The Invincible Strongest Student

After they each took a shower and changed into dry clothes, Lin Tian finally drove out with Liou Qingcheng in the car.

"What’s Pandie having you guys do today?" Lin Tian asked as he sat in the driver’s seat.

"Zhou Mi told me the post-production for that White Lotus Muscle Powder promo you guys shot before is all done. The director asked us to come watch the finished cut today. Also, Pandie said she hasn’t been in a great mood lately, so she booked an afternoon of singing." Liou Qingcheng replied with a smile.

Lin Tian was speechless for a while before saying, "Then why’d they only invite you and Zhou Mi? I’m the male lead of that promo, you know, and they didn’t even call me."

Seeing the aggrieved, resentful little look in his eyes, Liou Qingcheng teased, "Isn’t that because you, sir, are busy day in and day out? Maybe that big celebrity knows she can’t get you, so she didn’t even bother telling you."

Lin Tian didn’t get mad. He just laughed and said, "So basically, Miss Liou is the one with real clout—someone even a celeb can’t get, but last night you still had me warming your bed."

Liou Qingcheng seemed in a great mood. She narrowed her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, and you’re going to be the father of our kid in the future."

"Huh?" Something clicked in Lin Tian’s head. His eyes widened slightly, and he almost jerked the steering wheel in his excitement. After steadying the car and speed, he glanced at Liou Qingcheng’s stomach, a bit nervous. "You’re pregnant?"

Liou Qingcheng subconsciously touched her belly and smiled, bright as moonlight. "Not yet."

Lin Tian coughed twice; that scare had really gotten to him.

"Before, when my mom kept urging us to have a kid, I never really took it seriously. But now I kind of want one. When we went to see Sisi the other day, she looked so happy it made me a little jealous."

After she finished, Liou Qingcheng asked, "Do you like boys or girls more?"

"Hmm... I like both. I think I’m definitely going to be a good dad."

"I think so too."

Lin Tian grinned wickedly. "Then let’s work a little harder tonight."

Liou Qingcheng’s cheeks flushed slightly; she nodded with a smile.

...

On the way, Zhou Mi got into the car too. She’d originally arranged to go together with Liou Qingcheng, but hadn’t expected Lin Tian to be in the car as well. Though surprised, she secretly felt a bit pleased.

After Zhou Mi came, Liou Qingcheng moved to the back seat. The two girls sat close together like besties, whispering about their own topics. Zhou Mi would occasionally crack jokes at Lin Tian’s expense, harmless little jabs.

Listening to the two of them chat, Lin Tian learned that Jiang Pan Die’s upcoming concert in Mingzhu had been canceled. As for the reason, neither of them knew. But Lin Tian understood it had to be because of Sister Tong and the injury she was recovering from at Luoyan Dock; the previously set schedule had naturally been affected.

Chatting and listening to music, they soon arrived at their destination—the Heyue Building.

The Heyue Building was Heyue Company’s headquarters, but getting inside wasn’t that simple, and seeing a big star was even harder. If it were that easy, wouldn’t fans be showing up at the door every day?

With Zhou Mi leading the way, though, things were much simpler. She’d been by Jiang Pan Die’s side a lot lately, and she’d also signed an artist contract with Heyue. With an employee card, getting in was no problem.

Under Zhou Mi’s practiced guidance, the three walked to the door of a small conference room, knocked, and then went in.

There weren’t many people inside, only six in total. They included Jiang Pan Die and director Yu Qianming. The other four were all women: one sitting opposite Jiang Pan Die, and three standing behind the three seated people, looking like assistant-type roles.

Lin Tian deliberately glanced at the woman standing behind Jiang Pan Die. She was properly dressed, with a clean-cut look, an employee badge hanging on her chest. Around thirty, she should be the manager who’d taken over for Sister Tong.

On the clean white wall of the conference room, the promo Lin Tian and Jiang Pan Die had shot almost two months ago was playing.

Lin Tian watched for a few seconds. The image quality and angles were excellent, and the soundtrack was well chosen too.

But soon the video was paused, because everyone had noticed the three of them arriving.

No one had expected Lin Tian to show up, but they all greeted and exchanged pleasantries anyway. Yu Qianming in particular grabbed Lin Tian’s hand and said excitedly, "Good thing you came, now everyone’s here. I thought you wouldn’t be able to make it."

Lin Tian smiled and said, "Heard the commercial’s finished, so I came to take a look."

Jiang Pan Die was a bit surprised to see him too, but mostly she was happy.

The lady who’d been sitting opposite Jiang Pan Die also stood up. She looked twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a smart, intellectual smile. She reached out to shake Lin Tian’s hand as she said, smiling, "Hello, Mr. Lin."

Lin Tian automatically took her hand and asked, "You know who I am?"

"I’m Guan Ling, head of Qiansimei’s advertising department," Guan Ling said with a smile.

Lin Tian suddenly understood. At an occasion like this, of course someone from Qiansimei should be present.

After the introductions, the three of them found seats. Yu Qianming then played the commercial from the beginning to the end. One of the assistants promptly turned off the lights in the room.

Even though Lin Tian already knew what was in it, he still watched with great interest.

At the start of the commercial, Jiang Pan Die plays a strong, decisive career woman with a powerful presence. There’s a segment of inner monologue she voiced herself, expressing the heroine’s inner world and establishing her as a "strong woman" in everyone’s mind. Combined with Jiang Pan Die’s solid acting, it really drew people in.

Then the camera cuts, and we see this strong woman fallen on hard times, a sharp contrast to her earlier monologue. She no longer has that aggressive aura, nor the staff she could command at will. After her car stalls and her phone falls into water, Jiang Pan Die stands soaked on the roadside trying to hail a cab. When she finally gets back to her apartment, the power’s out and she has to take the stairs, only to trip in the dim stairwell and crash into the corner of the wall.

The way she looks after being knocked down by life is pitiful. In the end, this strong woman curls up, leaning against the corner, choking back her sobs.

All of this plays over a piece of pure instrumental music. As the story progresses and Jiang Pan Die suffers setback after setback, the instrumentation grows more complex and the melody becomes increasingly heavy and suffocating.

Everyone can take away something different from this pure music and this story.

The battered heroine is more like a projection of the setbacks inside each person. After all, everyone’s faced difficulties; the story digs up old wounds, making it easy to empathize, to feel that ache in your chest.

Finally, in the film, Jiang Pan Die is curled up in the corner, unable to hold back and bursting into tears. The camera pushes in for a close-up: she’s burying her face in her knees, her whole body trembling. As the music drops into a low, somber phase and the sound of her crying pours into your ears, the atmosphere gets so heavy it’s a little hard to breathe.