Bai Clan-style sour and spicy fish, golden pineapple shrimp balls, stir-fried ham and boletus mushrooms, Thai-style Tom Yum soup...
The exquisite dishes and elegant presentation made it hard for Zhou Wang to evaluate the quality since he was simply enjoying the meal due to his hunger.
But looking at the sea view outside the window, feeling the unique White City breeze, and seeing the girl’s pure and inviting smile opposite him, it seemed like the taste didn’t matter as much.
Xia Xiwei openly expressed her interest in Zhou Wang, constantly asking him various questions, making Zhou Wang feel awkward... as if he were the mysterious celebrity with a secretive private life.
A clear indication was that, when the meal was almost over, Xia Xiwei proactively suggested taking a photo with Zhou Wang, and even had Ma Yuan, who came from a photography background, to help.
"Not bad, not bad, I’ll touch it up and send it to you."
Xia Xiwei took the phone, flipped through it, nodded in satisfaction, and then naturally added Zhou Wang on WeChat.
After adding him, Xia Xiwei was the first to bid farewell, as she had to catch a flight to Magic City for a brand event and would fly back for the film crew’s launch ceremony the next day.
After waving goodbye to Xia Xiwei, who left in a whirlwind, Zhou Wang finally had a chance to ask Ma Yuan:
"Mr. Ma, it seems like your attitude towards Ms. Xia is a bit unusual..."
"Hahaha, she’s currently the pillar of our company. Without her, Daxia Film and Television’s valuation would shrink by at least half, so of course, I need to be courteous."
Ma Yuan just laughed off Zhou Wang’s probing.
Zhou Wang felt Ma Yuan wasn’t completely honest, but since Ma Yuan didn’t want to elaborate, Zhou Wang couldn’t force him to talk.
...
After the meal and a short rest, the group set off for the Songlin Hillside Hotel, which was the base for the "Chutian Remote" crew.
Back on the Costa, just as he lit a cigarette with the lighter Yun Rou handed him, Zhou Wang’s phone chimed.
He picked it up, feeling surprised that the message was from Ding Yi.
The two didn’t chat often now, and any contact was usually about Jiang Mo’s daily life and studies in Beidou, more like a business exchange.
Zhou Wang couldn’t figure out her thoughts, so he treated Ding Yi with caution, trying not to leave any loopholes in his words.
After looking at his phone, Zhou Wang was dumbfounded.
Ding Yi: [Zhou Wang, did you meet Xia Xiwei?]
Ding Yi: [Don’t be ridiculous.jpg]
Zhou Wang: [You know her?]
Ding Yi: [Screenshot]
Zhou Wang opened the image Ding Yi sent, and it was a screenshot of Xia Xiwei’s Moments post. There were two photos: one of the restaurant’s food and the other was a photo of her and Zhou Wang in the restaurant corridor. The caption read,
"Life is short, why not have another bowl (*╹▽╹*)"
Zhou Wang was quite surprised. For a girl to post a photo of a guy on her Moments is a big deal. Many boyfriends don’t even get that honor...
Especially since Xia Xiwei didn’t capture anyone else, it felt like she had a meal with Zhou Wang alone.
It was somewhat ambiguous.
It was unclear how wide the audience for this post was.
Or maybe celebrities think differently?
But this wasn’t Zhou Wang’s main concern right now, he merely responded with "???"
Ding Yi clearly knew he wasn’t asking about the Moments post.
Ding Yi: [We grew up in the same neighborhood, what do you think?]
Seeing Ding Yi’s reply, Zhou Wang was momentarily stunned but finally understood many things.
No wonder Ma Yuan’s attitude towards Xia Xiwei wasn’t like that of an employer and employee, and when they first appeared, Ma Yuan even lagged slightly behind Xia Xiwei; that’s the detail Zhou Wang noticed.
"So, Xia Xiwei’s family is..."
Faced with Zhou Wang’s cryptic inquiry, Ding Yi replied after a while:
"Well, why do you think Daxia Film and Television is called Daxia Film and Television?"
...
"Chutian Remote" crew base.
"Stalwart" Chen He felt very anxious at the moment.
