Public Relations

"I came here today for an interview and invited her out for a walk because I wanted to take a few nice photos." "We were having a great conversation when this bizarre man suddenly rushed over, shouting 'Zhou Yun! Zhou Yun!' He clung to her relentlessly and even started shoving and pulling her. We were frightened half to death! Look at how big and strong he is—how could two women possibly fight him off? Fortunately, these fine heroes stepped in to help, or we'd have been finished! A scoundrel like that ought to be locked up immediately and shot by a firing squad for five minutes!" The local police station near North Third Ring Middle Road was in an uproar. A journalist, a famous film star, a renowned screenwriter, and several national martial arts champions had arrived en masse, escorting a hooligan in custody. Yu Jiajia slapped her press pass down onto the desk, giving an arrogant, dramatic recount of the encounter. Chen Qi chimed in as well. "I invited a few friends over to visit the studio and happened to witness the incident. Naturally, we couldn't just stand by, could we?" Gong Xue was incapable of lying with a straight face, so she simply maintained a thoroughly frightened expression. "..." The police officers finished taking notes. It was an open-and-shut case, perfectly straightforward: an attempted act of hooliganism thwarted by righteous citizens who stepped in to help! This was a rough, gritty era. The modern climate where retaliating in self-defense was classified as mutual fighting had not yet developed; people regularly beat human traffickers to death in the streets, and it was commonplace for civic-minded citizens to physically drag lawbreakers into the police station. Not to mention that every single person in this party held considerable status. Not daring to be dismissive, the officer said, "We understand the situation now. Thank you, comrades. You may head back for now, and we will contact you if anything further comes up." "How will he be handled?" Chen Qi asked. "We will contact his work unit. Once the investigation is complete, he'll be penalized according to the law." His job was definitely gone, and he might even face prison time. And he was lucky at that; three years later, during the nationwide Anti-Crime Strike, he would have been taken straight to the execution ground. The man had not actually been beaten that badly. Ge Chunyan's kick to his family jewels had been delivered with restraint. Even so, he looked completely wilted, like a deflated rubber ball. Seeing that the group was about to leave, he suddenly shouted, "Her! She took my money and grain coupons! She can't leave!" "Hmm?" The officer turned around and asked, "There was a financial exchange between you two?" "I don't even know him!" Gong Xue replied resolutely. "I receive dozens of letters every day, and occasionally some contain grain coupons or cash. I handed those over to the studio long ago for administrative handling! I had no idea he was the one who sent them. You are welcome to verify that with the studio." "Understood. We will investigate thoroughly." The group walked out of the station. Inside, Gong Xue had put on a brave face, but the moment they stepped through the door, her knees gave out. Lingering trauma from her childhood left her terrified of any scenario resembling an interrogation. Chen Qi supported her, comforting gently, "It's all over, it's fine now. That creep won't dare harass you ever again." "If he shows up again, we'll beat him up again!" Huang Qiuyan declared. "No need to worry. Once I publish my article tomorrow and lay out the facts, the narrative will be set in stone. Nobody will be able to sling mud at you." Yu Jiajia, uttering a surprisingly decent sentence for once, asked, "Chen Qi, where are you taking us to eat?" "Let's go to that one—the place hailed as the very first individual business in the capital!" "I know it! Yuebin Restaurant!" *** Yuebin Restaurant was located in Cuihua Hutong in Dongcheng District. It had opened not long ago and was officially the capital's first registered private enterprise, run by an owner named Liu Guixian. In this era of material scarcity, the greatest challenge of opening an individual restaurant was procuring ingredients. Yet Liu Guixian possessed remarkable connections. Officials from the Administration for Industry and Commerce had hauled sacks of rice and pots around town to help her hunt down grain and tofu, and had even guaranteed a five-hundred-yuan bank loan so she could buy a refrigerator... All because she had once worked as a cook and housekeeper for Marshal Ye—the famous "Flower Marshal." Chen Qi had long been curious about the place. He eagerly led the group down the alley to the small restaurant. Inside were only four tables, no staff, and just the owner herself. "Are you comrades here to eat?" Liu Guixian greeted them warmly. "Yes, to eat. How come there are no customers?" "We don't get many regular customers—mostly folks from the Overseas Chinese Hotel. Ordinary people can't afford to dine out. Have a look; the menu