A grand feast for the Chinese entertainment industry

Chapter 87 Honey to Honey

The next morning, at 8:30.

Lin Jianlu had already finished her morning routine: running, boxing, taking a shower, and eating.

Then he poured his big teapot again. Today he was drinking the Taiwanese high mountain tea that Zhou Huajian had given him. Actually, he didn't usually like drinking high mountain tea anymore. It was broken and the spout of the teapot couldn't filter it properly. He would always spit out the tea when he drank it. It was only when Xu Qing came over that he specially served her high mountain tea.

It's ready! I poured myself a cup, settled into a recliner, and oh my, what a wonderfully relaxing feeling!
It's not the tea we're drinking that's important, it's the feeling of relaxation we're experiencing.

He'd only been gone for about ten minutes when he heard the sound of a key turning in the lock. He turned to look, and a moment later, Zuo Xiaoqian had already pushed the door open and come in—exclaiming with delight, "Oh! Brother Lu, you're back?"

Lin Jianlu smiled, without getting up, "I came back the other day. I saw it; I've come to clean quite often, it's very clean."

She was very happy, and smiled especially sweetly. She changed into slippers and came in. "I come over every Saturday to air it out, wipe and mop everywhere... Your house is already clean."

It's true what they say about this girl—she's smart, well-behaved, and adorable. Even in the capital, Lin Jianlu knew quite a few girls, all clearly trying to curry favor with the big star. But only Zuo Xiaoqian was discreet; she quietly got Lin Jianlu's phone number and would call him every now and then. Later, after visiting this place, she immediately volunteered, saying, "Brother, you're a boy, how can you be as good at tidying up as we girls? You're so busy, always out and about. If this house isn't cleaned, it'll just accumulate dust. I'm free anyway, so I'll come over and clean it for you on Saturdays and Sundays." —She was so sincere, so Lin Jianlu gave her a key.

The key is that they are really dedicated. When it's summer vacation, they have to go home, which is unavoidable, but as soon as they come back from school, they immediately come to pick them up. As soon as Lin Jianlu got home, she could feel that even in the middle of summer, there was no smell in the house, the floor was clean, and everything was spotless.

I absolutely adore this sweet girl.

"Sit down, don't rush, come, have a cup of tea!"

"Hey! I'll pour it myself!"

The girl wore a conservative blue floral dress that reached almost to her ankles, paired with a clean and elegant white shirt. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail, giving her a youthful and dynamic look.

Have you taken on any work lately?

"No. There aren't that many jobs available. Even if there were, I wouldn't get a chance. Everyone has connections."

"Ha...a nepotism case...who is your nepotism case?"

"You!"

"Hahaha!"

"Hey Lu, last week Teacher Zhang Guoli came to our school to select people. I heard he chose Jiang Qinqin and me. Apparently, it's to film a Qing Dynasty TV series, but I didn't get any confirmation! Are you familiar with him?"

Ha, it's not just familiar, it's my money!

Of course, it's not appropriate to say that now. The situation with Forbidden City Film Studio is basically set to remain unchanged, so it's Forbidden City Film Studio's money now.

But whose name is credited as the producer?
Lin Jianlu.

At most, add Zhang Heping.

Jiang Qinqin already mentioned this yesterday—hey, that's where Zhang Guoli and Zhang Zien's cleverness lies. They don't say it themselves, but in the arts and culture circles of the capital, Jiang Qinqin and Zuo Xiaoqian are considered to be Lin Jianlu's girls, they're the ones who are close to Lin Jianlu. This is something that almost everyone knows. Zhang Guoli and Zhang Zien made a special trip to the Beijing Film Academy to select actors, and in the end they chose two of them. So what do you think happened?

Why would they bother to ask for prior notice, opinions, or offer any praise or flattery afterward? Wouldn't the girl have just said so herself later?
"Just focus on acting. It's my production, and I'm the one who invested in it!"

"Really?"

She was instantly delighted, "I knew it! There's no such thing as a free lunch! But I thought it was because you and Teacher Zhang were particularly close that Teacher Zhang gave me special treatment and chose me. Now it seems that although I guessed the process wrong, I guessed the result right! ...I'm also a 'connection'!"

"Hahaha……"

Lin Jianlu liked this girl's emotional intelligence, and another thing was that she always spoke very truthfully and directly, yet her truthfulness and directness were not annoying at all.

"Come on, give me another massage. You did a really good job last time, it felt so good."

"Right! Good!"

This girl comes from the gymnastics team, and is even from the national rhythmic gymnastics team. She has won many championships. So, don't be fooled by her sweet appearance; she actually has a lot of strength in her hands. Last time, probably around May or June, she massaged Lin Jianlu once. It felt so good that Lin Jianlu has been thinking about it ever since.

Lin Jianlu's hands started to ache as soon as he started using them—at his age, Lin Jianlu was far from the point where he would easily experience backaches and pains. Moreover, for him, Zuo Xiaoqian's strength was actually not strong enough. But how to put it, it's really hard to find a girl with stronger hands than her!

After massaging for a while, the girl's forehead was covered in a fine layer of sweat. When Lin Jianlu told her to stop, she showed no intention of resting. Instead, she said, "Brother, since you're home today, shall I go out and buy some groceries? I'll cook lunch for you, okay?"

