Chapter 156: An Honored Guest Arrives

Thanks to Le Kaile and Huohong June for the monthly tickets, thank you very much! Special thanks to brother Huohong for the tip, thank you so much! I won't say much else, Black Car will add an extra chapter today. However, Black Car was watching a football match, so this is getting a bit overwhelming. Everyone bear with this chapter for now and give Black Car some time, many thanks to you all!

Well, actually, Wu Xiang's worry was a bit redundant and completely unnecessary. But there was a matter right in front of him that Wu Xiang needed to handle properly, or it would easily lead to trouble.

"Does your mom not like me?" The one saying this was Hai Qing. She seemed to feel that Wu Xiang's mom—the woman who was very likely to become her future mother-in-law—hadn't taken a fancy to her!

This was a big deal, practically a matter of cosmic importance. Within a household, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship was supremely vital. If nothing else, Wu Xiang knew that Hai Qing's future fame actually stemmed from starring in so many family ethics dramas—to put it bluntly, stories about the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dynamic—which catapulted her to stardom.

In other words, this was a universal issue shared by hundreds of millions of families, making it easy to evoke widespread resonance.

"No way?!" Wu Xiang denied it immediately. To be honest, when it came to the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dynamic, he had zero experience.

"Don't lie to me. I heard it all. Your mom even said, 'You're already a big director, and you found someone like this? So many of them look like celestial fairies, why didn't you look at them?' Am I right?" This really wasn't Hai Qing intentionally eavesdropping; it was simply that Wu Xiang's home was still too small.

"Oh, my dear wife!" Wu Xiang's head swelled instantly, and he hurriedly said, "You can't just listen to half of what's said. My mom said later on that you have broad hips and are good for childbearing."

"Oh! Go to hell!" Hai Qing was amused instantly and feigned a strike at him.

Would Wu Xiang just take that sitting down? Naturally, he dissolved the attack.

"Hehe, don't worry. My mom is just tough on the outside and soft on the inside, really. She just loves doting on her child, that's all. She always thinks that her son should find the absolute best partner, right? She figured he needed to find the prettiest one." Everything Wu Xiang said was to comfort Hai Qing, but he didn't expect—

"You mean I'm not pretty enough, then?" She pursed her little lips and cast a sidelong glance.

Wu Xiang folded instantly. No matter how something like that was phrased, it was easy for her to seize upon a weakness. He had no choice but to swear an oath: "Xiaohai, you are the prettiest. In my heart, you are simply the most beautiful, truly! I'm speaking the absolute truth, not a single fake word! If I'm lying, may I be struck by—"

Seeing Wu Xiang like this, Hai Qing naturally felt sweetness blooming in her heart. She immediately used her hand to cover Wu Xiang's mouth and laughed, "Forget it, you don't need to swear oaths. Just treat me well in the future, and that will be enough."

At this time, Hai Qing was not yet the nation's beloved daughter-in-law she would become in the future, and she didn't have any profound insights into the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dynamic either.

Seeing this situation, things looked good, but Wu Xiang still wanted to clear everything out into the open so things would go smoothly. "Xiaohai, actually, it seems your mom isn't entirely satisfied with me either?"

"You were eavesdropping too?" Hai Qing cracked a smile, imagining what sort of scene it would be if a guy like Wu Xiang went around eavesdropping.

"I wasn't eavesdropping!" Right, actually Hai Qing's family home wasn't large either, and the walls in southern houses were quite thin. "I was just—you know, what did your mom say about me? 'How did she find such a big clumsy lout?' Right?"

"Pfft, hahaha..." At first she wanted to hold it in, but it was just too funny, and Hai Qing eventually let loose and laughed out loud.

"You heartless wretch, you're still laughing?" At that moment, Wu Xiang suddenly adopted a rustic motherly tone.

"Hahaha..." Hai Qing almost tumbled to the ground laughing. Since the place at home was small, the two of them had come out for a stroll, but laughing like this wasn't an option either. Therefore, Hai Qing, not wanting to expose her relationship with Wu Xiang, forcibly choked back her laughter and said with a serious expression, "That's because my mom is afraid you'll bully me in the future!"

"Oh lord! Between the two of us, exactly who is bullying whom?" At this moment, Wu Xiang looked once again like a timid young bride.

"Hahahahaha..." No, she couldn't hold it in anymore. "Stop teasing me!"

"Alright, I won't tease you. How about the two of us put my mom's theory to the test and see if she's right? If what she said is wrong, it'll give you something to counterattack with, what do you think?" What Wu Xiang said left Hai Qing a little confused.

"Test what?"

Wu Xiang lowered his voice and smiled, "Just whether broad hips really mean you're good for childbearing."

How could Hai Qing not understand that? "Oh, go to hell!"

The two of them carried on like schoolchildren, making a scene as if no one else was around...

The parents had been met, but the relationship between the two hadn't reached that ultimate stage yet, so in the end, Hai Qing went home to spend the New Year with her own parents. Actually, she was also feeling a bit shy; after all, she wasn't a Wu family daughter-in-law yet, and spending the New Year at Wu Xiang's house wasn't entirely appropriate. Besides, the place at home was small.

