Chapter 34 Chapter 34 He thought he would be alone in the empty room tonight...
After returning to the office, Chen Zhuo messaged Jiang Jun, saying he had two free tickets and wanted to meet her for a talk show the next day. Jiang Jun quickly replied, saying she still had two episodes to write and couldn't go out the next day.
"You can ask Shao Chengzhang to take a look." Jiang Jun suggested.
Chen Zhuo said, "No, he seems to be very busy recently."
Jiang Jun: "You didn't ask him, so how do you know if he's busy tomorrow? What if he's not busy?"
Before Chen Zhuo could reply, Jiang Jun sent two short voice messages.
"Ask first, and then tell me if you're really busy."
"Don't be embarrassed, and don't be afraid of being rejected. It's no big deal."
It's no wonder that Jiang Jun understood her. Apart from work matters, she had never invited anyone of the opposite sex to go out alone. She opened Shao Chengzhang's chat page, hesitated for a long time, and finally exited the page.
Forget it, let’s talk about it later.
Chen Zhuo threw herself into her work again, remembering what Xia Liqun had said about the live-action film at noon. She flipped through the monthly project filing notices of the Film Bureau, and finally found a company called Kaleidoscope in the March notice. It was the only company that had filed for both an animated film and a feature film.
She thought for a while, tapped her fingertips on the table, got up and went to Yang Ruize's office.
Hearing the word "come in," Shen Zhuo pushed open the office door, and was greeted by a strong smell of cigarette smoke. She coughed twice and waved her hands, trying to dispel the smoke. She walked closer and got straight to the point: "Boss Yang, have you heard that Dreamora is going to make a movie?"
"Yeah?"
...Yang Ruize asked her back.
He took the last puff of his cigarette and placed it in the ashtray printed with the large Hermès logo. He asked Shen Zhuo to sit down. "This company has been very popular recently. I never thought a small gadget could be hyped up so much."
"Yes." Chen Zhuo said, "I want to see if you know any directors or producers who are already in contact with this project. I can go and talk to them." After all, Yang Ruize has been in the film and television industry for 30 years. In terms of connections and resources, he is definitely better than her.
The public announcement was made in March. Normal film and television companies will start to form a basic creative team after obtaining registration. The director, screenwriter or producer will get involved first. Yang Ruize can first inquire in the industry.
Yang Ruize hesitated slightly: "This company just started making movies, is it okay?"
Chen Zhuo had also thought about this, and she shared her thoughts: "If they're going to use their own IP to make a movie, they'll definitely be scrutinizing the script. They don't want to ruin their reputation. Anyway, we can discuss it first. If the script is too bad, we can find an excuse to turn it down. Besides, they have an animated film, so it wouldn't be a big deal if we could discuss dubbing."
Guan Siyu was once criticized for his poor and stiff lines. Later, she found an acting teacher for him. After a year of training, his lines improved greatly. If the animation is well dubbed, it can be used for publicity.
To put it another way, no matter how bad an animated film is, in most cases the voice actors cannot be blamed.
"Okay, I'll come back and ask."
Shen Zhuo nodded: "Okay, thank you, Mr. Yang."
"By the way, I heard that Chi Xiao is going to terminate his contract with Le Rui. You should pay attention to it recently."
"Yeah." Chen Zhuo nodded. "I know that both Si Yu and Chi Xiao of the Qingyun Award will be attending the awards ceremony next weekend. I'll find an opportunity."
Chen Zhuo was a little unhappy. This was originally part of her plan, but now Yang Ruize had inexplicably pointed it out to her. It was as if it had become a task assigned to her by him, and she didn't want to take it seriously anymore.
There were still more than a dozen emails in the mailbox. Shen Zhuo went back and downloaded a few project books. There were a few scripts that were okay. After marking them in red, Shen Zhuo prepared to hold a meeting next Monday to discuss them.
After get off work, Chen Zhuo drove home and turned into the underground parking lot with ease. He swiped his card and went upstairs. When he stepped through the door, he realized that he was not returning to Zhonghu District 1, but Yuelan Bay.
