Chapter 16 : A Night's Out

Actors were usually not allowed to leave the shooting grounds at all, but Feng Jietang, the smooth-talker, was actually able to coax Director Ma into granting him permission.

"Okay, let's go let's go!" Feng Jietang happily picked him up in his tent that evening.

The man had a casual wear on, a white sports jacket draped over blue shirt and long, grey pants. He also wore a hat and a pair of glasses.

"Do you usually wear glasses?" Shen Jingwei asked.

"Of course not, but we have to disguise ourselves, remember?"

"Oh."

Shen Jingwei turned around and stared at the luggage behind him. It was sprawling with all kinds of clothing. Unfortunately, he did not bring a hat or a pair of glasses with him.

Just as Shen Jingwei wondered what to do, Feng Jietang draped a purple shawl around his neck.

"This should do," the man said in a cheerful manner. "It's just a quick dinner, nothing fancy."

"Mm. Thanks, I will be borrowing this for the night, then."

They made their way out of the encampment a short while later. After swearing to return within two hours, they were finally allowed to take their leave.

Fifteen minutes of walk took them to a nearest village.

"I was here to shoot a movie several months ago," Feng Jietang told Shen Jingwei. "My co-stars never dared to wander out of the encampment. It was me who took them out to play on the weekends. Of course with the director-in-charge's permission", he added.

"In fact, now that I think about it, I think we invited the Director out for a night of fun too. Oh, he's a fan of Old Wang's offal skewers. They are very tasty, and they come with a selection of sauce. BBQ, sweet and spicy, honey laced with salt, yellow mustard. You name it, he has it."

Shen Jingwei smiled.

"I will try what you recommend."

"Alright then, to Old Wang's stall we go!" Feng Jietang punched into the air happily.

Old Wang's stall offered all kinds of meat -- lamb, pork, beef, chicken, and even snake.

A skewer cost only 1 Yuan.

And the sauce was free.

Shen Jingwei and Feng Jietang stood at the back of the long line while chatting heartily with each other.

"So one time I got into a disagreement with one of my co-stars. Wah, the lady was so angry that she reported me for harassment. But I know that Big Sister. She likes eating a certain brand of chocolate from Sweden, so I ordered one box, sent it to her along with a bouquet of flowers on Valentine's Day, and she has never been nicer to me ever since."

Shen Jingwei snickered.

"Do you usually spend money in return for your co-stars' affection?"

Feng Jietang gasped dramatically.

"How dare you accuse me of such profanities! Little Shen, let me tell you something. I am an honorable gentleman, a loyal friend in need, and a generous person to work with. If she did not like the chocolate, I could always get candies or cakes for her."

They broke out in laughter.

Shen Jingwei wiped tears off the end of his eyes.

"Now that I think about it, why didn't they select you for the protagonist role?

Your shamelessness is at the very least on par with Zhang Fengxi's."

Feng Jietang sighed in response.

"What do you know. The drama is produced by CNC Studio. I am not from CNC Studio so of course I only get the Jiang Muchen role. But I think it's quite decent for the pay."

"Lin Ruoye is your junior, am I right?"

"Oh, yes, yes. Little Ruoye gets to play Song Wanrong. She is a little disappointed that she didn't get the Liu Wenyuan role, but to be honest Lang Yuxuan is a better fit for that role."

"Oh?"

Feng Jietang gave his dinner companion a knowing smile.

"Lang Yuxuan only gets the role because Yan Renzhong is his mentor. Apparently, Yan Renzhong was also the one who helped him to sign with CNC Studio. That's why Lang Yuxuan hugs Yan Renzhong's golden thigh and follows him everywhere like a loyal dog."

"I thought they were dating," Shen Jingwei heard himself saying. "They are rather close to each other."

"Lang Yuxuan understands that glory can be quickly attained by hitching a ride on Yan Renzhong's coattails. As for his feelings for Yan Renzhong..."

He shrugged.

"Who knows? On the other hand, Yan Renzhong gains no benefit in helping Lang Yuxuan's career. Maybe Emperor Yan is secretly enchanted by his own mentee? Hahaha.

Given their characters' initial romantic involvement, one can't help but speculate if their on-screen spark will ignite a real-life connection."

Yeah.

Shen Jingwei wondered the same thing.

Dinner was delicious, albeit hasty.

After standing in line for one hour straight, they only had thirty minutes to devour the skewers before running back to the encampment.

They made it back just as the curfew was about to strike, their bodies drenched in sweat. Gasping for air, they collapsed beneath the shade of a nearby tree, desperately trying to regain their composure.

"Hahaha, we made it," Feng Jietang groaned before laughing heartily. "But it was good, wasn't it?"

"Yep, it was. Thanks for the dinner."

Shen Jingwei staggered to his feet and patted dust off his rear side.

"Go rest for the night. We need to wake up early tomorrow."

"Right. Hey, wait."

"Hmm?"

Feng Jietang reached out and wiped something off the corner of Shen Jingwei's lips.

"You have something there... There you go. Now you are all prim and proper."

Smiling, Shen Jingwei took off the shawl he borrowed from the man and draped it around Feng Jietang's neck.

"You are indeed a fun guy to be with. Let's get along better in the future."

---------

Author's note :

Mini theater!

Emperor Yan's ex-Empress actually went out on a date with the ruler of the neighboring kingdom.

Emperor Yan : This is a call for war!

King Feng : *sneezes* I love lamb skewers. I should invite Empress Shen out for another date.