Chapter 83: Wrap-up — Caught in my own gossip.
Half a month later, the filming of *King at the Gate* wrapped up.
The entire cast and crew practically “escaped” the desert on the outskirts, crawling out as if they had barely survived. There was no sentimentality at all—after nearly two months in that place, everyone felt like they were on the verge of collapse.
Even the wrap-up party was held in a banquet hall in Lin Lan.
Lin Qihang made sure to highlight on the invitations that family members were welcome, which made the evening even livelier. The security was strict, ensuring no media managed to sneak in, and amidst the clinking of glasses and laughter, it felt like a genuine gathering.
Jiang Qi initially didn’t plan on bringing Zhi Qi, nor did he want to attend himself—now that filming was over and they were finally back in the city, he just wanted to laze around at home with her. Was there really a need to attend the wrap-up party?
In fact, Jiang Qi was rather introverted and “shy” around strangers.
But Xiao Yongfei, yelling over the phone, insisted it was necessary! Absolutely necessary!
As the male lead, skipping the wrap-up party would be disrespectful to the director and the crew. Jiang Qi, you need to get it together!
…
And so, Jiang Qi had no choice but to go.
But the thought of spending hours at a table filled with fake compliments and small talk left him feeling a bit irritated.
Fortunately, the party was on the weekend, and Zhi Qi had the day off.
Jiang Qi had returned to the city late last night. The two had “lingered” together until dawn, then slept in until the afternoon. The excessiveness of it all left their bodies sore, and even their voices carried a lazy, sensual tone.
“A wrap-up party, and you can bring family?”
Zhi Qi lay lazily on the bed, looking at the announcement in the *King at the Gate* crew’s group chat. Wrapped in silk sheets, only her snow-white shoulders peeked out, with her long, slender legs playfully kicking in the air.
The sight of her fair skin nearly blinded Jiang Qi.
Zhi Qi looked up and smiled at him. “What time does it start? Are you going to dress up?”
“We’ll see.”
Jiang Qi leaned down, hugging her, resting his chin in the hollow of her collarbone like a big golden retriever, nuzzling her softly. His voice was muffled, “Tonight.”
“What’s wrong?”
Zhi Qi laughed, her delicate fingers tapping the tip of his nose. “You don’t want to go?”
“Mm, boring,” Jiang Qi said honestly. “I’d rather stay home with you.”
Wow, he really knew how to act cute.
Zhi Qi’s heart melted, and she couldn’t help but laugh. Cupping his finely sculpted face in her hands, she leaned up slightly and planted a kiss on his chin.
“Alright then,” she smiled. “I’ll go with you.”
After all, the invitation did say family members were allowed to attend.
–
Around 8 p.m., Qiu Mi came by to drive Jiang Qi and Zhi Qi to the party.
When he saw the two people coming down the stairs, his eyes nearly popped out in shock.
“Qi-ge, Saozi.”
Qiu Mi stared at them, hesitating, and asked, “Are you really going out dressed like this?”
Jiang Qi raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”
…
Qiu Mi didn’t dare say “there’s a problem,” but they were definitely dressed too casually.
Jiang Qi was just wearing simple jeans and a hoodie, and so was Zhi Qi—at first glance, they looked like they were wearing matching couple outfits. They seemed like an old married couple going out for a walk, not at all like they were heading to a wrap party.
“Uh…”
The assistant scratched his head, thought about it, and finally reminded them, “There will be a lot of people there.”
“The more, the merrier.”
Jiang Qi didn’t seem to care. He helped Zhi Qi open the car door, and the two of them got into the backseat one after the other. He said calmly, “It’s fine, let’s go.”
He was only going to the wrap party because he didn’t want to offend Lin Qihang. It wasn’t like he was going for socializing or networking.
So there was no need to dress up too formally or flamboyantly.
However, people in the entertainment industry were already used to showing up at any event—except airports—looking exceptionally glamorous. Jiang Qi and Zhi Qi really were a breath of fresh air at the party.
—Even Shen Lei, who had been invited by Lin Qihang, knew to wear a suit.
But Jiang Qi, like a true boss, just wore whatever he wanted.
Many people at the wrap party wanted to talk to him, but when they got close, they were quickly “dissuaded.”
As they left, they couldn’t help but marvel at how Jiang Qi and his wife, who wasn’t in the industry, seemed so out of place. It was as if, in the midst of this noisy, glamorous world, they only had eyes for each other.
Those who were closer to Jiang Qi were already used to the fact that he was a “wife-loving” man.
Still, the wrap party wasn’t too formal. Most people were just eating and drinking.
The buffet that Lin Qihang arranged was well done, and even Zhi Qi, who rarely ate much after 7 p.m. because of her tiny appetite, ate several pieces of the very tender steak.
“Do you like it?”
Jiang Qi always paid close attention to her preferences, and his eyes flashed when he saw this.
“Mm-hmm.”
Zhi Qi swallowed the food in her mouth before speaking. She nodded, “It’s pretty good.”
As she spoke, she fed Jiang Qi a piece.
He tried it and found that the steak did indeed melt in his mouth—a flavor combination of sweet and salty that most girls would enjoy.
