Chapter 15 – Dinner Party
The next morning, a servant sent a lot of formal suits to Qi Yueran, saying that the clothes were sent over so as to not make him (QYR) rushing to prepare to attend the dinner party this evening since he had just come to He Family without bringing much things.
Qi Yueran did not refuse and picked the right one. After that, the servant put the other clothes in the wardrobe of He Jian’s bedroom.
At five o’clock in the evening, He Jian and Qi Yueran went to the appointment together. The location and time were set by the other party. It was not difficult to find the place. Although it was near the suburbs, it was a famous entertainment circle, which was heard that Boss Xia had some shares in it.
When they got off the car, a head waiter in uniform came over and said: “You two must be He Third-Shao and Mister Qi. Boss Xia has arrived. He asked me welcome you two and not be slighted.”
He Jian said with a smile: “Boss Xia is too courteous. Please lead the way.”
The two men were led up to the fifth floor. The corridor floor was covered with scarlet carpet. It was very quiet. There were waiters on duty outside each private room; it looked very classy.
The waiter on the adjacent room knocked on the door, opened it and asked them to come in, “Please.”
The private room was very large. Closer to the outer side were two big sets of white armrest sofa and a glass coffee table. There was a small stage on the inner most side with complete equipment and a table of banquet in the middle of the room.
There were already five people in the room, all sitting around the big table and chatting. Hua Film’s Boss Xia Hang was sitting in the middle, wearing a black suit. He looked less than 30. At a glance, one could see that the lead person was him with several other people were deliberately fawning over him.
When He Jian and Qi Yueran came in, those several people’s words were cut off and all focused at the door.
As Xia Hang stood up with a smile, there was no excuse for others to continue sitting down and so everyone else stood up quickly.
“He Third-Shao came.” Xia Hang said: “When I came to Beijing to do business, my father told him to visit He Family. At first, I wanted to invite He Third-shao out for a meal, but He Third-shao had invited me first instead.”
As he was talking, a young boy next to him pulled out chairs for two people and said: “Boss Xia, don’t just talk, invite He Third-shao to sit down first and then take time to talk.”
He Jian thanked with a smile and said to Xia Hang: “Boss Xia is too polite. It’s all the same whether invite or be invited.”
Xia Hang nodded, asked him to sit down and then said: “Mister Qi, please sit, too. I heard that He Third-shao is about to get engaged. The news comes suddenly, I haven’t prepared any gifts. I’ll deliver it later. Today, I congratulate you two.”
Qi Yueran said: “Boss Xia is too polite.”
After everyone took turns in niceties, Xia Hang then said: “I haven’t introduced them to He Third-shao yet. I’ve brought several people with me on my own initiative. These two are Director Ma and Director Xu.”
Xia Hang only introduced two middle-aged men next to him and did not continue to introduce the others. The other boy and a woman were dressed in gorgeous attires and had beautiful faces. They should be the young artists brought to accompany them drink.
When the two directors heard Xia Hang’s opening, they quickly responded: “Please excuse our presence. It seems that He Third-shao will spend a lot of money today.”
As soon as He Jian looked at the situation, he guessed that Xia Hang knew what he was doing with the film and television base and also specially brought two directors to have a meal together. Thus, he said: “I still don’t know how to talk to Boss Xia. As a result, Boss Xia has already sent over the favor. This time, I owe you a lot.”
Xia Hang said: “Recently, people in the circle[1] have heard that He Third-Shao ran all the way to Quanlin. At first, I was also curious. What’s good about this Quanlin? Is it possible to dig gold? I’d never expected that He Third-Shao actually had a vision. I’d heard that Third-shao is going to build a film and television base in Quanlin, and so I quickly came over to talk to Third-shao about business. I’ve several bases in my hand, all of which were well done by my father. But now that Hua Film is gradually becoming bigger, those few bases are definitely not enough. Third-shao’s base will be built in less than a few months, and until then, I’d like to keep an eye for its first business.”
He Jian laughed and said: “It’s me asking Boss Xia to keep an eye on it. Xia’s Hua Film is ranked number one in the entertainment industry. I’m still worried that I’d miscalculated if after the base is built, people will dislike the remote place and there won’t be any business to do since people won’t come.”
When the two of them talked, no one else interrupted and only sat around while smiling obsequiously. The artists – a man and a woman – were responsible for serving tea and wine. Only when the business talk was almost over did they opened their mouths to harmonize the mood.
