Ye Lan looked at the series of messages Jiang Chi sent, didn't reply, and looked up at An Ya. "Give me the scripts."

An Ya handed several scripts to Ye Lan, glanced at his expression, and asked tentatively, "Is Jiang Chi signing with Starlight not going well?"

Ye Lan didn't answer. He lowered his head, flipped through the scripts in his hand, scanned the plot outline of the first one, and tossed it aside. "Not doing sci-fi... The post-production special effects can't keep up, yet they insist on making it 3D. I have no idea what kind of ridiculous monstrosity they'll turn me into."

Ye Lan picked up another one, opened it, glanced at it, and threw it away too. "Petty romance..."

Ye Lan was always picky when choosing scripts, so An Ya was used to it. She handed the thickest one to Ye Lan and said, "Then take a look at this one... This one can be considered a major production. The only drawback is that the filming schedule is very tight. Basically, after you're done with 'The Scum' crew, you'll have a month's rest before you have to join the new crew."

"A month is enough rest." Ye Lan didn't mind. He took it and glanced at it, surprised. "A period film?"

An Ya nodded. "The Regent Prince. The protagonist is nominally the eldest son of the grand princess, but he's actually the illegitimate son of the emperor and a woman from a foreign tribe. He grew up in the palace, was gifted and intelligent, capable in both battle and governance. Before he even came of age, he was already famous throughout the Capital City, making the emperor's other sons look completely unremarkable in comparison. The old emperor wanted him to be formally recognized and return to the imperial family several times, but due to the interference of the empress's relatives and the protagonist's own unwillingness, the matter was dragged out until the emperor was on his deathbed."

Ye Lan flipped through the script page by page. "Go on."

"That's how it begins. The emperor was unwilling to give up before his death. Since he couldn't have the protagonist formally recognized, he left an imperial edict, making him the regent prince to assist the new emperor, who was not yet ten years old." An Ya took a sip of tea. "The monarch was young, the court officials formed factions, and the borders were plagued by famine... The protagonist worked tirelessly for nearly ten years to quell the internal and external troubles... But by then, the new emperor had grown up."

Ye Lan looked at the script and nodded. "Cast aside once he's served his purpose."

"Yes," An Ya said. "At first, the young emperor trusted him very much, and the regent prince also genuinely wanted to assist him well. Later, as the young emperor grew older, so did his ambitions. Egged on by his mother's family, he became convinced that the protagonist would usurp his throne. In the end, the ruler and minister grew apart. The young emperor began to secretly strip the regent prince of his military power, and the protagonist became disheartened."

Ye Lan nodded. "What happens in the end? Was the protagonist killed, or did he voluntarily cede his power to the young emperor?"

An Ya shook her head and smiled. "Neither. The regent prince had originally thought that if the young emperor's wings were truly strong enough to defeat him, he would willingly hand over his power. But in the end, he really couldn't stand the young emperor's appallingly stupid tactics. On one hand, he was disappointed that the young emperor no longer trusted him, and on the other, he was astounded at what kind of idiot he had cultivated. Before the young emperor could strip him of his regency, he deposed the young emperor first, placed one of the young emperor's brothers on the throne, and continued to be the regent prince. The realm remained at peace."

Ye Lan's eyes lit up.

An Ya knew Ye Lan would be interested in this kind of character, but this film would probably take four or five months to shoot, during spring and summer. The thought of filming a period movie in this season was tormenting. She advised, "There's no rush. Let's look at some more."

Ye Lan looked at the director's name, felt relieved, and continued flipping through the script, casually asking, "Besides this unlikable idiot of a young emperor, are there any other important supporting roles in the script?"

An Ya didn't understand what Ye Lan meant and hesitated. "The old emperor? The grand princess?"

Ye Lan smiled faintly. "Forget it."

'There aren't any good roles. Forcing Jiang Chi to play an insignificant part would be boring.'

Ye Lan looked at his phone, a smile in his eyes.

'Since I've decided to give him a little punishment, I can't just talk about it.' From that moment until now, Ye Lan hadn't replied to any of Jiang Chi's messages, deliberately trying to give him the cold shoulder for a while.

