Chapter 335 - This Script was Custom-Made, Right? (1/2)

November 19th, Friday…

Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao were going to arrive in Jingzhou the next day. Coincidentally, it would be a Saturday, and they could host a welcome feast for the latter at Ming Yun Private Kitchen.

Pei Qian took a lift to Jingzhou Station in the south and surveyed a few houses. From there, he shortlisted a few. Finally, he picked a beautifully-renovated house that measured 140 square meters. Its price was not far from what Pei Qian had expected. Furthermore, Pei Qian paid the full amount upfront. Thus, he managed to get a small, five percent discount. The final price was 1.63 million yuan.

Since the house was not yet complete, he had to wait until March next year before it could be handed over.

Property prices would balloon in the next two to three years. Most good houses would be paid for in advance and then completed within a certain time frame. If Pei Qian insisted on moving in immediately upon paying the purchase price, he would probably only be able to get second-hand homes.

He did not have much of a choice. Thus, after considering all the factors, he decided that this house was the most suitable. Although he had to pay for it in advance, it was worth buying. In any case, Pei Qian was in no hurry. His parents’ house was quite small, but they had already been living there for so many years. A few months more would not make a difference.

Furthermore, even if the house had been handed over immediately, he still had to inspect, design, and furnish it. All of that would take him a few months anyway. He could not rush the process.

Now that the house was bought, a huge burden was taken off of Pei Qian’s chest. He felt much more relaxed.

The only thing that made him unhappy was seeing about two hundred thousand yuan left in his Personal Wealth. Pei Qian could not help but feel sorrowful—all of his hard-earned money was gone just like that.

Still, it did not really matter. As long as he could incur more losses before the next settlement, he would be able to earn all the money spent on the house back!

He was busy all of Friday. After signing the sale and purchase agreement for the house, he finally returned home to rest.

On Saturday afternoon, Pei Qian instructed Little Sun—the company’s chauffeur—to send him to Ming Yun Private Kitchen. There, he waited for Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao.

Both of them were on afternoon flights. Zhang Zuting had arrived slightly earlier, and so he went to the hotel to get some rest first. Lu Zhiyao arrived slightly later, but Pei Qian also arranged for someone to pick him up, send him to the hotel, and let him settle in before fetching him to Ming Yun Private Kitchen. Of course, as the director of the film, Zhu Xiaoce was joining them as well. He had already arrived ahead of time.

Pei Qian and Zhu Xiaoce sat in the private room, snacking and waiting. Pei Qian noticed that there were two printed scripts in Zhang Zuting’s briefcase. Those were probably meant for Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao.

Pei Qian’s head was hurting just thinking about the scripts. When Zhang Zuting asked to see it earlier, Pei Qian managed to dodge the bullet. Now that Lu Zhiyao was here, Pei Qian guessed that he would likely make the same request. Pei Qian knew for a fact that both of them were very picky with movie scripts. They were not the kind of actors who would star in any role they were told to as long as they were paid. Thus, Pei Qian would definitely not be able to gloss over the script.

old Zhang would probably be easier to deal with. After all, they had worked together before, and he was willing to cooperate. However, Lu Zhiyao was not acquainted with Pei Qian in any way, and he was quite famous. How could Pei Qian expect him to star in a film that was being produced by an unknown director? Even if they paid him a lot of money, he might not agree to play the role once he saw the script. Thus, Pei Qian was worried. On the other hand, there was not a hint of worry on Zhu Xiaoce’s face. Instead, he looked confident and prepared.

Pei Qian thought that it was quite ridiculous. The script was so rubbish, and yet Zhu Xiaoce looked like he was holding onto works that had won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Pei Qian tried asking, “Director Zhu, when Lu Zhiyao arrives, he will likely ask about the movie script. When he does—”

“Don’t worry, Boss Pei! There’s nothing to worry about!” Before Pei Qian could finish speaking, Zhu Xiaoce patted his chest. “Your script was so well-written. For all we know, the more Lu Zhiyao reads, the more he would like it! He might even request to star in it in exchange for a lower pay!”

Pei Qian was speechless.”…”

You’re too optimistic, aren’t you?

Yet, at that point, Pei Qian saw no point in asking more questions. He could only watch how things went when they all finally met.

A while later, the company’s seven-seater car arrived. Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao alighted from the car and were led into Ming Yun Private Kitchen by a waiter. They each had an assistant trailing behind them.

