The sweetest in the entertainment industry

"Who would have thought that someone with a wife and children, who seems law-abiding and has a good reputation, is actually gay and would harass crew members in private? After all, background checks only examine gender, not sexual orientation. That's a matter of personal privacy, my friend!"

When the call connected, Ni Bingyan was extremely frustrated.

She wasn't a slow talker to begin with, and she spoke quickly and urgently:
"Lanxi, I'm definitely the one who least wanted this to happen. Seriously, I'm so angry right now that I can't even eat. I just finished discussing with the legal department how to handle the lawsuit, and I just want to unleash a torrent of abuse."

"But I know that venting my emotions won't help. I have to pull myself together and actively solve the problem, because that's the most important thing."

"I can sense that we are the same kind of people, people who pursue art, and we are not doing this job just for fame and fortune."

"Such a tight work schedule is indeed hard to accept, but the schedule is there, and if I don't want to fall behind step by step, I have to grit my teeth and make up for this mess!"
"You need to understand that you're not the only one who'll have to grit your teeth and persevere. Take me for example, I have to arrive at the set before the actors to prepare for the day's work. After we wrap up, I have to immediately check with the script supervisor to see if the day's shooting schedule has been completed, and check for any continuity errors so we can reshoot before the set is dismantled. Then I have to review the footage with the production manager; communicate with the art director and props team about tomorrow's scene arrangements; have a meeting with the production manager to review today's work and plan tomorrow's shooting schedule; and talk to the producer about whether we've exceeded the budget..."

Ni Bingyan became more and more agitated as she spoke, clearly in a terrible mood. However, she restrained herself and didn't utter a single angry word, leaving Gu Lanxi, despite her dissatisfaction, unsure of what to say.

Using the contract as an excuse would be incredibly unreasonable.

Her relationship with Ni Bingyan was not just professional.

The Sang family is in the electronics business, while a large part of the Lu family's business empire is in the hotel industry. The two families have business dealings and a good personal relationship. They are the kind of families who would bring their whole family to attend each other's weddings or funerals.

In addition, there's Ni Guangli, that particularly energetic "old boy." Although he's over eighty years old this year, the village supermarket he spearheaded, as well as the Southwest China New Year's Goods Festival, still have a significant influence.

Even though he's old now and spends his days playing with cats and walking dogs in his old age, and his stalls are mostly managed by his apprentices and grand-apprentices, it's still very effective to ask him for an advertising space.

For example, the smart car she endorses, which she planned to advertise in rural supermarkets, was advertised through Gu Lanxi, who then contacted Ni Guangli.

Not to mention her other businesses and the vast conglomerate connected by her...

The situation is complex and multifaceted, and cannot be explained in just a few words.

Assistants and staff can say anything, but once Ni Bingyan personally calls her, she has to give him face.

Gu Lanxi remained silent, her mind racing with thoughts in those short two minutes.

Seeing that she didn't respond, Ni Bingyan sighed softly and played her last emotional card:

"To make this film a perfect success, we have to work together. Honestly, if I made a mistake, I wouldn't have the face to call you, but I'm a victim too, we're all victims, and now is the time for us to get through this together..."

Gu Lanxi thought for a moment, then sighed: "Besides working overtime, is there anything else I can help you with?"

To be honest, with such a big incident happening on set, she just finished filming her own scenes and ran away without a second thought. Mei Xue was the one who handled everything afterward, which was a bit unfair of her.

But this kind of thing is absolutely disgusting; anyone who gets involved with it will feel nauseous and face a lot of trouble.

It's normal that she doesn't want to pay attention.

Seeing that her attitude had finally softened and that she even seemed willing to help, Ni Bingyan sniffed, feeling both angry at this messed-up world and somewhat touched.

The lawsuit against the man surnamed Chen is not easy to win. If you want to destroy him, you have to take down that young couple as well.

Young people in their twenties are crazy about love, and they'll bang their heads against a wall for love. But if you really wanted to kill someone, they wouldn't have the heart to do it.

This matter can only be handled lightly; any revenge must be taken privately.

But even a veteran actress like her, if she were willing to play a minor supporting role, wouldn't ruin a completely unrelated production.

After a period of relative quiet, he might just make a comeback with a new role.

When she had lost a lot of money and energy and was feeling extremely frustrated and devastated, it was enough for her to have someone willing to lend a hand.

"That's enough, I'll take care of the rest..."

Is the budget insufficient?

