"Shuangshuang, there's a banquet tomorrow night. Will you come with me?" Xu Hao said as he tied his tie in the morning.
Xia Shuangshuang looked at him abruptly, surprised, and asked, "I'll go with you? Really?"
Xu Hao said nonchalantly, "Of course. Make time for me, and I'll have someone take you to get dressed up tomorrow. I'll introduce you to some people then, so don't embarrass me."
Xia Shuangshuang was overjoyed and didn't notice the disdain in his words. She nodded repeatedly and smiled, "I have time tomorrow. I'll ask the crew for leave right away!" She stepped forward and snuggled into Xu Hao's arms, tilting her head up to give him a sweet kiss. "Brother Hao, you're so good to me."
Xu Hao looked down at her, a slight smile playing on his lips, "If you behave, I'll treat you even better."
At the same time, Xu Zifan got up at the e-sports training base, assigned training tasks to everyone, answered their questions, and then called Yao Kexin.
"Kexin, are you free tomorrow night? I have a banquet and need to bring a female companion. Can you spare some time while you're filming?"
Yao Kexin thought for a moment and said, "Brother Fan, wait a minute, I'll go ask the director."
"Okay, don't force yourself if it's inconvenient to ask for leave. Don't leave a bad impression on the director. I can just find someone I know to go with me."
"Okay, I know. Let me ask first." Although Yao Kexin was very willing to go, she valued the job and the opportunity to film and get to know the director even more. So, after hanging up the phone, she immediately asked the director if she could take leave. This was something Xu Zifan had taught her: anyone and anything in the world could let you down, but your career would never let you down. She had to love her career to become a better person and have more resources to pursue other things.
The director was very easy to talk to and readily agreed to give her half a day off. This director was actually quite serious and strict; it wasn't that he was generally easy to talk to, but rather that he was more lenient with Yao Kexin. After all, Yao Kexin was the most hardworking and dedicated actress in the crew. Moreover, Yao Kexin was highly talented, quick to grasp concepts, and emotionally rich during filming, delivering each performance flawlessly. She often inspired him, allowing him to add a line or two on the spot and make minor changes to improve the film. Directors like this kind of actress, so naturally they were more lenient with her.
Yao Kexin was overjoyed to get the time off and called Xu Zifan back. Xu Zifan laughed and said, "Okay, I'll pick you up for lunch tomorrow, then we'll get our hair and makeup done, and then go to the banquet."
"Brother Fan, was the banquet very grand? Were the guests from the business world?"
"Yes, it's the 80th birthday of the old master of Lin's Enterprises. Not only business people will be there, but also politicians. However, the politicians will go directly to the old master's study to meet him and then leave; they won't appear in the main hall. Don't be nervous. A small group from the entertainment industry will also be there; you might even know some of them. You're my girlfriend now, so just stay by my side when you get there. I'll take care of you." Xu Zifan patiently explained to her, worried she might be nervous. Meanwhile, some of his teammates called him to have breakfast together. He waved his hand and pointed to his phone. The teammates laughed and joked for a while before heading off to eat, arms around each other's shoulders.
Yao Kexin came from an ordinary family and had never been to such a grand occasion before, so she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She hesitated and asked, "Brother Fan, is it really okay for me to go? By the way, will your elders be going too? If they see me... will they scold you?"
"No, my uncle isn't a good person. You don't need to worry about him. I'll tell you later. Just remember that I don't get along with him. No matter what he says, don't pay attention to it, and definitely don't believe him."
Yao Kexin was somewhat surprised, but having acted in a drama about power struggles within wealthy families before, she immediately accepted the possibility of an uncle and nephew fighting over the inheritance in the Xu family. With this in mind, she wasn't afraid anymore. Xu Zifan was her benefactor, and now he was going to such a high-profile event, accompanied by his uncle. Who knew what might happen? She wanted to stay by her benefactor's side and do her best to help him.
The two talked about things on set, and Xu Zifan taught her some ways to handle situations. They then agreed to meet the next day before hanging up. He washed his hands and went to the restaurant for dinner, where the other contestants teased him playfully.
"Brother Fan, you're finally done? I thought you were going to chat forever!"
"That's how it is when you're in love. When my wife and I first got together, we talked so much that our phones got so hot."
"Brother Fan, you must be bored from training with us these past few days, right? Are you in a hurry to see your girlfriend?"
"When can we invite your sister-in-law over to meet everyone? After all, we're family."
Xu Zifan sat down in his seat and said with a smile, "Stop talking nonsense. Your fans should really see what you're like in private. Eat quickly, it'll all get cold. By the way, I have a banquet tomorrow night, so I'll probably be leaving around noon. Don't slack off, the competition is coming up soon, you have to practice for at least ten hours. I'll check when I get back."
"Are you going to see your sister-in-law? Let's get to know her. We promise we won't bother you."
"Don't worry, Brother Fan, we'll practice hard and definitely won't call you."
Even if something really serious happens, we won't call you back. Go enjoy your date!
Xu Zifan shook his head, simply grabbed a plate, filled it with breakfast, and went back to his room to eat. These guys were all young men, bursting with energy every day, and sometimes they were really noisy. But being with them was quite enjoyable, and it made him feel younger too. He really needed to experience that youthful spirit and vitality from time to time to keep himself young. This trick worked very well; he was full of energy right now.
