Chapter 69 – Dinner Party
After the recording ended, the production team’s cars arrived in just over ten minutes; they had probably been waiting not far away. The ride back took about two hours.
When they got out of the car, Director Fang looked quite happy, likely because the new episode had turned out well. However, the road had been so bumpy that Lin Ganzhi and the others had no desire to even look at their phones.
“The production team has arranged a hotel for everyone here. You can rest for a night before heading back. It’s my treat today, I’ll take everyone out for a good meal! They’re all familiar faces from the production team, people you’ve all met. Eat to your heart’s content,” Director Fang said enthusiastically.
“Director Fang, I’m so sorry, but Director Wang just called me on the way here. He wants me to go for an audition tomorrow morning. The schedule is quite tight, and he’s currently in the northeast. I have to go catch a flight,” Luan Yuanzhou said apologetically.
Director Fang smiled and nodded in agreement. Luan Yuanzhou’s professionalism was well-known in the industry, a trait that many famous directors and screenwriters admired. He was clearly a young master, but he was never sloppy in his work. Enduring hardships for filming was a common occurrence for him, and he never resorted to petty tricks. He earned every role, whether it was a lead or supporting part, through his own hard work.
“Alright, you’ve worked hard these past few days. Go ahead and take care of your business,” Director Fang said kindly.
Luan Yuanzhou nodded, said goodbye to everyone—pointedly ignoring Zhong Jingyi and Fan Feimiao—and left with his assistant.
Zhong Jingyi’s shoulders trembled slightly, but he didn’t turn to follow.
“Well then, those of you with no other plans, let’s go eat!” Director Fang called out.
Just as Lin Ganzhi was about to say he wanted to catch a flight back, Fan Feimiao spoke up two seconds faster. “Director Fang, I’ll skip dinner. I’m too tired from this week. I’m just going to go back to the hotel and lie down.” Fan Feimiao’s tone was not very pleasant. As he spoke, he secretly shot Director Fang a dirty look, then turned and left. His assistant bowed apologetically to everyone and hurried after him.
Director Fang’s brows furrowed in displeasure, but he held back and said nothing.
Lin Ganzhi started to hesitate. Damn that Fan Feimiao, couldn’t he speak properly?
If he was just hesitating before, what Zhong Jingyi said next completely dispelled any thoughts Lin Ganzhi had of leaving.
“Wenduan, can you keep me company?” Zhong Jingyi’s voice sounded a bit muffled.
Zhuang Wenduan, who was standing next to Director Fang, was taken aback. Although his face remained indifferent, after a moment, he grunted in agreement.
Director Fang frowned. “Why don’t we eat first? Neither of you has eaten.”
“Director Fang, Wenduan and I will eat separately. I have something I want to talk to him about. If you have anything important to discuss with Wenduan, you can call him.” Zhong Jingyi’s tone left no room for negotiation; it was very firm.
Zhuang Wenduan put an arm around his uncle and said in a low voice, “It’s fine.”
His old uncle had a short temper. If he didn’t placate him now, he would probably explode.
Director Fang grunted a couple of times and finally gave a stiff “okay.” He then watched as Zhong Jingyi pulled Zhuang Wenduan towards his car without so much as a proper goodbye.
Director Fang suddenly felt a bit weary, and his voice dropped. He looked up at the remaining young people and asked, “You guys also…”
“We’re fine! Director Fang, you went all out this episode. It would be a crime not to treat you to a meal,” Lin Ganzhi said with high spirits.
Qi Yushuo and the rest of Lin Ganzhi’s team expressed no objections. After spending so much time with Lin Ganzhi, they had developed a valuable quality: they could be lacking in anything but food.
Hearing this, Director Fang’s mood visibly improved, and he led everyone to the best restaurant in the city.
After the group was seated, Director Fang’s phone rang. Since it wasn’t a private call, he answered it in front of everyone.
“Hmm? President Shi, your son is here too? Oh, I see. Of course, you’re welcome. But I have the actors from my team here. Let me ask them first.” Director Fang then looked at everyone present and asked, “President Shi is also one of our show’s investors. His son, Wending, would like to join us for dinner. Does anyone have any objections?”
Everyone shook their heads indifferently. It was just a matter of adding another set of chopsticks.
Only Que Jin, who was sitting by the window, had a slight change in expression. She looked at her phone uneasily. Wenren, sitting next to her, frowned and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Que Jin smiled and said it was nothing, seemingly returning to her usual gentle self.
So, Wenren Yi didn’t think much of it.
After they ordered, the food arrived quickly. Lin Ganzhi raised his drink in a toast to Director Fang first. “Director Fang, I have to catch a flight after this meal, so I can’t drink alcohol. I’ll use this drink as a substitute. Thank you for taking care of me and the production team during this time.”
Lin Ganzhi was a sweet talker with a cute smile. Director Fang, who was old enough to be a grandfather, was so charmed by him that he couldn’t stop smiling. He raised a glass of white wine and clinked it with Lin Ganzhi’s.
“Alright, alright, no problem. For this meal, those who like to drink can drink, and those who like soft drinks can have soft drinks. Don’t be formal. But Ganzhi, why are you rushing back so late?” Director Fang winked. The old fox had already guessed a little but wanted Lin Ganzhi to say it himself.
