The longed-for village system

Chapter 190 Beijing Hotel
Chen Qing was slightly surprised to receive Li Yong's call. After learning that the two of them had arrived, he had to temporarily cancel his plans to go out for dinner.

As CCTV hosts, it was relatively easy for the two to enter the venue. After pointing to Chen Qing's lounge in the staff lobby, they went straight there without delay.

"Why are Li Yong and Zhu Xun here? Who are they looking for?" Chen Yimou asked, watching the two figures leave.

He was also curious. He had heard that Li Yong had cancer and had gone to the United States for treatment. How come he was here again now? And he didn't look like he had cancer at all!
"It seems they came to see Chen Qing. They should be in Chen Qing's lounge now," the assistant replied to Chen Yimou after receiving the information.

Chen Yimou checked the time, stood up, and said to the staff around him, "Everyone, let's stop and go eat! We'll continue rehearsals this afternoon. I have something to do, so I'll leave for a bit."

He planned to go to Chen Qing's dressing room to take a look. The fact that two CCTV hosts came to the venue to find Chen Qing was worth pondering. He also wanted to take this opportunity to exchange phone numbers with Chen Qing.

He might have previously doubted that Chen Qing could only write light and refreshing songs, or at most some inspirational ones, but this song "Chinese Heart" made him see countless possibilities in Chen Qing. Collaborating with such a musician would greatly help his film promotion.

Moreover, he is already very popular, with nearly 2000 million fans. Even if only one percent of them watch the movie because of his songs, that would still be 2 people. This is one of the main reasons why he took the initiative to exchange phone numbers.

He is indeed a famous film director, and even the best actors and actresses in the film and television industry have to treat him with respect. But that only applies to the film and television industry. Chen Qing belongs to the music industry. People might bow and greet him politely, but they can completely ignore him if they don't want to be polite.

It's like being in a completely different world; no matter how far people in the film and television industry can go, they can't reach into the music industry, especially since the other party is a talented person who can write his own songs. You can't ban him even if you want to.

"Li Yong, Zhu Xun, it really is you two! I thought I was seeing the wrong people when I saw you from afar! Li Yong, weren't you receiving treatment in the US? Why are you back in Beijing and here? Do you know Xiao Chen?" Chen Yimou opened the door to the lounge and saw the three chatting there. He immediately went up to ask.

"Hello, Director Chen! I hope I didn't disturb you!" Li Yong stepped forward to shake hands with Chen Yimou and greeted him, then replied, "You're lucky that he's almost recovered from his illness and is back soon. As for our relationship with Xiao Chen, it's quite extraordinary! Xiao Chen is the younger brother that Zhu Xun, Dong Qing, and I all recognize. Director Chen, please take good care of him."

"Oh! Really? I didn't expect there to be this connection!" Chen Yimou was genuinely surprised. He hadn't realized the group was so close. He then smiled and replied, "With Xiao Chen's talent, he doesn't need me to take care of him. I was even thinking of collaborating with him sometime!"

Chen Qing also politely thanked Chen Yimou for his kind words, and the two exchanged contact information.

Li Yong also extended an invitation to Chen Yimou. Chen Qing originally thought that the other party would decline, but the other party actually accepted it without hesitation. It seems that the three of them have a good relationship in private. Of course, Chen Qing would not refuse.

"Xiao Chen, why don't you call your sister-in-law and invite her over for dinner? It'll be more lively with more people."

Sitting in the car, Zhu Xun said to Chen Qing that they had originally planned to invite Zhao Xiaogu to dinner as well, but now that Chen Yimou had also invited Zhao Xiaogu, it would be beneficial for her to come as well.

This younger brother is a laid-back person who doesn't want to leave the village and has no interest in acting, so he's not of much help to her. But Zhao Xiaogu is a professional actress, and getting to know Chen Yimou would be a great help to her, after all, his status as a famous director is not just for show.

"Okay, then I'll tell Xiao Gu to wait for us at the hotel entrance."

Why not take advantage of a free feast? Chen Qing also understood Zhu Xun's intention in saying that. Chen Yimou hadn't been of much help to him because he had no intention of entering the film industry, but he had been quite helpful to his woman. If they had the opportunity to work together, Zhao Xiaogu's entry into the film industry would become very easy. "Hello, sister-in-law! Long time no see."

Zhu Xun and Li Yong greeted Zhao Xiaogu warmly as she got into the car. They already had a good impression of Zhao Xiaogu, who had worked her way up from the countryside, and now, because of Chen Qing, they liked her even more.

"Hello, Sister Zhu Xun and Brother Li Yong! So you were the ones Brother Chen said would treat us!"

After sitting down next to Chen Qing, Zhao Xiaogu smiled and returned the greeting to the two of them. Of course, she was not surprised at all that the two of them had invited her and her husband to dinner, after all, her husband was their savior.

“Yes! There are other people besides the two of us. Sister-in-law, why don’t you guess?” Zhu Xun said, glancing at the rearview mirror.

Just now, Zhao Xiaogu saw a car following behind theirs at the hotel entrance. However, because there were fans watching at the entrance, they didn't stop and got into the car and left. Now it seems that there are other friends in that car behind them.

"Is it Teacher Huang? Or Teacher He?"

It's not surprising that they were friends having a meal together, and since the two of them came to Beijing with their husbands, it's understandable that they would come over to treat Brother Chen to a meal today.

"It's not Teacher He or Teacher Huang, but this person also holds a very special position in our circle!"

Zhao Xiaogu guessed a few more names but eventually shook her head and gave up, deciding to wait and see who these people were who required the two of them to be so secretive about them.

After half an hour of driving, the car finally stopped. Chen Qing knew without even having to guess that the restaurant must be expensive. Just the fact that it was located next to the Forbidden City was extraordinary, not to mention that the restaurant was also quite large. He figured this meal would cost at least 100,000 yuan.

"Brother Yong, Sister Xun, you don't need to go to such lengths! We're all friends, let's just find a restaurant to eat at, there's no need to be so polite."

"Yes! Let's find somewhere else to eat! There's no need to spend money."

Her husband might not know the hotel's scale, but Zhao Xiaogu knew very well that the Beijing Hotel was a landmark hotel in Beijing and the best hotel in China, bar none. Even in the world, it was one of the top hotels, so naturally, the price of eating here was not cheap.

A bowl of fried rice costs only 10 yuan outside, but here you can't get a bowl for less than 200 yuan. And that 200 yuan is only for a small bowl of rice that you can eat a few bites of. Even if you are frugal, a meal will cost you several thousand yuan. People like them can't go out without tens of thousands of yuan at the very least.

Although they are celebrities and have money, there is really no need to spend so much money on a dinner with friends. Zhao Xiaogu felt that the money was wasted.

(End of this chapter)