Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 311 Promoting the drama (6k)
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After the hustle and bustle of the dinner party ended, Jiang Xin was overjoyed to learn that Gu Qingzhen had come to the gathering.

As soon as she saw him, she pounced on him and grabbed his arm, refusing to let go: "Little brother, that's right! It's so much more comfortable to eat with us, without having to put up with those pretentious, disgusting guys!"

"Sister Xin, we're still in the venue, keep your voice down."

Gu Qing helplessly gestured for silence, glancing at Liu Tao beside her, who also looked helpless.

Liu Tao caught his gaze, shrugged slightly, and returned a wry smile that seemed to say, "You understand my predicament now, right?"

Gu Qing said, "I'll go back to the hotel to change my clothes first. By the way, where should we eat? I'll have my assistant drive over."

"Why would I need an assistant?!"

Han Hong waved her hand and made the decision immediately, "It's just the few of us, much better to have some peace and quiet. I'll drive! Little brother, get dressed and send me your location, I'll come pick you up!"

"Row."

Gu Qing nodded in agreement. He did miss these kinds of pure gatherings with friends; always having an assistant by his side always made him feel less relaxed and had less personal space.

Back in the car, on the way to the hotel, Gu Qing briefly mentioned the gathering.

Zhao Ya was overjoyed to have a half-day off to slack off and happily slipped away.

Li Li's face darkened, and she kept babbling on and on:

"Xiao Gu, that dinner party at Huayi was such a great opportunity! So many big names were there, and you performed so brilliantly tonight. You could easily make connections with a few directors, producers, or bosses—those would be the foundation for your future network!"

She paused, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of admonition, "Teacher Han Hong has a high status, but since she devoted herself to charity, her reputation in the industry... to be honest, isn't that good."

Going to her dinner party is less worthwhile than expanding your network at Huayi. Jiang… cough, Wang Ziwen and Liu Tao are only second or third-tier celebrities. Having dinner with them is somewhat… beneath your dignity?

"Really? You're right."

Gu Qing rubbed her forehead, as if suddenly realizing something, "Then let's turn around and go to Huayi? There's a senior executive there who really wants to talk to me."

"A high-ranking executive at Huayi?!" Li Li was taken aback and hurriedly waved her hands, "No, no, no! Don't go!"

Her voice was trembling with panic, "Xiao Gu, you've already promised Teacher Han Hong and the others, it's not good to go back on your word at the last minute..."

"Sister Li,"

Gu Qing's smile faded slightly, her voice calm but scrutinizing, "I've recently noticed that you seem to be... living too comfortably?"
"You're so focused on making money off me that you've stopped using your brain. Where did your previous shrewdness go?"

"Xiao Gu, I..." Li Li's expression changed slightly. She felt embarrassed by the blunt tone and her eyes flickered, revealing a deep sense of guilt.

“In the past, when you found scripts, you could pick and choose to see if they were interesting.”

Gu Qing's voice turned cold, "And now? What kind of junk have you been shoving at me?"

The character is as thin as a sheet of paper, the plot is full of logical flaws, the director and team are completely unknown, and they only relied on the high salary? Do you think I only care about money and not the acting?

The car fell into silence.

After a long silence, Li Li finally spoke with a pained expression and a voice barely audible: "Xiao Gu, the key point is... how many truly good scripts can the entertainment industry produce in a year..."

Sister Li, if I really had those discerning eyes to recognize talent, I...I..."

Under Gu Qing's calm gaze, her voice grew softer and softer until it finally fell silent, and she awkwardly shut her mouth.

Back at the hotel, the first thing Gu Qing did was take a hot shower to wash away the lingering scent of the banquet, a mixture of countless perfumes.

Changing into a refreshing hoodie or casual outfit makes me feel much more relaxed.

Han Hong, who was acting as the driver, was already waiting downstairs at the hotel.

"Brother, you've... removed your makeup?" Han Hong rolled down the car window and looked Gu Qing up and down in surprise as he approached.

"Yeah, without makeup, you can't recognize her?"

Gu Qing smiled, opened the car door, and sat in the back seat. She casually touched her face and joked to herself, "Don't I feel like a completely different person from the one on stage?"

