Auntie

Wei Zisu said, "Shoot the breeze? After dark?"

Yin Zhengchuan said, "Chat. Nightfall."

"Are you out of your mind?" Alarmed, Wei Zisu pulled him into a corner and lowered his voice. "Do you know how many people there are on our crew? We're only doing reshoots, but between the staff, leads, and extras, there must be over a hundred! Even boxed meals cost over a thousand per meal. Why would you go making such big promises to the director?"

Wei Zisu hated seeing money spent, especially Yin Zhengchuan's money. Of course he understood that Yin Zhengchuan was treating the whole crew for his sake, but Yin Zhengchuan worked hard growing vegetables to earn his money. There really was no need for this.

When Sun Zhe had visited the set before, he had spent seven or eight thousand treating the whole crew to drinks and snacks. Wei Zisu had been grateful, but not to the point of feeling bad about Sun Zhe spending that money, because Sun Zhe was rich. Seven or eight thousand meant little to him.

But...

Yin Zhengchuan seemed to understand what he was thinking and reassured him, "Don't worry. I brought enough money with me this time. I've never had anything to do with this industry before, so I don't know much about film crews. But as soon as my younger sister heard I was visiting you on set, she told me I had to treat the crew to a meal so they'd look after you when I wasn't around."

"Your sister?" Wei Zisu hadn't even known he had a sister.

True enough, he knew far too little about this new husband of his.

Yin Zhengchuan smiled and said, "Yes. She's a fan of yours too. She's liked you for years. She even threatened not to let me through the gate at home if I didn't bring her back an autographed photo. If I tried climbing the wall, she'd push me back down with a pitchfork."

A gate, climbing the wall...

It seemed Yin Zhengchuan lived in a single-story house in the countryside. With his family's circumstances like that, Wei Zisu had even more reason not to let him spend the money.

Wei Zisu smiled. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you go home with an autographed photo. But I still can't let you pay tonight. I'll treat everyone..."

Before he could finish, Yin Zhengchuan suddenly looked toward the entrance. "They're here!"

Who was here? Wei Zisu looked over in confusion and saw a dozen or so chefs in uniform marching onto the set, carrying boxes of equipment and ingredients.

"Excuse me, which of you is Mr. Yin Zhengchuan?" the head chef asked.

"That's me!"

Yin Zhengchuan ran over and began directing them to find a spot and set up their equipment.

Curious, the crew went over to ask what was happening. Once they found out, their faces lit up, and they hurried off to spread the news.

"Zisu's friend is treating us to a roast lamb feast! We're in for a treat tonight!"

Everyone had long since had enough of eating those bland-as-hell boxed meals on set every day! Last time, one of Wei Zisu's friends had treated everyone to food and drinks, and now another had come, this time with a roast lamb feast prepared on-site by chefs! From the director and producer down to the assistants and extras, everyone was brimming with energy, hurrying to finish their work so they could eat whole roast lamb!

Yuan Zizhen had just come over from his own set, which was full of complaints and the oppressive air of the daily grind, and the sight before him stunned him.

Wasn't Wei Zisu filming a period drama? Why were there modern-day chefs roasting whole lambs? After asking around, he found it hard to believe. Wei Zisu's husband grew vegetables. How could he possibly afford to treat the entire crew?

And to a roast lamb feast, at that!

For a hundred-odd people, this meal would cost at least twenty or thirty thousand, not including the fee for having chefs come and cook on-site.

He looked at the man surrounded by people calling him Brother Chuan. Not only was he taller and more powerfully built than Sun Liang, he was better-looking too. Xiao Pan had secretly described his appearance to Yuan Zizhen, so he figured it out: this was Wei Zisu's husband.

He had expected a grubby country bumpkin. Instead, nothing about the man's appearance suggested he grew vegetables. On top of that, he actually carried himself quite well.

Yuan Zizhen grew even angrier!

He found Wei Zisu and said snidely, "Oh, I hear your friend is treating everyone. What, are you too embarrassed to tell them this is the husband you picked up at random?"

Wei Zisu hadn't expected him to dare show his face again and chose to ignore him.

Thinking he had hit a sore spot, Yuan Zizhen continued, "He's a farmer, yet he's throwing money around so freely. Have you ever thought about why?"

Wei Zisu sneered inwardly and said, "Then why don't you tell me?"

Yuan Zizhen gave a coy laugh. "Obviously, he's making himself suffer just to keep up appearances! For all you know, he borrowed the money for this meal. When you go back to the countryside with him, you'll have to help pay it off."

Wei Zisu said, "Yuan Zizhen, do you have nothing better to do? Why keep coming over to our set for no reason? Or did you smell the whole roast lamb and start drooling, so you came over specifically to beg for a few bites?"

Yuan Zizhen's expression changed. "Who wants your stupid roast lamb?!"

"If you don't want it, why are you still here? Satisfying your cravings with the smell?"

Having failed to gain the upper hand in their exchange, Yuan Zizhen gritted his teeth in anger.

Yin Zhengchuan saw Yuan Zizhen approach Wei Zisu from a distance and knew he was up to no good, so he excused himself and came over.

"Zisu," Yin Zhengchuan said as he jogged over, his smile utterly harmless, "is this auntie part of our crew too?"

Auntie?

Wei Zisu nearly laughed out loud.

Yuan Zizhen's face darkened like a thundercloud!

Still smiling, Yin Zhengchuan continued, "Auntie, join us for whole roast lamb later. I ordered plenty of drinks too!"

Yuan Zizhen said through gritted teeth, "Are you blind? I'm a man!"

Yin Zhengchuan said innocently, "Huh? A man? Sorry, you look so much like the aunties back in my village, especially that fake nose you had done. It's exactly the same. Every auntie in our village has one, so I got confused. Sorry about that."

Yuan Zizhen trembled with anger, but he couldn't refute it. He had indeed had his nose done, but it was absolutely not the sort of commonplace nose this man was describing!

"You country bumpkin, what nonsense are you spouting?!" Even at the height of his fury, his insults were utterly unremarkable.

Yin Zhengchuan hastily said, "Sorry, that's just how I talk. I don't really think before I speak. Still, your nose might be fake, but your ugliness is real!"