FLME Ch7: Dinner Gathering

In the evening, Yu Wen received another message from Xie Heyu.

The lead actors, having higher status, had company-provided RVs, while the rest of the staff and actors were all arranged in a hotel not far from the shooting location. Naturally, Yu Wen was also among those eating communal meals.

Tonight, he had no scheduled tasks and could finish early. He had just bought a bag of fruit from a street vendor when a message popped up from the blurry silhouette avatar.

[Just finished class. Coming to pick you up now. Will be a bit late, sorry.]

In a short message, a lot of information was conveyed.

Yu Wen stood under the streetlamp, furrowing his brows in thought. For the first time, he couldn’t follow Teacher Xie’s train of thought. He refused to admit there was a generation gap between him and a university student, firmly believing there was a communication gap instead.

Yu Wen: [Thank you, kind person. But Xiao Yu only needs a ten-minute walk from the filming location to the hotel.]

To avoid sounding stiff, he immediately added two memes:

[Cat sprinting.jpg]

[Cat dashing.jpg]

Xie Heyu: [Xie Jiamao asked me to pick you up for a dinner gathering. Didn’t he tell you?]

Yu Wen switched back to his chat with his boss to confirm and confidently replied: [Not a word leaked.]

The boss’s lips were sealed.

What’s he doing in the entertainment industry? He should be in the intelligence business.

After a few minutes with no new messages, Yu Wen figured Xie Heyu was probably talking to the boss with a straight face and ellipses floating above his head.

He waited in place. Although the boss forgot to notify him, Xie Heyu’s message was timely, indicating he was already on his way.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Xie Jiamao called: “Xiao Yu, sorry, sorry, I forgot to tell you. Do you have any other plans? Come over for dinner…”

The boss was full of enthusiasm, passionately envisioning the future, and within a few sentences, StarLight Media had already entered the Fortune 500.

He truly acted on a whim; the dinner was a last-minute decision, but his words made it clear it was a company dinner.

But this was a boss who provided five social insurances, one housing fund, and accommodation every month!

What could Yu Wen do but forgive him warmly and enthusiastically!

He waited for Xie Heyu under the streetlamp, bored, peeling an orange. When Xie Heyu arrived, Yu Wen was in the middle of an “ascension” from the sourness; his delicate face scrunched up like a manga character.

Xie Heyu: “…What’s wrong?”

Yu Wen squatted on the ground, his free hand clenched into a fist and his brows and eyes hidden in the shadows, making it hard to see clearly.

“I feel like I’m dying…” After a long while, he said mournfully, lifting his tear-filled eyes, “Dying from sourness!”

Xie Heyu: “…”

Xie Heyu had just come from school, wearing a simple T-shirt that revealed a slim collarbone. His hair was fluffy and messy, and standing in front of Yu Wen, he resembled a clump of pine bamboo.

The usually composed guy was momentarily at a loss, instinctively reaching into his pockets, only to come up empty. He finally found a breath-freshening mint in the car.

On the way back, Yu Wen sucked on the mint, not opening the fruit bag even once.

He clearly remembered tasting the fruit before buying it, and the vendor had confidently assured him each one was that sweet.

Damn it, he wanted to call the police and have the fraud caught!

Although generally easy-going, Yu Wen was somewhat picky in life, having been pampered to some extent.

Especially with food.

He didn’t eat cilantro and avoided anything with a cilantro flavor; dishes could have green onions, ginger, and garlic, but he mustn’t see them; vegetables had to be fresh; he didn’t like meat, especially pork and chicken; fruits had to be juicy, not too sweet, not too sour, and not tasteless…

He was so particular that he had been beaten numerous times by his mother and sister.

The fruits he was willing to eat were few—non-sour oranges and the tips of strawberries. Already few, this time he was deceived and believed he had developed a psychological shadow, deciding not to eat fruits for the next month.

Awesome.

At a red light, Xie Heyu glanced at him through the rearview mirror. Yu Wen accidentally met his gaze, feeling a chill at the top of his head, like being watched by a righteous enforcer.

“Are you…a picky eater?”

Yu Wen: “Absolutely not.”

“Mm.”

Xie Heyu didn’t pursue the matter further, making Yu Wen’s heart settle.

On the way, the boss called, and Xie Heyu put it on speakerphone. Xie Jiamao was shopping at the supermarket, chatting away about what ingredients to buy with a particularly familiar, irritable voice next to him.

“Any dietary restrictions?”

A sudden question without context left Yu Wen confused for a moment before realizing it was directed at him.

He hesitated, then tactfully said, “Quite a few…”

The other side fell silent.

Crossing the intersection, Xie Heyu picked up his phone and sent a message.

Yu Wen’s phone vibrated.

“Tonight’s menu, add what you like; write your dietary restrictions at the end.”

What a considerate person!

Yu Wen was moved by Teacher Xie’s attention to detail.

At that moment, he unilaterally elevated their friendship to an unparalleled level.

Yu Wen edited his message, trying to meet his delicate stomach’s needs without affecting others.

Xie Heyu glanced at the “dietary restriction essay” and directly removed four or five dishes from the menu.

The boss shouted dissatisfaction from the other end of the phone about the removed items.

Teacher Xie concisely said, “Teacher Yu is a picky eater.”

Yu Wen: “…”

“What? A picky eater? Is it serious?” Xie Jiamao’s tone was rarely serious, “It would be bad if it affected your health. Let’s go for a medical check-up later.”

Yu Wen slowly closed his eyes.

The heart that was hanging in suspense ultimately hanged itself.

–

Being picky about food could lead to some minor issues, nothing serious—Yu Wen decided he would explain this to the boss later.

