Chapter 188: Who's picking up the bargain? Only a madman would drink Bao...
“There are many things you can’t have.” Knowing that the two were having a disagreement, Li Sishi retorted.
Then, unsurprisingly, she received a glare from Rong Juezhang accusing her of favoritism: "You brought one more person, how are we supposed to play cards now? I've only ever heard of 'three short one,' never 'four extra one'..."
As he spoke, he seemed to remember something and added fiercely, "You can't say that whoever loses is out and someone else has to take their place. This is my house, and I make the rules!"
If the loser is eliminated, then for the players in tonight's game, he will immediately have an elimination rate of over 50%...
Although Rong Juezhang always boasted about how superb his mahjong skills were, in reality... he was somewhat aware of his own limitations.
"Don't worry, my dad doesn't usually play mahjong. He came to keep me company today and also to visit some 'relatives'," Li Sishi replied with a smile.
“That’s right, you shouldn’t mind if your ‘cousin’ comes to visit you, after all, we haven’t seen each other for so many years,” Li Jinhao added.
Watching the father and daughter's back-and-forth banter, Rong Juezhang raised an eyebrow slightly.
Of course, Rong Juezhang at this time was no pushover either. If someone made him uncomfortable, he would retaliate on the spot. So he took a step back and turned around, a slightly amused smile on his face, and shouted into the room, "Leo, there's one more person coming tonight, make another cup of tea!"
"Oh, I see—" Ling Chen subconsciously replied while carrying a teapot out of the kitchen. But when he looked up and saw that the extra person was none other than the legendary Attorney Li, he was so shocked that he almost dropped the teapot in his hand...
He had met Li Jinhao before, at that sensational wedding banquet years ago.
At the time, Li Jinhao, who had not yet officially become a father, did not like him very much. He was supposed to be a good friend of Li Sishi. If he hadn't been a guest at the time, Li Jinhao probably would have given him a hard time on the spot.
Although I can understand the age-old rule that fathers disapprove of their daughters' male friends, I still wanted to find an opportunity to please my parents in the early hours of the morning. After all, you can't win a girl's heart without going through your parents—unfortunately, we all live in different circles, so it's hard to find such an opportunity.
Unexpectedly, tonight, without warning or preparation, he is about to face his father's death gaze once again...
"Young men are just lacking."
"He's lost some of his composure." Li Jinhao clearly wasn't going to give anyone face, and looking at Ling Chen's flustered appearance, he immediately spoke in a slightly critical and regretful tone.
"Daddy, don't be so serious. It's just a get-together tonight." Li Sishi quietly tugged at Li Jinhao's sleeve, then looked at Ling Chen, who was gripping the teapot handle tightly.
"It smells so good! What kind of tea did you brew?"
“It’s Twinings Earl Grey tea. Lester really likes this,” Ling Chen quickly explained.
“Our lawyer Li doesn’t like this kind of foreign stuff. I have some Lapsang Souchong in the cabinet above my kitchen, which I’m preparing to offer to my uncles and grandfather. Go get some for him to brew…” Rong Juezhang watched with interest as Li Jinhao’s attention shifted to Ling Chen, and then lazily said.
I had originally invited Lingchen, a junior, to the card game because I was thinking of helping him out. Now, Lingchen is the perfect person to annoy the old guy on the other side!
Although he wasn't much younger than Li Jinhao, the combination of Li Jinhao's higher seniority and his formal attire made him look like a young man in his white shirt...
Rong Juezhang, who was somewhat narcissistic, thought to himself, then put on a smile and invited Li Sishi and her father into the room.
"No need, I can do it myself. You guys go have fun." As soon as Li Jinhao entered the door, he refused Ling Chen's attempt to go back to the kitchen to make him tea. His face was so dark it was almost tangible.
He must be crazy to drink the tea served by his daughter's rumored boyfriend!
Rong Juezhang is such an annoying guy! Not only did he imply that he was old, but he also helped this unsteady young man, Ling Chen, to get on his good side!
Watching Li Jinhao turn and go to the kitchen to make tea for himself, Li Sishi glanced at Rong Juezhang, who was looking smug, with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Then she glanced at Ling Chen, who was holding the teapot blankly, and finally said to him, "Pour out the tea and let it cool. Let's play first."
Seeing that Lester had obediently gone to get a cup and started pouring tea, and was already sitting at the mahjong table, Tang Jingwen said with a slight surprise, "You really brought your parents? I thought Lester was just joking."
Before the somewhat embarrassed Li Sishi could reply, Tang Jingwen muttered thoughtfully, "But aren't girls usually closer to their mothers?"
"Oh, well, it's mainly because my grandma and Lester's mom are cousins, so my dad and Lester are also cousins. That's why he came with me and also visited relatives."
"That's what 'Qi' means." Li Sishi thought for a moment and quickly explained.
Actually, Zhou Jiaxian did want to come; in fact, she thought that with her there, Li Jinhao wouldn't have such an easy time breaking up with Rong Juezhang...
