Closing the net
"It's burned!" Gu Zian said gritting his teeth.
"Go get some sleep. You have dark circles under your eyes." Xia Zhitang touched the dark circles under Gu Zian's eyes with heartache and pushed him onto the bed.
Gu Zian clung to Xia Zhitang like an octopus: "Lock you in the room for the whole night..."
"Three years ago, he cornered me in the editing room. I grabbed a tripod and smashed three panes of glass." Xia Zhitang leaned over Gu Zian's shoulder and gently tapped his forehead with her fingertips. "Now that I have you, why would I bother with him?"
"Sister..." Gu Zian panted and bit her neck, "Let's make it public."
"Student Gu, the two-year agreement has not yet been fulfilled." Xia Zhitang pulled his ear.
"I can do it!" He counted on his fingers. "The web drama I guest-starred in last week has over 100 million hits! The movie starts shooting next month, and Mr. Cheng agreed to let me play the third male lead..."
"When you get your first trophy." She traced her fingertips across his red earlobe, "I'll take you to Nanshan Cemetery to see your parents."
Gu Zi suddenly turned over and pressed Xia Zhitang down: "Is it agreed?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Xia Zhitang pushed the nodding head away, "Go to sleep now."
"Sister, I haven't checked it yet, let me..." The last words of Gu Zian's voice disappeared in the beauty.
During the roadshow of "Blue Luan Jie", the Su family had begun to show signs of chaos, and Su Wen became more and more neurotic.
When Lin Jingming kicked over the folding chair in the lounge, the cheers of fans outside the door seeped in through the thin wall.
Xia Zhitang stood aside with an unchanging expression and advised, "Second Uncle Su's chain of evidence is not complete yet. There's no time to rush."
"How long do we have to wait?" Lin Jingming untied the tie that was pinching his neck and threw it into the vanity mirror. "I can't go through a whole day with this crappy roadshow!"
"Let's wait until we find out the Su family's account information." She grabbed Lin Jingming's arm and pushed him onto the sofa. "Sit down and tie your tie."
Lin Jingming broke free from her hand and paced back and forth in the cramped lounge. "When her father invested in my first film, he said we were the perfect pair. Now even my assistant is her spy!"
A knock on the door rang out from outside: "Director Lin, media interview in ten minutes!"
"Get out!" Lin Jingming grabbed the thermos and smashed it against the door.
Xia Zhitang picked up the thermos cup: "You taught me that the best show has to wait until the audience is seated."
Lin Jingming ripped open the collar of his shirt, revealing his red collarbone. "I'm almost suffocating! Last night at the celebration party, she checked my phone in front of twenty investors..."
Xia Zhitang took out a crew T-shirt and threw it over: "Put it on. Wear this for the group photo later." She personally helped Lin Jingming unbutton his shirt. "Three years ago, you said that pain is the nourishment of creation."
"Nutrition?" Lin Jingming laughed so hard he coughed. "I'm now a lion jumping through a fire ring at the zoo!"
The unbuttoned shirt slipped from Lin Jingming's shoulders to the ground, and he laughed so hard that he leaned on the makeup mirror.
"You are Lin Jingming, the Lin Jingming who won awards all the way while wearing shackles." Xia Zhitang sat in front of the makeup mirror, looking at Lin Jingming with a firm expression.
Lin Jingming felt for the tie that had fallen on the dressing table, snatched it up, and put it around Xia Zhitang's neck. "Try to feel like you're wearing a chain around your neck and still grinning!"
Xia Zhitang looked at Lin Jingming with an indifferent expression and sighed.
Now he is like a piece of porcelain on the verge of breaking, delicate and desperate.
"The day the Su family falls, you will be able to shoot what you really want to shoot." Xia Zhitang calmly held his trembling wrist gently.
The sound of Su Wen's signature high heels came from the corridor. Xia Zhitang pulled off Lin Jingming's tie and stuffed the T-shirt into his arms.
When the door was pushed open, Lin Jingming was wearing a loose T-shirt and leaning against the makeup mirror, looking listless.
"We can't broadcast tonight!" Su Wen threw her bag into Lin Jingming's arms, "Go back to the company immediately!"
