Chapter 233 - 154: Don’t Get Familiar, Let’s Keep Our Relationships Separate

Chapter 233: Chapter 154: Don’t Get Familiar, Let’s Keep Our Relationships Separate

Complimenting someone on their youth is always an effective social tactic.

After all, the older you get, the more you fear getting old.

Upon hearing this, Director Zhang’s face lit up. "Is that so? You’ve gotten quite a bit more handsome yourself."

With a broad smile, he gestured to the tea table across from him. "Come, come, have a seat and let’s talk!"

The tea table was quite large. It was a "river table," a very popular style at the moment. It had solid wood on both sides with a glass panel down the middle, beneath which was a sculpted stream design.

It gave one the feeling of being close to nature.

"By the way, Teacher Xiao, regarding your request for equity, Boss Yang and I discussed it. We don’t think it’s an issue, but... there are two problems we need to address."

As Director Zhang spoke, he opened a purple clay tea caddy beside him, which contained some high-mountain tea.

It was handmade by a friend’s father, a rare treat.

Xiao Ran looked at him, ready to hear the details.

"What might those be? Please, go on."

As he prepared the tea, Director Zhang said, "Well, you see, for starters, we’ve never had a precedent for this. The contract itself isn’t an issue. After all, a talent like you deserves to get a little extra."

"But the problem is, if other authors find out, you’ll have set a precedent. That would make things difficult for us down the line."

Director Zhang’s tone was strained.

Xiao Ran thought for a moment. "So, what do you need from me?"

’He knew Director Zhang must have already agreed to his terms; otherwise, there would be no reason to call him into the office. Wouldn’t it have been more convenient to just have Liu Min relay the message? It would have saved them an awkward meeting.’

Director Zhang poured a cup of tea and gently pushed it in front of Xiao Ran. His tone grew much more serious.

"Here’s the thing. I need you to keep this confidential. It absolutely cannot get out."

"No problem," Xiao Ran said, then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

He couldn’t help but remark, "This is excellent tea. Truly."

’The aftertaste was so sweet, the fragrance lingered even after he swallowed. It really was exceptional tea.’

Director Zhang laughed. "It was handmade by a friend’s father. He’s not in our industry, but speaking of which, he’s just like you—he also has a powerhouse for a wife!"

He then realized that wasn’t quite right and corrected himself, "Or, to be more precise, in your case, an ex-wife."

The friend he was referring to was Lin Yuan. Both were young and successful.

Lin Yuan was much luckier, though. He was now the head of Morning Star, successful in both his career and family life, with a pair of adorable children. Just the other day, Director Zhang had even seen photos of their family on a trip abroad.

’Honestly, it was enough to make anyone envious.’

"Everyone has their own destiny. Some things just can’t be forced," Xiao Ran said with a helpless smile.

He then picked up the teapot and poured himself another cup.

’Might as well keep drinking. He truly believed it all just came down to everyone having a different fate.’

"Right, right, Teacher Xiao, you’ve summed it up perfectly!" Director Zhang said with an accommodating smile.

The two of them were in the middle of a lively back-and-forth conversation.

Just then, a secretary’s voice came from outside. "You can’t go in there, sir. This is Director Zhang’s office."

"I’m just dropping something off. I’ll put it down and go, I absolutely won’t linger."

"Sir, you can’t just..."

Before either of them could react, the door was pushed open from the outside.

The person who came was Dong Ming. President Yan had tasked him with delivering a gift to Director Zhang, an order he certainly wouldn’t dare refuse.

He had immediately arranged for a lavish gift and, fearing it might be swapped out by someone else, insisted on placing it in Director Zhang’s office personally.

He never expected that upon pushing the door open, he would see Director Zhang and Xiao Ran sitting right there, chatting and laughing.

Dong Ming froze. ’Didn’t President Yan say Director Zhang wasn’t here?’

’The man is right here in his office.’

Seeing that it was Dong Ming, Director Zhang’s expression faltered.

He asked subconsciously, "And you are?"

’To be honest, he really had no memory of the man. If I recall correctly, I didn’t have any appointments. I’ve been telling everyone I’m on set with the crew.’

Seeing Director Zhang’s blank expression, Dong Ming quickly explained with an apologetic smile.

"Hello, Director Zhang! You must be one of those important people who are too busy to remember minor details. I work for President Yan. We had dinner once, and you had a bit too much to drink. I was the one who took you home, remember?"

Now that he mentioned it, Director Zhang did seem to recall something like that happening.

’He couldn’t help but curse inwardly. ’You fucking know I was drunk, how the hell would I remember that! Besides, if I had to remember every little thing like this, I’d run out of brain cells.’’

But he was an old fox, after all. He still managed a polite smile. "Oh, right. It’s you."

Dong Ming rubbed his hands together, looking a bit nervous. "Well, President Yan asked me to bring you some local delicacies. We heard you were on set, so she just had me drop them off for you. I never expected to open the door and find you actually here!"

’This was Director Zhang, after all. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even be qualified to speak with him for this long.’

Director Zhang was feeling nothing but awkward at this point.

He’d just told Yan Li on the phone that he was busy and would be on set with the crew for the next few days.

Now, he was definitely busted.

"You’ve come at quite the coincidental time. I actually have some urgent business I need to handle right now. Any later and you would have missed me," he explained.

Dong Ming licked his lips, looking at Director Zhang uncertainly. "So, this gift..."

Director Zhang glanced at Xiao Ran. "How about this? Tell President Yan that I appreciate the thought, but I have too many things at home already. Let’s not be wasteful."

’Accepting a gift from Yan Li right in front of Xiao Ran felt at least a little inappropriate. Those two had such a bitter history. For him to be doing business with Yan Li while simultaneously negotiating a contract with Xiao Ran... it was bound to make Xiao Ran uncomfortable.’