I just want to sell products, but you're forcing me to perform talents.

Chapter 521 What are you doing? Mom's still here!

Once everyone had spoken frankly, they quickly reached a consensus. However, Ye Xian did not recommend that Chen Xu completely abandon his acting career.

"To become a good director, you may need a lot of professional knowledge and more practice, but the most important thing is to be able to play all kinds of different roles. Only when you have experienced it will you know what kind of actors and what kind of acting skills are needed to express the results you want."

Those who become directors right after graduation with financial support from their families, their films all flop. Why? Besides their poor storytelling ability, it's also because they haven't experienced the world. They can't even explain the most basic scenes clearly to the actors, relying purely on the actors' improvisation, so naturally, everything they film is a mess.

You've already acted in two films, but you're still just starting out. You can't be considered an expert in acting yet. Go to different film crews, learn from different experiences, and study the filming methods of different directors. By combining the strengths of each, you can eventually develop your own style.

You're a professional at this; you know more about it than I do!

Ye Xian's words slowed down Chen Xu's pace of eating melon seeds.

"Brother Xian, to be honest, you know more about this industry than our mentor does!"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xu decided to accept Ye Xian's suggestion: "That way I won't have to worry about it anymore. I'll act when there are roles, and if there aren't, I'll learn to be a director. It doesn't matter if the audience criticizes me. The more they criticize me, the more it will motivate me."

Ye Xian nodded with satisfaction, picked up the sunflower seeds Chen Xu had given him earlier, and chuckled as he cracked them open, "That's more like it. If you're too concerned about what others think, you'll never improve! If they criticize your acting now, what will you do when your own movies and TV series are released?"

"I understand, don't worry, Brother Xian!"

Chen Xu sighed inwardly, realizing that while he seemed to have achieved the result he wanted, he had also achieved the result that Brother Xian wanted.

He had to be both a director and an actor.

He still had to obediently continue to work for Brother Xian.

Brother Xian's PUA skills are really impressive!

No wonder he's a boss.

There's no escaping it in this lifetime.

However, I wasn't prepared to escape either!

……

Chen Xu happily went home for the New Year, leaving only Ye Xian and Zhang Chao on duty in the courtyard.

Such a large park cannot rely entirely on electronic patrols. There are two people on duty. Zhang Chao, as the team leader, took the initiative to take on the duty during the Spring Festival. The other staff will take over the shifts after the Spring Festival.

Ye Xian wasn't busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, because Qiu's mother and Qiu Qing were already doing it. Instead, he brought a bottle of wine to find Zhang Chao.

"Boss, I'm at work and can't drink alcohol."

"Just a little drink won't interfere with anything."

Ye Xian waved his hand and said, "Normally I definitely wouldn't let you drink, but today is the New Year. Call Lao Zhang back later. There are electronic monitoring and electronic patrols, so it won't be a problem if we skip a patrol."

Zhang Chao rubbed his hands nervously. Having spent a long time with Ye Xian, he had gradually come to understand his temperament and knew that Ye Xian wasn't just being polite. So he used the walkie-talkie to call Lao Zhang back and said, "Just a small cup, you can't drink more."

Ye Xian nodded, then poured a cup for each of them and arranged the prepared braised meat and cold dishes.

The three of them ate and chatted over cold dishes. Ye Xian casually asked, "Da Chao, do you guys usually have any complaints about the company? Is there anything you're unhappy about?"

Zhang Chao's nickname is "Da Chao," a nickname given to him by Ye Xian. There are no Superman comics in this world, and Ye Xian doesn't have time to create one, so he can only enjoy the nickname for now.

"I haven't heard anyone say anything bad. Everyone is very satisfied with the year-end bonus and the annual party red envelopes. They feel even more motivated next year."

Upon hearing Ye Xian speak of serious matters, Zhang Chao quickly put down his wine glass, and Old Zhang also stopped eating.

"Let's chat while we eat. I was just asking casually, where's Lao Zhang?"

Old Zhang is an honest man, forty years old. He doesn't have any particularly outstanding skills, but he is a hard worker; otherwise, he wouldn't have been assigned to work shifts during the Spring Festival.

When asked by his boss, Old Zhang hesitated for a while before finally blurting out, "Everyone's always gossiping about how many wives you're planning to marry!"

"Old Zhang!"

Zhang Chao got angry. "Calling you honest is a compliment. How can you be so naive as to gossip about your boss to his face?"

Ye Xian almost spat out the wine in his mouth. He had known for a long time that the people below liked to talk about this, but he didn't expect that even Old Zhang, an honest man, was thinking about this.

Old Zhang realized he had said the wrong thing and quickly picked up his wine glass: "I'll punish myself with one!"

He tilted his head back and drank the Three Kingdoms Love wine down his throat. He drank it too fast and choked a little, which startled Ye Xian, who quickly patted him on the back.

"Well, everyone here really has a lot of free time!"

Ye Xian shook his head and said, "Is that all?"

"It's gone! It's gone!"

Zhang Chao quickly waved his hand, and Old Zhang also kept his head down, not daring to say anything more.

Ye Xian knew he wouldn't get any more information. Often, when a boss wanted to know something, someone would gossip about it to him, but to find out the truth, he needed to understand it from multiple perspectives.

Since he hadn't gotten any information out of them, and after having a few more drinks with Zhang Chao and the other man, Ye Xian turned around and went back to his new home.

"You idiot, you'll say anything!"

Zhang Chao was somewhat exasperated. He had finally gotten a chance to show his face in front of the boss, but the boss had to bring up the very thing he didn't want to talk about.

"Well, of course I told the boss when he asked! Besides, I was curious too!" Old Zhang stammered.

"Why do you care how many wives the boss has? For a big boss like him, having a hundred wives wouldn't be a problem; it just depends on which one is officially announced to the public."

Zhang Chao snorted, and seeing that Old Zhang was about to drink again with his head down, he snatched the bottle away: "You can't drink anymore. There's still another night to go. What if you drink too much and fall asleep in the middle of the night? You know the situation now, don't you?"

Old Zhang slapped his forehead and quickly replied, "No more drinking, no more drinking, I'll go on patrol right now!"

Carrying his hand lamp, Old Zhang walked into the courtyard amidst the sound of firecrackers.

This boss is really great; he not only provided the New Year's Eve dinner but also had a few drinks with me.

Old Zhang was quite pleased with himself.

When walking, I unconsciously straighten my back.

……

When Ye Xian returned home, a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner had already been prepared.

"Are you done with your work?"

Qiu Qing squatted at the door, helping Ye Xian get his slippers. Her virtuous appearance made Ye Xian feel a little dazed.

In just one year, it felt like an eternity.

At this point, Ye Xian could no longer distinguish whether he had actually traveled through time or was simply having a dream about time travel.

Fortunately, this time, the fireworks and firecrackers outside continued, but the house was no longer desolate; instead, it was filled with endless warmth and sweet love.

Thinking of this, Ye Xian gently helped Qiu Qing up and, to her surprise, gently kissed her forehead.

"What are you doing? Mom's still here!"

Qiu Qing glanced shyly in the direction of the kitchen.

"Guess what I'm going to do?"

Ye Xian smiled.

……

P.S.: Today's Recap

Haizhou aged liquor inventory: 3934 bottles

(End of this chapter)