Xia Zhitang waved the schedule at Su Wen and said, "Director Lin will have a live broadcast in ten minutes. Twenty-four media outlets are waiting."
Su Wen stared at Xia Zhitang with a bad look for a while, then turned around and slapped Lin Jingming in the face.
"This is what happens when you don't listen." She stared at Xia Zhitang with a bad look, "If I find out..."
"With the Gu family here, I don't need to do that." Xia Zhitang echoed Su Wen's words, "You can disbelieve him, but there's no need to hurt the relationship with the Gu family."
Su Wen snorted coldly, turned around and walked to the door frame and paused: "Get back here as soon as the roadshow is over!"
The sound of high heels gradually faded away, and Xia Zhitang took out a bottle of ice water and handed it to Lin Jingming amid the sound of smashing things.
"Oh, get out of here!"
"You understand the principle of sleeping on straw and tasting gall." Xia Zhitang held Lin Jingming's trembling hand. "These hands should be used to draw beautiful storyboards."
At the roadshow, Xia Zhitang stood backstage, watching Lin Jingming, who was speaking eloquently on stage under the spotlight. He wore a large T-shirt beneath his suit jacket, which, while a bit out of place, was much more pleasing to the eye than his previous, demure, suited-up appearance.
Gu Zian came over with his hair covered in glitter and stuffed a sausage into her hand. "Did Lao Lin lose his temper? I could hear cups pounding downstairs."
"Let him vent." Xia Zhitang felt hungry when he smelled the food. He had been busy for most of the day and had hardly eaten anything.
Gu Zian leaned over and whispered in Xia Zhitang's ear, "I just received news that Su Wen mixed fake account books into the assets to be transferred tonight."
Xia Zhitang swallowed the last bite of sausage and threw the skewer into the trash can: "Let's get ready to close the net."
She turned sideways and tugged at Gu Zian's sweatshirt strap: "After this is over, I want to take three days off."
"Let's go to Universal Studios to ride the roller coaster!" Gu Zian pulled Xia Zhitang's clothes, "And eat ice cream!"
"good."
When Gu Zian and Yin Tian went on stage to interact, Lin Jingming locked the door of the lounge to check the new information given by Cheng Shubai: "Xia Zhitang! The password of the USB drive you gave me is wrong!"
"It's the start date of shooting for your first award-winning film." Xia Zhitang looked at Lin Jingming's trembling hands and snatched his notebook to input it for him.
"Calm down, you'll be free after tonight." Xia Zhitang pushed the laptop back.
The stagehands started knocking on the door to urge the main creators to go on stage. Lin Jingming hurriedly pulled out the USB drive and handed it to Xia Zhitang.
When he touched the door handle, he suddenly turned around and said, "When this is over, I want to make a documentary."
"What are you filming?"
"It's about a silly bird trapped in a golden cage." Lin Jingming let out a self-deprecating laugh. "The end credits say: This film commemorates my youth that was eaten by a dog."
When Cheng Shubai pushed open the carved wooden door of Gu's father's teahouse, wisps of white smoke were rising from the spout of the purple clay teapot.
Father Gu sat at the tea table, scalding a teacup with tweezers. Amid the clinking of cups, he looked up and asked, "Pu'er or Longjing?"
"I brought you Longjing tea." Cheng Shubai placed the exquisitely packaged tea brick on the table, pulled out a rattan chair and sat down.
Gu Zian pulled Xia Zhitang in, and they sat down at a corner of the long table. Gu Zian took the teapot from Gu's father and helped pour tea.
"I've looked at the Su family's shipping account books. We can send three senior executives in." Father Gu pushed the teacup toward Cheng Shubai. "But to sink the entire ship, we have to blow up the engine room."
Gu Zian whispered in Xia Zhitang's ear, "Dad is taking advantage of the situation again!"
Xia Zhitang ignored him and continued to make tea for everyone steadily.
"What do you mean by engine compartment?" Cheng Shubai took the tea prepared by Xia Zhitang and respectfully refilled it for Gu's father.
Father Gu pushed the document bag next to him over.
Cheng Shubai opened the file bag, took out the documents inside and looked through them for several minutes. He looked up and asked, "Conditions?"
