CH 11

Zhao He didn’t wait long in the karaoke box [1]. He saw a waiter coming in with a man wearing a shirt with his suit coat on his arm, Zhao He rubs his unsober head, “Are you Lu Chengyu’s boss?” while looking up and down at the man. Although he can’t see the clothes and shoes’ brand, he can still see that it is not cheap.

[1]

Yan Mu went to the sofa and squatted down. He looks at Lu Chengyu, who’s drunk and had fallen asleep. He shook Chengyu’s shoulder, but after he saw that Lu Chengyu did not respond, he knew Chengyu was dead drunk. Then, Yan Mu said to Zhao He, “Thank you for taking care of him.” After saying it, he asked for the waiter’s help to hold Lu Chengyu and he lay him on his back. Then Yan Mu walked steadily to go outside the door.

As Zhao He watched Yan Mu carried the man out of the karaoke box, he was stunned for a moment. Then he realized that Yan Mu forgot his suit coat that he put on the sofa, he runs after Yan Mu to outside. When he arrived at the parking place outside KTV, he saw Yan Mu placing Lu Chengyu into a Maybach. At the moment, he sighed, “Fuck me, it’s a limited car!”

His family is rich. However, in this capital city, rich families are like clouds. (T/N: there are many rich families) Even if Lao Tzu is quite rich, Lao Tzu can’t afford to buy that kind of car, and even if Lao Tzu can, Lao Tzu won’t spend money on it. (T/N: Zhao He called himself Lao Tzu @ ore-sama). He takes advantages to see this car closely. He saw that Yan Mu place Chengyu at the front passenger seat and fastened Chengyu’s seat belt well. After that, he handed back Yan Mu’s coat to him and hesitated for a moment before he said: “He has no one in his family and today everyone drank a lot, please take care of him.”

“I know. Thank you for reminding me.” Yan Mu covered Lu Chengyu with his suit coat, turned on the air conditioner inside the car, nodded to Zhao He, and then he started the car and drove away.

Yan Mu’s steadily drive the car. So when he had reach downstairs of Lu Chengyu’s building, Lu Chengyu still slept soundly, he even didn’t change his posture.

Yan Mu unfastening the seat belt, he looked at the building in front of him and lifted Lu Chengyu out of the car. His expression changed slightly. Although Lu Chengyu doesn’t seem fat, after he loses consciousness, Yan Mu have to struggle to lift him(LCY) up.

Lu Chengyu felt his head dizzy as if he had lost control of it. After several painful flips, he sat up with a quilt in his arms and looked around, only to find out that it was his room. He has no idea how did he reach home. He drank too much last night. He forgot that he had just graduated from university and didn’t have the drinking capacity that he has 8 years later. Time really change people, not only it can make you grow older, but it also can also make you get more adapted to the society.

When he heard the noise outside, he was stunned. He jumped down from the bed and he goes out of the room. What he saw is a frightening scene in front of him, his company’s big boss walked towards him with fried eggs and milk on his hand. He was stunned for several seconds before he said: “Boss?”

“I called you last night, your classmates told me that you were drunk.” Yan Mu saw him wake up, he turned to put the breakfast on the dining table, and then went back to the kitchen to bring out his breakfast. When he sees Lu Chengyu still standing at the door, he asks: “Is your stomach uncomfortable? You don’t want to eat?”

“No, I’m okay” Lu Chengyu went back to the bathroom and quickly wash his face and brush his teeth. Then he sat down at the dining table and began to eat Yan Mu’s fried eggs. He has to admit that this fried egg is much better cooked than what he can do. He drank a mouthful of milk and thanked him, “Thank you.”

The relationship between them is Lu Chengyu is the employee while Yan Mu is the boss. Generally, only employees have to please the boss, and not the boss takes care of the employees. If an employee encounters the opposite situation, it can only be said that the employee has had bad luck.

Yan Mu came to pick him up because his classmates told him that he(LCY) was drunk. He also took care of him overnight. What kind of spirit is this? This is a combination of revolutionary friendship and Lei Feng’s spirit [2].

[2]是雷锋般的精神 [the spirit of Lei Feng]: named after Lei Feng, a model of altruism and dedication for the Communist Party

“Small things, no need thanks. I used your room last night without your consent. I’m sorry.” Yan Mu’s eating posture is very standard, which is somewhat like a ruler. Lu Chengyu even found that he ate almost the same amount of food every time.

Hearing the other side’s words, Lu Chengyu eagerly said: “Boss, you take care of me for one night, and you even have to prepare your own room. It was me who should say sorry.” This time his sorry is absolutely sincere. Just like when he say thanks just now, he really meant it.

Then, after Lu Chengyu said it, he drinks the half cup milk while Yan Mu starts speaking, “If you are sober enough to prepare your own room, I won’t have to take care of you.”

These sentences, similar to spitting, are said from the mouth of this expressionless man, simply have a brute effect. Lu Chengyu almost choked on the milk, and he smiled dryly: “Next time, I’ll make sure to drink less wine.” ”

“Hmm.” Yan Mu nodded in agreement. “Drinking hurts the liver. It’s not good.”

Lu Chengyu nodded his head under his opponent’s serious eyes and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Then he saw the other side’s eyes showing a meaning of “you are still saved”, so he had to silently bow his head and continue to struggle with the fried eggs.

When Lu Chengyu finished eating, Yan Mu insisted to clean the dishes and then left Lu Chengyu’s home wearing yesterday’s clothes. Before leaving, he reminds Lu Chengyu to have lunch on time instead of going to work today.

