Chapter 359

Watching the two cars pull farther and farther apart, the car ahead showed no sign of slowing down, and Cha Li and the others felt the other side shouldn't be so petty; otherwise, even if they didn't immediately cause trouble, they'd at least throw out some harsh words.

All right, don't overthink it, we'll be at the square soon." Cha Li said.

The two in the back seat grunted an "uh," but they kept feeling that the other side taking phone photos before leaving was a bit like saying after an elementary-school quarrel, "You better not leave after school."

He shook his head; they were probably overthinking it.

Zheng Tan didn't think much of it; although he'd just been sprayed with snot, he'd slapped the other guy back, evening the score.

We came out to get some air, not to take abuse. Adjust your mindset, let loose and have fun—that's the right way.

After looping around the vicinity of the destination square to get a rough impression, Cha Li found a spot to park the car, and then the three of them plus the cat headed toward the square.

This commercial plaza combines leisure and entertainment, with amusement facilities and a shopping center, and sees a lot of young people coming and going.

Shopping is a bit difficult since we have a cat, so we first find a place to sit, then take turns buying things. On this trip, we'll pick up some specialty items to bring back.

Because Zheng Tan was with us, many stores weren't convenient for bringing a cat in, and some food shops even had signs restricting pets, so after Cha Li had looked around, he picked a drink stall at the edge, whose outdoor area had some tables, chairs, and parasols; the plaza also had some rest tables and chairs set up there, and since it was probably work and school hours, there weren't many people. There was still an empty table, so Cha Li hurried over.

The drink stall's shaded tables were all taken, so Cha Li and the others looked for the plaza's public, immovable tables and chairs, which also lacked parasols. Fortunately, the weather wasn't hot, so the three rough guys could bask in the sun without issue.

Cha Li and Zheng Tan stayed here first, while the other two went to buy some food and, incidentally, check for any specialty souvenirs.

A volunteer came over with a newspaper, Cha Li bought a copy to support the charity sale for education, and also took a look at the city's news.

Zheng Tan crouched on the chair, looked around, and then his gaze fell on a table not far away.

Under the parasol, two women were seated; one wore sunglasses, the other, who looked about twenty and had her hair in a ponytail, was whispering something to the former, who replied with a few words.

Zheng Tan didn't recognize the ponytail-wearing woman. However, he did have an impression of the woman in sunglasses—not from her face, but from recognizing her voice.

If Zheng Tan remembered correctly, that woman was Yang Huai xi, who lived downstairs downstairs from them, had even come upstairs to visit, and had left a box of high‑grade tea leaves.

Probably because she was wearing sunglasses, Cha Li and the others hadn't recognized her when they glanced around earlier. Zheng Tan, sitting on the sofa that day at an angle, hadn't seen her face, but he remembered her voice; although her voice now wasn't loud and would be hard to discern by ear here, it wasn't too difficult for Zheng Tan.

He also recalled her saying she was an agent with a few little stars under her, so maybe the other woman, who looked pretty fresh and clean‑cut, was also a star? But she wasn't wearing sunglasses or a hat. Aren't stars supposed to wear sunglasses, hats, or some disguise when they go out? At least Zheng Tan felt that way.

After looking that way for a while, Zheng Tan shifted his gaze elsewhere, and then he saw a rather strange person at the corner beside the area.

That person stood before the glass of the neighboring shop, his face twitching as if having a spasm.

Out of curiosity, Zheng Tan meant to go over and have a look; just as he jumped down from the chair, Cha Li noticed. Even while reading the newspaper, he would occasionally divert his attention to watch Zheng Tan.

"Hei…z, don't wander off." Cha Li said somewhat nervously, afraid Zheng Tan would run off. Although the cat had once darted off mid‑shoot during outdoor pet ads and videos filmed in Chu Hua Shi, here it was an unfamiliar city, and trouble would be hard to handle.

Zheng Tan glanced at Cha Li, indicating he understood, and continued walking over there.

The shop at the corner is connected to the shopping mall and uses one‑way mirror glass, so from outside, anyone standing there facing the glass sees themselves as if in a mirror.

The person before the glass looked to be about twenty as well, dressed unobtrusively. At that moment, standing before the glass, his facial expression shifted—sometimes angry, sometimes worried, sometimes embarrassed—one moment as if he had swallowed a delicacy and savored it endlessly, the next as if he had smelled dog feces and wanted to spit it all out.

Someone who didn't understand might suspect the person was mentally ill or had a facial spasm, but Zheng Tan felt he was probably practicing acting, since he would occasionally pause to think, then slowly adjust his facial expression toward the glass.

Zheng Tan walked over, crouched nearby, and closely watched the person "changing faces" against the glass.

Probably because Zheng Tan's focus was too intense, the person slightly shifted his gaze, saw the cat's reflection in the mirror, turned sideways to look at Zheng Tan about a meter away behind him, and then scratched his head embarrassedly.

Being stared at like that made him feel a bit embarrassed, even though the watcher was just a cat.

"Boot! Come here a moment."

Over there, Yang Huai xi waved at this side, and Zheng Tan also noticed that she was sitting at the very table he had just vacated, talking with Cha Li; another young woman also took a seat there.

"Mr. Cha, this is Xue Ding; we all call him Little Boot. Boot, this is Mr. Cha." Yang Huai xi introduced them to each other.

Originally there were only four chairs here; now three people have come over, and Zheng Tan has no seat, so he simply crouched beside them—he saw no reason to quibble with the three over a single chair.

