Global Film Emperor

Chapter 56 Attending the Banquet
"The outfit is alright, not too ugly."

Shen Jinghan glanced at Lu Ze. The entertainment industry and the fashion industry are inseparable. As a veteran in the entertainment industry, Shen Jinghan admitted that Lu Ze's slicked-back hair made people feel comfortable.

"Was my previous look really that bad?"

Lu Ze pulled down the sun visor and looked in the mirror. He didn't really notice much difference, since he hadn't taken any mock courses for fashion industry professionals. He just felt that his slicked-back hair made him look a bit more energetic than usual.

"Do you have vision problems? Play less games. Sigh, I'll have to hire a stylist for you from now on."

Lu Ze didn't care. He adjusted the length of the seat to allow his legs to relax better, leaned back, and closed his eyes. It was just a Maserati; it wasn't like he'd never ridden in one before.

"How's the script coming along?"

"It's alright. I've written a short biography of about 80,000 to 90,000 words so far, and I've gotten a basic understanding of the character's personality traits. It's not too difficult."

Shen Jinghan didn't ask any further questions. She already knew that Lu Ze had received the highest score for acting during his audition at Qian Shijia. Although she hadn't seen it in person, she was relieved and brought up another topic.

"How's your alcohol tolerance? Can you drink a little later?"

"It's alright, even when I've had too much to drink, I'm still pretty decent."

Lu Ze wasn't afraid of drinking too much because he knew he was a good drinker. At most, he would just close his eyes and rest, or even fall asleep on the table, instead of rambling on and on.

This is very important. If you drink too much, at most people will laugh at you for your low alcohol tolerance, but nothing serious will happen. However, if you make a fool of yourself while drunk, you will definitely be laughed at. That's the best-case scenario. If you drink too much and then let your guard down, you might offend someone for no reason, and that's the most dangerous thing.

Needless to say, Shanghai's evening rush hour is notoriously congested. The two didn't talk much in the car, exchanging a few words occasionally before falling silent.

Lu Ze was scrolling through his phone when he sent a WeChat message to his sister. She was still holding a grudge about being told to get lost by Lu Ze after only saying half a sentence on the phone earlier.

The hotel, which should have taken fifteen minutes to drive there when the roads were clear, took almost an hour to reach. By the time the two of them got out of the car, it was already 6:30.

The doorman welcomed the two, and they entered the lobby. Shen Jinghan handed the bag to Lu Ze.

"I'm going to the restroom. Wait here for me."

She went to the restroom, and Lu Ze, feeling bored, looked around at the hotel's decor. The hotel lobby wasn't decorated in a gaudy, opulent way; instead, it opted for a relatively subdued brown wooden main body, with only the corner moldings connected by gold metal panels, giving it a low-key yet luxurious feel.

The hall smelled of burning woody spices, but there was no large incense burner. The aroma was calming and did not have the unclean feeling that comes with burning incense ash.

On either side were display tables with porcelain and replica bronze vessels on them, and landscape paintings hung on the walls, all with a strong Chinese style. Lu Ze quite liked the overall design.

Even the seats in the lobby for guests to rest are antique-style wooden benches with black leather upholstery to enhance comfort, and the tea sets on the coffee table have not yet been touched by any guests.

Looking up at the lobby ceiling, it was very high and decorated with murals, but the chandelier was a flamboyant style. Although it was beautiful, it felt a bit too ostentatious. Replacing it with a three-tiered, bright yellow wooden chandelier would not have disrupted the original brightness and would have been more in line with the overall design of the lobby.

Lu Ze looked at the decorations and found a series of shortcomings and advantages. Suddenly, his thoughts paused, and his expression became somewhat complicated.

"Okay, let's go."

Shen Jinghan came out of the restroom and took the handbag from Lu Ze. Lu Ze nodded, and the two got into the elevator. Lu Ze's expression was normal, but Shen Jinghan didn't see that Lu Ze's hands were trembling.

I informed the waiter which room it was, and the waiter led me to the door. When I opened the door, there were six people sitting inside. Only cold dishes had been served so far, and they hadn't started eating yet.