She clearly remembered that today was Friday and she was supposed to go back home, so why did she get in the car and just drive back like that?!
Why don’t we just leave now while Shao Chengzhang hasn’t come back yet?
As she was hesitating, the electronic door beeped. She turned around and saw that the door had been opened. Shao Chengzhang came in carrying a briefcase.
When they saw each other, they were both stunned.
One feels that the other will not come back too soon.
One feels that the other will not come back tonight.
This was a pleasant surprise for Shao Chengzhang, as he thought he would be alone in the empty room tonight.
"Um... Hi, you came back so early today." Chen Zhuo showed a hint of embarrassment. After all, she was the one who said she wouldn't come over on the weekend. Now it was really awkward. "I came back to get some things and was just about to leave."
"Oh... okay." Hearing her say that, the joy that had just filled his heart disappeared in an instant. Shao Chengzhang lowered his eyelashes to hide the disappointment in his eyes, closed the door and walked into the living room.
Shen Zhuo watched him walk past him, clenched his fists, and suddenly asked him quickly: "Are you free tomorrow?"
My heart is pounding.
"What's wrong?" Shao Chengzhang paused, turned around and stared at her.
"A friend... gave me two tickets to a talk show, but Jiang Jun can't go tomorrow, so I wanted to ask if you have time to watch it. If you have other plans-"
"You can go." Shao Chengzhang interrupted, saying almost without thinking, "I have time."
"Ah?" Chen Zhuo was stunned, then nodded, "Oh, okay, I'll send you the time and place later, then I'll go first?" His gaze turned several corners before finally returning to Shao Chengzhang's face.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Shen Zhuo turned around and was about to leave.
"etc……"
Shen Zhuo turned around to look at him, wondering if he had anything else to say.
"How about...stay tonight and I'll drive you there tomorrow?" Shao Chengzhang said. "There's still a traffic jam on the way home."
Shen Zhuo pondered for a few seconds and nodded slowly, "It seems to be okay."
Shao Chengzhang smiled and asked her if she had eaten.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, Chen Zhuo ate some snacks given by the intern. He was not very hungry, but when he heard Shao Chengzhang ask this, he felt like he could eat a little more.
Shen Zhuo said no.
It was a little too late to eat something rich, so Shao Chengzhang asked her if the dumplings that Ms. Chi had brought earlier were okay, and she nodded.
"Okay, then you take a rest first and we'll eat in fifteen minutes." Shao Chengzhang walked to the desk, put his bag on the chair and went to the kitchen to cook dumplings.
Shen Zhuo walked towards the bedroom, her excitement making her unable to help but laugh shyly.
*
In the evening, Jiang Jun sent a message to Chen Zhuo, asking her if she would not be back tonight.
Chen Zhuo: "Well, let's go to a talk show with him tomorrow."
Jiang Jun: "I knew it, hahahaha, enjoy your date!" followed by two squinting smiley expressions
Chen Zhuo said stubbornly: "It's not a date, just a talk show partner."
Jiang Jun sent an emoticon with a raised eyebrow.
Chen Zhuo smiled and turned over, lying on the bed with his phone in his hands, his calves raised and swaying.
Shao Chengzhang had actually already planned his weekend. He never liked having his plans disrupted by others, but when Shen Zhuo stared at him with blinking eyes and asked him if he had time, all he could think about was agreeing to her immediately.
The original plan for Saturday had to be moved forward to the evening, and Shao Chengzhang worked overtime in the study.
The next morning, Shen Zhuo discovered that Shao Chengzhang was neither in the living room nor at the island counter. He looked around and found that he was still sitting in the study. Seeing that he was staring at the computer with a slightly frown on his face, Shen Zhuo did not greet him or disturb him.
If Shao Chengzhang hadn't changed his clothes, Shen Zhuo would have thought he had been sitting there all night.
There was a sandwich and American coffee on the island counter. After Chen Zhuo finished eating, he washed the plates and cups and went to the studio to start reading the script and writing analysis.
