Putting his finger on the control button, Lu Wen didn't press it. He stared at the Bentley who was about to turn onto the road through the window, and realized that there were too many seconds left. He said, "Ah... what time do you add?"
Qu Yanting replied, "I don't know either."
Lu Wen's thinking was a little messy, and he said, "Don't be too late."
"Well, what about you?" Qu Yanting asked him, "During the call that day, you said that you were very busy this week. Are you done? Are you tired?"
Lu Wen didn't tell Qu Yanting the real situation. He is such an old man, he was beaten and monitored, and he really couldn't tell. "It's okay." He said, "Then you can be busy, I won't bother you."
I don't know if it was an illusion, but Qu Yanting heard a hint of disappointment from Lu Wen's tone, hung up the line, and turned the steering wheel to merge into the traffic under the setting sun.
Lu Wen stared at the receding Bentley, eyes fixed.
Why did Qu Yanting lie? What are you going to do without letting him know? Besides this time, have you ever lied to him
The buttocks of the car were almost out of sight, and Lu Wen had no time to think anymore, his emotions overwhelmed his reason, and he said, "Uncle Yan, follow up with that Bentley just now."
Lao Yan dissuaded him: "Don't mess around."
Lu Wen leaned over and grabbed the driver's seat, and urged: "If you don't drive again, I will make a big fuss, a big fuss!" He squeezed his whole body between the driver and the co-pilot, "Follow up! Yan Zhiguo!"
Old Yan glared sideways at the ancestor, but he also understood that if he was so anxious, he might dare to break through the window and jump out. He kicked the gas pedal and turned onto the road, he said worriedly: "If your father—"
Lu Wen interrupted: "How much does my dad pay you? I'll pay you five times."
Old Yan was afraid of him, passed a taxi in front, and said: "The key is why are you following people? It's unreasonable. You are a public figure now, so don't be impulsive in everything."
Lu Wen's left ear went in and out of his right ear, and he reminded: "Hurry up, follow closely."
"If you follow too closely, you will be discovered." Lao Yan gave up persuading. Optimistically, the boss asked him to be responsible for picking up and dropping off, as long as people didn't run away under his nose, it should be fine.
The two cars kept a certain distance, and Lu Wen sat back, his eyes following the roof of the Bentley the whole time. The sky darkened, and the neon lights all lit up at a certain moment.
Forty minutes later, Qu Yanting drove into an old street. There is a Chinese-style house at the end of the street, which used to be the former residence of a civil servant in the late Qing Dynasty. It was bought and renovated a few years ago and renamed "Qingxiaotang".
Bentley went in through the side door and was finally out of sight.
"What's the matter?" Old Yan asked.
"Pull over first." Lu Wen looked at the plaque hanging on the lacquered door, not satisfied with waiting outside like a paparazzi, "Uncle Yan, are you hungry, I invite you in for a meal?"
Old Yan smiled confidently: "You can't get in."
"Why?" Lu Wen frowned, "Only by appointment?"
Qingxiaotang is essentially a private restaurant, not only accepting appointments only, but not everyone can make an appointment. The boss is considered half of the literary and art circle, so almost all the people he receives are friends in the circle.
Lu Wen asked curiously, "How do you understand it so clearly?"
"I'll see Mr. Lu—" Lao Yan stopped halfway.
But Lu Wen heard it, and asked even more curiously: "My dad has been here? He is not from the literary and art circles. Who is he with? Why don't you bring me to broaden your contacts in the circle?"
Lao Yan estimated that he would not be able to leave for a while, so he turned off the car. Talking about the boss behind his back is a taboo, but Lu Wen grew up watching him, and he also sees the conflicts between father and son these days.
Sighing deeply, Lao Yan said: "That was two years ago. You wanted to change your company to become an actor. Mr. Lu couldn't resist, so he asked people in the circle to inquire. It depends on whether your company is reliable. What kind of risk... was here at the time."
Lu Wen didn't know this at all, and said in a daze, "Why didn't my dad tell me?"
Old Yan asked back: "You threatened me to follow here and not go home, why didn't you tell Mr. Lu?"
Lu Wen plucked his hair twice, unlocked his phone and opened Lu Zhanqing's WeChat. He won't make calls during the cold war this week. He typed and said, "Let's make a good statement. I have a temporary interview and I'm working overtime at the company."
After typing the last word, Lu Wen suddenly realized that he himself lied like this.
Maybe everyone can lie, but they don't like being lied to.
