Chapter 44

A few days later, Jiang Chi received an invitation from the director of the film he was currently shooting.

The director smiled. "An Ya from Ye Lan's Studio asked me to give this to you. She specifically asked about the crew's schedule. I checked, and you don't have many scenes that day. You can wrap up by noon, so it won't delay our progress. You should go if you can."

Jiang Chi was completely bewildered. An Ya was giving him an invitation?

"Yu Baiyi's manager asked me to give it to you. She said to please ask you to grace them with your presence." During a break on set, An Ya called Jiang Chi, her voice cheerful. "Speaking of which, I think you're Yu Baiyi's junior from school, right? It would be good to get to know her. It's just a small party hosted by Film Empress Yu herself. She's invited a lot of people from the industry, but not many from the media. You should go have some fun."

An Ya had made some inquiries the day before and heard that unless it was for essential work, Jiang Chi turned down all social engagements. It was hard for most people to get him to attend such events. Fearing that Jiang Chi would refuse and Ye Lan would throw a tantrum at her later, she quickly added before he could speak, "Yu Baiyi is Starlight's number one actress. For a party she's hosting, a lot of people from Starlight will be there to show their support. In a few months, you'll all be artists under the same company. It won't hurt to go and mingle beforehand. Yu Baiyi is a very nice and righteous person. Do her this favor."

Sure enough, as soon as Jiang Chi heard that many people from Starlight Media would be there, he relented. Thinking that An Ya was doing this to help him integrate into the new company sooner, he said gratefully, "Thank you, Sister An Ya. I'll be there on time."

An Ya felt a little guilty. She exchanged a few more pleasantries and then hung up.

On the day of the wine tasting, Ye Lan, contrary to his usual habits, arrived early.

He had his hair cut shorter and slicked back completely. To match the evening's theme, he wore a dark evening suit, another custom-made piece that was exquisite from head to toe. Since it was a wine tasting, it was polite to avoid wearing cologne. However, Ye Lan had shrewdly used a long-lasting aromatherapy scent before coming. If you got close enough, you could still catch a faint, alluring fragrance from his neck and cuffs.

Yu Baiyi gave Ye Lan a hug and took a light sniff, a knowing smile on her face. "For such a small gathering, I didn't expect you to be so supportive. Should I be flattered, or should someone else receive this honor?"

Yu Baiyi naturally knew that he had asked her for an extra invitation. Combined with the recent Weibo topics, she had thought Ye Lan would bring a female companion. To her surprise, he had come alone. Yu Baiyi was dying of curiosity, but with the media not far away, she had to maintain her elegant Film Empress demeanor.

Ye Lan smiled. "This is a 'small gathering'? When I walked in just now, I thought I'd come to the wrong set and stumbled into some movie premiere."

"You're too kind." Yu Baiyi smiled pretentiously, her curiosity about to explode. "Everyone's just doing me a favor. Have fun, I'll come chat with you later."

Ye Lan nodded. After entering the banquet hall, he was invited up to the second floor, where he happened to run into Yu Xinze.

Yu Xinze's companion was a new actress his company had just signed, clearly brought along to network. The actress was also a fan of Ye Lan. Her face turned red upon seeing him, and she quickly greeted him in a low voice.

Ye Lan nodded. Yu Xinze had something to say to him, so he sent the actress away.

Ye Lan raised an eyebrow and smiled. "What's up?"

"I need to talk to you!" People were constantly walking by. Yu Xinze maintained a smile on his face while gritting his teeth in anger. "Film Emperor Ye, you've got some nerve. First, you block me from signing Jiang Chi, then you turn around and rope him into Starlight. Isn't that a bit of a low blow, stealing him like that?"

Ye Lan paused, then it dawned on him that Yu Xinze had also wanted to sign Jiang Chi.

But...

How did Yu Xinze know that Jiang Chi was signing with Starlight?

Ye Lan sneered. "Who's been feeding you nonsense?"

"You're still not admitting it?" Yu Xinze was flabbergasted. "I'm telling you, your skin is getting thicker and thicker. Are you going to wait until the headlines about Starlight Media signing Jiang Chi come out before you admit it?"

Ye Lan was noncommittal. "I asked you, who told you?"

"Someone from my company told me!" Yu Xinze looked Ye Lan up and down, indignant. "I didn't believe it when they told me, but I checked and it was true. How could you do this to me?"

Ye Lan pursed his lips and took out his phone to message An Ya, telling her to inform Starlight to stop spreading rumors about Jiang Chi's signing.

A change in an artist's agency was a major event and had to be kept confidential until the contract was signed. He didn't know where the slip-up had occurred, but the news had somehow been leaked months in advance.

