Chapter Forty-One: A Chance Encounter

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(This is the fifth chapter for today. I've truly done my best and am just a little short of making it onto the rankings—just a little! Calling for your recommendations and bookmarks, everyone, please support me! Thank you so much. Let me catch my breath a little; things will return to normal tomorrow, I hope. Please forgive me.)

To borrow the words of Huang Yi, she just suddenly craved roast duck, so she skipped class to indulge herself. But who could have expected that she’d run into Wu Xiang here—the foolish Wu Xiang. As a classmate, how could she just stand by and let him be soaked by the rain? That was clearly out of the question.

“…We’re all united and caring as classmates. I couldn’t just leave you out there, right?” As Huang Yi said this, she and Wu Xiang were already seated inside a restaurant. There was no roast duck nearby, but there was a place for grilled skewers. With grilled skewers, of course, you need some drinks—just like fried chicken pairs with beer. Wu Xiang was generous and ordered a dozen beers.

Whatever her initial intention, Wu Xiang was grateful for the gesture. He was a person who valued gratitude, so he treated her to the meal. Huang Yi accepted with pleasure, especially since it offered shelter from the rain.

However, regarding this so-called act of saving someone in dire straits, Wu Xiang objected. “Do you really think I’m that fragile?”

“This kind of thing has nothing to do with being fragile. People have to go through things, don’t they? Heartbreak is just another experience—nothing to be embarrassed about.” After a few drinks, Huang Yi became quite uninhibited.

“Heartbreak?” Wu Xiang felt somewhat vexed. Did his face really look that much like he’d just been dumped? More than one person had thought so—Qin Hailu too. Did he really have the face of a heartbroken man?

No, that couldn’t be it. Perhaps, for this chubby girl Huang Yi, he was just a tall, skinny beanpole…

“What are you thinking about?” Huang Yi was eating and drinking with gusto, but seeing Wu Xiang’s distracted expression, she grew displeased.

“Nothing, nothing at all.” Wu Xiang immediately put on a look of utmost deference. Honestly, how had he ever been deceived by this woman before? Back in their school days, she hadn’t been this sturdy or so 'manly.' She’d been so lovely then. Alas, everything was ruined now.

But who could he blame for that? Just look at the way she ate—what could be done?

“Teacher Teng, have some more food, please…”

“We really do owe Teacher Teng our thanks this time. It’s just that things are a bit tight at the moment, so we can only offer you a meal in a place like this. When things are better, we’ll take you to the finest hotel in town and treat you properly.”

“That’s really not necessary. Eating around the school is just fine. This place is nice. I’m not one for extravagance.”

“Teacher Teng, you truly have both virtue and talent—I’ll drink to you!”

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Though it was just a grilled skewer shop, it was quite a sizable establishment, complete with private rooms. As a waiter brought out a dish and opened the door to one such room, Wu Xiang overheard the conversation, and what he saw next left him stunned.

“What are you looking at?” Huang Yi, though tipsy, hadn’t forgotten to keep an eye on Wu Xiang’s gaze. Following his line of sight, she saw that inside the private room sat an exceptionally pure and lovely beauty.

“I wasn’t looking at anything.” In just a glance, Wu Xiang recognized the beauty inside as the future “heartthrob” Chen Hao. The men inside were hardly ordinary either—the teacher they toasted was Teng Rujun, who had acted in “Red Sorghum”; the young man beside him, though not famous yet, would soon become widely known as Liu Ye. As for the middle-aged man he didn’t recognize, Wu Xiang could guess it must be Huo Jianqi.

“Come! Here’s to the great success of ‘Postmen in the Mountains’—cheers!” ...The door closed, and whatever revelry continued inside was lost to Wu Xiang.

Indeed, his guess had been spot on. It looked like they had just wrapped filming and were celebrating here. As for “Postmen in the Mountains”...

“What’s wrong with you? Why are you such a bastard?” Unexpectedly, Huang Yi, perhaps emboldened by drink, suddenly lashed out at Wu Xiang.

“What did I do?” Wu Xiang was utterly baffled by her sudden tirade.

Gulping down another drink, Huang Yi continued, “What did you do? You never learn your lesson! You’ve got your eye on another pretty girl, haven’t you? Why are you so hopeless? See one, love one? Are you going to chase after her too?...” Fueled by alcohol, she ignored the stares of other patrons and let loose her anger. To her, this beanpole sitting across the table was nothing but a scoundrel—a lecher!

Wu Xiang could only laugh, helplessly. Huang Yi was too amusing—like a jealous wife, even a bit fierce. But there were things he needed to clarify. “You’re mistaken. I really didn’t—”

“Mistaken about what? Don’t you just like pretty girls? Don’t you just like slim ones? I used to be so slim too!” The more she spoke, the more agitated she became—until—

Blagh! She’d drunk too much and promptly threw up.

“Whoa!” Wu Xiang nearly got sprayed. He hadn’t expected her to be such a lightweight. “If you can’t hold your liquor, you shouldn’t drink so much.” He hurried over to pat her on the back, but forgot the old saying: wine only deepens sorrow…

“Let me clean up, let me do it,” a waitress came over to help. Wu Xiang glanced at her and froze again.

If he wasn’t dreaming, this waitress was none other than Zhang Jingchu!

It really was Zhang Jingchu. Wu Xiang pinched himself—he wasn’t mistaken. It was indeed “Peacock Sister” Zhang Jingchu. But wasn’t she from the Central Academy of Drama? Why was she working as a waitress in a small restaurant?

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Wu Xiang swore to the heavens—he harbored no prejudice against waitresses. It was just that the contrast was a bit too stark. With a mind full of questions, he naturally had to ask.

“Are you from the Central Academy of Drama?” he inquired.

At his words, Zhang Jingchu immediately paused her work and replied with a friendly smile, “Are you from the Central Academy too? Are you a freshman? I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Hi, I’m Zhang Jingchu.”

She offered her hand, and Wu Xiang shook it.

“Hello, hello,” Wu Xiang responded quickly. “I’m Wu Xiang. I’m not from the Central Academy—I’m at the Film Academy. I just don’t understand, why are you working here?”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Zhang Jingchu was completely at ease. “It’s work-study. This place is better than flipping burgers at McDonald’s or KFC.”

So it was work-study. Still, Wu Xiang wasn’t satisfied. He gestured toward the private room, as if to ask, ‘Aren’t you embarrassed that your classmates saw you?’

“That group? I was the one who brought them here. The boss promised me a commission, haha! If you’d like, I could introduce you to some of the people inside. Of course, I’d have to charge a little intermediary fee.”

At this, Zhang Jingchu held up two fingers.

Two hundred? It was beyond belief!

Wu Xiang was left speechless. He’d never imagined that Zhang Jingchu would hustle like this…