Restaurant.
Inside the private room.
"Mr. Zhou."
"We're here."
"Where's the honored guest?"
The few won who ca in were all smiling.
Mr. Zhou quickly stood up with a broad smile, motioning for them to co over. Then he pointed in Dong Xuebing's direction, "Over there, make sure to entertain him well."
Dong Xuebing was sitting at the head position, and they all saw him imdiately. They were surprised that Mr. Zhou was so respectful to such a young man, as they had assud it would be a middle-aged man with a big belly like before. Without asking any questions, they went up to Dong Xuebing, chirping like birds, squeezing out Yu ixia as they tried to sit beside Dong Xuebing.
Yu ixia was a bit unhappy, but with her soft personality, she couldn't say anything.
Though she didn’t speak up, Dong Xuebing did. Before they could sit down, he waved his hand. "Don't sit here. I'm not used to it."
The won looked a bit embarrassed.
Mr. Zhou said, "Please ensure Mr. Dong is well taken care of."
Dong Xuebing imdiately replied, "I don't need to be entertained. I can eat by myself."
The words were a bit blunt, but Mr. Zhou wasn't surprised. Seeing that Dong Xuebing was not receptive, he had no choice but to say, "Just sit wherever you like."
The young actresses blinked and found empty seats to sit down.
Only then did Yu ixia feel better. Her expression improved a lot. She even sat up straighter as if wanting to compete with them, feeling jealous.
Dong Xuebing didn't think much of the young actresses, but Yu ixia amused him. He nudged her foot under the table.
Seeing Dong Xuebing, Yu ixia blushed and hurriedly whispered, "I didn't an anything by it. You... you have a wife, so it's not appropriate."
Dong Xuebing said, "I know."
He did know. Despite his flirtatious nature, he was also very principled. Of course, it could also be said that Dong Xuebing was very picky. The ones he fancied were usually gorgeous. Everyone's beauty standards differ, but in Dong Xuebing's eyes, the young actresses who ca in were not even half as pretty as Yu ixia. This was why Dong Xuebing didn’t even glance at them.
The al began.
Everyone was cheerfully eating.
Mr. Zhou stood up first. "Mr. Dong and Ms. Yu, I propose a toast to both of you. I'm truly sorry about today. Deeply sorry. I'll drink first as an apology. You both can do as you please." He then gulped down a full glass. Seeing this, General Manager Wu and the other company executives also offered a toast.
Yu ixia didn't know how to drink and didn't touch her glass.
Dong Xuebing also didn’t drink, continuing to eat without acknowledging them.
The young actresses noticed the situation and, at Mr. Zhou's urging, also started offering toasts to Dong Xuebing to lighten the mood.
"Mr. Dong, have a drink."
"Handso, I toast to you."
The young actresses also drank their alcohol.
Dong Xuebing continued eating and drinking, though he drank plain water. However, unlike his treatnt of Mr. Zhou and the other company executives, Dong Xuebing was much more lenient with the young actresses. At least he didn't ignore them and said, "I drove here, so I can't drink."
Ring ring ring.
Soone's phone rang.
It was the young man from the company. He took the call, whispered a few words, then nodded twice and hung up, leaning over to whisper sothing to Mr. Zhou.
Mr. Zhou nodded, then turned around and said, "Excuse , everyone, I need to use the restroom."
With that, he left the private room and walked down the hallway, looking around for soone.
Across the hall, there was a bit of commotion, so murmuring, and a few exclamations. It was pretty chaotic.
Following the noise, Mr. Zhou saw a woman around twenty-six or twenty-seven years old quickly taking sunglasses out of her bag and putting them on. The surrounding diners and restaurant staff had recognized her, pointing and whispering among themselves. A few bold individuals even approached her for an autograph. But before the woman could respond, Mr. Zhou hurriedly pushed away those seeking autographs and guided the woman inside.
"Is that Chen Ying?"
"It must be her."
"Didn't expect to see her here."
"I'm a fan of hers. I loved her previous movie."
"Yeah, she was amazing in it. I have to get her autograph later."
Amid the chatter, Mr. Zhou and Chen Ying walked further inside. She was dressed in a long trench coat, reasonably attractive but not overly stunning. She was only of average beauty in the entertainnt industry, which is filled with beautiful won. However, those who had seen her films knew she was an excellent actress.
"Mr. Zhou, what's going on?" Chen Ying asked.
Mr. Zhou was exceptionally courteous to her. "Yingying, the company is in big trouble this ti. We offended soone, and they stopped our film and TV show production."
Chen Ying was stunned. "Is it a leader of the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television?"
"I don't know who he is, but he's not ordinary." Mr. Zhou sighed. "The person is in the private room now. I had a hard ti inviting him here. Whether we succeed directly affects the company's survival. We've known each other for a long ti, and I've always treated you well, haven't I?"
Chen Ying replied, "Without you, there wouldn't be ."
Mr. Zhou earnestly said, "I've never forced you to do anything you didn't want to, right?"
"Yes." Chen Ying nodded. "I've always been grateful for that. I rember it clearly."
"Although I've asked you to drink with people, that's normal socializing. But I've never asked you to do anything else because I value you. My daughter died in a car accident years ago, and you look a lot like her. I..." Mr. Zhou was genuinely emotional, his eyes turning red. He genuinely cared for Chen Ying because she resembled his deceased daughter. Despite significant opposition, he insisted on casting her as the lead in a TV series. After all, they were the investors, and the director had to listen to them. Otherwise, no one would have dared to cast a fresh graduate with no formal acting training as the lead. Chen Ying ultimately proved herself with that series, which brought her to the audience's attention and more lucrative roles. In the following years, many movies and TV shows produced by Mr. Zhou's company continued to feature Chen Ying in significant roles, even if the script or role wasn't the best fit for her.
Chen Ying was naturally aware of this and deeply grateful. In her few years in the industry, she had never experienced any unspoken rules. "Just tell what you want to do."
Mr. Zhou hesitated long before saying, "The honored guest inside..."
Chen Ying was silent for a mont. "I understand."
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