Chapter 37: Blind Date

“Anyway, she doesn’t love you anymore. She’s totally playing with you. She’s cold and heartless now, completely different from the woman who loved you to death a year ago. Just break up.”

The metal music in the bar was deafening. In the dance floor not far away, young girls and beautiful women were showing off their figures, each with their own unique charm. Their gazes inadvertently swept across to the two men sitting in the diagonally opposite silver booth, especially the one in the black shirt.

It was raining outside.

The smell of nicotine and alcohol mixed with the music in the bar. Xu Dian hadn’t opened his eyes, but every word Zhou Yang said reached his ears clearly.

He didn’t say anything.

Nor did he reply.

Zhou Yang played with his phone and smiled nonchalantly.

“Why bother? There are so many women in the world, don’t hang yourself on just one…”

*

The crew still had some scenes to reshoot the next day, but those were Qin Jun and Li Yuan’er’s parts. Meng Ying had a rare day off, so she didn’t go to the set and stayed quietly in the hotel.

She practiced yoga, read books, and at noon, Liu Qin came over to discuss Meng Ying’s future work plans. The two of them sat on the sofa.

Chen Jie went to cook.

The window in the living room was open, and the cold wind from outside blew in. Winter was more than halfway over, and the New Year was approaching. Meng Ying had been filming during this time, and Liu Qin had rushed back to city to help Meng Ying negotiate her future work. Liu Qin opened the document and said, “I originally wanted to help you take a costume drama, but I looked at it and found that the costume drama is currently suspected of some plagiarism issues. Although it’s very popular, it’s too easy to crash and burn. In the end, I turned it down.”

Meng Ying nodded.

“Hmm.”

“If nothing unexpected happens, ‘Interstellar’ will be released next summer. According to Gu Yan’s popularity and Huaying’s financial resources, as long as there are no other uncontrollable problems, this movie will be worth watching next year. And ‘Twins,’ according to the current wrap-up and the production capabilities of Director Lin’s team, will also be released at the end of August next year. At that time, it will definitely be your time to shine. So, what should you do in the next six months?”

Liu Qin paused and wrote the words “cooking skills” in her notebook.

Turning to look at Meng Ying, he said, “To maintain popularity and promote the two movies, I think it would be good for you to participate in a variety show.”

“What kind of variety show?”

Liu Qin smiled, “Your cooking skills shouldn’t go to waste, and you look so beautiful when you practice yoga. ‘Leisure Time’ would be perfect for you.”

“The project team recently contacted me. After careful consideration, I think you can agree to it. It will be filmed for about two months.”

‘Leisure Time’ is a variety show similar to an inn-style program, where each female guest will recreate their persona.

When Xu Qing participated, her personality was bold and passionate. She was indifferent to her secret husband, Gu Sui, which earned her the persona of a noble queen and solidified her image in the industry.

Meng Ying thought for a moment and nodded, “Okay.”

“After participating in this variety show, you can return to acting. I’ll keep an eye out for scripts for you. ‘Leisure Time’ also has a role-playing segment, which is a good opportunity for directors to see you and possibly offer you good scripts.”

“Okay.”

The aroma from the kitchen wafted in, and Chen Jie poked her head in, “Sister Qin, Sister Ying, dinner is ready.”

Liu Qin closed her notebook and got up to serve the dishes. Meng Ying also went to help. After the dishes were served, Liu Qin added, “As for your plans for the New Year, we’ll see when we get back to Licheng.”

She wanted to ask Meng Ying if she was going home, but thinking of Meng Ying’s mother, she decided against it.

The dishes were placed on the table, and the three of them sat down to eat. After dinner, Meng Ying sat on the sofa, texting Xu Qing and Gu Yan. Gu Yan had gone to Beijing to attend a show and handle matters for his foundation. When discussing acting, Meng Ying was still pondering what to say.

Gu Yan had already replied.

Gu Yan: Is it hard to get out of character?

Gu Yan: Maintaining the character is very difficult.

Meng Ying: Yes, each point is an emotion.

Gu Yan: You’re not professionally trained, so you lack technique.

This reminded Meng Ying.

Meng Ying typed.

Meng Ying: Yes.

Gu Yan: Take your time to figure it out.

Meng Ying stared blankly at the words “not professionally trained.”

In the afternoon, they packed their luggage and took a nap. Around four o’clock, Director Lin sent a message in the group chat: “Everyone remember, tonight is the wrap party. Dress nicely and come to the sixth floor of the hotel. Tonight, we’re going all out, courtesy of President Xu.”

The mention of “President Xu” made the chat go silent for a few seconds.

After a minute or two, the chat started buzzing again.

Li Yuan’er led the way with a sycophantic message: [Throwing flowers] Long live President Xu.

Everyone else quickly followed suit.

Crew member: Long live President Xu.

Makeup artist #1: Long live President Xu.

Runner: Long live President Xu.

Qin Jun: Tsk, long live.

Chen Jie: President Xu… long live.

Chen Jie’s message caused another pause in the chat. She was Meng Ying’s assistant. The chat was filled with a faint awkwardness, and Liu Qin smacked Chen Jie on the head.

“Can’t keep your hands to yourself? You’re never this proactive! You don’t reply to messages, and sometimes you only answer calls after several tries!”

Chen Jie frantically tried to retract her message but couldn’t. She was on the verge of tears, hoping Meng Ying hadn’t seen the chat.

Unfortunately, Meng Ying had seen it. She put down her phone after reading it and decided to dress simply for the evening, choosing a V-neck tight dress. Liu Qin came over to help curl her hair, leaving it loose behind her. They both ignored that her ears looked a bit bare.

