My girlfriend is from the future!

It's rare for the "lead singer" to take the initiative to appear outside of Wen Liang's occasions. The "writer" originally arranged this gathering to get to know him better, and he didn't expect the "lead singer" to actually have such an idea, so he was happy to see it happen.

"Wait a minute, I always thought Director He had a quick reflexes. Back when we were on set, my assistant cameraman was changing a lens for me, and it was about to fall to the ground. Director He was talking to me behind me just a second ago, and in the blink of an eye, he took a big step forward and caught the lens. How come he's become so slow after not seeing me for half a year, Director He~"

Cai Jueming grumbled as he sat on the other side of He Tianran.

"Right, Lao Cai? You think so too? Director He's been away from us for so long, he's gotten a bit rusty."

Hu Yue, standing to the side, added insult to injury with a sarcastic remark, then tossed the package of "He Tianxia" cigarettes that hadn't been caught onto the table's turntable, which then landed in front of He Tianran.

"Come on, Director He, have a cigarette to perk yourself up."

He Tianran watched the cigarette pack spinning towards him. If it were the "writer" from before, he would most likely have politely smiled and accepted it, then remained silent and listened quietly to the conversation, thus letting the matter drop.

He has too many thoughts and is afraid of making mistakes by talking too much, so he is more used to being an observer than a confidant. This is a trait that all "He Tianran" have. When he is a director, this is how he is on set. However, a friend's gathering is not a film set. There are no cameras here for him to express himself in a different way. It is not a place of extravagance and fame where one needs to scheme and fight for some purpose.

Fortunately, He Tianran's body does indeed possess a soul that can shine brightly on stage and also crack jokes among friends.

The man sitting in the chair had his head down.

His shoulders twitched slightly, as if adjusting some kind of frequency, or as if removing some invisible shackles.

It was a very subtle shift in the aura.

When He Tianran looked up again, his eyes, which were originally calm and still, now held a hint of playfulness and roguishness.

He didn't reach for the cigarettes on the table. Instead, he turned to the side, put one hand on the back of the chair, and tilted his head to look at Hu Yue and Cai Jueming, who had just been making a fuss.

"What? I didn't catch a single one of those 'Little Cai Flying Daggers' just now, and you two are going to tease me about it for a year? Is that all the grit you've got? You say you've grown apart? You two didn't even tell me you were going back to Hong Kong. I, your 'boss,' had to invite you. So who's growing apart here? Can't you even tell the difference between the two kings? You two aren't even going to offer me a drink?"

If the "He Tianran" of before was like a glass of lukewarm water, polite and distant, then he now is like a can of ice-cold beer that has just been opened, with bubbles bubbling and a vigorous energy.

Hu Yue and Cai Jueming were taken aback.

That tone... that's just right!

"Oh ho? You only come back to your senses now that everyone's here, huh? So you think we're the Dragon Balls, only showing up when everyone's here, huh!" Hu Yue laughed, explaining to He Tianran with a smile, "It's not that we didn't tell you, Lao Cai and I have never missed liking and commenting on your posts on WeChat Moments, isn't that obvious? We were just waiting for you to invite us."

He Tianran opened the cigarette pack, shook out a cigarette, and upon hearing Hu Yue's words, unexpectedly tossed it towards the other's forehead. Hu Yue, seemingly sleazy, was actually quite prepared and shrewd; he caught it with both hands and grinned, saying:

"Hahaha, I knew you were going to do this!"

"Heh~" He Tianran didn't care that his plan had failed. He continued to send messages to the people around him who hadn't opened their cigarettes yet, showing an exaggerated expression: "You two are really something, liking my post on WeChat Moments, implying that I should ask you out? Couldn't you just say so directly! How am I supposed to know what your likes mean? I'm not a woman, why would I need you to like my posts to get attention? And then you keep talking about it. No wonder you're single, Hu Xiucai. If you had been bold enough to ask me out earlier, you wouldn't feel like I'm being distant today!"

Hu Yue looked embarrassed. Seeing the other party's discomfiture, Cai Jueming leaned on He Tianran's shoulder and grinned. The friends sitting there also couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on, everyone, it's been so long since we last met! Let's have a toast! To all my friends who are in relationships, I wish you all a happy family and many children. And to all the single guys, Happy New Year! Drink up, everyone!"

Without making the other side too embarrassed, He Tianran took the lead in picking up the wine glass on the table, and everyone else immediately filled their glasses, stood up, and looked very happy.

As soon as the "lead singer" came online, after downing a glass of horse urine, the atmosphere in the entire private room instantly became lively.

Unlike a writer, the lead singer doesn't think about what to say or not to say, nor does he need to recall who is who. For him, this kind of occasion, full of mutual teasing, brotherhood, and the smell of alcohol, is like something he has experienced countless times.

"Come on, Lao Cai, Xiucai, I haven't seen you two much lately. Let's give you a rundown of what you've been up to!"

