DLRAS Chapter 149

Chapter 149: You and Mr. Chen have a deep love for each other.

Huo Niansheng strolled along the beach with both hands stuffed into his pockets. Moving at a leisurely, unhurried pace, he kept his head down to study the sand beneath his soles as though he were searching for some kind of treasure. Just then, footsteps approached from the opposite direction, shuffling alongside the rising and falling murmur of the tide—shasha, shasha—sounding crisply with every step.

The sound of that gait was different from Chen Wengang’s. He didn’t look up until the person came face-to-face with him.

It was Ye Ran, the wildly popular celebrity invited by Li Hongqiong. Ye Ran offered a perfectly proper smile: “Director Huo.”

Huo Niansheng nodded, his gaze resting upon the person across from him with his customary touch of frivolous levity.

Ye Ran possessed long limbs, a very slender waist, and exceptionally thin arms and legs. His nose bridge and chin perfectly aligned with current popular aesthetics. Likely to maintain his physique for the cameras, he had barely touched a thing during the BBQ just now, consuming only a plate of vegetable salad—an approach probably tied to his origins in an idol survival show, where being fair-skinned and thin was the most basic, and even overly stringent, requirement. Over the past few years, Ye Ran had constantly attempted to transition into other performance tracks, remaining highly active in the public eye and managing to secure several movie resources. If he hadn’t just narrowly missed out on the Golden Horse Awards, his current title could have featured “Newly Crowned Best Actor” rather than just popular celebrity. It was a pity he fell short by just a fraction.

Huo Niansheng spoke: “Your new movie, Black Humor, did quite well at the box office. I heard about it. Congratulations.”

Ye Ran replied with a touch of humor: “Not at all, it was entirely thanks to the investors. Initially, that movie faced all sorts of obstacles right from the project approval stage; with insufficient funding, managing to film it at all was a stroke of luck. And those aren’t my words either—during our wrap party, Director Zhao was just saying that it was all thanks to a generous investor like you coming along. Not only did you provide the funds, but you also deeply respected the art. It would be wonderful if all financial backers were like you.”

Hearing this, Huo Niansheng burst out laughing: “What do I know about cinematographic art? Director Zhao’s subtext was actually, ‘Thank goodness I stumbled upon an outsider who knows his limitations and doesn’t poke his nose into things he doesn’t understand.’ Only straightforward folks like you would take his polite pleasantries seriously. Granted, his box office did well, and I turned a massive profit. Everyone is happy, so the outcome turned out quite good after all.”

“Your insight is unique; saying that is being far too modest.”

“An outsider is an outsider; it’s not modesty. Don’t talk about insight either—I don’t even run an entertainment company. It’s just that Yu Shanding told me there was a project that would definitely make money, so I simply hopped on the bandwagon. If there are opportunities to bridge connections like this in the future, I’ll still have to maintain a good relationship with Boss Yu.”

Ye Ran stopped arguing with him and merely kept smiling. Huo Niansheng carried a half-smile on his face as he continued his stroll, with Ye Ran following behind him.

“It’s a pity I didn’t perform well enough and failed to secure the Best Actor award, dragging the project back after all,” he said with no small amount of regret. “Otherwise, this film could have originally reached a higher level. I feel quite apologetic to you and Director Zhao.”

“No need to lose heart. Who wouldn’t want the Best Actor title? It’s simply a fact that things don’t always go everyone’s way. Just keep working hard.”

“But regardless, I’ve always wanted to thank you for giving me this opportunity. Frankly, if it were any other investor, they would mostly push their own people and bring their own funding into the cast. I wouldn’t even have stood a chance at landing the male lead through an audition.” Ye Ran took another step closer. “During Lady Liang’s ‘Starry Night’ last time, I had originally planned to find an opportunity to express my gratitude to you, but unfortunately, you were busy with work and didn’t attend.”

“Sending a signed photo would do just fine, I’d already appreciate it very much.” Huo Niansheng didn’t care in the slightest, keeping his head down. “Our foundation’s deputy secretary-general went to that event. You can look for Chen Wengang and have him pass it to me; he will certainly get it done. Unless you’re worried he’d steal your things?”

“Right, I didn’t know much about that before,” Ye Ran smiled. “You and Mr. Chen share a deep and loving bond; I’ll know better next time.”

