Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 307: Chapter 269: Rising Phase: 105

On the day before setting off to Venice, Zhou Lan specially packed an outfit for Zhou Yun.

”At the airport, people will take pictures of you, so be mindful of your expressions,” Zhou Lan told Zhou Yun. ”Make sure not to show any weird expressions.”

”Got it,” Zhou Yun asked, ”Aside from me, are there other actors going to Venice this time?”

”Of course, there are many others. Many sponsors and advertisers of the film festival will invite their spokespersons and other partners to walk the red carpet. The red carpet itself is a major exposure opportunity,” Zhou Lan explained. ”By the way, Ning Yao and Wei Ru Xue will both be walking the red carpet at the opening ceremony of the Venice Film Festival. Their teams have already issued press releases.”

”Wow, their presence on the red carpet will surely draw a lot of attention,” Zhou Yun commented.

Ning Yao left Chengqian Entertainment at the beginning of last year, while Wei Ru Xue left this year. Both were once the leading actresses of Chengqian Entertainment, and before their departure, they were the aces in the hands of He Yong. However, when their contracts expired, neither chose to renew. Despite this, the stories about them have been widely circulated on various forums.

As the leading actresses of Chengqian Entertainment, there was an enormous but silent competition between them.

Given their status today, it’s rare for an event to invite both of them, and there have been frequent rumors of discord.

However, of course, they are always good friends publicly. This is not just in front of cameras; even when it’s just the two of them, they get along well. Only when there’s a real fight over interests and resources do their tactics come to light.

Zhou Yun actually admired their style.

To be honest, dealing with someone like Su Yan who always nitpicks is a bit too petty.

If it benefits you, Zhou Yun could somewhat understand. But if it’s just to vent, Zhou Yun felt it wasn’t worth it. Aside from provoking your enemies and attracting trouble, it’s meaningless and childish.

Zhou Yun asked, ”Do our schedules overlap? Will I meet them?”

”They will both walk the red carpet before you at the opening ceremony. You might see them in the cinema palace, but it’s a big place, so it’s uncertain if you’ll run into them since it’s not our own festival,” Zhou Lan said.

She didn’t know the exact proceedings at that time.

”Well, it’s great that our crew is small, and I can also get a ticket to go in,” Zhou Lan said with a smile, ”Director Wen Bing and Yao Yuanfeng from New Shield will walk the red carpet with you. I will accompany you as a staff member into the cinema palace.”

For some reason, Zhou Yun felt a bit nervous.

Upon arriving at the airport, sure enough, a large group of her fans had gathered at the entrance, holding posters and light signs looking for her.

Zhou Yun asked, ”Did the company organize this?”

”Your fan club organized this. I know you don’t really like them organizing activities in such public places, but this time is different. You’re heading to Venice, and your fans are very excited; they’ve been longing to see you off. Seeing their enthusiasm, I didn’t want to dampen their spirits,” Zhou Lan explained. ”So I didn’t stop them. Even if we had intervened, they would have come anyway. It’s better if we organize it, so they can behave more appropriately and keep the noise down.”

Zhou Yun nodded and got out of the car.

Her fans immediately recognized her and erupted into a controlled burst of excited chatter.

Clearly, someone had instructed them not to make too much noise and disturb the surroundings.

Zhou Yun waved at them and asked, ”How long have you been waiting here?”

A girl in front, blushing, exclaimed, ”Oh my, you’re even more gorgeous in person!”

Her voice couldn’t hide her excitement.

Completely off-topic.

A quick-reacting girl beside her pulled her aside, seemingly embarrassed, saying, ”We’ve been here since early morning. Sorry, it’s her first time seeing you in person, and she can’t control herself.”

Zhou Yun laughed and said, ”Don’t exaggerate too much, or others might think I hired a professional troupe to support me.”

Everyone laughed excitedly, surprised by Zhou Yun’s humorous interaction with them.

”Zhou Yun, you can do it! We all support you!” a plump-faced young girl mustered the courage to say.

”I’ll do my best, and you should too⁠—study hard, work hard,” Zhou Yun responded as she took off her sunglasses and waved gently to everyone with a smile.

”Oh my, I’m going to be dazzled by her beauty!” a young girl carrying a backpack exclaimed without restraint.

Zhou Yun shook her head, ”Okay, I need to go now. If I keep listening to your compliments, I won’t be able to return to reality. Bye, and you should head back soon too. Thanks for coming to see me today.”

Her fans let out a reluctant noise.

”Bye, Xiao Yun.”

”Take good care of yourself.”

”We await your good news!”

...

Zhou Yun entered the airport under everyone’s watchful eyes.

Zheng Xiaojue stared with wide eyes and only after entering the airport, remarked, ”There were so many fans today.”

Zhou Lan smiled and said, ”This is just the tip of the iceberg. I’ve discussed with the president of the support club, and for future public events, we will control the number of attendees based on the venue to prevent inconveniencing others. There are many cases nowadays where celebrity travel causes trouble and breeds resentment.”

Zhou Yun said, ”I hope we still try to avoid picking up and seeing off at airports in the future. No matter how much we control, there are always many people here, and it will inevitably cause various inconveniences.”

Zhou Lan nodded and said, ”Okay, I’ll mention this later.”

-

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Upon landing in Italy, a local guide was waiting for them at the airport.

Zhou Lan made contact, and after some twists and turns, they finally met the person.

Both Zhou Yun and Zhou Lan spoke English well, so they didn’t need an interpreter, thus only hired a local guide for transport and coordination tasks.

This person was a familiar collaborator often worked with by Chengqian Entertainment, thus they felt more assured.

”Shall we go directly to the hotel?” this man named Old Zhang asked as he loaded their seven suitcases into the vehicle.

Zhou Lan nodded, ”Let’s go to the hotel first.”

Hotel Excelsior Venice is the official designated hotel where most celebrities attending the film festival stay.

This was Zhou Yun’s first visit to Italy and her first time seeing the ancient city and buildings she had seen countless times in movies and photos.

To get to Lido Island, they needed to transfer to a speedboat.

Old Zhang took Zhou Yun and the others onto the speedboat, heading towards the destination with the sunset and sea breeze.

Zhou Yun, watching the shimmering water and facing the breeze, felt her heartbeat quicken.

She had finally arrived.