In the other courtyard of Qingxiao Hall, the East Wing Room was transformed into a new Chinese-style private room. The dishes were well prepared, and the tea soup was brewed in the most suitable color. On both sides of the wide long table, five men sat loosely.
Zeng Zhen's assistant walked around to refill tea, first for director Hu Qing on the left, and his foreign cameraman and editor, then for Zeng Zhen and Qu Yanting on the right.
Hu Qing's Mandarin is not standard, and the cameraman and editor can't speak Chinese. Qu Yanting greeted the other party in English, hum, and the phone on mute vibrated briefly in his trouser pocket.
Whether this occasion was inappropriate, or an instinctive escape, Qu Yanting didn't take it out to see.
Lu Wen finally deleted the WeChat message sent to Lu Zhanqing. He was just experiencing the feeling of being cheated, and he felt a little bit of conscience, and he would be beaten again when he went home.
After clicking on the profile picture of the orange cat, he sent a message to Qu Yanting.
A few minutes passed, but Qu Yanting did not reply. Lu Wen's eyes switched back and forth between the gate and the phone screen, wondering what Qu Yanting looked like in Qingxiao Hall.
Who are you eating with
How many people, how many dishes
Have you been drinking
Do you have no time to look at your phone, or do you just ignore it
Lu Wen clicked on the dialog box, edited another sentence and sent it. The more Qu Yanting didn't reply, the more he couldn't help adding more, like an impetuous brat desperately looking for a sense of presence, wishing he could call Qu Yanting and yell: "Look at me!"
Half of the thigh was numb, Qu Yanting could no longer ignore it, and took out the phone while other people were chatting. He secretly clicked on WeChat under the table, and Lu Wen sent a total of nine messages.
"Teacher Qu, are you still working overtime?"
"Did you have dinner?"
"Commander Huang can do it at home by himself."
"It's been windy for the past two days, ouch."
"The countdown to "The First Night" starts, I'm so nervous!"
The remaining four were mixed emoticons. Qu Yanting read them one by one, and quickly edited "I'll call you later". Before the last word "you" was entered, Hu Qing from across the table suddenly called him.
Several glances came at the same time, Qu Yanting raised his head, put the lock screen of the phone back into his trouser pocket, and the unfinished reply in the dialog box became "Draft". He said politely: "You speak."
Hu Qing has always had a pleasant face, without the airs of an international leader at all, and said: "I heard Lao Zeng mention before that you are his most proud student. It can be seen that he has high hopes for you."
Qu Yanting lowered his hands and said, "I am very grateful for the teacher's cultivation."
Hu Qing asked: "Then, why didn't you become a director?"
Zeng Zhen lazily leaned on the back of the chair, picked up the tea, nodded and blew, as if he had nothing to do with himself. Qu Yanting smiled very lightly, crossed his fingers and clasped them: "Because, there are some reasons."
Hu Qing shook his head with a smile. Adults can make up a thousand beautiful reasons if they want to prevaricate. Qu Yanting answered like this, but he was not sure whether he was being honest or perfunctory.
"Then let me ask another question." Hu Qing's interest has not diminished, "Why did you learn to be a director?"
Qu Yanting's tensed fingers were blood stagnant and swollen. He loosened them little by little, like deflated a balloon, and replied, "Being a director is my dream, and it's also my father's dream."
Hu Qing was stunned for a moment because of the second half of the sentence, and had already asked the beginning and the end, deduced the middle process that Qu Yanting did not want to disclose, and said: "The reason must be very bad."
Qu Yanting pursed his lips, and swallowed the unspeakable things in his mouth, showing an indifferent smile. He picked up the teacup and said, "Being able to have a face-to-face conversation with you has fulfilled my dream of being a director."
Waiting is always extremely tormented. Lu Wen was lying in the last row of the car, with his mobile phone pressed to his forehead. He gave up sending messages to Qu Yanting, but he became more and more anxious if he didn't get a reply.
The side door of Qingxiao Hall was opened occasionally, but there was no sign of Bentley in the car. Lu Wen finished singing the 299 classic love songs in his mind, sat up when he sang the 300th song, and opened WeChat to send a voice message to Qu Yanting.
"It's late at night and you still don't want to sleep. Are you still thinking about him? Are you tired of being so infatuated? Knowing that he won't come back to comfort... Oh forget it, just forget it, let it go when you should, and think again It's useless, just wait stupidly, and he won't come back..."
Old Yan squinted for a while, and was woken up by his singing: "If you don't come back, then go."
Lu Wen said stubbornly, "I won't go."
Lao Yan closed his eyes again, as if dreaming: "Then it will be a big deal to find him, it's such a simple matter."