She and Shao Chengzhang were busy with their own things. At eleven o'clock, Shen Zhuoding's alarm clock rang. She decided to cook at noon today. She couldn't let Shao Chengzhang cook all the time.
"Knock, knock." Shen Zhuo leaned against the archway and knocked on the glass grid.
Shao Chengzhang raised his head when he heard the voice.
Shen Zhuo asked, "I'll cook for lunch today. Is it okay to have steak and pasta?"
"Okay." Shao Chengzhang nodded. "Do you need my help? Or I can do it myself." He looked at the time. It was only eleven o'clock. He had planned to do it later.
Chen Zhuo waved his hand: "No, just do your thing. I'm not used to having people around me when I'm cooking."
Shao Chengzhang smiled helplessly and said okay.
There is no difficulty in making pasta and steak.
She looked for canned tomatoes at home and sautéed the ground meat until fragrant. She added the onions, tomatoes, and canned meat, then added water and a little bit of soup base for flavor. She seasoned the steak well, then added a few twists of sea salt and black pepper. It was perfect. She didn't need to thaw the steak, just seared it in butter. Once it changed color, she cut it open with scissors until it stopped bleeding.
Shen Zhuosheng came out and even arranged the dishes, which was a rare thing.
Shao Chengzhang had just washed his hands and came over to help Chen Zhuo take the tableware.
"You came just in time."
"Well, I came here because of the smell." Shao Chengzhang said with a smile.
Chen Zhuo said, "I haven't cooked for more than a month. I hope the food is still good. If it's too bland, you can add some sea salt." She also brought sea salt and black pepper.
Shao Chengzhang picked up a mouthful of pasta with a fork and tasted it.
Chen Zhuo sat opposite him, blinking at him, "Are you okay?"
Shao Chengzhang nodded and gave a thumbs up, "It's delicious."
"Really?" Shen Zhuo also took a bite. It was really delicious, not inferior to others.
After the meal, Shao Chengzhang was particularly conscientious in cleaning up the table and dishes.
The talk show on Saturday had three time slots: 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Shao Chengzhang chose the 4:30 p.m.
This time is neither too early nor too late, giving Shen Zhuo plenty of time to put on makeup in the afternoon. After watching the talk show, it will be around six o'clock. He will go to dinner with Shen Zhuo and chat about his feelings about the talk show. After dinner, they can go shopping in the surrounding business district.
Absolutely perfect.
If you follow this, it should be a pretty good date.
Shao Chengzhang did his homework in advance and searched for a lot of posts with titles such as "Things to note for boys on dates", "Details to add points to boys on dates", and "How to arrange a perfect date" on a certain platform. All boys need to do is make a good plan, manage their body and dress well, and create some small surprises and romance to the best of their ability.
With the exception of the last one, he could only play it by ear.
"Shao Chengzhang, are you sure you want to dress like this?" Shen Zhuo came out after changing his clothes. He saw Shao Chengzhang leaning against the wall in a black shirt and black trousers. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and his sleeves were half-rolled up to his elbows, revealing his slender forearms with obvious wrist bones. He was holding a mobile phone in one hand, and the tendons on the back of his hand were slightly raised. It was too delicate.
Chen Zhuo looked down at herself again. She was almost without makeup, wearing a loose T-shirt, wide-leg pants, a baseball cap on her head, and a small croissant bag slung across her body. Compared to her, her outfit seemed too casual.
She suddenly felt that standing next to him like this, she looked like a female college student kept by a successful social figure.
"Aren't we just going to see a talk show?" Shen Zhuo's mind was spinning rapidly, wondering whether he should change his clothes now.
Shao Chengzhang hadn't expected Shen Zhuo to be dressed so casually. He nodded slowly, "Yes."
Shen Zhuo looked at the time. It was ten minutes to four, so they should go out.
"Forget it, let's just leave it at that."
Shao Chengzhang pursed his lips, said nothing, and followed her.
