RPAGF Chapter 56, Just...
Chapter 56, Just...
The plane flew steadily in the stratosphere, and the clouds outside the window were as thick as a blanket that would never be lifted.
The cabin lights were dimmed, and most passengers were asleep. Only the occasional soft cough and the footsteps of flight attendants could be heard.
Gao Huan leaned back in his business class seat, his eyes closed, but he couldn't fall asleep.
To his right is Chen Duling.
She was asleep, her head slightly tilted to his side, her breathing light and even, her eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow under her eyelids, and her lips slightly parted, like a half-open flower.
When the plane encountered turbulence, her brow would furrow slightly, and her body would instinctively lean towards him, like a plant growing towards the sun, without thinking or choosing, just instinct.
Zhang Ruonan is to his left rear.
She wasn't asleep, or rather, she was pretending to be asleep.
She lay on her side, her face toward the window, but her eyes were slightly open, her eyelashes trembling slightly, like butterfly wings tentatively deciding whether to take flight.
Her eyes darkened slightly when she saw Gao Huan and Chen Duling walk into the business class together.
She glanced at him through the glass, then turned and left.
Gao Huan didn't turn around, but he knew she was watching.
He knew she was watching him talk to Chen Duling, watching Chen Duling fall asleep on his shoulder, and watching him instinctively reach out to shield Chen Duling when the plane was turbulent—that instinctive, thoughtless protection.
He even knew that her eyes were red when she watched, but she didn't cry. She bit her lip and swallowed the bitterness back, like swallowing a piece of candy that hadn't been peeled, rough and astringent, sliding down her throat.
Time flies when you're on a plane. A flight of over ten hours, you can sleep, watch a movie, have two meals, and before you know it, you're there.
This wasn't Gao Huan's first time flying a long distance, but it was the first time he had flown with two girls.
It's a strange feeling, like a collector putting their two most treasured items in the same display case, afraid they'll bump into each other, yet unable to resist taking a few more glances at them.
He was quite satisfied with the looks of Chen Duling and Zhang Ruonan standing beside him.
Chen Duling has the kind of pure beauty that grows on you. She has great bone structure and can withstand the test of time. In three to five years, or even ten years, she will only be more beautiful than she is now.
Zhang Ruonan has the kind of sweetness that makes you "beautiful at first glance." She is sweet, but not the kind of sweetness that comes from artificial sweeteners. It is the kind of sweetness that comes from within, natural and unprocessed.
Gao Huan sometimes thinks that if he were a collector, Chen Duling would be like a piece of Song Dynasty porcelain, with a warm glaze and simple lines. You need to calm down and look at it for a long time to understand its beauty.
Zhang Ruonan is a blue and white porcelain from the Ming Dynasty. Its bright colors and clear patterns will attract you at first glance, and the more you look at it, the more you will appreciate its charm.
Two different kinds of beauty are placed in the same display case, complementing each other.
But they also compete with each other.
He didn't know when that rivalry started.
Perhaps it happened at the airport, when two people simultaneously reached for the same bottle of water;
Perhaps it was at the boarding gate, when two people looked at him at the same time;
Perhaps even earlier, when Zhang Ruonan first saw Chen Duling and Gao Huan standing together, less than a fist's distance apart.
The rivalry between girls doesn't require words, actions, or even eye contact.
It's an aura, like two different perfumes sprayed in the same room. You can't necessarily tell them apart, but you can sense that they are different, and they are vying for the same person's sense of smell.
Gao Huan smelled it.
But he didn't try to distinguish between them because he liked both.
This is probably his biggest problem, and also his greatest honesty.
He's someone who desperately needs love.
It was the same in the past life, and it will be the same in this life.
In his past life in the orphanage, he learned to eat quietly, walk quietly, and quietly shrink himself into a tiny ball, so small that he wouldn't take up much space and wouldn't be disliked.
He had seen too many children come and go, adopted, sent away, moved from one room to another.
He was never adopted. It wasn't that no one came; it was that he was too quiet, so quiet that no one noticed him.
Later he got used to it, got used to not expecting anything, got used to not needing anything, got used to "being alone is fine too".
But getting used to something doesn't mean you don't want it.
He wants to be loved.
