noveldepot Chapter 98: This world is just so absurd!
Chapter 98: This world is just so absurd!
Although Jia Zhangke and Wang Luodan were only making cameo appearances, given their star power, a small farewell banquet was naturally held for them.
Especially Jia Zhangke, who has recently helped Han Han and Li Mo a lot, so he does deserve a farewell banquet.
Actually, Li Mo was quite reluctant to see him leave, as she had learned a lot from Jia Zhangke during this time.
It also feels a bit like a teacher.
Now that filming has wrapped up, these free lessons are naturally no longer available, which Li Mo finds quite a pity.
However, to express her gratitude, Li Mo specially bought him flowers and a cake.
Social interactions must not be taken lightly!
Han Han also made a special trip to the dinner party, and the atmosphere at the table was excellent.
Everyone's face was beaming with smiles.
It's worth mentioning that, following the last drinking incident, if Li Mo's status on set had only risen slightly in normal times, then at the drinking table, Li Mo was the king of the table.
His status was almost equal to Han's.
Few people dared to challenge Li Mo to a drinking contest and invite trouble!
Besides a few key figures, the attendees also included some behind-the-scenes staff.
The number of people who came was more than last time; Zhong Hanliang and Yuan Quan also came.
Yuan Quan, in particular, is a newcomer to the cast, essentially taking over shifts with Jia Zhangke and Wang Luodan.
Yuan Quan plays Yingying, the owner of a billiard hall and also Ma Haohan's pen pal, which should be considered part of Ma Haohan's romantic storyline.
However, their relationship shouldn't be considered romantic; it should be more like familial affection, since Yingying is Ma Haohan's sister.
I really love your songs!
Yuan Quan immediately showed friendliness to Li Mo, insisting on having a drink with him.
It wasn't the kind of friendliness Wang Luodan showed, but rather pure friendliness and appreciation.
Putting aside her husband's issues, Li Mo's impression of Yuan Quan was acceptable, not that bad.
This is already a relatively good evaluation Li Mo gives to people in the entertainment industry; generally, Li Mo is described as "someone who can still be considered a decent person."
That's why Li Mo responded very politely:
"That's truly an honor! I'm also a fan of yours, Sister Yuan Quan! I'm so happy to have this opportunity to work with you..."
"Really? What have I acted in?" Yuan Quan asked jokingly.
"Forehead…"
You've at least asked the right question!
Li Mo was genuinely stunned. Actually, if he had to think about it carefully, he could have come up with the answer.
Leaving aside the less popular ones, Yuan Quan's classic representative work, Li Mo, is still quite good.
But his hesitation, because of what Li Mo had said earlier, about fans... his current behavior undoubtedly showed that he had just been lying.
It was a little awkward.
Fortunately, Yuan Quan didn't mind and offered Li Mo a way out: "You're so silly, isn't 'The Continent' a perfect example?"
Li Mo then suddenly realized and hurriedly chimed in, "Ah, right, right, 'The Continent'!"
Han Han, who was sitting next to him, had clearly been listening the whole time, and couldn't help but laugh out loud, which made Li Mo and Yuan Quan laugh along with him.
However, Wang Luodan did not choose to sit with Li Mo at this dinner.
This made Li Mo somewhat underestimate his opponent.
Although Li Mo unilaterally believed that Wang Luodan had given up on him, Wang Luodan did not. She watched the scene of Li Mo and the others enjoying themselves.
My lips are clenched a little tight...
His eyes darted around, and I couldn't tell what he was thinking.
However, Li Mo was unaware of all this. He held up his cup and walked up to Jia Zhangke.
"Jia Dao, remember me if you ever need anything in the future! We didn't get to work together enough this time!"
"Hahaha, okay, I would have come to you even if you hadn't told me. You're a good kid, just my type."
Jia Zhangke chuckled and raised his glass to Li Mo, taking a sip together. The two then discussed their future plans.
Li Mo also asked him a lot about being a director.
In fact, in the entertainment industry, at least in the domestic entertainment industry, "sometimes what really defeats you is not necessarily someone from the same industry, but more likely someone from another field."
That statement is quite accurate. There are quite a few singers who have become actors, actors who release albums, actors who become directors, and even hosts who have become directors, and they have all achieved success.
Many singers don't actually have a representative work like Yang Mi's "The Power of Love".
There's also He Jiu's "Gardenia Blossoms," a typical example of a host turning into a director.
And there's Dapeng too... wait!
From this perspective, directors still hold a prestigious position in the entertainment industry.
