Because Zhang Heshan had gone crazy at the critical moment, Xie Guan failed to make a getaway after the meeting and was instead dragged to a dinner party by Director Bai.

And the location of the dinner party was, surprisingly, a familiar old place: Lanyue Club.

Xie Guan walked in with a miserable look, thinking to himself, "Have all the restaurants in B City gone out of business, leaving only this one?"

This meal wasn't as awkward as the afternoon meeting. After the executives were seated, Yao Jing made a call and summoned the few actors who had already been cast. The female lead hadn't been settled yet, but before long, the male lead Qing Lan and the second female lead Jiang Yingying arrived one after another. Later, a few more actresses from Xinghui Entertainment showed up. They had nothing to do with the filming; it was likely that Yao Jing had called them over to pour drinks and get their faces known.

Surrounded by a flock of chattering women, the room instantly became boisterous. Xie Guan's head ached from the "demons and monsters" flitting about. Just then, he heard Director Bai beside him let out a cold laugh and mock in a low voice, "My, it's so lively, it could almost rival the Cave of Silken Web."

The corner of Xie Guan's mouth twitched, and he reminded her in a whisper, "You're sitting here too, you know."

Bai Luzhou gave him a sidelong glance, "Wukong, have some self-awareness."

The two looked at each other and smiled, each picking up their glass, clinking them, and downing the contents in one go.

Bored, Bai Luzhou's gaze swept across the banquet. She lowered her voice to complain to Xie Guan, "Why is that fellow Zhang so well-behaved today?"

Xie Guan was nonchalantly playing with his cup. Hearing this, he glanced over in Zhang Heshan's direction. President Zhang was drinking with his arm around a young beauty. The moment he saw Xie Guan look over, he immediately let go as if by reflex, his whole body jolting as if electrocuted as he instantly went on high alert.

Xie Guan quickly lowered his head and said awkwardly, "He's probably... cough, too scared."

Bai Luzhou: "Huh?"

Xie Guan said, "Actually, regarding that matter Vice President Yao told you about today, here's what really happened..."

He omitted Yin Lisha's name and explained the situation to Bai Luzhou. Hearing it, Director Bai found the story both infuriating and hilarious, but she didn't dare laugh out loud for fear of being overheard, nearly choking from holding it in.

Xie Guan was exasperated. "Still laughing... Isn't this supposed to be a sad story?"

Bai Luzhou: "No wonder those young girls were staring at you the moment they walked in. Turns out they've met the new generation's 'Friend of Women,' hahahahaha..."

Xie Guan sighed, "Please, spare me..."

Previously, after hearing Yao Jing's words, although Bai Luzhou had unhesitatingly taken Xie Guan's side, she couldn't help but harbor some doubts. Now, after hearing Xie Guan's explanation and seeing President Zhang's reaction, she knew he wasn't lying. Although Director Bai had a masculine demeanor, she still had a female perspective at heart, and thus she admired Xie Guan even more, downing another glass with him.

The ladies at the table were drinking Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux, while the men were all drinking ten-year-old domestic Wuliangye. Xie Guan's alcohol tolerance was average to begin with, and he hadn't been in good shape lately, so he was already feeling it after just two glasses. Director Bai watched him rub his temples, finding it hard to believe. "It's only been a few glasses. I haven't even tasted it properly yet, and you're already dizzy?"

Xie Guan had to hand it to her. Director Bai had fiercely battled Yao and Zhang in a war of words all afternoon without ever losing ground, and now she was still full of vigor, chatting and laughing cheerfully without a hint of fatigue. He had no idea what she was made of.

"In your current state, if you go out filming with me, you'll collapse in less than three days," Bai Luzhou said lightly. "Your current show is about to wrap up, right? Use this time to train properly, or you won't be able to handle it once you join the crew."

A third of Xie Guan's drunkenness vanished instantly. "Alright, I'll be mindful of that from now on." He paused for half a second, then asked, "Director Bai, I've always wanted to ask you. In the TV series, I'm just a supporting male character, and the role isn't that important. Why did you..."

