The actors at Hengdian prepared for a dinner party.
It was a chance to bond.
The director of this collaboration was a woman. Jiang Mian had heard that she was easy-going but also serious and strict when working.
She had watched some of the director's previous works in advance, as a way to understand her better.
The group chat notification was sent out at seven in the evening.
Jiang Mian applied some makeup before heading to the gathering.
She had met the director a few times during discussions about the collaboration details.
They weren't strangers.
When she arrived, Ling He was already there. The empty seat beside him was clearly reserved for her, the female lead.
They greeted each other.
The director's name was Ming Xia, and she was also a writer of some renown.
Seeing that everyone had arrived, Ming Xia said, "We can start serving the food. Let's eat."
"Here's to a smooth start to our filming!"
"Cheers, everyone!"
"Cheers!"
The atmosphere quickly became lively, and everyone chatted amongst themselves.
Ming Xia tilted her head and asked, "Mianmian, how have you been with the script?"
Jiang Mian put down her chopsticks. "I was just about to discuss it with you. Regarding the later transformation of Jiuli, there's a part in the script where she isn't..."
Ling He lowered his head, holding his phone, having taken a few bites. Others tactfully didn't disturb him.
He opened WeChat.
Ling He: [Has Bella had her bath yet?]
Bella was a dog that Ling He owned, currently staying with Zhao Xinxin.
Zhao Xinxin: [She has.]
Ling He: [Don't feed her too much dog food.]
Zhao Xinxin: [Okay.]
His brow furrowed slightly. He was clearly displeased with Zhao Xinxin's cold attitude.
Ling He: [?]
Zhao Xinxin: [What is it!]
Ling He: [Is there nothing else you want to say?]
Zhao Xinxin: [No!]
After sending this message, there was no further reply from the other side.
Zhao Xinxin clutched her phone, waiting for a few minutes, certain that this man wouldn't reply.
She pouted. "So stingy!"
Bella returned from her walk with a servant and rushed into her arms.
Zhao Xinxin sat on the carpet, hugging Bella's neck. "Good Bella! Let me kiss you! Do you miss your owner?"
Bella stretched out its tongue and licked her cheek, giving a bark.
Zhao Xinxin nodded. "So you do miss her. Alright Bella, let's video call your owner."
Bella was a Samoyed, with a very heartwarming smile. It squatted to the side, waiting for Zhao Xinxin to make the call.
She initiated a video call to Ling He.
The phone in her hand vibrated. Ling He glanced down and then hung up.
"Stingy Ling He! He didn't even pick up my call!" Zhao Xinxin held her phone, her small face flushed with anger.
The phone buzzed twice. She opened WeChat.
Ling He: [I'm at a cast dinner, it's inconvenient. I'll call you back at the hotel.]
Zhao Xinxin hummed softly.
As if sensing her unhappiness, Bella picked up a round ball from the coffee table and dropped it into her lap.
Zhao Xinxin patted its head. "I won't talk to your owner anymore. Shall we play a game with Bella?"
The private room party was in full swing.
Ling He, who hadn't received a reply from Zhao Xinxin, smirked and put away his phone.
Amidst the lively atmosphere, the private room door was suddenly pushed open.
"What a lively party."
Everyone looked up.
The doorway was completely blocked by four or five people.
The person in the lead raised his wine glass and said to Ming Xia, "I heard Director Jiang is dining here, so I came specifically to toast you."
Ming Xia stood up. "Director Li."
"I just came to say hello. Please, carry on. You're all like family," Director Li said, looking around. "Director Ming, won't you have a drink with me?"
Ming Xia smiled and raised her glass. "Of course, I must have a drink with Director Li."
With that, she finished her drink first, flashing her empty glass to Director Li, signaling him to drink up.
"Alright! A true hero! Let my two juniors toast you as well!" Director Li said, glancing back. "Nan Wei, Jing Zhou, come and say hello to Director Ming."
Nan Wei smiled sweetly. "Hello, Director Ming. It's my first time meeting you. I'd like to toast you. I hope I'll have the opportunity to collaborate with you in the future."
