Tea-flavored Romance

"No matter what, King Ning, you've become famous..." Jiang Manyue said, picking up the menu without looking up, "You might need to wear a mask when you go out soon."

"What the hell... How could it be so fast?!"

"Huh? Didn't you see today's trending topics?" Jiang Xihua's face revealed a dangerous yet cute expression, with an expression that was hard to tell whether it was gloating or mocking, and she said, "Thanks to your crush Gu Guanxue... you've become famous."

Master Ning's heart skipped a beat. He quickly opened his phone and glanced at the trending topics. Among the top three was a hashtag: #HowCuteCanGirlsBeWhenTheyBeSilly#.

He clicked on it hesitantly, and inside was a short personal storyline featuring Gu Xihua in the Dragon King Shura compilation. It seemed someone had noticed that the girl's beauty was out of place in the silly and absurd Dragon King Legend, so they specially edited it out for her.

Thanks to the charm of the campus belle, the "Hexagonal God of War," the comments below have been uniformly filled with: I'm addicted... How can she be so beautiful...

The hashtag #DragonKing'sWife# is also sprinting towards the top of the trending list at breakneck speed, with an astonishing momentum.

Yaichi Kuzuryu: Stop rubbing against me, we're really not that close... I'm not saying anything more, I'm going out for some fresh air...

Master Ning: ? ? ?

I'm fucking...

What's going on here...? The original video wasn't even this popular according to entertainment news... So, different timelines lead to different results? Or is it that the addition of Gu Xihua has created a completely new flavor from the clash between silliness and beauty?

If it were just a simple silly Dragon King Legend, it might spread quickly due to its own charm, but it would never have gone viral to this extent... Similarly, if it were just a video showcasing Gu Xihua's looks, its reach would also be limited... However, the wonder lies here: the synergistic effect of one plus one being greater than two, along with numerous coincidences, has elevated this silly Dragon King Legend to a level that does not belong to it.

If I had known this would happen, I should have arranged some dramatic facial expressions for Gu Guanxue! Like Kanna Hashimoto... In the end, I miscalculated!

"I was careless..." Ning Yuan put down his phone, looking very distressed... He had already shed his idol image by playing the crooked-mouthed war god, but now... even more people have seen it!

"Shouldn't you be happy?" Jiang Manyue said with a face full of sympathy (?), and in a tone that seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, she said leisurely, "At least Director Ning, you've become famous as an actor first."

"I regret it so much now... I really regret it..."

"Don't regret it, the filming was a great success, right?" Jiang Manyue laughed. "Judging from the result, there's not a single flaw in your approach."

Ning Yuan sighed, looking helpless. Gu Xihua, such a curious girl, wasn't very enthusiastic about filming the serious "The Tuner," but her eyes lit up when filming "The Legend of Dragon King Shura"... He didn't know how this girl grew up.

What a wonderful girl, it's a pity she has such poor taste.

Chapter 55: About the Wrap-up Dinner

The filming of "The Tuner" did indeed start off less than ideal. This was partly due to issues with Ning Yuan, and partly due to the demanding requirements of the short film itself. However, ultimately, it was because a group of newcomers were struggling, and neither their attitude nor their self-awareness met the requirements of short film production.

People come to help you out of kindness, so you can't force them to improve their acting skills by scolding them. Ning Yuan also won't take other people's good intentions for granted. Coercion is out of the question, and he doesn't plan to use bribery either, so he can only figure out another way to get them into the state of being actors.

In this situation, taking some fun photos first becomes an excellent choice.

Making a Dragon King Legend for fun can not only change the spectator mentality of the guys in a relaxed and happy atmosphere, but also hone their acting skills. Don't think that Dragon King Shura Legend doesn't need acting skills. That kind of awkward yet serious and completely immersed attitude is the essence of silliness!

At first, everyone tried out different candidates for the Dragon King, and even the most beautiful girl in the department, Gu, enthusiastically tried to be the female Dragon King... In the end, everyone surprisingly agreed that only Master Ning's crooked mouth had the right vibe, and the others were not cool, edgy, or charming enough.

Master Ning slowly typed a question mark on the spot, feeling that he had been offended.

And so, Ning Yuan, the Crooked-Mouthed Dragon King, appeared online as promised. The brothers who came to help with the filming all showed their faces to varying degrees, and they were all having a great time. Even Lu Jiujiu, that simpleton, seemed to have been brainwashed by Ning Yuan's crooked smile. According to the victim's recollection afterward, the portrait she submitted that week was criticized by the teacher for having a slight problem with the composition.

