Chapter 84: Drunk

In the end, Cheng Chen helplessly called the rest of the crew to come pick up the drunkards.

He supported Wang Siyi, the one who had drunk the most, and took a taxi to the crew's dormitory.

Anyone who has ever taken a drunk person home knows that no matter how thin or slender they appear when sober.

Once drunk, their body feels like it's been filled with lead, their weight multiplying several times over.

If you're stuck with someone whose drinking behavior is terrible, that's when it becomes a true torment—like Wang Siyi, half-carried and half-supported by Cheng Chen.

"Hehe, drink up, everyone drink! It's my birthday today, I'm happy… happy!"

It was already one in the morning; the streets were nearly empty, and the crew dormitory was utterly silent.

Wang Siyi raised her hands intermittently in celebration, wriggling her body incessantly in Cheng Chen's arms.

A warm jade in his arms—no one could claim not to be stirred, especially after drinking that night; Cheng Chen's body now burned with restless energy.

Even his two lifetimes of discipline couldn't suppress this female demon writhing in his arms—his cultivation was still insufficient!

"Little saint, stop wriggling, or I'll take you!"

Cheng Chen glared fiercely at the woman in his arms.

"Take… take what? Little brother, what are you going to do?"

Whether intentional or not, Wang Siyi replied, her breath sweet as orchids.

The warm air drifted into Cheng Chen's ear, then fell utterly silent.

Cheng Chen sighed and continued carrying the utterly drunk woman toward the dormitory.

Wang Siyi had her own room in the crew dormitory; after struggling to pull her keys from her small bag and unlocking the door, he dumped her onto the bed and turned to leave.

But as he reached the door, his peripheral vision caught a flash of smooth, pale skin—he froze in place.

"I really… owe you!"

He turned back, pulled the blanket over Wang Siyi, and poured her a glass of water, placing it on the bedside table.

After finishing all this, he looked at the utterly drunk Wang Siyi on the bed and said slowly:

"You can drink, but don't drink so much. You're a woman, in a strange place—can't you be a little more careful? Only I would do this—if you met another man, he'd devour you down to the last crumb!"

He tucked the blanket snugly around her before leaving the room.

In his memory, Wang Siyi should have been single at this time, right?

As for the scandalous rumors between Wang Siyi and Ding Haifeng over their Water Margin roles, they meant nothing.

Who knows how those entertainment reporters' brains are wired—Wang Siyi's Pan Jinlian and Li Qiang's Ximen Qing never sparked rumors, yet somehow she and her brother-in-law Wu Song became the talk of the town.

Do people just have a morbid fascination with the brother-in-law and sister-in-law dynamic?

"Click!"

The sound of the door closing—inside the dark room, Wang Siyi opened her watery eyes.

Slowly, she lifted the blanket covering her, rebuttoned her collar, drew her knees to her chest, and wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

She stared at the closed door, lost in thought, motionless in reverie.

…

Since Wang Siyi's birthday party, Cheng Chen noticed that this older sister seemed to appear in his line of sight, intentionally or not, more and more often.

During filming, he saw her; during rehearsals with other actors, he saw her again.

When did this older sister start showing up at the set so frequently? Why hadn't he noticed before?

"Chengzi, free tonight? Let's go drink."

As soon as Cheng Chen finished shooting, Wang Siyi walked over.

Since the birthday party, Wang Siyi had grown closer to him and had started calling him Chengzi, like Hou Yong and Wang Wenjie.

Hearing the word "drink," Cheng Chen immediately recalled her drunken state last time.

He shook his head like a rattle, firmly refusing:

"No thanks. Last time I used all my strength just to get you home—I don't want to drag another drunkard around."

"Hehe, honestly—did you try anything funny with me while I was drunk last time?"

Wang Siyi leaned close to Cheng Chen and whispered.

"Uh…"

Cheng Chen stepped back, looking at the mature woman before him, and said:

"You drank so much—who'd make a move on a drunk?"

Wang Siyi widened her eyes and said:

"Really? But isn't it said on the mainland that if a woman doesn't get drunk, a man gets no chance?"

Cheng Chen sighed:

"Sister, don't smear me with that—those words probably came from your Wan Sheng people!"

Wang Siyi covered her mouth and laughed heartily:

"Whether from the mainland or Wan Sheng, this time I won't get drunk—how about I give you a chance?"

Hearing this, Cheng Chen's expression turned serious:

"Fine, let's go—not because of any chance you're offering, but because I suddenly feel like drinking tonight."

Seeing Cheng Chen suddenly change his tone, Wang Siyi blinked, then burst into loud laughter, her body shaking with mirth.

This made the crew members watching her secretly swallow hard.

"But… I suddenly don't feel like drinking anymore. Hehe, let's plan it another time, little brother."

Wang Siyi waved at Cheng Chen and walked away.

Cheng Chen looked at her back with disdain—this woman just talked big, she couldn't even handle a real game!

…

Because he had to film the MV for "Wanjiang," Cheng Chen asked Wang Wenjie for leave and returned to Jingcheng.

Wang Tianxiao found a fairly well-known director in the industry to come shoot "Wanjiang."

An MV is different from a film or TV drama — after a bit of preliminary preparation and a discussion with the director about the requirements, "Wanjiang" went into production.

The filming location was set at the Badaling Great Wall in Jingcheng, and at Cheng Chen's request, he appeared on camera wearing the traditional Zhongshan Suit.

An MV focuses more on conveying mood and atmosphere, with little demand for acting skills — especially "Wanjiang," which relies purely on emotion with not a trace of technique in its performance.

After three straight days of shooting, on the last day when work wrapped, Cheng Chen received an invitation from the Yang Year Spring Festival Gala program team.

The Spring Festival Gala program team hoped Cheng Chen would take part in the rehearsal of the Yang Year Spring Festival Gala music program.

Speaking of that year's Spring Festival Gala, nothing left a deeper impression than Ben Shan and his Iron Triangle's sketch "Heart Disease."

"Dong-guai dong-guai dong-dong-guai."

"Don't watch the ads, watch the results."

"Da-bu-liu da-bu-liu da-bu-liu keng-ni-dianr da-bu-liu."

These were the unforgettable lines.

The internet meme "Da-bu-liu," which would later be carried to viral fame by "Pan Ga Zhi Jiao," actually originated right here.

And the director of this edition of the Spring Festival Gala was the famous Kang Honglei — this big shot had many works, such as:

1999's "The Years of Burning Passion."

2006's "Shibing Tujiji."

2011's "Our Years in France."

And Cheng Chen's invitation this time came from the program team at his behest.

Although it was only an invitation to rehearse, not a selection to actually appear on the Spring Festival Gala, Cheng Chen still felt a small measure of satisfaction.

After all, the "gold content" of the Spring Festival Gala in this period was far higher than in later eras.

It is no exaggeration to say that to set foot on the Spring Festival Gala stage, one's three generations of ancestors would be investigated down to the last detail.

And as long as you appeared on the Spring Festival Gala stage and got a shot of your face on camera, those three generations of ancestors would take pride in it.

If you also had a little talent on the Spring Festival Gala, or were handsome or pretty, and left a bit of an impression on people,

then congratulations — you were famous!

……