Director Ma pointed to the man and woman next to him as he introduced them. It was said that they were new artists who were not yet 20 years old. They had just finished a TV drama and were ready to plan the next one. It was very likely that when He Jian cooperated with him, he would bring these familiar faces[2] at will.
The age gap between Qi Yueran and the two was not much. He was still not deeply involved in the world and had never been exposed to anything related to the entertainment industry. Director Ma said that he wanted the two artists to be recognizable. Qi Yueran thought it was really like that, so he didn’t think much.
He Jian just laughed and didn’t answer. Director Ma’s words were ambiguous. These familiar faces were not necessarily what he said them to be.
It could be seen at first glance that the two young artists went all out to climb up and hit the big time as they fawned on Boss Xia. They also did not left He Third-Shao out and continuously kept everyone amused. On the contrary, they were not friendly towards Qi Yueran. After all, people in the circle knew that the Qi Family couldn’t compare with He Family. The reason why the two families allied through marriage was that He Jian fell in love with Qi Yueran. They were not on equal status, which was not much better than keeping a mistress.
He Jian could see it. He felt both amuse and angry. Of course, he didn’t want people to say that Qi Yueran was a little bad. He would be angry if they looked down on him. But the people in the circle all knew well that the third young master of He Family was a man who indulged in disgusting orgies of eating and drinking and passed the nights in gambling and other frivolous pastimes. These were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and no one believed his sudden change to seriousness.
At the banquet table, Qi Yueran didn’t drink much. However, the wine in the bottle did not stop pouring as those people took turns to urge others to drink. When it came to Qi Yueran, He Jian helped him to refuse it as he said: “Xiao Ran is still young; he can’t drink too much alcohol.”
Xia Hang said: “For Third-Shao to stop the wine for him like this, he should be drunk. It seems that the relationship between Third-Shao and Mister Qi is very good.”
He Jian merely said: “Xiao Ran had been passed over a company recently. From now on, he’ll need Boss Xia to take care of the business.”
“That’s of course. But, with Third-shao being so protective, it would be superfluous for me to watch over other people.” Xia Hang said.
They drank for a little while before the boy stood up and said that the wine was almost finished. Then he went out and asked the waiter to bring in some more.
Qi Yueran only drank a few glasses symbolically as he felt that the wine was quiet strong. When he saw He Jian drinking too much, he could not help but whisper: “Are you still alright?”
“I’m fine.” He Jian shook his head. He was still sober, but after all, he drank a lot. He was steaming with the smell of wine, feeling hot and parch, he said: “I’ll go to the bathroom first.”
""
Seeing He Jian stood up but looked both worried and hesitant, Xia Hang could not resist smiling as he said: “It seems that Mister Qi is really the man at the top of Third-shao’s heart. Third-shao, don’t worry. Nothing will happen to Mister Qi here.”
Qi Yueran actually wanted to go with him. He had not dealt with such big shot as Hua Film’s Boss Xia before. But with Xia hang teasing as such, he felt embarrassed to open his mouth and could only watch He Jian go out.
After He Jian went out, Xia Hang said: “I heard that Mister Qi has an older brother. His legs are not very good, right?”
Qi Yueran was stunned. Then he reacted and said: “Ah, yes, my older brother had an accident. Right now, his legs are inconvenient.”
Xia Hang could see his doubt and said, “I’d several interactions with Third-shao’s second brother. He Liang said that his youngest brother was looking for doctors all over the place. I also helped to inquire. I thought it was Mister Qi who was sick. We’ve found several famous doctors recently, but I don’t know whether you still need them or not. It can be considered as a little sincerity from our cooperation.”
When Qi Yueran heard that there was a new doctor, he felt very happy inside. This way, the possibility of his older brother to recovery was greater. It was only when he heard that He Jian was looking for a doctor all over the place, he felt a kind of feeling that was hard to describe. He Jian seemed to be so kind to everyone and had helped a lot for the sake of his older brother’s legs.
Qi Yueran thought that there was only a layer of alliance marriage between them that linked them together. He Jian was more interested in his elder brother, and if his older brother’s legs got better…
He Jian left the private room and went to the bathroom alone. Although his alcohol tolerance was good, he would still feel very uncomfortable after drinking too much. He unbuttoned two buttons of his shirts, opened the faucet and splashed the cold water on his face, which made him feel pleasantly cool.
