"Can I get a photo with you?"

Hu Lei nodded and smiled as the young man took a selfie while wearing an overly dramatic expression on his face. Almost every fan had done this since they arrived earlier in the day. The number of photos which had been taken was astronomical. The total definitely surpassed all other photos of her which already existed.

Her photos as a baby were minimal, almost non-existent. Moreover, after she began her training, pictures had become a no-no. The young man thanked her and moved from the queue. A young woman came clutching a book in her arms.

"I really love Beneath the Forgotten Sea." Her eyes seemed to emit stars as if she wanted to jump on Hu Lei and swallow her brain.

Hu Lei's lips twitched at the look on the girl's face. "Thank you, can I sign it for you?"

The girl nodded so profusely that Hu Lei feared that her head would fall off.

"Do you think that there will be a movie based on this one?" The girl asked.

'Definitely, not', Hu Lei thought in her mind. This was the most poorly performing book she had ever written. And this was including the ones she dropped and picked up after three years. It turned out that not many people were into limnology and ichthyology.

However, she did not give such a cold answer. She only gave a cursory answer, just like she had for the other questions that she could not handle. For instance, she had only said that she had been handling personal family matters when anyone asked about her long hiatus.

Unfortunately, she could not meet with all the people even if she wished to because there were time limitations. Therefore, she could end the meet-and-greet as instructed by Lan Jie. However, she had Beatrice collect the addresses so that she could send the remaining people a gift.

In another area, the other people in the group had finished their assigned activities. When Hu Lei met up with them, she found that everyone was wearing TQA merchandise, including most of the fans in the vicinity. It seemed that Illusion Entertainment was determined to squeeze out as much money as possible from this movie.

Still, the clothes were kind of cool. The fabric appeared to have a camouflage pattern, but when one looked closer, the patterns were zombies. The cast members and other personnel were wearing lightweight long-sleeved jackets while the ones on sale were t-shirts.

"Why aren't you wearing your TQA jacket? It is important to show a united team spirit. How will people even know that you are with us?" Lan Jie came up to her and asked in a sharp voice.

Hu Lei was already tired because she was not used to social activities. Therefore, she did not appreciate the accusatory tone from the woman. However, she suppressed her annoyance because Lan Jie was the one in-charge.

"No one gave me a jacket." She responded.

"Listen here. I know that I had your jacket given to you as soon as we arrived. So, don't take that attitude with me. If I say that everyone has to wear the official merchandise, everyone has to wear it. Do you think that you will stand out more by disobeying the rules?" Lan Jie felt that the girl was acting a little too arrogantly and needed to be taken down. Otherwise, things would get more difficult later.

"Am I supposed to conjure up clothes from nothing?" Hu Lei asked with irritation.

"You might have written the little book, but you are definitely not the most important person here. We can proceed without you. I honestly don't even know why you are here. You can leave and we will continue without a hitch." Lan Jie said.

Actually, she said this purposefully. Since that incident in the bus, Wang Yue had tried to remain calm, but it was obvious that she was unsettled, especially around Hu Lei. Lan Jie did not know what had happened, even after asking around. She definitely was not buying the whole acting explanation.

Since Wang Yue was the main character in the movie, she was the most important person during the promotions along with the co-stars. No one cared about the story anyway. The movie watchers were all going to see their idols.

Therefore, she could not have Wang Yue being dissatisfied. Her only choice was to force Hu Lei to leave. Even though she had been told that her presence was non-negotiable, she could not be blamed if the little author left herself.

"In that case, I am leaving." Hu Lei waved a hand at Lan Jie and really walked away.

Lan Jie felt that there was something wrong as she watched the woman leave. It seemed a little too easy. Moreover, if Hu Lei was looking for fame, should she be so willing to leave? However, she shook away her unease. It was better this way.

She returned to the rest of the group where the people were preparing to conclude the event. They had been invited to hand out awards to the winning teams in the drama festival. It was the perfect place to promote movies because there was a large youthful crowd, and most people there were into movies and general entertainment.

"Where is Hu Lei?" Bei Gong Hai asked with a frown.

He had been hoping to talk with Hu Lei for a while after the event. Since morning, she had been treating him with distance. Somehow, that seemed to prick his heart uncomfortably. It almost seemed as if she could not see him, as if he was a complete stranger.

Beside him, Wang Yue felt uncomfortable when Bei Gong Hai inquired about Hu Lei. The look in his eyes seemed to confirm her initial suspicion and fear. The man was definitely interested in Hu Lei. She tightened her fists, but her face did not change.

This action was not missed by Lan Jie. She felt more comfortable about her decision.

"Something came up, so she left."