Qu Yanting withdrew his gaze, staring at the white stream of water washing over the back of his hand, and replied, "It is quite a coincidence."

Lu Wen bent over to wash his hands and said nothing more. Only the sounds of two streams of water intertwined.

He lathered up the soap, rinsed it off, repeated the process, then dried his hands. He picked a hand cream from a silver tray, applied it, then adjusted his cuffs and collar, pressing down his styled hair in front of the mirror.

After all that, Lu Wen noticed the sound of water next to him was still running. He glanced over, saw Qu Yanting's hands, red from washing, and asked, "Are you a germaphobe?"

Qu Yanting was not a germaphobe, nor did he pay him any mind.

'If he washes them any more, he might take off a layer of skin,' Lu Wen thought. He looked at his watch and said, "The banquet has already started. Don't wait until it's over for you to finish washing up."

Qu Yanting said impatiently, "Since it's started, why haven't you hurried back?"

Lu Wen leaned back against the counter. He had been playing Fight the Landlord in a stall before coming out, and the recent primping was also a way to kill time. "No rush, I came out to relax a bit."

The word "relax" struck a chord with Qu Yanting. He, too, had come out to relax.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little, but mostly just annoyed."

Lu Wen crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Later I'll have to greet the other actors. My face will get sore from smiling. This teacher, that teacher... I'll be saying 'teacher' more than I did in all four years of college."

Qu Yanting didn't respond, but he agreed internally.

Lu Wen said, "That's not all, the more annoying part comes later. That bunch of directors and department heads are the leaders of the crew. You have to act like a suck-up when you greet them."

'That's not wrong either,' Qu Yanting thought.

Lu Wen added, "Plus, a big shot is here today. We have to be extra careful to flatter them."

Qu Yanting asked, "A big shot?"

"You don't know?" Lu Wen said, enunciating each word, "The screenwriter for this drama, Qu Yanting, has come to the set. He's attending the kickoff banquet tonight. He's probably drinking in a private room right now."

Qu Yanting said impassively, "Oh."

Lu Wen continued, "What do you mean 'oh'? I heard Teacher Qu rarely joins the production on set. It's probably because he's also an investor, so he came to take a look. As for who he's here to see, I don't need to spell it out, do I?"

Qu Yanting said, "You might as well spell it out."

Lu Wen said, "The others don't matter, but he definitely won't miss the soul of the entire drama."

Qu Yanting was genuinely confused. "What's the soul?"

Lu Wen answered, "The male lead, of course."

Qu Yanting finally pulled his hands back. Water droplets fell from his skin, soaking a patch on his shirt cuff. He ignored it and turned his head to look at Lu Wen's side profile. "You mean, Qu Yanting came to the set to see you?"

Lu Wen said, "What's with your comprehension level? Could you even pass a language class? He can see whomever he wants, but since he's already here, he definitely has to see me, right?"

For the first time in his life, Qu Yanting had his comprehension skills and language grades questioned. He paused, then asked, "What if he regrets casting you as the male lead after he sees you?"

"What do you mean?" Lu Wen frowned, a hint of grievance in his anger. "Hey, you ignored me last night, and now you're saying something like this. Are you blaming me for getting into your Porsche by mistake? I got out, didn't I? Or are you blaming me for drinking your Perrier? You just wait, I'll buy you a case tomorrow."

He didn't wait for Qu Yanting to speak and suddenly had a realization. "I get it now. Are you jealous of me?"

Qu Yanting was all ears. "What am I jealous of?"

Lu Wen said, "You're jealous that I'm the male lead."

Three chance encounters, and he had emphasized "male lead" eight hundred times. Qu Yanting remembered Lu Wen asking him what role he played. Since this young actor was dead set on treating him as a colleague, he said deliberately, "What if I'm a special guest star?"

"Get out of here." Lu Wen was full of confidence. "I've seen the cast list. You're not on it. Special guest star, my foot. There's nothing wrong with having a bit part, no need to be embarrassed. Since you can ride in the director's Porsche, it means you have some connections. You probably won't have to be an eighteenth-tier actor for too long."

Qu Yanting couldn't hold back anymore. "Actually—"

Lu Wen interrupted him, "Actually, when you didn't attend the script reading today, I already guessed how big your role was."

Qu Yanting said, "The director invited me, but I declined."

"Keep bragging."

Qu Yanting hinted, "The purpose of the reading is to digest the script. I've completely digested it, so there was no need for me to attend."

Lu Wen laughed out loud. "I really have to hand it to you. Even the director wouldn't dare say he's digested it, but you have? What kind of digestive system do you have?"

"I—"

"You might as well just say you're the great Screenwriter Qu."

Qu Yanting's brow twitched. He pulled out a paper towel and meticulously wiped the water from between his fingers. "Don't I look like a screenwriter?"

As soon as he spoke, Lu Wen turned around in his peripheral vision, faced him, and took a step closer, leaving only two fists' worth of distance between them. He could smell Lu Wen's cologne, a fresh citrus scent, though it was somewhat muddled by the fragrance of the hand cream.

Qu Yanting turned his head to the side and tilted his face up slightly, meeting Lu Wen's downward gaze.

Lu Wen looked at him with a dead serious expression. "Do I look like a Best Actor to you?"

Qu Yanting: "..."

After saying that, Lu Wen averted his gaze and glanced at Qu Yanting's watch. Unknowingly, a quarter of an hour had passed. He stepped back to his original spot and said, "If we keep talking, the banquet will really be over. Are you done washing? Let's go together?"

Qu Yanting said, "You go first. After all, you're the male lead."

"True. Then I'll head out first."