"Sixty percent of the shares of the Su Family Film and Television City." Father Gu took out the contract he had prepared long ago, "plus three promises from President Cheng."
Cheng Shubai's teacup rippled slightly. "Which three?"
"I haven't decided yet." Father Gu pushed the contract over. "Maybe I'll lend you the filming base in Hainan, or maybe I'll ask you to promote a new artist."
Cheng Shubai picked up the contract and looked at it for a long time before replying, "Three promises are too many. Reduce one."
Father Gu added water to the purple clay teapot and said, "Then give me the naming rights for Lin Jingming's next film."
"Deal." Cheng Shubai grabbed the pen and prepared to sign.
Xia Zhitang suddenly grabbed Cheng Shubai's wrist as he was about to sign: "Add a supplementary agreement - do not interfere with Gu Zian's acting career."
Father Gu laughed out loud: "Don't worry, I won't stop him."
"I promise you this." Cheng Shubai also expressed his opinion with a smile.
Xia Zhitang withdrew his hand and sat back quietly.
Gu Zian quietly interlocked his fingers with hers.
Father Gu signed the document in a flamboyant manner and pulled out a wooden box from under the coffee table. "A gift for meeting you. We'll take action at the Su family dinner tomorrow night."
When Xia Zhitang was helping at the side door of the Su family ancestral hall, Lin Jingming staggered out, covering his arm.
Xia Zhitang rushed over to support him: "Are you hurt?"
"I scratched it when I bumped into the door." The blood on Lin Jingming's suit sleeves stained her jacket. "Su Wen locked me in the wine cellar..."
Xia Zhitang helped him into the car and took the medicine box handed to him by the staff: "The medical team is keeping an eye on the old man. I'll take care of you first."
There was a commotion in the ancestral hall: "The old man has collapsed, the medical team is coming!"
Someone tried to rush out through the side door but was stopped by the staff. Soon an ambulance rushed past with its lights flashing.
Lin Jingming gritted his teeth and took off the shirt that was sticking to the wound, revealing the bleeding wound.
"At this time last year, I was toasting the Su family at the table..." Lin Jingming looked at the mess outside the car in confusion.
Xia Zhitang paused as he used the iodine cotton ball to disinfect the wound: "You are free now."
Lin Jingming leaned weakly against the back of his chair: "Do you know what Su Wen said? She said that if I left the Su family, I wouldn't even be able to afford to film a third-rate web drama..."
Xia Zhitang took out gauze to bandage his arm. "You won the Best New Director award at the age of 23." She looked at him with stars in her eyes. "Lin Jingming, have more confidence in yourself."
Lin Jingming grabbed her wrist: "Back in the editing room..."
"Back then, you taught me how to use montage to tell a story." Xia Zhitang pulled his hand back. "Now I tell you, Lin Jingming, you will be the best director."
There was a commotion outside the car, and uniformed law enforcement officers were escorting Su's second uncle past.
Lin Jingming looked at the embarrassed figure outside the car with an expressionless face and couldn't help but clench his fists.
Xia Zhitang patted Lin Jingming's arm: "I'm leaving first, you take a rest here."
Lin Jingming suddenly pulled Xia Zhitang into his arms: "I'm jealous of Gu Zian..."
Xia Zhitang pushed Lin Jingming away and said, "Your documentary proposal has been selected as one of General Cheng's key projects for next year, and I've invested in you."
Lin Jingming looked stunned: "What project?"
"A silly bird in a golden cage." Xia Zhitang laughed. "Forget it, take pictures of whatever you like."
Lin Jingming looked at her stupidly for a long time: "How much did you invest?"
"Half of a sea view apartment." Xia Zhitang opened the car door. "The settlement fee paid by the Su family, my savings, and the penalty paid by 'Blue Luan Jie', minus the money spent on investigating the Su family, have all been invested in this."
"Why?"
"Director, please continue filming." Xia Zhitang waved his hand with his back to Lin Jingming outside the car and ran towards the dimly lit area.
In the distance, the sound of firecrackers could be heard intermittently - I wonder which resident nearby saw what happened to the Su family and was secretly setting off firecrackers to celebrate.
Lin Jingming took out the wrinkled cigarette box and found that the last cigarette had been broken into two pieces.
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