Chapter 53 Fishing with a Straight Hook

Xu Ming followed Jiang Wen into a private dining room at a restaurant.

At first glance, he spotted the woman waiting to greet them and quickly said, "Hello, Teacher Zhou, you still carry such elegance."

"Listen to you, as if I'm some kind of senior citizen," Zhou Yun said with a smile.

"This kid is beating around the bush to call me old. Don't let his youthful face fool you, he has the cunning mind of an old fox," Jiang Wen waved his hand casually.

Zhou Yun's expression flickered slightly, and the smile on her face grew a bit more sincere.

If her old Jiang could speak of him with such lack of formality, it meant he must hold him in high regard.

Instead, Xu Ming let his gaze linger on Zhou Yun's face for a brief moment before withdrawing it.

At thirty-one, she managed to exude both the aura of a mature young woman and an innocent maiden simultaneously.

Jiang Wen had truly managed to graze on fresh grass.

Whenever he thought of this, he felt a bit more resonance with Cao Cao, that ancient sage from history.

The indomitable spirit of Lord Wu of Wei still survives today.

The other person present was the producer, Ma Ke, looking scholarly behind a pair of glasses.

"Haha, Teacher Xu, I've heard of you for a long time. I've listened to Director Teng talk about your deeds on numerous occasions."

"Little Teng certainly didn't say anything nice about me, I'm sure," Xu Ming shook hands with him and smiled.

This man was quite capable when it came to television dramas, and he belonged to the Beijing circle. He was the producer of *Dwelling Narrowness*, and in his past life, the other party had also been involved in producing *Love Is Not Blind*.

From this, it was evident that Huayi only held a certain degree of sway within the Beijing circle, but most people still maintained their own independent views.

After all, everyone was either born into the courtyards of high-ranking officials or came from artistic lineages.

Who would ever submit to anyone else?

Ma Ke was momentarily stunned before the corners of his mouth turned upward.

This fellow lacked seniority etiquette yet maintained a precise sense of boundary. His tone wasn't annoying; rather, it felt refreshingly novel.

"Didn't I tell you? This kid is quite interesting, though it's a pity he went with Zhao..." Jiang Wen said with a smile.

"Ahem~"

Zhou Yun interrupted her husband's words.

Some things shouldn't be said casually, and he needed to consider the occasion.

Jiang Wen closed his mouth. Arrogant as he was, he wasn't stupid; he wouldn't do things that offended people.

After they sat down, the waiter began serving the dishes.

After three rounds of drinks,

Xu Ming made several toasts in a row, and the atmosphere gradually grew lively.

A flush of red appeared on Zhou Yun's cheeks.

She finally found the opportunity to voice the curiosity in her heart: "Are you really that averse to Chow Yun-fat?"

During this period, the conflicts between the other party and the Hong Kong circle had become a sensational topic, and practically the entire industry was watching.

"Not at all. I can't even touch his toes; it's simply a matter of differing values."

Xu Ming paused and continued, "Neither he nor the Hong Kong circle matters much to me. Restoring things to their proper place matters a great deal to me."

"Hah, that's a tough phrase. Worth a toast."

As if touched by his words, Jiang Wen picked up his wine glass, drained it in one gulp, and said, "You read the script this afternoon. What do you think of his portrayal of Huang Silang?"

"A performance true to his nature," Xu Ming affirmed.

"Hahaha~"

Everyone in the private room burst into laughter.

This answer was completely unexpected yet entirely reasonable.

"Didn't you say this afternoon that you're a fan of mine? Then which of my movies do you like best?"

Once Jiang Wen asked this question, everyone present looked at Xu Ming with keen interest.

Since the former's filmography was sparse, making a choice was particularly difficult.

"From my personal perspective, *The Sun Also Rises*," Xu Ming replied without hesitation.

"Why?" Jiang Wen raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

That film had been a rare Waterloo for him in recent years—a failure so profound that for his new movie, he was willingly willing to go through the trouble of wrapping the dumpling fillings properly just for the sake of the vinegar.

In other words, making the plot serve the audience rather than purely indulging himself.

