Reborn as a comedic artist

Chapter 111 Charming

In the neighborhood, there is a restaurant called "Lao Sun Jia" that serves paomo (pita bread soaked in mutton soup

The shop is small and has a long history.

A dozen or so tables were set up, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of mutton soup and the tangy fragrance of pickled garlic.

The group sat around a large round table in the corner.

Each person had a large bowl in front of them, steaming hot.

"Slurp"

Wang Shuo, without any regard for appearances, slurped up mouthfuls of vermicelli and mutton, panting from the heat, but still couldn't help giving a thumbs up: "Awesome! This flavor is just right! Uncle Zhang, you've done an excellent job as a host!"

Zhang Jianguo held a clove of pickled garlic in his hand, watching the group of young people wolf it down, and his face beamed with joy.

Especially when looking at Cheng Ming.

The way he ate was both refined and bold; even the way he broke the bread was so professional. He truly lived up to his reputation as a native of Qin.

He found it more and more pleasing to the eye.

The more I look, the more I like it.

"Little Cheng," Zhang Jianguo put down his chopsticks, his kind eyes sending chills down Cheng Ming's spine.

"Uncle Zhang, please speak."

Cheng Ming swallowed the bread he was eating and wiped his mouth with a tissue.

Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend yet?

"Pfft" 6

Zhao Yufeng, who was drinking soup, spat it all over the ground and coughed violently.

Lin Yiyi's hand trembled, and the mutton on her chopsticks fell into the bowl with a "plop," splashing a few drops of oil onto her white dress. She was completely unaware of this, only staring wide-eyed at Zhang Jianguo.

She hadn't even met her in-laws when a troublemaker suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Cheng Ming was also taken aback, then smiled helplessly: "Uncle Zhang, look at me, I'm juggling my studies and my career, both of which are just starting out. I don't have the time to think about that."

"Hey! Settle down and start a family first! It's not uncommon for college students to get married these days. There's no conflict between settling down first and starting a career later!"

Zhang Jianguo immediately perked up, leaned forward, lowered his voice, and adopted a mysterious air, as if he were promoting his own unsold product: "Uncle has a niece who just graduated a year ago. She works in the government sector, has a stable job, and is just like my sister-in-law—beautiful and well-proportioned! She also has a good personality; unlike those delicate young girls these days, she's a real shrew who can manage a household well!"

As he spoke, he reached for his phone to find a photo: "Really, I'm not lying to you. Let's add each other on WeChat, I'll send you her contact information. You young people have a lot in common, want to chat?"

The atmosphere at the table froze instantly.

Zhao Yufeng suddenly raised his head, his imposing eyes seeming to burn with two flames.

She slammed her chopsticks on the table, making a crisp "smack" sound.

"Director Zhang!"

Zhao Yufeng's shout was so loud that it startled the diners at the next table.

Zhang Jianguo's hand trembled, and his phone almost fell into the soup bowl. He looked at the hot girl with a blank expression: "Huh?"

"W-what's wrong?"

Zhao Yufeng took a deep breath, forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, and said through gritted teeth, "Cheng Ming—he's been incredibly busy lately! Extremely busy! We have to film promotional videos, record songs, and edit—we don't even have time to sleep, let alone date! Don't you think so?"

After saying that, she kicked Lin Yiyi hard under the table.

Lin Yiyi winced in pain, but quickly nodded like a chick pecking at rice, her voice soft yet firm: "Yes...yes, Uncle Zhang, Brother Ming is the backbone of our team. If he gets distracted, the promotional work for the ancient city will be delayed. We have to put the work first, don't you think?"

The two girls, working together, managed to pin the huge label of "for the development of the ancient city" on them.

Wang Shuo was trying so hard not to laugh that his face turned purple.

Cheng Ming seized the opportunity to quickly pick up the conversation and steer the topic back on track: "Uncle Zhang, let's talk about this later. Let's discuss this collaboration first."

Zhang Jianguo put away his phone with some regret, glanced at the two girls who looked like they were facing a formidable enemy, and smiled knowingly: "Alright, alright, these young people nowadays are workaholics. So tell me, how do you need the bureau's cooperation?"

"We'll provide the manpower, and the money... well, within the budget, no problem!"

Cheng Ming said seriously, "Uncle Zhang, you don't need to spend more money or send more people."

He pulled out a simple plan he had prepared in advance from his bag and pushed it in front of Zhang Jianguo: "Actually, we had already done all the preliminary preparations before we came back this time. The script, storyboard, and even the music are all in our heads."

Zhang Jianguo picked up the proposal and glanced at it, somewhat surprised: "No need for a professional film crew? No need for us to contact the TV station for help?"

"Need not."

Cheng Ming confidently pointed to the people next to him: "Our team has handled everything—photography, lighting, editing. Li Feng is a professional photographer, and you've probably seen Wang Shuo's abilities in previous videos. As for the actors..."

He pointed to himself, Zhao Yufeng, and Lin Yiyi: "They're all here right now, no need to spend money to hire them."

I have only two requests.

Cheng Ming held up two fingers: "First, we need filming permits for several scenic spots, and it would be best if the area could be cleared for a short period of time to facilitate framing."

"Secondly, I need a professional recording studio to record the theme song for this project."

"That's it?" Zhang Jianguo's eyes widened.

"That's it." Cheng Ming nodded.

Zhang Jianguo put down the plan and looked at Cheng Ming with a gaze that was no longer that of a nephew-in-law, but rather that of a living Buddha.

In the past, when internet celebrities and KOLs came to collaborate, they all demanded exorbitant prices.

They demand hospitality fees, service fees, and all sorts of other things, but in the end, the final product is just so-so.

But what about Cheng Ming?

Not only do they bring their own traffic, equipment, and team, but they even take care of their own food, drink, and basic needs, all they need is a venue and a recording studio?

This isn't just cooperation, it's practically targeted poverty alleviation!

"Xiao Ming..."

'

Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhang Jianguo picked up the bowl of noodle soup in front of him, his expression solemn: "Uncle will offer you this soup instead of wine! Your magnanimity is truly admirable! I am truly impressed!"

"A recording studio, right? The best one at the city TV station. I'll call right now. The station director is an old classmate of mine. From now on, that'll be your personal studio! I'll give you the keys directly; you can use it as much as you want!"

"There's no problem at the tourist attractions either! I personally spoke to the heads of each scenic area, and you're all to have your license plate numbers added to the whitelist. You can go wherever you want to take pictures, and if anyone dares to stop you, tell them to call me directly!"

Cheng Ming picked up his bowl and clinked it against Zhang Jianguo's, then smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

"No need to thank me! From now on, the Culture and Tourism Bureau is your home! Don't hesitate to ask if you have any difficulties!"

Zhang Jianguo took a big gulp of soup with a hearty laugh, wiped his mouth, and his gaze couldn't help but linger on Cheng Ming. He muttered to himself, "Don't you really want to consider meeting my niece? Even just as friends..."

"7

"Cough cough cough!"

This time it was Wang Shuo's turn to cough violently. He pounded his chest and gave Zhang Jianguo a thumbs-up: "Uncle, with your perseverance, no wonder you became a bureau chief!"