That evening, Ye Lan went to a rather famous entertainment club to meet Ye Huaquan's appointment. Ye Huaquan loved a lively atmosphere and had invited many people. Fearing Ye Lan would be bored, he had also specifically called over a few young men and women to keep him company.

Ye Lan had thought it would just be him and Ye Huaquan, and at most a few of the usual people Ye Huaquan brought along to keep him company. He didn't expect the room to be full of people when he pushed open the door to the private suite.

Looking at the room full of colorfully dressed men and women, Ye Lan was dazed for a moment, as if he had instantly returned to the film set from a few months ago, shooting the group scene in the nightclub.

The layout of that nightclub's private room was similar to this one; the positions of the bar and the sofa were the same. The final shot of that scene had taken many takes. On the last take, without informing Jiang Chi beforehand, he had improvised during the shoot and forcibly kissed Jiang Chi.

Ren Haichuan had been satisfied after that take passed, feeling that what he shot was debauched enough. Poor Jiang Chi, however, seemed to have been uncomfortable for a long time.

The phone in Ye Lan's pocket vibrated again—it was still a WeChat message from Jiang Chi.

Ye Lan opened it and saw a short video of fireworks that Jiang Chi had recorded.

Ye Lan smiled. Jiang Chi seemed to have no temper at all.

He had been giving him the cold shoulder for half the day, but Jiang Chi didn't seem to mind in the slightest. He was still happy and cheerful, running over to wag his tail at him whenever he saw something new.

Instead, it was Ye Lan, who was unilaterally playing the cold shoulder game, who felt quite awkward. He wanted to reply with a few lines to tease Jiang Chi but was too proud to back down.

"What are you thinking about?" Ye Huaquan pulled Ye Lan to sit down, frowning. "You've lost so much weight! But you still look energetic... What's going on with you? What are you filming now? Who's the producer? Who's the director? I'll give them a call and ask what's going on..."

Ye Lan gave a teasing smile. "The director is Ren Haichuan."

Ye Lan looked at Ye Huaquan expectantly, waiting to see him call Ren Haichuan.

The great director Ren was famously bad-tempered and difficult to deal with in the industry. The moment Ye Huaquan heard his name, he discreetly put his phone down and chided, "You need to take care of yourself too! Are you staying up all night and drinking again? And you're addicted to smoking. You're so young, just messing around because you think you're healthy. Do you have to wait until you're my age to know how to take care of yourself? If you keep this up, I'll really have to..."

The person sitting next to Ye Huaquan tactfully chimed in, advising Ye Lan and reminding him to pay attention to his schedule. Ye Lan held back a laugh and agreed, looking left and right as he asked, "Why did you call so many people over?"

"Isn't it because you disappear for half a year as soon as you join a crew, and I never get to see you? It's boring." Ye Huaquan lowered his voice. "To talk with you, to relieve your boredom. If you like any of them, I'll give a signal, and these few can..."

Ye Lan smiled and interrupted Ye Huaquan. "No, thanks. I'm not in the mood."

Ye Huaquan frowned. "If it were anyone else, they might not agree. These are the most expensive ones I know. Not only are they beautiful, they're also..."

"Are they more expensive than me?" Ye Lan smiled narcissistically. "That's too much of a loss. Forget it."

Ye Huaquan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He picked up a cigarette box and threw it at him. "Bullshit! You're comparing yourself to them?"

"Not at all, I'm not even as good as them." Ye Lan caught the box and casually took out a cigarette. He didn't light it. With something on his mind, he felt little enthusiasm and suddenly said, "This afternoon..."

Ye Huaquan looked at him. "What's wrong?"

Ye Lan smiled. "About that thing this afternoon, I told An Ya. I asked her to find an opportunity to have someone contact Jiang Chi directly. We'll know what the situation is then, so you don't have to worry about it."

Ye Huaquan took a sip of wine and smiled. "What? Afraid I'll have a bad impression of him and give him a hard time when he comes over in the future?"

Ye Lan's eyes held a smile. "How could that be? With your magnanimity, how could you care about such a small thing?"

"Stop with the flattery." Ye Huaquan smiled, reassuring his nephew. "You think I'm that idle? Give him a hard time? Do I have the time for that?"

