Xiao Youran felt feverish and weak.
Afterwards, she didn't know how to face Xu Xiuwen, so she chose to lie in bed and pretend to sleep.
Seeing Xiao Youran lying motionless, Xu Xiuwen wasn't fooled.
From her slightly curled toes, he knew she wasn't asleep.
It's impossible for anyone to fall asleep after such an event.
Xu Xiuwen began washing Xiao Youran's feet.
Having not observed carefully earlier, he now had the leisure to take a closer look.
Xiao Youran's feet could be described as beautiful.
Her shoe size was about 35 or 36, not as delicate as Tang Weiwei's, but paired with her height of 168 cm, they were quite small.
She occasionally wore high heels, but unlike other women, her toes hadn't deformed from frequent wear.
Her toes were perfectly normal.
The tops of her feet were slightly thin, but the soles were fleshy, looking translucent, round, and delicate, with an exquisite arch that was irresistible.
Xiao Youran's feet were exceptionally beautiful.
Thinking about his earlier actions, Xu Xiuwen couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing his laughter, Xiao Youran couldn't continue pretending to sleep, so she opened her eyes and looked over.
Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll clean you up now."
Xiao Youran responded nervously with a hum.
Xu Xiuwen wiped away the traces with a paper towel, then slowly placed Xiao Youran's feet into the warm water.
Although he had already tested the water temperature with his hand, he still considerately asked, "Is the water too hot?"
Xiao Youran softly replied, "It's fine."
Xu Xiuwen said no more and began to wash her feet.
Although it was called washing feet, it didn't take long. In contrast, the girl's delicate feet stayed in his hands for a much longer time.
After playing with them for a while, he finally dried her feet with a clean towel, helped her put on her socks, and then carried the basin out of the room.
Xiao Youran immediately retracted her feet, hiding them both under her body.
Her face was burning, thinking about how bold she had been to use her feet to help him, and how he had played with them under the guise of washing.
She wished she could turn into a cat.
Then she could just meow continuously.
No matter what Xu Xiuwen said, she could pretend not to understand.
But despite her shyness, she didn't regret it.
This intimate contact made her feel that her relationship with Xu Xiuwen had become closer.
This brought a touch of joy to her heart.
After pouring out the foot-washing water, Xu Xiuwen returned to the room, said nothing, and directly sat down at the computer to start typing.
During this tranquil time, his writing efficiency was high.
In an hour, he typed five thousand words without stopping.
After this period, Xiao Youran's emotions gradually calmed.
She lay on her side in bed, hands under her cheek, staring at Xu Xiuwen.
Until six in the evening.
Xu Xiuwen stopped typing, saw that it was dinner time, and took Xiao Youran to a nearby food street for a meal.
In the evening, they walked around the neighborhood until nine o'clock.
Xu Xiuwen escorted Xiao Youran home and said to her downstairs, "Youran, I might need to go to Jinling soon. I won't be able to stay with you all the time. Will you wait for me to come back?"
"Take care of yourself and call me when you can. I'll miss you."
Hearing this, Xu Xiuwen stepped forward and hugged Xiao Youran.
A voice suddenly came from behind.
"Is that you, Xiao Xu?"
Without turning around, Xu Xiuwen knew it was Aunt Zhang's voice.
Xu Xiuwen quickly let go of Xiao Youran.
He turned around to see Zhang Ruoshu walking towards him.
Xiao Youran used his body as a shield to tidy her hair, then tilted her head and smiled at Zhang Ruoshu.
As Zhang Ruoshu approached, she asked suspiciously, "What were you two just doing?"
Xu Xiuwen reacted quickly, immediately making up a reason, "Youran got some dust in her eye, I was helping her blow it out."
"Aunt Zhang, it's late, I'll be going now." With that, Xu Xiuwen quickly ran off.
After he disappeared from the sight of the mother and daughter, Zhang Ruoshu turned to her daughter and asked, "What were you two just doing?"
Xiao Youran blushed, "Like he told you, I got dust in my eye, and Xiao Xu was helping me blow it out."
"Really?"
Xiao Youran nodded.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruoshu no longer doubted.
Back home, Xu Xiuwen felt a lingering fear.
Although his relationship with Xiao Youran had taken a step further and they had shared some intimate moments, he wasn't ready to face Xiao Youran's parents yet.
The next morning, Hang Fei texted him, notifying him of his morning train and that he would arrive in Jinling in the evening.
