Chapter 131

That evening, Liu Tianxian explained the situation to her mother, then went out with Fang Hong.

A luxury private room in Dongcheng District, Beijing.

Wang Zhangtian arrived with Li Xiaoping; Wang Zhangtian still wore glasses, Li Xiaoping still had long black straight hair and dark skin.

Seeing them enter, Wang Zhangtian paused, then quickly regained his composure—he had assumed the Principal wouldn't bring Liu Tianxian.

He hadn't expected Liu Tianxian to come.

He now had a sense of things: clearly, the Principal didn't take their meeting seriously.

Fang Hong hadn't even planned to talk to him; he intended to go it alone, so of course he wouldn't care about him.

Always talking about dividing the cake, bringing in investors—but there's only one cake; if you give some away, the slice left for him shrinks.

"Hello, General Manager Wang!"

Liu Tianxian stepped forward and shook hands with the two men, appearing poised and confident.

Fang Hong also extended his hand.

"General Manager Wang, General Manager Li—nice to see you again."

"Honestly, I didn't want to come; seeing the Principal reminds me how blind I was back then," Li Xiaoping joked.

"It's not your fault, General Manager Li. I've missed plenty of opportunities too, haven't I?" Fang Hong looked at Liu Tianxian.

"Look at me—I had my one stroke of perfect judgment," Liu Tianxian teased.

"Hahaha!"

Wang Zhangtian picked up on some gossip: "Tianxian, I heard you were trapped in Dunhuang before—how are you? Were you hurt?"

"Thank you for your concern, General Manager Wang. Everything's fine," Liu Tianxian replied politely.

"Please sit," Wang Zhangtian gestured.

The spacious luxury private room had a large round table, laden with various delicacies.

These dishes had already been served before Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian arrived.

"Principal, I'll just call you that," Wang Zhangtian spoke with a powerful, resonant voice.

"Fine, it's just a name—call me whatever you like," Fang Hong said indifferently.

"I've collaborated with Tianxian twice before, and it's always been pleasant. She knows my character—I don't like playing fancy games," Wang Zhangtian said.

"Yes, General Manager Wang is a true filmmaker who has mentored many newcomers and is deeply respected by everyone," Liu Tianxian replied smoothly.

Fang Hong smiled but said nothing, waiting for the other man to reveal his purpose.

Didn't he know why he was here?

"I have a project called The Four Great Constables—three films' worth of resources. I'd like to invite Liu Tianxian to play the female lead," Wang Zhangtian said, then fell silent.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian waited for him to continue—but he didn't.

"Sure, that's good for Feifei. If General Manager Wang wants her to act, that's perfect—I'm very grateful."

Fang Hong had no objection to Liu Tianxian taking The Four Great Constables—as long as she didn't strip or kiss, she could do whatever she wanted; she needed her own projects, her own circle.

Liu Tianxian listened—he wasn't opposing her taking another role—but she said nothing. Fang Hong turned and asked, "Are you free?"

"I'm free for now, but the second half of the year will be busy," Liu Tianxian said.

The second half of the year is peak season for appearances—Golden September, Silver October—stars are no different.

All kinds of events, award ceremonies, Charity Bazaar! It's only July now, not yet September or October—there's still some time.

"The production team is already ready. If it suits you, you can join immediately—filming will be at Xiangshan, planned to complete each film in one or two months, no long delays," Wang Zhangtian said.

Fang Hong and Liu Tianxian exchanged glances—he still said "if." Clearly, it wasn't guaranteed.

Wang Zhangtian turned to Fang Hong and continued to stall: "Principal, what are you busy with?"

"Just like General Manager Wang—busy filming," Fang Hong picked up his chopsticks and ate.

"I've noticed you have many projects, Principal!" Wang Zhangtian said.

"Not much—just small-scale stuff. Nothing compared to your big investments and major projects."

"Hahaha!"

Wang Zhangtian laughed. "I can't compare to you doing things on your own—you still rely on others."

He meant the producers from Hong Kong.

"Relying on others is fine too. You don't know how lonely and painful it is to go it alone—lonely, isolated, cold!"

Fang Hong's words were amusing; even Liu Tianxian beside him laughed.

But the meaning was clear—he was under heavy pressure too!

"Come on, Principal, let's drink!" Wang Zhangtian raised his glass with a smile.

Wang Zhangtian, Li Xiaoping, Liu Tianxian, and Fang Hong all raised their glasses—"clink!"

Fang Hong only sipped slightly; Liu Tianxian downed hers in one gulp, boldly.

"If you have any good projects, feel free to come to me—we can work together," Wang Zhangtian drank, then set his glass down.

Finally, the real topic emerged—The Four Great Constables was just a cover; the real target was Fang Hong.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have invited him here.

Fang Hong served Liu Tianxian some food: "If I'm not mistaken, General Manager Wang means resource exchange."

"Exactly. Resource exchange—I give Liu Tianxian The Four Great Constables, and I want to collaborate with you again. I provide the money, you provide the project," Wang Zhangtian said bluntly.

"I'm sorry, General Manager Wang—forgive me for saying this bluntly, but I have money and people. Why should I collaborate with you?" Fang Hong countered.

This surprised all three—he had clearly offered Liu Tianxian The Four Great Constables and asked Fang Hong to contribute a film project, with him footing the entire cost.

Liu Tianxian understood too, but she didn't know Fang Hong's intent and stayed silent.

"If I'm not mistaken, you and Tianxian are boyfriend and girlfriend," Wang Zhangtian said.

