After a day of filming together, Xu WanZhi could tell that Shen Yi was interested in her.
And that "interest" didn't seem to have just started today, nor was it from the time when they met at Bai Fei's birthday banquet. It seemed to have started from when they first met a very long time ago.
Apparently, there was something going on between Shen Yi and the original owner.
What troubled Xu WanZhi was that she possessed no memory of this side incident nor was it mentioned in the novel. So she had no idea what exactly had transpired between the original owner and him.
She was poised. She accepted the wine glass from Shen Yi and downed the entire glass. Showing the emptied glass to those there, she said, "I apologize for being late."
A few of the younger actors cheered.
The director tried to gauge what was going on. He had been watching Shen Yi out of the corners of his eyes. When he saw Shen Yi quietly pouring Xu WanZhi another half a glass of wine, he smiled and gestured for everybody to start eating.
Xu WanZhi wasn't sure whether her getting special treatment from Shen Yi was a blessing or not. She sneaked a look around and met Chang XiaoYa's gaze.
It was a meaningful look.
After dinner, the group went over to the top floor private room to sing.
Shen Yi, who drank a little too much, grabbed a few actresses and insisted on them singing with him, including Xu WanZhi.
He was from a good family, has good resources and good looks. Most of the actresses liked him. Ever since he had joined the filming crew, the atmosphere around the team had been peculiar. Unfortunately, he was tone deaf. His singing was off key normally and now that he had alcohol in him, he was tongue-tied and couldn't even get the lyrics right.
All the actresses tried as hard as they could to get him back on track. The scene almost looked like a reality singing competition, but all their efforts were in vain.
After the first round was almost over, Chang XiaoYa, who hadn't spoken much all night long, was up. Standing next to Shen Yi, Chang XiaoYa took over the microphone but lowered the volume and said into it, "Shen Yi joined the crew much later than the rest of us and obviously needs some work on the team spirit's end. I think we should do something to build up the team spirit to help our remaining filming."
There was subtext in her words. Everybody knew that she was about to suggest something. They smiled and chimed in and waited for Shen Yi's response.
It so happened that Shen Yi also had a microphone in his hand and every word that he said was broadcasted through amplification. "Okay. Do tell, what do you have in mind?"
Chang XiaoYa looked over at Xu WanZhi reflexively and said loudly to everyone. "We will play some games, of course. How about the one where we pass a piece of paper around in our mouth? What do you all think?"
Most of those attending tonight were young people and all grinned when they heard the game.
The director stood up and said to her, "You mean that one that we've seen on Korean variety shows? That's a bit much, don't you think? Xiao Ya, why don't you just tell us who you want to kiss through the paper, huh?"
The cast members and the production team all busted out laughing.
Chang XiaoYa waved her hand nonchalantly. "Oh, c'mon, Director. I am only suggesting this so brother Shen Yi could blend in with us faster. We are merely sacrificing ourselves for arts. I will be happy whoever I end up kissing."
Xu WanZhi snickered. Sacrificing for arts? Everybody in the entertainment circle loved to say that. Any crazy stunts they pulled they'd use this as an excuse to justify.
After she was done talking, Chang XiaoYa pulled out a package of tissue and pulled one out. "This tissue has four layers, alright? Anyone who failed to hang onto the tissue must play Truth or Dare afterward. What do you all say?"
Most of the ones in the entertainment circle were not shy. If they'd do all those things on the big screen, they certainly had no problems doing them in a private room. And then the game started.
Chang XiaoYa was singing next to Shen Yi earlier when they were singing, so naturally she'd start the game. They didn't even determine the seating with another game before she passed the tissue over to the third male lead.
As it stood, Shen Yi was the fourth one to Chang XiaoYa's right and Xu WanZhi the fifth.
Shen Yi, having drank too much, had been in an elevated state. He turned to Xu WanZhi while watching Chang XiaoYa and said to her, "Don't dodge when it was your turn. You better make sure you can catch it. If we go into Truth or Dare, I am going to give you a hard time."
Xu WanZhi smiled and said to him, "You worry about yourself. I will give you a hard time too if you drop it."
She's going to make him kiss Chang XiaoYa one way or another.
Right this moment, Chang XiaoYa passed the tissue out with ease as she reflexively looked over at Xu WanZhi.
She was peeking over her in her direction, as though she was waiting for some drama to unfold.
That girl probably also sensed Shen Yi's interest in her, which was why she had suggested such a game to prod her. Xu WanZhi didn't care about her at all. She looked back at her boldly and even gave her a wink.
Chang XiaoYa paused for a second and sat up straight with a guilty conscience.
The tissue was being passed to the third person quickly and almost made its way to Shen Yi. He was laughing heartily. With 30% joking and 70% prodding, he asked Xu WanZhi, "Such a bold game. Mu ZhenYu will come unglue again if he sees this."
He was referring to the incident when he brought his bodyguards with him to beat up the man.
Xu WanZhi smiled and didn't respond.
Shen Yi casually sucked the paper over from the third female lead sitting next to him without so much as touching her check. Yet when he turned toward Xu WanZhi, his phoenix eyes had a suggestive smile in it.
The trick to mastering this game was to hold one's breath the entire time. As long as one was maintaining one's inhalation, the tissue won't fall. As though he was trying to lose on purpose, when Xu WanZhi leaned in toward him, he exhaled.
The 4-layered tissue started to fall from his exhale but he didn't stop in his motion and continued to lean toward Xu WanZhi.
Xu WanZhi had been expecting nothing less. But… that's alright, she has her magic. She has nothing to worry about. It was but a piece of tissue, she could make a brick come back up if she needed to.
The second that Shen Yi leaned into her, she recited her spell, casting it on the piece of weightless tissue.
Nevertheless, her magic didn't work at all and the piece of tissue continued to fall.
Shen Yi's handsome face got closer and closer to her.
The next moment, the door to the private room opened up from the outside.
A tall shadow appeared at the entrance, and the noisy private room suddenly became dead silent.
With the arrival of Mu ZhenYu, Xu WanZhi fretted and immediately closed her mouth.
--- Shen Yi, were you a sh*t-magnet?
It wasn't very pleasant inside the private room.
Mu ZhenYu was a very tall man and different from the very metro men in the entertainment circle. He had a vicious and determined look and was very masculine. With his aura, when he wasn't happy, he just needed to drop his face and his expressionless look alone was able to make the hair stand on the back of others' necks.
Not to mention that two fierce-looking men were standing next to him.
He has almost no contact with the entertainment circle. Most everyone knew about him in the business world, but not very many know much about him in the entertainment circle.
As such, even though the atmosphere was tense, a few of the actresses' hearts were rocked in front of this man who was exuding a dangerous aura – they dared not show it outwardly, but their hearts were touched inside.
Under everybody's gaze, Mu ZhenYu walked briskly toward Xu WanZhi.
The large and fancy coffee table that was in his way was kicked over to one side.
He stood still in front of her and looked down on her from high above.
He needed to take care of something very important today but as he had told her to not stay out too late, he rushed to finish what was on hand as fast as possible, dismissed her chauffeur, and came over to pick her up.
Low and behold, he caught wind that her entire group had moved over to this lounge after dinner.
And now they were playing the passing-tissue-around-with-one's-mouth game.
How dare she?!