ECG -Chapter 180 Are You Trying to Fight Me for Food?

“Hold this, I’ll drive!” After leaving Zhang’s residence, Qin Ruoyun handed the plate of dumplings to Lin Hao.

Lin Hao carefully carried the dumplings. Just as the two of them got into the car, a fee collector came over. Seeing that Qin Ruoyun was still pouting and sulking, Lin Hao quickly paid the charge.

The dumplings were still steaming hot. He picked one up and tossed it into his mouth, then grabbed another one and fed it to Qin Ruoyun.

So delicious!

“Sis, what’s going on?” Lin Hao really didn’t understand. How did Zhang Chuanying suddenly turn hostile just like that?

Originally, he thought that since there were so many photos of Guan Yuchi hanging on the wall, it meant that their relationship must be unusual. If he brought it up, it would help bring them closer. But he never expected that he had actually poked a hornet’s nest.

“You, why didn’t you tell me beforehand that you studied acting under Teacher Guan?” Qin Ruoyun complained while chewing on a dumpling, then started the car.

Lin Hao also looked completely innocent. How was he supposed to know it would turn out like this? Besides, he and Qin Ruoyun had only met a few times. It wasn’t like they could talk about everything.

“Let’s go. Find somewhere quiet, and I’ll explain everything to you.”

After driving around for more than twenty minutes, the plate of dumplings was completely wiped out by the two of them, one after another. Qin Ruoyun finally spotted a familiar café.

After parking the car and walking inside, Qin Ruoyun said, “That little bit of dumplings wasn’t even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth. I’m going to have a big steak later!”

Lin Hao found it amusing. “Aren’t you trying to lose weight?”

Qin Ruoyun stopped in her tracks and hurriedly asked, “Am I fat? Where am I fat? Did I gain weight?”

Lin Hao really wanted to cover her mouth. There were many customers sitting in the booths on the first floor of the café, and after hearing Qin Ruoyun’s voice, they all turned to look over.

“Sis, sis, you’re not fat. Really, I was just saying it casually. I thought losing weight was part of a celebrity’s job. Really!”

Lin Hao hurriedly tried to comfort her.

Qin Ruoyun lowered her head and rolled her eyes at him over the top of her sunglasses. “Really?”

“Really. If I’m lying, I’ll turn into a puppy!”

“Sir, miss,” a female waitress walked over. “Just two people?”

A man sitting at a booth near the aisle suddenly stood up, his face full of surprise and excitement. He shouted in a mix of Chinese and English:

“Oh my god! Sister Yun? Is it really you?”

Qin Ruoyun instinctively lowered her head first. She was afraid of running into fans. If they recognized her, it would become very troublesome. Once a group of people surrounded her, she couldn’t leave. She couldn’t hit them, scold them, or say anything harsh either. She had to maintain a smile at all times, and it was exhausting.

“Sister Yun, I, it’s me, Tan Gang!” The man walked toward them as he spoke.

Lin Hao instinctively stepped in front of Qin Ruoyun.

“Who?” Qin Ruoyun was also stunned. She reached out and pressed down on Lin Hao’s shoulder, leaning forward to look.

“Damn, it’s you! Gangzi, it’s really you!”

Seeing that it was someone familiar, Lin Hao finally relaxed his guard. However, this guy mixing Chinese and English while speaking really made people uncomfortable.

“Sister Yun, it’s been more than two years since we last met, right? You are still so beautiful!”

The man walked right up to them.

Lin Hao carefully looked him over a few times. He appeared to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, about 1.8 meters tall, with short hair standing up in spikes. He had thick eyebrows, big eyes, deep-set eyes, and slightly high cheekbones. His appearance could be considered quite handsome.

Qin Ruoyun giggled. “You brat, your mouth is still as sweet as ever!”

“Come sit, come sit.” Tan Gang gestured with his hand.

Qin Ruoyun frowned slightly. Before she could say anything, Tan Gang slapped his forehead.

“Look at my memory. Waiter!”

The female waitress from earlier quickly stepped forward two steps.

“Hello, sir!”

“Is there a private room available?” Tan Gang asked her.

“There is one on the second floor, but there’s only one large private room left. The minimum charge is—”

Before she could finish, Tan Gang interrupted her. “Alright, take us upstairs!”

Then he hurriedly added an apology. “Just a moment, just a moment, I’ll pack up my things!”

After saying that, he quickly walked back to his previous booth.