“No, not at all,” Han Hong said cheerfully as she started the car. “He looks like a young man in his early twenties on stage, but now that I look at him, he looks more like a middle school or high school student, the kind of clean-cut, well-behaved student.”

"Ms. Han Hong, this middle school student is exaggerating too much."

Gu Qing chuckled, then asked, "Are Sister Jiang Xin and Sister Liu Tao all better?"

"No! A bunch of old women are so slow! I've been waiting forever!"

Han Hong slapped the steering wheel in disdain, her tone irritable, "I have to put on makeup again after removing it! I just don't understand, can't we just skip the makeup removal step? It would be so much more convenient to just get out!"

Gu Qing chuckled and listened quietly to the forthright older woman's complaints.

After waiting for about twenty more minutes, the other two finally arrived.

Liu Tao changed out of her glamorous clothes and into a simple and neat outfit, looking clean, elegant, and capable, exuding the charm of a mature professional woman.

Wang Ziwen, on the other hand, has a head of wispy bangs, which makes her look even more youthful and lively.

After the two got into the car, they were immediately struck by Gu Qing's appearance—she was wearing a hoodie and had no makeup on.

"Wow, look at that skin...so full of collagen, I'm so envious."

Wang Ziwen didn't hold back and directly pinched Gu Qing's cheek, clicking his tongue in amazement, "No wonder that brat Jiang Xin can't forget you, she wants to eat young grass like an old cow!"

"Ziwen!"

Liu Tao playfully slapped Wang Ziwen's hand. She simply sat to Gu Qing's left, looking at him with admiration, her gaze gentle and steady, without making any physical contact. "Where is Xin Xin old? Don't make up such things, or she'll get angry if she hears you."

"Tch, as if I'm afraid of her!"

Wang Ziwen snorted and withdrew her hand. "If you don't call it an old cow eating young grass, what do you call it? Is she considered a young cow?"

"Call……"

Liu Tao's lips curled into a mischievous smile, but when he noticed Gu Qing looking over curiously, he immediately suppressed it, put on a serious face, and said, "How would I know what it's called?"

"Sister Liu Tao, Sister Ziwen," Gu Qing said, feeling a bit cramped as she was sandwiched between them. "How about I sit in the passenger seat? Otherwise, it will be too crowded in the back when Sister Jiang Xin arrives."

"Hey, hey, hey, don't move!"

Wang Ziwen grabbed Gu Qing, who was just about to get up, leaned closer, a playful smile on her pretty face, and her eyes sparkling with gossip. "There aren't enough seats, let her go to the front!"

"But you, little brother, why are you in such a hurry to make room for Xin Xin? Tell me honestly, what exactly is your relationship?" She deliberately dragged out the last syllable.

Liu Tao also turned slightly to the side, pricked up his ears, and made no attempt to hide his gossipy expression.

Even Han Hong, who was driving, couldn't help but frequently peek behind her through the rearview mirror.

Gossip is an instinct ingrained in women.

"We're just good friends," Gu Qing said frankly. "When we were filming, Sister Jiang Xin took good care of me and Sister Li Ying, and even helped me fend off people who were trying to get me to drink."

"That's it?" Wang Ziwen raised an eyebrow suspiciously, her eyes filled with disbelief. "Wasn't there... a deeper level of communication?" She winked meaningfully.

"No! Absolutely not!" Gu Qing immediately sat up straight, her voice righteous and firm. "We have a very pure friendship!"

"Ah--"

The three women in the car simultaneously let out a meaningful, disdainful "heh".

"Pure friendship between men and women? Little brother, don't tease your older sisters." Wang Ziwen shook her head.

"Really! If I'm lying, we'll be buddies from now on!" Gu Qing said earnestly.

"Okay... huh? Dude? This isn't right!" Wang Ziwen froze instantly, his mind unable to process what was happening.

Liu Tao covered her mouth and chuckled twice, defusing the situation at the right moment: "It seems like Xin Xin has arrived." She pointed out the car window.

Gu Qing felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly peeked out.

Jiang Xinzheng angrily shook off her manager's arm and strode towards them, her cheeks puffed out like a little pufferfish.

