Chapter 125: Judging by Appearances

“Director Zhou, why are you looking at me like that?” Song Wan asked, half amused and half exasperated as she looked at Zhou Qi’s expression of utter disbelief, as though he had just witnessed a miracle.

Zhou Qi swallowed. “Nothing. I was just thinking that this really is a world where people are judged by their looks.”

“What?” Song Wan shook her head with a laugh. “Have you been thinking about that all along? I thought you were pondering some profound philosophical question.”

Of course not…

A flicker passed through Zhou Qi’s eyes as he fixed his gaze on Song Wan, scrutinizing her as though he meant to see straight through her.

As far as Zhou Qi was concerned, Song Wan was not necessarily outstanding, nor was her personality particularly exceptional.

Even setting aside the circles filled with daughters of prestigious families, there were countless actresses in the entertainment industry who were more talented and better-natured than Song Wan.

Some of them might not be as famous as Song Wan, but to Mr. Jin, fame could never have been the main consideration.

After all, if fame were what mattered, Song Wan could hardly be called all that famous at present.

It was more accurate to say that the amount of attention and buzz surrounding her was top-tier, making her a genuine celebrity driven by popularity.

Yet in the entertainment industry, popularity was both the most valuable and the least valuable thing a celebrity could possess.

Fans could make someone a sensation overnight, and they could just as easily destroy that sensation overnight.

That was perfectly normal.

Indeed, even the celebrities themselves were nothing more than “hit products” that entertainment agencies could manufacture whenever they pleased.

To establish oneself in the industry, attention and popularity were certainly important. But what truly enabled someone to stand apart from the countless other popular stars was always their work.

And Song Wan was still far from that point.

Once that was set aside, what else did Song Wan have to show for herself?

Her education? Her online biography had never concealed the fact that she had not even finished high school.

Her emotional and intellectual abilities? Before entering the entertainment industry, Song Wan had merely been an unknown autistic girl whose only friend was a single person.

Honors? Her résumé was a blank slate.

True, she had recently won the Best Newcomer award at the Golden Dog Television Festival.

But it was only a newcomer award from a television festival. Few people had paid attention to it, and its prestige was not particularly high.

Her figure? Zhou Qi glanced at her, then immediately turned his head away.

There were far too many actresses in the industry with better figures than hers. Even if one excluded those who had been surgically enhanced, there were still plenty of naturally beautiful women.

Her acting? Zhou Qi had rarely encountered an artist whose talent could rival hers. Even setting talent aside, her acting had already reached the level of an award-winning leading actor.

But why would Mr. Jin need a woman with good acting skills? Did he want to play a game of “Guess whether I’m lying”?

Her appearance? In Zhou Qi’s view, the only thing that truly set Song Wan apart from everyone else was her face.

Moreover, her beauty was not merely attractive to men. It could easily inspire admiration and longing in women as well.

And that was precisely why Zhou Qi found the situation even more baffling.

Why would Mr. Jin take such a special interest in a woman whose only truly outstanding asset was her face? Wasn’t that far too frivolous?

Even if he did not necessarily have to choose a romantic partner from among the daughters of prestigious families, surely he did not need to pick some random woman from the entertainment industry. Not even if that woman’s beauty was beyond compare.

If Mr. Jin had merely treated Song Wan as a kept woman or something of the sort, Zhou Qi would not have found it strange at all.

But that was not the case.

Zhou Qi was absolutely certain that Mr. Jin had never allowed a woman to get close to him before. No matter how outstanding the woman throwing herself at him might be, he would only drive her away without mercy.

There had even once been an actress who tried to get into his bed. He had thrown her naked out of the hotel room himself.

If that actress had not handled the public-relations crisis well, she would have vanished from the public eye long ago.

Some of the women who had tried it were daughters of prestigious families, yet Mr. Jin had not spared any of them the slightest embarrassment.

And yet now, Mr. Jin repeatedly compromised for an actress. Even without knowing him well, anyone could see that the situation was far from normal.

The only explanation was that Mr. Jin had fallen in love with—or at the very least, developed feelings for—Song Wan.

He was not belittling Song Wan. In his eyes, she was already an excellent actress. Even as a woman, she was hardly inferior to others.

The problem was that the women being compared with Song Wan were all the women in the entertainment industry who harbored designs on Mr. Jin, as well as nearly every woman in the circles of the prestigious families.

The opposition was simply too formidable, making Song Wan seem rather weak by comparison.

That was why Mr. Jin’s special treatment of her seemed so unbelievable.

Zhou Qi remained silent for so long that Song Wan could not help nudging him. “Director Zhou, why have you drifted off again? What on earth are you thinking about so intently?”

Zhou Qi’s thoughts had been racing in every direction. Before he realized it, the question in his heart slipped out.

“I just can’t figure out why Mr. Jin likes you.”

Song Wan: “…”

Gao Xiang: “…Mr. Jin likes Song Wan? Director Zhou, you must be mistaken.”

With a smile on her face, Gao Xiang hurriedly denied it.

Song Wan, however, did not find it strange. After all, she had met Jin Youqian in the first place because Zhou Qi had introduced them.

Zhou Qi rolled his eyes at Gao Xiang. “I was the one who brought them together. How could I not know what their relationship is?”

