1076 Perplexed and Smitten 136

\"Just let nature take its course. Here, have some. We never know what will happen in the future,\" An Xiaoning said, smiling while pouring her a glass of red wine.

Fang Erlan grabbed the glass and took a sip.

\"By the way, Sis-in-law, I heard that Lin Mingxi's sister has dropped dead. Is that true?\"

\"It's been a while since she passed away. Her husband had absconded with all the money from her parents' company. Her husband had an extramarital affair with a young and pretty girl who even gave birth to his son. Women like Lin Mingyuan are the most vulnerable to setbacks. She can't take failure. Well, at least she still has a conscience. She drew up an authorization letter before she died. Beicheng is handling the matter now. They're about to go to court soon.\"

\"That man is such a scum. I'll never do something so despicable and atrocious. If he doesn't love her, he should just divorce her. What's the point of making things turn out this way? Some men are so outrageous nowadays. They ought to learn from me,\" Long Tianze remarked, not forgetting to praise himself while criticizing others.

An Xiaoning played along and said, \"Yes, yes, we should all learn from the great Mr. Long, the role model of men.\"

\"Yes, you must tell your man to learn from me too.\"

Mei Yangyang rebuked, \"Everyone, look how shameless Long Tianze is.\"

\"…\"

An Xiaoning was utterly amused by the two jokers. \"We have a long way to go before we reach Y Nation. Let's have a game of cards. There's nothing else to do anyway.\"

\"Sure, sure. It's been so long since we played a game of cards. However, it'd be too boring if we just play cards. Why don't we pair up? The pair that loses… will have to remove a piece of clothing each,\" the fun-loving Long Tianze suggested.

As soon as he finished speaking, Mei Yangyang gave him a tight slap and chastised, \"Are you out of your mind? There are three women here and you're the only man. You'll stand to gain regardless of which one of the three of us has to strip. No one's interested in seeing you naked either. Your figure is mediocre.\"

Long Tianze was displeased to have his wife criticize him in such a manner!

\"Hey, I have a six-pack now too, alright? But you're right, we can't play this game. Otherwise, Qingyan is going to murder me if he finds out. How about this? Whoever loses will have to down a glass of liquor. I'm not talking about red wine but this…\" said Long Tianze, pointing at a bottle of white wine. Although the glass was very small, one would definitely get drunk after chugging a few glasses.

\"Sure, we'll do just that,\" An Xiaoning agreed, after which the four of them began playing.

The game did help them kill a great ton of time.

Everyone was in high spirits while enjoying the game over some wine.

Fang Erlan's alcohol tolerance was far worse than that of An Xiaoning's, even though the latter could barely hold her liquor.

Fang Erlan could still manage with some beer. However, white wine would make her tipsy immediately.

By the end of the game, the three women had already gotten drunk, thus making Long Tianze the only sober one left.

He sighed and said, \"How lonely is it to be happy all by myself?\"

—

\"Why have you come here again?\" Yan Ge questioned Yu Caiwei in a hostile manner while staring at her.

\"I came to talk to you about proper business this time.\"

Gazing at him gently, she continued, \"Let me go in and talk to you. Do you really expect me to discuss it with you at the door?\"

Yan Ge said, \"Come in.\"

She entered and changed into a pair of home slippers. \"I heard from your manager that you've stopped taking on new filming opportunities. Is that true?\"

\"Not entirely. I'll consider taking on roles in productions that are of better quality.\"

\"Have a look at this script. It's a novel from an award-winning author. Filming is about to begin,\" she said, handing him the script.

Yan Ge took a look at the title and flipped through the pages to peruse the content. \"Such dramas don't suit me.\"

\"Why not? There's only a small part that revolves around teenage romance. The bulk of it is different.\"

\"Younger actors who are in their twenties are better candidates. I'm way past the age where I should be starring in such dramas.\"

\"How about this one? 'The Man from the Ancient Times,'\" she suggested, handing him another book.

\"Isn't this the series that Fang Erlan is confirmed to be starring in?\" he asked.

\"Yeah, it's this one. They haven't decided on an actor for the male lead yet. Would you like to star in it?\"

\"You're not the producer or the director. Why are you approaching me with the script?\"

\"I'm close friends with the director, and she told me to ask you for your opinion after hearing that I was planning to visit you. If you have any queries, she'll answer them when she visits you personally.\"

Yan Ge looked at the script and said to her, \"Ask the director to talk to me.\"

Seeing that he seemed to be keen, Yu Caiwei nodded immediately and said, \"Sure.\"

She left as soon as she said her piece.

Once she got inside her car, Yu Caiwei called her bosom friend and said, \"He wants you to have a discussion with him personally. He seems to be rather interested in the script.\"

\"…\"

\"Talk to him first. Once you've settled everything, replace Fang Erlan with me.\"

\"…\"

\"It's alright. If I'm confirmed to be starring in this drama series, I'll turn down the other one and focus on yours.\"

\"…\"

\"So what if you've already signed a contract with Fang Erlan? At most, just give her the compensatory sum. I'll fork out the money.\"

\"…\"

\"What are you afraid of? So what if she has a powerful backer? Are we even bosom sisters? Just go discuss with Yan Ge first.\"

\"…\"

As soon as Yu Caiwei ended the call, her lips curled into a smile.

Her assistant asked, \"Sis Caiwei, did Yan Ge agree to star in 'The Tyrannical Adonis Falls in Love with Me'?\"

\"No, he thinks he's too old to play the male lead. However, he seems to be rather interested in 'The Man from the Ancient Times.'\"

\"Hasn't Fang Erlan already signed the contract for that drama series and is about to join the production unit soon?\"

\"But they haven't found a suitable actor to play the male lead yet. All the potential candidates are either busy with filming for other dramas or are involved in variety programs. If he agrees to star in this series, I'll withdraw from 'The Tyrannical Adonis Falls in Love with Me.'\"

\"Huh… Sis Caiwei, that's as good as snatching the role from Fang Erlan,\" the assistant said in shock.

As soon as her assistant finished speaking, Yu Caiwei gave her a tight slap and chided, \"Did you hear what you just said? What do you mean 'snatch'? I'm just beating her to it. If I'm confirmed to be starring in 'The Man from the Ancient Times,' I'll pull out from 'The Tyrannical Adonis Falls in Love with Me.' When that happens, she'll probably fill in for the role that I rejected. Who does she think she is? Who is she to vie with me? She's barely famous. I can defeat her any time.\"

The assistant clutched her face in pain, not daring to say another word.

Now that there was finally a potential candidate for the male lead of \"The Man from the Ancient Times,' the female director immediately rushed to Yan Ge's apartment.

She was there to discuss the television series with him.

\"Yan Ge, this is a major production and we've raised more than enough funds. The only problem is that we haven't found a suitable actor to play the male lead yet.\"

\"How much time do we have before filming begins?\"