Just as He Jian was about to reach for the tissue to wipe the water stains, he heard someone open the door. Then a young voice said: “Ah, Third-shao is here.”
He Jian’s movement did not stop. He grabbed a few pieces of tissue to wipe the water off his face and took a look at the incoming person. It was the boy in the private just now.
Qin Ya came over with a smile and said: “Is Third-shao drunk and feels uncomfortable? Do you want me to ask the waiter to bring some sobering tea?” He said as he glanced around inside the bathroom. When he didn’t find anyone else or the figure of the little young master of Qi Family, he seemed happier.
He Jian actually didn’t want to say anything, so he said: “No need.”
Qin Ya and Qi Yueran’s age were almost the same and even their figures were the same. It was just his face that was much more delicate and beautiful than Qi Yueran, but it was most probably an artificial face from plastic surgery – his sharp chin was a little offensively conspicuous.
When he saw that He Jian was going out just like that, he was anxious. How could he miss such a good opportunity? He Family’s Third-Shao was famous for not being picky. He would not refuse any men and women clinging on him. Plainly speaking, he accepted all without question.
“Third-shao!” Qin Ya suddenly called He Jian before running after him, hugged He Jian’s waist abruptly, and his whole person nestled into He Jian’s bosom.
He Jian was struck-dumb by his action and was pushed back a few steps by the impact.
Qin Ya leaned in his arms, never idle for a moment, and immediately went to rub his lower body against He Jian, as if he wanted to do things in the bathroom.
He Jian drank a lot of wine and his body itself was hot, so it was hard not to feel something when the youth rubbed against him. In his bosom, the youth’s skin temperature was low, which made his Adam’s apple rolled up and down. Suddenly, he recalled Qi Yueran’s naked body through the foggy glass last night and felt that the youth’s body shape was very identical to Qi Yueran’s.
Note:
[1] Probably refer to the business circle
[2] The actually words 混个脸熟 which referred to newcomers letting people get to know [recognize] them esp. their faces through online media. [I don’t have any better words for it, sorry]
Chapter 15 – Dinner Party
The next morning, a servant sent a lot of formal suits to Qi Yueran, saying that the clothes were sent over so as to not make him (QYR) rushing to prepare to attend the dinner party this evening since he had just come to He Family without bringing much things.
Qi Yueran did not refuse and picked the right one. After that, the servant put the other clothes in the wardrobe of He Jian’s bedroom.
At five o’clock in the evening, He Jian and Qi Yueran went to the appointment together. The location and time were set by the other party. It was not difficult to find the place. Although it was near the suburbs, it was a famous entertainment circle, which was heard that Boss Xia had some shares in it.
When they got off the car, a head waiter in uniform came over and said: “You two must be He Third-Shao and Mister Qi. Boss Xia has arrived. He asked me welcome you two and not be slighted.”
He Jian said with a smile: “Boss Xia is too courteous. Please lead the way.”
The two men were led up to the fifth floor. The corridor floor was covered with scarlet carpet. It was very quiet. There were waiters on duty outside each private room; it looked very classy.
The waiter on the adjacent room knocked on the door, opened it and asked them to come in, “Please.”
The private room was very large. Closer to the outer side were two big sets of white armrest sofa and a glass coffee table. There was a small stage on the inner most side with complete equipment and a table of banquet in the middle of the room.
There were already five people in the room, all sitting around the big table and chatting. Hua Film’s Boss Xia Hang was sitting in the middle, wearing a black suit. He looked less than 30. At a glance, one could see that the lead person was him with several other people were deliberately fawning over him.
When He Jian and Qi Yueran came in, those several people’s words were cut off and all focused at the door.
As Xia Hang stood up with a smile, there was no excuse for others to continue sitting down and so everyone else stood up quickly.
“He Third-Shao came.” Xia Hang said: “When I came to Beijing to do business, my father told him to visit He Family. At first, I wanted to invite He Third-shao out for a meal, but He Third-shao had invited me first instead.”
As he was talking, a young boy next to him pulled out chairs for two people and said: “Boss Xia, don’t just talk, invite He Third-shao to sit down first and then take time to talk.”