"Why did I insist on having you play the part?" Bai Luzhou finished his sentence but didn't answer right away. She took a sip of red wine and said after some consideration, "This is just an idea of mine, and I still need to discuss it with the screenwriter. I can give you a heads-up, but I can't guarantee it'll definitely be changed this way."

Xie Guan said with a solemn expression, "Please, go on."

Bai Luzhou: "I want to make Yue Qinglu the main villain."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough...! " Xie Guan choked on his drink. Yue Qinglu was that Demon Sect protector he had played before. But that character was just cannon fodder. If they really made such a change, he'd probably be flamed into oblivion by fans of both the original novel and the TV series.

Bai Luzhou, who had been enthusiastically planning to stir things up, didn't expect such a reaction from him, which was quite a buzzkill. "You're so young, yet so conservative. How boring."

After finally managing to stop coughing, Xie Guan cleared his throat and apologized placatingly, "I didn't mean to be a buzzkill, it's just, wouldn't a change like that be a bit too... you know, surprising?"

"The vitality of art lies in constant innovation," Bai Luzhou said. "This is how they hype up IPs these days—rigidly sticking to one plot model, making a TV series then a movie, and then remaking it a decade or so later. They hire two popular celebrities and dare to call it a 'masterpiece.' See? Even a newcomer like you firmly believes in this model. But in reality, this method of making a quick buck is hugely damaging to art, which requires dedicated creation. If the director just shoots whatever the novel says, then what's the point of having a screenwriter?"

"To put it another way, if there's already a TV series, and then a movie with the exact same plot comes out, would you, as an ordinary viewer, still be interested in watching it? You could spend those few dozen yuan on anything else; why insist on watching the same thing three times over, right?"

Xie Guan nodded, humbly accepting her teachings, but Director Bai didn't continue. She raised her glass and silently took a gulp of liquor, a lonely look flashing through her eyes.

Xie Guan sighed, picked up his glass, clinked it crisply against hers, and drained the baijiu inside.

They sat amidst a scene of glittering, decadent luxury, taking in the most prosperous face of the entertainment industry. Capital was reveling, wine glasses clinked, songs and dances celebrated a false peace, while the true creators hid in dim corners, their hearts full of worries they had no one to tell, no one who would listen, forced to confide in a minor artist who might never even make it big.

Changing the script was only the first difficult step. Bai Luzhou had to fight a battle laced with barbs against the investors all afternoon just to choose an actor. In the future, she would face constraints from all sides, and by the time this work was actually released, who knew what it would even look like.

"Sigh, one can't think too deeply about these things; it's easy to become pessimistic," Bai Luzhou said, quickly adjusting her mood with a smile. "Paths are forged by people, and there are always more solutions than problems. The heavy burden of carrying on the legacy of art won't fall on your shoulders for now, so don't be scared yet."

Xie Guan smiled too and poured her a glass of liquor. Bai Luzhou stuck a Zhonghua cigarette between her lips and was about to light it when a man suddenly sat down next to Xie Guan. Holding a wine glass, he greeted them with an air of familiarity, "Teacher Xie, Director Bai, what are you two discussing so happily?"

Bai Luzhou didn't recognize the man at first. Seeing the potential for awkwardness, Xie Guan quickly used his greeting to pointedly remind Director Bai, "Qing Lan, long time no see."

Qing Lan ignored Xie Guan's pleasantries. He first greeted Director Bai, toasted her, and put on a full display of respect. Only then did he turn to Xie Guan and say hypocritically, "Teacher Xie, hello."

Because Qing Lan had a very distant family connection to Xinghui Entertainment's President Yang Rong, he currently held the secure position of Xinghui's number one male artist. This time, he was the male lead, forcefully inserted through investment. Xie Guan had almost no interaction with him; the gap between them back then had simply been too vast, and Qing Lan was habitually arrogant. Therefore, Xie Guan never expected him to approach him proactively and, for a moment, was unsure how to treat him.