"This really isn't my fault." Annoyed with the loose lips at Starlight, Ye Lan absentmindedly placated Yu Xinze while texting. "It's all fair game. Besides, it's not something I could decide... Starlight was interested, and Jiang Chi himself was willing. The two sides hit it off. I wasn't involved."

How could Yu Xinze believe that? He said coldly, "You were the one who promised to be my go-between, and you were the one who later said you couldn't help. Then you turn around and sign him to your uncle's company. So all my hard work was just to act as a matchmaker for you two?"

The phrase "matchmaker" inadvertently struck a chord with Ye Lan. He put his phone away and smiled. "Alright, my bad. I'll treat you to dinner to make it up to you."

"Twice!" Yu Xinze was still fuming. "At your uncle's place. I get to open any bottle I want!"

Ye Lan agreed to everything. He had been keeping an eye on the main entrance of the hall and spotted Jiang Chi the moment he arrived. He quickly shooed Yu Xinze away.

Artists all had different styles. Jiang Chi's team had always had him maintain a fresh, youthful image, so he rarely wore formal attire. Today, dressed in a custom-made suit, he looked even more handsome and elegant than usual. Ye Lan watched him from a distance, taking a small sip of red wine.

Jiang Chi politely exchanged pleasantries with Yu Baiyi. Having seen Jiang Chi's TV dramas before, Yu Baiyi had a good impression of him and chatted with him for a little longer.

Not wanting to take up too much of the hostess's time, Jiang Chi excused himself after a few sentences.

He had originally wanted to invite Wu Xiaoling from his current film crew as his companion, but An Ya had only given him one invitation. He wasn't familiar with Yu Baiyi either, so it felt inappropriate to invite someone on his own. Thus, he had come alone.

Fortunately, there were a few artists here that he knew. Jiang Chi greeted them, and after a bit of small talk, he stood to the side by himself, swirling a glass of red wine, then sniffing it with a look of incomprehension, pretending to be appraising its aroma.

Several female artists nearby whispered to each other, wanting to go over and strike up a conversation with Jiang Chi but feeling too shy.

Ye Lan stood by the ornate railing on the second floor, waiting for a long time, but Jiang Chi never came up to pay his respects. Ye Lan was peeved... Doesn't this guy look at the guest list before entering?

And to think I took up the space of ten people with my enormous signature...

Ye Lan deigned to go downstairs himself. He patted Jiang Chi on the shoulder from behind, sighing, "Are you here to serve a punishment standing in the corner?"

Jiang Chi was stunned to see Ye Lan, his eyes instantly lighting up. "You... aren't you on set?! Why are you here too?!"

"We haven't officially started filming, so it doesn't matter." Ye Lan glanced down at the wine glass in Jiang Chi's hand and smiled. "How does it taste?"

Jiang Chi hadn't actually drunk any of it. Now that Ye Lan asked, he quickly took a sip and nodded. "It's very good, very fragrant..."

Jiang Chi knew nothing about red wine; to him, it all tasted more or less the same. Now that he saw Ye Lan, he had even less of a mind for drinking. His eyes were glued to Ye Lan, and he was just short of circling around him.

Jiang Chi whispered, "I didn't expect you to be here. Sister An Ya only told me that artists from Starlight would be here, she didn't mention you. If I had known..."

If I had known, I would have come earlier. Who knows how long Ye Lan has been here, and how much time we could have spent together has been wasted.

"She wasn't wrong. I used to be a Starlight artist too." Ye Lan raised an eyebrow. "By the way... does that mean I'm your senior now?"

Senior... A sweet feeling blossomed in Jiang Chi's heart. He nodded vigorously. "Yes!" He had finally established a connection with Ye Lan beyond that of a work partner.

Seeing that there weren't many people around, Ye Lan said softly, "Then let me hear you call me 'senior'."

Jiang Chi froze. For some reason, he found it a little hard to say.

"Tsk." Ye Lan smiled. "I ask you to call me 'daddy' and you won't. I ask you to call me 'senior' and you won't. Little friend, in terms of seniority, there's quite a generation gap between us. I didn't realize... you're quite proud, aren't you."

"No..." Jiang Chi pursed his lips, his cheeks flushing as he said softly, "Senior."

Ye Lan felt a wave of satisfaction. His mind began to wander. It would be great if I could take on a film in the future where I could use my position to get him to call me a few even nicer things...

He would have An Ya carefully select Jiang Chi's first project at Starlight. It would be best if he could act opposite him again.

It was a pity they couldn't keep making films about same-sex relationships. But they didn't have to be limited to that. He could be the producer, pick the most agreeable script, and film it for his own amusement. He'd specifically look for one with lots of intimate scenes. After filming a whole series like that, even if Jiang Chi didn't like him, he'd have to...