There was a little traffic jam on the road, and it took some time to find a parking space. It was almost 40 minutes past midnight when the two of them found a place. The staff at the door checked their tickets and told them that they could sit in any seat in the first three rows.
Chen Zhuo and Shao Chengzhang went in according to the staff's instructions. The lights in the venue were off and it was a little dark. Shao Chengzhang naturally held Chen Zhuo's arm and asked her to walk carefully.
The host on the stage had not yet finished warming up the audience when he happened to ask a question to a young lady.
Host: "Excuse me, what does the young lady do?"
Young lady: "I'm on duty."
Shen Zhuo laughed out loud. She didn't look at her feet and almost tripped over the carpet. Fortunately, Shao Chengzhang helped her up. They walked along the edge to the front row. The staff standing by looked at the ticket and pointed directly to the two empty seats in the middle of the first row.
Chen Zhuo's heart skipped a beat. How come he happened to be in the first row?
It was common knowledge that when the host was warming up the atmosphere and interacting with the audience, he would specifically ask questions of the audience in the first two rows. But she took a quick look and saw that there were only those two empty seats.
She pointed to an empty seat towards Shao Chengzhang, indicating him to sit there, then she bent over and slid over to sit down.
Host: "Hey, there are two friends who are late. I want to ask, did you two come together?"
Shao Chengzhang had just sat down when he looked up and saw the host pointing at him and Shen Zhuo.
He said very honestly, "Yes."
The host uttered a meaningful "oh" and then asked, "What is your relationship? Friends? Colleagues? Or lovers?"
Chen Zhuo often watched offline talk shows and was well versed in the host's way of teasing. This was the time when he had to give himself an identity when he went out.
Shen Zhuo smiled and said, "Neither, he is my brother-in-law."
The host and the audience exclaimed "Wow!", and Shao Chengzhang turned around and looked at her in confusion.
Host: "Is the sister here?"
Shen Zhuo: “No.”
Host: "Does your sister know that you and your brother-in-law are coming to watch the talk show together?"
Chen Zhuo: "Probably... I don't know."
Host: "Exciting, really exciting."
The audience laughed.
Host: "No wonder you were so sneaky when you entered the venue just now. Are you sneaky at home too?"
Shen Zhuo: "Yes, I'm used to it."
Everyone laughed.
Host: "Why is your brother-in-law so silent? Does your sister have anything to say to him?"
Shen Zhuo thought for two seconds: "Brother-in-law, I also want my sister's Hermès crocodile leather bag."
Host: "Brother-in-law, what should we do?"
Shao Chengzhang smiled dotingly and continued to act with Chen Zhuo: "I'll go buy it later."
The audience let out another long "Oh".
Host: "Honestly, can my brother-in-law really afford it?"
After a burst of laughter, Shao Chengzhang nodded: "I can afford it."
Suddenly, a boy came from behind and shouted at the top of his voice: "Brother-in-law, open the door, I am my sister."
The audience laughed.
Shao Chengzhang said: "I respect everyone's sexual orientation, but I like my sister."
The whole audience cheered, bringing the atmosphere to a climax. Shen Zhuo covered his mouth and laughed so hard that he fell backwards, giving Shao Chengzhang a thumbs up.
The host responded: "Thank you, brother-in-law and sister, I hope you didn't offend me."
Shen Zhuo smiled and shook his head.
Host: "Okay, our talk show is also an offensive art form, and the scale of our offline performances is a bit bigger. We talk about adult topics, such as overtime and social security, topics that minors can't understand..."
Shao Chengzhang glanced at Shen Zhuo, his eyes fixed on Shen Zhuo's smiling face. This was his first time attending an offline talk show, but he found himself surprisingly comfortable and relaxed.
Noticing the gazes from the side, Shen Zhuo subconsciously looked back. Her entire mood was aroused, and her eyes were bright. Shen Zhuo leaned close, covered her mouth, and asked in his ear: "Are you okay?"
Shao Chengzhang curled his lips and nodded.
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