Chapter 5... I don't know, please enlighten me, Teacher Liang. ...

There were five tables in the private room. Jiang Jiaoming and Zhang Bingjie from Zaiying Pictures, the main investor, were present. Jiang Jiaoming sat in the head seat, with Wang Jianbai to his left and Zhang Bingjie to his right. The two co-producing companies sent two managers, both sitting to Wang Jianbai's right. The next two were the male lead, Xiang Hang, and his agent.

Xiang Hang and Liang Kongxiang weren't exactly acquainted; they'd only met a few times on the red carpet and at award ceremonies at the end of the year. When they met again after learning they were going to collaborate, they would merely nod and greet each other. Before that, they were in a state of having heard of each other's names but not really knowing each other. They only really got to know each other during the reading session a few days ago.

In this movie, Liang Kongxiang was the lead actor and Xiang Hang was the second lead actor, so the two naturally sat next to each other, but Chen Yun was between them.

"President Jiang, it's been a long time." Wang Jianbo stood up and reached out to Jiang Jiaoming, his face full of wrinkles, but he smiled brightly.

Jiang Jiaoming sat down in the main seat and shook hands with him in return: "Isn't it an honor to work with you?"

After speaking, he smiled and reached out to shake hands with Cao Lengyu, his eyes fixed properly on Cao Lengyu, not glancing at Liang Kongxiang beside her at all.

"It's a pleasure working with you, Mr. Jiang." Cao Lengyu smiled, poured wine into her glass, and put her arm around Liang Kongxiang's shoulder to introduce her: "This is the female lead of our film, Liang Kongxiang." She pushed the glass in front of Liang Kongxiang and gently reminded her: "Come on, toast Mr. Jiang."

Liang Kongxiang wore a beige shirt tonight, with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair was loosely tied up in a half-updo. Under the warm yellow light, she looked gentle and kind. After hearing Cao Lengyu's words, she stood up without much hesitation, raised her glass, and smiled as she toasted Jiang Jiaoming, "President Jiang, it's been a pleasure doing business with you."

The light shone on that smiling face, making it shimmer like a pool of shimmering sunset sunlight.

Jiang Jiaoming stared at her intently.

For several seconds, no one spoke at the table.

Wang Jianbai figured Cao Lengyu's actions were a setup to connect Liang Kongxiang, and since he had no vested interest, he remained silent. Chen Yun was a smart woman and knew when to keep quiet. Xiang Hang remained silent, lost in thought. The two co-producers were even more eager to watch the drama unfold, figuring out Zaiying's attitude towards Liang Kongxiang and looking for an opportunity to get their own actresses into the cast.

Jiang Jiaoming still didn't respond, touching the wine glass in his hand, coldly looking at Liang Kongxiang who had stood up. Just as Cao Lengyu was about to speak, another bright voice jumped out from beside Jiang Jiaoming first.

"I was so busy talking that I didn't even notice Mr. Jiang's glass was empty." Zhang Bingjie cheerfully refilled Jiang Jiaoming's glass, also giving Liang Kongxiang a way out. He stepped on Jiang Jiaoming's foot under the table three times, then grinned and poured himself a drink. "Come on, let's have a toast!"

Jiang Jiaoming glanced at him indifferently, and just as Zhang Bingjie was about to kick him again, Jiang Jiaoming suddenly raised his hand and touched the wine glass that Liang Kongxiang had been holding up, over Cao Lengyu.

With a crisp clinking sound, the wine in Liang Kongxiang's hand swayed, reflecting a moment of absentmindedness in her eyes.

Zhang Bingjie was furious. He had originally wanted to salvage the situation and make it less awkward, but in the end, he was left all alone, holding a full glass, with no one to clink glasses with.

Chen Yun immediately stood up, walked to Zhang Bingjie's side and bowed: "President Zhang, I also want to toast you. Thank you for your hard work in the next few months."

"You're too kind." He downed the drink in one gulp, pursed his lips, and paused for a moment. Liquid spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he wiped it with a tissue, pretending nothing had happened. In reality, his left hand was secretly slapping Jiang Jiaoming's thigh under the table until it was raw. He kept glancing at Jiang Jiaoming, but Jiang Jiaoming had a listless, deadpan expression, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Before setting off, I was full of energy, changing dozens of outfits and looking in the mirror for half an hour. I carefully selected perfumes and wanted a limited-edition shirt that was out of season. I looked quite presentable, but now I'm sitting here feeling half-dead.

“I heard that General Chiang and General Zhang were classmates in college. Their relationship is really good, it’s rare.” The person sitting to Wang Jianbai’s right suddenly spoke up.

This man was a project manager from Star Media. He wore glasses and looked to be in his forties. He stood up slightly, holding a glass of wine, and was smiling at Jiang Jiaoming, clearly wanting to strike up a conversation.

Jiang Jiaoming held his wine glass, lightly touched it to his, and then tilted his head back to drink it all.

Zhang Bingjie chimed in, "More than that, we're old classmates, we were in the same class in high school."

Mr. Li from Xingchen Media continued, his eyes fixed on Jiang Jiaoming: "The friendship between old classmates is the most precious. Look, my daughter's classmate is also in this group."

"Is that so?" Jiang Jiaoming understood what he meant. In the past, he would have done him a favor, but now he was not interested.

"Yes. She's a really good girl, young, beautiful, smart, and capable," Mr. Li said with a smile after praising himself, "but she's always been a bit unlucky and hasn't met the right person to recognize her talent."

"No need for a toast," Jiang Jiaoming said, pointing to his temple. "It hurts here when I drink too much."