It was common for celebrities to bring their assistants along. After all, most celebrities were extremely busy. They needed someone by their sides to help them or they would risk becoming overwhelmed. The fact that each of these men only had one assistant with them showed how low-profile they were. Other popular celebrities would bring eight to ten assistants with them whenever they left their homes. It almost looked like they were the moon, always behind held up by surrounding stars. This was the first time Pei Qian was meeting Lu Zhiyao in person. Before this, he had only seen his pictures and his scenes in movies online.

The first impression he had of Lu Zhiyao was that he was very handsome!

There were photogenic and non-photogenic celebrities. Some celebrities looked good on camera but practically glowed in real life. Those far surpassed ordinary handsome men and pretty women. Others were not particularly eye-catching in real life but were made to look much more presentable on camera with make-up.

Lu Zhiyao was a special kind of celebrity. He looked extremely handsome in real life… but not that handsome on the screen. Pei Qian had to admit that celebrities depended heavily on their affinity with the audience. No matter how good some celebrities looked, it would not matter as long as the audience did not like them.

“Boss Pei! It’s been a long time!” Zhang Zuting walked briskly towards Pei Qian and shook his hand.

“Boss Pei, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Lu Zhiyao followed closely behind Zhang Zuting After exchanging some pleasantries, Pei Qian led them all into the private room. They then took their respective seats.

It was the same private room, the biggest one on the third floor of the villa. Zhang Zuting could see the golden sunset through the window, illuminating the infinity pool. He could not help but recall the first time he had come here.

His surroundings and the view made him… salivate uncontrollably. The mere thought of the delicacies he had enjoyed during his first time here made Zhang Zuting yearn for the experience once again. He could not wait to dig in. However, at that moment, Pei Qian was not paying any attention to Zhang Zuting or Lu Zhiyao. Instead, he was staring at Zhang Zuting’s assistant. You’re the brat who wrote down Ming Yun Private Kitchen’s position the last time and lured all the ballers in Jingzhou City here!

Boss Pei was furious, but there was nothing he could do. On Zha Zhuti’s account, he had to bury the hatchet.

Pei Qian introduced Director Zhu Xiaoce to Zhang Zuting and Lu Zhiyao. They had some casual conversation as the dishes were served one by one. Although Lu Zhiyao had eaten a lot of good food in his lifetime, he looked surprised when the food was laid down in front of him.

Before he arrived, he was told that there was a pretty good nameless restaurant in Jingzhou City. However, he had not been too hopeful. After all, he often traveled around the world for filming. What kind of restaurant had he not eaten at before?

Yet, when he ate the food here, he realized that it was not worse than the food he had at the best restaurant he had ever visited. In fact, the environment and service here far surpassed that restaurant!

The moment he tasted these delicacies, Lu Zhiyao’s recent troubles and worries faded significantly. Lu Zhiyao had cooped himself at home after his new movie failed. He had also decided not to star in any more films for now. The cast in the previous movie was so good, and yet it still failed. What if the next movie he starred in failed as well?

He could not bear it anymore.

In fact, Lu Zhiyao had not decided whether to take up the role in this movie or not yet. He had only decided to come to Jingzhou to rest his mind and not to work.

Yet, at that moment, as he was being served dish after dish and being well taken care of by the kind waiters; Lu Zhiyao could feel how highly Boss Pei regarded him.

At first, he had only wanted to look around Jingzhou City. That made him embarrassed to continue eating this meal. As the saying went, gifts blinded one’s eyes. Although Lu Zhiyao had not decided whether to star in the movie or not, he felt the need to ask more questions about it to understand it better.

At that thought, Lu Zhiyao said, “Boss Pei, Director Zhu, let’s talk briefly about this movie.

“To tell you the truth, I’ve been in low spirits lately. I’m not in my best state. Mr. Zhang should understand this—an actor’s ability to display his skills is very closely related to his state. I rejected the offer earlier because I was worried that I would not be able to act well in this movie and end up dragging everyone down.

“Moreover, I’m now known as the ‘toxicity in the box office’. I don’t want to be a burden to all of you.”

Before rejecting the offer altogether, Lu Zhiyao had spoken very lowly of himself. That way, even if he decided to turn it down in the end, both parties’ relationships would not be hurt.

As for whether he would end up rejecting the offer or not, that depended on what the script was like and how sincere Boss Pei was.

If the script was horrible, he would reject the role. If the film looked like it had potential, he would give it a shot. Pei Qian smiled. “Don’t put it that way. Mr. Lu, I think your talents have been severely buried!

“Others may think you’re toxicity in the box office, but in my eyes, you’re the best candidate to star as the male protagonist in this movie!

“I have high hopes for you.”

Lu Zhiyao knew that Boss Pei was just being polite.