Her deskmate was a girl with a round face; she squeezed through the crowd and upon seeing that Fu Yuran had awoken, said with exuberant glee, "Yuran, you're awake? What a coincidence, my favorite actress shares your name, though her surname is Fu and yours is Yu. Hey, Yuran, do you think Bo Yan is handsome?"
"The nation's lover indeed!"
Yuran didn't know why she asked this question. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, and the image of Bo Yan's flawless face circled in her mind. She nodded honestly, "Handsome!"
Her deskmate rummaged through her desk, then spread something out in front of Yuran with a mysterious air, "I told you, the Movie Emperor Bo's stunning, worship-worthy face from every angle—how could anyone not find him handsome! Look, this is his official makeup photo announced at the start of the month, 'The Hero' himself, so handsome!
And also, this morning he recorded an interview, probably indirect promotion for 'The Hero.' Look, look."
Her deskmate then pulled out her phone one more time, handing it to Yuran, with excitement she could barely contain.
There on the screen was a man with pursed lips, a superficial and detached smile, and an expression that showed nothing. No matter how one looked at it, he appeared cold, aloof, and emotionless. Yet the barrage of comments was full of praise: phrases like "hubby," "godly handsome," "gentle gaze," and other flattery skyrocketed.
Yuran watched for a while, and only two words crossed her mind from beginning to end: Hypocrisy!
The thought had barely surfaced before she was taken aback. Hypocrisy. Hadn't she, as an actress, been hypocritical too? She cozied up to fans to keep them happy, for popularity, a contrived public image, wearing a mask, only daring to be her true self when alone.
Always fearful that her public image would crumble because she was a public figure, living under the scrutiny of the masses, in the eyes of the people, adhering to norms until she barely recognized herself anymore.
In the video, the host suddenly asked a question, "Movie Emperor Bo Yan, you and the late Movie Queen Fu Yuran once jointly won the Best Actor and Actress at the 88th Golden Bear Awards. What are your thoughts on the late Movie Queen Fu's passing?"
Yuran was startled, her gaze fixed on Bo Yan on the screen.
Unflinchingly, he narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "I regret... she was a good actress!"
Yuran curled her lip, thinking how cold he really was. If it wasn't for the live broadcast, coupled with his upbringing, he probably wouldn't have answered that question. Seeing the impatience he was restraining at the corners of his eyes, she felt he was hypocritical.
Yet bizarrely, at that moment, she wanted to know what he was thinking, what the host would ask next. Bo Yan spoke up, "I don't want to comment much on topics that have nothing to do with me!"
This was quite a snub, clearly the host hadn't expected him to snap like that, so quickly shifted the topic. Over in the comments, many people had already started saying that the host was out of line.
That's the confidence that comes with status!
Then, a commercial break was inserted, Yuran quickly realized, probably the overall director couldn't stand it anymore. Knowing well that it wasn't easy for a star of Bo Yan's caliber to agree to an interview, and then they had to go and ask him a question he didn't want to answer. What were they thinking, trying to sabotage their own show?
Yuran was somewhat distracted until her deskmate's voice pulled her back. She offered a smile, "Sorry, I was spacing out!"
Her deskmate tucked away the phone, waved a hand dismissively and said, "It's ok, it's ok. Even if you were dazzled by God Yan's peerless beauty, I wouldn't tease you about it—it's God Yan, after all, not just anybody!"