Gao Xiang froze for a moment, then turned to look at Song Wan.

Song Wan nodded. “I have Director Zhou to thank for introducing me to Mr. Jin.”

She revealed nothing more.

Gao Xiang shot her an irritated look. “I’ll settle this with you when we get back!”

Just as the conversation was about to veer off course, Zhou Qi dragged it back. “Can you tell me what Mr. Jin actually likes about you? I’m genuinely curious. If you don’t tell me, I absolutely won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Song Wan nearly sighed, but Zhou Qi’s gaze was so persistent that she knew he would keep pestering her if she did not give him an answer.

Yet after thinking seriously for a long while, Song Wan was stunned to discover that she truly had no idea what Jin Youqian liked about her.

She could not even be certain that Jin Youqian genuinely liked her, rather than merely having some favorable impression of her.

She blinked, suddenly recalling Zhou Qi’s earlier remark, and answered helplessly, “Well, perhaps it’s because I’m pretty…”

Aside from that, she really could not think of another reason.

Song Wan had always been self-aware. She knew there were countless women who liked Jin Youqian, and there were even more who were better than she was. Compared with them, she was practically outclassed in every respect.

Yet her instincts could not be wrong. Jin Youqian at least had some feelings for her. He might even have developed genuine affection.

But the reason? She was not Jin Youqian. How could she possibly know?

It could not possibly be because of those clumsy, laughably inept attempts at flirting she had made when they first met, could it?

Jin Youqian: …It really was.

As a man who, even when women threw themselves at him, had always been assumed to have passed through countless beauties, he had witnessed far too many methods of seduction. As a result, every attempt to flirt with him tended to be especially subtle, especially indirect, and especially restrained…

Could he admit that what he found most irresistible was precisely this kind of simple, almost blunt seduction?

A true playboy, someone who had passed through countless beauties, would naturally look down on such crude methods of temptation, perhaps even dismissing them as vulgar.

But for a man who had always kept himself pure, those methods could be remarkably effective. Subtle seduction, on the other hand, might not have any effect at all.

It was like eating. Imagine a man who had never enjoyed a lavish feast, yet was always mistakenly assumed to eat one every day. No matter how many carefully prepared, exquisitely seasoned dishes you served him—dishes you believed were tailored to his taste—he might find them too bland to whet his appetite. You would assume his standards were impossibly high and continue preparing ever more elaborate and delicious meals.

In reality, all it would take to make him drool with anticipation was a single meal from a fast-food restaurant…

Besides, with Song Wan’s face and figure, even the simplest and most straightforward seduction would possess the destructive power of a nuclear bomb.

But Jin Youqian could never tell Xie Junchen that.

He cast the other man a casual glance. “You came to see me just to ask such a boring question?”

Jin Youqian was studying the two proposals in his hands. Most of their contents were similar, but certain details differed completely, and the final results would undoubtedly vary greatly.

They had been delivered at four that afternoon by Shi Yi, the producer of the production team for *Stars*.

Apparently, Song Wan and the others had engaged in fierce arguments and discussions before finally settling on the proposal.

The more Jin Youqian read, the more deeply he frowned.

Xie Junchen, who had finally managed to take a break, saw his expression and could not resist leaning over. “A variety show starring top actors? Is that the new program your company is about to invest in?”

Jin Youqian looked up impatiently. “If you can’t understand it, get out of the way.”

Xie Junchen widened his eyes. “Oh, come on, Jinny. After taking time off, I didn’t go home or head to a bar to relax. I came straight here to spend time with you, and this is how you treat me?”

Jin Youqian gave him an irritated look. “Please. Would you come looking for me if you didn’t want something? Do you come here just to be abused? When did you become a masochist?”

Xie Junchen: “…”

He raised an eyebrow and, without the slightest regard for propriety, sat directly on Jin Youqian’s desk. “As it happens, I really do need your help with something.”

Jin Youqian waved him off. “I’m busy. If it isn’t urgent, get out of my way.”

The corners of Xie Junchen’s lips curled into a wicked smile. “What if it concerns my marriage? Is that important enough?”

Jin Youqian looked up and studied him solemnly, suspicion written all over his face. “Your marriage? You actually found someone willing to marry you?”

Xie Junchen held a cigarette beneath his nose and inhaled its scent. After a moment, he smiled. He still looked as careless and roguish as ever, the sort of man who made people suspect at a glance that he was no good.

But his next words made Jin Youqian’s heart jolt.

“It’s just that Grandma has been hounding me to find a wife and carry on the family line. She’s worried that I’ll die during one of my missions…”

“I don’t believe you care what Grandma Xie says.” Jin Youqian’s gaze remained calm, but his expression grew much more serious.

He had already guessed that Xie Junchen had more to say.

Xie Junchen shrugged. “As it happens, I’ve met someone I like.”

Jin Youqian’s brows drew together like a mountain. “You have someone you like? When did you even have contact with a woman…” His pupils suddenly contracted. “Someone from the military?”

Xie Junchen paused, looking somewhat bewildered. “Huh?”

Jin Youqian made it even more explicit. “A man? So you want me to go to your family and persuade them on your behalf?”