Perhaps worried that Xu Xiuwen might overthink things, Meng Dong added a bit of an explanation.
"Brother Xu, it's not that I'm too timid to approach her, it's that I'm married. I'm a family man who loves his wife."
Xu Xiuwen listened and felt a bit speechless inside.
He wondered if Meng Dong would still be so stubborn if one day he were cremated.
At that moment, Green suddenly glanced in their direction.
Meng Dong immediately pulled Xu Xiuwen over to the bar stools.
Noticing Xu Xiuwen's gaze, Meng Dong explained, "Brother Xu, you're new here, so you don't understand Green. I've seen many men embarrass themselves in front of her. Even though I'm quite impressive, I don't think she'd see me differently. I'm just avoiding embarrassment by not approaching her."
Meng Dong sighed as he spoke.
"If I weren't married, even if she were difficult to chase, I'd still try. But since I'm married, I can't let my wife down."
Most men might feel tempted by a beautiful woman, but remembering their commitment to their wives makes them good men.
So Xu Xiuwen didn't look down on Meng Dong but rather saw a bit of responsibility in him.
As they spoke, a male customer noticed Green drinking alone at the bar.
The man approached her, attempting to strike up a conversation.
This caught Xu Xiuwen's attention.
However, within ten seconds, the man left with a grim expression.
As he walked away, he muttered angrily, "Damn, coming to a bar and still acting all innocent!"
Xu Xiuwen, from a few meters away, could hear the man's curse.
Green, being so close, surely heard it too.
Yet she remained calm and didn't show any anger, still gently swirling her drink.
Meng Dong saw this as well.
"See, Brother Xu, I wasn't exaggerating."
Xu Xiuwen asked, "If she ignores people, then what's her purpose in coming to the bar?"
Meng Dong shook his head.
"I don't know. I met her a month ago, and since her first day here, she always drinks alone at that spot. Once her bottle is empty, she leaves on her own. Sometimes she finishes quickly and leaves earlier, sometimes slower and leaves later. She's like a mystery; no one knows why she comes here!"
He paused.
"I only found out her name from the bartender."
"Hasn't anyone tried to hit on her?" Xu Xiuwen asked.
In TV shows or novels, it's common to see plots where a beautiful woman at a bar is targeted by less scrupulous men who use various methods to get her into bed.
Meng Dong shook his head.
"There have been a few clueless men who tried to drug her, but they were caught. Those men had their legs broken and were left in a nearby alley, moaning all night."
Meng Dong then leaned in a bit and whispered, "I heard from someone that Green is actually the bar owner's woman, so no one dares to mess with her."
Listening to Meng Dong's description of Green, Xu Xiuwen became intrigued.
People are naturally curious about unknown things, and Xu Xiuwen was no exception.
The mysterious nature of Green piqued his interest.
Xu Xiuwen suddenly asked, "Brother Dong, do you think if I went over to say hello, she would send me away?"
Meng Dong heard this, scanned Xu Xiuwen up and down, then reached out to pat Xu Xiuwen's shoulder and said, "Brother Xu, it's not that I underestimate you. You're good-looking, but you're too young. There's no way she'd be interested in you. You'd just be setting yourself up for embarrassment."
Meng Dong's words sparked Xu Xiuwen's competitive spirit.
He smiled and said, "What if I approach her and she doesn't kick me out? What then?"
"You're thinking too much," Meng Dong dismissed. "If you really manage to strike up a conversation with her, I'll call you 'Big brother' from now on."
Xu Xiuwen burst into laughter.
"Brother Dong, that's not really appropriate."
"Then what do you suggest?"
After a moment's thought, Xu Xiuwen said, "Brother Dong, here's the deal. If I can get her phone number, could you raise our per-episode fee to 400,000 yuan?"
Meng Dong was taken aback by Xu Xiuwen's request.
He hadn't expected Xu Xiuwen to make such a demand.
After a moment of silence and contemplation, he asked with uncertainty, "Are you sure you mean getting her phone number, not just having a chat?"
"You heard correctly, Brother Dong."
"Alright, I agree. If you can get her number, I'll definitely help you get the per-episode fee to 400,000 yuan."
"It's a deal!" Xu Xiuwen said with a satisfied smile after hearing Meng Dong's response.