Lin Jianlu thought for a moment. He had picked up two items from the market before his run to buy breakfast, but they weren't enough for the two of them. So he got up and said, "Let's go together!"

"That's even better!"

With a little girl hanging on his arm, shopping for groceries, cooking, and strolling around together—that was the happiest life in Lin Jianlu's eyes—he could even accept eating and dressing less well. However, as it turned out, there was a fatal flaw in this.

If you don't have money, or rather, if you don't have enough money to live comfortably without worrying about not having enough for the rest of your life, then it's hard to be so relaxed and carefree. But as long as you're making money, firstly, you'll have a lot of things to do, and secondly, as soon as your career starts to improve, your interpersonal relationships will also improve.

How could they possibly be idle all the time?
Therefore, the ancients said, "Stealing half a day of leisure from a busy life" is truly a saying that captures the essence of life.

I had just stepped out the door when I received a call from Feng Xiaogang.

This guy is really bored out of his mind right now, and he's basically in a semi-blacklisted state. He's always been slick, and now he's taking advantage of any opportunity to get close to someone. Before, they were just drinking buddies. Even if someone was down on their luck, no matter how famous you were, they wouldn't bother to curry favor with a singer like you. But ever since the news of Lin Jianlu investing in "Spicy Love Soup" spread, this guy has been trying to get closer to him. Last month, Forbidden City Pictures just started talking and reached a preliminary agreement, and this guy has already taken notice and is becoming more and more friendly.

"I heard you're back? How about we get together for lunch and have a drink?"

"Hey, I'm busy, chasing girls!"

Feng Xiaogang chuckled on the other end of the phone, "What's the big deal? Let's do it together. It's broad daylight anyway. If you want to kiss, touch, or pull the covers up, that'll have to be at night, right? I can even help you get the girl drunk!"

"Don't talk nonsense! Who are you calling a jerk? Do I need to get drunk to pick up girls?"

The girl was right beside her, even intimately embracing her arm. The street was noisy, and she might not have heard the voice on the microphone, but she didn't miss a single word Lin Jianlu said—expressionless, looking around.

Feng Xiaogang chuckled again, "Seriously, it's a small get-together! I'll go buy groceries later, and we'll have lunch together, the two of us brothers, and you can bring your families! I'll cook a few dishes, a simple home-cooked meal!"

Lin Jianlu thought for a moment, "I really don't care much about seeing you, but I do miss my sister-in-law a little..."

"Go to hell!"

Amid Feng Xiaogang's laughter and scolding, there was also a very obvious, barely suppressed chuckle on the other end of the phone.

He replied anyway, "We'll see how things go tomorrow or the day after! His mom's been drinking a bit too much lately. Tomorrow or the day after, wait for my call, I'll treat my sister-in-law to seafood!"

"Okay! I'll be waiting for your call!"

After hanging up the phone and leaving the residential area, Lin Jianlu suddenly stopped at the entrance.

Just outside the residential area, Jiang Qinqin got out of a taxi, turned around and closed the car door, then turned and ran this way—this is it, two people buying groceries and cooking, that's called romance, the romance of life, but three people can't create romance. Three people can flirt if they do it well, and if they're really good at it, they can have fun, but if they don't do it well, that's called a fight.

Upon seeing this place from afar, Jiang Qinqin paused for a moment, but then quickened her pace.

Zuo Xiaoqian clearly saw her too.

Just as Jiang Qinqin was well aware that she was very close to Lin Jianlu, she was also well aware that Lin Jianlu had taken Jiang Qinqin to various drinking parties in public many times. Although the circle was not large and the students of Beijing Film Academy were slightly on the periphery and their information was somewhat closed off, they were still in a world where "no secrets are kept."

Besides, "Cold-blooded to the End Million Celebration Edition" has been on the market for almost two months, and it's been airing on both major and minor TV stations in mainland China. Whether it's Jiang Qinqin's previous film "Hua Tian Cuo" or Zuo Xiaoqian's later film "Ai Jiu Yi Zi", the only thing that stands out is that the visuals are beautiful and the songs are great, so they're very popular!
The two were both students at the Beijing Film Academy, one from the 94 acting class and the other from the 95 acting class. They would see each other all the time and interact daily. When they were with Lin Jianlu at drinking parties, they also got to know a considerable number of mutual friends in the industry. In short, it was difficult for them to have any real secrets.

It's easy to imagine that they usually pay close attention to and observe each other—and are wary of each other.

At this moment, Zuo Xiaoqian hugged Lin Jianlu's arm tightly, appearing somewhat nervous.

Jiang Qinqin jogged and quickly arrived in front of her.

Lin Jianlu frowned, looking disgusted. "Why are you here again?"

The girl didn't mind, "I came to visit you!"

He continued to complain, "Tsk...you really have nothing better to do!"

The girl remained nonchalant and resilient, saying, "I don't have time for anything else, but I do have time to hang out with you."

"Hey yo wei..."

While speaking, Lin Jianlu sighed and looked her up and down. Finally, she reached out and picked up the thin platinum necklace above her fair collarbone. "You're wearing it now? You've put it on?"

"Ah! Is it pretty?"

"Hey, she's just so-so, a tiny bit prettier than Jiang Qinqin yesterday!"

"That's what makes it beautiful!"

(End of this chapter)