Cha Li glanced at Zheng Tan, saw he wasn't impatient, relaxed a little, and then continued speaking with the three, somewhat formally.

From what they said, Zheng Tan learned that the woman with framed glasses was Tao Qi, the youngster who had been practicing expressions on the glass earlier was Xue Ding, and both were playing supporting roles in this film.

Tao Qi graduated this year, coming from a formal training background. Not long ago she was signed by Yi Xing Culture; as for Xue Ding, he had never received systematic acting training, but had done a few years as an extra, after which Yang Yi noticed him and recruited him. They are both part of this new batch of signees.

"There's no shooting today; I noticed they were too nervous, so I brought them out to relax. Since they're newcomers with no fame, sitting outside also means no one comes to bother them."

Yang Huai xi laughed while speaking with Cha Li; everything she said, between the lines, was about those two. Cha Li found it puzzling. Praising newcomers in front of him was pointless—he wasn't even from Yi Xing Culture, so he basically had no say.

Yang Huai xi is a distant relative of Yang Yi in modern society—even more distant than in ancient times. Yang Yi only took her on because an elder recommended her, and after seeing that she had a few years of experience and was decent, he let her mentor the newcomers. Besides that, Yang Yi won't specially open a convenient door for her; she has to manage everything herself.

And the reason Yang Huai xi is being so courteous to Cha Li, and also introducing her two newcomers through him, is that she happened to see the car Yang Yi had specially modified for Cha Li and them; from information she got from Yang Yi's family elders, if Yang Yi didn't value something, he wouldn't personally arrange it—which is also why she went upstairs that day to inquire. She doesn't expect Cha Li to have great ability; she just needs to mention Tao Qi and Xue Ding's merits when talking with Yang Yi, since her current career hinges on these two, and this film is of utmost importance—gaining Yang Yi's extra favor would be even better.

If Cha Li knew Yang Huai xi's thoughts, he would surely tell her, "The real person with authority is the one you just stole a seat from—he's currently crouching boredly by the side, yawning on the ground!"

Just then, Tao Qi's phone rang.

"Sorry, I need to take a call." Saying that, Tao Qi got up and stepped away a few paces; shortly after returning, she told Yang Huai xi, "Sister Yang, Ailin says she and Luo Na De will come over later."

Yang Huai xi's eyes flashed with a hint of displeasure, but she quickly recovered and gave Cha Li a brief introduction to the two.

Ailin was signed by Yi Xing Culture in the same batch as Tao Qi; Ailin had previously participated in filming a TV drama, earning two thousand per episode, and now it's said someone else is seeking her, raising her fee to five thousand per episode—in Yang Huai xi's view, Tao Qi's biggest competitor is Ailin. As for Luo Na De, he is a person of mixed heritage from three countries, and that so‑called "three‑country mixed blood" actually refers to the three major East Asian nations.

Zheng Tan just didn't get it—if you want mixed blood, why mix it so closely? What kind of mixed blood is this three‑country thing?!

Ailin is also a supporting role in this drama, with screen time comparable to Tao Qi's; Luo Na De, however, is not from Yi Xing Culture—he just finished an idol drama that has some popularity among middle‑school students, and in this film he plays the male second lead, giving him considerably more screen time than the other supporting characters.

Reading between Yang Huai xi's lines, the implication was that Luo Na De has some family backing and got this role through connections.

Zheng Tan could see that Yang Huai xi didn't think much of either of them, especially Luo Na De.

Zheng Tan also didn't take to Luo Na De—it was just a gut feeling.

Soon, Zheng Tan's intuition proved accurate.

The person approaching from that direction, wearing sunglasses and striking an idol‑pose affectation, was Luo Na De—the very guy who had almost stepped on Zheng Tan's hind paw earlier today.

As Luo Na De walked over, Zheng Tan noticed several young girls glancing this way—something that hadn't happened before.

At the same time, Zheng Tan felt Luo Na De glance his way and immediately became alert.

"I'll go fetch two stools," said Xue Ding as he rose to get them, since this side only had four seats, the newcomers would have nowhere to sit, and besides, their status outranked his own; Xue Ding didn't want to put Yang Huai xi in a difficult spot.

"Don't be polite, sit down, sit down—I'll get them myself." Luo Na De patted Xue Ding on the shoulder, then walked around.

As he passed the spot where Zheng Tan was crouched, Luo Na De lifted his foot and stepped straight down on Zheng Tan's cat tail, appearing to be an unintentional motion.

Zheng Tan quickly retracted his tail, wrapping it around his foot, and lifted his head to look at Luo Na De.

Luo Na De, wearing sunglasses, tilted his head slightly toward Zheng Tan, raised an eyebrow, then headed straight for another table where a stool was free.

Zheng Tan looked at Luo Na De's back, narrowing his eyes.

It's the second time.

Although it's said not to happen more than three times, and when leaving Chu Hua Shi, Jiao Ma still reminded Zheng Tan not to cause trouble, but Zheng Tan isn't good-tempered; he doesn't want to give someone a third chance to step on him.

First time stepping on the foot, second time stepping on the tail—who knows, maybe the third time I'll be able to step on the whole thing directly!

By then, it seems there are still several scenes with this Luo Na De?

Perfect, this person isn't from Elegant Interest Culture; by then I'll screw him a few times—Yang Yi and Kong Han probably won't lose their temper, right? (To be continued...)