Chapter 22: Brother Qi: This Smile is Too Hard to Suppress

“Good job, A-Yang.”

“Truly befitting of our dear little brother.”

Tang Yan and Qi Wei stepped forward together, their smiles looking dangerously sweet.

Hu Ge promptly began pleading for mercy, casting frequent glances at Zhang Yang.

“Sugar Sister, Brother Qi, we have new junior colleagues from our company here too,” Zhang Yang interjected tactfully. “Why not spare some face for our number one guy? It’ll make leading the team much easier in the future.”

Of course, Tang Yan and Qi Wei wouldn’t really do anything inappropriate; they gracefully took the hint. The latter smiled. “An apology should have some sincerity, shouldn’t it?”

“Dinner’s on me! I’ll treat you all tonight,” Hu Ge quickly offered, showing his understanding of the situation.

“Fine then, we’ll let you off this time.” Qi Wei nodded slightly before turning to Zhang Yang. “A-Yang, you’re coming along too. Last time when we tried to shoot a music video with you, there wasn’t enough time to even share a proper meal together. I want to toast to you now.”

“I won’t miss out on getting Old Hu to foot the bill for dinner—it’s not an easy feat,” Zhang Yang accepted immediately.

Hu Ge shot him a glance, instinctively retorting, “So that Western lunch two days ago was just feeding my dog?”

Zhang Yang’s eyes widened instantly as he exclaimed with feigned shock, “Oh boy, Lao Hu! I can’t believe you’d dare to insult Po Shi-jie like that.”

Hu Ge fell silent…

He certainly didn’t want to risk offending Liu Shishi.

“Cough,” Hu Ge cleared his throat, awkwardly changing the subject, “So, why don’t you introduce your shidi and shimei to Qi-ge and Tangtang?”

Zhang Yang stopped teasing Hu Ge and stepped aside, allowing the two behind him to speak. “This is Jiang Jinfu, and this is Guli Nazha Bayhetiyar.”

Jiang Jinfu and Nazha promptly greeted everyone. The latter withdrew her gaze from Zhang Yang and said, “My name is quite long; girls, feel free to call me Nazha.”

The two women merely nodded politely at Jiang Jinfu. Having heard about Hu Ge and Zhang Yang beforehand, they thought of this new signing by Tangren as just another average talent.

However, Nazha caught their attention, deemed excessively beautiful. Her youthful complexion and luminous skin left them envious; she was clearly destined for great success in the future.

Qi Wei enthusiastically grabbed Nazha’s shoulder, smiling warmly. “Nazha, isn’t it? Stick with us sisters from now on, we’ll take care of you.”

Tang Yan’s lips twitched imperceptibly.

Qi Wei’s obsession with good looks was no secret, known both within and outside their circle.

Whether it was a handsome man or a beautiful woman, she’d be smitten and want to befriend them.

Of course, these were just acquaintances; true friendships required compatible personalities and no conflicts of interest.

At first glance, Nazha clearly wasn’t in the same league as them, so there was no animosity towards her.

“Hey bro, back off,” Tang Yan said, elbowing Qi Wei aside. “If anyone’s taking Nazha around, it’s me.” She continued, “Shi Shi specifically asked me to look after this little sister. Once Sword and Fairy starts filming, I’ll be the female lead, Shi Shi will be second, and Nazha is third. Me and Nazha are going to be BFFs.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yang’s eyes flickered slightly.

If he guessed correctly, Cai Yining had already made arrangements for Nazha to learn from Hu Ge.

“But can you really have things your way?” Zhang Yang cast a subtle glance at Jiang Jinfu, feeling quite anticipatory inside.

After everyone had been introduced, Hu Ge glanced at his watch and spoke up. “A-Yang, Jinfu, Nazha, let’s go meet the producer and director.”

The trio had no objections, so with Hu Ge taking the lead, they went around greeting some of the more influential people on set.

This included Dong Xuan, as well as Qiu Ze and others who had just returned from the restroom.

After everyone exchanged pleasantries, the director announced that it was time for a new round of filming featuring scenes between Hu Ge and Dong Xuan.

