Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Yu (2 bottles);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 47
Jiang Lai was very disappointed that she couldn't go to Disneyland, and even more disappointed that she couldn't go with Lin Zhi. It's not easy for the two of them to find time together, and she didn't know when the next time would be.
Although it was a bit of a disappointment, Jiang Lai felt much happier after getting compensation from Lin Zhi.
"Ms. Lin, what happened to your neck?" Anna asked with concern, staring at the bandage on Lin Zhi's neck.
Lin Zhi raised her hand to cover the band-aid, her expression somewhat unnatural: "Uh, I cut myself with the eyebrow trimmer."
How could an eyebrow razor have cut your neck?
Lin Zhi: ......
Didn't anyone teach her not to ask questions she shouldn't ask?
Jiang Lai walked over, handed the luggage to the driver, then went between the two of them, put her arms around their shoulders, and said with a smile, "I was shaving Sister Lin's hair last night, and my hands were shaking."
Anna peeked at Lin Zhi's neck; it was fair and smooth, and didn't look like it had any hair at all.
She then wondered, is General Lin really that heavy?
Jiang Lai can't lie, it must be President Lin's body hair! Let's not ask anymore, girls are embarrassed to say they have a lot of body hair, and President Lin, no matter how strong a woman she is, is still a girl.
The group got into the car and headed to the production crew's hotel. Today was the day before filming, and the director would arrange for the artists to meet. They were all Jiang Lai's seniors. Before setting off, Lin Zhi paid for some local specialty pastries from S City for everyone and had Jiang Lai personally deliver them, as a courtesy from the juniors.
On the morning of the recording, the camera was going into the artist's room to film what the artist looked like when they got up early, so no room was booked for the artist and assistant. However, because Nan Moxi was not coming, Jiang Lai only had two rooms available, and there were no other empty rooms, so Lin Zhi had to squeeze into a room with Anna.
Xia Fanrou hasn't arrived yet, but all six regular guests have. I heard there's a special guest, but I don't know who it is yet. They're flying to S City tonight.
Jiang Lai, carrying the small cakes Lin Zhi had bought, knocked on each door to greet everyone. Everyone was very polite and didn't make things difficult for her because she was a newcomer. Su Yi was the first person Jiang Lai knocked on, and she generously took Jiang Lai to meet the others.
Su Yi started as a child star and has won many awards in her early thirties, but they were all for supporting roles. She has never won a major award. In recent years, she has switched to variety shows.
"Teacher Su, I've always wanted to meet you. There's a question that's been on my mind for a long time. I used to watch your dramas a lot when I was in college, and I always thought you would continue acting. Why did you stop?"
Su Yi sighed and patted Jiang Lai on the shoulder: "You're still young and energetic. Being an actor isn't an easy career path."
Jiang Lai asked, "Why?"
"Since you've seen my shows, you must know that I mostly play villains, right?"
“I know, I was impressed, you were even described as a textbook villain.”
Su Yi smiled wryly: "Insiders judge acting skills, outsiders judge roles. If the role isn't likable, who will like you?"
Jiang Lai understood in an instant that some people are born to play villains, and Su Yi is a perfect example. Once such a role becomes deeply ingrained in people's minds, it becomes difficult for the public to accept her in other roles. If she had tried more different roles in the early stages, perhaps her career path wouldn't have been so limited, leading to her current reliance on variety shows to gain public acceptance.
No wonder... most of the laughs in the episode came from Su Yi.
However, variety shows are more likely to leave stereotypes on the audience. Variety shows can bring you popularity but also ruin your acting career. If it weren't for a last resort, why would an actor become a regular guest on a variety show?
Jiang Lai, being sensible, didn't ask any more questions. In that short conversation, Jiang Lai learned a lot. She must not leave a stereotyped impression on the audience. She, Jiang Lai, is flexible and versatile, and her acting skills are capable of handling multiple roles.
In the evening, the director arranged a dinner party to help them get to know each other better, since if they were complete strangers, the variety show wouldn't be funny.
Jiang Lai has decent social skills. She didn't become shy or afraid to speak even though her assistant and agent weren't around. Moreover, she always remembered not to say the wrong thing.