After Lu Wen left, the washroom became completely quiet. Qu Yanting picked up the hand cream Lu Wen had used and squeezed out a little.

He applied it unhurriedly, feeling his heart beat steadily in his chest. He had inexplicably relaxed.

In the banquet hall, Lu Wen was late.

The vast hall was divided into semi-open small spaces by folding screens, half-concealed and half-revealed. A table was set under each gilded bronze lamp. Vases on the tables held larkspur, and underfoot was a scarlet carpet. The warm yellow light was dim, casting itself on the red patterns and the vibrant blue flower petals, creating a rich visual feast.

In front of the window was a row of daybeds. Actresses in floor-sweeping gowns and actors in suits and leather shoes sat on them in twos and threes, arms linked and draped over shoulders, with the city's night sky as their backdrop.

Sun Xiaojian was waiting anxiously. "My dear ancestor, what took you so long?"

Lu Wen took a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray, took a small sip, and said, "I ran into someone and chatted for a bit."

"Who?"

Lu Wen paused. He had forgotten to ask that guy's name. "The one in the Porsche."

Sun Xiaojian asked, puzzled, "This morning you were complaining he was all high and mighty. How did you end up chatting with him?"

Lu Wen said with satisfaction, "I won this round."

Sun Xiaojian said, "Then stop wasting time. Hurry up and greet the actors."

The cast for this drama wasn't too large. The most famous was Teacher Tao Meifan, who played Mother Ye in the show. She was forty-eight this year and had been in the industry for nearly thirty years, holding a place in everything from state-owned film studios to the National Theatre of China. She had won the Plum Blossom Award for theatre and the Golden Lion Award for drama. In her youth, she played well-bred young ladies and educated youths. In her later years, she didn't film much, only coming out of retirement for stories she liked.

The one playing the father was Teacher Yang Bin, a National First-Class Actor and a director of the China Television Artists Association's Actors Committee. His role was a special guest appearance as he didn't have many scenes.

The female lead in the drama was named Xian Qi. Her name was very special, and just as it suggested, she was like a fairy. Xian Qi became known to audiences for her pure and innocent looks when she debuted. Afterward, she played some gentle-type roles, which gave her a distinct image but also limited her.

Lu Wen greeted a large circle of people one by one, but the only one he didn't see was the second male lead, Ruan Feng.

He hadn't seen him at the script reading either. He asked a passing crew member, "Hasn't Ruan Feng joined the production yet?"

Xiao Zhang said, "Ruan Feng had an event abroad a couple of days ago. He was supposed to join the production on time, but his flight was canceled due to the weather, so he's delayed by a day."

Having met most of the actors, Lu Wen walked to the window and sat down on a daybed to catch his breath. Downing a few glasses of champagne on an empty stomach wasn't comfortable. He wanted to eat something but was afraid the smell would offend the esteemed Screenwriter Qu later.

Meanwhile, the private room was thick with the smell of alcohol.

On the heavy, large round table were seven or eight bottles of liquor—foreign Krug and local Wuliangye—half of which were already empty. A circle of armchairs surrounded the table. The assistant director was toasting the producer, and Director Liu was whispering in the ear of a representative from the co-producer. Everyone looked like they were several rounds in.

Ren Shu was in the main seat, with CEO Zhou of Haoyang Culture on his right and Qu Yanting on his left.

When no one was toasting him or making conversation, Qu Yanting remained silent by himself. When he looked up, a perfectly measured smile would appear on his face—faint, generous, and natural.

The banquet had been going on for forty minutes. One person toasted him with champagne, another with white wine. If he didn't want to drink, no one would dare force him. But he drained glass after glass, because alcohol helped him relax.

The dinner table conversation ranged from small talk about TV, movies, and personal relationships with certain directors, to larger topics like industry trends, policy changes, and the relationship between capital and art...

It all went in one ear and out the other for Qu Yanting. In his detached state, he thought of Lu Wen. Lu Wen had been so right; dealing with these people was really quite annoying.

"What are you thinking about?" Ren Shu leaned over.

Qu Yanting replied, "Nothing, just thinking of an idiot."

Ren Shu asked again, "What idiot?"

Qu Yanting added a descriptor: "A flashy idiot."

What he was actually thinking of was "authenticity"—no compliments, no excessive reverence, not even a smiling face. If Lu Wen knew his identity, what would become of that authenticity?

The director's assistant came around from the other side of the table and leaned down between Qu Yanting and Ren Shu. "Director Ren, Screenwriter Qu, the actors in the cast know Screenwriter Qu is attending the kickoff banquet. They're all very excited and would like to come over and greet you."

Ren Shu asked directly, "Who did you promise?"

"How would I dare make that decision?" the assistant said. "All of their agents have approached me. I promised I would ask. It all depends on Screenwriter Qu's wishes. If Screenwriter Qu is willing, I'll arrange for them to come. Just to offer a toast, I won't let them take up too much time."

Ren Shu waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it."

He rested a hand on the back of Qu Yanting's chair. "I know this much about my buddy. Unless it's necessary for filming, you don't like interacting with actors, so let's not bother. You'll see them on set tomorrow anyway."

Only then did Qu Yanting understand. So Lu Wen had been annoyed for so long without even being sure he'd get to meet the leaders? He'd dressed himself up like a male peacock, but it turned out he might not even get a chance to spread his feathers?

Wouldn't that idiot be incredibly disappointed?

He was truly tired of looking at this roomful of people. He mused aloud, "Forget the others. Let's see the soul of the entire drama."

Ren Shu: "There's such a thing?"

Qu Yanting fiddled with his cool watch, but his tone held a hint of a smile. "His surname is Lu. The male lead."