She flung open the car door and plopped herself in, huffing and puffing.

"Ouch! You little brat, are you trying to crush me to death?!" Wang Ziwen was pushed against Gu Qing and cursed angrily.

"Fine, I'll squeeze in! Who told you to take my spot!" Jiang Xin was furious, like an angry little calf, pushing her way in without a care in the world.

With her thrust, Gu Qing, sandwiched in the middle, instantly became a "human sandwich," unable to move.

Wang Ziwen leaned against him, her hands still futilely pushing Jiang Xin away.

However, Consort Hua was incredibly strong when she got angry, and her slender arms couldn't stop her at all.

"Alright, alright! Xin Xin, Zi Wen! Are you two trying to squeeze my brother and me into a pancake?"

Seeing that Gu Qing was being squeezed so badly, Liu Tao quickly spread his arms to protect his shoulders, while he himself pressed himself against the other side of the car door and gently stopped him.

"Huh? My brother's here too?!"

Jiang Xin then noticed Gu Qing, who was squeezed in the middle, and panicked. She quickly moved her body and pulled Wang Ziwen, who was pressing down on Gu Qing, up, "Get up quickly, don't hurt my brother!"

"How much do I weigh? I could crush him!"

Wang Ziwen blushed and straightened her clothes with a hint of annoyance, "Look at how precious you are!"

At this moment, Jiang Xin's agent clung to the car door and chased after them, sternly instructing, "Xin Xin! Remember! Eat less meat! Eat less vegetables! Control your rice intake too! Look how fat you've gotten!"
"I still have fieldwork to do, how can I look good on camera if I eat any more?!"

"You won't let me eat meat, you won't let me eat vegetables, you won't let me eat rice! What am I supposed to eat at a gathering?! Me, eat you?!"

Jiang Xin retorted angrily, "I haven't had a proper meal this month, and I finally have a get-together with friends, and you're still babbling on and on. Aren't you annoying?!"

"How can I not be annoyed? If I don't keep an eye on you, how much stuff will you stuff into that mouth of yours all day long?!"

The agent was not backing down.

Her gaze swept across the car, and when she saw Han Hong driving, her expression changed slightly. Looking closer at the back seat, she completely ignored Wang Ziwen and Gu Qing.
Her gaze locked onto Liu Tao, who possessed a calm and reliable demeanor, and she immediately adopted a pleading expression: "Teacher Liu, could you please keep a close eye on Xin Xin for me? She really can't eat too much, please!"

"Okay, okay, no problem, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her for you." Liu Tao agreed with a smile.

The agent then left with a sigh of relief.

"Liu Tao! Are you still my best friend?!"

Jiang Xin felt betrayed and glared angrily at Liu Tao, "How could you take her side?!" "Who said I was going to take her side?" Liu Tao looked completely innocent.

"You just promised her..."

"Silly girl," Liu Tao smiled slyly and spread his hands, "I agree, but you can eat it or not. What's the conflict?"

She lowered her voice, a hint of smugness in it, "I haven't added your agent on WeChat."

Despite her seemingly serious demeanor, Ms. Liu is actually quite open-minded.

"Taotao, you're the best!" Jiang Xin was instantly appeased and hugged Liu Tao's arm with a big smile.

"Have you and the women finished chatting? If you're done, let's go! I'm starving!"

Han Hong impatiently patted the steering wheel, urging him on.

"It'll be ready soon, it'll be ready soon," Jiang Xin replied, then suddenly nudged Wang Ziwen beside her.

"What?" Wang Ziwen looked at her warily.

“Go sit in the front! It’s so crowded in the back, how can anyone sit here!” Jiang said confidently.

"My God! Jiang Xin, are you even being reasonable?"

Wang Ziwen was shocked. "You're late and you want me to change seats? What right do you have?!"

“The one next to me is my good younger brother, and the other is my best friend,” Jiang Xin said confidently. “Don’t you feel like a super-high-wattage third wheel standing here?”

"What a coincidence, I love being a third wheel! I'll blind you with my light!" Wang Ziwen crossed her arms and remained motionless.