It’s already lunchtime, and in the small private dining room where only a few people were allowed, Chen He felt like he was enjoying the treatment usually reserved for directors — a four-person table all to himself.
Everyone kept their distance; even when talking, they were careful, seemingly afraid to disturb him.
It had been two hours since Shen Yutong made the call, but the crew... was calm.
Well, not entirely calm, as Chen He heard some rumors, like the crew was drafting an announcement intending to post a "regretful" micro-blog officially removing him from the crew.
Feeling a bit panicked, Chen He contacted Shen Yutong to get more information, and upon learning Zhou Wang’s only response was "got it," he desperately wanted to call Zhou Wang to ask:
"What does ’got it’ mean?"
Sir, could you give me a clear answer!
But he didn’t dare.
Though he had never experienced anything like this, Chen He’s own imagination concluded that contacting Zhou Wang proactively wasn’t an option; he had to wait for Zhou Wang to reach out to him.
Because that’s how big shots act in movies.
Yet, as Chen He anxiously waited with no news in sight, he found himself unable to enjoy his meal.
Could it be that because Shen Yutong was safe now, Zhou Wang decided to abandon him?
Chen He couldn’t help overthinking.
Just then, footsteps approached from behind, and when Chen He looked up, he saw Yang Hongni, the second female lead of the cast, coming over. She pulled out a chair across from him and sat down with a sigh, seemingly at a loss for words.
"Sister Hongni, is there something you need?"
Chen He’s heart skipped a beat, but he asked casually on the surface.
"Chen He, although we haven’t known each other for long, I think you’re a hardworking guy. Take my advice and apologize to Director Xu; it never hurts to swallow your pride occasionally..."
Yang Hongni hesitated but then spoke earnestly: "You’re still young, you’ll learn that sometimes, right or wrong isn’t what matters, but the outcome does."
"Thank you, sis, but to me, right and wrong are significant, and the outcome isn’t as important."
Chen He smiled calmly.
"You..."
Seeing that Chen He was adamant, Yang Hongni became a bit annoyed, "Fine, continue standing by your beliefs then. I’ve heard that Mr. Ma and the investors are on their way. Once Director Xu speaks with Mr. Ma, nobody can save you!"
Mr. Ma was coming?
As soon as Chen He heard this, his heart sank with anxiety.
Recently, he’d heard numerous stories about how tight Director Xu and Mr. Ma’s relationship was, and apparently, long ago, Mr. Ma worked for Director Xu before becoming successful...
However, what had happened had happened, and Chen He knew he no longer had any retreat. He had to brace himself, hoping Zhou Wang wouldn’t leave him hanging.
Thus, Chen He just continued to smile calmly:
"I still believe in fairness; even if it’s Mr. Ma, he should be reasonable."
"How... Forget it, take care."
Yang Hongni felt it was absurd, but seeing Chen He unmoved, she gave up persuading him, shaking her head and about to leave when her phone rang.
The call was from Yang Hongni’s assistant, and as she answered, she heard her cheerful voice:
"Sis, I saw Mr. Ma and the investor representative in the parking lot. Director Xu himself went to greet them... Wow, the investor representative is so handsome!"
"Mr. Ma has arrived?"
Yang Hongni instinctively stood up, ignoring her assistant’s last lovestruck comment.
Handsome?
How handsome could he be?
Could he outshine the fresh-faced actors in the cast?
"Yes, Director Xu is hugging Mr. Ma... uh, Mr. Ma refused the hug... hang on, sis, what’s happening? Mr. Ma looks very serious!"
"What’s there to wonder about, with a mess like this in the crew, Mr. Ma’s bad mood is normal, isn’t it?"
Yang Hongni replied indifferently, even casting a cold glance at the eavesdropping Chen He.
Upon hearing this, Chen He felt a wave of anxiety and was about to laugh it off, but Yang Hongni had already looked away.
At that moment, the phone on the other end went quiet for a moment, followed by the sound of static, and then a vague scolding voice.
Just as the frowning Yang Hongni was about to ask, her assistant whispered urgently:
"Oh my, what did I just hear... Sis, there’s big news, Director Xu was just fired by Mr. Ma!"
"???"