Saturday was sunny and windy, a rare day of good weather.
Li Tang returned to the Wuyuan Road apartment. It was almost Chinese New Year and he cleaned it inside and out. The Xingfu 90 that had been parked in the carport had accumulated a layer of dust. I gave it a good scrubbing and took it out for a couple of walks. The car was prone to damage if it was kept parked.
He and Xu Guangtou made an appointment to meet at Oedo Japanese Food Store on Hubin Road at six o'clock in the evening. That guy likes to eat Japanese food.
When Li Tang got out of the taxi, he happened to see Baldy Xu who had just arrived. Not only did he pull down the brim of his peaked cap very low, he was also wearing sunglasses. You said it was dark today, don't you think so? It’s hard to get noticed.
"No, boss, it's so exaggerated!"
Li Tang smiled and walked over.
Bald Xu took off his sunglasses, smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm afraid of being recognized now. As long as I am recognized, I will be like that pig!"
Li Tang was overjoyed when he heard it: "Hahaha, isn't the Pig Monster pretty good? It shows that the Pig Monster you played is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people."
Bald Xu glared: "Let's go upstairs!"
As a relatively well-known Japanese food store, Oedo has a very good business on weekdays, and is especially crowded on weekends. Bald Xu had booked a table in advance. After sitting down, Bald Xu put the cloth bag he had been carrying in front of Li Tang.
"What to do?"
Although he had promised to pay back the money, Li Tang opened the bag and took a look, oh, there was a bundle of hundred-yuan bills tied with a sealing tape, with the bank's seal "hundreds of thousands yuan" on it.
"One hundred thousand yuan, a round number!"
As he spoke, Bald Xu took out his wallet again from his pocket, counted twelve cards and handed them over: "The annual interest rate is 2.25%, and the half-year interest is equivalent to 1,200 yuan!"
It was really amazing in the 1990s. The highest bank deposit interest rate was 14%, but in recent years it has been falling continuously, from the highest point to the current annual interest rate of only a pitiful 2.25%.
"So polite!"
Having said that, Li Tang took the money from Bald Xu's hand without hesitation and put it into his pocket easily.
Then he said: "You are so serious. It's easy to just transfer money to the bank. You have to pay back the cash for whatever you do. I still have to deposit it in the bank, Fanfa!"
Guangtou Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Li Tang accepting the interest. He was most afraid of owing favors, so he smiled and said: "There is no sense of ceremony in cash. I have to thank you this time for saving my life!"
After saying that, he looked at Li Tang expectantly.
Li Tang seemed completely unaware, waving his hands and saying nonchalantly: "They are all members of our own family, what are we talking about!"
After saying that, he said with great interest: "It seems that you are in a good situation now!"
Guangtou Xu was a little anxious when he saw that he had not made any move, and said hurriedly: "It's okay. I just signed a contract with Hainan Zhouyi. This is an advance payment for the film. I won't owe any debts during the New Year."
He deliberately emphasized the words "no debt".
But Li Tang was still sitting there in a daze, thinking: Oh, it looks like this guy must have negotiated a good price. Previously, he delayed signing the contract until "Zhu Bajie" started airing. It seems that this is the right move. With the current ratings of "Zhu Bajie", even doubling the salary would not be excessive.
"Boss, can you tell me how much the salary for this trip is?"
"How can such a thing be revealed easily?"
Bald Xu finally became anxious and said directly: "Hey, don't gossip too much, take out the IOU first!"
"oh!"
Li Tang then showed a look of sudden realization, took out the IOU from his pocket, handed it to him with a smile and said, "I almost forgot about it."
Baldy Xu knew that this guy was looking at him again, so he grabbed it, looked at it carefully, and then put it safely into his pocket.
At this time, he showed a comfortable smile and said: "Today we brothers will enjoy two glasses of old wine."
In his opinion, a friend who can lend money at critical moments is a true friend. Li Tang is good at everything, but sometimes he is a bit out of tune.
Japanese sake is bland and tasteless, and the taste in your mouth is no different from that of Chongming old liquor that costs five yuan a barrel. It is also very expensive.
Of course, what you get when you come to a place like this to eat is the atmosphere. The variety of Japanese food here is quite rich, in addition to sashimi, sushi, avocados and barbecue. To be honest, the barbecue in the Japanese restaurant is really good, dipped in their secret recipe The sauce tastes great.
After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.
Li Tang asked: "Boss, has the heroine of "Li Wei Becomes an Official" been decided?"
Guangtou Xu thought for a while, shook his head and said, "I heard that there are already several candidates, but it seems that the details have not been decided yet."
As he said that, he looked at Li Tang and asked, "What, do you want to recommend someone?"
Li Tang had nothing to hide about this kind of thing, not to mention that he wanted Xu Guangtou to help beat the drum, so he told Zhou Ping and Jiang Xuerou about his recommendation of Fan Xiaopang.
"Fan Binbin should be able to do it. He is beautiful and famous, which is enough."
Bald Xu has read the script. Although Yue Siying is the female lead, she is actually just using Yue Siying and Yue Xiaoman, the two orphans of the Yue family, to introduce the Yue Zifeng case to advance the plot.