Seeing that force wasn't working, Jiang Xin immediately changed tactics, grabbing Wang Ziwen's arm and starting to whine and shake it: "Oh, my good Wenwen, please~ You're the best~"

"Disgusting! Get out of here! I'll leave, okay?"

Wang Ziwen was so disgusted by the mushy talk that he pinched Jiang Xin's cheek hard before reluctantly getting up and moving to the passenger seat.

Having finally sat down next to Gu Qing, Jiang Xin glanced at Liu Tao, who was sitting on Gu Qing's other side, and whispered to Gu Qing, "Little brother, can we switch seats again? I'd like to sit in the middle, is that okay?"

“Sure.” Gu Qing didn’t think much of it and readily got up to switch places with her.

"What? Afraid I'll steal your precious little brother?" Liu Tao looked at Jiang Xin, who was now sitting right next to Gu Qing after the change of seats, and teased her with a smile, "So wary of me?"

"Oh dear, Tao Tao, what are you thinking!" Jiang Xin panicked and quickly grabbed Liu Tao's arm with one hand and Gu Qing's arm with the other, grinning as she said, "I just want to enjoy the feeling of having both of you on my arms."

"Look at how capable you are." Liu Tao couldn't help but chuckle and tapped Jiang Xin's nose.

The car drove smoothly toward the reserved restaurant.

On the way, Wang Ziwen, sitting in the passenger seat, looked at Jiang Xin, who was beaming with happiness with two women on her left and right, through the rearview mirror and couldn't help but bring up the old matter again: "Xin Xin, I just asked Gu Qing what your relationship with him is, and he said you two are 'purely friends,' is that true?"

"Of course it's true!"

Jiang nodded naturally, tightening her grip on Gu Qing's arm. "He's my brother. How could I possibly have any 'bad intentions' towards him?"

"Ugh—here we go again!" Wang Ziwen drawled out with a look of disgust. "Gu Qing, did you two rehearse your lines beforehand?"

"Absolutely not." Gu Qing smiled and raised her hand to swear.

“I don’t believe it!” Wang Ziwen said firmly.

"I don't believe it either," Liu Tao said with a smile, shaking her head. She might have believed it at first, but Jiang Xin's possessive little gesture of switching seats just now made her completely unconvinced.

"If you ask me,"

Teacher Han Hong, who was driving, added the finishing blow at the right time, "It's probably because Gu Qing doesn't like that brat Jiang Xin!"
Look at all the wonderful scenes at the banquet! So many beautiful young girls were vying for my brother's attention!
Zhao Liying, Liu Shishi, Yang Mi, and oh yes, Liu Yifei—they're all beautiful and vibrant young women!

"Old Han! What do you mean?!" Jiang Xin exploded immediately. "I'm just as good-looking as them!"

“But you’re getting old!” Han Hong delivered a precise and devastating blow.

The carriage instantly erupted in gloating laughter from Wang Ziwen and Liu Tao.

"Am I old? Am I old?!"

Jiang Xin cupped her baby face in her hands, looking pitiful, and turned to Gu Qing, "Little brother, tell me the truth! Do you also think I'm old and faded?"

Looking at Jiang Xin's naturally youthful baby face, Gu Qing sighed helplessly, "Sister Jiang Xin, Teacher Han Hong and the others are just teasing you. You have a baby face and don't look 'old' at all."

"Exactly, where am I old!"

Jiang Xin immediately sneered, then threw out the next fatal question, "Then why aren't you attracted to me, little brother? Do you think I'm not good-looking?"

Gu Qing: "..."

He silently pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, leaned to the side as if he were pretending to be dead by the window.

As a result, Jiang Xin, who was relentless, immediately shook him up.

Liu Tao, Wang Ziwen, and Han Hong on the bus watched with great interest and were overjoyed.

Eating melons is indeed a source of human happiness.

"You weren't interested in me either, were you?" Gu Qing tried to use this as an opportunity to change the subject.

"I moved!" Jiang said confidently, making a startling statement.

"Huh?!" Gu Qing suddenly questioned her existence. "Didn't you just say..."

"Xin Xin, are you kidding us?" Liu Tao was also surprised.

"Who just swore that they only considered Gu Qing as a younger brother?" Wang Ziwen immediately imitated Jiang Xin's previous tone and asked sarcastically.

