Chapter 141: Almost there, chasing

"Brother Han Tai, can you get me another bottle of Huangmei wine?"

Ren Limeng requested softly, raising her eyes and smiling slightly, with her lips raised just right, revealing a gentle arc accurately, and a hint of reserve at the corners of her eyes. She quietly attracted Han Tai's attention and also grasped Li Chuyue's gaze.

She had been daydreaming for too long and needed to come back to her senses. Ren Limeng secretly warned herself that no matter how fast her heart was beating, she must not lose sight of the big picture. For her own sake, she had to calm down.

Nothing can affect her work, and the established plans must be back on track.

"Thanks."

Ren Limeng stood up and gently took the new wine bottle handed to her by Han Tai with both hands. She was obviously just holding it politely under the bottle, with a clear distance from Han Tai's palm, but Li Chuyue still felt it was so glaring.

Li Chuyue's lip lines were stretched like a fully drawn bowstring, with two wrinkles at the corners of her lips. She stared at Ren Limeng's every move, and secretly looked at Han Tai who ran to the other side to bring her wine.

Even though she knew that Han Tai, as Meixiang's guest, was supposed to serve wine at this moment, and that there was nothing wrong with Ren Limeng's behavior, Li Chuyue still felt a little stuffy in her chest. She secretly restrained her emotions and forced herself to turn her head to look at the protagonist of the table - Xu Kai was enthusiastically pouring wine for Shen Xingzhi, who was sitting at the host seat, and muttering the same words of persuasion to drink.

"Thank you, Mr. Xu, you are too modest. The successful conclusion of today's event is largely due to the contribution of your Meixiang Theater."

Chen Xingzhi's voice was as clear as jade. As he sipped the wine, his Adam's apple rolled and his neck stretched out in a cold and hard straight line. He politely perfunctorily responded to Xu Kai who had been pulling him to toast.

"Xingzhi, Mr. Xu has already finished his work. Isn't this little bite a bit too much for you?"

Chen Xi on the side smiled and teased, "Boss Xu, thank you for Meixiang's warm hospitality. This is a toast to you."

She drank it all in one gulp, tilted her head playfully, and winked at Shen Xingzhi. There was a hint of tentativeness in the pretended intimacy, but it was just right at the wine table and made people unable to get bored.

"No way, the control is strict."

Shen Xingzhi spoke lightly, his words without beginning or end made the whole table suddenly quiet, and everyone's eyes couldn't help but secretly look at Shen Xingzhi who was sitting at the head.

Ren Limeng held the cup in both hands and was about to drink it all in one gulp after toasting Dong Zhu. She choked on the wine when she heard Shen Xingzhi's sudden "stroke of genius". She couldn't help but think of the conversation she had with Shen Xingzhi under the tree before coming here. She seemed to have said "smoke less".

The liquid that was neither rising nor falling swirled in Ren Limeng's throat. She quickly covered her mouth and tried to suppress the sound of her cough, but the slight noise was enough to attract the attention of everyone at the table.

"Li Meng, are you okay? Be careful, Xingzhi. Look how shocked Li Meng is. You're hiding it well, aren't you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

Chen Xi patted Ren Limeng's back on the left, looked at her with concern as she tried to be graceful. After quickly calming down, she had an embarrassed look on her face, and then looked at Shen Xingzhi on the right who seemed to be smiling. Her joking attempt was accompanied by unconcealable surprise and a fleeting sense of loss.

After all these years, this should be the first time that Shen Xingzhi has publicly admitted to a relationship, right?

Does Dong Zhu know?

No wonder there was no camera at tonight's banquet. The "Mountains and Seas" program is quite capable, allowing Chen Xingzhi to host the show again and reveal his relationship.

When did Shen Xingzhi's relationship begin?

Who is this person that can make Shen Xingzhi so willing to be imprisoned in a circle, and speak with a hint of doting when he mentions him?

Chen Xi always thought that Shen Xingzhi never cared about love, and they all put their careers first. She accepted the simple cooperative relationship with Shen Xingzhi, but she couldn't help but look forward to it in her heart. Looking at Shen Xingzhi with a gentle look in front of her, Chen Xi suddenly felt deeply unwilling.

"Almost there, catching up."

Shen Xingzhi looked towards Chen Xi, his gaze fixed on Ren Limeng beside Chen Xi. He watched as Ren Limeng raised her head expressionlessly and drank a whole glass of wine. Apart from the momentary loss of control, there was no ripple on her face, as if she hadn't understood his obvious hint at all.

"Huangmei wine tastes good, but don't drink too much, we still have a recording tomorrow morning."

Shen Xingzhi smiled slightly and withdrew his gaze. His bony left hand casually picked up the phone on the table, and his right hand casually placed on the wine glass in front of him. His fingertips gently turned, and the wine swirled and flowed in the glass, reflecting his angular face.

"Of course, Captain, you've worked hard these days. I salute you! I'm so lucky to be on the same team with you, Brother Xingzhi..."

Guan He's eyes moved slightly, and he noticed Shen Xingzhi's inexplicable coldness, guessing that he might not want to talk about personal issues. At this moment, the topic changed, but Guan He stood up with a smile, holding a full glass of wine to continue the conversation.

"Xingzhi, I'm also toasting to you on behalf of the production team. You're a great contributor to our show!"

Dong Zhu also raised her hand with a smile on her face. It was her wisest choice to get the recording director of Shen Xingzhi's team. The news that Shen Xingzhi was hosting the show in the evening had quickly fermented on social media. As the party ended, all kinds of gossip from the audience spread all over the place, even sending the "Shan Hai" program crew to the front row of hot searches.

