Everyone watched with amusement, expecting Meng Jingwei to make a fool of herself, but who would have known...
Ji Lanfeng paused his steps, turning back in surprise. His deep gaze fixed on Meng Jingwei's face, then shifted to the rectangular slip of paper in her hand.
The slip only had three words written on it – Little Lunatic!
After a few seconds of hesitation, he took the paper from Meng Jingwei and opened it.
In the following moments, his expression changed dramatically. Finally, he folded the paper, put it away, and calmly asked, "How many autographed photos?"
"My God, what's going on?"
"Who knows? Why are we suddenly giving out photos?"
"That was quite the turnabout."
"What exactly was written on that slip? I'm so curious."
"Me too."
"Also, she just called him a lunatic. Could it be that they knew each other before?"
...
Amidst everyone's speculation and amazement, Meng Jingwei remained unfazed. "Ten," she replied.
"No problem. Come with me directly to get them."
After speaking, Ji Lanfeng chuckled teasingly, "Ten photos for two hundred thousand? That's a bad deal. You can consider other buyers."
"Good heavens, what's happening?"
"Director Ji is clearly speaking in favor of that person."
"What's their relationship?"
"This is too strange. What part did I miss?"
"Director Ji, I'll pay three hundred thousand."
"I'll pay four hundred thousand."
"Five hundred thousand."
...
My, oh my. It was supposed to be a simple request for autographed photos, but Meng Jingwei didn't expect it to turn into a live auction.
She knew Ji Lanfeng was an all-around artist. He debuted as a model, was skilled in singing and dancing, and possessed superb acting abilities. She hadn't anticipated that so many people present were his fans.
Meng Jingwei instantly became the center of attention, while Su Meiyi's face was etched with extreme embarrassment.
Someone in the crowd even pointed at her, remarking that she hadn't shown respect to Director Ji and looked down on him, only offering two hundred thousand for ten photos.
Mortified, Su Meiyi quickly changed her tune, offering a sheepish smile. "What are you talking about, Director Ji? I was just joking with my assistant. How about this, four... five, fifty thousand for ten?"
"Your transactions are your own business. Do as you please," Ji Lanfeng said, shrugging with an air of indifference.
"Fifty it is then. What can I do, I'm just your assistant," Meng Jingwei sighed nonchalantly. She took out her phone again, sent Su Meiyi a message with her bank account number, and said, "Transfer it to me now."
For people of their status, daily bank transfer limits were in the hundreds of thousands, so a fifty thousand transfer would have no significant impact.
Su Meiyi hadn't expected Meng Jingwei to demand the money upfront. Her body stiffened slightly, and her face paled considerably. "No rush, no rush. I can give it to you after I get the autographed photos."
"What, Director Ji already agreed to give you the photos, and you think he'd lie? Or perhaps you don't trust Director Ji?"
Meng Jingwei's tone was somewhat assertive, leaving Su Meiyi no room to back down.
Su Meiyi clutched her phone, her mind racing.
She had spent a considerable sum of money just yesterday, and the combined amount she had on hand couldn't even reach five hundred thousand. Where would she get the money?
"No, no, no. How could I not trust Director Ji?"
"So, you don't have the money then." Meng Jingwei stated bluntly and without mercy, "If you don't have the money, forget it. I'll sell them to someone else."
Unexpected fortune.
She hadn't expected to earn fifty thousand yuan on this trip to Country C.
"You don't have money but you dare to buy the director's photos? What a joke."
"What is this? So poor."
"At a major show like Sevilla, are there really models this poor?"
"Who knows."
...
The onlookers chimed in, each sentence a dagger piercing Su Meiyi's heart.
To avoid losing face in front of her idol, Su Meiyi had no choice but to grit her teeth and say, "I only brought one card with me. I'll transfer you four hundred thousand now, and the remaining ten thousand later."
"Alright, after all, we're from the same company. You won't renege on the payment." Meng Jingwei readily agreed.
Su Meiyi, enduring the sting of regret, transferred forty thousand yuan to Meng Jingwei.
She then turned to Ji Lanfeng and said, "Director Ji, thank you."
With that, she turned and strode away.
The crowd was stunned.
Holy cow, what was going on?
She had paid fifty thousand in front of Director Ji, and instead, she made Director Ji work for her.
This...
Other than "amazing," they were speechless.
Leaving the venue, Meng Jingwei took a taxi back to her hotel.
Just as she had arrived at the hotel and was removing her makeup, her phone rang.
The phone number was from her home country, but it was an unfamiliar number.
"Hello?"
"...Mother Yaksha?"
"Pfft... hahaha, I thought you had forgotten me." Hearing the voice on the other end, Meng Jingwei couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Are you free for lunch? Let's have a meal together."
"Sure, no problem."
"The location is..."
After Ji Lanfeng told her the address on the phone, she hung up, quickly tidied herself up, and immediately set out.
Because she was meeting Ji Lanfeng, it wouldn't be appropriate to appear with a 'stranger's' face, which was why she chose to remove her makeup.
Thirty minutes later, at the Granary Western Restaurant on Berlin Road.
Meng Jingwei knocked on the door of the reserved private room and pushed it open.
Inside was Ji Lanfeng, alone.
Meng Jingwei closed the door, turned to face Ji Lanfeng, tilted her head, and smiled, "Little Lunatic!"
The man stood up, gazing at her quietly for a few seconds, then smiled softly, "Mother Yaksha!"
Then, they looked at each other, smiled, walked forward, and shared a big hug.
"Tsk tsk tsk... I can't call you Lunatic anymore. I'll have to start calling you Director Ji."
After the polite embrace, they released each other and sat facing each other in the booth.
"That doesn't sound like you, Mother Yaksha," Ji Lanfeng said, shaking his head and chuckling.
"Mother Yaksha... sigh, I never thought much of this name before, but now it sounds truly unpleasant." She picked up the coffee in front of her and took a sip, sighing, "It's such a coincidence. If I hadn't accompanied Su Meiyi to Country C, I might not have even run into you."
"I even asked Han Junyan for your contact information before, but he didn't have it either." He shrugged with a sigh of regret, "It just ended like that."
"He returned to China. I only met him again a few months ago." Meng Jingwei rested her elbows on the table, propping her chin in her hand, and sighed, "After so many years apart, you've become even more handsome. You're no longer the little lunatic I could bully at will."
She reminisced about the past, everything still vivid in her memory.
"After so many years, and this is our first meeting again. You've already earned fifty thousand yuan from me, breaking my established rules. Is that not bullying?"
Ji Lanfeng leaned back in the booth, pointing at Meng Jingwei, and tapped his finger. "You're still the same as before, a little miser. Not changed a bit."
"Hahaha... then you should eat your fill. Anything you gain is a profit!"