She held a wine glass in her hand, clearly prepared.
Jiang Mian's eyebrows furrowed. She knew Director Ming couldn't drink much and hadn't seen her drink much earlier.
Director Ming smiled. "Of course, if there's an opportunity."
"Then I'll drink first, Director Ming, please drink at your leisure."
After she finished her toast, Jing Zhou said, "I'd also like to toast Director Ming. I've seen your work and deeply admire it. I hope for the opportunity to collaborate. I'll drink first, Director Ming, please drink at your leisure."
With that, he didn't give Director Ming a chance to refuse and downed his drink.
Director Ming took a deep breath. "Alright, alright. We'll collaborate if there's an opportunity."
Director Li chuckled. "How are they? Are my two juniors polite enough?"
"They are indeed very polite."
"I specifically brought a few people to greet you. There's still Xiao Yuan, come and say hello to Director Ming," Director Li turned and said.
Jiang Mian understood. This group of people had come to intimidate their film crew.
They were deliberately targeting Director Ming, forcing her to drink.
Just as she was about to stand up, a playful voice sounded in her ear.
"Then, by that logic, shouldn't we also offer Director Li a toast?" Ling He stood up.
"Yes, yes."
"We should toast Director Ming too."
The others chimed in.
Someone near the door smartly invited them in, then closed the private room door.
Ling He spoke slowly, his tone icy. "How can you be so oblivious? Hurry up and refill Director Li's glass!"
"No... no need..." Before Director Li could refuse, his wine glass was snatched away.
Then it was placed back in his hand.
Ling He: "It's fate that we've met. I'll toast Director Li first. I'll drink up, Director Li, please drink at your leisure."
Someone refilled his glass.
"I'll toast Director Li too."
Jiang Mian stood up, a smile on her lips. "Don't forget Jing Zhou and Nan Wei. They came together. Don't be shy, we'll toast you too."
"Yes, yes."
"Everyone, don't rush. Let's toast one by one."
Nan Wei saw that the situation was not good. She took a step back and glanced at the door, whispering to Jing Zhou beside her, "I can't drink that much. I'm leaving first."
"Where is Nan Wei going?" Someone asked with a smile, putting an arm around her shoulder. "Come, have a drink."
Nan Wei said timidly, "I... I can't hold my liquor..."
"Oh, just one glass. Are you looking down on me if you don't drink?"
"Of course not." How could she dare to accept such a label? It would sound terrible if it got out.
"Then have a drink!"
"Just one glass?"
"Of course!"
Nan Wei held her breath and finished the glass of wine.
The person next to her grabbed her arm again. "She's finished drinking with you, should it be my turn now?"
"Didn't you say just one glass?"
"Yes. You have a drink with her, and then you have a drink with me. It's still just one glass each."
Nan Wei tugged at Jing Zhou and whispered for help. "I really can't drink this much. Can you drink a couple of glasses for me?"
Jing Zhou's eyes narrowed, clearly displeased.
What did this woman take him for?
If she couldn't drink that much, did he expect to?
Seeing his lack of reaction, Nan Wei narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. "I'm someone Luo Fei vouches for. Don't forget that."
Luo Fei had given Jing Zhou quite a few benefits. Even for his sake, Jing Zhou was obligated to drink this glass for her!
As expected, Jing Zhou's expression soured, but he still reached out. "I'll drink this glass for her."
"Hey, Jing Zhou, don't rush. If you want to drink, drink with me. Why are you snatching from a young lady?" the assistant director said with a smile, snatching the wine glass from his hand and shoving it into Nan Wei's.
Then, without even looking at Nan Wei, he put an arm around Jing Zhou and walked him inside. "Come, come, let's have a drink..."
Nan Wei watched Jing Zhou walk away from her, her eyes almost glued to him.
The person next to her blocked her vision with a chuckle. "Come, Nan Wei, I'm toasting you. We're both filming in Hengdian, so it's fate."
Nan Wei forced a smile. "It is fate."
It was just a cursed fate, she thought bitterly.
