Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 23 Drinking together
Thanks to the budget left over from the early completion of filming, production director Meng Fanyao, with the approval of Big Beard, was extravagant and held the wrap-up banquet at the Wuxi Taihu Hotel.

The crew members were all very excited. Income levels were not high these days, and ordinary working-class people rarely had the opportunity to come to such a high-end hotel.

Several private rooms were connected and filled with eight tables, which were occupied by all the film crew members from Wuxi.

"Xiaolu, would you like a drink?"

Li Yapeng is from Xinjiang Province. He is the type who drinks a pound and a half of liquor and beer all the time. He opened a bottle of Jiannanchun and took the initiative to invite others to a fight.

At this time, Yanghe, the leading liquor company in Jiangsu Province, had not yet undergone restructuring. Currently, most of its liquors are mainly Daqu-based staple liquors, which are not up to standard.

Meng Fanyao also urged from the side: "Drink a little, drink a little, have a good time today!"

Zhang Jizhong drank his strong tea calmly, as if nothing had happened to him.

The young Taoist priest secretly complained in his heart. He didn't realize that he was fighting alone at this table, as if all the spears were pointed at him.

"Oh, we cultivators don't drink alcohol, you can do as you please."

After saying that, he poured himself a glass of juice.

Li Yapeng said dissatisfiedly: "Xiaolu, everyone is happy today, let's have some fun together, right?"

Zhou Jie was enjoying the fun, so he took the wine dispenser and poured him some wine: "Xiaolu, can I pour you some wine? You people from Jiangsu Province can drink, so let's drink as much as we can today!"

Zhou Xun was a wine lover, and she didn't have any bad intentions. "Xiaolu, I heard people say that the Siberian tigers and Northwest wolves can't drink as much as the little lambs from Jiangsu. Today, why don't you show everyone what you've got?"

"Okay? If you don't want to drink, forget it." Jiang Qinqin saw that he had become the target of public criticism and reminded him in a low voice.

Seeing the bearded man also looking at him with a smile, Lu Kuan reluctantly took the wine dispenser and said, "It would be disrespectful to refuse it!"

"it is good!"

Li Yapeng was the first to applaud. Jiang Qinqin's caring and sweet words just now caught his attention.

Is there something wrong with these two people?

It's said that people with a bad heart look dirty on everyone, but this time...

You're such a good judge of character! Boss Lu is indeed dirty!
As the head of the crew, Zhang Jizhong raised a glass first, and everyone responded with a cheer and started toasting each other.

The crew had to go through a lot of ups and downs, and once the pressure was released, it almost blew the roof off a five-star hotel.

Everyone at the main table gathered in a circle, and everyone looked calm. Anyone in this circle had experienced the test of alcohol.

There are many rules and complicated situations at the Chinese drinking table. If you need help from others, no matter how big your status is, you can't escape it.

Is Andy Lau considered a big shot in the circle?
When "The Storm" was released in 2013, as a producer and executive producer, he had to obediently accompany the film distributors and theater owners for dinner and drinks. After returning home, he complained to Hong Kong reporters and frankly admitted that he never wanted to be a distributor again.

In 2015, in order to promote the movie "Fall in Love with You", Huang Xiaoming personally went to Xi'an to accompany guests for drinking before the release. He picked up food and toasted for the theater manager, and almost vomited bile after the meal.

In 2002, when the domestic entertainment industry was still growing rapidly, a rookie like Lu Kuan was just a chick in Li Yapeng's eyes. There was no need to trip him up; he could make a fool of himself at the dinner table.

"Xiaolu, we've already played a round here, you should toast."

"Director Zhang gave you the role at the last minute, shouldn't you express your gratitude?"

The seemingly foolish Brother Jing was stabbing Lu Kuan between the lines. The young man couldn't stand the pressure and just gave in.

Lu Kuan smiled casually and said, "Of course I have to respect Director Zhang, but he just finished his circle. Respect the elderly and love the young. It's reasonable to give him some time to rest!"

"Brother Yapeng, you are the most famous actor at this table today. Come, let me toast you first."

After saying this, he casually glanced at Zhou Jie, who had a gloomy look in his eyes. These days, Zhou Jie has "My Fair Princess" and "Young Justice Bao" in his hands, and he is really on par with Li Yapeng.

There is a saying that when shooting a person, shoot the horse first; when capturing a thief, capture the leader first.

The person at the table who was most hostile to him today was Li Yapeng. Lu Kuan's move was to go straight to the point of attacking the enemy and then hand a knife to Zhou Jie.

Didn’t you just use me to bully Li Yapeng on the set? I’m going to return it to you now and see how you react.

A film crew is like a small society. You can’t lose face no matter what you lose, and you can’t lose your status no matter what you lose.

From the order of serving food, the seating arrangement in the rest area, and all other aspects, big and small, the top star should be treated like a top star.

This includes who to toast first.

Boss Lu, who had gotten drunk in bars countless times in his previous life, was familiar with the routine. He smiled and picked up the three-liang wine dispenser, looking at Li Yapeng leisurely.

Li Yapeng can drink a lot, but he is used to drinking slowly, which can be seen from the speed at which he was circling just now. Lu Kuan is treating the disease with the right medicine and focusing on the attack.

"Just drink slowly, why did you have such a big climax right away?"

Li Yapeng, who has already become the top young actor in mainland China, put on airs and looked at Lu Kuan who stood up opposite him with a smile without making any move.

Lu Kuan offered a series of persuasive words: "Brother Yapeng, you created a classic Linghu Chong character in The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. We can use this small pot, just pick it up and pour it over. Come on!"

Zhang Jizhong clapped his hands and laughed: "Xiaolu is humorous, Yapeng, set an example for everyone! Otherwise, the atmosphere will not be lively!"

"Come one! Come one!"

The crew members were all drunk, and when they saw something exciting happening at the main table, they all gathered around to join in the fun.

Li Yapeng shot himself in the foot and helplessly poured the wine in the small glass into the pot and clinked glasses with Lu Kuan.

He suppressed the churning in his stomach; he really wasn't good at drinking quickly.

This varies from person to person. Some people can drink one or two kilograms of wine one cup after another, but they will pass out after just a few glasses of fast-food liquor.

Boss Lu, who was tested by alcohol, was of course proficient in all kinds of skills. He laughed secretly when he saw Li Yapeng who took the initiative to challenge but was defeated.

“Good!”, “Good job!”

The atmosphere at the wrap-up banquet was reaching a climax. Lu Kuan didn't wait for him to react and continued to fill up the cup, picking up the small pot.

"Brother Yapeng, the first cup is to toast your care for the crew, and the second cup is to toast to you and Brother Xun. I won't say more!"

He raised an eyebrow at Zhou Xun as he said this. Their affair was already an open secret.

Zhou Xun was so happy that her eyelashes were about to bloom. A woman in love loves this sense of ritual the most. She stood up with a smile and kicked Li Yapeng beside her.

After taking a few more sips, Zhou Xun considerately poured Li Yapeng a glass of water and signaled him to drink less.

Everyone present was a smart person and could see that Lu Kuan had the upper hand in this round.

The words were spoken beautifully, the wine was induced to drink promptly, and the drink was poured out in one gulp!

Jiang Qinqin's eyes sparkled. At certain moments, she could always see a maturity in Lu Kuan that was beyond his age.

For example, at this moment, she didn't know where the young Taoist priest who grew up in a remote mountain temple got so much experience in drinking.

The others were not to be outdone and took turns toasting each other. Li Yapeng and Lu Kuan seemed a little dizzy as they picked up their dishes and temporarily withdrew from the competition.

(End of this chapter)