Lu Wen's patience has long been worn out, and he was encouraged by Lao Yan's unintentional words. His ups and downs tonight seemed to have found a reasonable outlet, and he didn't forget to throw the pot away: "Listen to you! I'll find him!"
Lao Yan woke up in an instant, and before he could stop him, Lu Wen had already opened the door and got out of the car, and ran into the gate of Qingxiao Hall with his long legs.
Walking around the screen wall, Lu Wen looked around the outer courtyard, and waited for the waiter to welcome him to the main hall to register. He said speciously: "My friend made an appointment, and he should have arrived."
The waiter asked, "Who is your friend?"
Lu Wen said: "Qu Yanting."
The figure in the east wing moved, and Qu Yanting got up and shook hands with Hu Qing again. Although the content of the meal was limited, it was quite enjoyable.
Zeng Zhen led the other party to the door, said goodbye with a smile, and sent his assistant to see him off. The private room became deserted, and he returned to the table to pick up an unfinished cup of tea.
"How?" Zeng Zhen took a sip.
Qu Yanting put on his coat and said, "I benefited a lot from chatting with Director Hu."
Zeng Zhen asked, "Are you only willing to chat?"
Qu Yanting pinched the only button on the front of his lapel with increasing strength, his nails turned white, but his voice was very soft: "What do you mean, teacher?"
"I want you to think about it carefully." Zeng Zhen said, "I know your master recruited some veterans from the system. She wants to pave the way for you, but are you really willing to walk the road she paved?"
Qu Yanting fastened the buttons and replied: "Master has paved the way for me that countless screenwriters dream of."
Zeng Zhen laughed: "Xiao Ting, why bother talking hard with me." He put down the teacup and rubbed his fingertips along the rim, "Did half a word we talked about during dinner tonight have anything to do with screenwriters? Do you prefer to be a screenwriter or a director? , it was all written on your face when you talked to Director Hu."
Qu Yanting held the scarf and said, "Like is the most powerless thing."
Zeng Zhen asked, "Why?"
"Teacher, why do you ask questions knowingly?" Qu Yanting said calmly.
Putting the scarf around his neck, he wrapped it around, as if putting a shackle on himself: "Why don't I become a director, the teacher knows best."
Zeng Zhen's fingers rested on the rim of the cup: "Hate me?"
Qu Yanting didn't admit it or deny it, and his tone was full of sarcasm: "I like being a director, but liking doesn't mean that I can get it. I have accepted it for so many years, why hasn't the teacher accepted it?"
Zeng Zhen looked at him, his eyes tended to be cold, and he said with emotion and reproach: "You are too stubborn. A child from a poor background will have a better life if he behaves better. Back then—"
"Teacher." Qu Yanting interrupted Zeng Zhen, "The tea is cold, it's time to go."
Zeng Zhen took the time to put on his coat, and finally brought up the tacit topic: "What's the hurry, there's still an appointment? Be careful of being photographed."
The corridor outside the wing room was decorated with spotlights. Lu Wen followed the waiter all the way around and was taken to Qu Yanting's box. His steps were steady, but his heart was trembling in panic.
The waiter pointed to the front window: "Mr. Qu and the others are in the east wing, please wait a moment, I will go in and say hello."
As soon as the corner was about to arrive, Lu Wen hurriedly grabbed a pillar under the corridor and said, "Then what, I want to go to the bathroom."
The waiter said: "There is a toilet in the wing, which is very convenient."
Lu Wen bit the bullet and continued walking. What should I do? What if Qu Yanting was killed by him to disrupt the situation while discussing business or meeting a partner... Damn, it's all Yan Zhiguo's fault, what a bad idea!
Seeing that he had reached the door, Lu Wen struggled and said, "Hey! I want to smoke a cigarette before going in!"
The waiter said, "I'm sorry, smoking is not allowed in Qingxiao Hall."
Lu Wen quickly borrowed the slope to get off the donkey: "No, I'm very addicted to cigarettes, and it's very uncomfortable. I'll go out and smoke one before coming in."
Before the words were finished, a figure stepped out from behind the carved door of the East Wing. Qu Yanting turned to the corridor with lowered eyes, his expression as cold as a crescent moon in the dying night.
It was too late, Lu Wen held his breath: "Teacher Qu..."
Qu Yanting raised his eyes upon hearing the sound, and froze in astonishment when he saw Lu Wen. The carved door shook, and Zeng Zhen came out two steps behind.
Lu Wen was so shocked that his scalp tingled: "My God, Director Zeng!"