He wanted so much love, so much that it would overflow, so much that it would drown him, so much that he would never have to worry about waking up tomorrow to find himself alone.
But he also knew that one person's love could not satisfy him.
That hole is too big.
It's like a bucket with a broken bottom; no matter how much water you pour in, it all leaks out.
In this life, he had his aunt, Gulnazar, Chen Duling, Meng Ziyi, Chen Yao, Liu Shishi, Yangyang Jin, and Zhang Ruonan—he poured the water into the hole bucket by bucket, and the hole was still there, but some water began to accumulate.
After the system upgrade, his body was once again comprehensively enhanced. His nerve reaction speed, muscle strength, and physical recovery ability all far surpassed those of ordinary people.
After that upgrade, Nazha jokingly said that he was "worth ten of himself," and he didn't refute it because he knew it was true.
But physical improvement leads to increased desire.
Like a car with a larger engine displacement, if you drive slowly, the engine will accumulate carbon deposits and its performance will decline. You need to rev the engine from time to time to keep it in optimal condition.
Therefore, it is perfectly legitimate for him to have a harem in the entertainment industry.
For physical and mental well-being.
It's not just about satisfying personal desires, but also about keeping myself in top condition, bringing better works to the audience, and living up to the expectations of those who like me.
If he believes this logic himself, that's enough.
Gao Huan opened his eyes and glanced at the clouds outside the window.
The sun edged the clouds with gold, and the sea of clouds spread out beneath our feet like a frozen white ocean.
The plane is still flying; we're three hours away from Paris.
He lowered his head and glanced at Chen Duling, who was sleeping beside him.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly in her sleep, and her lips moved slightly as if she were talking in her sleep, but no sound came out.
He reached out and gently pulled the blanket down to her shoulders, his movements so light they seemed to be an action he didn't even know why he was doing.
Chen Duling shrank closer to him in her sleep.
Gao Huan looked at her face and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Then he remembered Zhang Ruonan sitting to his left and behind him.
She was probably still pretending to be asleep, her eyes were probably open, shining brightly in the darkness, like two stars washed clean.
He didn't turn around.
Some things become clear once you look back.
Once confirmed, a response is required. Once responded, it cannot be taken back.
He's not afraid of not being able to get it back.
What he was worried about was where to put it after he took it back.
The plane continued flying.
The clouds were still spreading out beneath our feet, and the sun was still gilding the edges of the clouds.
Three hours later, in Paris.
Two girls, one dream.
And a heart that's clearly a jerk, hasn't decided how to break up yet, but has decided not to break up for now.
……
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The plane landed at 7:00 AM local time, before it was fully light.
In late March, the morning air in Paris was damp and chilly, but not as sharp as the air in Shanghai.
The clouds were low, grayish-white, like an unfolded quilt pressing down on the city, completely blocking out the sunlight. Only a few thin rays of light leaked through the gaps, falling on the distant fields like torn pieces of gold paper.
Business class passengers disembarked first.
As Gao Huan stood up, Chen Duling stretched in the seat to his right, raising her arms above her head. Her slender waistline was faintly visible at the hem of her clothes, like a newly risen crescent moon.
"Did you sleep well?" Gao Huan asked.
"Oh no." Chen Duling rubbed her eyes, her voice still hoarse from just waking up, "I've been dreaming."
Gao Huan's lips curled slightly as he smiled and said, "You called my name several times; I could hear you even across the aisle."
He took two carry-on suitcases from the overhead rack. One was his, black, understated, and without any markings; the other was Chen Duling's, light pink, with a plush toy hanging on it, which he had brought for her when he was filming in Xiamen last time.
Zhang Ruonan sat two rows behind them.
She insisted on having an economy class seat.
When Yangyang Jin told him on WeChat, "Xiao Zhang said business class is too expensive, she'll just fly economy," he thought for a moment and replied with one word: "No."
Some people need to be pampered, some people need to be respected, and Zhang Ruonan is the former.
When she stood up, her legs were a little numb. She held onto the back of the seat in front of her for a few seconds before slowly straightening up.
She was wearing a white sweatshirt with the hood undone, her hair loose, and no makeup on, but her face looked even more beautiful in the dim morning light.
Her skin was so white it was almost translucent, her chin was pointed, and her eyes, though small, were very bright, like two black agates that had been washed with water.
