Top Soldier Pursued by a Beauty

So, this woman was Song Qingwan, who now held a status in the entertainment industry comparable to that of Yang Sixue. However, she was not well-liked in her circle because she was too cold—so cold that she wouldn't utter a single unnecessary word.

Rumors claimed she came from an unfortunate family and had an unhappy childhood. She later managed to pass the entrance exam for the Huaxia Film Academy, where she graduated at the top of her class, becoming the standout of her year. After entering the entertainment industry, her superb acting skills were immediately apparent, and her debut film was a major hit. But for some unknown reason, she vanished from the public eye for a full year. Some said she was blacklisted for refusing to play by a powerful figure's "hidden rules."

She later regained some fame through live streaming and was signed by a small company. After that, she happened to make two more films, both of which caused a sensation in Huaxia. Thus, Song Qingwan re-entered the public view.

Rumor had it that over twenty billionaires, including prominent directors and tycoons in the entertainment industry, wanted to be her patron. One had even offered her a mansion worth three hundred million yuan just to be his girlfriend for a month, but she refused. In the four years since her debut, not a single scandal had been attached to her name. Even more legendary was the fact that she welcomed the paparazzi's scrutiny. She never hid her home address or which hotels she stayed at on business trips, allowing them to follow her daily. Yet, despite such relentless tracking, not a single scandal about her had surfaced in four years. Eventually, even the paparazzi gave up because her private life was simply too clean, almost unnaturally so for a woman in the entertainment industry.

To date, the public only knew that she lived with her younger sister. No other personal information was available.

Her cold nature and disinterest in socializing led her to openly resist the "hidden rules" of some directors, even exposing them on shows. As a result, her fame grew, and she earned the public's admiration. However, in the quagmire of the entertainment industry, being so clean and such a maverick naturally attracted a great deal of animosity. Another actress began to deliberately slander her, and some directors even organized a joint boycott in an attempt to blacklist her. Despite this, Song Qingwan held on to her position in the industry through her superb talent alone.

Now, her reputation was solid. Some directors, fearing for their own public image, had simply given up on her. Still, she had paid a price, as few companies dared to sign her. The company she was with now was very small and obscure, but that didn't stop people from calling her a movie queen. While most actresses were privately annoyed by her, they remained polite on the surface.

As Zhao Dong listened to the story, he gave Song Qingwan a deep look, a hint of admiration appearing in his eyes. Women who can maintain their integrity in this environment are far too rare.

Beside him, Yang Sixue sighed gently. "Actually, I admire her too, but she's just so cold and aloof. She ignores most people who try to talk to her."

Zhao Dong smiled. "Maybe that's just her personality. But if she's a good person, she's worth befriending."

Yang Sixue shrugged. "Dream on. She's incredibly picky and hardly makes friends with anyone in the entertainment industry. She's twenty-five now and supposedly has never even had a boyfriend."

Zhao Dong was taken aback, looking at Song Qingwan with even greater surprise.

Soon, the guests had all arrived and taken their seats. Spotlights hit the stage as the host appeared. After some formulaic opening remarks, the award ceremony began.

In the end, five people received awards, including Song Qingwan.

Next was the presentation. Song Qingwan stood up, her stunningly beautiful face still wearing an icy expression as she walked onto the stage to receive her award. Zhao Dong gasped slightly. She was about 173 or 174 centimeters tall, and in high heels, her presence was overwhelming. When she stood, every eye in the hall was fixed on her. As she reached the stage, the faces of the other actresses receiving awards alongside her shifted slightly. Next to Song Qingwan, their own radiance was completely overshadowed.

Amid the audience's exclamations, the winners received their awards, and Song Qingwan walked down from the stage with them. As she was walking down the aisle, a foot suddenly shot out in her path.

Song Qingwan didn't notice and tripped, losing her balance and crashing to the ground.

A wave of gasps swept through the banquet hall. Her knees were instantly bruised from the impact, and a flicker of pain crossed her face. Yet, not a single actress went to help her up. Enduring the pain, Song Qingwan pushed herself to her feet, shot a cold glance at the person who had deliberately tripped her, and returned to her seat without a word.

The brief incident ended. Yang Sixue sighed, "That's so pitiful. Someone must have tripped her on purpose."

Zhao Dong remained silent, the way he looked at Song Qingwan changing slightly.

Meanwhile, Qiu Jie was sitting at a table with several major directors.