Chen Wengang held onto the railing. Looking out from the platform where he and Li Hongqiong stood, the two figures on the beach resembled two moving black dots.

Li Hongqiong withdrew her gaze. Exhibiting a calm composure, she took another puff of her cigarette: “There’s no need to take these fleeting attractions to heart either.”

This time it was Chen Wengang’s turn to smile: “It’s nothing like that.”

Propping his chin with his arms, he added, “I can help manage Huo Niansheng’s businesses, and I can accompany him to attend any social occasions he needs. I choose to do what a partner should do because I love him. As for other people’s perceptions, it doesn’t really matter at all.”

Li Hongqiong said, “You can naturally say that now, but you dared to trust him right from the very beginning—that’s what I admire most about you.”

Chen Wengang joked in a lighthearted tone, “How should I put it then? Is it all thanks to my keen eye for spotting a hidden gem, discovering that he is both fiercely devoted and incredibly gentle?”

Li Hongqiong chuckled uncontrollably: “We are talking about Old Huo right now, aren’t we? I’ve known him for twenty years, and I haven’t noticed that at all!”

Chen Wengang smiled, “You’ve been friends with him for so many years; what exactly have you come to know about him?”

Li Hongqiong casually flicked her cigarette ash: “He is someone who is exceptionally good at hiding things. He keeps himself completely under wraps, so who would bother checking whether he’s good or not.”

With the night breeze blowing gently, she flicked her cigarette ash again and said, “Do you want to head out to sea tomorrow night to fish for calamari? Actually, I originally wanted to head out today, but the boat broke down. Those foreign young masters I’m hosting were desperately looking forward to it—no way, it’s a promise, you both must come along as company.”

Chen Wengang naturally agreed to everything: “How could I possibly fail to honor Sister Hongqiong’s invitation.”

Having played for an entire day, Harley’s physical energy was utterly depleted. Yawning repeatedly, it ambled over and dutifully lay down by his feet.

Li Hongqiong considerately stubbed out her cigarette, covered her mouth, and let out a yawn as well. By the time Huo Niansheng and Ye Ran finally walked back one after the other, she had already returned to her room to sleep. Chen Wengang sat on the railing enjoying the breeze, a quiet smile gracing his face, looking almost radiant in the night.

Huo Niansheng extended both arms: “Did you miss me?”

Chen Wengang hopped down while holding onto his arms: “I did.”

Standing not too far away, Ye Ran quipped, “Director Huo, with the two of you acting like this, it feels like I was suddenly kicked while just passing by.”

Chen Wengang bent down to scoop up the half-asleep Harley. It was considerably heavier than when it first arrived home, but its physical frame hadn’t fully expanded yet, making it just the right size to carry. It snuggled into Chen Wengang’s arms like a delicate creature and snored. Huo Niansheng scratched the top of its head, yet failed to wake it up.

Chen Wengang turned his head to bid Ye Ran goodbye.

Ye Ran smiled and waved at him: “Good night.”

Early the next morning, Ye Ran went downstairs to the buffet restaurant. Because the bonfire party had ended too late the previous night, very few people could manage to get up, and those coming down for breakfast were sparse. Only two prominent figures sat by the window, occupying a round table.

The round table was a large variety that could accommodate several people; using it for just two seemed a bit wasteful, but because it offered the best natural lighting, it had been claimed first. Chen Wengang kept his head down peeling a hard-boiled egg, while Huo Niansheng pinched a finger sandwich and held it to his lips, allowing him to take a bite.

“It’s decent… tastes better than that toasted bread.”

“I’ll go grab a couple more. What else do you want to eat?”

As Ye Ran approached carrying his plate, the whispered conversation between the two was interrupted, and both sides exchanged morning greetings.

The vast restaurant was virtually empty, and with only three acquaintances present, sitting apart felt exceptionally awkward. Ye Ran naturally sat down on the other side of the table, setting his plate down: “How is it that everyone else isn’t awake yet?”

Chen Wengang lifted his head with a smile: “Ran-ge, eating just this little bit—won’t it be a bit too small of a portion?”

Ye Ran smiled gently: “There’s no need to call me ‘ge.’ I’m only slightly older than you, so just call me by my name.”

Once darkness fell, the boat maintenance was completed for the day. Li Hongqiong led her distinguished guests out to sea, and the small fishing vessel cruised into the ocean, leaving billowing white waves in its wake. After sailing for roughly an hour, the fishing boat finally halted in the middle of the sea, surrounded by pitch-black water with nothing else in sight.