She saw Gao Huan turn around and glance at her from the front cabin door.
Just one glance.
But her heart was racing.
She lowered her head, pretending to tidy the straps of her backpack, her fingers wrapping around the nylon webbing twice, then loosening it, wrapping it twice more, then loosening it again.
Gao Huan turned around and pushed his suitcase toward the covered bridge.
Chen Duling walked beside him at a moderate pace, with a fist's distance between their shoulders—a safe distance that suggested "we're close, but not in that kind of relationship."
The boardwalk was long, and outside the glass curtain wall was the gray Parisian sky. In the distance, the words "PARIS CHARLES DE GAULLE" were written in large characters on the terminal building, which looked somewhat dim in the gray skylight.
Chen Duling turned her head to look at those words, read them softly, and then said, "Paris."
Gao Huan glanced at her. "First time here?"
"Um."
"Let's look around together these next few days. If you like it, come again often."
Chen Duling smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, like a little girl who had received a promised candy.
She reached out and tugged at Gao Huan's sleeve, her touch very light, like a cat testing the water temperature with its paw.
"You said it."
"I said it."
Zhang Ruonan walked behind, about five or six steps away, watching the backs of the two people.
Gao Huan was wearing a black windbreaker, the hood was not pulled up, and his hair was a little messy from the wind in the covered bridge.
Chen Duling's light pink down jacket stood out against the gray background, like a flower that bloomed out of season.
She saw Chen Duling tug at Gao Huan's sleeve, but Gao Huan didn't flinch.
That image was etched in her mind, like a photograph pinned to an album she didn't want to open.
She lowered her head and continued walking.
The wheels of the suitcase made a rumbling sound on the floor of the boardwalk, one beat after another, like a heartbeat, or a countdown.
……
Upon arrival in the lobby, Yangyang Jin, who had arrived a day earlier, was already waiting.
She was also wearing a mask and a beige trench coat, with her hair tied in a low ponytail, making her look both capable and relaxed.
When she saw Gao Huan come out, she walked over and took the suitcase from his hand.
"Brother Huan, the car is outside."
"Um."
Yangyang Jin glanced at Chen Duling and smiled.
"Dudu, are you tired?"
"It's okay," Chen Duling said, but there were faint dark circles under her eyes, signs of not having slept well.
Yangyang Jin glanced at Zhang Ruonan, who was walking behind her, and nodded to her.
"Xiao Zhang, keep up."
Zhang Ruonan hummed in agreement and quickened her pace, but dared not walk too fast, for fear of appearing too hasty, or too slow.
She eventually found a compromise speed, half a step slower than Chen Duling, but a little faster than her usual pace.
A black Mercedes-Benz van was parked outside the airport. The driver, Wang Fugui, and the bodyguard, Chen Jiadi, had already loaded the luggage and were standing by the car door waiting.
Gao Huan got on the bus first and sat in the middle row.
Chen Duling hesitated for a moment, then sat in the last row, by the window.
When Zhang Ruonan got on the bus, she saw that there were still seats in the last row, but the seat next to Gao Huan was empty. She didn't sit there, but sat in the row behind Chen Duling, in the seat by the other window.
Yangyang Jin sat in the middle row, fastened her seatbelt, glanced back at the seating arrangement in the car, and smiled slightly, but said nothing.
The car drove out of the airport and onto the highway.
The outskirts of Paris are fields that have not yet fully turned green; the withered yellow grass gleams in the morning light with a dry, old-book-page color.
Yangyang Jin turned around from the passenger seat and handed her phone to Gao Huan.
"Brother Huan, take a look at the email from Dove."
Gao Huan took the phone; the screen displayed a PDF of the GG solution.
Dove chocolate's main product for Spring 2015, originally had Gao Huan and Angelababy Yang Ying as its brand ambassadors.
Angelababy (Yang Ying), one of the most popular female celebrities in 2015, saw her popularity soar after the broadcast of "Running Man," and her commercial value was at its peak.
Dove hopes to use the combination of "handsome man and beautiful woman" to create a visually stunning effect and sweep away the slump of last year's failure.
Last year's Dove chocolate bottling was a disaster.