The entertainment industry needs people with a smooth personality; nobody likes a nail.
Xia Fanrou arrived in S City before the dinner party started, dropped off her luggage, and rushed to the hotel.
The production team spent a lot of money, with all kinds of local delicacies available. The only drawback was that there was no alcohol, only water and soft drinks. But that was fine too. There were cameras set up in the private room, and staff members were gathered around, saying they were going to record behind-the-scenes footage. Jiang Lai didn't quite understand, so she could only improvise.
Xia Fanrou was five minutes late. After she came in, she gave a token apology to everyone, and everyone just laughed it off. No one really held it against her.
"Xia isn't too late, there's still a special guest who hasn't arrived yet."
The speaker is Du Junlei, known as the Prince of Love Songs by his fans. He is easygoing and has a lot of witty remarks.
Xia Fanrou naturally sat down next to Jiang Lai and started chatting with the others: "Who is this special guest? Do I know him?"
The others shook their heads and turned their gazes toward the director.
The director picked up his phone, checked the time, and stood up, saying, "The person is almost here. I'll go bring him up."
"Director, is it a man or a woman? I'm still single!"
The speaker was a girl who looked about the same age as Jiang Lai. Like Su Yi, she was a child star who had appeared on the Spring Festival Gala for several years. People said that her high notes were as easy as her speaking.
The director laughed and said, "It has to be you, right? A guy, a handsome man, don't worry."
Su Yi nudged her with her elbow and whispered, "Bai Ke, watch out, the camera is still there."
Bai Ke stuck out her tongue: "Sister Su, don't you know me?"
Su Yi smiled and said, "Okay, don't go too far, or you'll scare people."
Jiang Lai leaned close to Xia Fanrou's ear and whispered, "What's going on with Bai Ke? Isn't he afraid of losing fans by being so blatant?"
Xia Fanrou took out her phone and typed: Her fans are stable, they are all music lovers, and they don't care much about her private life. After she turned 18, she had quite a few CP pairings. Moreover, her company has given her a straightforward and easygoing persona, and she is very much in line with that persona now.
After reading it, Jiang Lai gave an OK sign, then sat up straight, pretending nothing had happened.
The group chatted about everything, completely oblivious to the presence of the camera. Jiang Lai found it noisy, so she asked the waiter for a carton of yogurt and hid in her seat, trying to stay as far away from them as possible.
He was playing on his phone under the table, typing away rapidly.
Lin Zhi: [Has the dinner started? Do you feel uncomfortable? You haven't said anything, have you?]
Jiang Lai: [Don't worry, I didn't say anything. Xia-jie is here.]
On the hotel bed, Lin Zhi frowned slightly and typed: [Then let her show you around.]
Anna returned from outside, swiped her room card to open the door: "Mr. Lin, the buffet is open, would you like to go eat?"
Lin Zhi turned off her phone, put it in her pocket, got up, grabbed her coat, and said, "Let's go."
Having not rested well for the past few days, Lin Zhi had little appetite. She picked up some vegetables and served herself a bowl of porridge for dinner. Around the corner, she saw several cartons of yogurt on the table. She picked one up, took a couple of steps, and then went back.
Lin Zhi and Anna sat facing each other, one with a plate of plain soup, the other with a high stack of both meat and vegetables.
Anna saw Lin Zhi take two boxes of yogurt and, assuming they were for her, reached out to take them, saying, "Thank you, Ms. Lin."
Lin Zhi put down her plate and tightly protected the yogurt: "This is mine."
"Huh?" Anna awkwardly withdrew her hand, unsure of what to do for a moment.
Waaaaah! I'm never going to be alone with President Lin again!
Inside the private room, Jiang Lai, who had been silent, was forcibly pulled into the conversation. It wasn't as awkward as Jiang Lai had imagined, and they quickly became acquainted.
Besides Bai Ke, Su Yi, and Du Junlei, Jiang Lai also got to know Ning Hua and Meng Yuqing. These two are actors, but unfortunately, they have been unknown for many years and only switched to variety shows. They are different from Su Yi. Su Yi is an actress, but they are celebrities.