However, after some consideration, Li Sishi declined her mother Zhou Jiaxian's idea of accompanying her, saying that if there were too many people, Li Jinhao and Rong Juezhang might not be able to relax and it would backfire.
Of course, another reason that's really hard to say is—bringing her dad along when she goes out to play is already unusual enough; if she also brings her mom, then she'll really be "Little MayMay," just like Rong Juezhang said…
At this time, the atmosphere in Hong Kong was more inclined towards independence and self-reliance. Adults who took their parents out were often ridiculed. If it weren't for the fact that she wanted to give her father and Rong Juezhang a chance to meet, Li Sishi wouldn't want to bring either of them.
Madam Li and Zhou Jiaxian could roughly understand these things, so they didn't force the issue. They simply let Li Sishi go along with Li Jinhao's idea and bring Li Jinhao over.
However, what was unexpected was that the last card player was at midnight.
While talking to Tang Jingwen, Li Sishi secretly counted the days in her mind: This guy really knows how to follow the rules. He agreed not to meet for a week and he obediently didn't dare to contact her for a whole week. If he hadn't had work to do later, the two of them might not have needed to meet in this strange atmosphere tonight.
"By the way, I heard you're in talks for a new movie, right?" Li Sishi asked casually while stacking cards.
Ling Chen nodded, looking somewhat helpless: "Yes, but my fans aren't very willing for me to take this movie. After they heard that my character's personality wasn't good, they even wrote letters to criticize Director Cheng..."
"Is it 'Big City, Small Love'? The characters and the story are indeed not good, but it seems to have the potential to win awards." Tang Jingwen immediately understood which movie offer Ling Chen was referring to when he heard him say that. "Director Cheng wanted to cast me as the female lead, but I didn't really want to take it, so I turned it down."
"Huh? I think the female lead is quite suitable for you." Ling Chen, the female lead in the movie, was a little surprised when she heard that Tang Jingwen had turned down the role.
Both of them were born in mainland China and worked their way up in Hong Kong, while the male and female leads of this movie are both new immigrants.
They both naturally possess various advantages that make them more suitable for their roles than other artists.
"It's for personal reasons. I want to take a good rest lately." Tang Jingwen shook her head. Just as she was about to say something more, she suddenly saw Rong Juezhang discard a two of bamboo, and immediately...
I happily argued with him.
Li Sishi glanced at Tang Jingwen and vaguely remembered her unspoken personal reasons: this was something she only learned in advance after being reborn. Tang Jingwen had reduced her workload in recent years because she was in a relationship and even planned to get married and have children. Therefore, she had put down her beloved singing career, let alone her film and television work.
"I see..." Ling Chen sighed regretfully. "I quite like this movie. Although some fans don't like it, I still want to try my best."
"Actually, it's not necessarily true that you need to be a new immigrant to play a role that speaks Mandarin." Rong Juezhang said irritably, taking two chips from his drawer and giving them to Tang Jingwen, who had clashed with him, before adding meaningfully.
“Oh—yes, Ah May, your Mandarin is quite good. I’ve heard you sing Mandarin songs.” Tang Jingwen turned to look at Li Sishi. “Director Cheng is still looking for people. If you have time, you can have your agent contact someone for an audition.”
She's typically an independent person and doesn't have many true friends. This time, she turned down Director Cheng's film due to personal reasons.
It would be best to recommend a substitute to avoid straining the relationship. Although Tang Jingwen doesn't care too much about other people's opinions, she still has to consider interpersonal relationships while she's still in the industry.
After all, it's clear that Director Cheng really values this film; he even made several commercial films to raise funds for it. If it weren't for personal reasons that made it inconvenient for her to take on film roles recently, and if she didn't really like the script, she probably would have given the director face and accepted the role.
Although Li Sishi understood that Tang Jingwen's words were giving her a chance, she was still somewhat shocked by Tang Jingwen's unpredictable and illogical thinking: "Me...?"
"Yes, I think you're quite good. You can also have that simple and pure vibe when you do your styling." Tang Jingwen carefully examined Li Sishi and was pleasantly surprised to find that this substitute was quite good.
Li Sishi had met her a few times before. Although they weren't very close, they knew each other quite well. In addition, Li Sishi could not only act but also sing. According to the script she had read, this movie also paid tribute to the singer Yun Ni Jun who had recently passed away. If there were no surprises, Li Sishi would definitely be the best choice as the substitute.
Moreover, as a mahjong enthusiast, she has always believed in the idea that "mahjong etiquette equals character"—Li Sishi indeed kept Rong Juezhang in the game tonight, just as rumored. She picked up the scraps, made kongs, and won big. It had been a long time since she had ever felt so triumphant in front of Rong Juezhang!
When two noobs are fighting, a powerful figure suddenly comes along and holds down their nemesis, preventing him from jumping around. How can this cause Tang Jingwen's favorability towards Li Sishi to increase significantly?
Thinking of this, Tang Jingwen decided to go all the way: "I'm returning the script to Director Cheng tomorrow. If you think it's okay, I can mention you to him while I'm at it."
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