Chapter 30 – 030

Xu Jia came with the intention of repaying the favor after getting the news from Li Yuqiu. Initially, he didn’t care what kind of role he was offered. However, to his surprise, Ming Lang immediately took a liking to him and gave him the lead male role.

“It’s not like I gave up on any great opportunities.”

As one of the investors, Li Yuqiu and a few others were also present. Xu Jia exchanged pleasantries with them, a bitter smile appearing on his face. “I offended Mr. Wang, so it’s been difficult for me to keep going. If it weren’t for the popularity I gained from that variety show, my company would have long since shelved me. Being cast as the male lead in 《The Legend of Song Mountain》 is like a pie falling from the sky for me.”

Xu Jia participated in a reality show where only the top three contestants could debut. During the competition, his popularity was among the best, making his debut practically certain. Unfortunately, he offended the show’s biggest sponsor.

“”Mr. Wang’—is that the guy you smashed over the head with a bottle at the bar?” Li Yuqiu asked. Seeing Xu Jia nod, he curled his lips. “That old bastard sure is arrogant. I think you should’ve just taken the chance to claim self-defense and smashed him to death.”

In the private room, a scruffy man with a beard, looking very much like a homeless person, had already taken a seat. When he saw Gu Xian and his group enter, he slammed the bottle he was holding onto the table with a loud thud and grinned, revealing a smile full of menace. “Xiao Gu, tonight you better drink to your heart’s content with me!”

“Alright,” Gu Xian replied, sitting down next to Ming Lang. He opened a bottle of liquor, took a swig straight from it, and said to the others, “Do whatever you like. Drink what you want, eat what you want.”

Convincing a talented yet eccentric director to come out of retirement was no easy task. Tonight’s dinner gathering had one primary goal for Gu Xian and Li Yuqiu’s group: to drink with Ming Lang until this alcohol-loving master was thoroughly pleased.

The rest of the group was looked after by Yu Le and the others.

Apart from Gu Xian, Ming Lang, and a few others, the production team avoided forcing anyone to drink or engaging in any unpleasant antics. Everyone quickly became familiar with one another, and the screenwriter, Wang Xue, even started explaining the script to several of the main actors on the spot.

“You’ve got guts, kid! You can really drink!” Ming Lang exclaimed as the dinner was nearing its end, and a pile of empty bottles stacked in front of him.

Gu Xian held onto a bottle of liquor, looking relatively sober, but his gaze was already unfocused. “Hmph, I told you, I’d definitely drink you under the table!^[1]The phrase “drink you under the table” means to outdrink someone. It suggests consuming more alcohol than the other person, rendering them unable to continue drinking or becoming … Continue reading”

“Who—who says I’m under the table?!” Ming Lang slurred, slamming his bottle onto the table again. The impact caused several empty bottles on the table to topple over, producing a clinking cacophony.

“I can still drink!” Ming Lang declared boldly, raising his bottle with gusto. But just as he was about to bring it to his lips, he collapsed onto the table with a loud thud.

Gu Xian let out a couple of hearty laughs. “Didn’t I say he’d be down?”

Lying to the side, seemingly dead drunk, Li Yuqiu suddenly straightened up. Rubbing his forehead, he grumbled, “Good heavens, we finally managed to drink this ancestor under the table… Damn it! Ancestor, stop drinking already!”

Noticing Gu Xian pushing the bottle to his lips again, Li Yuqiu hurriedly stopped him. “Alright, alright, no more drinking. Today’s mission is accomplished!”

Han Rui was drunkenly clinging to He Xincheng, causing a scene, while Sheng Yi had long passed out on the table, dead asleep. Fortunately, after Gu Xian got drunk, he became much weaker, allowing Li Yuqiu to wrestle the bottle out of his unwilling hands.

“Come on, I’ll get you to the car and send you home…” Li Yuqiu propped Gu Xian onto his shoulder, attempting to help him stand.

However, Li Yuqiu had also had quite a bit to drink. As soon as he stood up, his legs gave out, and he nearly toppled over to the ground, taking Gu Xian down with him.

“Brother Yuqiu, let me help support Brother Xian.”

Fortunately, Xu Jia arrived in time to steady them.

Yu Le and the others from Guangyao were busy helping the rest of the crew leave. Knowing he couldn’t manage any longer, Li Yuqiu nodded. “Alright, I’ll leave it to you. Ugh…”

He pressed his temples, trying to clear his head. “Follow me. Let’s get Gu Xian to the car first.”

Although Gu Xian wasn’t causing a drunken scene, he was so intoxicated that his entire body was as limp as a noodle. Xu Jia said he was supporting him, but it was more like dragging him. Dragging a fully grown man who couldn’t walk on his own was no easy task. With Li Yuqiu lending a hand, the three of them stumbled and staggered along the way.

They hadn’t gone far before Li Yuqiu suddenly clapped a hand over his mouth, letting out a loud retching sound.

“Ugh—! Blegh!”