"I mean,"

Jiang Xin gave him a "you all don't understand" look and explained confidently, "He's still young, so I treat him like a younger brother. When he grows up a bit more, I can treat him like a man, right? What's the conflict?"

"Tch—!" The three people in the car uttered in unison, letting out a scornful hiss.

Laughter and banter filled the air as the vehicle finally arrived at the reserved private restaurant.

Everyone put on their masks and entered the private room discreetly and quickly.

As the delicious-looking dishes were served one after another, Jiang Xin, who had been excited, bit her chopsticks and stared longingly at the table full of food, hesitating to take a bite.

"What's wrong? Is there nothing you like to eat?" Gu Qing picked up a piece of fragrant braised pork and put it in her mouth. Noticing the strangeness in the person next to her, she asked.

"No, I like to eat them all, it's just..." Her manager's words echoed in her ears like a curse. Jiang Xin looked at the tempting food and hesitated again, "What if I gain weight if I eat them... I'm prone to gaining weight..."

Before she could finish speaking, a hand gently pinched her cheek.

With lightning speed, Liu Tao picked up a small, plump piece of lion's head meatball and precisely stuffed it into Jiang Xin's slightly open mouth. He then gently patted her chin with his other hand to close the mouth.

"Ugh!" Jiang Xin was forced to start chewing.

"You complain about being hungry every day when I don't let you eat, but when I do let you eat, you hesitate and worry about everything. What a coward!"

Liu Tao said firmly, "What are you hesitating for? Eat!"

This decisive yet caring gesture made Gu Qing silently give Liu Tao a thumbs up.

Sister Tao's personal charm is truly undeniable!

"Okay, okay, whatever! I'm starting!"

Upon being "fed," Jiang Xin instantly gave up and, as if propelled by a motor, her chopsticks flew down as she began to devour the food.

The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

After they finished eating, Han Hong asked for more wine: "Little brother, I remember you don't drink, right?"

"Mm." Gu Qing nodded.

"That's good!" Han Hong grinned, quickly filling the wine glasses in front of Liu Tao, Jiang Xin, Wang Ziwen, and herself.
Then, he raised his glass with a hearty laugh, downed it in one gulp, and exhaled a satisfied breath. "I'll leave the rest of the driving to you, bro!"

“But I don’t have a driver’s license,” Gu Qing added.

Han Hong's hand, holding the empty glass, froze in mid-air: "..."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!" Her eyes widened.

"I was just about to say something when you drank it," Gu Qing said helplessly.

"What should we do?!" Han Hong was dumbfounded.

"I can't drive it either!"

Wang Ziwen and Jiang Xin looked at the wine that had just been poured for them and shook their heads in unison.

"Let me do it." Liu Tao had just brought the wine glass to his lips, but before he could even take a sip, he put it down. "Little brother, what man doesn't know how to drive?"

She smiled and looked at Gu Qing.

"Sister Tao, I'm innocent!"

Gu Qing defended herself, "I've just been too busy with work and haven't had time to take my driver's license test yet. Besides,"

He then changed the subject, "Although I don't have a driver's license, I can ride a horse! It's a pity there are no horses here, otherwise I would ride one by one to take you back."

This remark made everyone burst into laughter.

Upon hearing the words "horse riding," Liu Tao's eyes lit up instantly, as if he had discovered a treasure: "Little brother, you can ride horses?"

She leaned forward slightly, her tone filled with surprise and curiosity. The historical drama they were about to film involved a large number of war scenes.

The production team demanded perfection, requiring actors to personally ride horses in order to achieve the best possible effect.

Actors who can ride horses well are a rare find!
"Yes, I learned it specifically when filming 'Brotherhood of Blades'," Gu Qing nodded naturally.

Liu Tao couldn't help but put down his chopsticks, his tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of urgency and expectation: "Little brother, are you... free recently?"

She looked at Gu Qing with intense eyes, "How about I recommend a notebook to you?"
The production team for this drama is truly, truly excellent!

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(P.S.: Sorry, everyone, I was half asleep last night. I just woke up this morning to adjust my sleep schedule, and I'll try to write another long chapter tonight to make up for yesterday's sleep.)
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