Chapter 43: The Cast Banquet

After a somewhat bumpy month and a half, the filming in Nanjing was nearing its end. Following more than a month of getting used to one another, regardless of their actual feelings, everyone could now be considered old acquaintances.

Especially Jiang Suying. Although her acting journey had been full of stumbles, her interpersonal skills were quite impressive; over the past month, she had become very familiar with the main cast and crew, both in front of and behind the camera. She and the female lead, Kan Qingzi, had grown as close as best friends.

Zhang Qianjun could only sigh in admiration. After the movie's release, the pair most likely to be pitted against each other in malicious comparisons would be these two. He wondered if she would still be able to treat Kan Qingzi as a best friend with such complete ease when that time came.

After finishing the day's shoot, all of Ye Qing and Han Geng's scenes came to an end. That evening, a wrap banquet was held to bid farewell to the two supporting leads.

At the banquet, Han Geng took the initiative to raise a glass to thank everyone in the crew, rambling on for quite a bit before downing his drink in one go.

Having spent this time together, although rumor had it that this guy was quite arrogant, he seemed alright on set. Ah, what a pity that he was a loose-lipped legal illiterate; it would be best to minimize cooperation with him in the future.

Next, Ye Qing stood up to express her gratitude to the crew with a similarly formulaic speech. To everyone's surprise, this slender girl with dimpled smiles on her cheeks picked up a two-ounce shot glass filled with baijiu and drained it in a single gulp. A sudden roar of enthusiastic cheers erupted across the large private dining room.

Zhang Qianjun clicked his tongue in amazement. What she had just downed was fifty-three-degree Blue Flower Thirty.

Following that, the crew members began exchanging toasts and networking.

Zhang Qianjun discovered that these actresses were truly formidable. Kan Qingzi was a lightweight compared to the rest, while Jiang Suying, Zhang Yao, and Wang Jiajia were each more capable of holding their liquor than the last, raising their glasses again and again. Although none of them repeated Ye Qing's stunt of chugging a full glass all at once, judging by their momentum, any of them could easily put away a pound of baijiu.

As the male and female leads, Zhang Qianjun and Kan Qingzi were inevitably the main targets of everyone's attention. Before long, Kan Qingzi's eyes began to glaze over. Seeing this, Zhang Qianjun tapped the table with his wine glass.

"Everyone, Qingzi really can't drink anymore. Any more and she'll be totally gone. Please be merciful and let her off this once."

At this, the crowd began to hoot and holler, and several of the actresses grew even more spirited.

Zhang Yao, who looked like she could drink anyone under the table, was the first to chime in:

"Already starting to dote on your girlfriend, huh? The young couple is certainly affectionate. No, I must hurry home and make my man take some notes."

Wang Jiajia was also someone who loved to stir the pot:

"Exactly, exactly! He protects his girlfriend and won't let her drink, while the rest of us lonely souls have nobody to care for us. Just thinking about it makes me feel so pitiful."

"Make Boss Zhang drink in Qingzi's place!"

"Right, right! Boss Zhang has a massive capacity; take your girlfriend's share as well!"

As everyone chimed in with teasing remarks, Zhang Qianjun realized this wouldn't do—passively defending wasn't going to solve anything. So, he picked up his glass and started making the rounds to toast everyone proactively.

After two rounds, the teasing voices died down, and both the director and producer began to urge him to stop.

The reason was simple: before he even started making the rounds, Zhang Qianjun had already consumed over half a pound of liquor. Now that two full rounds were complete, two newly opened bottles of baijiu were already empty. The movie hadn't even finished filming yet; if the male lead were actually drunk into a hospital and production ground to a halt, none of these people could shoulder that responsibility.

So, returning to his seat, Zhang Qianjun picked up a large bottle of yogurt and began gulping it down frantically to soothe the burning sensation of the alcohol. A moment later, a wave of urgency hit him. Noticing that the private room's restroom was occupied, he stood up and left the room to use the public washroom outside.

Before leaving, he instructed his assistant and bodyguard to keep a close eye on Kan Qingzi, then walked unsteadily toward the restroom.

As he reached the corner of the corridor and spotted the sign for the washroom, the moment he turned the corner, he collided with someone.

"Mmh~"

A short, dainty moan escaped from beneath his feet. Zhang Qianjun didn't even sway, but the person opposite him was knocked to the ground. Seeing this, he hurriedly stepped forward to help.

"I'm so sorry, did you take a fall? I'm terribly sorry, I didn't notice anyone there."

"It's fine, it was my carelessness too. I was just—"

The person in front of him raised her head and suddenly fell silent. Double-lidded large eyes, a fair oval face adorned with small dimples, and a pair of tiny, white canine teeth visible through slightly parted lips. In the December chill of Nanjing, she wore a white high-necked fleece sweater paired with a red-and-black knee-length plaid skirt.

For some reason, looking at this face that resembled both Jiang Zuping and Ryoko Hirosue, Zhang Qianjun suddenly lost his voice, as if captivated by her upward-tilted gaze.