In his mind, Ye Lan had already stripped Jiang Chi naked and filmed him thoroughly from a dozen camera angles. On the surface, however, he remained a gentleman, smiling at Jiang Chi. "What's there to be embarrassed about? Now that I've heard you call me 'senior', I'd feel bad not helping you out if you're ever in trouble."

Jiang Chi wasn't expecting that. Every time he thought about how he was now walking the same path Ye Lan had, it was enough to make him happy.

Ye Lan asked Jiang Chi a few questions about how things were on set. Recalling what Yu Xinze had said earlier, he asked, "Jiang Chi... have you told anyone else about signing with Starlight?"

Jiang Chi paused, then answered truthfully, "I told my manager and my assistant."

Ye Lan had someone keeping an eye on that manager of Jiang Chi's for a while now. He heard the man was so busy with new talent that he could barely manage his own affairs, so he probably wouldn't cause any trouble.

Jiang Chi's assistant didn't seem like a scheming person either...

Ye Lan figured the leak didn't come from Jiang Chi's side, but he still gave him a word of caution. "Don't spread it around yourself before the contract is signed. Just wait for Starlight to release the official announcement. Otherwise, one, you might offend your new company, and two, several other companies were vying for you before. Deliberately telling them about this would make you seem arrogant."

Jiang Chi nodded quickly in understanding. "Yes, I'll remember that."

"Don't be nervous. I know you're sensible and haven't been talking. It was just a casual reminder." Ye Lan smiled, casually picking up a glass of wine and swapping it with the one in Jiang Chi's hand. "Try this... this one has a hint of chocolate. See if you can taste it."

Jiang Chi took a sip and nodded against his better judgment. "Yes... there is a bit of a chocolate taste."

"Now try this one." Ye Lan handed Jiang Chi another glass. "This one has a stronger cedar fragrance."

Jiang Chi took a sip and gave a dry laugh. "Yes... it's a cedar taste." What does cedar taste like? Jiang Chi wondered blankly.

Ye Lan directly handed two glasses to Jiang Chi. "One of these two was made from grapes grown on vines over twenty years old, and the other wasn't. Give them a try. Can you tell the difference?"

Jiang Chi tasted each one, frowning in confusion.

Ye Lan said deliberately, "If you guess right, you get a prize."

Jiang Chi's spirits lifted instantly. He took another large sip of each, then sniffed them. After a long moment, he cautiously pointed to one glass and said, "This one is... from the old vines? Is it?"

Ye Lan beamed, a gentle smile on his face. "You guessed right."

Right, my ass. It was the other one.

Jiang Chi's eyes shone. A prize!

Looking at Jiang Chi, Ye Lan's heart suddenly softened.

He had originally wanted to trick Jiang Chi into drinking a few more glasses to take advantage of him while he was drunk. But seeing how truly clueless Jiang Chi was about red wine, he couldn't bring himself to keep plying him with alcohol. What was the point? He might have a headache the next day during filming.

Ye Lan chuckled softly. "Go on, what prize do you want?"

Jiang Chi's Adam's apple bobbed. It was hard to tell if it was from drinking too much or from shyness, but his cheeks were red again.

Ye Lan's heart stirred. As the one offering the prize, he found himself feeling a faint sense of anticipation.

"When we wrapped up filming before..." Jiang Chi suppressed his excitement and said, "I originally wanted to ask for your autograph, but I was too excited that day and forgot. I never got around to it later..."

God knows how much Jiang Chi regretted it afterward. He had seen others post on Weibo, showing off the wrap-up blessings Ye Lan had given them. Ye Lan had written several sentences, and his handwriting was especially beautiful!

Ye Lan let out a dry laugh. A bucket of cold water had just been poured over his burning passion.

Ye Lan sneered, "An autograph?"

Jiang Chi froze, numbly reflecting... Did I drink too much and say the wrong thing?

Ye Lan closed his eyes.

He couldn't lower himself to Jiang Chi's level, otherwise he'd always want to resort to violence...

But they weren't even dating yet. Violence probably wasn't a good idea...

Ye Lan placed his wine glass aside and smiled. "Do you have any paper?"

Jiang Chi paused, embarrassed. He quickly said, "I have some in my car! I'll..."

"This shop closes once you leave it." Ye Lan was completely unsympathetic, saying coolly, "Take one step out of here, and I'm not signing."

Jiang Chi immediately froze in place. He looked around in embarrassment. Could he... could he tear off a piece of the tablecloth?

Ye Lan took a fountain pen from his breast pocket, twirling it casually. He looked up and down at the motionless Jiang Chi and smiled. "Let me see... where would be a good place to sign."

"The suit is black, I can't sign on that..."

"This shirt looks pretty expensive, right? It wouldn't be right to ruin it..."

Ye Lan's lips curled. "Come with me to the restroom? I'll pick a good spot myself."