Actually, during the meeting in the afternoon, Xu Xiuwen had sensed there was room for negotiation on the drama's price.
He brought it up, and indeed, it could be increased.
Though the increase was only 50,000 per episode, with a total of 36 episodes, it amounted to 1.8 million yuan—nearly covering the cost of producing the drama.
For Xu Xiuwen, even if he failed, there was no significant loss, so why not give it a try?
"Then I'll go."
"Let's see what you can do."
"Okay."
Xu Xiuwen stood up from the bar stool and walked toward Green.
He took a seat next to her, but not directly beside her, leaving a seat in between.
Xu Xiuwen didn't rush to start a conversation with Green.
Instead, he called the bartender over, asked for a napkin, and then took out a pen he carried in his pocket.
He spread the napkin out in front of him and began to write and draw on it.
Meng Dong, sitting not far away, was baffled.
He had no idea what Xu Xiuwen was doing.
Why wasn't he approaching her? Had he gotten cold feet?
Meng Dong was bracing himself to watch Xu Xiuwen make a fool of himself.
At that moment, Xu Xiuwen stopped writing.
Then, he pushed the napkin toward Green with his left hand.
Green, who had been drinking, didn't react much to someone sitting beside her.
Her glass was empty.
She picked up the bottle and poured herself half a glass of wine.
At that moment, she noticed the man beside her had handed her a napkin.
The woman was momentarily stunned.
Coming to her senses, she instinctively glanced at the napkin.
The black writing on the napkin caught her attention.
It read: "Dear lady, have you also encountered troubles like Rachel's?"
The woman's eyes widened in surprise.
She quickly turned around and looked at Xu Xiuwen, asking in astonishment, "Have you seen Friends too?"
Xu Xiuwen was already well-prepared.
He turned to the woman and smiled, "I'm a huge fan of Friends."
The woman responded with surprise, "I never expected to meet a true Friends fan here."
Xu Xiuwen and the woman were talking about the American TV show *Friends*.
The main female character in the show is named Rachel Green.
When Xu Xiuwen wrote the name Rachel, he wasn't entirely sure if his guess was correct.
But at that moment, he knew he had guessed right.
He had found it odd when he first learned the woman's name.
How could a beautiful woman have a name like Green?
Such an unappealing name?
So Xu Xiuwen thought maybe Green wasn't her real name but an English name, like the word "green."
But then he wondered why she would be named after a basketball team, especially since the Warriors hadn't risen to prominence in 2006.
So Xu Xiuwen thought of another familiar name: Rachel Green.
Perhaps the woman was a fan of *Friends*?
With this guess in mind, Xu Xiuwen wrote that line on the napkin.
From the current outcome, Xu Xiuwen hadn't been wrong.
At this moment, Xu Xiuwen was also sure that Meng Dong wasn't exaggerating.
The woman in front of him was indeed very beautiful.
Her features were well-defined—her nose was a nose, her eyes were eyes, her mouth was a mouth…
Okay, no more jokes.
The woman's features were delicate, and there was a hint of melancholy in her brows.
It's worth noting that her hair was golden.
And her hairstyle was almost identical to how Rachel looked when she first appeared on *Friends*.
It seemed she really liked the character Rachel.
So Xu Xiuwen decided to continue along this line, to get closer and build rapport.
He pretended to suddenly remember and said, "Do you remember the episode in *Friends* where Rachel goes to a bar after arguing with Ross?"
The woman replied straightforwardly, "I remember that episode."
Xu Xiuwen smiled faintly, "So, beautiful Rachel, are you here at the bar alone because you had an argument with your boyfriend?"
The woman was momentarily stunned, then realized Xu Xiuwen was referring to her as Rachel.
She suddenly burst into laughter.
She laughed so hard that her body shook.
After laughing for a while, she extended her hand to Xu Xiuwen, "Hello, I'm Liu Xinran."
Finally, Xu Xiuwen knew the woman's real name.
He smiled and shook Liu Xinran's hand.
"I'm Yang Baishan. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Xu Xiuwen was careful not to reveal his real name directly to the woman.
After all, this was a bar, and there was no need to use his real name.
This was something Xu Xiuwen had learned from Lu Xiaobu.
"Me too."
"So, you haven't answered my question."
Liu Xinran smiled and said, "I don't have a boyfriend."