His face twisted in pain as he groaned, “No, no, I can’t… I need to go throw up first!”

Dragging Gu Xian along wasn’t just about bearing his weight; they also had to avoid his legs tripping them up. As soon as Li Yuqiu let go, Xu Jia nearly stumbled over Gu Xian, who could vomit at any unpredictable moment himself.

Li Yuqiu said, “Xiao Xu— ugh! You’d better take him and ask a staff member to open a room. With the amount he’s had to drink, if he ends up vomiting on a stranger, it’ll be a real mess. Ugh—!”

After waving his hand, he added, “I can’t hold it anymore! Xiao Xu, please take him to get a room!”

With that, Li Yuqiu hurriedly dashed toward the restroom. Left without his guidance, Xu Jia had no idea where to take Gu Xian even if he wanted to send him to the car. Struggling, he dragged Gu Xian to the lobby, where he spotted a staff member not far away.

“Hello!” Xu Jia called out in relief. “Could you please help me book a room?”

“Of course, sir. May I see your ID—” The staff member was in the middle of requesting Xu Jia’s documents when they were abruptly interrupted by an arm that suddenly appeared, blocking them.

“Give him to me.”

Xu Jia, who was still struggling to fish out his ID card, froze in shock at Xie Yunjing’s dark and intimidating expression. It seemed Xie Yunjing misunderstood something, as he suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a dark red booklet.

“I’m his husband.”

“Ah, ah! I remember you!” Xu Jia snapped out of his daze as the marriage certificate was practically shoved into his face. “You’re Brother Xian’s fiancé—no, wait, you’re already married…”

“Give him to me.” Having declared his authority, Xie Yunjing was about to put the marriage certificate away when it was unexpectedly snatched out of his hand.

“Xie Yunjing! Are you out of your mind?” Gu Xian, clutching Xie Yunjing’s marriage certificate, willingly latched onto him. As he fumbled around Xie Yunjing’s body, trying to find a place to hide the certificate, he protested loudly, “This is a damn marriage certificate! Not a passport! Who whips it out to show people like that?!”

Xie Yunjing steadied him but didn’t stop him, letting him grope around for a while before Gu Xian finally found the suit pocket and stuffed the certificate back in. “Why did you drink so much?”

Although Xie Yunjing sounded like he was questioning Gu Xian, his gaze was fixed on Xu Jia.

Feeling the pressure, Xu Jia shrank back slightly and gave an awkward laugh. “Brother Xian was drinking with the director… Uh, Mr. Xie, since you’re here, I’ll take my leave now?”

Xie Yunjing didn’t spare him even a glance.

Xu Jia rubbed his nose awkwardly before slipping away as quickly as he could.

Xie Yunjing was caught off guard when Gu Xian suddenly shoved his face to the side.

“Annoying! Pest! Hypocrite!”

Gu Xian spewed complaints nonstop. Xie Yunjing slightly tightened the arm around his waist, and Gu Xian immediately started wailing dramatically, “Help—someone’s trying to kill me!”

“…”

Xie Yunjing remained silent, his expression unreadable.

There was no need to argue with a drunk, Xie Yunjing reminded himself silently.

Xu Jia had left, but the staff member he had called over was still there. The staff member kindly offered, “Mr. Xie, would you like me to help you book a room?”

Xie Yunjing’s expression immediately darkened. He shot the staff member a cold glance and replied in an icy tone, “No need!”

The staff member felt a shiver run down his spine and didn’t dare say another word, quickly retreating from the scene.

Gu Xian “struggled desperately” to escape the “murderer,” flailing about dramatically. Xie Yunjing pressed firmly on his back, his tone laced with gritted teeth as he whispered, “You’ve really got some nerve now. Do you even realize you were nearly dragged into a room just now?!”

“Get away from me—” Gu Xian protested, still attempting to wriggle free.

Gu Xian’s hands flailed around like cat claws, scratching randomly at Xie Yunjing’s face. Annoyed, Xie Yunjing let go and stepped back. “Can you even stand on your own?!”

Of course, Gu Xian couldn’t. But before he had time to panic, Xie Yunjing caught him again.

“Annoying pest…” Gu Xian muttered, still ungrateful for the help.

Xie Yunjing took a deep breath and sneered, “Too bad. The annoying pest is now your husband.”

“Bullshit!” Gu Xian suddenly shouted, “I’m the one who’s your husband!”

“What’s the difference?” Xie Yunjing adjusted Gu Xian, who was starting to slide down. “Anyway, you’re stuck with the annoying pest now—sharing the same room, eating from the same pot, sleeping in the same… Gu Xian!”

His voice rose sharply as Gu Xian nearly slipped from his grasp again.

Xie Yunjing was momentarily speechless.

Gu Xian rubbed against the crook of his neck and mischievously squeezed with his hand. “Heh heh, but your butt is really perky.”

Author’s Note:

Location: The lobby of a five-star hotel.

Event: Xiao Gu groped Xiao Xie’s butt.

Outcome: Xiao Xie experienced immediate social death.