The film and television city starts from the courtyard

Everything is going smoothly at IKEA, especially now that the previously trained staff can work independently, Zhao Shucheng finally has more personal space and time.

It was because of this that Zhao Shucheng discovered at home that Vivian, apart from having breakfast with him, hardly ate anything for lunch or dinner, and often just ate two packs of Swiss rolls to fill her stomach when she was hungry.

Zhao Shucheng naturally knew that this kind of diet was unhealthy, but Vivian claimed that she did it to lose weight so that she could show her best self in front of the camera.

In order to correct Vivian's eating habits, Zhao Shucheng had no choice but to cook lunch himself and have lunch with her.

Vivian was surprised when she saw the dishes Zhao Shucheng had prepared.
“Mr. Zhao, although I had heard that you had cooked a great meal for Miss Wang at Zhizhen Garden before, and that the desserts in the morning were also very authentic, it seems that your cooking skills are no less than those of the head chef at Zhizhen Garden.”

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "It's alright. After all, life is all about eating and drinking, so if you want to eat and drink well, you have to know a little bit about cooking."

Upon hearing this, Vivian smiled and said, "You share the same view as Cai Lan; he also said that eating and drinking well makes life more enjoyable."

Zhao Shucheng said with a smile, "I didn't learn it from him, but from Ms. Yang Jiang in China. She said that life is nothing more than eating and drinking. To live a colorful and flavorful life, to make the days interesting, it's not just about having the mouth, but also about having a heart that is deeply immersed in the realities of life."

A heart deeply immersed in the realities of life signifies a profound understanding and experience of it. Zhao Shucheng, having spent over a century in the film and television industry, possesses a deeper understanding and experience of life than most. After all, life experiences and attitudes are gained through personal experience, allowing him to find extraordinary meaning even in relatively ordinary days.

Otherwise, every world would feel repetitive, and sometimes even lack challenge, and Zhao Shucheng might not be able to persevere. That's why he needs to find simple pleasures in the midst of a complicated life.

Zhao Shucheng smiled and looked at Vivian, saying, "Vivian, why are you so determined to lose weight? Is it because you genuinely care about your health, or is it because others care about you, and you're trying to please them?"

"What's the difference? As a celebrity, I naturally have to consider the audience's opinions, right?"

Zhao Shucheng shook his head and said, "It's different. You are yourself first, and then you are Vivian in the eyes of the audience and listeners. People should live for themselves, not for others. We should bravely live as our inner selves, not as ourselves in the eyes of others. Do you really like Swiss rolls, or is this a choice you have no other choice?"

Vivian fell silent. Actually, she didn't really like Swiss rolls, but in order to look good on camera and show the best version of herself to the audience, she had to force herself to maintain a good figure.

Especially since coming to Shanghai and moving into Zhao Shucheng's old house, she has been having breakfast with Zhao Shucheng every morning, which makes her eat much more than usual. This has forced her to maintain her figure and lose weight.

"Alright, let's not talk about those unhappy things. Try this dish."

Vivian nodded, noticing how delicious every dish Zhao Shucheng made was. It reminded her of when she hadn't debuted yet, when she ate home-cooked meals every day. But she wondered when she started to lose weight.
Abao, however, discovered a new opportunity in the stock market fluctuations. After all, it would be difficult for an apparel company to go public on its own, but it would be much easier to mobilize funds once institutional investors were involved.

Abao arrived at the stock exchange, intending to consult with Commander Cai about finding a brokerage firm in another city.

Commander Cai was complaining to the elderly folks who trade stocks about the recent stock market situation, especially the stock 378, which was causing them immense distress. Those who bought on the first day were all trapped on the second. Those who bought on the second day were all trapped on the third. This continuous series of limit-down days meant that stock buyers could only watch helplessly as their money rapidly dwindled.

Commander Cai was surprised to see A Bao again. But when he heard that A Bao was planning to find a securities firm in another city to help his clothing company go public, he was filled with emotion.

He pointed out incisively that the clothing company approached Ah Bao because they wanted to use Ah Bao's connections to get in touch with the Qilin Society for support.

However, because of the Golden Phoenix incident, A Bao was previously rejected by the Qilin Society, so now A Bao wants to find a suitable out-of-town securities firm and also needs to solve the funding problem.

“I know you’re a listing advisor now. To put it bluntly, you’re just a big player in the market. The attitude of the apparel companies towards you is not that they can’t do without you.”