While Lu Chengyu watched the other side enter the elevator, he touches his chin and began to think. It seems like no matter what kind of group, for example, the rich second generation group, there are people with distinctive behaviour in it.

At the moment when the elevator’s door was about to close, Lu Chengyu heard another solemn voice coming from the elevator.

“Remember to work on time tomorrow.”

However, the people who called “boss” is the same everywhere.

Lu Chengyu goes back to the house to take a bath and changed his clothes. Afterwards, he sat on a sofa in the living room, he found fresh fruits on a fruit tray under the tea table. Needless to say, Yan Mu went out to buy it this morning.

He couldn’t help laughing looking at the fruits.

In the afternoon, Lu Chengyu went out and looks for a casserole dish series’ shop for lunch. He only ordered two light dishes. If he drinks too much, his will have an upset stomach and he can’t eat anything else.

The casserole pigeon soup [3] tastes very good and stimulates Lu Chengyu’s appetite.

[3]

When he starts to eat it, he hears the people at the next table spitting bitter water [4]. He turned his head around and saw two men in their thirties sitting face to face. Both of them has bitter faces and messy hair. They looked somewhat in a difficult position.

[4] 吐苦水 [tǔ kǔ shuǐ ] to complain bitterly; to pour out one’s sufferings

Nobody knows these two people now, but Lu Chengyu knows them very well because they are Zhang Shuo, a very famous director and Qu Lingbei, a famous screenwriter. It is rumoured that they are good brothers for many years. In their early years, they became famous for shooting a movie that had a million-yuan investment but a box office of 900 million yuan. That small-budget movie had made several artists popular and eventually became the main door for both Zhang Shuo and Qu Lingbei to enter the entertainment circle.

They worked together to make several good and popular movies. In the year when Lu Chengyu died in his past life, they were already the wrists in the entertainment circle. (T/N: already have a firm foothold in the entertainment world). He didn’t know that when both of this man hasn’t got into the entertainment circle, they look like this.

“Why don’t we just forget it,” said Qu Lingbei, he lifts his face up and takes a sip of wine, “We have been running around for months, who will join us.”

“If Lao Tzu had one or two million, Lao Tzu would never need to ask for money from those grandchildren.” Zhang Shuo wiped his face. “We’ve wasted so much energy. If you quit, then the previous efforts are not in vain?”

“Of course it will be in vain,” Qu Lingbei said while forcing a bitter smile, “A few days ago, my relatives got me a job. The salary was very good. I want to try it.” His children are going to primary school soon. Although his wife always supports him, he can’t let his wife and children suffer because of his dream. What kind of man is that?

Zhang Shuo keeps silent. He knew his friend’s difficulty. The other side is not like him as he ate alone. His friend had a wife and children in his family. It’s impossible to go on like this all the time.

“Are you going to make a movie?” Lu Chengyu’s face didn’t show even half ashamed for eavesdropping on other people’s conversation. He looked like a curious young man and asked, “What movie is it?”

Zhang Shuo looks at the young man from the neighbouring table. He knows that their conversation was overheard by the other party. He replied in a somewhat upset tone, “We don’t have money now. What kind of movies can we make?”

“It’s going to cost a lot of money? “Lu Chengyu remembers in an interview with a TV station later, Qu Lingbei once told this experience. Just in time that both of them decided to give up, a big supermarket’s owner was very interested in their script, and finally invested 2 million, which allows them to successfully shoot the film. Who knows that the movie will be a hit, leading them towards their peak of life, also made the supermarket owner rich.

“That’s right. Even we are shooting a small-budget movie, it still gonna cost around 2 to 3 million.” Zhang Shuo looks at Lu Chengyu’s exquisite appearance, he was curious and thinks that this young man wants to be an actor, “Young man, it’s not easy to enter the entertainment circle.”

“I don’t want to enter the entertainment circle, but I like movies. If it’s only two or three million yuan, I can give you money to shoot the movie.” Lu Chengyu saw that the other party doesn’t believe it, “or we’ll find a place to talk about the details.” He doesn’t have much cash in hand now, but he can still afford two or three million yuan.

Zhang Shuo and Qu Lingbei didn’t hold any hope, but now since they have nowhere to go, better they listen to this young man’s words. Anyway, they won’t lose anything if they listen to it.

However, when they sit down in the teahouse, really get the details settled and get the lawyer to sign the contract, the two people reacted. They have been running around so many days without any result, but unexpectedly met a nobleman in a restaurant?

That afternoon, the first instalment money was deposit in both man’ accounts. Zhang Shuo looked at the balance in his bank card, his smiling chubby face looks a bit distorted.

This is literally a sum of money that fell from the sky, smashing them, making them dizzy.

Lu Chengyu was also in a good mood. For him, this was an opportunity that falls from the sky. He read the script in the afternoon and the two men are ready to shoot 《Soaring Birds》. Several years later, this movie remains an excellent example of a small-budget movie with high-profit returns. Even many movie investors are envy and jealous of the supermarket owner. What kind of shit luck can they find this money?

But Lu Chengyu knew very well that the supermarket owner didn’t really have much money. Even when he signed the cooperation letter with Zhang Shuo, he didn’t have enough money to invest in movies. But this man went to Huading and made a small fortune in real estate. Only then he had enough funds to invest in 《Soaring Birds》.

The man’s name was Huangchuan, and later he became a famous investor in film and television circles. At the same time, he also was the bastard who wants to do unwritten rules with Lu Chengyu.