The next day, the International Film Awards were still trending online, but Yan Huan had already taken off with Luo Lin. They had wanted to shop around for some souvenirs to bring back home. Yan Huan decided to get some local jewellery for Ye Shuyun, Madam Lei and the others. Since every woman loves jewellery, this gift could not possibly go wrong.
As for Lu Jin and Old Master Lu, they would receive a set of exotic glass ornaments each. The craftsmanship of the ornaments was stunning, with an exorbitant price tag to match. She did not play favorites – except for superficial differences in color and design, everything else was the same.
Even the servants at home would get some new clothes respectively. Not a single person in their household would be neglected. Aunt Gu, who was Yan Huan’s housekeeper, would receive double the amount of gifts, as she had played a major role in taking care of Yan Huan over the past few years. Every day, she would boil herbal soup for Yan Huan without fail. Even when Yan Huan went away to film at a forest, Aunt Gu had also went along with her for a year. Not one complaint was heard throughout that year, even when she did not get to return to her hometown.
Yan Huan knew about the condition back at Aunt Gu’s home. Her son was preparing to get married, so their entire family had been saving up to buy a new house for him. Therefore, when she went back, Yan Huan shall gift an entire estate to Aunt Gu. She truly deserved the gift.
The packages were wrapped securely and then delivered back home by a courier service. As for Yan Huan and the others, they had to stay here for a few more days for interviews and press conferences with the media.
Luo Lin had been worrying that Yan Huan would not carry herself well, as she did not care about the fame at all. Although it was true that she was already famous before this.
Within a year, she had signed contracts with three popular international brands to be their brand ambassador. Not only that, for two out of the three, it was their first time working with an Asian to promote their products. It was difficult to deny that Yan Huan was photogenic. Every advertisement that she filmed left people in awe. If it was done by a different person, it might not have the same effect.
If you were attracted to her features, then you were on the way to being attracted by the products, be it chocolate, coffee or perfume.
In the advertisements, Yan Huan behaved very naturally, like she was unaware of the camera. In fact, it looked like she was actually enjoying the products. Hence, the advertisements had a unique flavor to them, which was an aspect that no one could recreate easily.
However, right now, Luo Lin was worried about Yan Huan’s carefree personality. If she accidentally blurted out something that she was not supposed to, then her fame would be a double edged sword. If she had embarrassed herself locally, then it was already bad enough, but if she messed up on an international stage, then she would be too ashamed to even return home.
Fortunately, Yan Huan still knew what to say and what not to say. If she did not know what to say, then she would smile. Smiling is a universal language anyway. No matter what kind of difficult or imposing questions were thrown her way, she could answer them perfectly and with no room for further argument.
This had Luo Lin confused. All this time she had thought that Yan Huan was socially inept. In reality, it was the opposite. Yan Huan was like a cunning little fox, but she had kept that intellect under wraps as she did not want anyone else to know about it. Her mind spun quickly, sifting between thoughts and ideas and connecting them in the blink of an eye. Sometimes, she could not even keep up with her own thoughts.
Maybe being around Lu Yi for so long had rubbed off on her, as she had become calmer and wiser over the years. However, she had also learned to stop wearing her heart on her sleeve.
“Are you sure that you want to return by yourself?” asked Luo Lin. “Why not go back with us?”
“Yes, I want to go back alone. It’s not like I don’t recognize the way back,” Yan Huan answered as she packed her belongings into a leather case. “You guys are too conspicuous a target, I want some peace and quiet to myself.”
“You know that peace and quiet is a pipe dream for you right?” Luo Lin jibed. She wanted Yan Huan to accept reality. “When you got that Best Actress Award, your life is already destined to be as far away from peace and quiet as possible.”
“But I could still rest for the time being, trust me,” Yan Huan assured as she patted Luo Lin on the shoulder. “Even if I’m the best actress in the world, I would still be forgotten one day. To forget is human.”
Luo Lin shrugged. She had to admit that this was true.
“So, are you going into hiding?”
“No,” Yan Huan replied as she closed her leather case, pressing on it a few times to make sure that it stayed closed. “I only want some peace.”
Luo Lin rolled her eyes and got ready to hit the sack. Anyway, her flight was tomorrow. She did not have the time and energy to cajole Yan Huan into coming with them, as no one could change that stubborn woman’s mind. Except for a certain Lu Yi, but he was not around to do that anymore.
Yan Huan picked up her leather case. Alright, it was not too heavy. She could carry it around herself.
“I’m leaving,” she called as she waved at Luo Lin.
“Go,” Luo Lin waved back sluggishly. They were not going back together anyway. Let Yan Huan go wherever she wanted to.
Yan Huan put on her sunglasses and pulled her hat down slightly. Then, she picked up her luggage and left the room. She hailed a cab, went to the airport and ordered a milk tea by herself. She started to sip mouthfuls of milk tea while sitting at the airport.
Nobody knew that she was Yan Huan. Nobody would believe that she was the Yan Huan who had just won the best leading actress award at the International Film Awards. At that moment, she sat alone in the airport with her simple leather case, not a single assistant by her side.
She looked at her phone while enjoying her milk tea. An invisible barrier was erected between her and the rest of the world. Everyone else was busy with their own matters while she minded her own business.
Only when the announcement for passengers to board the plane was broadcast, did she get up and carry her suitcase over to the boarding gate. She passed her passport and ticket to an attendant for inspection. Of course, the attendant recognized Yan Huan, but did not call her out publicly. Perhaps the attendant had crossed paths with way too many celebrities before. Even though Yan Huan was well-known, there were still many other celebrities who were more famous than her.
That was why her current status still did not amount to much. People would not scream in excitement upon meeting her.
After all, this was an airport in a foreign country.
She put her sunglasses back on and boarded the plane.
Soon enough, the plane took off. Finally, she was out of this strange country, on her way back to her motherland.
She pulled out her plane ticket and held it up to read. The destination printed on the ticket was not Sea City, but instead a small city. She had chosen that city randomly as her destination.
Xunhe. A quaint little city by the sea.
This was it. There was no need to change her destination.
Even now, Luo Lin was under the impression that Yan Huan had gone back to Sea City before them. Who would have known that she had never actually planned to return to Sea City this early. If she did, she would have been pestered to film this and that.
Hence, Yan Huan had decided to embark on an impromptu trip. Let herself be selfish for once.
She was not sure how long the plane remained in the sky before it touched down on the ground. However, this was just a layover airport, not her final destination. After that, she had to go through another layover before reaching the city of Xunhe, after approximately three days.
Yan Huan did not stay in a hotel. Instead, she rented a clean and quiet apartment through an agent. The location was great but it was not overcrowded with people. The apartment came with a complete selection of furniture and equipment, encompassing everything that she could need. The apartment was a stone’s throw away from a supermarket and several convenience stores. There were also public bicycles available for rent, and of course a bus station nearby.
For all these reasons, she settled down there for her vacation.
