willful! So many people are watching, and so many media outlets are present. Words can kill. Do you want Beibei to die?"
"So this was something you two planned in advance? You arranged all of this? I didn't want her to die, Mom. You're the one harming her!"
Mother: "I don't care. The situation is as it is. If you dare to leave this stage today, we will sever our mother-son relationship!"
"A mother like you, who doesn't respect her son, I don't want her!"
Zhan Beijue continued to push his way through the crowd, but some reporters blocked his path again.
"Mr. Zhan, are you stepping down to welcome your fiancée? We heard you were married once before. After so many years, are you finally seeing your true feelings clearly?"
"Tell us about your childhood romance with your fiancée!"
Dozens of people blocked him, thrusting microphones in his face. Zhan Beijue, displeased, pushed through the crowd, trying to get out, and refused to answer.
Mrs. Zhan rushed down the stage first to meet Gong Beibei.
The soon-to-be mother-in-law and daughter-in-law clasped hands affectionately. Facing the media, Mrs. Zhan answered on Zhan Beijue's behalf.
"They grew up together since childhood, watched over by all of us elders."
"Beibei is the most suitable daughter-in-law in my eyes. I believe their union is the only right choice in this world."
"Thank you for your concern. We will invite everyone when the wedding is held."
News of Zhan Beijue being publicly proposed to at a grand event quickly made headlines on all major news media.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nanfang was completely unaware, discussing work with her editor at a coffee shop.
"Miss Rabbit and Mr. Tiger" received immense acclaim from readers as soon as it was published.
Not only did it garner high click-through rates online, but the published book also sold very well. It even sold the copyright for a sky-high price of 3 million at the same time.
The editor was very fond of Jiang Nanfang and strongly recommended her to meet Xu Yanchuan.
Xu Yanchuan wanted to adapt the manga into a film but couldn't find a suitable screenwriter.
Given that readers particularly enjoyed seeing authors adapt their own works in recent years, he arranged this meeting.
However, Jiang Nanfang had no interest in screenwriting.
It was not only laborious but also if the result was unsatisfactory, she would be heavily criticized by readers.
The labor fee was also not high, which completely contradicted her work style.
Xu Yanchuan tried his best to persuade her.
"We can sign a contract and limit the time to within your acceptable range. The price is also negotiable. As long as the adaptation quality is up to par, I can even give you a share of the box office profits."
Jiang Nanfang was not short of money and was completely unmoved by Xu Yanchuan's offer.
In fact, the deeper reason was that she had a bad first impression of Xu Yanchuan and didn't want to cooperate with someone like him.
Yet, Xu Yanchuan persisted.
As they left the coffee shop, Jiang Nanfang went to hail a taxi on the roadside, with Xu Yanchuan following closely.
"Miss Jiang, please give me a chance. Tell me, what exactly are you unhappy about? As long as you tell me, I'll fix it, won't I?"
"This is the first work I've set my sights on since returning to start my business. You can't just disrupt my plans like this."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Xu, I have no complaints. I'm simply not interested in this job. Please stop talking. Regardless, I will not cooperate with you."
"It's because of what happened in Germany that time, you've decided I'm a bad person, so you won't even give me a chance to talk more?"
Jiang Nanfang did not reply.
Xu Yanchuan was exasperated: "I'm really not a bad person! What do I need to do to prove it to you?"
"Tell me, as long as you can say it, I'll do it for you, won't I?"
Jiang Nanfang had no desire to talk to him and just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.
She couldn't find a taxi, but a cleaner on the roadside caught her attention.
Someone had maliciously spilled a pile of greasy food on the ground. The old and emaciated cleaner was kneeling on the ground, picking up the garbage with his hands, bit by bit.
Jiang Nanfang pointed to the cleaner and said to him.
"Since you keep saying you're a good person, then go and clean up the trash on the ground for this uncle. As long as you clean it up, I'll believe you for once."
This woman was too bizarre. She actually asked him to pick up garbage from the ground?
But thinking that it might settle the script matter with just a few actions, Xu Yanchuan gritted his teeth and endured it.
"Alright. Wait here."
Without a word, he walked up to the cleaner, knelt beside him, and with his well-defined hands, scooped up the dirt handful after handful, throwing it into the garbage truck.
After finishing picking up the dirt, the cleaner poured some water on the ground, and he swept the ground with a broom.
"It's clean now. Can we talk now?"
An hour later, they arrived at Xu Yanchuan's studio together.
Since everything was just beginning, Xu Yanchuan wanted to reserve most of his funds for the subsequent film production, so the studio was quite makeshift.
The studio was not large; he even ate and slept there, with a bed and bedding.
Seeing that he possessed some spirit of hardship and perseverance, Jiang Nanfang thought that if she needed to work in Nancheng in the future, she might as well sign a screenwriter contract with him.
Afterward, they sat together to discuss the direction of the story adaptation.
Unexpectedly, Xu Yanchuan was rigorous and professional when working, and also humorous and witty. Jiang Nanfang found herself quite enjoying talking with him.
They chatted from ten in the morning until almost one in the afternoon when Gong Beibei suddenly arrived with two bottles of wine.
She had a spare key.
As she pushed the door open and saw Xu Yanchuan and Jiang Nanfang sitting face-to-face, she was instantly startled.