Chinese Entertainment 2017: Starting from the Top Writers

Chapter 358 Two Girls Sharing the Same Hatred

Shabu-shabu, as a delicacy with a strong Beijing flavor, is loved by diners from all over the world.

Whenever people mention shabu-shabu mutton, they always think of the steaming copper pot, the tender mutton slices, and the unique sesame sauce aroma in the dipping sauce.

In the capital, there are hotpot restaurants in every street and alley, each with its own characteristics and flavor.

So when Zhou Ye said he wanted to take everyone to eat mutton hotpot, everyone readily agreed.

After all, there is quite a lot of atmosphere when sitting around a hot copper pot on an early March evening.

Regardless of the impact on the outside world caused by Lin Li's actions today, they have already arrived at their destination for tonight by car.

The old Beijing copper pot hot pot in Qianmen Hutong is another number one.

Youyihao is a renovation of an old house in an old Beijing alley, with many elements of old Beijing added. The copper pots, hand-painted walls, and a few crickets in the store make you feel like you’re back in your childhood. Most importantly, there are Peking Opera costumes for cosplay, and there are amateur opera performances every two weeks on Monday afternoon.

The old Beijing atmosphere is very strong here. The deep alleys are crowded with people at mealtimes. As the saying goes, good wine needs no bush.

It has won the favor of many diners with its traditional shabu-shabu mutton skills and authentic Beijing style.

When they arrived, it was not yet the peak hour and it was not the weekend, so they were still able to grab a seat in a private room.

Zhou Yelu introduced that there is no such thing as advance reservation. If you come early and there is a private room, you can sit there. If there is no private room, you can only sit outside.

I don’t care if business is good, I just want to let things take their course.

Lin Li and his group, all wearing masks and baseball caps, followed Zhou Ye into the store. The aroma of shabu-shabu mutton in the hall hit them in the face.

Lin Li took a quick look around and found the environment inside the store to be simple and elegant, as if he had traveled back to the alleys of old BJ.

At this time, the hall was already more than half full, with about thirty tables, and there was still a lot of space inside.

Zhou Ye led them into the private room at the back with familiarity. It seemed that she had been to this place many times before.

The private room wasn't big, only about 10 square meters, but it wasn't crowded for the five of them, just right.

"Let me order, what do you want to eat?"

After entering the private room, Zhou Ye immediately picked up the menu on the table and looked at Lin Li and the others excitedly.

It can be seen that he really likes the taste here, and the desire for the food can hardly be hidden in his eyes.

"Since you are here, just keep an eye on it. It's fine with me. You can ask the others later."

Lin Li said casually as he took off his coat and hung it on the hanger.

"I can do it too."

"I don't have any dietary restrictions, I just eat whatever I like."

"I can do it."

Zhang Jingyi and the others, like Lin Li, hung up their coats while responding to Zhou Ye.

Because they were all eating hot pot meat, the temperature inside the restaurant was obviously higher than outside, and it would definitely be even hotter when they ate it, so the first thing they did when they entered the private room was to take off their coats.

Lin Li randomly found a seat closest to him and sat down. Seeing this, Li Mingde sat directly to his right.

They will definitely need to drink later, so it will be more convenient for them to sit together.

The atmosphere in the private room changed instantly, and the three girls' eyes were fixed on the position to Lin Li's left at the same time, and their gazes swept over in unison.

Li Mingde suddenly felt the air around him get cold. He looked up without knowing why and immediately realized something was wrong.

Only then did he realize one thing. He was so focused on thanking Lin Li and Xing Han Canlan that he almost forgot about Wang Zhixuan's thoughts about Lin Li.

Add to that Zhou Ye, whom he knew before, and Zhang Jingyi, whom he met for the first time today and who didn't show much emotion yet... He was a little panicked for a moment.

Did you sit in the wrong seat?
Li Mingde immediately felt uneasy under his butt and wondered whether he should move.

"Hey, Ali, see if there's anything else you want to add. I just ordered these."

At this moment, Zhou Ye's eyes flashed, and he turned around and sat naturally to Lin Li's left and handed the menu to him.

snort!
Zhang Jingyi and Wang Zhixuan snorted in their hearts at the same time when they saw this, but they didn't say anything more.

Zhang Jingyi sat down next to Zhou Ye, while Wang Zhixuan sat next to Li Mingde.

"You've already had enough. Just leave it at that. You may not be able to finish it."

Lin Li watched all the girls' little movements without saying a word. He glanced at the menu that Zhou Ye had checked and said.

"Okay, then I'll let them prepare."

Zhou Ye stood up, walked to the door and called the waiter, then handed over the checked menu and sat back down.

"I see you ordered so much meat, don't you at Beijing Film Academy pay attention to body management?"

Lin Li glanced at Zhou Ye and joked.

"Of course you have to manage your body shape, especially for our acting department, which has very high requirements for body shape."

"But I don't have a physique that easily gains weight! You know I've told you many times in Shancheng, okay?"

Zhou Ye's fair and tender face showed a hint of annoyance as he spoke with dissatisfaction.

"I don't gain weight easily."

Zhang Jingyi added silently.

"I also often need to gain weight, I'm too thin."

Wang Zhixuan lifted her hair slightly and said with a smile.

"It can be seen that each of you three is thinner than the other."

"So when you hear there's no money, don't show off."

After taking a quick look around, Lin Li made his comment with a smile, and at the same time did not forget to tease Zhou Ye who looked indignant.

"Humph! I just can't gain weight!"

Zhou Ye raised her little face, looking extremely proud.

