Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 209 Meng's Mother and Wang Qian Visit

"Mom, do you know that as soon as Xiu-ge stepped in, my agency contract was terminated that very day!"

Wang Qian, who was driving, glanced at Meng Ziyi, who was practicing "Nine Yin White Bone Claw" in the air in the passenger seat, and rolled her eyes so much she didn't even want to roll them anymore.

"You've said this five times already."

Are there that many?

Meng Ziyi asked in a good mood, her eyes fixed on the road sign ahead, and she started urging him on again.

"Mom, drive faster! Xiu-ge is home alone, he's probably hungry."

"At 9 o'clock, I accompanied you to Datang Film Studio to sign the contract. At 10 o'clock, we bought groceries and rushed back. It's 10:25 now. Xiao Chen, are you hungry for breakfast or lunch?"

"Um... I had breakfast with him before I left."

"That settles it! Tsk, girls really are all about outward appearances."

Wang Qian couldn't help but roll her eyes, silently thinking: This is the eleventh time.

Meng Ziyi pouted slightly, annoyed by her mother's teasing, and then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear! I forgot!"

"What have you forgotten?!"

Wang Qian also shouted, her tone and manner similar to Meng Ziyi's, but with a stronger Northeastern accent.

She was so frightened by Meng Ziyi that she almost floored the gas pedal, so it's no wonder she was agitated.

After receiving a wave of "kind greetings from an old mother," Meng Ziyi swallowed hard and said timidly, "I forgot to tell Xiu-ge that you were coming today."

"what???"

A series of question marks flashed across Wang Qian's forehead. She turned around and quickly said, "Didn't I call you yesterday? How could you forget that? Are you a goldfish?"

"Well, I had so much fun with Brother Xiu last night..."

Meng Ziyi buried his head in his chest and said hesitantly.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qian rolled her eyes for the twelfth time that day, then stepped on the gas and drove onto the highway.

……

After parking the car in the front yard, Wang Qian turned to her simple-minded daughter and asked, "Did you just tell Xiao Chen?"

"I told you... Look, he's not over there!"

Meng Ziyi pointed forward, his eyes revealing a tenderness like rippling blue waves.

Wang Qian looked in the direction she pointed and saw Chen Xiu, wearing German boots and jeans, with her shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows, her collar unbuttoned, holding a tablet in one hand and waving at her with the other, walking from the front door into the front yard.

After Meng Ziyi waved to Chen Xiu, he was about to unbuckle his seatbelt when he heard a loud "thump" from next door.

The silly beauty looked up in a daze, staring at her mother, who was moving much faster than her and was chatting and laughing with Chen Xiu in front of the car.

Hey, why am I still in the car?
Meng asked himself a question, then quickly unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the car door, jumped out, and jogged towards the two men.

"Mom, Xiu-ge'er, what are you two talking about?"

"nothing."

"We were talking about how stupid you were, not terminating the contract when it was easy, and making Xiao Chen clean up the mess!"

Wang Qian blurted out what she had been talking about with Chen Xiu.

She was openly blaming Meng Ziyi for being naive, but secretly she wanted to use this method to defuse the controversy surrounding the contract termination and, incidentally, to praise Chen Xiu, letting him know that his efforts had not been in vain.

However, Meng Ziyi laughed dismissively after hearing this.

"Hehe! I apologized to Brother Xiu for this from the very beginning."

Meng Ziyi walked over and took Chen Xiu's arm: "He said that I was being sentimental and that my approach was correct. The ones who were wrong were those who wanted to cause trouble. He told me to be more careful in the future."

"That's not what I said."

Chen Xiu turned to look at the silly beauty, and shook his head with a half-smile.

Meng Ziyi protested, "That's exactly what you said."

"What I'm saying is that this incident isn't serious. With this experience, we can just be more careful next time."

"Oh dear! They're all the same."

"Heh, I'm just afraid you'll panic again next time..."

"I panicked, but you're still here..."

Watching the two bicker and interact, Wang Qian felt greatly comforted.

She was well aware of Meng Ziyi's pure and simple mind, and at the same time, she understood Chen Xiu's shrewdness and knew that Chen Xiu would have to be more tolerant in their relationship.

As someone who's been through it all, Wang Qian knows that in a relationship, the one who gives more will be more tired, which is why she was eager to acknowledge Chen Xiu's efforts in order to provide emotional support.

Then, Meng Ziyi's impulsive self-disclosure of information made Wang Qian realize that Chen Xiu's magnanimity and maturity exceeded her expectations. At the same time, she also remembered the promise Chen Xiu made when they first met, and he really did keep his word!

Feeling relieved that her daughter had found a reliable partner, Wang Qian was also relieved that her biggest worry about coming to Beijing had come to an end.

"Why don't you two go inside and talk? I'd like to get into the kitchen and familiarize myself with things sooner!"

Wang Qian smiled broadly and teased the young couple.

Chen Xiu and Meng Ziyi exchanged a glance, then awkwardly separated their hands and helped Wang Qian carry the ingredients into the kitchen. During this process, Wang Qian was clearly more focused on Chen Xiu: "Xiao Chen, if you're dealing with work, Xiao Yi and I can handle these things."

