Guo Wenyuan had booked a restaurant nearby in advance, and without having his assistant accompany him, the group of five headed to the restaurant.
While in the car, Shen Huai noticed that Song Yimian was very natural when facing Guo Wenyuan, as if the shadow of the past had gradually faded away from him.
In "The Red Performer," Song Yimian had most of his scenes with Guo Wenyuan. At first, he was indeed a little uncomfortable, but Guo Wenyuan was very professional and often gave him pointers. He was completely different from the terrifying figure in Song Yimian's memory.
In truth, Song Yimian wasn't entirely oblivious. He noticed some strange things about Ye Cang and Chu Meibo, the familiarity Chu Meibo sometimes showed with Guo Wenyuan during their conversations, and the relationships between these people and Shen Huai. However, Song Yimian's strength lay in his inclination to never pry. He only knew that the people he knew had all provided him with significant help.
So, after finishing the meal, Song Yimian made an excuse to go back and read the script, and left early, leaving the four of them alone.
Once Song Yimian left, Guo Wenyuan became somewhat reserved. He had noticed that Pei Ran was acting strangely, but he hadn't realized his true identity until Shen Huai introduced him.
Unlike Director Xie, who entered the industry because of Pei Ran, for filmmakers of his generation, Pei Ran was like the bright moon in the sky, impossible to ignore. Even Lao Guo, who usually didn't care about anything, became much more reserved in front of Pei Ran.
Chu Meibo was much more natural in comparison; after all, everyone present was her junior.
Pei Ran glanced at the screen and immediately realized the key point. He had watched Chu Meibo and Guo Wenyuan's scenes together and felt a mutual respect between them. In addition, since they were "colleagues," this situation was clearly not conducive to future friendship. So he subtly changed the subject and brought up the play "Red Actress".
When the conversation turned to professional topics, the three of them clearly had more to say and soon found themselves chatting happily. Lao Guo and Chu Meibo even took out their phones and exchanged WeChat contacts with Pei Ran.
If they knew the true identities of the three, the scene before them would be truly surreal. However, the three adapted well, and Lao Guo had already started inviting Pei Ran to play games together next time.
Shen Huai: "..."
He was almost at a loss for words, but seeing the three big shots reminded him of Ye Cang. However, he had just checked Ye Cang's schedule and it would probably take a few more days.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the private room. Shen Huai thought it was someone serving the food and casually said, "Come in."
The door was slowly pushed open, and a man wearing a hat and sunglasses slipped in. Shen Huai suddenly stood up.
Ye Cang leaned back and closed the door, then took off his sunglasses: "Ah Huai, good evening!"
Shen Huai was both surprised and delighted: "Weren't you still out there doing promotional appearances? How come..."
Ye Cang laughed: "I asked Director Ming to keep it a secret from you, I was planning to give you a surprise!"
Shen Huai took a step forward, seemingly wanting to hug Ye Cang, but then realized that they weren't at home, so he paused.
Ye Cang took a step forward and hugged the other person tightly.
Shen Huai reached out and hugged the other person back before letting go, unconsciously adjusting his glasses to hide his excitement.
Ye Cang casually intertwined his fingers with his and sat down.
On the other side, the three big shots who were forced to eat dog food couldn't stand it anymore. Guo Wenyuan coughed lightly and said, "Comrade Ye Cang, I understand that you two are expressing your feelings after being separated for a long time, but at least spare us three living people some attention."
Shen Huai had suddenly become excited and couldn't control his emotions for a moment. Now that he had come to his senses, he felt a little embarrassed, so he could only make an excuse to go and get more food and temporarily leave the private room.
Compared to Shen Huai, Ye Cang was much more shameless: "Comrade Guo, you should be aware of being a third wheel. Look at the other two, they haven't said a word."
Chu Meibo glanced at Ye Cang with a half-smile: "I originally thought that you and Xiao Shen were busy with work and rarely saw each other, so I was going to leave after dinner to give you two some space. But now, I feel that as a third wheel, I should stay a little longer."
Pei Ran: "I second that."
Ye Cang: "..."
Guo Wenyuan looked at the bewildered Ye Cang and immediately slapped the table and burst into laughter.
When Shen Huai returned with the extra dishes, he saw Ye Cang and Lao Guo arguing endlessly again, while Chu Meibo and Pei Ran watched with smiles.
Shen Huai: "..."
Previously, only Sister Mei was watching the play, but now it seems we'll have to add more seats.
However, when it comes to eloquence, Ye Cang couldn't beat Lao Guo, and in the end, he could only reluctantly admit defeat. Lao Guo was in a good mood and drank a few more cups. When he went to the toilet, he happened to run into Ye Cang there.
Old Guo was still smug, after all, Sister Mei and Pei Ran were big shots who couldn't be messed with, and Xia Shiyu was a goddess whom he couldn't bear to offend, so only Ye Cang could give him the pleasure of verbal sparring.
Unexpectedly, Ye Cang suddenly asked, "Do you know Pei Ran's identity?"
Old Guo raised an eyebrow: "Of course I know."
Ye Cang: "Oh, so do you know about his relationship with Tang Wanjun?"
Guo: "?!?"
Ye Cang said with pity, "I sympathize with you, really."
Chapter 154
After Ye Cang finished speaking, he left leisurely, leaving Old Guo feeling as if he had been struck by lightning.
So when the two returned to the private room, everyone noticed that Lao Guo, who had been so smug before, was now as listless as an eggplant that had been hit by frost.
Shen Huai looked at Ye Cang with a questioning gaze, only to receive a gloating shrug in return.
Guo Wenyuan glanced at Pei Ran several times, but hesitated, unsure of how to speak.
In the past, Pei Ran might have noticed, but he happened to be talking to Chu Meibo about making a movie. Chu Meibo thought Pei Ran was an actor like her, but she didn't expect him to want to be a director. However, after talking with Pei Ran, she realized that he wasn't just talking casually; he really had a plan to carry it out.
Chu Meibo thought for a moment and said, "How about I recommend a screenwriter to you?"
Pei Ran gestured for her to continue.
Chu Meibo: "Her name is Tang Tang. Although her resume before this was all romance films, I have read the script. She is a very thoughtful and capable screenwriter. When I chatted with her, she said that she wanted to write a story about your era and had been researching related materials. If you don't have a better option, you can give her a try."
Although Pei Ran has extensive experience in film and has tried various roles, he is really bad at writing. Even if he has the overall plot of the film in his mind, it is really difficult to turn it into a script on paper.