Zhang Jingyi smiled without saying a word, and a hint of coldness flashed in her eyes as she watched Zhou Ye's performance.

"Okay, okay, you're the thinnest. You guys should eat more later. You don't have to worry about gaining weight anyway."

"Everyone looks like they could be blown away by the wind. They still need to pay attention to maintaining a healthy body shape."

Lin Li first comforted Zhou Ye, and then gave concerned instructions to the girls.

"Got it." Zhang Jingyi and others responded.

At this time, the waiter knocked on the door to remind everyone to serve the food, and Zhou Ye quickly signaled that he could come in.

The four waiters worked together to bring up the copper pots and dishes one by one, and then quickly retreated without even having time to look at Lin Li and the others. It was obvious that the restaurant was really busy.

Zhou Ye was generous enough to order all the signature dishes in the restaurant.

The mutton wall is said to be one of their signature dishes. The meat is tender and stays on the plate.

Then there's the Sautéed Beef Tripe, which Zhou Ye strongly recommended as her favorite, the kind that she can eat several plates of by herself!

This hotpot restaurant uses halal copper pots. The ingredients look fresh and the presentation is exquisite. Every dish looks like a work of art, and they use cloisonné copper pots.

In addition, we also ordered lamb with sand onions, premium sun-fried pork, marbled beef, etc. In short, all kinds of meat filled the table.

Lin Li and Li Mingde ordered two bottles of Maozi. Seeing that the copper pot had started to boil, Li Mingde unscrewed the bottle and poured the wine into the wine dispenser in front of Lin Li. After pouring, he filled his own cup.

"Two junior sisters, let's drink some wine with a lower alcohol content."

Wang Zhixuan looked at Zhou Ye and the other man and extended an invitation.

"I... forget it, I won't drink. I have early classes tomorrow morning."

Zhou Ye wanted to agree, but when he saw Lin Li's gaze, he quickly changed his words.

“I just want a drink.”

Zhang Jingyi caught a glimpse of the little movements between Zhou Ye and Lin Li from the corner of her eye and swallowed back the words that were about to come out of her mouth, and spoke with a well-behaved look on her face.

"In that case, I'll drink with Director Lin and Mingde."

Wang Zhixuan didn't care about this, as her original target was not them.

"Okay, no problem, but Director Lin can drink a lot, so we have to form a united front."

Li Mingde had no objection, as he knew Lin Li's alcohol tolerance.

"Is it okay, Director Lin?"

Wang Zhixuan looked at Lin Li and said with a beautiful smile.

"It's all right."

Lin Li met her gaze, shrugged casually, and said indifferently.

To him, there is no difference between one and two.

Pooh!
Seeing Wang Zhixuan acting coquettishly and showing off her charm to Lin Li anytime and anywhere, Zhou Ye and Zhang Jingyi spat in their hearts at the same time.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Ye reminded them that they could start eating, and Lin Li and others started to pick up their chopsticks.

"Tsk...it really tastes good, fresh and refreshing."

After taking a bite of the mutton slice dipped in the sauce, Lin Li praised.

"Yeah, I recommend it, it won't be wrong."

Zhou Ye raised his eyebrows happily and said cheerfully.

"Great!"

Lin Li gave her a thumbs up, and Zhou Ye smiled even more happily. Two dimples on her face appeared clearly, and her eyes curved into crescent shapes.

Lin Li also laughed upon seeing this, and was moved by Zhou Ye's infectious smile.

Zhang Jingyi watched the two people's reactions silently, eating the meat slices in the bowl in small bites.

Why does this piece of meat taste a bit sour?

Zhang Jingyi thought a little unhappily.

"Director Lin, I'd like to offer you a toast. Thank you for looking at me and letting me play the role of Lovely. Otherwise, I wouldn't be who I am today."

Li Mingde raised his glass to Lin Li with a solemn expression.

"You have to strive for it yourself."

Lin Li raised his glass and clinked it with his, smiling with curved eyebrows.

"Anyway, I understand in my heart how much Mr. Lin has been grateful to me for recognizing my talent."

Li Mingde drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.

"Okay, let's have a private dinner, don't be so reserved."

"I think you were in two groups last year but didn't make much of a splash. You're really thanking me, and you're also really trying to get the new project that Nanxun has been exposed for, right?"

Lin Li looked at Li Mingde who was pouring wine for him and said with a smile straight to the point.

They were all people who had worked together before and were very familiar with each other, so Lin Li had no intention of beating around the bush.

As soon as the words came out, the expressions of Zhou Ye and the other two straightened and they secretly pricked up their ears.

"Hehe, nothing can be hidden from Director Lin. I do have some ideas. I wonder if there will be a chance for me to appear in a Nanxun Culture play again."

Li Mingde shrank his head and said a little embarrassedly.

"Your image is not good. This face is not heroic. You can't play the leading role. If you want to participate, there is a supporting role you can try. Of course, you also need to audition."

"If your performance is acceptable, I will give you priority."

Lin Li looked Li Mingde up and down, stroking his chin and speaking bluntly.

"So what Mr. Lin revealed online is all true. Our company's new project is Star Han Canlan?"

Li Mingde didn't care about Lin Li's previous words. After all, he knew that what Lin Li said was true.

"It's Xing Han Canlan, so you know that you are not suitable for the role of Ling Buyi. If you want to audition, you should consider Lou Yao."

"After all, this drama cost 400 million yuan, so I have to be responsible for the casting."

Lin Li put a piece of meat into his mouth and said casually.

Zhou Ye and others in the private room were all stunned and looked at him blankly.

How many?

Four hundred million!
(End of this chapter)