Xu Xiuwen replied, "I'll pick you up at the station tonight."
In the afternoon, Xu Xiuwen took a long-distance bus to the station.
He exited the station and took a taxi directly to the BMW dealership.
Earlier in the year, he had left his car with the sales staff, and now the car should have its plates.
Upon entering the dealership, Xu Xiuwen quickly found the salesperson. The salesperson greeted him warmly, smiling brightly.
Without much conversation, Xu Xiuwen took the keys, found his car, and drove away.
When Xu Xiuwen arrived at the train station, there were still thirty minutes until the train carrying Hang Fei would arrive.
He parked the car outside the station and waited inside it.
Unexpectedly, the train was delayed.
It wasn't until 7 PM that the train finally arrived at Jinling Station.
Xu Xiuwen greeted Hang Fei at the station's exit.
Hang Fei was pulling a suitcase with his left hand and carrying a large black bag with his right.
Xu Xiuwen walked over, and Hang Fei, seeing him with a hat and glasses, laughed, "Afraid of being recognized?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded with a wry smile.
Just a few steps after getting off the bus, someone had approached him, asking if he was the lead actor from a TV drama.
It wasn't surprising that people in Jinling recognized him from the show.
But being recognized on the street was quite a shock to Xu Xiuwen.
He was beginning to realize that he might really be becoming famous.
Xu Xiuwen recounted the experience to Hang Fei.
After listening, Hang Fei laughed heartily, "Xiuwen, you really don't understand viewership ratings. Last year, the three highest-rated dramas on CCTV were 'The Sword', 'Qinghua Smoke', and 'The Great Song Dynasty', with ratings of 10.3%, 8.51%, and 6.41% respectively."
"Our show's premiere rating was 5.035%. Last year, it would have almost been the third highest. And ratings generally increase as the plot progresses. It's almost certain that the show is a hit, and you're going to be famous."
After hearing Hang Fei's explanation, Xu Xiuwen got a sense of what a 5.035% rating meant.
Seeing Hang Fei's excitement, he smiled and said, "You're the director. If the drama is a hit, you'll be in demand too. Many people will probably want you to direct."
Hang Fei shook his head, "Maybe, but many will likely wait and see. This drama was adapted from a novel. It's more about the novel's excellence than my direction."
Noticing people around them paying attention, Xu Xiuwen quickly said, "Alright, let's get in the car and talk."
The two walked along the exit passage to the outside square.
Hang Fei was surprised, "You bought a car?"
Xu Xiuwen nodded, "Without a car, getting around is inconvenient. So I bought one. If you want one, I can buy it for you as a repayment for not taking a salary."
Hang Fei immediately declined, "No need. We agreed on no pay when filming 'Boys Over Flowers.' Just because the drama sold well doesn't mean I should ask for money now. Besides, I didn't come away empty-handed. At least my reputation in the industry has grown thanks to this show."
Hang Fei's words were clear and reasonable.
If it were someone else, even though they initially agreed to direct for free, seeing the drama making money would probably make them envious.
But Hang Fei didn't think that way, showing his excellent character.
Working with someone like him meant there was no worry about underhanded tactics or scheming.
When they reached the car, Hang Fei saw it was a BMW and was surprised, "This car isn't cheap, is it?"
"A few hundred thousand."
Xu Xiuwen opened the trunk, helping Hang Fei load his suitcase and bag.
Then he walked to the driver's seat, opened the door, and got in.
Once in the car, Hang Fei remarked, "I need to start making money soon. When I have enough, I'll buy one too."
Xu Xiuwen laughed, "Soon. When we make our second drama, I'll pay you."
Hang Fei laughed, "The first one was directed as a favor, but I'll charge for the second one. At most, I'll give you a discount because of our good relationship."
Xu Xiuwen nodded, then asked, "Where to?"
"Find a hotel near the school. It's not open yet, and the dorm supervisor won't let me in."
Xu Xiuwen drove towards the Arts Institute.
They found a hotel nearby, parked the car, and checked into two rooms.
After putting away their luggage, they went to a nearby restaurant for dinner.
After ordering, they began discussing business.
Xu Xiuwen had already spent time understanding the requirements for starting a company.
In simple terms:
First, the registered capital for a film and television media company must be at least 3 million yuan.
Second, the shareholders must be natural persons or corporate entities with legal civil capacity and valid identification.
Third, the company must have a registered office address.
Fourth, it must have three professional film and television staff members.