"With that movie, you genuinely wanted to tell us something. The only flaw was probably that it didn't speak the language of mortals," Xu Ming said bluntly.

He didn't shy away from Jiang Wen's furrowed brows at all. "As an audience member, when I pay money to enter a cinema, I'm not doing it to be educated. So your movie requires careful savoring, and its aftertaste is lingering."

"If we're talking from the perspective of an audience, I actually prefer this new one. Even though filming hasn't started yet, I feel it can become a classic."

The people at the dining table fell silent.

They tended to view films primarily from the perspective of directors or producers, whereas looking at it purely from the audience's standpoint, like Xu Ming did, was quite rare.

"Why do you feel this one can become a classic?" Ma Ke asked.

"Because Director Jiang knows how to hire movie stars now. This shows he has started caring about box office numbers, which means he's willing to ponder the audience's preferences. Director Jiang is very smart; he can pull this off successfully. The only difference is whether he's willing to do so," Xu Ming said.

In reality, the core of *The Sun Also Rises* and *Let the Bullets Fly* was identical. The box office failure of the former led Jiang Wen to go through painstaking efforts to re-wrap the dumplings and serve them to the audience once more.

However, his starting point was still to prove that his own approach was correct, rather than simply compromising for the sake of the market. This was also why he later reverted to self-indulgence.

It was akin to rewarding himself with a self-pleasing movie every time he made a compromised one.

"Nonsense, you're over-interpreting. Even I don't know what I'm thinking; do you understand me better than I do?" Jiang Wen waved his hand, refusing to acknowledge it at all.

Xu Ming chuckled and didn't bother arguing with this prideful uncle. Instead, he shifted the topic: "A couple of days ago, I acquired the copyright to a book called *Hidden Assassin*, written by Zhang Beihai. I plan to adapt it into a screenplay. Brother Ma should know that the script for *Love Is Not Blind* was written by me."

This book would later be adapted by Jiang Wen into *Hidden Man*, and a few days ago, under Xu Ming's instructions, Tang Sheng had successfully purchased the copyright.

None of them took it too seriously, simply thinking it was normal for a young man who had just stepped into the industry to have ambition.

As Xu Ming continued his narration, however, Jiang Wen gradually became engrossed.

The two even engaged in a heated debate over plot adaptation.

Until a phone call interrupted them.

Xu Ming glanced at the screen and saw the caller ID was Tang Tang.

He signaled the others, stood up, and left the room to find an empty private dining room.

"Hello, what's wrong?"

"I... I saw the media posting photos of you drunk. Are you okay?"

Tang Tang's worried voice came through the receiver.

Xu Ming was momentarily taken aback. If she hadn't brought it up, he would have forgotten about that stunt entirely, so he went along with it vaguely: "I'm fine, what could possibly happen to me? Just feeling a bit uncomfortable... Ugh~"

He simulated the sound of wanting to vomit, and his speech became erratic and drifting.

"Are you really okay?" Tang Tang asked, half-convinced.

"Actually, this was originally supposed to be a promotional stunt coordinated with the film production team, but I feel like I got a bit too deep into character. By the way, are you in Beijing?" Xu Ming asked.

"I am. Should I... come over and check on you?" Tang Tang said.

"No need, I just want to be left alone for a while."

Having obtained the answer he wanted, Xu Ming decisively hung up the phone.

He turned back and re-entered the private dining room, where the drinking and banqueting resumed.

Half an hour later, a text message was sent to Tang Tang's phone.

[Hello, we are staff members at the XX Restaurant. Our guest is so drunk he is completely unconscious, and we noticed you are his primary emergency contact. Would it be convenient for you to come over?]

Tang Tang's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately dialed the number.

The person who answered the phone was indeed a restaurant staff member.

"Keep an eye on him, I'm coming right now."

"Alright, please hurry."

After finishing, the staff member handed the phone back to Xu Ming, who was standing right in front of him.

A crisp hundred-yuan bill was tucked into his chest pocket.

"Good job, back to work."

Xu Ming's eyes sparkled brightly, showing not a single trace of drunkenness.