Chapter 211: Chapter 175: Making a Movie with 300 Million US Dollars
7:00 PM.
Lichá Restaurant, Hengdian Film City.
In a quiet private room, Gu Bai sat with Yang Function, Zhang Ruoyun, and others.
Two waiters stood at the door of the room. Perhaps in a place like Hengdian, where celebrities are commonly seen, the two waiters did not act overly impressed and stood quietly at the entrance.
"Chairman Gu, Lichá Restaurant is considered one of the top restaurants here in Hengdian. Although it can’t compare to those big hotels in Shanghai, the taste is indeed good. We usually get tired of boxed meals and come here for a treat."
Yang Function smiled, added water to the teacup in front of Gu Bai, and softly introduced the restaurant.
With Yang Function’s status in the entertainment industry, she usually wouldn’t engage in pouring tea and water, but neither Yang Wenjun nor Zhang Ruoyun showed any surprise, as if it were entirely appropriate.
As for Gu Bai, his expression was calm, accepting Yang Function’s service with ease.
"Sister Mi says so, so I must give it a good taste."
Being part of the same crew, Gu Bai didn’t bother with formal addresses like President Yang, and calling her Sister Mi made Yang Function smile broadly.
A few minutes later, a man bundled up tightly was led into the room by a waiter.
As soon as he entered, the man removed his hat and mask, apologizing to everyone present: "Sorry for being late. I tried to avoid the cameras on my way here because I didn’t want the media to know I was in Hengdian."
The man wore a simple yet trendy outfit consisting of a black sweatshirt, black casual pants, and small white shoes. His handsome and cultured appearance was accentuated by a slightly deeper scar next to his right eye, which served as a striking embellishment that didn’t detract from his overall charisma.
In the entire entertainment industry, who else could exude such charisma besides Hu Ge?
Zhang Ruoyun reacted the fastest, quickly standing up from the table and greeting Hu Ge with a smile. Yang Wenjun and Yang Function also rose to make small talk.
Given Hu Ge’s status, their reactions were not out of place.
Only Gu Bai sat calmly in his seat, completely unmoved by the newcomer’s presence.
"Senior, it’s really hard to meet you,"
With a lightly teasing tone from Gu Bai’s mouth, Yang Function and the others immediately stopped their pleasantries.
Hu Ge looked at Gu Bai, whose appearance was even more striking than his own, and quickly apologized, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Chairman Gu. I’ll drink three glasses as punishment later!"
Since Hu Ge was able to attend, he must have already contacted his company, so he understood the implied message in Gu Bai’s words, which was nothing more than being unreachable and his company rejecting Gu Bai’s participation in the university reunion.
However, Hu Ge avoided the topic, only apologizing for his tardiness.
Gu Bai exchanged a glance with Hu Ge for two seconds and then smiled lightly.
"Don’t just stand there, have a seat. Since Sister Mi is the one treating us tonight, if you all stand and I’m the only one seated, I might feel like an unwelcome guest, a bit of a hostile takeover."
"I’m the host, and it’s an honor for President Gu to come. What’s this about hosts and guests?"
Yang Function’s words eased the slightly awkward atmosphere and implicitly elevated Gu Bai’s status, bringing the group back into harmony.
With Yang Function’s summons, waiters came in an orderly manner and placed the ordered dishes on the table one by one.
The waiters were professionally trained, and despite the presence of big stars in the private room, none of them gazed around but simply served the dishes and left.
Before long, the table was filled with exquisite, luxurious food.
There were West Lake vinegar fish, Longjing prawns, Dongpo pork, crispy eel, and more than a dozen representative dishes of Zhejiang cuisine.
Gu Bai glanced at the table, filled with a dazzling array of dishes, then at the red wine placed aside, and shook his head: "Eating Chinese cuisine should be paired with Chinese liquor; what’s the point of red wine?"
With that, not waiting for anyone’s response, he called out towards the door.
"Bring me the few bottles of liquor from my car."
Gu Yi responded and promptly closed the door, proceeding to get the liquor as instructed by Gu Bai.
"Chairman Gu, if you want to drink white liquor, why not have the restaurant bring it? I’m the host here; it’s not right to have the guests bring their own liquor."
Yang Function rolled her eyes as she playfully complained to Gu Bai.
Gu Bai laughed heartily: "What kind of liquor does a restaurant have? The few bottles I have are 50-year-old Moutai, initially intended as a gift for an elder, but since he didn’t accept it, it’s you guys who’ll get to enjoy them."
These bottles were originally intended for Cui Hong. Apart from status, Cui Hong was also an elder to Gu Bai. Inviting an elder to a reunion requires the proper etiquette.
It’s understandable that Cui Hong didn’t accept them; a bottle of 50-year-old Moutai is worth 400,000 Yuan on the market, and even then, it’s rare to find, considered a valuable item. Since he didn’t accept them, Gu Bai didn’t insist; the thought is what counts.
It wasn’t until Gu Bai picked up his chopsticks that the others at the table dared to follow suit.
After tasting a bite and complimenting it, Gu Bai put down his chopsticks and looked at Hu Ge sitting opposite.
"I’m wondering if you’ll have the time to attend our 72nd university reunion this time, Senior. Our dean has entrusted me with the overall planning of this reunion, and I’ve promised to stage a grand event.
If Hu Ge doesn’t make it to the Shanghai Theatre Academy reunion, who knows how the unscrupulous media will write about it."