Chapter 5: Too Harsh, Scared Him
Chen Shuo’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t good, and his head was already a bit dizzy.
Before he went to the restroom, Liu Dasen had vowed to him that he had absolute authority over the film project, saying that not only a cameo, even a second male lead role wouldn’t be a problem.
He now realized that the small director did want to help him, but Liu Dasen wasn’t so straightforward.
What he wanted wasn’t compensation, but a favor. He probably heard from the small director that CEO He had invested in films and movies before, hoping that his personal assistant could help connect him and attract investment.
Sympathy couldn’t be eaten. Seeing that Assistant Chen remained silent, Liu Dasen stealthily gave his junior a look and put on a troubled expression.
“Assistant Chen, actually, it’s not impossible for us to sneak you in through the back door… it’s just, you know, the movie is a same-sex themed film, and the lead actor is Mr. Li’s person, you know what I mean? They’re currently very much in love, Mr. Li will definitely be present at the audition, it’s not convenient for me to arrange it.”
The small director echoed, “Yeah, especially for directors of our level, we’re like grandsons, we can only swallow our anger for fear of losing our jobs.”
Unable to listen to their double act any longer, Chen Shuo politely interrupted, “Thank you, Director Liu, there’s no need to open the back door for me.”
Liu Dasen was taken aback and immediately smiled, trying to backpedal, “I can’t give you a definite answer now, who knows how long Mr. Li will stay, right? I’ll see what I can do, wait for my news.”
The small director continued to echo, “I think that’s fine!”
Unsure when Li Ge would appear, Chen Shuo handed Lin Yuzhi’s personal information back to Liu Dasen, then sat down, no longer bothering with idle chatter, and went straight to the point.
He said, “I got this information from Mr. Li.”
Both directors were stunned at the same time.
The situation had inexplicably developed to this point. Chen Shuo still didn’t think that Li Ge was at odds with him, he just felt that Beicheng was really small, and so was the entertainment industry.
He decided to go with the flow and briefly explained to Liu Dasen, “Originally, Mr. Li should have given this to you personally, but he’s busy, and I didn’t want to bother him further.”
With a few words, he not only indicated Lin Yuzhi’s “importance” to Mr. Li, but also reasonably explained his actions today. Even if CEO He found out, he couldn’t find any fault.
Liu Dasen, having drunk the most, didn’t immediately understand and asked Chen Shuo, “Is this Lin Yuzhi the person Assistant Yu told me to give more scenes to this afternoon?”
Hearing this, Chen Shuo paused.
“So that’s what happened.” The small director said with a smile, “Assistant Chen, why didn’t you say so earlier? It turns out the person you’re recommending is the same person Mr. Li wants to arrange for.”
“Oh, oh, is that so?” Liu Dasen understood and quickly stood up to pour Chen Shuo some wine. He picked up the bottle and realized it was empty, so he quickly ordered his junior.
“Xiaohu, quickly get another bottle of wine, I want to toast Assistant Chen properly. Get two more bottles, Mr. Li will be here in a while, let’s have a good drink today, it’s on me!”
After going to the restroom earlier, Chen Shuo had discreetly paid the bill. The money he spent today was wasted. He endured the heartache and stopped the small director in time, preparing to leave, but the small director stopped him.
Soon, Liu Dasen also came over and pulled Chen Shuo, urging him to drink, refusing to let go, as if wanting to become sworn brothers on the spot.
Chen Shuo’s good professional ethics and conduct didn’t allow him to use force against the two directors, and besides, he needed to find an opportunity to go to the audition to confirm things.
He politely said, “Let go first.”
“It’s fate that we met, Assistant Chen, how old are you? Where are you from?” Liu Dasen introduced himself, “I’m thirty-one this year, from Northeast China, let’s be brothers?”
“…” Socializing was really too tiring. Chen Shuo hadn’t expected Liu Dasen to be like an octopus, both enthusiastic and clingy.
During the tussle, Liu Dasen’s long hair kept getting in his face. He tried to maintain his composure and said, “This suit I’m wearing cost a lot of money.”
Liu Dasen immediately let go, instead grabbing Chen Shuo’s hand, “Oh, Assistant Chen, you’re not giving me face, I didn’t even ask you to drink much, have another glass, okay? Xiaohu, quickly get the wine!”
“One glass.” Assistant Chen was forced to sit down.
“That’s right.” Liu Dasen also sat back, changing his previously ambiguous attitude, patting his chest and assuring Chen Shuo, “Brother, don’t worry, I’ll definitely take care of this. Assistant Yu spoke to me this afternoon. If his acting is good, he’ll get the third male lead, if not, the second male lead, both are supporting roles with a lot of scenes.”
Chen Shuo suddenly remembered the small incident on the fifth day. Li Ge had mentioned on the phone that the second male lead dies quickly.
Lin Yuzhi was also a troublesome person, so he asked, “Does the second male lead die quickly?”
“Oh, Mr. Li showed you the script?” Liu Dasen was quite confident in the script and said, “The second male lead dies at the beginning, but he has a lot of scenes. He’s the male lead’s lover. He gets AIDS due to an accident, then suffers from depression and commits suicide. The male lead can’t bear to part with him and chooses to live with his lover’s corpse.”
