Chapter 177

The time and location for meals are determined by the other party. Generally, when a producer organizes a gathering and invites artists to attend, it signifies their favor towards the artists. As long as the meal goes smoothly, everyone enjoys themselves, and the collaboration is considered established. Then, all that's left is to wait for the contract to be signed.

However, what exactly happens during these meals and whether they can end smoothly is an unknown until beforehand. Some people handle it with ease, leaving unscathed, while others feel at a loss and get caught in a difficult situation. Ultimately, it's a tug-of-war between the strengths of both sides.

Song JinXing, in particular, had nothing to fear. However, women tend to be at a disadvantage in such situations. To be on the safe side, he had asked Fu Ling to arrange for two bodyguards to accompany him to the meal.

When Ran Ting got into the car, she saw the muscular men sitting in the backseat whose shoulder muscles were about to burst through their clothes. She admired them and gave a thumbs-up to her own artist.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, Song JinXing did not bring the bodyguards into the private room. In case the other party didn't have that intention, having the bodyguards with him would only cause annoyance and potentially affect Zhong Ruanxing's image in the industry. The best scenario would be for everyone to discuss the collaboration, enjoy the meal in a proper manner, and avoid offending anyone.

The designated dinner time was 7 o'clock, and Song JinXing arrived at 6:30. However, when he entered, everyone else was already seated except for him.

Tan Bingan, the person in charge of Sheng Entertainment for this project, was sitting in the main seat. When he saw Song JinXing enter, he immediately stood up and reproached, "Ruanxing, why are you late? You made so many people wait for you!"

Song JinXing calmly asked, "Wasn't it supposed to be at 7?"

"What 7 o'clock? It's 6 o'clock! How can your agent be so careless? She can't even handle such a simple matter!" After scolding, Tan Bingan turned to the corpulent man beside him and smiled apologetically, "Sorry, General Yuan, the artist is ignorant. I'll have her come over to apologize to you!"

The person he referred to as General Yuan was Yuan Zhiyong, the producer Ran Ting had warned about with a questionable reputation. Ran Ting's expression wasn't looking good, but she still smiled and said, "Mr. Tan, General Yuan, I'm truly sorry. It's my negligence this time, I remembered the time incorrectly. I'll apologize to General Yuan on behalf of myself."

Before anyone could react, she quickly walked to the edge of the table and poured a full glass of white wine, raising it to Yuan Zhiyong, "General Yuan, I'll drink this glass!"

After saying that, without any hesitation, she finished the entire glass of wine in one gulp.

Tan Bingan glared at her and said, "What's your business with this?"

Ran Ting smirked, her attitude neither soft nor hard, "This is my negligence in my work, so I should take responsibility. There's no reason for the artist to apologize for me. Isn't that right, General Yuan?"

Yuan Zhiyong sneered, "You may look young, but you're quite stubborn."

He clearly refused to accept her apology.

Ran Ting clenched her teeth, about to say something, when Song JinXing suddenly pulled her behind him and calmly asked, "How did Mr. Tan inform you about the dinner time?"

Ran Ting was taken aback for a moment and replied, "Mr. Tan sent me the time and location together on WeChat yesterday."

Song JinXing pulled out a chair and sat down, with a calm demeanor. "Find that piece of information and show it to everyone, let's see who got the time wrong."

Tan Bingan's face immediately changed.

Ran Ting almost burst out laughing, quickly retrieved their chat records, and there it was, written clearly as "tomorrow evening at seven o'clock." Under Song JinXing's gaze, Ran Ting eagerly extended their phone in front of Tan Bingan. "Mr. Tan, take a look, I didn't get the time wrong."

This was originally a scheme targeted at Zhong Ruanxing. They used the excuse of being late to start the compensation ritual, pouring the first glass of wine. The rest would be easy.

Many celebrities have stepped on this landmine before, but usually, to avoid offending others, they would reluctantly accept it. It's rare to see someone like Zhong Ruanxing who insists on presenting evidence to prove their innocence.

The expressions of the people at the table were quite entertaining. They thought this female star was too serious and naive, no wonder she's been beautiful for so many years but hasn't made much progress in her career.

Song JinXing sat comfortably in his seat and said, "Mr. Tan, it seems like you should be the one to drink this glass of compensation wine." Tan Bingan didn't expect Zhong Ruanxing to be so defiant. He came on behalf of Sheng Entertainment, after all, he was Zhong Ruanxing's superior. Sheng Entertainment's investment in "Female Destiny" was made through some connections. "Female Destiny" was clearly a profitable project, and not everyone had the qualifications to get a slice of that cake.

If he could arrange the company's artists to join the cast, that would be even better. Zhong Ruanxing was currently the hottest female artist in the company, which is why she was given this opportunity. But whether or not she can secure this role still depends on the approval of the producer.

When he mentioned it to the other party, they made it clear that they were interested in Zhong Ruanxing.

Interested, that makes things easier.

Tan Bingan could tell that Yuan Zhiyong didn't really intend to do anything to her. After all, now it's all about mutual consent. He couldn't force her. He just wanted Zhong Ruanxing to accompany him at the dinner, have some intimate conversations, hold hands, hug, and engage in some playful banter to satisfy Yuan Zhiyong's vanity.

In Tan Bingan's opinion, this was such a trivial matter, not worth mentioning at all, just like a light rain. Zhong Ruanxing didn't have to refuse. After all, she hadn't sacrificed anything! How long has it been since her backer, the Song family, made a move? Most likely, they've grown tired. It's not easy to get such good resources without any backing! He's helping her, after all!

In order to prevent others from thinking that she willingly threw herself at him, he took the initiative to set up this scheme. As long as Zhong Ruanxing goes along with the flow, apologizes while offering the wine, and sits next to Mr. Yuan, then everything will naturally fall into place, won't it?

But what happened? This Zhong Ruanxing not only refused his advances but also turned the tables on him, causing him to lose face! How can a newly emerging artist dare to treat the company's leader like this? How will the industry perceive him in the future?!

Tan Bingan's face turned pale. However, with the situation having reached this point, he couldn't continue arguing with his company's artist in front of outsiders and become a laughingstock. He had no choice but to reluctantly accept it: "Yes, yes, it was my mistake, Mr. Yuan. I'll toast to you."

Yuan Zhiyong, who had initially been dissatisfied with Ran Ting's attitude, found himself more interested now that he saw her assertiveness and stunning beauty. He smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's just a small matter. Let's start the banquet once everyone is here."

As soon as Song JinXing entered the room, he knew that the collaboration wouldn't work out today, and there was no need to fight for it anymore. However, it wasn't polite to turn around and leave either. Since everyone was present, they might as well enjoy the meal.

The attendees today were the investors and producers of the drama "Female Fortune Teller." Logically speaking, they should have been toasting "Zhong Ruanshi" one by one. However, she sat calmly, more composed than anyone else. Her unwavering composure made it seem as if she were the boss of this place!

Tan Bingan gave her several meaningful glances but received no response, infuriating him to no end. If he had known, he wouldn't have pushed her to come! In the company, there were so many female artists who knew how to handle such situations better than her! It was such a wasted opportunity!

After three rounds of drinks, the people at the banquet started boasting about how remarkable the "Female Fortune Teller" project was, how much money it would make, and the soaring ratings it would achieve. It was supposed to become a milestone in the industry, a benchmark for political intrigue dramas.

In short, once they had enough to drink, they started bragging.

Listening to all this, Song JinXing felt that these investors, who couldn't even be considered proper businessmen, were somewhat delusional.