Qin Ruoyun lowered her voice and said to Lin Hao, “Tan Gang and I lived in the same compound when we were kids. He also has a younger brother. The two brothers went abroad a few years ago and only came back two or three years ago. I’m not really sure what they’re doing now…”

Lin Hao nodded. This guy really was quite sharp. He had quickly judged that Qin Ruoyun wasn’t suitable to sit outside, then immediately arranged for a private room. He clearly wasn’t a simple character. It was just that his habit of showing off by speaking English made Lin Hao a little annoyed.

Tan Gang packed up his laptop, power cord, and some documents on the table, then came over carrying everything.

The three of them followed the waiter upstairs along the curved staircase. Qin Ruoyun briefly introduced the two men to each other. Tan Gang’s hands were full with the computer, so he couldn’t shake hands. Lin Hao simply smiled and nodded at him.

After sitting down in the private room, Qin Ruoyun chatted with him about old times. Lin Hao ordered two steaks and salads. Tan Gang said he had already eaten, so Lin Hao didn’t order anything for him.

Lin Hao quietly smoked on the side. This guy was quite interesting. Maybe because they were no longer in a public place, Tan Gang stopped showing off his English too.

From their conversation, Lin Hao learned that after returning to China, Tan Gang and his younger brother had been running an import-export business. Judging by appearances, they were doing quite well. They casually talked about deals worth tens of millions, showing just how wealthy they were.

“Alright, I think you two brothers might even be able to take your company public!” Qin Ruoyun giggled, but Lin Hao clearly noticed a trace of disdain in her eyes.

“Ah!” Tan Gang suddenly became dejected. “After the old man retired, we immediately experienced what it means when people leave and the tea gets cold.”

“He retired?” Qin Ruoyun looked surprised. She didn’t seem to be pretending. “When did that happen? I remember Uncle Tan isn’t much older than my dad, right?”

Tan Gang’s face was full of frustration. “When I was little, my mom told him to change his household registration and make himself a few years younger, but he refused to listen! How about that? Now the old man is regretting it so much his intestines are turning green. Ah! Too bad… it’s too late!”

The steaks arrived. Lin Hao and Qin Ruoyun didn’t stand on ceremony—they really hadn’t eaten enough from the dumplings earlier.

“Sister Yun, what do you think about my brother and me starting a record company?” Tan Gang’s tone was clearly probing. Even Lin Hao could hear it.

Qin Ruoyun laughed. “You brat, are you trying to compete with your big sister for a share of the pie?”

Tan Gang quickly waved his hands, looking a little awkward. “Don’t misunderstand, Sister Yun. It’s just that now that the old man has retired, we don’t have much say in foreign trade anymore. My brother and I are also exhausted, so we were thinking about switching industries.”

Qin Ruoyun thought for a moment. “Make movies instead! The resources you two brothers have aren’t any less than mine. Think about all those guys from our old compound back then—at least six or seven of them are now working in the film and television industry. There are even several screenwriters. Aren’t you just taking a longer route for nothing? Why are you messing around with music?”

Tan Gang was stunned for a moment, then suddenly became ecstatic. “That’s right! My good sister, you really woke me up with one sentence! How did I not think of that?”

“That guy…” He scratched his head. “Wang Chao, yes, that’s him. His novels have been incredibly popular these years. I heard several of them have already been made into movies!”

“And Hou Sanli and Gu Bao too. Before I went abroad, they had already made a sitcom. What was it called again?”

Qin Ruoyun nodded. “Qianmen Hotel.”

“Right!” Tan Gang slapped his thigh. “I heard it was extremely popular! How did I forget about them? Damn it, I’ve just been busy like an idiot these past few years!”

While eating his steak, Lin Hao was also quite surprised. The few people Tan Gang mentioned were all famous figures in the film industry now.

That Wang Chao had already been very popular in the literary world during the 1990s. At that time, he was only around twenty years old. His articles were full of sarcasm and humor, with a strong Beijing street-style flavor. He was known as a famous master of “rascal literature.”

Then there was Hou Sanli. It was said that he had previously raised pigs in the army. His family didn’t even live in the compound. After leaving the military, no one knew how he somehow ended up mixing with Wang Chao and the others. Supposedly, he was very good at handling people and extremely talented. Whether doing art direction or photography, he kept Wang Chao and the others running smoothly.

And the one called Gu Bao—Lin Hao remembered him mainly because the name was so amusing. He was a comedy actor, and several of the shows he acted in were made by Wang Chao and Hou Sanli’s team.

These people were all part of the new generation of young filmmakers who had risen in recent years. They were very representative, and they were gradually forming a circle of their own—the Beijing Film Circle.