Dong Pengyan is a former host, having worked for XX TV for many years. The variety show "Letting Go" that Jiang Lai is participating in is also a program on XX TV.
As they were having a lively conversation, the door to the private room opened, and everyone turned their attention to the entrance. They saw a man who was about 1.9 meters tall standing next to the director. He was very handsome, and his physique was, needless to say, that of a model.
Bai Ke exclaimed in surprise, clapping her hands and shouting, "Director! You're amazing! You even managed to get Luo Heng here!"
Luo Heng is quite famous. He just won third place in an international model competition, which has caused a sensation in China and can be considered to have fulfilled all the fantasies of girls about single-eyelid boys.
After Luo Heng gave a brief self-introduction, the director arranged for him to sit down. It was clear that the director liked Bai Ke very much, so he specially arranged for Luo Heng to sit next to Bai Ke. Bai Ke immediately started talking, and the two chatted on and off.
Director: "I heard that Luo Heng and Jiang Lai are alumni, right?"
Luo Heng nodded without speaking, his gaze falling on Jiang Lai, who finally looked up and grinned, "Yeah, we're still in the same grade."
Bai Ke asked, "So you two have known each other for a long time? I'm so envious. It's a pity I didn't do well in the college entrance exam and didn't get into A-level electrical engineering."
Once the director saw that the footage was almost finished, he had the cameras removed, and the dinner party truly became lively. Jiang Lai then realized that they had been holding back before.
Ever since Bai Ke learned that Jiang Lai and Luo Heng were alumni, she has had a ton of questions, chattering away. Jiang Lai was overwhelmed, but she could only answer her questions one by one.
Bai Ke: "What kind of boy does Jiang Lai like? Luo Heng is so handsome, haven't you ever been attracted to him during all these years of college?"
Jiang Lai felt offended and her expression turned sour, but Bai, oblivious, was still expecting a reply.
Xia Fanrou noticed Jiang Lai's unusual behavior and also felt that Bai Ke's question was a bit excessive.
"Bai Ke, that's enough."
Xia Fanrou has a powerful background, and although Bai Ke debuted very early, he didn't dare to provoke her.
"I was just asking casually. If Jiang Lai doesn't want to say, then forget it."
His tone was extremely dismissive, as if he were saying: "Is there something wrong with what I said? Are you feeling guilty?"
Jiang Lai tugged at Xia Fanrou's sleeve and replied to Bai Ke, "I'm too busy with my studies to think about those things. Luo Heng and I are just good friends. He's handsome, but unfortunately, he's not my type."
Luo Heng quickly tried to smooth things over: "Yes, it's just a friendship, and Jiang Lai isn't my type."
The two exchanged a glance, everything understood without words. However, Jiang Lai's mind was filled with thoughts of that bastard Xu Dongdong, and she was too ashamed to face Luo Heng.
Meng Yuqing was sitting close to them and could hear everything they were saying. He interjected at the right moment and asked Jiang Lai, "So what kind of girl does Xiao Jiang like?"
Jiang Lai hadn't thought about this question. She certainly wouldn't say she liked women, and besides, the type of person she liked never really had a fixed look. If she had to say...
"I like women who are mature and gentle, yet a little childish, and with a touch of quirky humor from time to time."
Meng Yuqing was taken aback. These things were completely unrelated to him: "Is it really possible for someone to be mature, gentle, childish, and have a wicked sense of humor? Isn't that a contradiction?"
Xia Fanrou didn't speak, but she kept her ears perked up, listening intently.
Jiang Lai nodded: "Yes...I guess so."
Yes, Lin Zhi is such a person.
I miss my sister so much. When will this boring dinner party end...?
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Author's Note:
Xia Fanrou (typing frantically): Teacher! Jiang Lai likes people who are mature, gentle, yet childish, and have a quirky sense of humor!
Min Xuehua: An old man on the subway looking at his phone (jpg). Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2022-04-18 19:13:59 and 2022-04-19 18:39:26!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the rocket: AA0_阿冰 2;
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Lingran (1 bottle);