Ah Bao recalled his conversation with Mr. Cai, the general manager of the clothing company. Mr. Cai did doubt his abilities, even though Ah Bao said he could raise funds, he still didn't believe in his own strength.

Abao was naturally unwilling to accept this, and he didn't want to lose the opportunity he had worked so hard to obtain. That's why he sought out Commander Cai and his friends, hoping to give it his all.

Therefore, he approached Xiao Ningbo, asking him to help him find a company in Ningbo to raise funds. However, he was somewhat unsure, so he sought out Commander Cai to inquire about the details of the funds, lest he be working hard while someone undermined him from behind.

Although Wang Mingzhu wasn't as successful as she was on the 27th, she had become very close with her colleagues in the warehouse. In particular, Wang Mingzhu was hardworking, energetic, and didn't mind the hardship, which made everyone like her.

That day, Mr. Fan received a call from home. His mother-in-law wanted to celebrate her birthday and asked him to help find a private room at a restaurant.

Master Fan was in a difficult position, after all, he was just a warehouse manager under a foreign trade company and had no connections with restaurants.

However, when he saw Wang Mingzhu passing by outside, his eyes lit up.

He remembered that when Wei Hongqing came before, he mentioned that Wang Mingzhu was the Oriental Pearl of the Bund, with extensive connections, and might be able to help him get a private room at the restaurant.

“Miss Wang, come here! You’re not some March 8th Red Banner Pacesetter, managing four warehouses all by yourself. Let me tell you, Brother Diao told me that your matter will be settled in another week or two. The rumors outside are just that, but I can tell at a glance that you’re not that kind of person.”

Wang Mingzhu asked, "What is it?"

"Let me tell you, it's my mother-in-law's 70th birthday on Saturday, and she insists on having a banquet at Jinmeilin. It's going to be incredibly busy this Saturday, and we can't even book a room. You used to be well-connected on Huanghe Road, could you try to help me out? Give her a call and ask around, okay?"

Wang Mingzhu didn't think it was a big deal or a difficult matter. After all, when she went to Huanghe Road before, there were always private rooms available, and the proprietresses were eager for her to go.

So she readily agreed to Master Fan's request and immediately called Lu Meilin, the boss's wife of Jin Meilin.

Lu Meilin was surprised by Wang Mingzhu's phone call. She also knew that Li Li and Wang Mingzhu had a conflict because of A Bao, so she thought that Wang Mingzhu must not want to see Li Li, which was why she booked a private room here. Therefore, she agreed to reserve the largest private room for Wang Mingzhu.

Of course, Lu Meilin did this because he thought A Bao would definitely come to support him.

When Xiao Jiangxi heard the proprietress ask him to make a phone call and tell the guests to move their private room to the lobby, apparently to reserve a room for Wang Mingzhu, he immediately asked curiously, "Didn't she have an accident?" "What could possibly happen to Miss Wang? Boss Bao must have taken care of it for her."

When the others heard Lu Meilin mention A Bao, they were immediately surprised and asked, "Boss Bao is coming to dinner? When is it?"

"Saturday!"

Xiao Jiangxi said worriedly, "Boss lady, it's been a long time since President Bao has come to Jinmeilin."

"Oh, it's obvious now that it's just Li Li and Miss Wang from next door competing. Miss Wang definitely won't go to Zhizhen Garden, and if Miss Wang comes to Jinmeilin, President Bao will definitely come too."

Saturday.

Zhao Shucheng drove Vivian to Huanghe Road. Vivian's new album had been fully recorded, but because her record company was in Hong Kong, she needed to return there to prepare for the song release.

Zhao Shucheng brought Vivian here today to give her a farewell gift. However, Vivian also mentioned that she will return to Shanghai after the song's release and hopes that Zhao Shucheng can visit her in Hong Kong sometime.

Huanghe Road was unusually lively tonight, bustling with people. After getting off the car, to prevent Vivian from being bumped into, Zhao Shucheng could only hold Vivian's hand, but it seemed he used too much force, and she was pulled into Zhao Shucheng's arms.

For some reason, Vivian didn't resist. Instead, she leaned against Zhao Shucheng and walked step by step toward Honglu.

Zhao Shucheng did not choose Zhizhenyuan today, partly because the private rooms at Zhizhenyuan had been booked long ago, and partly because he felt that Zhizhenyuan was more like a place to discuss business, while Honglu was more cozy.

However, before Zhao Shucheng even reached Honglu, he saw Wang Mingzhu, accompanied by Master Fan from the warehouse.