“…I see.” President Li was still unwilling to give up, blaming Gao Ling for being too stupid and not quick-witted. She should have rushed over earlier, instead of giving Jiang Jiaoming time to refuse.

When Mr. Li's attempt to make the connection failed, he wisely kept quiet.

The dishes were served one after another. During this time, the group exchanged token compliments. Liang Kongxiang had always disliked such occasions. Adhering to the principle of saying less and making fewer mistakes, she only smiled when Jiang Jiaoming was mentioned, echoed his words, and avoided making eye contact with him.

"Sister Chen, I need to use the restroom."

“Okay, go ahead, remember to take your phone.” It wasn’t appropriate for both of them to go at this time, but I wasn’t comfortable letting Liang Kongxiang go out alone either. I took her the phone out of my bag and whispered, “The driver is at the door. If you feel drunk, ask him to go buy some hangover medicine.”

Liang Kongxiang hummed in agreement, slightly bowing as she stood up, not wanting to make too much noise. As she turned, her eyes met Xiang Hang's, and she smiled and nodded in greeting. Xiang Hang, also with a gentle appearance and a few years older than Liang Kongxiang, nodded slightly in return. The two hadn't had a chance to speak during the meal, so this quick nod was their way of acknowledging each other.

The air outside was much fresher than in the private room. Liang Kongxiang closed the door behind her and stood there for a few seconds before looking up and following the signs to find the restroom.

"...President Jiang?" President Li whispered a few more words in Jiang Jiaoming's ear, and when he didn't see any reaction, he called out twice.

Jiang Jiaoming snapped out of his daze, swirling the wine in his glass as he casually glanced at President Li. President Li, meeting his cold gaze, hesitated to speak for a moment, thinking to himself that he had been intimidated by a mere youth, and his face stiffened.

Xiang Hang's agent noticed several times that President Jiang seemed to be looking at his artist intentionally or unintentionally. He gave Xiang Hang a look without making a sound. Xiang Hang understood and stood up. But at the same time, Jiang Jiaoming also stood up. The two stood up at the same time and looked at each other across the round table. Xiang Hang was still holding the wine that his agent had just poured for him. Jiang Jiaoming's gaze shifted from his face to his hand.

It was as if they were being targeted by some ferocious beast.

Xiang Hang's heart skipped a beat, finding the idea absurd.

Before he could even speak, Jiang Jiaoming had already walked straight past him, pushed open the door, and left, leaving only a lingering scent of woody men's fragrance. Xiang Hang wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that Jiang Jiaoming had given him a cold glance as he passed by…

The private room was like two completely different worlds; inside, men and women were laughing and chatting, while outside, elegant music was playing.

Jiang Jiaoming walked to the end of the corridor, where a person was standing in the shadows.

Before it was completely dark, the window was half-open, and the setting sun shone in obliquely, casting a dim and illuminating glow on her face.

Jiang Jiaoming stopped five steps away, gazing at the orange-yellow light shining from the windowsill. Small particles swirled in the air. Staring at these aimless dust particles, he suddenly remembered the sycamore trees by the basketball court; in their season, they always shed fluffy particles that scratched his skin and caused itching. He scratched himself, accidentally knocking over the water bottle his teammate had just bought. The bottle slipped from his hand like a fish, rolled a few times, and bumped into someone's toes.

His gaze followed the bottle forward and then upward.

Later, during a break in the competition, he heard a shout coming from a certain direction, and he glanced quickly in that direction as if possessed.

The sunlight flowed like water, neither harsh nor scorching, gently washing over Liang Kongxiang. She sat in the smooth golden light, head bowed, slowly fanning herself with a small white fan. Because of the fan's reflection, the sunlight intermittently streamed onto her face, slowly fading, then streaming up again, then fading again…

At this moment, golden light surged onto that calm and gentle face once again.

The two faces overlapped.

It was still those same eyes, looking at him, yet it was as if they had never really looked at him; he was being looked at by her, yet it was as if she had never seen him at all.

The two stood a few steps apart in the dimly lit corridor, staring at each other.

"Thank you," Liang Kongxiang said first.

"What are you thanking me for?"

Jiang Jiaoming slowly took a few steps forward, almost touching Liang Kongxiang's toes.

She glanced down at the distance between their toes and didn't back away.

A few seconds later, Liang Kongxiang continued, "Thank you for the investment."

"Didn't Director Cao tell you that this was my dad's decision? You think too highly of yourself." Jiang Jiaoming stared at her as he finished speaking, but Liang Kongxiang remained indifferent. Jiang Jiaoming found it meaningless and took a step back after a while.

Liang Kongxiang looked away and tried to walk forward, but Jiang Jiaoming blocked her way first, saying, "You seem to have a good relationship with the crew."

Not understanding what Jiang Jiaoming was saying, Liang Kongxiang looked at him calmly.

Jiang Jiaoming hadn't expected her to understand, but since she genuinely didn't, he coldly said, "Empty words of thanks, where's your sincerity?"

"It's up to you."

"Whatever I say goes?" Jiang Jiaoming's eyes appeared obscure in the darkness.

“We are all adults, and I think Mr. Jiang knows what he should and shouldn’t say.”

"I don't know, please enlighten me, Teacher Liang."

What did you call me?

"Teacher Liang," he called out, his eyes following Liang Kongxiang's changing expression, and he moved closer to her once more: "What? Others can call out to me, but I can't?"

The two of them are now touching toes again.

Before Liang Kongxiang could speak, a hesitant voice suddenly rang out in the dark corridor.

"...Jiang Jiaoming? Who are you with?"