"Then can I interpret this as you using your relationship with Tianxian to pressure me into collaborating?" Fang Hong's expression darkened: "In other words, if I don't cooperate with you, The Four Great Constables won't go to Tianxian."

Wang Zhangtian fell silent; he did have such an intention.

Liu Tianxian also fell silent; using their relationship as leverage made her feel uneasy.

She only wanted to quietly fall in love—work was work, feelings were feelings.

"Let me put it this way, General Manager Wang: if you're going to give me this role, give it to me—I'll remember your kindness, and if I have good projects, I'll naturally come to you."

"If you don't, I won't blame you—every company has its own development decisions; it's perfectly normal."

"But using our relationship as leverage? That's wrong. Today you give Tianxian a role to come ask me for resources—tomorrow will someone else give Tianxian a role and come ask me for resources?"

"Am I some kind of charity? Is the cake yours to cut however you like?"

Fang Hong's final words were harsh.

His words struck a chord with Liu Tianxian; she shared Fang Hong's view—if anyone used their relationship to pressure them,

then they might as well let everyone manipulate them.

"General Manager Wang, I'm very interested in cooperating on this drama, but if your intentions aren't pure, I won't accept it." Liu Tianxian's nature was also resolute.

Otherwise, after being targeted repeatedly before, she would've already surrendered—why wait until today?

The couple's unified stance left Wang Zhangtian at a loss for words.

He had originally planned to exploit the fact that Liu Tianxian had offended the Hong Kong circle, and that the Principal was closely tied to her—using both sides.

Get Liu Tianxian to act, get the Principal to cooperate—perfect! Although "The Four Great Constables" was a Hong Kong resource, it was being led by Guang County.

But he hadn't expected to trigger their wrath, as they believed he was exploiting their pure love as leverage.

This was troublesome. "Is 'love' that valuable? General Manager Wang didn't mean it that way—you two may have misunderstood." Li Xiaoping quickly tried to defuse the tension.

"Yes, I had no intention of offending either of you—I simply wanted mutual cooperation and mutual benefit," Wang Zhangtian said.

He wasn't afraid of offending the Principal—he just felt he'd overplayed his hand.

There was no way—he couldn't outmaneuver Fang Hong. Fang Hong knew exactly what Wang Zhangtian was planning the moment he moved.

Regardless of whether it was for Liu Tianxian, he could never tie his entire company to her career.

"If you want to cooperate with Tianxian, talk to her—I won't get involved. If you want to cooperate with me, talk to me—I'm always available. As for our personal matters, we'll handle them ourselves—no outsiders may interfere."

Fang Hong made his position perfectly clear.

Anyone who interferes in the future will be crushed—except Liu Xiaoli!

"Understood, Principal. Then today we'll only discuss 'The Four Great Constables,' nothing else."

Wang Zhangtian raised his glass, facing Liu Tianxian: "Tianxian, I toast you—may our cooperation be fruitful."

"."

"The Four Great Constables" was quickly settled; Liu Tianxian, unsurprisingly, accepted the role.

For her current stage, this was an excellent resource.

As for the matter between Fang Hong and Wang Zhangtian, they'd arrange another meeting.

Fang Hong did have projects to cooperate on with Wang Zhangtian—just not films, but other projects.

After eating and drinking their fill, the four parted ways.

It was already very late; the hotel's exterior was dimly lit. Liu Tianxian had drunk too much and was drunk, leaning against Fang Hong's chest, stumbling as she walked.

Fang Hong had drunk very little—he disliked alcohol, having been burned by it in his past life.

In his past life, he'd drunk too much and been tricked! Under the dim streetlights, Fang Hong held Liu Tianxian's waist with one hand, walked to the car, opened the door, and placed her in the passenger seat.

Then he fastened her seatbelt and got into the driver's seat.

But he didn't start the car—he just stared at Liu Tianxian's flushed face, her red lips alluring, her post-drink allure radiating an irresistible charm.

This stirred turmoil in Fang Hong's heart—after all, the opportunity was rare. He wondered whether he should find a place and take her! "Huh!"

He took a deep breath, suppressed his inner agitation, and started the car.

But the scene of the two clinging together had been secretly photographed by a reporter.

Beneath the neon lights lining the night road, Liu Tianxian's cheeks were flushed, her head resting against the glass, as if passed out from drink.

Fang Hong drove, his fingers tapping incessantly on the steering wheel, his mind torn in struggle.

At this moment, he desperately wanted to sleep with Liu Tianxian—after pursuing her for over a year, investing so much effort and emotion. If she were an ordinary girl, they'd already be in bed.

Actually, sleeping together wouldn't be a big deal.

Thinking this, Fang Hong turned the steering wheel—*screech! *—the car veered to the roadside and stopped.

He reached out, brushed aside her hair, gazed at her lovely face, and leaned in.

But as his lips neared hers, he hesitated—it felt like taking advantage of her vulnerability.

They were now mere inches apart; Liu Tianxian's eyes were half-closed, her breath light, the scent of alcohol mingling with her natural fragrance, intoxicating! This made Fang Hong struggle to control himself—he wanted to unbutton her clothes, but stopped.

If he took advantage of her now and she never forgave him afterward, their relationship would be over.

The main issue was he didn't know how Liu Tianxian viewed "sex."

"Mmm!"

As he wrestled with his thoughts, Liu Tianxian murmured, shifted her head slightly, and their lips brushed lightly—like an electric shock.

This intensified Fang Hong's urge; his body burned!

He clenched his fists tightly, plunged into endless inner struggle, and finally, as if making a monumental decision, kissed her tempting lips.

Today's over.

(End of Chapter)