"What else can I do? Film movies, of course!"

Cai Jueming lit a cigarette, then lit one for He Tianran as well, and continued:
"After filming wrapped on 'Wild in My Heart,' I've been traveling between several film studios all over the country, spending three months here and two months there. If it weren't for the fact that Director Li's filming is resuming in March and I had to come back early to scout locations and prepare with him, I probably would have spent the Lunar New Year on set this year."

He Tianran nodded. Cai Jueming had always been in charge of filming Li Wang's movie, so naturally the old crew would be used for this restart of filming.

"And what about you, scholar?"

"He's made a fortune this year, you didn't know that, Director He."

"What do I know?"

At this moment, Yu Hui chimed in, adding:

"Brother, Hu Bian has opened a short drama studio now, specializing in making short dramas for the 'Waves' theater under the Surfing Line. They've produced several hits already, and I bet he's made a lot of money this year."

"what?"

He Tianran was taken aback. This matter was probably not even known to the "lead singer" or the "writer." Although he was in charge of the film and television business of the surfing line, his personal energy was limited. Nowadays, short dramas were all the rage, and the investment amount was at most 500,000 yuan. The mainstream was mostly small-scale productions of 200,000 to 300,000 yuan. Filming was completed in one week and the film was released in one week. With such a fast pace and so many teams, he couldn't manage it all even if he wanted to. Therefore, this part was handled by several teams from the mountains and seas. He Tianran was only responsible for investing in serious film and television dramas and movies, and his "Future Production" was only responsible for producing mainstream high-quality works.

"Hey, it's just a small amount of money. It's all thanks to Director He's platform and traffic support. Director He, let me toast you."

Hu Yue raised a glass of wine again. Although He Tianran was not directly involved in the success of his small studio, his ability to join the platform and successfully negotiate film purchase prices and revenue sharing with several managers was inseparable from his acquaintance with He Tianran and his role as the screenwriter for "Wild in My Heart". So this glass of wine really deserves a toast.

"Don't give me that. You think you can make this kind of money on your own? I knew you could make this kind of quick money back when you were in college."

He Tianran bumped into him, thinking that it was a good thing if his own business could help his friend make money.

"University? Director He, you still remember my university days? I told you about them...?" Hu Yue scratched his head...

He Tianran paused for a few seconds, holding the wine glass, then smiled, raised an eyebrow, and feigned mystery:
"I've even read your novels."

These words truly struck a nerve with Hu Yue, causing him to have an immediate stress response. After finishing his drink, he repeatedly waved his hands.

"Okay! Stop it, I understand, don't mention it again, don't mention it again!!"

"What novel?" Yu Hui asked with interest.

"Don't ask, it's all a dark history. My novel wasn't enough to make me financially independent, but it was enough to ruin my reputation!"

Hu Yue wanted to quickly drop the subject, but Cai Jueming revealed the truth: "It's a novel of a protagonist who is overpowered by a dragon, which your brother Hu wrote in college. Hmm~ But Director He, how did you know that?"

"I already said I've seen it." He Tianran didn't say much more, changing the subject to Li Wang: "Wangzi, what about you? I know you're making a movie, what will you do after it's finished?"

"Me?" Li Wang, who had been listening to their banter, suddenly felt a little embarrassed when He Tianran turned his attention to her. She smiled shyly and said, "If I can finish filming the movie this year, I plan to marry Dongdong."

"Whoa—"

Inside the private room, a chorus of envious voices rang out. Everyone was an old friend, especially Cai, Hu, and Wei, who had witnessed Li Wang and Sheng Qidong's love story from their student days.

"Don't worry about whether filming is finished or not. Even if it's not finished, you should still get married to someone else first. I've calculated it, and the second half of the year will be a good one."

Cai Jueming spoke first. As a cinematographer, he knew best about Li Wang's shooting rhythm. He would shoot a feature film from the same camera position back and forth, repeatedly scrutinizing the details. If what he said was true, it was indeed unlikely that he could get married this year.

"That's right, Director Li. Among our group of college classmates, you and your little devil are the only ones who can really get along. One of you is a director, and the other is a producer who manages the money. It's a match made in heaven. You should hurry up and get together."

Several old friends urged him on, and Li Wang nodded with a "haha" sound. He Tianran came to the rescue:

“We don’t need to rush this. Director Li has always been aware of this. He’s the kind of person who feels more confident to repay this relationship once the movie is finished and he achieves some success. Believe it or not, if ‘Cosmic Street’ is actually made and wins an award, Director Li is the kind of person who can actually do something like ‘proposal’ at the awards ceremony.”

"No, no, no, I didn't think that much, I didn't think that much, let's just do it, let's just do it..."

Li Wang raised his glass, toasted his friends, and downed the drink in silence. Although he didn't say much, everyone could see that he was very happy that his long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and several waiters brought in several hot dishes. Xue Yong helped arrange the dishes on the table, calling out as he did so:
"These dishes are just for snacking while you drink, so save some room. The whole roasted lamb won't be ready in time, and we don't want everyone to be full by the time the main course arrives."

