Du Anrao’s words landed like a bolt from the blue, leaving both parties involved absolutely shell-shocked.
Seeing that Du Hexuan seemed reluctant, Director Gao, fearing he might lose his temper and offend such a formidable investor, quickly interjected, "It’s just a meal, it won’t take long. Besides, I’ll be there. If you end up having a drink, I’ll personally drive you back. That should be fine, right?"
Director Gao’s words were a roundabout way of signaling to Du Hexuan that tonight was truly just dinner and nothing more.
Since it had come to this, Du Hexuan found it hard to refuse.
"Then I’ll take you up on that, President Xi. Brother Zhou, please take An’an home first."
As soon as Du Anrao heard that Du Hexuan intended to send her away so he could attend the dinner alone, she grew anxious. "Second Brother, can't I go with you?"
[Absolutely not. For the sake of my second brother's virtue, I must tag along. Brave An’an, guard the second brother! Down with the unscrupulous capitalist! Charge!]
The unscrupulous capitalist himself, Xi Jingyue: ...
Du Hexuan: ...
*My dear ancestor, with your scrawny arms and legs, if something were to happen, would you be protecting me or would I be protecting you?*
"Is this Actor Du’s... sister?" Xi Jingyue quickly adjusted his expression and invited her with a faint smile, "Why not join us? The more, the merrier."
Du Hexuan knitted his brows, noncommittal, but Du Anrao felt even more certain of her suspicions.
[This guy definitely has designs on my second brother, otherwise, why would he be so accommodating? I really have to go. If necessary, I can just throw my brother over my shoulder and run—I guarantee no one could catch us.]
Du Hexuan: ...
*I really appreciate that!*
Xi Jingyue: ...
*Is it possible that he does have designs on someone, just not the one she thinks?*
In the end, the group chose to move together, mainly because Du Hexuan was genuinely worried that if he had Zhou Shunche take Du Anrao away, she would only sneak out and follow them anyway.
The private restaurant Xi Jingyue had booked was small, but the decor was exquisitely refined and filled with an old-world charm.
To prevent any further misunderstandings, Xi Jingyue began to explain as soon as they were seated: "Today really is just to meet Actor Du and have a meal. In fact, you all might not know that my cousin, Li Yuesheng—the author of the original novel *Canghai Yueming* that you are currently filming—is a huge fan of Actor Du."
"The character of the Master in the script was written with Actor Du in mind from the very beginning. Once the book unexpectedly became a hit and the adaptation rights were sold, my cousin only had one condition: regardless of the other roles, Actor Du had to be cast as the Master."
Du Hexuan and Director Gao were both taken aback; they hadn't realized there was such a backstory.
Director Gao was the first to react: "No wonder! I was wondering why the author would choose to sell the rights to me after considering so many others. So that’s why..."
Although Director Gao was a well-known director, most of his previous work leaned toward historical martial arts. He had filmed a few fantasy dramas, but they had all been lukewarm. The drama he was currently filming, however, was a massive hit with a large audience and strong platform support—a bona fide blockbuster IP. Several directors more famous and experienced than him had expressed interest in collaborating, and he had never expected the pie to land in his lap. Before this, he had attributed it to his competitive offer and his willingness to give the author creative control.
Only now, after hearing Xi Jingyue, did he realize that the author might have known about his friendship with Du Hexuan all along. She had decided on him because she knew he could secure the actor, bypassing better options. It was clear the author was a true devotee of Du Hexuan.
Du Anrao was also awestruck by the author's savvy maneuvering.
[Good heavens! This is the legendary 'We were never meant to be, but money made it happen'? Are wealthy people today really this simple, unpretentious, and manipulative when chasing stars? First, write a character based on him, then once it's adapted, bring the real person in to play the role, and finally, take the opportunity to get an autograph. Everything is perfectly linked—one ring after another. Awesome, just awesome!]
Seeing that Du Anrao's attention had shifted to Li Yuesheng and she was no longer fixated on her second brother's virtue, Xi Jingyue breathed a sigh of relief.
"This is also why I’m here making an uninvited visit today. My cousin is still studying abroad and is too busy with her academics to make a trip back in the short term. Knowing that the show had started filming and that I happened to be in the area, she asked me to come take a look for her and, while I was at it, get an autograph from Actor Du. I wonder if Actor Du could do me the favor? It would allow me to fulfill my cousin’s request."
Xi Jingyue’s words were half-truth, half-deception. Li Yuesheng’s request was real, but this dinner hadn't been in his original plans. He had initially intended to just snap a few candid photos of Du Hexuan on set and get a few autographs from the director to appease her. He never expected to run into Du Anrao here; what had started as a reluctant chore had become the perfect excuse to get closer to her.
Du Hexuan, unaware of these hidden layers, realized he might have truly misunderstood the man's intentions and felt a bit awkward.
"It is my honor to have Miss Li’s favor. Later, I will have my manager prepare some gifts for her. I hope President Xi can pass them along and thank Miss Li for her support and admiration on my behalf."
"Certainly," Xi Jingyue said with a faint smile, raising his glass to Du Hexuan.
Du Anrao chewed on a chicken foot as she watched the scene unfold, feeling both relieved and a little disappointed.
[Well, thank goodness. I thought the second brother's charm had reached the point where he could captivate everyone, regardless of gender. It seems there’s still room for improvement.]
Du Hexuan: "..." *How much more room for improvement does he need? To captivate the entire human race?*
[But come to think of it, this fan of the second brother is also surnamed Li, just like Fourth Sister’s family. No, wait... Li Yuesheng, Li Yuesheng... hold on!]
Du Anrao’s hand froze mid-chew. She raised her hand weakly. "If I may, President Xi, which characters are used in your cousin's name?"
*You finally noticed!* Xi Jingyue thought.
That was exactly why he had mentioned the name—to test whether Du Anrao knew of the connection between Li Yuesheng and the Li family she was involved with. He maintained a look of mild curiosity. "The 'Yue' from 'the jade of the *Dai*,' and the 'Sheng' from 'the harmony of the *Sheng* and *Se*.' Does Miss Du know my cousin?"
"...No, I don't. I just thought the name... was quite nice."
Du Anrao lowered her head and went back to her chicken foot, as if it were just a casual question. Only Du Hexuan and Xi Jingyue knew that her mind was currently racing.
['Yue' for jade, 'Sheng' for harmony... it really is her! Li Yuesheng... one of the twins from the first branch of the Li family, Fourth Sister’s cousin-in-law! Talk about 'searching high and low, only to find it without effort.' I was just worrying about how to get to know the Li family, and here they are delivering themselves to my doorstep?]