is up on the wall." Chen Qi glanced over: prawns for five yuan, fish-fragrant shredded pork for one yuan sixty cents, stir-fried shredded potatoes for sixty-eight cents... "Bring us one of every meat dish, plus a couple of vegetable dishes of your choice!" "Right away! Please have a seat!" Liu Guixian had never seen patrons order so lavishly—even more generous than the guests from the Overseas Chinese Hotel. She bustled off to the kitchen to start cooking. Before long, dishes began arriving at the table one after another. The food tasted delicious; having cooked for Marshal Ye, her culinary skills were naturally top-notch. Meat dishes were hard to come by in daily life, so everyone dug in with gusto. "Sister Chunyan, you're twenty-one this year, right?" Chen Qi asked out of the blue. "Yeah, why?" Ge Chunyan replied with her usual cool expression. "At what age do martial arts athletes usually retire?" "It depends. If you suffer a severe injury, you retire immediately. Normally, people retire after twenty-five. By then, you're considered a veteran athlete and can look into coaching or similar paths." "What do you plan to do after you retire?" "Me?" Ge Chunyan thought for a moment. "I'll probably become a coach and train a few more champions." "If the opportunity arises after you retire from the team, you could come work for me. Sign with my... well, how should I put it? I'll pay you wages, film salaries, and bonuses." "Are you trying to become a capitalist?" Huang Qiuyan mumbled around a mouthful of food. "I want to build a team. Since you all acknowledged me as your leader today, I naturally want to guide you toward bigger things. We'll make more films, earn more money, and conquer a massive domain together. You'll all become big stars!" "Oh, put that way, I get it! Making movies with you is a lot of fun. Count me in!" Wang Qun said. "Me too!" "Then count me in as well!" "Haha, excellent! Let's toast with water instead of wine—including shares for Ji Chunhua, Xiong Xinxin, and Sun Jiankui!" They clinked their cups in high spirits. Gong Xue seemed to realize something and asked, "In that case, won't it be hard for Li Lianjie to retire? He's only seventeen." "He won five gold medals on his own; who would ever be willing to let him go? He'll have to serve another ten years!" "Wouldn't that be a waste of his potential?" As the others discussed the matter, Chen Qi kept quiet. In history, Li Lianjie had wanted to leave right after finishing *The Shaolin Temple*, but the wushu team had adamantly refused, leading him to achieve his goal through rather unconventional means. *** After a long, bustling day, it was already night by the time they returned to Beijing Film Studio. Instead of heading upstairs right away, the two lingered on the quiet lane near the guesthouse to whisper together. The lone streetlamp still cast its dim, serene yellow glow. "I'm fine now, don't worry about me. I'm not a child; I was just startled at the time." Gong Xue looked at him intently. "You always seem to have a way to solve every problem. How does your brain even work?" "It's called public relations. It's very simple. If the police had come into the studio to investigate, rumors would have flown everywhere. By taking the initiative to go to the station ourselves, the entire nature of the matter changed. Once the tabloids run the story tomorrow, we'll have secured both dignity and practical safety." "What do you mean, tabloids? If Jiajia hears you call her paper that, she'll beat you up." Gong Xue covered her mouth and giggled. Then, seeing him lean closer, her back pressed against the lamppost once more. She was no longer panicked, only shy. "I never used to think you were so shameless. Why have you gotten so bad lately?" "If I didn't make a move, you'd suspect there was something wrong with me." "That's twisted logic! You're not allowed to take liberties." "I'm so exhausted; can't I at least have a hug?" "..." Gong Xue lowered her gaze to the warm yellow light pooling on the ground, whispering like a timid rabbit, "Just one." *** The following day. Yu Jiajia ran a sensational headline: "Famous Film Star Gong Xue Attacked in Broad Daylight!!" The article flatly painted the assailant as a deranged lunatic who had become obsessed with the female lead after watching *Romance on Mount Lu* and ambushed her on the street. Fortunately, several righteous martial artists happened to pass by and gallantly intervened. Gong Xue had fallen to the ground and suffered a scraped knee! The report then briefly mentioned the money and grain coupons, calling on fans to be rational and refrain from sending such items, suggesting instead that they donate to those in need. Audiences were heartbroken for her. Letters of comfort poured into Beijing Film Studio like snowflakes, while the lunatic was reviled from every corner... Chen Qi also kept his word. He had a proper banner made and hung up at the Beijing wushu team's training hall, bearing the inscription: *"Righteous deeds preserve the martial spirit forever; noble virtue serves as a model for youth!"*