CHAPTER. 33 Drunk

Xie Yan: For Egg Noodle Soup, do you put eggs first or noodles?

Su Shen: "..."

She really wanted to laugh all of a sudden. He didn't know anything, and still wanted to cook noodles all by himself?

Su Shen: There's no one else at home?

If there's no one else, what does he usually eat then? Where's Zhao Tong?

After a bit, he sent another message.

Xie Yan: The auntie's on leave today.

Su Shen was actually quite puzzled. Normally, people would have some food at home. Why did Xie Yan suddenly want to cook noodles by himself in the middle of the night?

Su Shen: For a simple recipe, put oil in first but don't heat it too much. Then, put in the water and once it boils, put the noodles in. If you want to eat a poached egg, crack it into the pot directly. If not, then crack it into a bowl and beat it evenly. When the noodles are almost done, pour the egg in and then add an appropriate amount of salt, sesame oil, and chicken bouillon if you want. You can then top it off with chopped green onions. That's about it.

After sending the message over, there was no new message from him. Su Shen went to take a shower to get ready for bed. When she came out, she noticed that he had sent a picture over. After looking at it for the longest time, she realized that he must've boiled the water dry, leaving a lump of sticky noodles behind.

Su Shen wanted to laugh so much; she typed a few words over.

Su Shen: If you don't know how to cook, eat something else for now.

After sending it, the other party quickly responded.

Xie Yan: So salty.

Su Shen: It's like this for first timers. Don't eat it anymore, eat something else. I'm going to bed, goodnight.

She had to have dinner with the producer of the modern drama tomorrow. Without her sister this time, it was conceivable that she would be forced to drink again.

After a while, he replied with an "en". Su Shen then pulled up her comforter and went to sleep.

The dinner was in the evening, but Su Shen had to go to the film studio with Liu jie at noon to sign the contract. When they arrived, the producer was still busy with other matters, so Su Shen waited there for a long time.

"Hearing that Xie Yan's going to be in it, this drama ended up attracting more investors. This producer's probably even laughing in his dream now. Guess who's the supporting female lead in this drama?" LIu jie whispered to her while sitting in the lounge.

There was no third person in the lounge, and the door was closed. Su Shen blinked with curiosity, "Who?"

Liu jie smiled meaningfully, "Li Xue."

Li Xue?

Su Shen was shocked for a bit. Although Li Xue's fame was not as high as that of Yang Zhi and the others, she was also a popular starlet with a strong prospect. In the past, even if she was the female lead of this drama, it was more than adequate. But now, she was willing to play as the supporting female lead? And to be a supporting role for her whose fame was not that high?

"I've told you that not only did this drama attract a lot of investors, but the other supporting actors are no small-fry either. Not to mention, the producer also forked out a lot of money to invite a lot of well-known veteran actors to be in it as well. Guess who the third supporting male lead is?" Liu jie smiled meaningfully.

Su Shen didn't say anything and merely looked at her with a frown.

"It's Luo Han." Liu jie whispered, "Although I don't know who the second supporting male lead is, he's definitely not a newcomer."

Luo Han was the male lead of her first web drama. His character was not bad, but he was just nodding acquaintances with the original Su Shen. Their relationship was not that good. He had strong prospects before and played supporting roles in several big productions. Su Shen didn't expect that he would also be in this drama and didn't know what to say momentarily.

"Wasn't Yang Zhi adamant about it before? Why did she suddenly yield?" Su Shen asked somewhat curiously.

Hearing this, Liu jie sneered, "It's not the first time you know about the power dynamics in this industry. Look at how this producer is making us wait for so long, if it was Xie Yan, do you think he would let him wait for this long? I heard that Xie Yan's agent said that Xie Yan didn't like to act with strangers, so that's why he recommended you. Else, who doesn't want to choose Yang Zhi?"

Su Shen could imagine that. The reason why Li Xue was willing to be in this drama was definitely because she thought her acting was poor and that she could overwhelm her. After all, this was Xie Yan's first drama and with this lineup, as long as the script was not horrible, the ratings wouldn't be too bad either.

Just at this moment, a staff member suddenly came in and said that the producer was free. Liu jie then led her to the neighboring office.

It could be seen that this producer didn't like her, but he didn't say anything on the surface. It was just that the terms of the contract were very harsh. Currently, the scripts handed to her were about ¥100,000 per episode, with the highest being ¥ 200,000 per episode. But it was just ¥ 50,000 per episode in this contract and that the script would frequently be revised, so actors must unconditionally film according to the script. The treatment of other things was also very poor. It was conceivable that Li Xue was probably treated better than her—the female lead.