A director named Chen Sheng smiled at him. "Qiu, I heard you recently made an art film. I watched it—excellent! You're a rising star in our field!"

Qiu Jie replied humbly, "Director Chen, you're too kind. I'm just a junior and still have much to learn. I'm hoping for more guidance from you and the other directors."

"Guidance is no problem. Say, Qiu, I heard that East Sea's big star, Yang Sixue, was a classmate of yours?"

Qiu Jie was startled for a moment before smiling. "Yes, Director Chen. We were on good terms back in school."

"Oh! I've been wanting to meet this Yang Sixue. I've heard so much about her but have never seen her in person. Is she here today?"

A thought flashed through Qiu Jie's mind. This Chen Sheng has his eyes on Yang Sixue! Although he also had feelings for her, the benefits of connecting her with Chen Sheng would be immense. He couldn't pass up the chance to set them up!

Thinking this, Qiu Jie immediately said, "Director Chen, Sixue is here! She's sitting right over there!" He pointed to where Yang Sixue and Zhao Dong were seated.

Chen Sheng and the other directors looked over, exclaiming, "She really is gorgeous! A true beauty worthy of her fame in East Sea. But wait, who's that man with her?"

They had noticed Zhao Dong.

Qiu Jie's eyes darted around. "He seems to be a friend of hers. He's not in our circle, just a veteran."

"A veteran?"

The entire table of directors burst into laughter. "This Yang Sixue is really something else. She could have any man she wants, and she picks a veteran? What a joke!"

Qiu Jie didn't know how to explain, so he just forced a laugh along with them.

Soon, Chen Sheng smiled. "Qiu, do you think you could get Yang Sixue to come over for a drink with us?"

Another director chimed in with a laugh, "Right, and it'd be even better if you could get Song Qingwan over here too! If you can bring them both, we directors at this table will all publicly endorse your film!"

Excitement flared in Qiu Jie's eyes. He gritted his teeth and nodded. "Directors, I'll do my best!"

With that, he picked up his glass and walked toward Yang Sixue's table.

Over there, Yang Sixue was chatting happily with Zhao Dong when she looked up and saw Qiu Jie approaching with a wine glass.

"Qiu Jie, what's this?" she asked, surprised.

Qiu Jie put on a gentlemanly smile. "Sixue, it's been so long since we last saw each other. We have to have a drink."

Yang Sixue gave a wry smile and pointed at her juice. "You know I'm not much of a drinker. How about I use juice as a substitute? I'll treat you properly next time when I can handle my liquor better."

Qiu Jie just smiled faintly and shook his head. "Sixue, you can turn me down, but tonight, there are several directors who want to have a drink with you."

Yang Sixue was taken aback. "Qiu Jie, you can't be serious."

He smiled and gestured toward Chen Sheng's table. "Sixue, that's Director Chen Sheng, and next to him is Director Li Mou. They asked me to invite you over for a drink."

Yang Sixue was stunned. "Really? Directors of their caliber want to drink with me?"

"It's true," Qiu Jie said with a smile. "They sent me to invite you. They're all waiting. You know their influence, Sixue. You can disregard me, but you can't afford to show them disrespect!"

Yang Sixue hesitated. She disliked this kind of social obligation, but Qiu Jie was right; she really couldn't afford to offend those major directors. Thinking it over, she gave a bitter smile. "Alright, I'll go with you."

She then turned to Zhao Dong. "Wait here for me, Zhao Dong. Don't wander off."

Zhao Dong nodded. "Got it. Be back soon."

Yang Sixue left with Qiu Jie. Then, Qiu Jie walked over to Song Qingwan's side, bent down, and whispered something to her. Song Qingwan's expression changed subtly. A moment later, she also stood up and followed Qiu Jie toward the table, though she did so reluctantly.

Zhao Dong narrowed his eyes, sipping his drink while his gaze remained fixed on the directors' table. He was curious to see what games they were planning to play tonight. Soon, Yang Sixue and Song Qingwan arrived at the table, and the directors all beamed with smiles. They began speaking, clearly trying to coax the two women into drinking, while looks of helplessness appeared on both Yang Sixue's and Song Qingwan's faces.

Meanwhile, Qiu Jie and one of the directors slipped away to a corner. They seemed to be in a deep conversation, their eyes occasionally glancing over at the two women.

Zhao Dong's hearing was now extremely sharp, and he soon overheard their conversation. His expression slowly darkened.