The popularity of a piece of news directly overwhelmed the second episode of "Shan Hai" aired today. Dong Zhu can already imagine the ratings when the program is officially aired next week. Chen Xingzhi's influence is more eye-catching than the rumors, and he lives up to his position as the only top-tier star in recent years.

If...she could convince Shen Xingzhi to make their relationship public on the show...

Just by imagining this scene, Dong Zhu couldn't help but smile even more deeply. She picked up the wine glass and stared at her "money tree" with burning eyes.

Feeling the slight vibration of her phone, Ren Limeng put down her wine glass.

Shen Xingzhi: (Article link) Alcohol - the number one killer of women's health

Ren Limeng subconsciously raised her eyes and glanced at Shen Xingzhi who was talking with Dong Zhuo at ease, her gaze lingering briefly on the phone in his left hand.

"Li Meng, let's have a drink too! I'll drink it, you can do whatever you want!"

Ren Limeng had just switched to another pop-up message dialog box when Guan He's voice rang in her ears. Guan He drank it all in one gulp with some embarrassment. He did not act as gracefully as he did with other people, but his sincerity made people feel more.

"I should toast to you. Thank you, Brother Guan He, for taking care of you these days."

Ren Limeng held the phone in her backhand, raised her cup and took a sip, smiling politely and courteously, as if she was not affected by anything else at all, which made Guan He feel anxious and worried.

"Li Meng, Friday is Master's wife's birthday. You'll be home then, right? I... have a car, so we can go back together."

Across from the two group leaders and Li Chuyue, Han Tai turned his head to look at Ren Limeng. It was Wu Murong's birthday, and since Ren Limeng was in Mei City, there was no reason for her not to go back to celebrate. The first part of his sentence was more of an explanation, with the second half of his sentence as his intention.

Ren Limeng was slightly stunned, but a gentle smile still hung on her face. "Of course I want to go back, but I don't know when I'll have time on Friday. It would be great if I could go with Brother Han Tai!"

"Of course...of course. Your father is my master, so I should take better care of you. It's nothing more than a small favor."

Han Tai scratched his head, smiling a little sheepishly. "You sang very well. It was amazing today. Master also asked me to urge you to practice acting these days. I don't think you need it at all. Your performance of 'The Female Imperial Concubine' is not inferior to us professional actors at all."

When Ren Limeng heard Han Tai mention his father, her smile froze slightly, and she couldn't help but think of the message on her phone this afternoon.

Dad: You are worthy of being my daughter, you are awesome!

Dad: We all thought you had wasted all these years, but we didn’t expect you to stick with it. Li Meng, mom and dad are proud of you!

Until just now, Ren Limeng's father Ren Shunan had still sent many messages.

Dad: I just talked to your mom on the phone and found out that you actually lost to her this afternoon. She must be furious and embarrassed. Did she get angry with you?

Dad: Li Meng, don’t mind your mother’s duplicity. Your mother will be so happy if you can sing “The Female Prime Minister” on the stage again!

Dad: We all know that she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Her old girlfriends and colleagues now envy her for having such an outstanding daughter. She must be proud of you too, but she is not good at expressing it.

Dad: Dad didn’t lie to you. Your mom transferred some money to me and asked me to give it to you so that you can greet the guests on the show well these days and build good relationships with everyone in private. A tall tree attracts wind, so don’t be so stubborn about everything.

Dad: Be high-profile in work and low-profile in life.

"Thank you, Han Tai. I've troubled you and Chu Yue these days."

Ren Limeng picked up the wine glass on the table, gestured to Han Tai and drank it all in one gulp. The familiar yellow plum wine was sour and sweet, leaving a lingering fragrance between her lips and teeth.

"Teacher Wu's birthday is Friday? Director Dong, I have to ask for a day off for Li Meng. You guys are recording at the Meixiang Theater on Friday, and Teacher Wu's home is right next to the theater. You'd better let Li Meng go back and watch it when the time comes!"

When Xu Kai heard the conversation between Han Tai and Ren Limeng, his eyes rolled around and he raised a glass of wine to toast Dong Zhu. As Ren Limeng tried to refuse and thank him, the other people at the table also started to make a fuss.

"Of course, there's no problem with our production team. However, the guests arrange their own daily schedules for recording, so we still have to look at their plans for Friday."

Dong Zhu smiled slightly, suggesting that she could help him. She raised her wine glass and toasted Xu Kai cheerfully, her eyes falling calmly on Shen Xingzhi.

"We naturally hope that Li Meng can go home. Now that she's already at her doorstep, it would be unreasonable for her not to go home!"

Guan He expressed his guest wishes with a smile. Noticing Ren Limeng's gaze, he smiled foolishly, "Limeng...if there is a chance, we would also like to visit uncle and aunt."

"Li Meng didn't mean that parents don't want too much attention."

Shen Xingzhi finished speaking calmly, glanced at Ren Limeng who was smiling politely, and said in a sullen tone, "Limeng, you are too low-key. If it weren't for Teacher Han mentioning it now, no one would know that Aunt Wu's birthday is this Friday. Aunt Wu took good care of me in Qianfang today. We will record at your doorstep on Friday. If you don't go home by then, I, as the team leader, can't escape the blame."

Chen Xingzhi's eyes were dim, and he slightly curled his lips to meet Ren Limeng's gaze, "That's so embarrassing."