Ning Yiling didn't show up during that filming period, I don't know what he was busy with. He said before that he had to keep a close eye on him to prevent him from making a big mistake, but he still stood him up.

Taking advantage of the actors' rising popularity, Master Ning seized the opportunity to start filming "The Tuner" to prevent these idiots from completely turning into dragon kings.

Whether it was a lucky accident or the crew really got into the swing of things, the filming of "The Tuner" went much more smoothly than before, and it wrapped up successfully in less than two weeks, completing the production of this short film with great depth and meaning.

Master Ning: Awesome!

Of course, apart from Ning Yuan who was overjoyed, everyone else who participated in the filming felt a sense of loss and missed the days of filming Legend of the Dragon King. Gu Xihua was a typical example. When taking the final wrap-up photo, she suggested that everyone stop talking about whether the watermelon was sweet or not and eggplants, and just make a crooked mouth shape together to take a magical wrap-up photo.

Ning Yuan was determined to resist, but there were too many people who agreed. In the end, he couldn't fight against the odds and had to give in to the wishes of these idiots, leaving behind a wrap-up photo full of laughs.

Everyone: √!

[In commemoration of the filming of the short film "The Tuner", April 23, [year]

Everyone in the photo has a crooked mouth. If you ignore the red text above, someone else might think it's a commemorative photo from some kind of patient support group meeting.

Jiang Xihua didn't appear on screen in the end. In fact, she barely showed her face throughout the entire filming process, and every time she appeared, it was only when Gu Guanxue was absent, as if the two of them were playing chess and the generals and kings couldn't see each other.

Most people don't even know what role she played in the film, assuming she was just there for a cameo and to check on the progress. However, this girl wasn't as idle as she seemed; the entire short film was indispensable to her.

Hmm? But thinking about it carefully, I still really want to see Jiang Manyue's little mouth twitch into a crooked expression...

"I sense you're thinking about something strange." Jiang Xihua asked without looking up as she cut the grilled beef into small pieces with scissors, "Is it related to me?"

"No... I'm missing the me who used to smile." Master Ning said with regret, "After filming 'Legend of the Dragon King,' I've almost forgotten how to smile."

Jiang Manyue pursed her lips, raised her eyes slightly to look at him, and seemed to remember something. She smiled and said, "Come to think of it... ever since I saw that compilation, I've almost forgotten how you normally smile."

"I clearly wanted to make a serious film like 'Andhadhun,' but everyone only remembers me for making 'Legend of the Dragon King'... Perhaps this is the tragedy of an artist."

“At least Gu Guanxue likes it very much, doesn’t she?” Jiang Manyue said, “You’re on the right track, congratulations.”

"If we're going to go in that direction, then it's barely plausible."

Ning Yuan pursed his lips, sighed noncommittally, picked up the meat that Jiang Manyue had grilled and placed it on a bright green lettuce leaf, then began to add seasonings according to his own taste.

"By the way, speaking of 'The Tuner'."

Jiang Manyue wiped her fingers and took a USB flash drive out of her canvas bag.

"I've got it sorted out."

"So fast!" Ning Yuan's eyes lit up. He quickly put his half-cooked lettuce with grilled meat into his mouth, wiped his hands casually with a tissue, and then took the black USB drive.

"You can go back and take a look. If there's anything wrong, then contact me."

"Jiang is indeed incredibly efficient," Ning Yuan remarked, holding the USB drive with a satisfied expression. While the filming of the short film "The Tuner" was considered complete, the music score remained unfinished. Some say that music is the soul of a great film. Good music can save a movie, while incompatible music can ruin it.

Imagine if the background music for all the scary scenes in "Ju-on" and "Ring" were changed to "Good Luck". The ghosts would be completely confused, so how could they scare anyone?

The main theme of the film "Andhadhun" is related to the piano, so the soundtrack naturally has to be piano music... The styles of the early and later parts are different, especially the final climax, which needs to capture the audience's auditory and visual senses and make people savor the information contained therein.

Since Jiang Xihua possesses this talent, Ning Yuan naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity to take advantage of it. Everything is now ready; they're just waiting to submit their work and await the judging at next month's micro-film festival!

"You've worked hard... No wonder you suddenly asked me to come out for barbecue today, it turns out it was to give this to me."

"No, it's just that I wanted to eat barbecue." Jiang Manyue put the wrapped beef into her little mouth, her eyes looking very innocent: "Director Ning, are you worried about the money?"

"..."

Those who frequent prostitutes will always be frequented by others... Jiang Xihua is also someone who doesn't want to suffer a loss... This girl is too stingy. Can't she be like Gu Guanxue, who doesn't want anything and just wants to have fun?