"The ground is a bit cold."

Finally, she broke the silence first.

Hearing this, Zhang Qianjun hurriedly pulled her up.

"Are you alright?"

"Not really."

Given this unorthodox response, Zhang Qianjun didn't know what to say for a moment.

"I'll have my driver take you to the hospital."

She broke into a bright smile, revealing her white, delicate canine teeth.

"Just making a little joke, and you actually took it seriously."

Immediately afterward, a look of profound curiosity crossed her face.

"Are the dozen or so people who follow you around every day all drivers?"

Hearing this quirky question, Zhang Qianjun smiled.

"Any of them can double as a driver."

She looked up at the man standing before her.

"Do you know? When she first joined the crew, she gave us quite a shock. One van, one RV, plus a Mercedes-Benz S-Class, with an actress bringing five women and two men—seven people trailing her just to shoot a movie. At the time, I honestly thought Fan Xiaopang had arrived."

Zhang Qianjun chuckled softly.

"There were some minor issues beforehand, so there are a bit more people. They're all company employees."

Her forty-five-degree upward gaze continued to probe him.

"All of them are employees of your company?"

Looking at this delicate and clean face, Zhang Qianjun felt a slight sense of oddity, but still answered:

"Some of them are her assistant and manager. Aren't you worried about your health after drinking that much?"

She blinked her eyes.

"I'm from Yakeshi in Hulunbuir; drinking is just the most common way people socialize up there."

Zhang Qianjun remained silent. He felt he should leave now—offer a polite farewell, go to the restroom to relieve himself, and then return to the banquet table to fulfill his duties as the male lead.

"You know, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel like you're very curious about me."

She refused to let him off so easily. Perhaps partly because she had also consumed quite a bit of alcohol, a flush of red bloomed across her normally slender and pale cheeks.

Zhang Qianjun decided to follow his instincts.

"I am quite curious. Are you really Sister Xia's—oh, I mean, Liu Shishi's girlfriend?"

Hahahaha! The girl laughed uncontrollably.

"We are very good friends, but not in the way you're thinking. Why do you call her Sister Xia?"

Zhang Qianjun looked at the girl opposite him, suddenly finding her thin lips exceptionally crystal-clear.

"Whether it's the look in her eyes on screen or the way she looks at men in reality, I feel she thoroughly deserves that title."

She looked somewhat surprised.

"You know all about her and 576?"

Zhang Qianjun nodded.

"I've heard a thing or two."

After another few seconds of silence, the girl raised her head once more, her forty-five-degree upward gaze shimmering with an unreadable brilliance.

"Having been on the crew for so long, apart from greeting each other when I first arrived, this is only our second time talking. The first time you saw me, you seemed awfully strange. Can I know why?"

Looking into those bright eyes, Zhang Qianjun felt a sense of impending trouble.

"You look a lot like my high school girlfriend."

She laughed again upon hearing this.

"And now? Do you still think I look like her?"

Zhang Qianjun shook his head.

"Not anymore. You're quite unique."

She took half a step forward.

"How so?"

Zhang Qianjun swallowed hard.

"I have a girlfriend."

"So do I."

Zhang Qianjun felt as though he had taken a critical hit.

She had no intention of letting him off.

"You like me."

Zhang Qianjun hurriedly denied it.

"I like the kind with fair skin, a beautiful face, big breasts, a tiny waist, a round butt, and long legs. You're too skinny; you don't fit my aesthetic."

She took another half-step forward, her slender frame cornering the tall man against the wall like a bully.

"Your eyes aren't saying that."

Zhang Qianjun took a deep breath.

"This isn't right."

She spoke as if talking to herself:

"If you don't say anything, no one will ever know."

Zhang Qianjun felt an uncanny sensation. He felt like a frog, and the quiet, delicate, and slender girl before him was like a hot spring from which he could never leap away.

This won't do. Legs, be obedient—it's time to leave.

"I should get back."

"She's dead asleep. Her two assistants, her two female bodyguards, and her driver waiting at the door will take proper care of her."

It seemed she had made up her mind.

"I'm heading back to the capital tomorrow. Just this once—if you don't want to, I'll leave right now."

His surging blood became completely uncontrollable. Zhang Qianjun pulled her directly into his arms, shoved open the nearby fire exit door, and stepped into the stairwell. Her slender arms immediately wrapped tightly around his neck, passionately responding to his lips.

-----------------

That night, Zhang Qianjun opened the room door on tiptoe. Although he tried to be as careful as possible, the sound of the electronic lock still woke the little assistant lying on the sofa.

Looking at her boss, the little assistant seemed to have a flood of emotions she wanted to express, but she still got up, walked over, and whispered in his ear:

"She's sleeping soundly. Boss, go take a shower. Leave all the clothes you take off by the bathroom door, and I'll take them away."

Zhang Qianjun felt extraordinarily awkward, but still whispered his thanks.

"Xiaoyu, thank you for your hard work."

The little assistant adjusted her glasses.

"Just doing my job."