Cai Jueming tapped his chopsticks, picked up a piece of fish, put it in his mouth, chewed, and assured him:
"Brother Yong, don't worry. There are seven grown men here. Each of us can eat three pounds of meat with bones and still not finish it."

"It's mainly about drinking~" Xue Yong said, first turning to the waiter and instructing, "Go, bring out the few bottles of liquor I kept in your store. Your boss knows what they are." Then he smiled at everyone and said, "Let's get some baijiu first. Beer makes you bloated. We'll talk about baijiu after we finish that. Since I arranged this place today, everyone must drink their fill and have a good time!"

He Tianran complained, "If you had good stuff, why didn't you bring it out sooner? I'd have drunk several cups of horse piss by now."

"Hey, this bottle of beer was opened beforehand to let the brothers rinse their mouths, right? Who told you to chug it down right away? Didn't you see I drank half a glass when you said 'Happy New Year'? I, Lao Xue, have always been a cunning rabbit with multiple burrows for storing beer. Wherever I invited you guys, there was definitely some of my beer. Luckily, my friend, you didn't know?"

Well, this guy actually has a point.

He Tianran was too lazy to argue with him. He took a bite of his food, softened his tone, and advised:
"You should drink less. You're about to become a father, so be mindful of the amount you drink."

"Virtue"

Xue Yong glanced at him, his smile unchanged. Feeling his brother's concern, he murmured with slight emotion:
"You know I used to work in the liquor business for a while. I had a lot of social engagements back then, and I genuinely enjoyed drinking. I ended up developing alcoholic liver disease. If it weren't for Tingting keeping me company, I probably would have been in the hospital several times already. To be honest, since she got pregnant, I can count the number of times I've secretly drunk alcohol on one hand. Sometimes when I go to drinking parties, I use her pregnancy as an excuse to avoid drinking. Firstly, it's because I don't really want to drink, and secondly, it's to remind myself that I'm a married person now, and when I'm out and about, I can't just focus on having fun with the people in front of me; I also need to be mindful of my family's feelings..."

After saying that, he raised the plastic wine glass in front of him, changed the subject, and said boldly:
"But the two of us absolutely have to drink to our hearts' content today."

He Tianran glanced at his wine glass, unmoved by the rare display of brotherly affection, and retorted with a forced smile:
"Stop talking so much, just get half a glass of wine and toast me. Lao Xue, you're good at persuading people to drink. I was almost moved by you."

Xue Yong's face visibly flushed red; he was both angry and amused, and he almost cursed aloud:
"Fuck you... I... He Tianran, you son of a bitch, fine, fine, you're playing this game, huh! When my drinks arrive, I'll see who gets the better of whom today!"

Soon after, Xue Yong's wine arrived, and the whole roasted lamb was served. Everyone toasted and ate heartily, making the private room quite lively. Cai Jueming was drinking Xue Yong so much that he put his arm around him, Li Wang and Hu Yue were chatting about the current market for short dramas, and Yu Hui and Wei Xing were setting up a karaoke machine not far away, wanting to play a few songs and belt out a few tunes.

During the conversation, Cai Jueming asked Xue Yong how he and He Dao'er met. He Tianran originally only wanted to say that they were high school classmates, but unexpectedly, Xue Yong started to boast about a story from their university days. He said that he used to be good friends with He Yuanchong. Once, when they were playing pickup basketball, he slapped one of the opposing players and injured him in order to stand up for him. He Yuanchong's younger brother saw that things were not going well and turned around and left. The guy who was slapped was also the son of an official. If he got into legal trouble, the other party would probably try to destroy him. He had no choice but to ask He Tianran for help. Fortunately, the matter was resolved peacefully in the end. As for Xue Yong, he met his current wife through the connections of He Tianran's friends.

The original He Tianran knew about this, but the current "writer" and "lead singer" were hearing about it for the first time. Thinking about it this way, the reason why this group of old friends could gather here like this, facing the rest of their lives with hope, was more or less related to the original He Tianran who was temporarily asleep.

These are all the "cause" planted by the original "him". So what should the "effect" that originally belonged to him in this world be?
The lead singer fell into deep thought. Just then, he seemed to hear Li Wang start a conversation, with the others echoing his sentiments.

"By the way, Director He, it's almost the new year, do you have any filming plans?"

"That's right, Director He, we can't just take advantage of you without doing our own work. I still miss the days when we worked together on set."

"Yes, Director, now that 'Wild in My Heart' is finished, haven't you thought about making something else? I have a lot of scripts here, you can pick whichever you like."

"Brother He has a script that he hasn't finished writing yet; he's been holding back for years."

"Oh? What's the script? Tell me about it."

"Yes, yes, tell us, share with us." (End of Chapter)