Qi Shuang's voice was as cheerful as ever, but her shocked expression made her both laugh and cry.

Shi Jing quickly gestured for people to sit down, then smiled and complained, "I've been so busy lately, no wonder I've lost weight."

Because they were so busy, even Qi Shuang's agency contract was handled by Jin Ye'an.

"Are you done with your work now?" Qi Shuang sat down opposite Shi Jing, put her backpack into the seat, and asked with concern.

Shi Jing smiled and said, "I'm done with my work for now."

"Alright. Then you really need to take good care of yourself. You're not in the entertainment industry, so it's better to have some meat on your bones, and it'll make you healthier," Qi Shuang advised.

"Okay, don't worry," Shi Jing quickly agreed. "By the way, has the filming schedule for the TV series been set?"

Shi Jing hadn't paid attention to TV dramas for a long time, but fortunately, with Xiao Caishen around, the legal troublemaker who was originally on the planned path wasn't selected for the cast.

"Yes, it's settled. My role has a lot of fight scenes, so I'll need to join the training crew after my vacation. Filming is expected to take a month, which is a bit rushed, but it shouldn't be a big problem," Qi Shuang said. "I heard from Sister Yue that most of the actors have already joined the training crew, and filming will start soon."

Sister Yue was the screenwriter who was present during the audition, and Qi Shuang and she unexpectedly got along well.

"That's good. I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to think about these things."

It was still early, not yet the restaurant's peak hours. The two chatted and ordered, and after a while, the hot pot base and dishes were quickly served.

With the delicious food served, the two forgot all about chatting. Shi Jing put a lot of meat into the pot, and smelling the rich aroma of the hot pot, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

There's no shortage of food, I'm just craving it.

The two were so engrossed in eating their hotpot that they didn't notice that customers had already arrived at the next table, and the people there were people Shi Jing knew.

However, they were soon disturbed by the argument next door.

Shi Jing was enjoying her hot pot lamb rolls when she heard a commotion. The hot pot restaurant wasn't exactly quiet, and Shi Jing wouldn't have paid attention if they were just chatting, but the noise sounded like they were arguing.

She swallowed the mutton in her mouth, took a sip of juice, and turned to look.

Oh ho, what a coincidence!

Right next to her was Zhao Xunkan, whom Shi Jing had unexpectedly met at the end of last year. He had quite a few people on his side, clearly divided into two camps.

One of them, Shi Jing recognized, was the young man who had been with Zhao Xunkan that day. The other, Shi Jing glanced around and unexpectedly spotted another man who looked somewhat familiar.

That person, isn't he Cai Fanghai?

I remember Cai Jiajia mentioned him to Shi Jing before the New Year, but Shi Jing hadn't run into him since, so she didn't pay much attention to it. I didn't expect to run into him today.

Shi Jing was simply a bystander, watching the spectacle from behind a half-height openwork partition. She was engrossed in watching, and Qi Shuang couldn't help but join in.

"Qin Yi, are you still hanging out with them? So all that talking to you was just a waste of time?" Jiang Qingyue looked at Qin Yi, her eyes filled with exasperation and disappointment.

The people on the other side looked quite dissatisfied.

One of the young men, with dyed blue hair and trendy clothes, mocked, "Jiang Qingyue, what do you mean? What's wrong with Brother Qin playing with me? Stop acting all high and mighty."

Zhao Xunkan completely ignored these people, focusing only on Qin Yi. Qin Yi, feeling somewhat guilty, avoided his gaze: "Xunkan, we're just having some fun occasionally..."

"Brother Qin, don't pay them any mind. So what if their fathers have a little money? We're all just abandoned children, who's any more noble than whom!"

"Aqi, how dare you talk to Brother Kan like that!" The speaker was a man who was noticeably older. His hair was combed back, and he dressed like a successful businessman, but his demeanor was somewhat greasy. He was uttering words of reprimand, but it was clearly just talk.

"Hey Meng-ge, I know I was wrong." The young man named Aqi smiled obsequiously at the man.

Meng Ge lit a cigarette, clearly ignoring the no-smoking signs in the store. While puffing out smoke, he said to Zhao Xunkan in a friendly tone, "Xunkan, don't worry too much. Ayi isn't a child. You can't always embarrass him, can you?"

Shi Jing felt that what he said was really fake.

Zhao Xunkan didn't respond at all, but Jiang Qingyue couldn't hold back and said angrily, "Is it right to ignore him and let him follow you to eat, drink, gamble, and whore?!"

"Look at what you're saying, you've really misunderstood us. It's just a little fun to relax once in a while, how can it be such a big deal?" Meng Ge flicked his cigarette ash and said with a fake smile, "Besides, if A Yi doesn't like it, can we force him? This is a society governed by law."

“That’s right, we treat Brother Qin like a brother,” said Aqi.

“We’re all friends, why be so tense the moment we meet? We can hang out together sometime,” Cai Fanghai said.

Just hearing that makes you feel like you're tasting the flavor of tea.

A group of people got into a fight over Qin Yi, but Qin Yi wanted to hang out with Brother Meng but didn't want to offend Zhao Xun and Kan. When tensions were high, he remained silent.

Shi Jing's position was perfect for taking in Qin Yi's expression. He occasionally glanced at both sides, clearly indicating that he agreed with what Meng Ge and his group said.

Tsk.

One side encourages him to be positive and motivated, while the other side takes him out to have fun and cross the line; the difference in their approaches is immediately apparent.

This Qin Yi seems a bit ungrateful!

Zhao Xunkan looked at Qin Yi, clearly having given up hope. He simply asked with a serious expression, "It's been so long, when are you planning to give Qingyue his money?"

"Xun Kan..." Qin Yi hesitated when money was mentioned.

“We’re all brothers, how can we be so petty about money?” Meng Ge finished his cigarette, shoved it into an empty bowl, put his arm around Qin Yi’s shoulder and patted him, saying nonchalantly, “It’s just a little money, don’t worry, it’ll be there soon.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yi's tense expression seemed to relax a bit, as if he had gained confidence.

Zhao Xunkan ignored their conversation and said to Qin Yi, "Transfer the money this week, or I will personally go to your house and ask Uncle Qin for it."

"You!" Qin Yi's eyes widened, filled with anger. However, he was still guilty and didn't dare to really argue with Zhao Xunkan, only stammering, "I understand."

The young man named Aqi clearly disapproved of Zhao Xunkan's indifference, while the man named Mengge didn't seem to care.

"Hey, look at the mess this has made." He looked at Zhao Xunkan with a helpless expression. "I was going to treat everyone to hot pot. Oh well, brothers, let's not stand here anymore, let's go eat."

After saying that, she arrogantly took Qin Yi's arm and left, leaving the two of them behind.

Jiang Qingyue jumped up and down in anger: "Has Qin Yi lost his mind? I was just asking him to come out and have a proper chat, and now it's turned into this!"

Zhao Xunkan shook his head. He looked at the bowl covered in ash and waved to the waiter.

The waiter was nearby, but because those people looked so intimidating, he didn't dare to approach them. Now he quickly came over.

"guest."

"Throw these bowls away, I'll pay you later."

As Zhao Xunkan spoke, he stacked several bowls covered in ash together. He inadvertently turned his head and his eyes met Shi Jing's gossipy gaze.