As for Yue Siying's martial arts skills as Li Wei's bodyguard, and Li Wei's infatuation with Yue Siying, these are just seasonings, adding an element of love.
After all, the only protagonist of this drama is Li Wei, while Yue Siying exists more as a vase.
"Since you've told the big boss, it should be fine."
Li Tang scratched his head and said, "But at that time, President Zhou and Sister Xuerou both said that the role needed to be decided by the director."
A sarcastic smile appeared on Bald Xu's face. He had seen that director before, and he was just a fledgling young director. In fact, he was not satisfied with the young director. Because this person has no resume at all. He has filmed several commercials before and served as the assistant director of several film and television dramas.
As everyone knows, the assistant director is, to put it bluntly, a high-level handyman.
But then he thought about it, and a weak director was not all bad. At least he had ideas that he could express, and he might even be able to overpower the director to implement them.
In this case, think about it, for a weak young director who has never been on his own, how could the producer let him decide on the heroine? To put it bluntly, it's all about relationships, it just depends on whose relationship is stronger.
"This is just a talk, uh... like this, I'll mention it to you later."
At this time, Bald Xu was happy to be a favor. Regardless of whether it worked or not, at least he had paid back the favor that Li Tang had borrowed.
"Thank you, boss!"
Li Tang immediately picked up the wine glass and drank it first as a token of respect!
…
Early the next morning, Li Tang ran five kilometers as usual, and then practiced big guns.
It is said that the fist cannot leave the hands and the music cannot leave the mouth. Because I had been staying in the hotel of Shengqiang Film and Television City, I had not practiced with the gun for more than a month, so the movements were a lot jerky. So he increased the amount of training in the past two days, including two more sets of basic stabbing skills than usual.
After sweating in the middle of winter and then taking a shower, I feel refreshed and energetic.
When he walked to the living room and picked up his cell phone, he found that there were actually three missed calls because he had set the vibrator and didn't hear them.
At first glance, the number turned out to be from Jiang Qinqin.
"Girls, you should have some free time, it's so early in the morning."
Li Tang muttered and called back.
The call was connected immediately.
"Hey, Qinqin, you called me so early, do you miss me?"
Jiang Qinqin was probably used to his slippery tongue, so she said directly: "Last time you asked me to treat you to dinner, does that still count?"
"It counts. How can my words not count? Hey, it's almost time to finish your work, right?"
"Well, the last night scene last night was finished."
She is the main heroine, and it is estimated that the whole drama will be almost finished once her scenes are completed. At most, the director may have to add some scenes, etc., and delay it for a few days.
But now that your play has been completed, you can go back. The Chinese New Year is coming soon.
Just as Li Tang was cursing and organizing his words, he heard her say again: "Hey, talk, I'm free at noon today."
Since he took it seriously, Li Tang could only bite the bullet and said, "Uh, what do you want to eat?"
"You are the host, you say so!"
"Then how about I treat you to some Japanese food? I know a good restaurant."
Li Tang thought of the Oedo restaurant where he and Xu Baldy had eaten two days ago. It's okay to invite girls to dinner. It doesn't matter what you eat, but the atmosphere is important.
"I don't like Japanese food."
"That……"
Li Tang thought for a while, then gritted his teeth and said: "The Magnolia Chinese Restaurant in the Garden Hotel is very good. I'll invite you to eat there."
The Magnolia Chinese Restaurant in the Garden Hotel is also considered a well-known restaurant in Shanghai at the moment. It specializes in Hong Kong-style Cantonese and Shanghai cuisine. It tastes good and has a good environment. Of course, another feature is that it is expensive!
"I've eaten there before, so that's it."
"..."
I almost forgot, it’s not unusual for someone to be a big star.
Li Tang had no choice but to say: "Then where do you want to go?"
"I remember you said that your family owns a restaurant, so don't bother and just come to your house to eat."
As soon as Jiang Qinqin finished speaking, Li Tang said hurriedly: "No, no, no, no. Ours is a small restaurant, just home-cooked food, and the environment is average. Let's change to a place with a higher quality and a better environment, okay?"
Are you kidding me? Apart from his ex-girlfriend, he has never brought any other woman home. Especially for beautiful celebrities like Jiang Qinqin, he was worried that Lao Li would misunderstand. And with my father's tendency to be arrogant, show off, and brag, it would be quite embarrassing.
"not good!"
Jiang Qinqin could tell that the more Li Tang didn't want her to go, the more she insisted on going, and she even felt a sense of revenge.
"You said that the really delicious food in Shanghai is hidden in small restaurants on the streets. If I don't go anywhere else, I will go to your restaurant."
Li Tang could imagine the smug look on Jiang Qinqin's face on the other end of the phone, and with her stubborn, fatalistic, and serious character, Li Tang knew that nothing he could say would be of any use. Unless she doesn't admit it, then the relationship between the two will be severed, and she might still be resented by her.
In desperation, Li Tang had no choice but to say: "Okay, then when will you come over? I will give you the address."
"I'm still at Shengqiang Hotel. Come pick me up."
Second update!
(End of chapter)
