CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 26 TIME TO EAT

Qin Jiran’s new drama crew began its preparations, with two scripts in hand: one was a modern drama with strong satirical elements about power and color, and the other was an ancient fantasy script. The former was titled "Power Struggle," while the latter was called "Master of Skills." After thorough deliberation and comparison, Qin Jiran decided to shoot the modern drama "Power Struggle" first.

"Power Struggle" featured a police protagonist and included elements of suspense, but it mostly explored the relationships between human nature, morality, and law under the influence of power. The story unfolds from a car accident scene, revealing the complicated background of the at-fault driver and the upright police officer’s high price paid in the pursuit of truth.

In reality, this script was not particularly likable or trendy, but its strong narrative made it highly filmable. After much thought, Qin Jiran chose to shoot this one first.

Moreover, "Master of Skills" required more preparation time, so shooting "Power Struggle" first allowed for simultaneous preparation for "Master of Skills." It was a two-for-one, efficient arrangement.

Qin Jiran naturally played the lead role in "Power Struggle," and for the director, he turned to his regular collaborator, Guo Zekai, who had worked with him on two films before. Guo was a rising star in the director’s circle, particularly shining in modern dramas. The movie that won Qin Jiran the Starlight Award was also directed by Guo.

Upon receiving Qin Jiran’s invitation, Guo Zekai immediately met with him, read the script, and crisply agreed to direct the film, as he also liked the story very much.

As for the investors, Su Yanyi chose to invest personally rather than through her company, believing in both the script and Qin Jiran.

Besides the director and male lead, the casting of the female lead and other actors, as well as assembling the crew, fell upon Qin Jiran and Guo Zekai. This made Qin Jiran increasingly busy to the point where he didn’t even have time to learn cooking skills anymore.

Not having time to learn cooking was not a big deal, but the important thing was that he didn’t even have time to cook meals anymore. Although breakfast was still nutritious and exquisite, the promised lunch and dinner had disappeared!

Su Yanyi was not pleased; just because she was cold didn’t mean she had a good temper. She was inevitably going to look for her husband, who had disappeared from kitchen duties!

"Xiao Ling, where is he?" For the first time, Su Yanyi activated the System’s location tracker.

[Master, the male master is in the studio, downstairs, oh, very close, do you want to go find the male master?] Zero Zero One’s soft and cute voice was filled with eagerness, seemingly more interested in finding Qin Jiran than Su Yanyi was.

"Why is it one voice when adding points, and now another voice, what is the difference between you?"

[That is the voice of the System’s program, which is unintelligent, but I am intelligent, so of course, it’s different.]

"Is pretending to be cute fun?" For some reason, hearing the System’s cute voice made Su Yanyi feel not quite right.

[Am I being rejected by the master?] Zero Zero One continued its cute act.

Su Yanyi didn’t feel like entertaining Zero Zero One any longer and cleaned up the files on her desk before leaving the office.

Qin Jiran was discussing casting with Guo Zekai, with assistant Jiang Xiaobin serving them on the side, occasionally sneaking glances at Qin Jiran. The look on his face became especially odd when he saw the cooking book in front of him; if news that Brother Qin was reading a cookbook in his spare time were to spread, it would probably set off a frenzy among his fans. He epitomized the model of a perfect man for the century.

As they talked, dinner time arrived, but the three men present seemingly had no intention of eating. When they got busy, who had time to think about meals?

Then, Su Yanyi pushed the door open and walked in at this moment, completely ignoring the matter of knocking.

The three men all turned to look at Su Yanyi, with different expressions and reactions, but their physical response was exactly the same—the instant she entered, all three of them stood up.

"President Su!" Their movements were in unison, and so was the greeting, but such a title made the other two men look at Qin Jiran simultaneously.

Qin Jiran instantly realized that, if it had been before their relationship became public, such a form of address would have been perfectly fine. But now that they were openly together, it seemed too formal. He had called her that instinctively in front of others, a habit formed from the past.

"Ahem, Yanyi, you’re here." Qin Jiran tried to make his behavior seem more normal.

Su Yanyi’s gaze swept around before finally landing on Qin Jiran’s face, and then she calmly stated, "It’s time to eat."

And at that moment, Qin Jiran laughed!

[Congratulations, Host, for completing a task. One point added. Current score is five. Please continue to make an effort, Host!]

Laughed again? Made fun of again? He laughed when she ate, and now he laughs when she says it’s time to eat? What exactly does this mean? Is he ridiculing her for only knowing how to eat?

Five points! She had been laughed at five times, heartfelt laughter, indeed, but also a heartfelt mockery! This Qin Jiran, with his taste for appreciation unlike most, stirred within her the genuine desire to drag him out and give him a good thrashing as a lesson!

The corners of Su Yanyi’s eyes twitched, and she turned and walked away, but fortunately, before leaving, she added, "Let’s eat together!"

Qin Jiran also noticed that Su Yanyi seemed a bit angry, but there was no chance to ask her about it; he could only signal the other two to follow her.

Although Su Yanyi really wanted to eat the food personally cooked by Qin Jiran, it obviously wasn’t the right time. So the group of four found a nearby restaurant, and the dishes were served quickly. But the atmosphere was quite strange because no one was speaking.

Jiang Xiaobin naturally had the lowest presence, but Guo Zekai’s presence wasn’t strong either. As a very well-known up-and-coming director, Guo Zekai was someone many in the entertainment industry tried to cozy up to, a figure of note in public. But that amount of face didn’t quite carry enough weight in front of Su Yanyi.

Su Yanyi was the current queen of the domestic entertainment industry. No one in the circle dared to disrespect her, unless they no longer wished to be a part of it.

When Guo Zekai first met Qin Jiran not long ago, the first thing he did wasn’t to discuss the script but to offer congratulations, using an incredulous tone laced with both envy and jealousy, as well as curiosity. And it wasn’t just Guo Zekai—anyone who knew Qin Jiran, after the press conference, would call him with a tone more surprised than the next, to the point where Qin Jiran would get tired of answering the phone.

Many people would ask Qin Jiran just how he managed to win over Queen Su. To this, Qin Jiran could only respond with silence—after all, his method of pursuit was still brewing.

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