He Jian thanked with a smile and said to Xia Hang: “Boss Xia is too polite. It’s all the same whether invite or be invited.”
Xia Hang nodded, asked him to sit down and then said: “Mister Qi, please sit, too. I heard that He Third-shao is about to get engaged. The news comes suddenly, I haven’t prepared any gifts. I’ll deliver it later. Today, I congratulate you two.”
Qi Yueran said: “Boss Xia is too polite.”
After everyone took turns in niceties, Xia Hang then said: “I haven’t introduced them to He Third-shao yet. I’ve brought several people with me on my own initiative. These two are Director Ma and Director Xu.”
Xia Hang only introduced two middle-aged men next to him and did not continue to introduce the others. The other boy and a woman were dressed in gorgeous attires and had beautiful faces. They should be the young artists brought to accompany them drink.
When the two directors heard Xia Hang’s opening, they quickly responded: “Please excuse our presence. It seems that He Third-shao will spend a lot of money today.”
As soon as He Jian looked at the situation, he guessed that Xia Hang knew what he was doing with the film and television base and also specially brought two directors to have a meal together. Thus, he said: “I still don’t know how to talk to Boss Xia. As a result, Boss Xia has already sent over the favor. This time, I owe you a lot.”
Xia Hang said: “Recently, people in the circle[1] have heard that He Third-Shao ran all the way to Quanlin. At first, I was also curious. What’s good about this Quanlin? Is it possible to dig gold? I’d never expected that He Third-Shao actually had a vision. I’d heard that Third-shao is going to build a film and television base in Quanlin, and so I quickly came over to talk to Third-shao about business. I’ve several bases in my hand, all of which were well done by my father. But now that Hua Film is gradually becoming bigger, those few bases are definitely not enough. Third-shao’s base will be built in less than a few months, and until then, I’d like to keep an eye for its first business.”
He Jian laughed and said: “It’s me asking Boss Xia to keep an eye on it. Xia’s Hua Film is ranked number one in the entertainment industry. I’m still worried that I’d miscalculated if after the base is built, people will dislike the remote place and there won’t be any business to do since people won’t come.”
When the two of them talked, no one else interrupted and only sat around while smiling obsequiously. The artists – a man and a woman – were responsible for serving tea and wine. Only when the business talk was almost over did they opened their mouths to harmonize the mood.
Director Ma pointed to the man and woman next to him as he introduced them. It was said that they were new artists who were not yet 20 years old. They had just finished a TV drama and were ready to plan the next one. It was very likely that when He Jian cooperated with him, he would bring these familiar faces[2] at will.
The age gap between Qi Yueran and the two was not much. He was still not deeply involved in the world and had never been exposed to anything related to the entertainment industry. Director Ma said that he wanted the two artists to be recognizable. Qi Yueran thought it was really like that, so he didn’t think much.
He Jian just laughed and didn’t answer. Director Ma’s words were ambiguous. These familiar faces were not necessarily what he said them to be.
It could be seen at first glance that the two young artists went all out to climb up and hit the big time as they fawned on Boss Xia. They also did not left He Third-Shao out and continuously kept everyone amused. On the contrary, they were not friendly towards Qi Yueran. After all, people in the circle knew that the Qi Family couldn’t compare with He Family. The reason why the two families allied through marriage was that He Jian fell in love with Qi Yueran. They were not on equal status, which was not much better than keeping a mistress.
He Jian could see it. He felt both amuse and angry. Of course, he didn’t want people to say that Qi Yueran was a little bad. He would be angry if they looked down on him. But the people in the circle all knew well that the third young master of He Family was a man who indulged in disgusting orgies of eating and drinking and passed the nights in gambling and other frivolous pastimes. These were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and no one believed his sudden change to seriousness.
At the banquet table, Qi Yueran didn’t drink much. However, the wine in the bottle did not stop pouring as those people took turns to urge others to drink. When it came to Qi Yueran, He Jian helped him to refuse it as he said: “Xiao Ran is still young; he can’t drink too much alcohol.”
Xia Hang said: “For Third-Shao to stop the wine for him like this, he should be drunk. It seems that the relationship between Third-Shao and Mister Qi is very good.”
He Jian merely said: “Xiao Ran had been passed over a company recently. From now on, he’ll need Boss Xia to take care of the business.”
“That’s of course. But, with Third-shao being so protective, it would be superfluous for me to watch over other people.” Xia Hang said.
