Scattering IQ —— Chapter 20 [2.8]

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Chapter 20 | Arc 2. <SPONSORED>
This chapter is brought to you by Aoi H, Vroomian, Maya M, and Michelle O!

Qi Chen and the director’s appointment was at 6:30pm in the evening, but in accordance with his personal habits, Qi Chen arrived at the agreed place 20 minutes early.

As the name suggests, the Drunken Moon is a quaint restaurant with simple dishes, but the environment is nice and the privacy is good so many well-known people tended to meet there.

Not only did it reflect a refined personal taste, but it was also quiet and comfortable.

The private room had been booked in advance, but because it was not his first time there, Qi Chen waived off the waiter and just headed over himself. However, when he arrived at the private room, he noticed that the door was slightly ajar.

Forgetting to close the door of a private room – the employees must have been very careless, Qi Chen thought with a frown.

Just as he reached out to push the door open, he suddenly heard a low laugh flow out from inside. This laughter was somewhat familiar and caused Qi Chen to pause.

After the low laughter, a man’s voice sounded in Qi Chen’s ears. “Miss Lu invited me out just to say this?”

“Well, the point was to apologize to President Zhao.” Following was the sound of a woman.

Qi Chen’s memory was very good – with only a few words, he had already discerned the identities of the two in the room. He looked up at the name of the room – it was indeed ‘Magnolia Hall’ which was the room that he had booked.

Although he didn’t know why these two people had appeared in the room he’d booked, Qi Chen knew it was inappropriate for him to keep eavesdropping. However, for some inexplicable reason, his heart felt very itchy and he didn’t want to enter just yet.

During his hesitation, the familiar voice inside sounded out again.

“On the set, hadn’t Miss Lu already apologized to me? Do I really look like someone who is so petty?” Su Yu, one hand propping his chin and the other holding a cup of green tea, smiled as he spoke.

Lu Manni, who was sitting across from him, couldn’t help but want to rip his eyes out. She had already made her position very clear on the phone, but now Zhao Qingsong was bringing this up again…. wasn’t he clearly deliberately humiliating her?!

And yet, this person was not one she could provoke. Even if she felt wronged, Lu Manni still had to laugh along. “President Zhao makes good jokes, how could I think like that? I had the good fortune to act together with President Zhao, so I thought it’d be nice to have a meal together.”

Though she said they’d acted together, it was in reality just a scene of less than five minutes, and it had only happened because Lu Manni added lines for herself.

Such an excuse was really too transparent.

Qi Chen sneered inwardly, and his opinion of Lu Manni became worse. She had just offended Zhao Qingsong, and was now using an apology as an excuse to get closer to him? This woman really was too utilitarian and fickle.

Though the matter clearly had nothing to do with him, Qi Chen still felt a bit of pent up rage, and that made him somewhat uncomfortable.

The conversation inside continued, but Qi Chen had no intention of listening anymore. One reason was because his heart felt increasingly uncomfortable, and the other was because he was standing in the open corridor – anybody could walk by at any time.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting his mood, Qi Chen pushed the door open and stepped in, acting surprised when he saw the two people sitting inside. “You two…”

He didn’t finish his words, but rather stepped back, looked and confirmed with the name above the door, and then stepped back in. “President Zhao, Miss Lu, how coincidental to meet you two here. Did you also book the Magnolia Hall?”

Whether it was the act of pushing open the door, or his tone of speech, it was all so natural that if Su Yu hadn’t known he was standing right outside, he might have been deceived.

This man really was worthy of being the national male god!  His acting is too good, Su Yu couldn’t help but think.

When Lu Manni saw Qi Chen, she was stunned for a second. When she realized what he’d said, she immediately turned to look at Su Yu since the private room had been arranged by him.

Su Yu put down the teacup and raised his eyebrows. Then, he stood up. “This is Magnolia Hall? We booked the Dust Moon Pavilion. Looks like we came to the wrong place. But, to meet such a big star here, is this fate?”

“I also think we are destined by fate, meeting again so soon, “Qi Chen replied with a polite smile, but the words seemed to contain some inner meaning. However, he quickly brought the conversation back on track, “Dust Moon Pavilion is next to Magnolia Hall. It’s a common mistake.”

Lu Manni quickly stood up as well. She looked at Qi Chen and then at Su Yu. Her eyes flashed and her face became apologetic, “Senior Qi, I’m really sorry about this. If only I had asked President Zhao about the room’s name beforehand, then this would not have happened.”

Another sentence that sounded sincere, but was in fact meant to shirk responsibility. Su Yu couldn’t help but roll his eyes upon hearing this.

Qi Chen happened to see Su Yu’s eye roll, and his previously ashen mood somehow became better. “This is not necessarily a bad thing. If it weren’t for the mistake, we might not have met today. Since it’s fate that brought us here, why don’t President Zhao stay and have a meal together?”

“If you are here, then you should have an appointment with someone, right?” Su Yu looked at Qi Chen suspiciously. This person was just trying to be polite, right? It’s just that his acting really was too good, that he actually seemed quite sincere.