The next day at noon, Xu Zifan drove a flashy red sports car to the film set to pick up Yao Kexin.
There happened to be a few fans of the lead actors staking out outside the film set, hoping to spot them. As soon as Xu Zifan arrived, he was immediately spotted by more than a dozen people!
"Ah! It's Xu Zifan! What brings him here?"
"Of course they're here to see Yao Kexin. Aren't they together?"
"Yao Kexin is great too, I like her, I want to get her autograph. I also want Xu Zifan's autograph, do you think he'll give me face?"
"Hmm... it's hard to say about Young Master Xu's personality. How about we go and give it a try together?"
"OK."
Xu Zifan got out of the car, intending to go inside to visit the set, when he turned around and saw a dozen girls walking towards him with various notebooks and pens. Xu Zifan instinctively flashed his most attractive smile, then paused, momentarily stunned. He wasn't an idol anymore, so what was he doing here? However, the girls' eyes lit up at his smile, and thinking they had received his goodwill, they quickly surrounded him, excitedly handing him autograph books and saying, "Young Master Xu, can you sign some autographs for us?"
"Young Master Xu, can I take a picture with you? I really like you, and Yao Kexin too."
Xu Zifan was the first to take her notebook, quickly signed his name in cursive script, and asked with a smile, "You like Kexin? She's beautiful, a good actress, and very hardworking and ambitious. She's definitely someone worth liking, and I like her a lot too."
The fans screamed. Although none of them were fans of Xu Zifan and Yao Kexin, they had seen their trending topics quite often. Hearing Xu Zifan say this, they felt like they had been given a handful of candy, and their goodwill towards him increased dramatically.
Seeing that there weren't many of them, Xu Zifan signed autographs for each of them and took photos with each of them before pointing to his watch and saying, "I have to pick up Kexin, so I'll go inside first. You guys find a shady place to sit and be careful not to get heatstroke."
"Okay, thank you, Young Master Xu!" The fans were thrilled by Xu Zifan's heartwarming words of advice and all went to rest in the shade.
Xu Zifan picked up several large bags of snacks and drinks from the passenger seat and strode into the film set. A sharp-eyed fan noticed the logo on the bags and exclaimed in surprise, "It's A Pastry! The most expensive afternoon tea! Is this how rich people treat when visiting a film set?"
"I want to run errands for the film crew. I'd be happy as long as I get a piece of pastry!"
"I want to be Xu Shao's assistant; the benefits would definitely be better than those of a small company CEO."
"All of Xu Shao's assistants are men. If I were to become someone, I'd definitely choose Yao Kexin's assistant. Xu Shao treats Yao Kexin so well!"
"Honestly, I'm starting to believe that Xu Shao is truly in love with Yao Kexin. Did you see how Xu Shao looked when he mentioned Yao Kexin just now? He was so proud and fond of her! His eyes were sparkling."
"Does he think his eyes are diamonds? They're so sparkly! But I also think he's serious about Yao Kexin; they haven't broken up for several months."
"I kind of like him after seeing him in person."
"Me too."
"Me too!"
Xu Zifan arrived at the film set and immediately greeted the director. He hadn't invested this time, and the director was a renowned figure; the director treated him like a junior, and Xu Zifan reciprocated with respect before explaining his purpose. Yao Kexin had already taken leave, and the director nodded, telling everyone to rest for a while and enjoy the snacks Xu Zifan had brought. Although it was lunchtime and they would be eating later, everyone readily accepted the snacks, and upon seeing they were from A Pastry Shop, their smiles became even more genuine.
Yao Kexin came out after changing her clothes and greeted the director. They still had to eat and get their hair and makeup done, so they didn't stay long and quickly said goodbye and left. Before leaving, Xu Zifan said to everyone, "Thank you all for taking care of Kexin on set. Kexin is still a newcomer and there are many things she doesn't know. If she does anything wrong, please teach her and be more tolerant. I'll treat everyone to a meal when I have a day off."
Everyone smiled and responded kindly. They had a good impression of Yao Kexin. With Xu Zifan helping to make arrangements and supporting her, they were naturally more willing to show goodwill towards Yao Kexin.
When Xu Zifan and Yao Kexin went out, the fans were still there, and they were eager to go up to Yao Kexin for autographs. However, because Xu Zifan had said he had something to do while picking up Yao Kexin, they hesitated about whether to go up. Seeing this, Xu Zifan pulled Yao Kexin to stop and let her greet the fans.
Yao Kexin smiled and waved to them, and the fans immediately rushed forward to ask for autographs and photos. Yao Kexin agreed to each request before leaving with Xu Zifan. On the way, Yao Kexin called her assistant and asked her to buy some snacks and drinks for the fans, the same kind that Xu Zifan had just bought.
Fans have already seen what Xu Zifan was carrying. They must be very happy to receive the same food now, right?
After she hung up the phone, Xu Zifan laughed and said, "You're much more used to it now, and you know how to handle these things."
Yao Kexin smiled and said, "Of course, you taught me."