As the sound of the engine died down, the hull swayed with the waves. Those who were there for the first time eagerly leaned over the gunwale to peer down, finding it highly novel.

Fishing for calamari required neither rods nor bait; it was simply a fishing line tied to a squid jig, thrown into the sea to catch them barehanded. Everyone dropped their hooks one after another. Chen Wengang squinted his eyes, appearing highly experienced. After searching along the side of the boat for a while, he somehow managed to hook an exceptionally heavy calamari. Hauling it up into mid-air, it squirted out all its ink before he reeled the line in. It was easily twice the size of what the others had caught.

The people out at sea today were primarily a few foreign friends hosted by Li Hongqiong; Zhang Mingxian and two other rather snobbish fair-weather friends had already headed back. The three or four blonde-haired, blue-eyed international friends didn’t harbor such petty schemes, cheering genuinely over the massive calamari.

Amidst the crowd’s playful prodding, Chen Wengang briefly enjoyed the status of ‘fishing king’ on this boat, while Huo Niansheng merely looked at him and smiled.

Harley hadn’t boarded the boat; fearing it wouldn’t adjust well, they had left it ashore for the staff to look after for the night.

There were also those who couldn’t adapt to the rolling of the sea. By the time the boat reached the halfway point, Ye Ran had become seasick, throwing up in the cabin for a good while and resting on the sofa with a pale face, failing to join the fishing team.

In the end, the staff awarded the glass “Calamari King” medal to Chen Wengang, taking the caught calamari to stir-fry on the spot. Chen Wengang gifted this memento to another foreign guest who was eyeing it longingly. By the time they returned to the cabin, Ye Ran appeared to be feeling a bit better.

Freshly stir-fried calamari only required a bit of scallion and garlic to burst with flavor in the wok without needing much seasoning, yielding a freshness that was beyond comparison.

Everyone ate happily, except a minor issue arose on the return trip—the engine disappointingly gave out once more, forcing them to contact the shore and wait for rescue.

Although they were stranded, it wasn’t particularly nerve-wracking. The rescue vessel replied that it had already departed, but would still take an hour to arrive.

Chen Wengang stood on the deck. Their fishing boat sat solitary in the middle of the water beneath a bright, clear full moon overhead. Huo Niansheng stood beside him, holding his hand; rather than the helplessness of being stranded, a touch of poignant romance arose instead.

Ye Ran hadn’t eaten much of anything just now because he was still seasick, his stomach churning violently. Li Hongqiong and the others were inside the cabin playing a noisy game of Old Maid to pass the time. Stepping out of the cabin, he saw the two figures right ahead and approached to join the conversation.

Chen Wengang smiled, “It’s a pity you have to endure another hour of torment.”

“It’s alright, I’m already feeling much better.” Ye Ran waved his hand. “Though it’s probably an occupational hazard, encountering a scene like this always makes me feel like something is about to happen next. Movies always start this way; the déjà vu is exceptionally strong, you know what I mean?”

“Then I wonder what genre of movie we are in right now—an adventure film, a disaster film, or a horror flick.”

“Haha, I couldn’t tell you’d be so knowledgeable about this,” Ye Ran smiled. “Do you like watching movies?”

Chen Wengang offered a polite compliment: “We just watched your Black Humor a few days ago. It was very good, no wonder it was a box office success.”

Ye Ran smiled as he sized him up: “Actually, acting is quite fun. I see your appearance is also outstanding; if you take a stroll around the film studio city, you might just get discovered by a talent scout. Have you never thought about trying your hand at acting?”

Chen Wengang was curious: “What, could a talent scout really come to scout someone like me who knows absolutely nothing?”

Ye Ran explained: “Well, not everyone in the entertainment industry starts with formal training. You’re so young, you could entirely enter the industry first and start by acting in idol dramas. Who knows, you might truly become an overnight sensation, drawing everyone’s gaze and becoming the darling of the spotlight.”

Draping an arm over Chen Wengang’s shoulder, Huo Niansheng couldn’t hold back a laugh, asking him, “Do you want to go become a star?”

Chen Wengang laughed as well, “When others praise me, you join in on the mischief. I’m certainly not doing it—why don’t you go instead?”

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