Chen Shuo: “…”
Liu Dasen: “Of course, this film has a deeper meaning, and also explores human nature. Love is only the most superficial aspect. As the corpse slowly rots and maggots—”
“That’s enough, no need to continue.” Chen Shuo wasn’t interested at all. Love, human nature, he just wanted to go home and rest.
Thinking that Chen Shuo found it too heavy, Liu Dasen started talking about something else, “Mr. Li has a good eye, he took a liking to this story and was so moved that he directly invested ten million. Actually, five million might have been too much. He’s my benefactor, you don’t know how many years I’ve waited for this opportunity.”
He didn’t seem so unreliable after all, at least to Liu Dasen.
To Chen Shuo, not being able to avoid Li Ge was just an accident. As an assistant, he didn’t have much power. He had done his best, and now accepting the situation was the most appropriate course of action.
It was considered a satisfactory resolution.
When the small director returned with three bottles of wine, Chen Shuo insisted on only having a small glass. After finishing, he didn’t stay long and stood up to leave.
“I’ve troubled both directors today. I’ll have to trouble Director Liu to make arrangements on the day of the audition. I need to go to the scene and confirm things with Lin Yuzhi.”
“No problem, no problem.” Liu Dasen couldn’t keep him any longer and urged his junior to see him off.
Chen Shuo glanced at his phone. Fortunately, it hadn’t taken too long, but his head was still uncomfortably dizzy.
He declined the small director’s offer, but the other party insisted on seeing him to the door, and he couldn’t refuse.
“Assistant Chen, did you drive here?” The small director asked.
As they approached the main entrance of Jinling Xuan, Chen Shuo stopped, “I’ll call a designated driver, you go back, thank you for today.”
“Oh, don’t mention it, I didn’t even help you.” The small director insisted on seeing him off, “Your face is a bit red, you don’t usually drink much, do you? Don’t faint, I’ll walk you to your car.”
“I’m fine, I won’t.” Chen Shuo refused.
“It’s not far, I’ll walk you, let’s go!”
“…”
Jinling Xuan was a high-end Chinese restaurant located in the bustling city center of Beicheng. It had an antique style, all private rooms, offering a private and comfortable dining environment.
But no matter how comfortable it was, Li Ge didn’t like coming here. It wasn’t a place for entertainment. What he said to Director Liu on the phone was purely to deceive He Yan. He hadn’t planned to come at all.
What was Liu’s status? Could he sit at the same table with him, drink with him?
Coincidentally, as Li Ge was on his way to the bar, almost passing by Jinling Xuan, he received a call from his mother.
Ms. Min was nagging him again, interrogating him like a prisoner, asking where he was going and why he wasn’t at the He family for the Lantern Festival dinner.
“Don’t think I don’t know your tricks!”
“Mom, why are you checking up on me? I’m focused on my career now, I’m seriously going to discuss a project with a director. I recently invested in a movie, do I have to record a video for you to believe your son?”
“Okay, Mom loves watching movies, what genre is it?”
“…”
How could Li Ge have imagined that his quick tongue would backfire? The movie was a same-sex themed film, and it also involved some necrophilia elements, how heavy was that? He couldn’t talk about it.
“Alright, Mom, can we have some trust between mother and son? I’ve arrived at the restaurant, I won’t talk to you anymore, I’ll take a photo for you to see.”
Quickly hanging up the phone, Li Ge drove into Jinling Xuan’s parking lot. After parking, he immediately got out of the car to take a photo and quickly sent it via WeChat to appease Ms. Min.
The night breeze was gentle, carrying a hint of coolness.
As Li Ge walked and dialed Director Liu’s number, just as the call connected, a slightly familiar voice reached his ears before the voice on the phone.
“The designated driver will be here soon, go inside.” Chen Shuo leaned against the car and rubbed his temples.
“It’s okay, I’ll sober up a bit.” The small director wanted to get closer to Chen Shuo and also leaned against the car, “You don’t know how much Director Liu can drink, he’s knocked me out several times.”
“Mr. Li, you’ve arrived?”
The parking lot was brightly lit. Li Ge immediately recognized the license plate number of the black Mercedes in front of him. The two men leaning against the car, one unkempt, the other in a suit.
The one in the suit was slightly bowing his head, his face unclear.
“Hello? Mr. Li? Where are you?”
“Liu Dasen,” Li Ge looked at the personal assistant surnamed Chen in front of him and asked the person on the phone, “Is Assistant Chen the one trying to shove trash my way?”
“No way, he’s trying to get Lin Yuzhi in, the person you asked me to arrange for. Assistant Chen was afraid of troubling you, he said you were busy, so he contacted me directly, that’s why there was a misunderstanding.”
After a moment of thought, Li Ge understood. He had been too harsh on the phone on the fifth day, scaring the little assistant. Chen Shuo didn’t dare to contact him again and deliberately avoided him, asking Yu Rui for Liu Dasen’s contact information.
But that physique in front of him, it really wasn’t small…
His head still hurt. Chen Shuo opened his phone to check the designated driver’s distance when he keenly sensed something. He looked up, his gaze meeting the man in front of him head-on.