"Look Producer Luo, we have no qualms about the remuneration. But for the poster, both Su Shen and Li Xue are standing at one side. Isn't this a bit wrong? This shouldn't be a drama with two heroines, shouldn't Li Xue's position be moved to the back a little? And for the opening of the OST to also show Li Xue, doesn't this seem wrong?" Liu jie sat there smiling while looking at the bald producer.

Crossing his arms at the table, the latter sighed helplessly, "I understand what you're saying, but you also know that Su Shen's not as famous as Li Xue. If it's not like this, we'll be attacked by her fans. We have no choice either."

"Then we really need to think it over carefully about this drama. If we cannot compare, what's the point of acting in it?" Liu jie laughed and looked as if she was about to stand up.

Seeing this, the producer frowned and waved his hand, "Don't worry, the matter is still negotiable. When our production crew promotes, Su Shen's name will definitely be at the front. For the poster, everyone knows that being placed on the left signifies the most importance, and Su Shen's name will certainly be on the left. Furthermore, Su Shen will definitely be posing with Xie Yan. This will clearly show who the heroine is, even if Li Xue's standing on the side, everyone will know that she is the supporting female lead."

After saying that, he continued, "Moreover, we never alter the scenes of the heroine. You guys also know that the mood of the drama is relatively light, so the audience will definitely know who the female lead is at a glance."

This kind of person was usually adaptable and two-faced. Who knew what he would do after, especially when the contract stated to unconditionally follow the revising of the script; who knew what kind of changes he would conjure up?

"Okay, but you guys have to ensure that for future promotions, even if they are side by side, Su Shen's name will be placed on the left. Additionally, the quality of Su Shen's costumes and makeup cannot be inferior to Li Xue's, otherwise the results would not be great. It would also lower the level of this drama, no?" Liu jie said with a smile.

After pondering for a bit, the producer nodded and then asked the legal department to add a few more clauses to the contract.

By the time the contract was signed, it was already 5 pm. The producer said he would take them to have dinner with several investors, the director, and the scriptwriter.

Liu jie followed in her own car. Su Shen sat in the passenger seat and asked while tilting her head, "There was also a clause to unconditionally comply with the script, why didn't you mention that?"

Hearing this, Liu jie laughed while turning the steering wheel, "What are you afraid of? Filming kiss scenes? Isn't Xie Yan notoriously not fond of kiss scenes? What's there for you to worry about?"

Su Shen: "..."

That being said, since this director was not as famous as Director Huang, if Xie Yan said that he would not film kiss scenes, then this director would certainly not force it. Nevertheless, Su Shen still felt a little weird.

When the car stopped at the entrance of a five-star hotel, Su Shen followed Liu jie and the producer inside. Today, she was wearing a mint green A-line dress with her hair down. She had light makeup on, and her high heels were only 4 cm; she did not dress up meticulously.

When the producer led them through the corridor and opened the door of a private room, they saw a large table of men and women sitting inside. There were some with beer bellies, some were bald, and some in suits who appeared proper, but their hands were on the thighs of female artists.

Su Shen saw Li Xue, Luo Han, and a few familiar artists. All those here must have already finished with their casting. Just at this moment, they were toasting those people, including Li Xue. The man in his 40s or 50s next to her had been touching her hand incessantly, and she could only dodge it by toasting him.

"Come and look at our female lead. Isn't she young and beautiful?" Producer Luo sat down with a smile, and the others casted their fervent sight on Su Shen.

After she and Liu jie sat down, Producer Luo beckoned, "Su Shen, quickly toast President Ma and President Li!"

For this kind of social gathering, everyone had to raise a toast before speaking. This was unavoidable. The original Su Shen's alcohol tolerance was poor, and she would feel dizzy after two glasses. But Su Shen managed to hold on and raised a toast to everyone. Soon, a bottle of wine was emptied.

When she sat back in her seat with much difficulty, President Zhao, who was on the other side, walked towards her with a glass of wine in hand, "I instantly knew that Su Shen would suit the role of our drama at first sight. Come, let's have a drink."

Seeing that he was about to put his hand on Su Shen's shoulder, Liu jie immediately picked up her glass of wine and separated the two of them with a smile, "If this girl drinks again, I'm afraid she wouldn't even be able to utter words. Let me raise a toast to you."

Liu jie had been in this industry for so many years, and President Zhao had also seen her before. After thinking about it, he followed along and clinked glasses with her, "Okay!"

Su Shen just sat there with her eyes closed. She felt so dizzy that she drank juice desperately, hoping it would make her sober as soon as possible.

Just at this moment, the door was pushed open. When they saw who came, they immediately beckoned enthusiastically, "Xie Yan and President He's here. Come, come, have a drink first."

