Chapter 591: The Man Behind

In late June, Xingchen Video secured the exclusive broadcasting rights for the live Magnolia Award ceremony.

This attracted countless fans, who tuned in to support their favorite stars from behind their screens.

Such star-studded galas were also a favorite for many gossip lovers.

The entrance to the Mercedes-Benz Center was completely surrounded by fans.

The fan clubs for the various celebrities were going all out, competing against each other on-site in a spectacle that was even more interesting than watching the stars themselves.

An occasion like this was also a major test for many celebrity management teams.

The clothes they wore, the jewelry and watches they donned.

Everything would be picked apart by fans, frame by frame, and used for comparison with other celebrities.

The red carpet has always been a “battlefield” for actresses.

You could lose an award, but you could never lose when it came to your red carpet look.

Whether or not one could borrow a brand’s haute couture pieces really depended on the strength of their company and management team.

But this, of course, did not include the artists from Universal Entertainment.

After all, with such a powerful backer, they received nothing short of super VIP treatment.

This was especially true for Gu Pan, whose prestige was off the charts.

She wore a Prada haute couture gown, created by Zhou Jiecheng himself.

Zhou Jiecheng had already more than proven his capabilities through several major shows for Prada.

After Misha’s takeover of the Richemont Group.

Zhou Jiecheng’s status had risen accordingly, and he was promoted to the group’s Chief Creative Officer.

In addition to concurrently serving as Prada’s Creative Director.

He also held supervisory authority over the design departments of Chloé and Burberry, which were under the group’s umbrella.

To have a piece personally created by Zhou Jiecheng was an incredible honor.

After “Thirty Years Old” finished airing, Gu Pan’s popularity had skyrocketed, elevating her to the status of a B-list actress.

Her Weibo followers reached 10 million, all of them genuine, active fans.

Unparalleled beauty, a smoking-hot body, and outstanding acting skills.

The explosion in her popularity was only to be expected.

…

A Rolls-Royce Phantom pulled up directly to the edge of the venue.

Stepping out of the car, they were right at one end of the red carpet.

Ever the gentleman, Qi Sheng got out first and offered a hand to help Gu Pan out of the car.

Gu Pan placed her small hand on Qi Sheng’s arm.

In her stilettos, she stepped onto the red carpet.

Qi Sheng hadn’t wanted to make a public appearance, but he couldn’t resist Gu Pan’s persistent coaxing.

He had even made her agree to a series of one-sided terms before he’d consent to join her for the spectacle.

Ahead of them, a pair of minor celebrities were signing their names on the photo wall.

They were lingering, letting the reporters take their pictures.

As Gu Pan, holding Qi Sheng’s arm, approached the photo wall…

The two celebrities jumped in shock the moment they saw Qi Sheng and hurriedly made way for them.

“Chairman Qi.”

“Mm.”

Qi Sheng grunted in acknowledgment and, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, took the center spot.

Gu Pan lifted her skirt to move to the side, but Qi Sheng pulled her back to stand next to him.

The two minor celebrities didn’t dare say a word; they just quickly scurried away.

They left the most dazzling spot to the best-matched couple of the entire event.

The reporters on the sidelines couldn’t stop snapping photos, capturing the scene before them.

Qi Sheng, standing at a towering six-foot-four.

Wearing a suit handmade by Zhou Jiecheng, he looked nothing short of stunning.

Qi Sheng’s hand rested on Gu Pan’s waist, a seemingly casual gesture that couldn’t hide their intimacy.

Once Gu Pan had taken a satisfying number of photos, Qi Sheng prepared to head to the other end of the red carpet.

Gu Pan’s heel got caught in the hem of her dress, and she instinctively moved to bend down and fix it.

Qi Sheng, however, very naturally bent down and adjusted it for her.

From the moment Qi Sheng and Gu Pan stepped out of the car, the livestream cameras were locked firmly on them.

The live viewer count for Xingchen Video’s broadcast was soaring.

The screen was filled with a flood of bullet comments, mostly fans frantically professing their love, interspersed with a few scattered complaints.

“There’s so little screen time for Zhang Ruojun! I haven’t seen enough of him.”

“That Miu Miu gown on Mao Xiaotong just now was gorgeous. I feel like she’s getting more and more beautiful.”

“Gu Pan’s here! Let me show you all what a top-tier visual in Chinese Entertainment looks like!”

“OMG, if I looked like that, I’d probably have no worries in life [Crying]!”

“Holy shit, this dude’s pretty hot. Where did he come from? How dare he put his arm around our goddess’s waist!”

“Sisters, I need this man’s contact info!!!”

“Can any of my all-powerful sisters drop his Weibo handle? I think I’m suddenly in love.”

“That face, that body… Sisters, I’m deceased!”

“Let me anonymously reveal something… that’s our group’s chairman, the man behind Universal Entertainment, y’know?”

“Whoa, an entertainment industry tycoon and a gorgeous young actress! Everyone, ship them with me!”

“Sister Mi finally has a successor. Panpan has got to be a D-cup, right?”

“[Crying] Get your pig trotters off my wife, you damn man! [Crying][Crying]!”

Almost as soon as Qi Sheng and Gu Pan appeared…

The bullet comments in the livestream became too dense to count.

As they walked down the steps along the red carpet, Qi Sheng’s right hand supported Gu Pan’s slender waist in a gesture that was both gentlemanly and considerate.

On Weibo, some unedited photos taken by a media blogger started trending.

#HowStunningCanAnActresssUneditedRedCarpetPhotosBe#

Gu Pan’s small, fair hand was held in the tall man’s palm.

Her head was slightly lowered as she descended the steps, long, wavy hair falling naturally from her temples.

Her long, black, strapless gown perfectly accentuated her waistline.

It revealed her fair shoulders, neck, and arms, along with a full set of Cartier jewelry.

Gu Pan was already popular, but she had never made an appearance on a red carpet of this caliber before.

This time, her entire look single-handedly raised the average beauty level of the Chinese Entertainment red carpet by a whole tier.

“Why are some people so beautiful and have such hot bodies?! SOB SOB SOB!”

“That waist-to-hip ratio! AHHHH! [I’m dead]!”

“Her aura is killer! And that waist is even more so!”

“(No offense) but is this for real? It’s not Photoshopped? [Jealous]”

“Looking at this just makes me want to call her a goddess [Smirk]!”

…

After the hustle and bustle outside, Qi Sheng and Gu Pan entered the main venue.

Many of the celebrities they passed saw Qi Sheng and hurried over to greet him with the utmost respect.