So Li Mo's actions were somewhat premeditated, and it's clear that he doesn't rule out having another avenue to rely on later on.
Having more skills is never a bad thing!
Moreover, as an actor by profession, his transition to directing is relatively smoother and easier.
After a few drinks, Li Mo was able to listen attentively to the lecture. To be honest, you couldn't get this kind of lesson even if you paid money to learn it elsewhere.
These are all real, tangible things!
Many details are not found in textbooks, and only in this way can you learn real knowledge.
Jia Zhangke also highly regards Li Mo; even though he was about to leave, Li Mo still came to ask him for advice!
That kid's not bad!
After what seemed like an eternity, Jia Zhangke got tired of talking. Not only Li Moqing was drinking with him, but others were too, so the meal was nearing its end.
Since I have work tomorrow, there aren't many second or third rounds of games.
So apart from Jia Zhangke, who finished filming, the others didn't drink too much, and they basically all left.
After exchanging greetings with Han Han, Li Mo was about to leave when a voice called out to him.
"Li Mo, wait a minute!"
Turning around, she saw Wang Luodan, who had been mostly silent until now.
"My train leaves tomorrow morning, aren't you going to talk to me a little longer?"
Wang Luodan bit her lip lightly, gazing at Li Mo with tender affection.
Faced with that resentful look, Li Mo felt a little numb. He gave Lao Wang a wink, signaling him to find an excuse. Lao Wang was slightly taken aback, but then he understood.
"Brother Mo, you guys chat. Yang Chaoyue is calling me. I'll go see what she wants."
Damn it! Did I ask you to cooperate with me like this?
On the surface, Li Mo didn't seem to have changed much, but in his heart, he had already cursed Old Wang to death.
He strongly suspected that Lao Wang did it on purpose, after all, Li Mo had told him that he wasn't that kind of person!
"Chaoyue called you? I'll go check it out too. Sister Dan, what a coincidence, I already have something to do..."
Before Wang Luodan could reply, Old Wang became the center of attention again.
"No need, no need. I can handle Chaoyue's situation. You go about your business and don't worry about us."
Without giving Li Mo a chance to continue arguing, he left alone.
What a joke! Didn't you say you weren't that kind of person?
This is your chance to be tested. I want to see if you're really that kind of person!
Hey, hopefully this time you'll have a clearer understanding of yourself!
Old Wang had no other thoughts; he simply felt that Li Mo, as a middle-aged man living in the entertainment industry, a place of debauchery and extravagance, was bound to have his share of such things!
Compared to those who actually dated Li Mo and needed Lao Wang to take the fall, Lao Wang felt that Wang Luodan wasn't the type to cling to him.
This is the kind of person Old Wang thinks is the best candidate.
By the way, Chen Qiaoen is also an option; she doesn't seem like the type to be clingy.
Unfortunately, he's too useless; he can't even get a hot meal!
If Li Mo knew what Lao Wang was thinking, he would be fired by Li Mo in milliseconds!
Wang Luodan watched this scene quietly, and she suddenly realized that sometimes dealing with a person doesn't seem to require doing anything.
What we fought and struggled for but couldn't get, is now actually making progress.
Now Li Mo had no excuse. Wang Luodan was being very nice to him, and Li Mo couldn't just turn a blind eye to her.
Since that's the case, we have no choice but to venture into the lion's den.
Li Mo followed Wang Luodan to her room.
After all, she's a girl, and a big name in the production crew, so they certainly couldn't treat her badly. That's why Wang Luodan's room was better than Li Mo's.
"This bed is quite big..."
Li Mo felt a bit lost and had a bad feeling. He was thinking about how to get out of this mess.
"What, you've got your eye on my bed? Isn't it bigger than yours?"
Wang Luodan blushed slightly when she saw Li Mo staring at her bed, but she still took the initiative to tease him.
He then told Li Mo to sit down first, and after drinking his wine, he went to take a shower.
A short while later, she came out from inside, carrying a bottle of red wine and wearing a light nightgown.
"I know you can hold your liquor, that little bit of alcohol should be like nothing to you. Come on, have some more with your sister."
"Sister, I have a scene to film tomorrow..."
Ignoring Li Mo's consent, Wang Luodan took out two wine glasses, poured two glasses, and handed them to Li Mo.
Li Mo had no choice but to take a sip. It tasted sour and astringent, and had a sticky texture; it wasn't particularly delicious.
In Li Mo's view, whether it's red wine, white wine, beer, or any other type of alcohol, it's essentially a test of obedience.