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As the wrap party neared its end, the entire cast and crew had to go on stage for a group photo to post on Weibo. Jiang Qi had Zhi Qi wait in the car for him—after all, arranging the lineup for over a hundred people to take a photo would take quite a bit of time.
After the group photo, the director and producer pulled Jiang Qi aside for a selfie. He managed a stiff smile, feeling like he was becoming a picture-taking machine.
“Director Lin.”
As Lin Qihang was reviewing the photos, Jiang Qi thought about it and asked a completely unrelated question: “Who prepared tonight’s buffet? Which chef was responsible for the food?”
To be honest, he had stayed this long just to ask this question.
“Chef?”
Lin Qihang was taken aback, clearly not expecting this question. “The staff arranged it. How would I know… why do you ask?”
“My wife really liked the steak.”
Jiang Qi replied seriously, “So I wanted to ask.”
He wanted to know which restaurant it came from so he could take Zhi Qi there later, or he could even learn how to make it from the chef himself.
Even though everyone already knew Jiang Qi doted on his wife, Lin Qihang couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.
After all, young people in the entertainment world—such a flashy and chaotic place—were rarely so in love.
But…
“I really don’t know which restaurant provided the buffet.”
Lin Qihang responded “obediently,” pulling out his phone. “I’ll ask for you.”
As he spoke, he sent a message in the “Under Siege” crew’s WeChat group:
[Who arranged the wrap party catering? Quick response needed.]
Jiang Qi was also in that group, and his phone dinged with a series of notifications. When he looked, he saw that Lin Qihang’s question had sparked a flood of replies—
[What’s wrong, Director?]
[Quick response? Is it an emergency, like a hygiene issue? But the food tasted pretty good to me…]
[Yeah, it was quite good. I was thinking we should book the same place next time.]
[So, who ordered it?]
The “Under Siege” crew was full of chatterboxes both in front of and behind the camera, and their WeChat group was always buzzing with nonstop banter.
Most celebrities were just like ordinary people—they liked gossip and idle chat.
As the conversation started to drift, someone chimed in with a question: [Why is Director Lin suddenly so anxious to ask about the restaurant?]
Lin Qihang skimmed through the messages, pushed up his glasses, and calmly replied: [Jiang Qi asked. His wife liked the food.]
…
The group chat suddenly fell into a weird silence.
Jiang Qi, unwittingly forced into showing off his love, was momentarily stunned and even felt a bit embarrassed.
—
Later, someone from the group chat screenshotted the conversation and posted it on a well-known entertainment forum as a “scoop.”
The title was quite eye-catching: “Big-budget film insider gossip, come get it!”
In the main post, the mysterious poster shared several screenshots of the chat with names blurred out, along with a dramatic explanation—
[I used to think that all those stories about celebrities being devoted to their wives were just for show, until a friend of mine, who works on a big-budget film, shared some gossip from their group.]
[Apparently, at a recent team-building event, the top star’s wife really liked the food but didn’t know where it came from, so the top star asked the director about it, wanting to learn how to make it himself. Wocwoc, I have to say, I’m totally hooked! KSWWL!]
[What’s even crazier is that this top star is so adored by the whole crew that when he pampers his wife, the entire crew follows suit. The director even asked the whole team in the group chat! What kind of dream team is this?!]
With the poster’s mix of exaggeration and truth, the chat logs quickly spread among the gossip-hungry public.
A top star, with a wife, young, in a big-budget film, recently had a team-building event… It wasn’t hard to figure out who this was. Those who thought they’d uncovered the truth wasted no time commenting—
[==: It’s gotta be the “Under Siege” crew, right? Is the “friend” actually you, OP?]
[==: I’ve heard rumors. The top star’s wife visits the set every week and has gotten pretty close with the crew… Didn’t the “Under Siege” crew just have a wrap party? Was Jiang’s wife there too?]
[==: Tsk tsk, the top star’s “devoted husband” persona is still holding strong today. Gotta admit, I’m a bit jealous.]
[==: No solid proof, no deal. Let’s just wait for the release of “Under Siege” and enjoy it. I’m sticking with my top star who’s the only one to win a Grand Slam in acting. Not getting involved.]
[==: Exactly. Who believes these so-called WeChat screenshots? I could make up a hundred of them in a day.]
[==: Haha, get used to it. Jiang’s haters have switched tactics. Now they’re making up fake stories so they can tear him down when his image “cracks.”]
…
With Jiang Qi firmly seated as the top young star, his passionate fans were ever-ready to control the narrative, defend his reputation, or engage in arguments for days on end. In any case, his fans were unstoppable.
But despite the split opinions, this gossip still managed to spread widely.
By the time Zhi Qi finished work in the evening, she had already received a message from Meng Chunyu.
On WeChat, her friend was clearly excited after hearing the gossip and asked her, [Woc, Zhi Qi, is the story going around online true? The one about you liking the food at the wrap party, and then Jiang the movie star asking the director, who then asked the entire crew?]
…
What on earth?
Zhi Qi was stunned. She realized she could never keep up with gossip, and what’s more, she always ended up being part of the story!