They continued shooting until noon. At that point, the director raised his megaphone to declare an hour-long break for lunch.

“Since we’re pressed for time,” Hu Ge said to Zhang Yang and his friends, “I won’t bother taking you all out to a restaurant. Would you mind eating boxed lunches instead?”

“We’re here to learn, not to make things difficult for the production team,” Zhang Yang replied graciously. “Even if you arranged a restaurant, we wouldn’t go.” He then took Jiang Jinfu along to help the stagehands hand out the meal boxes.

Since he’d promised to mentor Jiang Jinfu, Zhang Yang knew he couldn’t take this task lightly.

It’s often said that dealing with low-ranking staff can be more challenging than facing powerful figures directly. Building good relationships with various crew members was essential.

Of course, if one’s status is high enough, they might invite crew members to share meals or treat them to food instead of doing such menial tasks themselves; otherwise, they risk being seen as lacking in importance.

After finishing their boxed lunches, Zhang Yang patiently began explaining details to Jiang Jinfu and Nazha.

He had to navigate the intricacies of dealing with producers, directors, assistant directors, lighting technicians, camera operators, and production assistants—each requiring a unique approach.

After the afternoon shoot commenced, Zhang Yang once again stood by, offering guidance on blocking to Nazha and Jiang Jinfu.

By three o’clock, the director announced the day’s work was done. A deputy director, one scriptwriter, and a filming crew were left behind to capture Zhang Yang’s guest appearance.

Hu Ge had already smoothed things over, so those remaining didn’t object.

The group gathered near an artificial lake beside the skyscraper. The assistant director began directing the placement of cameras.

While waiting, Qiu Ze approached Tang Yan, who was getting her makeup done. “I’ve reserved a table at XX restaurant,” he said. “Want to have dinner together tonight?”

“Huh?” Tang Yan looked up in confusion. “But Lao Hu is treating us to dinner tonight, I agreed to it, and if I remember correctly, you did too.”

“For something like this, can’t you just make up an excuse to skip out?” Qiu Ze suggested. “It’s not some crucial gathering. I rarely invite girls for dinner myself; don’t you want to spend some alone time with me?”

Tang Yan stared at him blankly.

She wanted to ask, What makes you think I’d want to spend a romantic dinner with you?

You’re pursuing me, but I haven’t even agreed yet.

Suddenly, she felt Qiu Ze was quite narcissistic—his looks were nowhere near as good as Zhang Yang’s, yet he spoke with such arrogance.

This narcissism made her feel somewhat… well, less than impressed down there.

He was already acting like this before she’d even said yes…

If she did agree, wouldn’t it be even worse?

Tang Yan pondered how to gracefully dodge his advances.

Thinking she was struggling with her decision, Qiu Ze coolly put on his sunglasses. “It’s your choice; either way is fine with me.”

Tang Yan remained silent.

Would flat-out rejecting him be too much of a slap in the face?

From afar, Zhang Yang observed the scene and whispered to Hu Ge, “Hey, Lao Hu, our junior sister and brother are watching. Let’s not get too carried away later.”

Hu Ge thought Zhang Yang was concerned about losing face if they messed up. He nodded and replied, “No problem for me. But hey, A-Yang, it’s been a while since you’ve joined us—don’t hold us back now.”

“Oh, you just wait and see,” Zhang Yang responded with a glint in his eye. Then he called out to Tang Yan, “Sis Sugar, come here quickly! Let’s run through our lines ahead of time so we can nail it in one take and finish early.”

This gave Tang Yan an escape route. She immediately told her makeup artist to pause, stood up, and jogged over to Zhang Yang and Hu Ge. “Let’s rehearse then! I didn’t eat enough at lunch, so I want to grab dinner soon.”

Left behind, bewildered and feeling utterly ignored, Qiu Ze could only stand frozen.

Qi Wei, who had watched the whole scene unfold from the side, turned away with her shoulders shaking—whether from laughter or exasperation, who could tell.

Help me, please help me suppress this smile—I’m dying!