Regarding the first point, the issue of registered capital:
Xu Xiuwen and Hang Fei were starting a company together, and he planned to own at least 60% of the shares, meaning he needed to invest 1.8 million yuan.
For him, this was no problem.
But for Hang Fei, coming up with 1.2 million yuan was a huge challenge.
Xu Xiuwen proposed, "Brother Fei, I've thought it over. I'll cover all the costs, you contribute your skills, and you get 40% of the shares, while I take 60%."
Hang Fei immediately responded, "No, no, that would be taking advantage of you."
Xu Xiuwen chuckled, "Brother Fei, don't say that. I know your directing skills well. I believe you'll produce more great works in the future, and the money the company earns will definitely exceed this one million. Consider this my investment in your talent."
Hang Fei hesitated.
120,000 yuan was an amount he simply couldn't afford, so Xu Xiuwen's proposal seemed like something he had to accept.
After a few minutes of consideration, he looked at Xu Xiuwen and said, "Xiuwen, your proposal is indeed good, but I can't accept it shamelessly. I've thought it over; I'll take 20% of the shares. The 60,000 yuan will be a loan from you, and I'll repay you when I can."
Seeing his serious expression and firm tone, Xu Xiuwen knew this was his bottom line.
Xu Xiuwen had quite a bit of admiration for Hang Fei.
Anyone else would have eagerly accepted the chance to contribute their skills in exchange for shares.
Only Hang Fei felt he was taking advantage and proactively requested a smaller share.
Xu Xiuwen considered for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, let's do it that way."
Hang Fei sighed with relief at his words.
Next were the third and fourth conditions.
After discussing, they decided to split tasks.
Xu Xiuwen would choose a suitable location for the company's address.
Hang Fei was responsible for finding three professional film industry personnel.
Xu Xiuwen hinted to him that it was okay to spend money to hire people temporarily if necessary.
They talked a lot about the process of starting a company and eventually reached a consensus.
After they finished talking, Hang Fei's stomach growled.
Xu Xiuwen laughed, "Let's eat, otherwise the food will get cold."
They had been so engrossed in their discussion that the waiter had already served the dishes, but they hadn't touched them.
After dinner, they returned to the hotel.
Hang Fei had a lot to do, needing to contact many people and handle numerous tasks.
Xu Xiuwen, on the other hand, had it much easier, with his main task being to choose a suitable company location.
But that wasn't something he had to do tonight.
So, back in his room, he had time to contact his various girlfriends.
When he called An Shishi, it was already quite late.
Lying in bed, Xu Xiuwen chatted with her.
Halfway through the call, there was a small incident.
The hotel's soundproofing wasn't very good, and he could hear a woman's voice and a man's heavy breathing from the next room.
The sounds from the next room caused Xu Xiuwen's thoughts to wander.
When he came back to his senses, he realized the call was still connected, though there was no sound from the other end, making him think it had disconnected.
He checked and saw it hadn't, so he quickly asked, "Shishi, are you still there?"
An Shishi responded with a small sound, then asked softly, "What was that noise just now?"
Xu Xiuwen smiled wryly, "I'm in Jingling today, staying at a hotel. The sound came from the next room."
"Oh." An Shishi fell silent upon hearing this.
Xu Xiuwen didn't know what to say either and also fell silent.
Initially, the only sound was the woman's cries from the next room, but gradually, Xu Xiuwen could hear An Shishi's breathing getting louder.
Before he could ask, An Shishi asked, "Are you turned on?"
Xu Xiuwen was stunned but immediately replied, "A little."
"You wouldn't go looking for that kind of woman, would you?"
"What kind of woman?"
"You know, those women. I've heard small hotels have them."
Xu Xiuwen understood what she meant and smiled wryly, "I would never look for that kind of woman."
An Shishi seemed unconvinced and asked again, "Then how do you deal with it? You must be feeling uncomfortable now."
Xu Xiuwen glanced down, realizing she was right.
He admitted, "It is a bit uncomfortable. If only you were here with me."
An Shishi let out a coquettish, sultry laugh.
Then Xu Xiuwen heard the sound of footsteps, a door opening and closing, followed by An Shishi speaking.
"Shuishui, can you boil some water for me?"
Xu Xiuwen heard a girl's voice on the other end, "Sister, why do you need hot water?"
"I want to take a bath. Go on, boil it for me."
"Got it."
After the girl spoke, Xu Xiuwen heard the sound of a door closing, the kind of creak a wooden door makes in the countryside.