His repeated use of "Teacher Xie" sounded sarcastic and strange. Not wanting to cause trouble, Xie Guan smiled and said, "Brother Qing Lan, you're too polite. Technically, you're my senior, so I really don't deserve to be called 'Teacher Xie' by you."

"Why wouldn't you deserve it? Teacher Xie, you're being too modest," Qing Lan said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "News of this afternoon's events has spread throughout the company. I heard that now even Vice President Yao has to give you some leeway. Congratulations, Teacher Xie, on your meteoric rise."

He extended his glass, gesturing to clink it with Xie Guan's. "I'd like to propose a toast to Teacher Xie. We're colleagues, and we'll be filming Director Bai's project together. Surely Teacher Xie won't refuse me this courtesy?"

Xie Guan glanced impassively in Director Bai's direction. Qing Lan was clearly here to stir up trouble. However, with Bai Luzhou present and the two of them set to be actors in the same crew, he knew that while he could refuse Qing Lan outright, he couldn't do so without considering Director Bai.

This was how China's drinking culture was. Someone coming to offer a toast was a matter of etiquette; whether you wanted to or not, you had to drink. Refusing was a sign of disrespect. Xie Guan's conflict with the investors this afternoon had already been a huge headache for Bai Luzhou. If news of discord between actors in the same crew got out now, they might as well just scrap the project.

He couldn't cause any more trouble for Director Bai.

Xie Guan filled his glass and politely clinked it against Qing Lan's. "Brother Qing Lan is a popular star, unlike me. Even though I've signed with a big company, I still don't have a signature work to my name." He smiled and added a veiled threat, "Fame attracts gossip, and the waters of the entertainment industry run deep. If I happen to run into any trouble in the future, I'll have to ask Brother Qing Lan for guidance."

Stung by this "needle hidden in cotton," Qing Lan was inwardly furious. However, Xie Guan's fierce reputation preceded him; if he dared to hit an investor, laying a hand on an artist would be nothing. Qing Lan had come to pick a fight on Yao Jing's orders, but ultimately, he valued his life. He could only down his drink, toss out a few more sarcastic remarks, and leave in a huff.

Yao Jing had been secretly observing the situation. Seeing Qing Lan's unsuccessful attempt, she silently cursed him for being useless. After a moment, she came up with another plan, beckoning over the female artists from Xinghui Entertainment and having them go toast Xie Guan one after another.

Since Qing Lan alone wasn't enough, she would resort to a war of attrition.

Yao Jing was extremely vindictive. Not wanting to cause any trouble, Xie Guan gritted his teeth and endured it, even though his head felt like it was splitting open from all the alcohol. By the time the dinner party ended, he had already run to the restroom to throw up twice.

Everyone at the party was very drunk. Those with assistants called for a pickup, while the club arranged for designated drivers for those who had driven. Xie Guan hadn't driven and didn't have an assistant. He barely managed to stay upright as he walked out of the club, so dizzy he couldn't tell his east from his west. He'd intended to hail a cab by the roadside, but somehow he ended up turning into the club's open-air parking lot on the west side.

In the dead of winter, the cold and alcohol made him numb. Xie Guan spun around in place a few times like a headless fly before finally giving up on finding the exit. Clutching his forehead, he stumbled to a sheltered corner of a wall, plopped down, and stopped moving.

An unknown amount of time passed. In the parking lot, the headlights of a Porsche flashed twice. A man wrapped in a heavy coat hurried toward the car and promptly tripped over Xie Guan, who was sitting at the base of the wall.

"Fuck!" The man jumped in fright, steadying himself while cursing. He was just about to demand which death-seeking bastard was squatting in his way when he turned his head and, in the dim, hazy glow of a streetlamp, saw a pale and familiar face.

The sound that escaped from Huo Zhikuan's throat immediately changed its tune: "The fuck?!"

With trembling hands, he took out his phone, quickly found a number, and called out, "Bro! Did you lose someone?"