Lin Ganzhi shyly rubbed the back of his neck and said with a blush, “It’s my boyfriend’s birthday. I want to rush back to celebrate with him.”
Upon hearing this, everyone present started to laugh gossipingly. They were all adults, and the colleagues from the production team couldn’t help but start making dirty jokes.
“Ganzhi, here’s the plan: hurry and get on the plane at midnight, you’ll be home by six. If you can’t make it for the night, you can still make it for the morning.”
“Did you go see that old traditional doctor I recommended? The effects are particularly good, right? By the way, my wife and I love shopping at this one store. We’re friends, so I’ve sent you the address on WeChat. I guarantee your boyfriend will love it!”
“Ganzhi, quick! Eat something nourishing first. Eat more. You might not be able to have breakfast tomorrow morning.”
…
Lin Ganzhi, a virgin who had never been with anyone, was so flustered by these grown men that his face turned beet red. Even though his relationship with Yan Shengping was completely innocent, he wished he could find a hole to crawl into. The key was that while everyone was joking, he actually thought of Yan Shengping’s face… and his abs…
He thought of him sitting meticulously at his desk, his hands nimbly tapping on the keyboard. The dark gray sweater complemented his pale skin. Occasionally, he would look up and seriously call his name, “Lin Ganzhi…” his voice low and magnetic.
“Is there something you need? Out with it.”
Cough, cough, cough!
“Hey, hey, stop it, you guys! Look at Ganzhi’s face, it’s practically smoking. If you fry his brain, he’ll just be babbling nonsense when he gets back.” Wenren Yi defended Lin Ganzhi while also taking a jab at him.
Everyone present laughed.
Sitting not far away, Qi Yushuo silently took a sip of his white wine.
Knock, knock, knock! A knock suddenly came from the door.
“Come in!” Director Fang called out.
Everyone turned to look as a young man pushed open the door to the private room. He had narrow eyes with downturned corners, and his smile held a hint of calculation. He was wearing a dark red suit, his hair slicked back with gel, revealing a less-than-full forehead.
“Young Master Shi is here? Come, come, have a seat.” Director Fang smiled and gestured, leaving the seat next to him for him.
Shi Wending walked over and shook hands with Director Fang before his narrow eyes swept over everyone present. Lin Ganzhi did not like this kind of gaze and lowered his head to quietly chew on his meat.
He could hear Young Master Shi and Director Fang engaging in business flattery. “Director Fang is truly Director Fang. This time, with ‘Survive!’, even I, who rarely use Weibo, have heard about several of the trending topics. My dad has been praising you a lot at home these past few days, saying he invested in the right person.”
Director Fang had been drinking, and he laughed happily at this. “This is also thanks to President Shi’s investment. Come, did Young Master Shi drive today? Let’s have a drink.”
“Of course, I have to drink Director Fang’s wine,” Young Master Shi said with a smile, raising his glass to toast with Director Fang.
“But I didn’t expect Que Jin to be on this show too. Just a few years ago, she was still a shy little girl who was afraid of bugs.” Shi Wending’s eyes were sharp, and the first actor he greeted was the one with the highest celebrity status among them.
However, Que Jin’s expression was not good. She seemed to force herself to say, “Young Master Shi has a good memory. But people always have to face various challenges. This variety show has brought me many new experiences.”
“Yes, yes, what Que Jin said is quite right. Have a drink with me?” Shi Wending’s tone was polite, but his greasy, slick manner was really unlikable. He was asking, but he had already raised his glass.
Although Director Fang had said they didn’t have to drink if they didn’t want to, this Shi Wending who had arrived halfway through was already putting on the airs of an investor. His attitude seemed polite, but he was actually forcing the issue.
Wenren Yi was about to stand up but was gently pressed down by Que Jin. This was the reality of the entertainment industry. She was a senior, how could she always let a junior stand up for her?
“If anyone should be toasting, it should be me toasting you. Thank you, Young Master Shi, for your care for this show.” Que Jin raised her glass and stood up to clink it with the seated Shi Wending.
Shi Wending smiled, watching as Que Jin downed a glass of white wine, while he himself only took a small sip.
Lin Ganzhi looked at Que Jin with pity. Que Jin’s face was flushed from the strong liquor, but she gently shook her head at Lin Ganzhi, signaling him not to move. Lin Ganzhi cursed inwardly, regretting a million times over that he had soft-heartedly agreed to have dinner with Director Fang.
Was this dinner? This was a banquet of frustration!
After another ten minutes of eating, Que Jin excused herself to get some air. Wenren Yi exchanged a look with Lin Ganzhi and followed her out.
Now, only the three of them, the male celebrities, were left. Lin Ganzhi breathed a sigh of relief, wanting to finish eating quickly and leave.
“Why is Ganzhi so focused on eating? I was hoping to get to know you better. Your performance on the show was simply outstanding. Can you tell me more about it? Did you learn all that before?” Shi Wending’s gaze fell on Lin Ganzhi. Lin Ganzhi felt goosebumps rise all over his body, as if he were being stared at by a cold-blooded animal.