"Brother Cheng, I'm so sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way, I'm late, please don't mind." "How could I? Jinghan, you're being too polite. We've been friends for so many years, I don't want to hear you say that. Please sit down, we've been waiting for you."

"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Mr. Gao, Director Feng, Mr. Zhang, you're here too. Let me introduce you. This is my new artist, Lu Ze. Lu Ze, please say hello to everyone."

Cheng Yuan and Shen Jinghan gave each other a light hug, indicating that the two had a good relationship. Lu Ze quickly stepped forward to shake hands and greet the others. He didn't ask them what they did, and no one told him.

Lu Ze took the initiative to sit at the edge of the table, and without needing anyone to remind him, Shen Jinghan sat down next to him, put down his bag, picked up the small wine cup on the table, and stood up again.

"This glass of wine is for everyone. I'm so sorry for being a little late. I'm just a woman and I don't have a high alcohol tolerance, so please don't mind."

After saying that, he put the wine cup to his lips, drank it all in one gulp, showed the empty cup to everyone, and then sat down again.

Lu Ze didn't speak. These were words that Shen Jinghan was suitable to say, but that didn't mean Lu Ze could say them. He simply made a statement, poured himself a glass of baijiu in a three-and-a-half-ounce straight glass, held the glass with his left hand, and used his right index and middle fingers to support the bottom of the glass. He downed it in one gulp, then turned the glass upside down, put it down, and smiled and nodded to everyone.

"Hey, Jinghan, you don't need to be like this. Lu Ze, right? Young people don't need to be so impulsive. When you're my age, you'll know how painful it is. Eat something and calm down."

They were just saying nice things; otherwise, someone would have stopped Shen Jinghan and Lu Ze before they even had a chance to drink. But this made the atmosphere much more lively.

Now the hot dishes started to be served. Once all the dishes were served, led by the former General Manager Gao, everyone raised a glass together. Everyone else used small wine cups, but Lu Ze used a wine glass, and no one stopped him, which shows his status.

In the white-collar simulation course, Lu Ze had experienced far too many such drinking parties. He repeated the same thing almost every day, and he didn't feel annoyed at all. After all, not to mention their status, everyone present was at least two cycles older than Lu Ze.

While the others ate and drank, Shen Jinghan also chatted with them about many things, which showed that Shen Jinghan held some "weight" in their hearts.

Lu Ze noticed a detail: they all seemed to know each other well, chatting about their families and children, which is the main topic of conversation at a drinking party for middle-aged people.

He's unhappy with his son's girlfriend, his daughter is dating too early, his brother hired someone to beat up his "son-in-law," and his wife is doing some kind of business lately.

Shen Jinghan also joined in the conversation, talking about her daughter. Interestingly, no one mentioned Shen Jinghan's husband, seemingly deliberately avoiding the topic.

Occasionally, the conversation would return to Lu Ze, comparing him to her own son. She would praise Lu Ze for being steady and mature, while complaining that her son was always out playing and wouldn't even eat a meal with her, and so on.

Lu Ze could only smile and then kept saying nice things about his "son" whom he had never met, expressing the thoughts of young people today, which were all things that people liked to hear.

In short, once these people shed their professional glamour, they're no different from ordinary people, except they're a bit more "fussy".

"By the way, Brother Cheng, when is your new movie scheduled to start filming?"

Shen Jinghan finally steered the conversation to the purpose of Lu Ze's visit today. Lu Ze remained calm, gently turning the glass turntable to serve food to those who wanted to pick up their food, while listening intently.

"Currently, the investment is from President Gao, and the funds are in place. We are now recruiting actors and preparing the crew. Filming is expected to start in March or April next year."

Cheng Yuan already knew Shen Jinghan's purpose for coming. The others also knew what was going on when they saw Shen Jinghan bring a young man. President Gao took a bite of food and interjected, but without any hints. This made everyone at the table focus their conversation on Cheng Yuan's new play.

Shen Jinghan also breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that the crew had already added several actors, but she was still not sure if the second male lead role was really vacant.

If General Manager Gao hadn't spoken, Cheng Yuan certainly wouldn't have dared to discuss this matter. Now that General Manager Gao had brought the topic to the forefront and wasn't implying anything, it meant there was still room for discussion.

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(End of this chapter)