"Miss Wang, what a coincidence! You're also dining at Zhizhen Garden?"

Wang Mingzhu was surprised to run into Zhao Shucheng here, and even more surprised to find that Zhao Shucheng was embracing Vivian, and the two seemed to be together.

"Mr. Zhao, Ms. Zhou, you're here for dinner too?"

“Yes, Vivian is preparing to return to Hong Kong to record her new album, so I'm here to see her off. But you and Master Fan, you're here to…”

Master Fan naturally knew Zhao Shucheng, but he was also surprised to recognize that the woman next to Zhao Shucheng was a big star.

"Mr. Zhao, it's my mother-in-law's birthday, and she'd like to book a private room at Jinmeilin. I can't do it myself, so I'll have to trouble Miss Wang."

Zhao Shucheng nodded and said, "I see. It's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. Since we've run into each other and know it's the old man's birthday, let's go together and wish him a happy birthday."

Master Fan was surprised that Zhao Shucheng would say such a thing, and even bring Zhou Huimin to celebrate his mother-in-law's birthday—a privilege many people would only dream of. Of course, he also knew very well that he didn't have that much influence; Zhao Shucheng was definitely doing it for Wang Mingzhu's sake.

"Really? Mr. Zhao, I can't accept this. Thank you so much, Ms. Wang!"

Wang Mingzhu didn't expect Zhao Shucheng to go too. She originally wanted to say no trouble, but seeing Master Fan's excited expression, she had no choice but to swallow her words.

When Lu Meilin saw Wang Mingzhu arrive, but not with Boss Bao, she was immediately reluctant to leave the private room to her. However, she was stunned when she saw Zhao Shucheng and Vivian following behind Wang Mingzhu.

Wang Mingzhu said, "Lu Meilin, have you booked the private room? Take us in. You don't want to attract a crowd and disrupt your restaurant's normal operations, do you?"

Lu Meilin naturally couldn't really let Vivian and Zhao Shucheng stand outside, so he had Xiao Jiangxi lead them to the private room first.

After settling Zhao Shucheng and the others in, Xiao Jiangxi came to Lu Meilin's side and said, "Boss lady, what do we do now?"

Lu Meilin said sarcastically, "What do you suggest we do? We can't afford to offend Boss Bao, but can we afford to offend Boss Zhao? Boss Bao is just involved in stocks and foreign trade, which has little to do with us. But Boss Zhao owns a supermarket, and most of the business owners in Shanghai do business with him. If we offend Boss Zhao, no one will come to my restaurant anymore."

Looking at Xiao Jiangxi with a disappointed expression, he said, "What are we waiting for? Give President Zhao and his family the biggest private room and the best service. Regardless of whether it's Master Fan's mother-in-law's birthday or not, the fact that President Zhao is here means that Master Fan and President Zhao have a special relationship, maybe they're even relatives. Didn't you see he brought a big star with him?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jiangxi glanced at the private room where Wang Mingzhu was, his eyes filled with envy. After all, Wang Mingzhu was a very famous woman on Huanghe Road. He had thought that after the incident, she would definitely disappear from the public eye, but he never expected that she would hook up with Zhao Shucheng so quickly.

Wang Mingzhu now has not only Bao Zong behind her, but also Zhao Shucheng. Even if she really leaves No. 27, she is still the person you can't afford to offend.

Master Fan's wife and mother-in-law then arrived at Jin Meilin. They only mentioned Master Fan's name briefly before Xiao Jiangxi warmly led them to a private room, making them feel very honored.

When they entered the private room and saw Zhao Shucheng and Vivian celebrating Master Fan's mother-in-law's birthday, they realized that Master Fan was no ordinary person, as he actually knew such important figures.

Zhao Shucheng knew that this was a family celebrating a birthday, so after giving his birthday wishes, he said goodbye to them.

After they came out, Zhao Shucheng naturally noticed that Lu Meilin and Xiao Jiangxi were both focused on them, but paid little attention to Lao Fan and Wang Mingzhu.

Zhao Shucheng understood their thoughts perfectly; it was simply a case of "out of sight, out of mind." Wang Mingzhu had previously been backed by No. 27 on the Bund, making her incredibly sought-after on Huanghe Road.

But now that Wang Mingzhu has been exiled, and Lao Fan is merely a warehouse manager—at most, someone with a minor status—they are simply disregarded in a place like Huanghe Road where only money matters. (End of Chapter)