North bank of the Seine.
Pei Yunxi, dressed simply and wearing sunglasses, strolled alone through this art sanctuary, hailed by Western media as the finest in the world.
It was her third visit here, yet she still found herself experiencing something new.
After all, the Louvre covered an area of 45,000 square meters—just on one level—while it currently displays works on three floors above ground and two below.
England has the British Museum, Meilijian has the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but why is it that with their typical arrogance, Westerners universally acknowledge the Louvre as the finest in the world?
Perhaps it’s as Benjamin once said in his Arcades Project, "Maybe Berlin is mightier than Paris; perhaps London is truly the financial and wealth capital of Europe; but it is only Paris that is the capital of all Europe because the culture and art of the whole of Europe ultimately flow to Paris, where they clash and ascend."
In a world fractured at present, perhaps only art can transcend borders and move people from different lands.
Following Director Fei’s instructions, Pei Yunxi had been in Paris for three days, yet the director had made no arrangements for her, leaving her to enjoy herself—as few people recognized her here.
The Louvre’s collection exceeds 400,000 items, with over 30,000 on display, among which the most famous, without a doubt, is the "Mona Lisa," drawing a ceaseless stream of admirers from various countries every day.
Pei Yunxi, who had visited before, had of course already seen that human treasure, so today she didn’t join the throng but headed towards another of the museum’s masterpieces.
Also often seen in textbook pictures, the armless goddess of love.
Turning down the corridor and drawing closer, she could see that beneath the statue of Venus, there were already some tourists gathered.
They came from all corners of the globe, but a dark-haired man quickly caught Pei Yunxi’s attention.
He wore a Western-style cowboy jacket and had his hands in his front pockets, looking up with a pair of sunglasses perched on his nose.
Instinctively, Pei Yunxi felt that he must also be from Shenzhou, just like her.
Before she reached the sculpture, the man seemed to sense something, turned his head, and then smiled faintly.
Pei Yunxi paused in her steps and then—
Turned around and left.
"Excuse me, could you please make way?"
The man, who was dressed like a fashionable gentleman, showed a hint of helplessness on his face and quickly caught up.
"What a coincidence."
With unashamed brazenness, he chased after her and walked closely by her side.
Although the man wore sunglasses, she recognized his face instantly.
"Isn’t it a coincidence?"
"This Louvre totals five floors, each spanning tens of thousands of square meters. Isn’t it fate that we met?"
Pei Yunxi was momentarily at a loss for words.
"What are you doing here?"
"Touring, and incidentally, to see you."
Jiang Chen removed his sunglasses.
"For your sake, your fans have been fiercely criticizing K.E., but you look like you’re in a pretty good mood."
Pei Yunxi continued walking forward. "I’ve grown used to it."
"Hey, aren’t you going to look at Venus?"
Jiang Chen called out.
Pei Yunxi didn’t stop.
Jiang Chen shook his head with a smile, picked up his sunglasses, and stepped forward to follow.
Pei Yunxi didn’t shoo him away. The pair who "unexpectedly met" in a foreign land walked side by side, aimlessly wandering inside the Louvre.
"You’re really not angry?"
Pei Yunxi remained silent.
"You don’t feel wronged?"
Finally, Pei Yunxi spoke.
"Can’t you just drop it?"
"How am I being boring?"
"What’s the use of being angry? What does feeling wronged accomplish? It doesn’t change anything. So it’s utterly meaningless."
Jiang Chen nodded thoughtfully.
"Yeah, your enlightenment is high."
Perhaps feeling tired, Pei Yunxi found a resting spot and sat down on a bench.
Jiang Chen also settled down close to the edge.
"I’m a little worried, it might affect the movie," he said.
Jiang Chen let out a wry laugh.
Was just too rational.
"You don’t have to worry about that, it won’t have any impact on the movie," he reassured her.
Pei Yunxi turned her head, "Haven’t you seen the prejudice the West has against us? The resistance this movie faces could be even greater than we imagine. It might even be met with collective boycott from Western society..."
"Are you considering this for my sake?"
Jiang Chen played with his glasses, turning his head to ask with a smile.
Pei Yunxi was taken aback, replying expressionlessly, "Don’t flatter yourself, what does this have to do with you?"
"I’m the investor of this movie, if it loses money, who else but me would suffer the most?"
Pei Yunxi was speechless, and then, she shifted the topic.
Her dark eyebrows raised slightly.
"Why do you seem not at all worried?" she asked.
"Why should I worry?"
Jiang Chen said with a smile, "I’ve already told you, it won’t have any impact."
"I advise you not to be too optimistic," Pei Yunxi cautioned him, "I’m the female lead of the movie, and my image is crucial to the audience’s impression of the film."
Jiang Chen seemed not to understand.
"The West’s prejudice against us has a long history, and it’s not something that can be changed in a short time. The best course of action now is to replace me, to choose a new female lead."
Jiang Chen was slightly stunned.
He saw that Pei Yunxi was dead serious, and she was not joking.
An actor’s heart is unfathomable, and a performer has no loyalty.
Especially in the glitzy entertainment circle.
Who in there isn’t chasing after their own interests?
In this circle, friends, even spouses, might just be stepping stones or tools.
Yet, she was actually ready to give up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Even Jiang Chen was somewhat caught off guard.
"Have you forgotten why you agreed to join CX Entertainment?" he couldn’t help but ask.
Back then, the role of the female lead was a stipulation written in the contract.
If it weren’t for this "original intention," Pei Yunxi probably wouldn’t have agreed to join.
But now, she was willing to give it up voluntarily?
"This is the best way to handle it," Pei Yunxi avoided the question.
At that moment, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
She was doing this to minimize his losses; otherwise, for her own benefit, as an actress, Pei Yunxi had no reason to give up such a great opportunity.
Women are creatures who often say one thing and mean another.
So what they say often isn’t important.
"Then whom do you think would be the best replacement for you?" Jiang Chen asked, feigning a consultative tone.
Pei Yunxi pursed her lips, coveted by countless, and was silent for a while.
"There are indeed a few internationally renowned actresses domestically, any of them could be chosen. As for which one is the best fit, that’s for you to consider," she said.
Jiang Chen looked at that serenely beautiful face.
Humans are not plants.
How can they be devoid of emotions and desires?
If it truly didn’t matter, why would the fingers involuntarily clench tight?
"Oh, I understand now," he said.
Jiang Chen, likewise clueless when it came to sentiment, nodded.
Pei Yunxi’s heart relaxed a little, yet at the same time, she felt somewhat disappointed, and also, faintly wronged.