"It's okay, I can stop and continue this work at any time."

Upon hearing this, after all the ingredients were in the kitchen, Wang Qian sent Chen Xiu and Meng Ziyi out, saying, "You two are no help. Staying here will only interfere with my performance!"
That's true.

After all, Meng Ziyi's best culinary skill is frying eggs, while Chen Xiu is slightly better, but still can't cook Northeastern cuisine.

The two, who had been "kicked out" of the kitchen, sat down on the sofa.

Chen Xiu started working on the tablet, while Meng Ziyi kicked off her shoes, stretched, and rested her head on his lap.

"Brother Xiu, what are you busy with?"

"I need to arrange the work before the start of filming for 'Qin King's Battle Song'. Douyin and the investment side are okay, but the main problem is Datang Pictures. With more artists, there will be more projects as well."

What kind of project are you looking for?

Meng Ziyi propped herself up, leaning against Chen Xiu's chest, and looked at the tablet computer.

"Hmm? You're reading a novel! 'You Are So Beautiful When You Were Young,' that title sounds like it's for female readers."

"It's a female-oriented novel. The story is pretty good, but many plots are similar to 'The Devotion of Suspect X' and 'White Night.' Enlight Media has the domestic film and television adaptation rights for these two works. Once we've negotiated the film and television adaptation rights, we'll ask them for authorization in a few days."

"Are you planning to make 'Better Days'?"

"I didn't film it, I produced it."

Chen Xiu patted Meng Ziyi's little head, but in her mind she had already assigned the important roles in "Better Days".

Tian Xinwei's crying scenes are very moving; casting her as the female lead should be quite effective. The male lead is a petty thug, and Jiang Qiming's acting skills are more than capable of handling that role. As for the second female lead, let's leave it to Zhou Ye...

Thinking of Zhou Ye, Chen Xiu recalled the message she had sent her the day before yesterday: "Senior brother, I already have 40 followers on Douyin. Don't forget our promise!"

With such a rapid increase in followers, they could really reach 100 million followers by the end of the year!
If Zhou Ye didn't become a celebrity, but instead became a minor internet celebrity, he would probably be quite popular...

"Brother Xiu, is there a role that would suit me in this movie?"

Chen Xiu looked down at Meng Ziyi's expectant eyes, then shook her head noncommittally.

"why?"

"The female lead is the one being bullied, but your face looks like it belongs to someone who bullies others."

"How did you know... Well, I can play the role of the one who bullies the female lead!"

"Playing the role of the second female lead who bullies the female lead won't significantly boost your status; in fact, it might negatively impact your public image. It's better to focus on TV dramas and variety shows to build your popularity before considering movies in the future. Leave these youth-themed films to newcomers."

Meng Ziyi pursed his lips and nodded, understanding that what Chen Xiu said was true.

Just as the two paused their conversation, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen, making their mouths water.

Meng Ziyi smelled the familiar aroma and asked with a hint of anticipation, "Brother Xiu, do you think Huang Sanshi's cooking will be as good as my mom's when I record 'Back to Field' the day after tomorrow?"

"I don't know, but if you feel that the food is not right, don't eat it."

"Oh."

Meng Ziyi nodded as if she understood, then her eyes darted around and she looked pleading: "Could you go record one episode? Just to keep me company!"

“There isn’t enough time. After you finish recording one episode, you can come back to film during the breaks. But I can’t leave the crew for even half a day.”

"You can record it before filming starts!"

"That won't do either. I have 10 days left to arrange my work properly. I also have two important commitments to make. I really can't leave."

Chen Xiu's refusal was very firm, but she did not fully explain the arrangements.

For example, the plan for him to go to the airport to pick up the crew of "Wolf Warrior 2" after they finish filming and return to China the day after tomorrow was naturally omitted...

Meng Ziyi's lips drooped, and she had no choice but to give up her plan to appear on a variety show with Chen Xiu.

Looking at the beautiful but foolish girl with a regretful expression, Chen Xiu lowered his head and kissed her lips, saying, "Don't worry! I've already spoken to He Jiong. If you encounter any injustices while you're recording the show, don't hold back."

"I won't compromise myself! At worst, I'll just quit and leave."

Meng Ziyi turned her face to one side and said in a very arrogant manner.

Chen Xiu thought about it for a moment and felt that she really could do it.

"What do you mean 'leaving'? Who wants to leave?"

Wang Qian's voice came from the kitchen, and then you could see her walking steadily over, still wearing her apron and carrying a plate of food in each hand.

Chen Xiu put the tablet aside, picked up Meng Ziyi, turned around, laid her back on the sofa, and then walked towards Wang Qian.

"Auntie, let me help you."

"Oh my! Xiao Chen, you are so considerate and thoughtful, much better than someone else."

"Mom, I can hear you."

"So what if you heard it? I was just saying it to you anyway, what am I afraid of you hearing it! It's a pity I didn't give birth to a son like Xiao Chen..."

"What outrageous nonsense are you spouting?!"

Seeing that the mother and daughter had started bickering, Chen Xiu had no choice but to quickly leave the battlefield and run to the kitchen to focus on serving the dishes.

(End of this chapter)