They drank for a little while before the boy stood up and said that the wine was almost finished. Then he went out and asked the waiter to bring in some more.
Qi Yueran only drank a few glasses symbolically as he felt that the wine was quiet strong. When he saw He Jian drinking too much, he could not help but whisper: “Are you still alright?”
“I’m fine.” He Jian shook his head. He was still sober, but after all, he drank a lot. He was steaming with the smell of wine, feeling hot and parch, he said: “I’ll go to the bathroom first.”
""
Seeing He Jian stood up but looked both worried and hesitant, Xia Hang could not resist smiling as he said: “It seems that Mister Qi is really the man at the top of Third-shao’s heart. Third-shao, don’t worry. Nothing will happen to Mister Qi here.”
Qi Yueran actually wanted to go with him. He had not dealt with such big shot as Hua Film’s Boss Xia before. But with Xia hang teasing as such, he felt embarrassed to open his mouth and could only watch He Jian go out.
After He Jian went out, Xia Hang said: “I heard that Mister Qi has an older brother. His legs are not very good, right?”
Qi Yueran was stunned. Then he reacted and said: “Ah, yes, my older brother had an accident. Right now, his legs are inconvenient.”
Xia Hang could see his doubt and said, “I’d several interactions with Third-shao’s second brother. He Liang said that his youngest brother was looking for doctors all over the place. I also helped to inquire. I thought it was Mister Qi who was sick. We’ve found several famous doctors recently, but I don’t know whether you still need them or not. It can be considered as a little sincerity from our cooperation.”
When Qi Yueran heard that there was a new doctor, he felt very happy inside. This way, the possibility of his older brother to recovery was greater. It was only when he heard that He Jian was looking for a doctor all over the place, he felt a kind of feeling that was hard to describe. He Jian seemed to be so kind to everyone and had helped a lot for the sake of his older brother’s legs.
Qi Yueran thought that there was only a layer of alliance marriage between them that linked them together. He Jian was more interested in his elder brother, and if his older brother’s legs got better…
He Jian left the private room and went to the bathroom alone. Although his alcohol tolerance was good, he would still feel very uncomfortable after drinking too much. He unbuttoned two buttons of his shirts, opened the faucet and splashed the cold water on his face, which made him feel pleasantly cool.
Just as He Jian was about to reach for the tissue to wipe the water stains, he heard someone open the door. Then a young voice said: “Ah, Third-shao is here.”
He Jian’s movement did not stop. He grabbed a few pieces of tissue to wipe the water off his face and took a look at the incoming person. It was the boy in the private just now.
Qin Ya came over with a smile and said: “Is Third-shao drunk and feels uncomfortable? Do you want me to ask the waiter to bring some sobering tea?” He said as he glanced around inside the bathroom. When he didn’t find anyone else or the figure of the little young master of Qi Family, he seemed happier.
He Jian actually didn’t want to say anything, so he said: “No need.”
Qin Ya and Qi Yueran’s age were almost the same and even their figures were the same. It was just his face that was much more delicate and beautiful than Qi Yueran, but it was most probably an artificial face from plastic surgery – his sharp chin was a little offensively conspicuous.
When he saw that He Jian was going out just like that, he was anxious. How could he miss such a good opportunity? He Family’s Third-Shao was famous for not being picky. He would not refuse any men and women clinging on him. Plainly speaking, he accepted all without question.
“Third-shao!” Qin Ya suddenly called He Jian before running after him, hugged He Jian’s waist abruptly, and his whole person nestled into He Jian’s bosom.
He Jian was struck-dumb by his action and was pushed back a few steps by the impact.
Qin Ya leaned in his arms, never idle for a moment, and immediately went to rub his lower body against He Jian, as if he wanted to do things in the bathroom.
He Jian drank a lot of wine and his body itself was hot, so it was hard not to feel something when the youth rubbed against him. In his bosom, the youth’s skin temperature was low, which made his Adam’s apple rolled up and down. Suddenly, he recalled Qi Yueran’s naked body through the foggy glass last night and felt that the youth’s body shape was very identical to Qi Yueran’s.
Note:
[1] Probably refer to the business circle
[2] The actually words 混个脸熟 which referred to newcomers letting people get to know [recognize] them esp. their faces through online media. [I don’t have any better words for it, sorry]
