But behind the glitz and glamour lay "a trail of corpses."
There were so many handsome men and beautiful women, how many could truly make it big?
Because there were too many people trying to break into the entertainment industry, some unscrupulous companies emerged, specifically taking advantage of newcomers. Signing up was equivalent to selling oneself. Even if you couldn’t become famous, the entertainment company always found other ways to make money off you.
And what Ma Yuan said was effectively allowing Shen Yutong to skip the "selling oneself" phase because the most important things in the contract weren’t the profits, but the "duration" and "resources."
Actually, Zhou Wang didn’t have much of a concept of this, but he didn’t care to haggle over the details at the moment. The contract still had to be reviewed by a lawyer. For now, they were just discussing attitudes.
So Zhou Wang quickly raised a glass with Shen Yutong, "Let’s wish everyone a pleasant cooperation, and the new drama be a big hit!"
"Pleasant cooperation!"
After the toast amid laughter, it came to a part that Huaxia people didn’t really like, but was a must at such dinners—drinking rounds.
Fortunately, they were drinking champagne today, and as Zhou Wang saw it, getting drunk on this stuff wasn’t that easy, so he welcomed all comers.
Being the most dazzling guy in the room, Zhou Wang naturally received the most toasts. But at that moment, the perks of status came into play once again.
Firstly, Zhou Wang didn’t need to move, just sitting there waiting for others to come over. Secondly, when others toasted him, if he didn’t want to drink, he only needed to take a sip, but those toasting him had to finish their drink.
The dregs of the drinking culture... but Zhou Wang enjoyed it.
Aside from Zhou Wang, Chen He, being the second most dazzling guy today, also received a lot of enthusiasm.
Since Zhou Wang didn’t express his stance, Chen He didn’t rashly show his relationship with Zhou Wang, and Ma Yuan’s attitude was inscrutable. In others’ eyes, he remained "mystery in the background" and "extraordinary origins," so naturally, no one dared slight him.
Chen He seemed to revel in such moments, though he exercised restraint in front of Zhou Wang. But Zhou Wang could tell that it was hard for him to suppress the corners of his mouth.
Yet people are emotional creatures, and Zhou Wang didn’t see vanity as an issue. In fact, if it weren’t for Chen He’s strong sense of self-interest, how else could he have joined the wrong side and gifted Endme to him...
Huh, did I just curse myself?
The meal ended in a lively and bustling manner, with some people getting drunk while others didn’t.
When Zhou Wang went to the restroom, he happened to see a possibly drunk Chen He being helped back to the room by the female lead, Yang Hongni.
Zhou Wang lit a cigarette in the hallway, and after finishing it, still didn’t see Yang Hongni come out of Chen He’s room.
Zhou Wang immediately knew... Chen He was set for the night.
Shaking his head with a smile, Zhou Wang turned and left.
...
Nine o’clock in the evening.
After the dinner, Mr. Ma still wanted to continue partying with the old employees. Zhou Wang wasn’t interested in joining their after-party, even though that fourth female lead kept giving him suggestive glances.
After saying a word to Ma Yuan, Zhou Wang took Shen Yutong, Miao Ying, and the Yun sisters, plus Shen Yurou, whom Shen Yutong had called along, and took the five of them out of the hotel, planning to do some night touring in White City.
They strolled around the Ancient City of White City but found it wasn’t that interesting. Zhou Wang called up Ruan Jingwei, who had left before dinner, and asked the local expert to arrange something.
Thirty minutes later, Zhou Wang and the five women arrived at the White City port by Erhai, boarding a mid-sized luxury yacht.
The yacht belonged to Ruan Jingwei, typically idle and only used for entertaining big clients. It could comfortably accommodate over a dozen people, making Zhou Wang’s group feel plenty spacious on board.
It’s worth mentioning that Erhai also had large cruise ships for public transportation, but the experience was just average. Plus, there were additional charges on the ship, and the ticket prices weren’t cheap. According to Ruan Jingwei, it was better to rent a yacht privately, spending a couple thousand more for a session, for a great experience...
The yacht was equipped with a professional captain, a part-time stewardess, and a chef. After confirming with Zhou Wang and others, the captain started the vessel, and the yacht leisurely drifted along Erhai.
Zhou Wang looked around and directly took out the stocked wine from Ruan Jingwei’s yacht, opened a bottle of 21-year-old Balvenie whisky from Scotland for himself, and two bottles of Louis Roederer Cristal champagne for the girls.
The whisky was nearly two thousand a bottle, with the Louis Roederer Cristal champagne being relatively pricier. Zhou Wang remembered it should cost several thousand, but since neither were particularly extravagant drinks, he didn’t hesitate to help himself to Ruan Jingwei’s collection.
"Come on, let’s roll the dice!"
Sitting in the circular indoor sofa on the yacht’s lower deck, Zhou Wang actively called out.
Although he was the only guy, with Shen Yurou present, it wasn’t convenient for him to outright ask them to play "Angel Devil," as that would have been too overt, so he settled on bluffing.
Yet, moments later, Zhou Wang felt somewhat bored.
Primarily, it was the personalities of the girls in front of him, which didn’t quite match the atmosphere one would expect at a drinking table.
There was no need to mention Shen Yutong and Shen Yurou—their modesty and bashfulness were inheritances. Yun Rou and Yun Lan, on the other hand, showed some shyness due to certain concerns.
As a result, Zhou Wang was like a stand-up comedian, being the only one lively, which made him appear somewhat antisocial.
Additionally, none of these four women could hold their liquor well. Having already drunk a bit during dinner, even though they were just drinking champagne now, by the second round, they all started showing signs of intoxication.