“Yes, with director Liu Mingzhen. However, we aren’t here to talk business, just to catch up.” With this, Qi Chen seemed even more sincere in his invite.

Lu Manni, who was already very interested in eating together with Qi Chen, became starry-eyed after hearing “Liu Mingzhen”. She pretended to be reserved, but ended up interrupting to ask, “This really won’t be a bother?”

Director Liu Mingzhen was a very famous director. Although most of her films were literary films and hence not popular at the box office, the films she made were all of excellent quality.

Unlike other films, Liu Mingzhen’s literary films are often full of profound content. They required a level of philosophical thought to understand, and hence could be quite thought-provoking and introspective.

Such movies may not have high box office sales, but are usually well-received. From an actor’s point of view, these kinds of high-quality films were easier to win awards with.

Making money is one thing, but equally important to actors is fame and prestige.

Whether there is talent or not, it all needs to be proven with certain set standards. Even if two actors are of similar talent, if one’s won a prize while the other hasn’t, then there is a great disparity.

This is the entertainment circle.

For Lu Manni who had just been reborn, knowing one more famous director is tantamount to one more door opened. As for her acting abilities, well, she is rather confident in that.

Qi Chen impression of Lu Manni actually wasn’t all that good, but since she was together with Zhao Qingsong, he couldn’t tell her to leave while asking Zhao Qingsong to stay.

Just as Qi Chen was about to answer, he heard Su Yu suddenly chuckle and say, “There are still matters to attend to at my company, so I’ll leave first. You two have fun.”

“Since you have a private room, weren’t you planning to eat here anyways?” Qi Chen asked anxiously. After saying that, he realized his tone wasn’t quite right and so he added with a smile, “If President Zhao feels my proposal is too sudden, you can also just carry on as you were.”

Su Yu found that he couldn’t understand Qi Chen’s actions. His purpose today was only to lower Qi Chen’s affections for Lu Manni. This matter should not have affected Qi Chen’s opinion of himself in any way, right?

Even if there were an impact, it should be that Qi Chen also felt annoyance towards himself… so what was this situation right now??

“President Zhao, since Senior Qi’s already invited us, why don’t we join them for dinner?” Inwardly, Lu Manni cursed Su Yu’s obstinacy and selfishness, and outwardly, she tried her best to cajole and persuade. This was an opportunity she couldn’t miss!

Qi Chen didn’t say anything more, but focussed on Su Yu with a concentrated gaze and awaited his answer.

This kind of gaze caused Su Yu’s heart to feel a little irritated, because it reminded him of Chu Chengyan who would always look at him in the exact same way when he expected a positive answer for something.

Su Yu, who had originally not intended to stay, refused even more resolutely now that he was in a bad mood. “No need, I’ll go first.”

Su Yu grabbed his coat and headed straight for the door of the private room.

Clearly the other party had only refused to dine together, and yet at that moment, Qi Chen’s heart gave a violent start, as if this person’s departure meant he would lose something extremely important.

Before he even had time to think about why he felt that way, his body had already reacted and made a decision, reaching out to grip Su Yu’s arm.

However, Su Yu’s reaction was also very fast – just as he made contact, Qi Chen’s hand was unceremoniously flung away.

“Big Celebrity Qi wants to start something with me?” Su Yu looked at Qi Chen coldly, his entire being exuding an aura of frostiness. When he is in a bad mood, everyone around him needed to feel it as well.

Lu Manni, standing to the side and witnessing all this, couldn’t speak. Her heart was trembling. What a terrible figure she had offended, this aura was way too scary!

Qi Chen’s hand was still half-lifted, as if he’d forgotten entirely about it. His eyes stared unblinkingly at Su Yu. Complicated emotions flowed through his eyes, difficult to decipher and yet, acting like a whirlpool sucking people in.

No one could guess how violently his heart was beating under this seemingly calm exterior.

Again, and again, the surging emotions pounded against his chest, as if threatening to break out of his ribcage and drown the world.

Su Yu saw that Qi Chen was just standing there silently. He didn’t want to waste anymore time here so he snorted and turned, preparing to leave; however, he was once again grabbed on the wrist by Qi Chen.

Was there a f**king end to this?!

Su Yu was completely enraged now. He struggled vigorously, trying to free himself of the other’s restraining hold. However, this time, he failed to get out. Qi Chen’s strength was astonishing, as if he were using all his power to hold on.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Su Yu glared at Qi Chen, bristling with anger.

Qi Chen’s eyes still appeared calm and deep as the sea, but his voice was noticeably hoarse. “I’ve found it, it is you.”

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Roamer @LoneWolfTranslations–

“On the set, hadn’t Miss Lu already apologized to me? Do I really look like someone who is so petty?” Su Yu, one hand propping his chin and the other holding a cup of green tea, smiled as he spoke.
^ Su Yu, acting like a petty lil green tea, drinking green tea, chatting with a real green tea hahaha. Just had to point this out, it made me laugh!!

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