A curious individual on the film crew, seeing his handsome appearance, secretly took a photo and posted it on their social media.
Coincidentally, a wealthy older woman on the same social media platform, who had recently lost her husband, saw the photo and was instantly captivated.
"My goodness, this face! Isn't this the man I always dreamed of marrying when I was young?"
In this day and age of entertainment-driven culture, finding such a handsome young man was incredibly rare.
Thus, the widow, having just inherited a substantial fortune, threw money at the problem, determined to find the person in the picture, offer him a hefty sum for a private arrangement, and keep him by her side constantly.
When Jiang Ling heard this gossip, the wealthy woman had already offered an annual salary of one hundred million yuan.
She heard that there were many people below the comments section, eagerly awaiting the wealthy woman's favor, crying out for her attention.
One hundred million was an extravagant thought, but even a million would suffice.
One person even composed a poem expressing their sentiment: "In youth, I knew not the value of a rich woman, mistaking young girls for treasures. In youth, I knew not the sweetness of living off a partner, mistaking my prime for planting rice backward. When I turn back to seek a rich woman, she has long since gone. Rich women are good, rich women are sweet, rich women are a ray of light in the darkness. As long as you hold onto a rich woman, you can move into a mansion overnight!"
Who hasn't been young? Rich women were once young too.
At the wealthy woman's age, her ideal handsome man was a traditional type like Jiang Yulei.
It was a pity that as capitalists intervened, aesthetics became increasingly distorted, making it incredibly difficult to relive past dreams.
What the wealthy woman couldn't have in her youth, she now had the money to compensate for tenfold in her old age, offering hundreds of millions for a private arrangement was understandable.
Guan Suyin had always been low-key when filming. Even for the best scripts, she would quietly shoot and then proceed with promotion after completion.
However, this time, perhaps having found a handsome man who perfectly matched her aesthetic, Guan Suyin, for the first time ever, held a press conference to promote her new drama.
The media was also eager to know which male artist was audacious enough to accept Guan Suyin's new project.
On the day of the press conference, media outlets from all walks of life converged in front of the largest performance plaza in Hengdian.
Jiang Yulei and Jiang Ling, as the male and female leads, attended the press conference together.
As the queen of controversy, Jiang Ling's appearance caused a huge stir.
Jiang Yulei, dressed in a suit, surprised the media professionals present even more.
Jiang Yulei, hadn't he fallen out of favor? Why was he here?
"Director Guan, is this Mr. Jiang Yulei perhaps the male lead in your new drama?" a female reporter asked first.
Guan Suyin answered gracefully, "Yes, Jiang Yulei is the male lead, and Jiang Ling is the female lead. Both of these lead actors were handpicked by me."
This statement stunned everyone present.
"Director Guan, you are consistently demanding in your filming. Why would you choose Jiang Yulei as the male lead?"
"Miss Jiang, I recall you previously collaborated with Mr. Jiang Yulei once. The movie they filmed together then was a complete disaster, met with a chorus of criticism from the audience. After so long, why would you consider working with him again?"
"Mr. Jiang, three years ago, you were full of confidence after winning the Best Actor award. It was due to that collaboration with Miss Jiang that it affected your subsequent development. Knowing this past experience, aren't you afraid of the same thing happening again?"
The reporters, forming a united front, bombarded them with a barrage of questions, turning the scene into a lively festival.
The former internet-hated流量小花 (popular young actress) and the has-been film emperor, existing like a pair of dragons and phoenixes, what a sensational topic!
Writing articles about this would directly boost their readership.