"Don't refuse to drink. Look, I've finished mine."
Nan Wei stared at the glass of white wine in her hand and gritted her teeth, finishing it.
Later, Nan Wei couldn't remember how much she had drunk.
She only remembered that she had drunk all three types of alcohol: red, white, and beer, none of them spared.
When she was finally allowed to leave the private room by the Jiuli crew, she vomited as soon as she stepped out.
Jing Zhou wasn't much better. Both of them were in a sorry state, vomiting.
Nan Wei straightened up and cursed, "Useless."
Jing Zhou's face was grim. There was no one else around but him.
It was clear she was cursing at him. "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You couldn't even block a few glasses of wine for me?"
"There were so many people in their private room, and we were only a few. How could we possibly drink more than them?"
Jing Zhou had drunk quite a bit and was already unhappy.
Nan Wei's words struck him at the height of his anger, and he retorted without hesitation.
"A grown man who can't even handle his liquor?" Nan Wei's tone was contemptuous.
Jing Zhou felt suffocated. The people in the private room had made sure to ply him with alcohol.
No matter how good his tolerance was, he couldn't withstand so many people!
Seeing that he had no more excuses, Nan Wei snorted and turned to leave.
Leaving Jing Zhou standing alone.
Inside the private room.
Ling He leaned back, emptying his mind.
Jiang Mian pushed a glass of honey water towards his table. "I asked the waiter to bring this up. Drink some to sober up."
Ling He moved his eyelids and looked over. "Thanks."
He hadn't drunk much, only about seven or eight glasses forced upon Director Li.
This amount of alcohol was nothing to him.
Director Ming took a sip of the honey water to soothe her throat and smiled. "Thank you all for earlier."
She felt a warmth in her heart. Ling He had protected her, and Director Li had been carried out after being plied with drinks.
"It's nothing, we're all family."
"Yes, who told them to be so arrogant and bully our Director Ming!"
"When our Jiuli airs, we'll show them!"
Director Ming smiled with relief. "We just need to do our best and strive to make Jiuli the best it can be."
"Cheers!"
"Let's work hard together!"
"Cheers!"
Jiang Mian returned to her hotel late at night.
She made a call to the man.
Through the video, she saw that the light in Ji Zixiu's study was still on. To the left of his desk was a thick stack of documents.
The man's sleeves were rolled up, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose added a touch of scholarly elegance.
Jiang Mian lay on the bed, dangling her feet and propping her chin. Her expression was charming. "You won't believe it, that Director Li was so annoying! He made our Director Ming drink so much!"
Ji Zixiu glanced at her flushed face. "Did you drink too much?"
Jiang Mian shook her head. "No."
She said proudly, "I was going to drink in Director Ming's place if they kept forcing her, but then Ling He led us in retaliating."
"You know Ling He, right? I co-starred with him in my previous drama, though we didn't have any scenes together."
"We start shooting tomorrow! This drama! I'm the female lead!" she chuckled, very happy.
From a supporting role to the female lead, she had put in a lot of effort.
"I also have to thank Ye Yi for giving me this opportunity. This is our company's self-produced drama," Jiang Mian chattered on like a gossip.
Hearing her mention Ye Yi, Ji Zixiu knew that even if she wasn't drunk, she had drunk quite a bit.
"You've drunk too much," he said softly.
Jiang Mian slowly shook her head. "I really haven't! Believe me!"
She had only had three or four, five or six cups.
Back in the day, when she had struggled alone in the entertainment industry, this much alcohol was nothing to her.
Ji Zixiu didn't argue with her, gently coaxing her. "Go take a bath and go to sleep, okay?"
Jiang Mian nodded. "Okay."
She rolled over and got up, taking her phone into the bathroom and placing it on the shelf.
"I'm going to take a bath."
Ji Zixiu nodded slightly. "Alright, you take your bath."
The next second, Jiang Mian started to undress.
Ji Zixiu quickly stopped her. "Mianmian!"
Jiang Mian paused her hand, which was removing her skirt, and leaned closer to the camera, her face looking exceptionally innocent. "What is it?"