Ning Yuan waved his hand, thinking to himself, "I went to such lengths to ruin my image, I should at least be allowed to earn some extra money... I wonder how the website data is doing now, and how much the creator incentive is..."

"of course not."

“Our crew originally planned to have a wrap party this weekend… I figured Man-wol wouldn’t be going, so this meal is a wrap party I’ve prepared especially for you.”

Chapter 56: Three minutes later, then another three minutes!

"You didn't invite me, how do you know I'm not going?" Jiang Manyue raised an eyebrow.

"Then I'll formally invite you, Jiang..."

"I dont go."

Ning Yuan: "..."

I knew it!

Despite having anticipated it, Master Ning was still caught in the ambush and was quite annoyed. He decided to stop helping with the grilling from now on and focus solely on eating the meat grilled by Jiang Xihua, as a way to punish her for her cruel act of making fun of people.

Whether it was a coincidence or there was some unspoken understanding between the two girls, Jiang Xihua was destined not to attend the wrap party. She hadn't spent much time on set, so naturally she couldn't mingle with everyone like the incredibly approachable Gu Xihua. When she went to eat, she would be eating alone.

This was definitely unacceptable to the ethereal Jiang Manyue. Compared to someone like Gu Guanxue who actively sought to connect with all sorts of people, she was more interested in observing and controlling their joys and sorrows.

Like a deity in the clouds.

With this understanding, eating meat personally roasted by the gods feels especially fulfilling.

Jiang Manyue focused intently on wrapping a piece of meat she had just grilled in vegetable leaves, seemingly unaware that someone was rapidly devouring the meat in front of her with a vengeful intent. Before she could even finish two pieces, the several pieces of meat cut with scissors on the grill pan were completely wiped out.

Ginger Flower: "..."

"Not bad." Master Ning showed no remorse for being a kept man and gave the young lady a thumbs up for her cooking.

Jiang Manyue glanced at him, silently put down the clips, and picked up the yogurt on the table.

Seeing this, Ning Yuan smiled slightly, put down his chopsticks, and picked up the cola on the table.

"Has Ning eaten enough?"

"Not yet, I've eaten too much and need to digest... Why isn't Jiang eating anymore?"

"I ate too much, I need to digest a bit." Jiang Xihua smiled: "Girls usually have smaller appetites."

"hehe."

Two grown-up kids started a competition at the table, each holding their own drinks and rambling on and on, waiting for one of them to give in and obediently go grill meat.

Without a doubt, Jiang Manyue was the most vengeful and also the most patient girl Ning Yuan had ever met. Despite only eating a few pieces of meat, this girl chatted with Ning Yuan with a smile for almost half an hour. Ning Yuan even went through two bottles of his sugary drink, but she still showed no sign of giving up.

Employee A at a barbecue restaurant: What are those two at that table doing? We've had a whole bunch of customers, why are they still chatting? And they're not even eating anything, just talking!

Employee B at a barbecue restaurant: They were arguing. Didn't you see those two giving each other a provocative smile? They were just waiting for one of them to give in first. I've seen this kind of thing a million times. There are millions of couples in the world, and half of them are weirdos and idiots.

The guests came and went, but the two continued their breath-holding contest. In the end, Ning Yuan was the first to succumb to the bombardment of the aroma of the surrounding barbecue and broke down first.

He silently picked up the tongs on the table, while Jiang Xihua picked up her chopsticks.

A complete reversal!

After successfully eating a piece of beef grilled by Master Ning, Jiang Manyue revealed a reserved yet smug smile.

"The craftsmanship is quite good."

Ning Yuan: "..."

Gu Guanxue was right after all. This girl is definitely a dark character inside, and quite childish as well!

"I mean it." Jiang Manyue narrowed her eyes slightly, savoring the tender meat and the slightly warm juices inside. "Your grilling is much better than mine."

Master Ning curled his lip indifferently, thinking to himself, "Isn't that obvious? I at least exchanged for an advanced culinary skill. It's already quite low-key that I didn't make a dish that glows like in 'Cooking Master Boy'."

"Where were we? Oh right... the wrap party..." Jiang Manyue said with a smile, "Your short film is finished, and it has successfully aroused Gu Guanxue's curiosity about you even more. What are you planning to do next?"

"What do you mean, what to do?"

"So... after this wrap-up dinner, how do you plan to legitimately capture Gu Guanxue's curiosity so she won't be distracted by other interesting things?" Jiang Xihua wiped the sauce dripping from her fingers with a tissue and asked casually, "I told you before, Gu Guanxue always has a short attention span... now that the movie's finished, you won't have an excuse to keep sticking to her and trying to win her over, right?"