Kim Soo-hyun and G.E.M., one is the K-pop king who became a sensation with "My Love from the Star", and the other is the powerful vocalist queen who rose to fame with "Singer". When the two stand together, their styling, costumes, acting skills and plot are all criticized by netizens.
GG's lyrics were a parody of a classic line from "My Love from the Star," "I heard that chocolate and music go better together on rainy days," which was ridiculed by netizens as "a country girl from another star." Kim Soo-hyun's status as a Korean star was further compounded by the anti-Korean wave sentiment at the time.
The two fan groups fought each other for a long time, making things very ugly both inside and outside the venue.
Dove's golden brand has been severely damaged by that GG.
Therefore, Dove is determined to make a spectacular comeback this year.
Gao Huan leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes to rest.
Yangyang Jin turned around from the passenger seat, holding a tablet in her hand, and flipped to the final version of Dove GG.
"Brother Huan, Dove has confirmed that Zhang Ruonan will replace Yang Ying, and the contract is signed. Filming will start this afternoon."
Gao Huan hummed in response, without opening his eyes.
Yangyang Jin hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.
"Brother Huan, you said before that you would take on a maximum of ten GGs a year, each worth 20 million. Isn't that number too conservative?"
Brands are now lining up to contact us; in the first quarter alone, seven or eight companies have inquired about our services.
"You only accept ten cases a year, how many do we have to turn down?"
Gao Huan opened his eyes and looked out the car window at the hazy Parisian skyline.
"Fine, cancel it then."
"But—" Yangyang Jin wanted to persuade her again:
"Even if one is worth 20 million, ten would only amount to 200 million. With your current popularity, it wouldn't be unreasonable for you to accept 20 such offers a year."
Just by adding up those few fast-moving consumer goods, cosmetics, and 3C brands, I could put together fifteen unique products for you—”
"Sister Yangyang."
Gao Huan interrupted her, his tone not harsh, but very firm.
"More GGs are not necessarily better."
Once the audience gets tired of it, the brand loses its scarcity.
What I want is not quantity, but unit price.
Yangyang Jin opened her mouth, then closed it again.
She knew Gao Huan was right, but as an agent, watching money slip away was heartbreaking.
"At least fifteen?" she asked tentatively.
Gao Huan glanced at her. "Ten."
Yangyang Jin sighed and wrote it down on the tablet.
She turned around and muttered under her breath, "He doesn't even want two hundred million. What a spoiled brat."
Gao Huan heard this, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but he didn't reply.
Yangyang Jin looked at him, her mouth slightly opened, then closed again.
She quickly calculated in her mind—ten GGs, each costing 20 million, that's 200 million a year just for endorsement fees.
This is not some kind of "hunger marketing"; it is Gao Huan's clear understanding of his own commercial value.
Too many GGs dilute a brand's scarcity; audiences get tired of them, and brands become unwilling to pay high prices.
However, she strongly suspected that Gao Huan was simply too lazy to participate in so many business activities.
Otherwise, why would each subsequent GG (Government Services) set limits on the amount of business activities?
She glanced at Gao Huan in the rearview mirror, closed her eyes, leaned back in her seat, like a lion dozing in the sunlight.
The two girls' gazes followed him intently.
The car drove into the city of Paris.
The buildings on both sides of the street are in the typical Ottoman style, with gray stone walls and black wrought iron balconies. The plane trees have not yet sprouted, and their bare branches outline dense lines against the gray and white sky.
There weren't many people on the road, except for a few locals jogging in the morning, dressed in brightly colored sportswear, who looked like drops of paint being flung out against the gray background.
Gao Huan opened his eyes and looked out the window at Paris.
He recalled that when he copied "Confession Balloon," the image of the Seine River came to mind.
Coffee shops on the Left Bank, fallen sycamore leaves, and that girl who smiled so beautifully in the wind.
Now he's here.
He was with two girls.
One sat in the middle, and the other sat in the back.
Gao Huan's lips curled up slightly.
He recalled a meme he'd seen online in his past life: "When a scumbag goes to Paris, he can film a sequel to 'Midnight in Paris' on the plane, called 'Midnight in Paris: The Shura Field'."
He didn't find it funny, nor did he think it was wrong.
It's a bit of a shame that I didn't achieve the feat of making rapid progress in the airplane lavatory.
But it's okay.
He'll have his chance someday.