He Hua and Xie Yan were partners for their company and would also support some newcomers. They would also invest in some films and dramas. Over the years, their business had grown tremendously large, but Xie Yan never cared about these things. The company had been in the care of He Hua. Naturally, whenever Xie Yan took on a production, He Hua would send an artist under their company into the production as well, which could be considered as using Xie Yan to support those newcomers.

"No drinking, no drinking; don't drink when you drive, don't drive when you drink. We are good citizens who abide by the law." He Hua refused the others' toast without hesitation.

Everyone else laughed upon hearing that, "Call a driver over, you can't come here today without drinking once!"

"No drinking; if I drink too much, my wife will scold me." He Hua found a seat and sat down with a smile.

Hearing this, everyone else laughed at him for being henpecked, but they didn't force him to drink anymore.

As for Xie Yan, he swept a look around. Although there were still a few vacant seats, he chose to sit down next to Su Shen. Seeing her slightly rosy face, he couldn't help but frown at the wine bottle on the floor.

"I'll go and raise a toast to Xie Yan." A slightly younger man immediately raised his glass and looked towards Xie Yan.

He Hua laughed, "He doesn't drink."

As his words fell, the young man laughed and didn't say anything more. Following this, no one else raised a toast to Xie Yan. A celebrity like him would never go looking for an investor, it was always an investor asking him. Everyone present were all smart, and no one would offend another just because of a glass of wine.

"Are you okay?" He tilted his head and looked at Su Shen.

The latter opened her eyes slightly. When she saw the person who had been staring at her, she just shook her head and said, "I'm fine."

She was just a little dizzy and was definitely not drunk.

Seeing her speak in such a feeble state, Xie Yan frowned. Just as he was about to say something, another middle-aged man came over and reached out to put his hand on Su Shen's shoulder, "Why is this beauty just sitting here? Come, let's have a drink!"

Seeing his tanned hand, Xie Yan immediately blocked his hand with a glass of wine, "She's drunk, I'll drink it for her."

They were all men, and what Xie Yan's action meant could be understood with a discerning eye at a glance. But they all kept it in their hearts. The man gave them a meaningful look and chuckled, "If she's drunk, then forget about it. It's not good for girls to drink too much."

Seeing that he returned to his seat, the others looked at He Hua cryptically, but the latter kept smiling and said nothing.

It was only Li Xue, who was on the other side, who couldn't help but take another glance at them. She pursed her lips and a peculiar look flashed through her eyes. When another hand appeared on her thigh, she pushed it away with a smile, and then raised another toast to fob them off.

Su Shen felt that she was getting more and more dizzy, but she still forced herself to hold on and sit there. Looking at the others cheering and laughing, she only felt her vision becoming hazy.

"Do you want to go home?" Xie Yan said while handing her a glass of water.

Su Shen held the glass of water and looked at Xie Yan blankly, "Is it okay?"

Looking at her flushed and tipsy face, Xie Yan felt his throat tightened, but he still nodded and said to the producer, "We'll go first."

"Okay, okay." The producer naturally agreed with a smile.

Liu jie, on the other hand, had to stay and continue to network. She originally wanted to send Su Shen out, but the latter clearly didn't need anyone to support her as she walked out steadily.

When she walked out of the hotel, a gust of cold wind hit her, which cleared Su Shen's head a little bit. She waited by the road for a while until Xie Yan drove his car over; she then opened the passenger door and got in.

As soon as she got in, she closed her eyes and rested while leaning against the seat. She only felt a little dizzy and was certain that she was not drunk.

Noticing that she was reeking of alcohol, Xie Yan couldn't help but frown, "Why did you drink so much?"

Su Shen didn't say anything. She just felt dizzy.

Seeing this, Xie Yan leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt. The smell of alcohol was mixed with her unique scent. Her fair and tender hands were obediently placed on her legs. Xie Yan looked down and fastened her seatbelt with no more distractions. As soon as he looked up, he saw her slightly tipsy face. Just at this moment, she was slightly squinting as if she was looking at him. Her eyelashes trembled, and her pink lips were so close to him. He remembered that her lipstick was sweet.

Xie Yan's expression changed, and with a light cough, he sat back in his seat.

The atmosphere in the car suddenly became weird. With her eyes closed, Su Shen suddenly said softly, "Didn't you say you wouldn't film dramas?"

Just when he was about to step on the gas pedal, he suddenly paused and turned around to see a flush on her fair face. She was quietly leaning against the seat, not one bit worried that he might do something to her. Xie Yan's eyes darkened and suddenly leaned over and said in a low voice, "Why do you think I took on this drama?"