Chapter 83

"Siyi, what did you need me for?"

Looking at Wang Siyi, whose face was pure and innocent, one had to admit—this woman was truly beautiful, her complexion like peach blossoms, her breath fragrant as orchids.

With the Jinlian filter enhancing her, just hearing her sweet, coquettish voice was enough to make one lose control.

When she played Pan Jinlian, she was only twenty-six; now, four years later, she was like a fully ripe peach, naturally seductive, her charm even more refined.

Of course, Cheng Chen was not an animal who thought only with his lower body; he harbored doubts about her coming to him so willingly.

"It's like this—my birthday is coming up in a few days, and the crew can't stop filming right now."

"I wanted to invite everyone to celebrate together; I've invited everyone else, and you just came back from Jingcheng."

"We haven't seen each other in a while, so I thought I'd invite you too—you wouldn't turn me down, would you?"

As Wang Siyi spoke, her tone was full of pleading, yet no matter how you listened, it sounded like she was pouting.

A thirty-year-old mature woman pouting sweetly at you—who could resist that?

Given Cheng Chen's current popularity and his relationship with the director and Hou Yong, Wang Siyi naturally wouldn't miss inviting him if she was throwing a birthday party.

It was just a simple meal; after learning the exact time and place, Cheng Chen didn't hesitate to agree.

"Then it's settled—you can't back out then!"

With that, Wang Siyi laughed and swayed her waist as she left.

…

The production of "The Great Dye House" was proceeding at a steady pace; as a TV drama preliminarily scheduled for release in July, the crew still had plenty of time.

So during filming, they strove to restore every detail accurately.

Meanwhile, the crew's atmosphere was excellent, thanks to Director Wang Wenjie's cheerful and open personality.

Sometimes, a director's temperament truly affects the entire crew's mood.

During filming, Wang Wenjie's face, covered in thick facial hair, was often smiling.

Thus, his laughter became the crew's barometer for the day's shooting conditions.

If anyone didn't hear the director's laughter on a given day, everyone grew uneasy.

Cheng Chen remembered once, from the start of rehearsal until lunch, Wang Wenjie hadn't smiled once—the whole crew felt on edge.

Cheng Chen himself became extra cautious, terrified of making a mistake.

At lunch, the assistant director Yu Weiping approached him nervously.

Though they were close friends outside the set, the crew's hierarchy was strict, and he never cut corners during filming.

Yu Weiping asked apologetically whether something had gone wrong with the morning's shoot—why hadn't he laughed?

Wang Wenjie laughed—it turned out he'd had a toothache since last night.

He'd been gritting his teeth all morning while coaching the actors; how could he have had the energy to laugh?

Hearing this, the crew felt as if they'd swallowed a calming pill and resumed filming with peace of mind.

After filming, Cheng Chen specifically sought out a folk remedy.

"Director Wang, here's Yunnan Baiyao—use a toothpick to pick up a bit of Yunnan Baiyao, mix it with a drop of boiling water into a paste."

"Dip the toothpick in the paste and pack it into the painful tooth; usually, the pain stops within three to five minutes."

Cheng Chen brought it to Wang Wenjie's room like a precious gift.

Wang Wenjie looked utterly skeptical—but once he applied the paste, the toothache vanished.

This delighted Wang Wenjie immensely; he praised Cheng Chen as an old Chinese doctor!

He immediately began humming a tune—yes, the bearded director loved to sing.

After finishing a major scene, he would often belt out a song with full passion.

As for whether he sang well—that was a matter of personal taste.

So when Wang Siyi invited him to her birthday party,

he didn't refuse.

"The schedule doesn't list any night scenes that evening, hmm, I won't come."

"I still have several scenes to work on—you guys go ahead, drink less alcohol, happy birthday!"

As a fellow from Wan Sheng, Wang Siyi was still treated kindly by the crew.

Since this wasn't a matter of principle, a little leniency was acceptable.

After all, the crew had no explicit ban on actors drinking when not filming.

"Alright, Director Wang, if you have time, come over too—sing a song or two, just to relax. I've already sent you the time and address on your phone."

Wang Siyi said with a smile.

…

On Wang Siyi's birthday.

When Cheng Chen arrived at the reserved private room, quite a few people had already come.

The room was neither too big nor too small, able to hold about twenty people, split into two tables.

Those present were all crew members with notable fame or important positions.

Cheng Chen was someone who always paid attention to atmosphere; he got along well with many people on the crew.

Added to his current popularity, many greeted him with smiles.

"Teacher Cheng, over here!"

Sun Li waved to Cheng Chen.

Cheng Chen apologized to the person he was sitting with and joined Sun Li's table.

At this table, Cheng Chen was familiar with Assistant Director Yu Weiping, Hou Yong, Sun Li, and Sha Rina, who played Zhou Caiqin, the wife of Chen Shouting.

Of course, there was also Wang Siyi, the birthday girl.

"Little Cheng, can you drink?"

The moment he sat down, Sha Rina across from him opened her mouth to ask.

Cheng Chen was from northern Anhui, and comparatively speaking, northern Anhui folks could hold their liquor too, but they didn't have the famous reputation that Dong Bei and Lu Sheng people did.

Cheng Chen didn't plan to let anything slip either, holding up his fingers as he said:

"?? I can only drink… a tiny bit."

Sha Rina nodded and said no more.

Sha Rina was from Inner Mongolia — a nomadic people, after all, and fierce drinkers — she glanced at Cheng Chen and said with a smile:

"Then later you'll have to keep a little distance from Siyi, okay…"

"Sigh, Sister Na, you can't put it like that. There's no way I'd force Teacher Cheng to drink, don't worry — I promised Director Wang I wouldn't drink too much…"

……

"Come, drink!"

"Drinking from those little cups just isn't satisfying. Director Yu, you're a big man — come on, switch to glasses. I'll down mine first!"

"Thanks, everyone, for coming to my birthday party — bottoms up!"

"Here, sis, let me toast you one. I listen to every single one of your songs — never get tired of them!"

Watching Wang Siyi flit through the drinking scene like a social butterfly, Cheng Chen was dumbfounded.

Just now you were saying you'd promised Director Wang you wouldn't drink too much…

Wang Siyi really hadn't drunk too much — she'd just gotten everyone else drunk.

After all, whoever refused to drink, once she cooed out a wheedling "Come on, just a little, just a little bit," those grown men immediately lost their heads!

Watching the drink Wang Siyi was toasting him with, Cheng Chen finally understood why Sha Rina had told him to keep a little distance from Wang Siyi.

Usually she seemed so quiet and gentle and delicate — who knew she could drink like this.

Even Yu Weiping had been downed by her.

"Uh… Sister Siyi, happy birthday!"

Cheng Chen raised his glass and brought it to his lips… hm? The taste was off.

He glanced at Sun Li sprawled on the table, her little face flushed red, grinning foolishly at him, and only then realized it had been this girl who'd taken the chance while he wasn't paying attention to swap out his drink.

Plain water it is, then — Cheng Chen wasn't planning to drink much anyway.

Only after the drinking was over did Cheng Chen realize that everyone in the crew was drunk — even Wang Siyi was swaying unsteadily on her feet.

What a scam, this!

So many people drunk — how am I supposed to get them all home…

……