But now he had to get an explanation from Xie Heyu.

He complained to my! Boss!

Physical management for artists was part of the contract; accusing him of being picky about food was almost like accusing him of breach of contract!

Why should workers make things difficult for fellow workers?!

Xie Heyu’s gaze didn’t waver; the city’s neon lights cast shadows on his face, making his high and sharp profile even more profound—he not only felt no guilt but also exuded handsomeness.

Yu Wen held a bag of oranges, sulking. Before making any rash accusations, he wanted to have an adult conversation with Xie Heyu to make a precise strike.

“Teacher Xie, how did you know I’m picky about food?”

“People with sensitive taste buds are usually picky eaters.”

“Oh, then how much does Teacher Xie make?”

“…”

Tremble! This is the cruel social topic among adults!

Unexpectedly, Xie Heyu glanced at him quickly, seemingly very surprised. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, the two silver rings fully displaying the essence of a trendy man.

“I don’t have a salary.”

Yu Wen’s smile froze.

…He pitied him.

–

Before getting out of the car, a flood of sympathy repaired the precarious brotherly bond between him and Teacher Xie, and Yu Wen forgave him unilaterally.

Xie Heyu politely took the fruit from his hands. Yu Wen noticed the irregular geometric patterns on the decorative rings were gleaming, and once again he sincerely praised, “Teacher Xie’s rings are really nice.”

This time, there was no need for eye contact or silence. Xie Heyu raised his hand and swiftly took off the rings, handing them over.

“Here.”

…This was more than mere friendship.

This was the convergence of aesthetics, the resonance of souls!

Yu Wen put on the silver rings, shyly fiddling with them, “I feel a bit like…”

Xie Heyu: “Like a trendy guy on American streets.”

…Teacher Xie, his soulmate! His confidant! His sworn brother!

Even as they entered the elevator, Yu Wen was still playing with the two rings, smug like a proud cat, completely unaware that Xie Heyu had somehow opened his plastic bag and stolen an orange.

–

Xie Jiamao opened the plastic bag with a sharp crackling sound.

“Xiao Xie! Why did you peel every orange?!”

The boss of StarLight Media complained loudly, “There are only four of us, it’s such a waste if we can’t finish! One, two, three…thirteen! Everyone has to eat at least three; what if we get heaty tomorrow?!”

Xie Heyu entered and skillfully put on an apron, heading to the kitchen. Little did he expect that for this dinner, his role would be the chef. Yu Wen stood at the kitchen door, silently pitying him for ten minutes.

Then he was informed that Teacher Xie and his immediate boss had some sort of blood relationship, the kind where they were on the same household registration.

—They were uncle and nephew.

Yu Wen: The clown is actually me.

For a company dinner, naturally, all company members were invited. The four key members of StarLight Media gathered to envision their bright future.

…Actually, it was Xie Jiamao who, after months of relentless effort, finally convinced Director Gao. Unable to contain his excitement, he wanted to share his achievement with the other two, thus organizing this dinner.

The moment Gao Kaiyu agreed to sign the contract, he genuinely felt like the most handsome man in the universe.

Since there weren’t many people, just four, and because it was a sudden event, the location was Xie Jiamao’s apartment. A simple hotpot dinner, with Xie Heyu making a couple of home-cooked dishes, ended with the core members opening up to each other, cementing the bonds that would lead the company to greatness!

Director Gao had worked with Yu Wen before and had heard from Xie Jiamao about this “golden boy” of the company, so they were somewhat familiar. After a brief chat, he took the plastic bag from Xie Jiamao and saw that each orange was peeled, almost all missing a segment. He immediately turned on Xie Jiamao:

“Are you mistreating Xiao Xie?!”

“How could that be?! Xiao Xie is my nephew!”

The two middle-aged men started arguing, and Yu Wen silently looked at the busy Xie Heyu in the kitchen, reflecting for a moment on his assumptions.

At StarLight Media, even having connections didn’t help.

Connections had no salary; look at how Teacher Xie was craving; he even stole his oranges.

Pity him.

Yu Wen passed through the battleground of the two middle-aged men fighting and carefully picked two oranges from the plastic bag, sneaking into the kitchen like a thief.

“Teacher Xie, here, eat more.” He held the oranges in front of Xie Heyu with a kindly face.

Xie Heyu stared at the oranges in his hand, his brain seemingly freezing for a second.

Then he realized, washed his hands, and returned to the living room. Amid Xie Jiamao’s “Xiao Xie, say something; Xiao Xie, speak up!” and Gao Kaiyu’s “Xiao Xie, don’t be afraid; tell Uncle if you need money” concern, he calmly opened the plastic bag and picked out two oranges.

The two middle-aged men wrestled, and he didn’t even glance at them, displaying a habitual and indifferent demeanor that was heartbreaking.

“I’ve tasted them; these two are the sweetest.” He held out his hand to Yu Wen, the wide, long palm steadily holding the two oranges; the peels opened like flowers, “Eat these.”

So, the messed-up peels were to mark the sweet ones.

Yu Wen had an epiphany.

His gratitude was barely contained when he heard a loud clang from the living room.

The middle-aged men, in their tussle, had accidentally knocked over the hotpot broth being heated.

Gao Kaiyu swiftly picked up the floor socket and angrily said, “You—”

He looked up and saw Xie Jiamao standing far away, pointing at him and complaining to Xie Heyu, “Xiao Xie, he did it.”

Gao Kaiyu: “…”

Director Gao closed his eyes, unable to see the future of StarLight Media.

Yu Wen silently closed his gaping mouth, caught between “You’re his bad luck” and “Be bold; this is the boss.”