Chapter 113-Part 1

The hotpot restaurant outside the film and television city was bustling with people, business booming, with almost every seat occupied. The crew of “Dawn” was on the second floor, numbering around two hundred people, almost occupying the entire hall.

There were quite a few celebrities dining here, but it didn’t cause much of a spectacle.

When Sun Xu approached, he still made a deliberate effort to dress up. He looked around downstairs, waited for the right moment, and then headed upstairs. Because there were many people on the second floor, it took him some effort to spot Jiang Nian sitting by the window. She was dressed simply in a white t-shirt, with her hair tied in a ponytail, looking simple and clean. She sat among a group of people, smiling brightly, a far cry from his fallen state.

He couldn’t help but feel resentful. He used to have a much higher status than Jiang Nian, but now it has reversed, and he doesn’t even have the chance to compare himself to her anymore.

He was unwilling. How could he be content with returning to being an ordinary person after standing at such heights?

Just when he felt extremely unwilling, he unexpectedly saw Xue Hang sitting on Jiang Nian’s left. Xue Hang? What was he doing here? How come he was here?!

Although he had little interaction with Xue Hang, he had heard quite a bit about him. One thing was that Xue Hang didn’t like attending public events. Something like eating hotpot with the crew’s main creative personnel was absolutely unheard of! Just look at how reserved the people at his table were!

Sun Xu clenched his fists. He had found it strange before why Xue Hang had crossed half the venue at Sister Su’s charity banquet to speak up for Jiang Nian, and then later made her the spokesperson for the Xue Corporation’s shopping mall. And now they were eating hotpot together? Ha, he couldn’t believe there was nothing going on between these two!

Unfortunately, at this moment, he had to suppress his anger and speak nicely to Jiang Nian, begging for her forgiveness and help.

Full of resentment, Sun Xu waited for his chance to prosper again, to show those who had mistreated him what he was capable of.

He stayed in place for a while, then turned and retreated to the side.

Meanwhile, Jiang Nian was still eating hotpot. It seemed like she was the only one at the table who was eating without any burden. The producers, directors, and assistant directors all seemed stiff, forcing smiles and barely touching their chopsticks.

They were truly surprised. They had thought this gathering was just Xue Hang helping to foot the bill, assuming he wouldn’t actually show up since he had never done so before. But he actually came! With him here, they couldn’t quite gauge whether Xue Hang was in a good mood or not. If he agreed, he’d wear a poker face and remain silent. If not, he wouldn’t attend… It was really giving them a headache!

And Jiang Nian started eating as soon as she sat down, without even sparing a glance at the important figures beside her!

Jia Ping and Xue Hang’s assistant couldn’t help but shake their heads and cover their faces, unable to bear watching any longer.

Xue Hang remained expressionless. He glanced at the silly girl beside him who was munching away, then cleared his throat. When Jiang Nian didn’t respond, the assistant director helped pour tea, saying, “Mr. Xue, would you like some tea?”

Xue Hang nodded in agreement.

The director poured a glass of beer, smiling shyly as he raised his glass to Xue Hang. “Thank you, Mr. Xue, for your support. Rest assured, I’ll do my best with the filming and won’t disappoint your expectations!”

… Perhaps the word “expectations” was the last thing Xue Hang wanted to hear now. He almost reflexively glanced at Jiang Nian, and indeed, she had looked up from her bowl, her eyes shining as she gazed at him with an expression of absolute loyalty!

His face darkened a bit. He said to the director, “Just focus on your work as usual. You don’t need to pay too much attention to me.”

The director chuckled and didn’t push further. It was just a saying, after all. Could he really not care? He raised his glass and took a sip, and Xue Hang took a small sip as well before setting the glass down.

The producer also came over to toast, saying a few words about working hard to supervise their work, and even the assistant directors followed suit. Xue Hang remained reserved throughout, and although he only took small sips of the wine they toasted, no one dared to show any dissatisfaction. On the contrary, they seemed quite pleased.

Even Xiao Qian couldn’t escape the tradition.

Seeing this, Jiang Nian naturally stopped eating, put down her chopsticks, and raised her glass to toast Xue Hang. After a moment’s thought, she said sincerely, “Mr. Xue, like them, I will absolutely not disappoint your expectations.”

“Cough cough!” Xiao Qian covered his mouth and started coughing, looking like he wanted to laugh but couldn’t.

His face turned red from the effort, and he pretended seriously in front of Jiang Nian and Xue Hang, saying, “Sorry, choked on the wine.”

Jiang Nian nodded and reminded him to be careful, while Xue Hang glanced at Xiao Qian. He knew that Xiao Qian was making fun of him in his heart. Now, not only was he black-faced, but he was also irritated. He especially wanted to knock open Jiang Nian’s head and see what kind of ghostly stuff was inside.

He raised his glass and emptied it in one gulp.

That one action surprised everyone at the table. They looked at Xue Hang and then at Jiang Nian, and their gazes became somewhat ambiguous and understanding. It seemed that Jiang Nian was indeed extraordinary.