Malice

"Wow!!!" Chen Chu covered her mouth, looking utterly astonished.

Next door, Zhou Rui shed tears of humiliation, then covered his face and sighed. "It's true what they say—comparing yourself to others only drives you mad. Other people are already filthy rich, while I'm still just a washed-up little actor."

"But Brother Zhou, you're pretty famous on the mainland too." Xue Chen patted his shoulder and said earnestly, "Brother Zhou, you have to stay strong. I believe you'll succeed."

"Yeah, I definitely will!" Zhou Rui nodded heavily.

Li Zeng stood to the side, completely baffled. How had the topic gotten stranger and stranger? "Mr. Xue, are you from the mainland?"

Xue Chen smiled upon hearing that. "Do I not look like it?"

Li Zeng shook his head. "That air about you doesn't seem like something a person from an ordinary family would have." The others nodded as well.

"I was born into an ordinary family, but compared to most people, we did have a bit more money. As for my bearing, maybe I was just born with it. It has helped me make quite a few connections."

"That's quite a useful talent. People on Hong Kong Island have sharp eyes these days. They generally look down on people from the mainland, at least mentally. You have a keen eye. In the future, you'll definitely become a major player." Li Zeng had worked in the film industry for many years and had always been perceptive when it came to judging people. Xue Chen possessed a unique charm, which was why he had wanted to approach him and make his acquaintance. Securing investment was merely an unexpected bonus.

"Thank you for the compliment. I hope I can find success in that area someday." Xue Chen smiled.

"You're a very outstanding person." Li Zeng looked at him approvingly.

"I'll take that as a good omen." Xue Chen's smile remained gentle.

"Well, well—Old Li, you're having a dinner gathering here too? Did you manage to pull in some investment? Which blind fool took a liking to your crew?"

Just as the atmosphere was warm and cheerful, a sharp, mean-spirited voice rang out. The entire private room fell silent. Then, a man with a beer belly walked in with a voluptuous woman in his arms, looking utterly arrogant.

Xue Chen took one look and realized he recognized him again...

Chapter 26: Malice

"Zeng Wei. You might not be familiar with the name, but the two films he recently made with rather special subject matter became very popular. Still, in our film circle, he's regarded as something foul-smelling. I heard the capital behind him really supports him." Seeing Xue Chen staring at the newcomer, Chen Chu leaned close and whispered, "Stay away from people like him."

"I know," Xue Chen replied. "I just find it strange. He's putting on such an arrogant act—how has no one beaten him up yet?"

"Pfft!" Li Ke, who was standing beside them, suddenly burst out laughing, sounding especially abrupt in the recent silence. His laughter drew everyone's attention.

"What are you laughing at?" Zeng Wei looked at Li Ke in confusion, though his gaze carried a trace of hostility.

Li Ke drained the red wine in his hand in one gulp. "I thought of something happy."

Zeng Wei narrowed his eyes. "What happy thing?"

"My neighbor's dog gave birth." Li Ke grinned.

"What dog gave birth? What does the dog next door giving birth have to do with you?" Zeng Wei asked with a frown.

"Because my neighbor said he'd give me one."

"Pfft!" Li Zeng finally could not hold back his laughter either.

"What are you laughing at?" Zeng Wei was truly angry this time. He had no idea what these people were talking about.

"Because his neighbor said he'd give me one too." Li Zeng raised a brow, utterly unconcerned about provoking him.

Only then did Zeng Wei realize that the two of them were messing with him. But although Li Zeng and Li Ke were both past their prime, they were still not people he could afford to provoke.

He then turned his gaze toward Zhou Rui and Chen Chu, but considering the people behind them, he could only suppress his anger. Finally, his gaze landed on Xue Chen, who had not even given him a proper look since he came in.

"Old Li, I didn't expect you to become this useless with age. You actually believed that this kid, still wet behind the ears, would invest in your movie?"

Xue Chen glanced up at Zeng Wei but said nothing.

"What are you talking about? Probably no one on Hong Kong Island except that one person has such heavy tastes."

Before Zeng Wei could speak, Li Ke spoke first. His words were extremely impolite, making Zeng Wei's expression shift slightly. "Li Ke, do you still think you're some gold-medal editor?"

"That's right, I'm not anymore. I changed careers and became a director." Li Ke spread his hands, looking completely unfazed by the jab.

Zeng Wei's face turned livid. "Fine. Just wait."

With that, he directly abandoned his female companion and stormed off. Before leaving, he glanced at Xue Chen and found him still wearing an indifferent expression, making him remember this person even more deeply.

Li Ke curled his lip at Zeng Wei's departing back. "Still as full of himself as ever. Does he think I'm afraid of him?"

"Enough. Don't let a piece of trash ruin everyone's mood." Chen Chu stepped in to smooth things over.

Everyone nodded in agreement. After all, their crew did not rely on him to make a living. In Hong Kong Island's film industry, the production crews and action directors for nearly every filming team came from the four major martial arts associations. No single director held absolute power.

"Come on, let's keep eating." Li Ke clapped his hands.

"By the way, I heard he's looking for a female lead for his next film, something called Roller Coaster. But everyone knows what kind of person he is. What family would be willing to let their precious daughter work with him?" Chen Chu suddenly said.

"You heard about that too?" Zhou Rui put down his wineglass. "A couple of days ago, my wife Ah Ting also got a call from that crew, but I turned them down immediately. Just hearing that name tells you it's not proper. You know what kind of reputation my wife has outside.

Damn it, he dared to mess with me? Looks like I need to find an opportunity."

"Ah Rui, don't do anything rash. You know his father may have retired from the film industry, but he still has influence." Li Zeng immediately stopped him.