Speaking of which, Ye Huaquan complained, half-jokingly, "Your parents are lucky, born to enjoy a life of leisure. Unlike me. Tomorrow is Chinese New Year's Eve, and only today did I manage to find time to see you."

Ye Lan clinked his glass with Ye Huaquan's and smiled. "With great ability comes great responsibility."

Speaking of which, the Ye Family's current businesses were indeed all managed by Ye Huaquan.

Ye Lan's parents met while they were graduate students. They were a senior and junior under the same supervisor, and their feelings grew from spending time together day and night. They both specialized in academic fields and were quite detached from the mundane world after years of study in their ivory tower. It was very unrealistic for them to take over the family business, and Ye Lan's parents had no intention of doing so. Thus, the family burden fell onto Ye Huaquan's shoulders.

In the early years, Ye Lan's parents raised him while pursuing their academic careers. Later, when Ye Lan started to develop a career in the entertainment industry, they entrusted him to Ye Huaquan.

Ye Lan and Ye Huaquan's relationship was better than that of a typical uncle and nephew, also due to the years they spent together when he was being raised.

Ye Huaquan was in a good mood and unknowingly drank a little too much. When he drank, he was happy and became even more talkative. He ignored everyone else, pulled Ye Lan over to ramble on about this and that, and laughed heartily as he told those around them about the mischievous deeds Ye Lan had done at his house as a child.

A vein throbbed on Ye Lan's forehead... He tried his best to control his temper and not shout "Nonsense!"

But Ye Huaquan seemed to think that reminiscing about Ye Lan's embarrassing past was a heartwarming activity, and he chattered on endlessly until Ye Lan's head ached. Ye Lan asked a waiter for a pot of sobriety tea, poured a cup for Ye Huaquan himself, and handed it to him. "Moisten your throat before you continue to lecture me."

"Nonsense, who's lecturing you." Ye Huaquan said nonsensically, "You're just like this, unlike me. You don't like to listen to advice, and you have such high standards... Just like your father. You don't want to get involved with these people, right? You keep to yourself... That's good."

Ye Lan was amazed at Ye Huaquan's ability to ramble nonsense after drinking. What was all this about?

Ye Huaquan gently patted Ye Lan's hand and slurred his words in comfort, "You... you like that Jiang Chi, don't you? He's not really paying attention to you, is he? Don't worry... you just wait. Once I sign him, you can do whatever you want... I'll see if he obeys! If he dares to be disobedient, I, I..."

Ye Huaquan groggily scanned the things in front of him, then suddenly pointed at the ice cubes in a nearby champagne bucket and said, "I'll freeze him! Freeze him! Then he'll obediently go find you..."

Ye Lan let out a laugh. Whether they could even trick the person into signing was another matter, and he was already thinking of scaring him with the threat of shelving his career? Besides... Ye Lan said in disbelief, "Where did you get the idea that I like him? What have you been thinking?"

Ye Huaquan squinted, looked Ye Lan up and down, and hmphed with a laugh. "Ever since you were a child... what you like and what you don't, when have I ever guessed wrong?" Ye Huaquan looked at Ye Lan with pity, as if looking at a heartbroken man unlucky in love.

Ye Lan patiently explained to Ye Huaquan, trying his best to save face. "You might have misunderstood our relationship. There's nothing like that going on, we're just friends! And besides, he's the one who's more... how should I put this, proactive! Yes, he's the more proactive one. He's my fan, has always liked me a lot, and is very respectful towards me."

"Bullshit!" Ye Huaquan shouted, his words sharp and piercingly incisive. "If he respects you so much, why doesn't he want to come to my company?!"

Ye Lan's face turned ashen. He was speechless.

Ye Huaquan's shout was too loud. The private room fell silent for a moment. Everyone looked over awkwardly, and seeing Ye Lan's grim expression, they immediately turned their heads back and started chatting enthusiastically among themselves, playing deaf and blind, pretending they hadn't heard Ye Lan's unrequited pursuit of some unknown person being ridiculed by his own uncle.

Ye Lan closed his eyes and ground his teeth. If Jiang Chi were here right now, he would definitely, definitely...

Ye Lan downed a glass of wine. He couldn't think of a suitable punishment on the spot, and his anger flared even more.

'I have to at least pinch his ears a couple of times!'