The two had known each other for quite some time, and Gu Lanxi knew that Ni Bingyan was a person with a very strong sense of self-respect.

Despite the fact that her father, husband, and in-laws are all wealthy, she is not the type of person who would ask her family for money.

Although she earns a lot herself, the amount of family property is one thing, and the amount of liquid funds is another.

On the production set, because of the trouble caused by the person surnamed Chen, all the scenes related to this character have to be reshot.

Every day filming wraps up later means an extra day's worth of expenses; every extra day the staff works means an extra day's overtime pay...

The original investment amount was determined based on a relatively precise business plan. Now that things have gone wrong, the investment will definitely need to be increased. Ni Bingyan doesn't want to lose her voice, but she simply doesn't have that much working capital. She's also unwilling to ask her family for help. Gu Lanxi's words directly put her at a disadvantage.

Just after ten o'clock, the two arranged to meet at Ni Bingyan's house.

Gu Lanxi didn't even go inside. She knocked on the window, told Lu Nanting where she was going, grabbed her car keys from the front gate, and drove off.

Not to mention that the person who was already fuming was getting fuming even more, Gu Lanxi drove to Ni Bingyan's house in just eight minutes.

Because the two companies are very close to each other.

Sometimes when filming night scenes, Ni Bingyan would stay at the crew's hotel to ensure she had enough energy, but she also had a room in Hengdian.

In fact, there's more than one set.

Because housing prices were lower back then, and Hengdian wasn't as developed, the house she was used to living in, regardless of location, size, or layout, was much better than theirs.

Gu Lanxi drove into the underground garage and followed the nanny upstairs. As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she saw the kitchen door open, and Ni Bingyan was holding a large ladle and tending to a large iron pot, stir-frying something in a lively manner.

Ni Bingyan's kitchen is very spacious and has a full set of commercial kitchen equipment. Even the stove is different from those in ordinary homes.

Even from a distance, the intensely spicy and savory aroma wafted into my nose.

Upon closer inspection, the person who had been saying just ten minutes earlier that he was so angry he couldn't eat dinner was now stir-frying spicy crayfish—wearing a checkered apron, wielding a spoon, a huge pot, at least eight pounds.

It's May, and the crayfish in Qianjiang are entering their peak season, when they are at their fattest and most delicious.

This woman, who once went viral for eating crayfish when she was young, rarely goes to street food stalls anymore after having children. When she wants to eat crayfish, she usually makes it at home.

The Ni family is said to be a family of chefs, with more than one imperial chef among their ancestors. When people in the circle hold events at home, Gu Lanxi likes to go to the Sang family's banquet the most, because their food is especially delicious.

She had never tasted anything made by Ni Bingyan herself.

but……

Just smelling it made her blush and she started sneezing one after another.

"Wait a minute, let's talk while we eat."

After saying that, Ni Bingyan put the lid on the spicy crayfish pot and lifted the lid on another pot.

It turned out there was another pot, which Gu Lanxi hadn't seen because it was hidden by the door.

This pot should be smaller. Lift the lid, and you'll see a pot of garlic crayfish simmering on a low flame.

"Knowing you were coming, I specially made a non-spicy version for you. Take it out of the pot right away, or it will get overcooked."

While she was busy, Gu Lanxi took a close-up photo of the crayfish in the pot, and also a picture of her beautiful left hand, and sent them to Lu Nanting together:

[My nails are so pretty after my manicure! Come peel some shrimp for me, brother!]

Only after that did he ask Ni Bingyan if he could invite Lu Nanting along, and Ni Bingyan was more than happy to oblige!
Since she had accepted his offer, and she was the one who suggested the investment, the deal was practically a done deal.

Knowing that Ni Bingyan had put aside her worries and cheered her up to entertain her as a way of thanking her, she was naturally happy to invite more people.

Perhaps Ni Bingyan would even be pleased by her unpretentious manner.

Even though he was angry, Lu Nanting replied immediately after the message was sent:

【address. 】

He's always like this; as long as he's awake and not working, he'll reply to messages instantly.

Gu Lanxi looked at her hands and couldn't help but smile slightly.

She enjoys wielding swords and spears, and her hands have never been particularly delicate. Ever since she got together with Lu Nanting, this refined boy has been watching her apply hand cream all the time, as if she were some kind of delicate little darling.

Over time, her hands became very beautiful.

Furthermore, because of sufficient blood and qi, the nails are pink and tender, and this kind of vibrant beauty is different from ordinary beauty.

Hands like those are not fit for peeling crayfish. (End of Chapter)