Chen Jie also put on a white off-shoulder dress.

Seeing that it was almost time, the three of them headed to the sixth floor.

The hotel was quite nice, and the sixth floor had a small hall where many film crews held their wrap parties after filming in Songshan.

Director Lin wore a black vest with a shirt and trousers today, looking scholarly and cultured. Qin Jun, being naturally handsome, looked great in his shirt and trousers, holding a wine glass and chatting with the makeup artist. As soon as Meng Ying and her companions entered, Qin Jun’s eyes lit up as he glanced over.

Meng Ying walked straight to Director Lin.

Director Lin said, “Meng Ying, you look good in anything with that figure.”

Meng Ying smiled back, “Director Lin, you look very handsome today too.”

“Really? Hahaha, let’s have a drink.” Director Lin asked the waiter for some wine, but Meng Ying said, “I can’t drink; I’ll just have juice.”

Director Lin opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it and nodded approvingly: “Actresses shouldn’t push themselves too hard.”

“Director Lin, that’s not what you said earlier!!!” protested an actress standing with Li Yuan’er not far away, looking indignant and slightly puffed up with anger.

The whole room burst into laughter.

The atmosphere became more relaxed.

Meng Ying sipped her juice and chatted with Director Lin. Director Lin sighed, “When we first chose you, it was…”

He got stuck.

It was entirely President Xu’s decision back then.

He decided who would act in the roles.

Of course, he would review the actors’ profiles before making arrangements.

Ah, awkward. How could they not mention President Xu? Many staff members privately speculated about last night’s events, but no one would spread it around.

“What was it, Director Lin?” Meng Ying asked, having only heard half of it. Director Lin felt awkward and waved his hand, just about to speak when his gaze swept outside, and he froze.

Meng Ying followed his gaze.

She saw Zhou Yang walking in, holding a bouquet of roses. He walked up to Meng Ying and handed her the roses with a smile.

The roses were fresh and fragrant.

Meng Ying raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Yang smiled, “Congratulations on wrapping up the shoot and getting out of character.”

Meng Ying reached out, took the roses, and said, “Thank you.”

Zhou Yang thought for a moment, took a glass of wine, clinked it with Meng Ying’s, and said, “Xu Dian rushed back to Licheng early this morning to entertain a senior. He asked me to bring these roses to congratulate you.”

“Oh, thank you very much,” Meng Ying sipped her juice.

Zhou Yang glanced around, noticing many beautiful women, then clinked glasses with Qin Jun from a distance before his gaze returned to Meng Ying’s face.

The woman in front of him had a beautiful collarbone and a long, fair neck.

Hmm.

Not bad.

He downed his drink in one gulp, took a step forward, and whispered to Meng Ying, “I’m afraid Xu Dian is going to give up on you.”

His voice still carried a smile.

But there was a hint of schadenfreude.

After speaking, he stepped back, smiling at Meng Ying.

But Meng Ying’s expression remained unchanged, as steady as a rock. She smiled slightly, “Is that so? It must have been hard for him.”

Zhou Yang: “…”

Damn.

Can’t outsmart this woman.

“Alright, I’ve delivered the flowers, so I’ll be leaving now.” Zhou Yang clinked his empty glass with hers and then turned to leave. He came quickly and left quickly.

Meng Ying handed the flowers to Chen Jie and went to find something to eat.

The women behind her started gossiping again.

“Hey, who was that? So handsome.”

“Seems like a friend of President Xu.”

“Next time you meet a handsome guy, don’t panic. His friends might be handsome too.”

After the wrap party, the next morning, Meng Ying, Liu Qin, and Chen Jie flew back to Licheng. As soon as they got off the plane, they went to the company for a meeting.

After finishing their work, Meng Ying received a call from her brother.

In all these years, her brother had never called her before. This was the first time. They say that those who are favored are fearless, and that probably describes her brother.

Meng Xiao was very anxious on the other end: “Sis, Dad is in the hospital.”

“Why is he in the hospital?” She paused as she got into the car.

“He just is. I don’t know either. Mom just went to the hospital to be with him. Are you coming back?”

“I’ll ask myself.” After saying that, Meng Ying hung up and then called Meng Yulin. It was not Meng Yulin who answered, but Chen Jiao.

Chen Jiao’s sharp voice came from the other end: “He was fine this morning, but he fainted this afternoon. He’s undergoing tests now. Are you still not planning to come back for the New Year? Your dad cleans your room every day, just waiting for you to come back!”

Meng Ying didn’t respond.

Chen Jiao hung up the phone.

Meng Ying knew that talking to Chen Jiao in anger would only make her say worse things.

She gripped her phone.

After a while, she said to Liu Qin, “I’m going home for a while. I don’t have any work until the end of February anyway.”

Liu Qin nodded, “Alright.”

“I’ll help you buy a ticket.”

“Thank you.”

After that, Meng Ying went back to Xinyue Community, repacked her luggage, and without even looking at her house, headed to the airport and took a flight to Jianghui City.

That evening.

Xu Dian was at a winery in Yiwanshan, seeing off the elder from the Wen family who had come from Beijing. The black Crown car was low-key and inconspicuous, but it carried someone with considerable power.

Watching the Crown drive away.

Xu Dian stood at the door, lighting a cigarette.

Gu Sui, shaking his wine glass, leaned against the door and said indifferently, “Oh, my wife asked me to tell you that the beautiful actress named Meng has gone back to her hometown for a blind date…”

Snap—

The lighter’s flame went out.

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