Not only did Xu Xiuwen learn the woman's name, but he also naturally struck up a conversation with Liu Xinran.
Meanwhile, Meng Dong, sitting at the bar, was now staring in shock.
What's going on?
Why hasn't this guy been kicked out? Instead, they're chatting and laughing?
It wasn't just Meng Dong.
Several men near the bar had been quietly observing Liu Xinran.
Now, seeing the usually aloof and unapproachable Liu Xinran engaging so cheerfully with a stranger, everyone was stunned.
Xu Xiuwen asked, "Could you buy me a drink?"
Liu Xinran inquired, "Why should I buy you a drink?"
Xu Xiuwen reached into his pocket and said with a smile, "Because I didn't bring any money."
Liu Xinran couldn't help but laugh at Xu Xiuwen's response.
Over the many days she'd been drinking at the bar, she had encountered all sorts of men trying to strike up a conversation.
Most of them were men who flaunted their wealth.
It was her first time meeting a man who admitted he had no money.
She glanced at Xu Xiuwen's attire and asked with a smile, "You didn't just come to the bar straight from work, did you? That's why you didn't bring any money?"
Xu Xiuwen was in formal business attire today because he had been meeting with people from the Huizhou TV station.
At that moment, his formal attire seemed out of place in the bar's casual atmosphere.
Xu Xiuwen nodded and said, "Yes, I came straight from work, so I forgot to bring money."
Xu Xiuwen's honesty won her favor.
Liu Xinran laughed for a moment and said, "I can buy you a drink. What would you like? You can choose."
Liu Xinran called the bartender over.
Xu Xiuwen shook his head and said, "I won't choose. I come here very rarely. You must come often, so why don't you recommend something for me?"
Liu Xinran found Xu Xiuwen quite interesting.
Why did he think she would buy him a drink and personally choose it for him?
"Get him a martini," Liu Xinran said.
Xu Xiuwen smiled and said, "I thought you'd recommend a margarita."
Liu Xinran initially didn't understand his reference but quickly realized.
The margarita was a cocktail Rachel made for Monica in *Friends*.
After a few minutes of chatting, Xu Xiuwen discovered that Liu Xinran was very intelligent and well-informed.
Talking to her didn't require finding topics artificially; the conversation flowed naturally.
At this moment, Liu Xinran suddenly said, "That man over there is your friend, right?"
Xu Xiuwen followed her gaze and saw Meng Dong at the other end of the bar.
Meng Dong was surprised that they had suddenly looked in his direction.
For a moment, he wasn't sure whether to turn away or stay put.
"Since you sat down, he's been staring at us. He must be your friend, right?"
"Yes, do you mind if I call him over?"
Liu Xinran shook her head with an indifferent attitude, "It's fine. I don't mind."
Xu Xiuwen waved at Meng Dong.
Meng Dong thought he might be seeing things and blinked to confirm he wasn't mistaken.
He hesitated before walking over.
Xu Xiuwen smiled and introduced them, "Brother Dong, this is Liu Xinran. Liu Xinran, this is Meng Dong."
Liu Xinran did not smile as warmly at Meng Dong as she had at Xu Xiuwen.
She put away her smile and merely nodded slightly.
But that was enough to surprise Meng Dong.
He grinned so widely that his mouth almost wouldn't close.
With Meng Dong's arrival, the conversation between Xu Xiuwen and Liu Xinran stopped.
The atmosphere gradually grew colder.
Suddenly, Xu Xiuwen asked Liu Xinran in front of Meng Dong, "Liu Xinran, what's your phone number?"
Xu Xiuwen's request left both Liu Xinran and Meng Dong surprised.
Liu Xinran couldn't help but ask, "Do I really have to give you my number?"
"Yes," Xu Xiuwen replied, "because I made a bet with Brother Dong here. The bet was whether or not you'd give me your number. Now the outcome of the bet depends on whether you give it to me or not."
Meng Dong was also speechless at Xu Xiuwen's approach.
To him, it seemed like Xu Xiuwen would never get the number.
Who asks for a phone number like that?
You need some subtle tactics or to be a bit charming, say something flattering.
When a girl is happy, she might give you her number.
Someone asking so bluntly like this would never get it.
If you manage to get it!
I'll eat this bar counter right here on the spot.