In an environment where "not drinking means being unsociable" and "not drinking means losing face," a person has to pay an extra price to refuse something that is bad for their health.
This world is just so absurd!
Li Mo wouldn't refuse the kind of drinks he had with Li Yitong, Reba, and Meng Ziyi, but he didn't actually like the drinking party like the one he had that day.
Faced with Wang Luodan's forceful urging to drink, Li Mo only drank a little in response, refusing to drink more.
However, Wang Luodan drank much faster than Li Mo, and in no time at all, her wine glass was almost empty.
"Why are you drinking so fast? Is this wine that good?"
Wang Luodan shook her head, "It has nothing to do with the alcohol, it's just that my sister wanted to get drunk..."
At first, Wang Luodan was smiling, but as she spoke, her expression suddenly turned somewhat aggrieved.
"You have no idea how your assistant and that Taiwanese woman bullied me after you got drunk that day. They both bullied me..."
Wang Luodan poured out her grievances to Li Mo, her eyes red and swollen, hugging her thighs with both arms, not caring about the awkwardness of being in a foreign land.
Judging from that expression, Li Mo felt that if someone really came to check the rooms right now, and didn't allow Li Mo to explain,
Anyone who saw this scene would think that Li Mo is very likely to be sentenced!
Of course, considering that the other party was an actor, Li Mo was skeptical about all of this.
Moreover, I don't know if everyone is good at montage storytelling, but luckily Li Mo knew about that night.
Otherwise, even if you only listen to other people's descriptions, it would be really difficult to discover the hidden meanings in Wang Luodan's words.
Actually, she went to keep an eye on Chen Qiaoen, but she felt that Chen Qiaoen had bad intentions...
When she mentioned Yang Chaoyue, she subtly changed the causal order, implying that Yang Chaoyue and Chen Qiaoen were the first to unite, which is why she mentioned Yang Chaoyue.
That's not what I really thought; I just blame myself for being a bit foolish.
Li Mo didn't expose her, and just quietly watched her perform.
But somehow, as he listened and watched, he noticed that Wang Luodan, who felt increasingly vulnerable, had leaned on Li Mo's shoulder.
By the time Li Mo realized it, it was too late. So Li Mo thought he would just lend her the shoulder strap.
However, Li Mo overlooked one point at this time: the broken window effect in psychology.
From not wanting to come, to arriving; from not wanting to drink, to drinking; from not wanting contact, to having…
Step by step, Li Mo reluctantly reached this point.
Then Wang Luodan's conversation shifted from that night back to herself, and she began to recount her hardships.
Besides that, she described some of the rules in the entertainment industry.
"...Actually, I can see that your soul is still pure and hasn't been tainted by this big dye vat...That's what attracts me most about you...Including your works, I can see a purity in them, and I believe our souls are compatible..."
Talk is talk, complain is complain, but what's wrong with your hand?
Li Mo put down his wine glass and removed the hand that was clinging to him. Wang Luodan was somewhat disappointed at the sight.
Could it be that he really is a good man?
However, her next topic directly determined the outcome of the competition.
Since talking about herself was pointless, Wang Luodan simply started talking about stories within the industry.
"...On the surface, they all seem respectable, but who in this circle isn't secretly a scoundrel?...Actually, after being in this circle for a long time, you become numb to some things..."
I know what you're worried about, and that's what I like about you. But what I want to tell you is that you need to learn to accept some things about this industry. Don't worry, I don't need you to take responsibility for me…”
.....
Li Mo thought he had really escaped this time.
After some time, Li Mo returned to his room quietly, his height attracting attention.
I've already taken a shower, yes, I showered over there. Now all I need to do is slowly walk to the bed, then lift the covers and get into bed…
"Don't you say you're not that kind of person?"
Old Wang's voice rang in his ears, and at that moment, Li Mo felt a murderous intent.
Li Mo suppressed his surging murderous intent and finally said, "You're the only one who knows about this, right? Chao Yue... Chao Yue doesn't know, does she?"
Old Wang nodded, making a rope-like gesture with his finger near his mouth.
"Don't worry, I'm very tight-lipped!"
Li Mo finally let out a breath, his murderous aura dissipating. After a half-minute pause, he said, "That's good then. Old Wang, you know I've been kind to you!"
Old Wang chuckled. This dark entertainment industry is really interesting!
"Yeah, I know. It's just that my wife keeps saying I've been hiding money from the family lately, and that I haven't been bringing home as much money lately..."
Li Mo sensed that Lao Wang was being a bit unreasonable, but he readily agreed to his request.
"Add more money!"