Wu Xiang hadn't gone home for the New Year last year, so this year he intended to properly accompany his parents to make up for it and stay a few extra days. However, he didn't expect that just past the eighth day of the first lunar month, distinguished guests would arrive at his doorstep.

"Excuse me, is this the home of Director Wu Xiang?"

The person was quite polite, and after knocking on the door, asked this question.

"Ah yes, indeed it is." Wu Father opened the door, but upon seeing the few people who had arrived, he didn't recognize any of them. There were two visitors, and they didn't look like bad guys.

Indeed, who has ever seen bad guys come to your house not only wearing suits and ties, but also bringing gifts?

"You are?"

"I'm Wu Xiang's father."

"Then is Director Wu Xiang at home?"

"He's here. Son! Someone's looking for you!"

Wu Xiang hurried out, and after a brief exchange, he understood what was going on. Because he recognized that the two visitors were from Liaoning Television!

Liaoning TV—that went without saying, his hometown's provincial television station. Since people from the television station had come looking for him, a director, was the purpose even in question?

Naturally, it was for Wu Xiang's new production, the television series *Drawing Sword*.

Of course, they hadn't stated it outright; they were people of status and naturally wouldn't put things so bluntly. If Wu Xiang didn't give them face, how awkward would that be?

Even if they didn't say it, Wu Xiang understood. He figured the house was small, and his partner had already gone home. Why didn't the few of them just head outside to talk?

In Shenyang's restaurant scene, aside from Shaoyuan, there were several time-honored brands. Lao Bian was just a place to fleece out-of-towners; if you really wanted good food, you had to mention the 'Four Springs'. And among the 'Four Springs', currently only Luming Spring was still holding up well, at least having managed to survive.

Speaking of Luming Spring, Wu Xiang had never been there before. For no other reason than that he was a penniless youth who simply couldn't afford it. This place was a super high-end Chinese restaurant in Shenyang, where just a few dishes featuring chrysanthemums could sell for a hefty sum of money. Of course, those were their specialty dishes.

"Director Wu, come, old Lao Shi will toast you first. This toast is mainly to say that the land of Shenyang produces talents. Director Wu, at such a young age, you already have such a fine work, which truly makes one... Never mind, enough polite nonsense, old Lao Shi will drain this first!" Finished speaking, this 'old Lao Shi' immediately tilted his head back, and a cup of Moutai was gone just like that.

Wu Xiang watched this with deep emotion. The man before him surnamed Shi had introduced himself as the vice station director, and the person beside him was a director of some department. But Wu Xiang was a time-traveler; he knew what the deal was with this old Lao Shi.

This old Lao Shi would later become the station director of Liaoning TV. Television stations belonged to the propaganda apparatus, and the rank of a provincial station director was not low. For such a person to flatter him so, and in such a high-end hotel with Moutai and chrysanthemums, tsk tsk tsk...

Who would have thought that I, Wu Xiang, would have this day too!

Well, if it were an ordinary person, their head would probably be spinning with vanity from the flattery at this point. But Wu Xiang was no ordinary person; he was a transmigrator, and he knew the person sitting right in front of him.

This old Lao Shi was quite formidable. A senior journalist who fully deserved his professional title, he had once published over a hundred news articles on the national network *News Simulcast* in a single year—how badass was that? Moreover, back in the 1985 provincial flood disaster, he had rushed to the frontline, shooting footage and writing reports simultaneously. He was a capable individual.

Yet Wu Xiang also knew that such a capable individual would eventually be investigated by the authorities for economic crimes, sigh~

Sometimes things are just like that in the realm of observation: capable people can get things done, but they are also prone to making those kinds of errors. It seemed almost like the principle of the unity of opposites, leaving one somewhat perplexed... But regardless of how one looked at it, a mistake was a mistake.

Moving in the television circle, if you didn't pay attention to these local dynamics in your hometown, how could you possibly succeed? Therefore, Wu Xiang's mind was very clear: the person before him possessed no small capability and was definitely not someone easy to deal with!

"You flatter me too much, sir. I'm just a greenhorn, really. In front of you, what kind of director am I?" Although Wu Xiang said this, the drink still had to be consumed.

He too tilted his head back and drained it!

"Xiaowu, you're being too modest! Just look at you, so tall and handsome! Back at the Film Academy, you must have won the affection of plenty of young girls, huh? Hahaha..." Old Lao Shi's remarks were truly growing more and more uninhibited.

"This, this really isn't the case." Wu Xiang directly dropped the classic catchphrase of the future comedian 'Little Shenyang'. Wu Xiang had confidence in his own looks, but whether others had confidence in them, well...

"Xiaowu, excessive modesty is pride. You can't be like this..."

Old Lao Shi's subsequent conversation drifted far and wide, touching on everything and discussing all sorts of topics, but there was one thing he refused to mention: the new television series Wu Xiang had recently filmed.

Although Wu Xiang's studio hadn't leaked any details, given old Lao Shi's capability, Wu Xiang dared to bet that he definitely knew his new work was a television series.

"This old Lao Shi is really something else." That was Wu Xiang's assessment, and indeed, it was just like that.

Don't look at this vice station director now; he seemed to only know how to shoot the breeze, drink alcohol, and occasionally crack off-color jokes. But at a banquet table, a banquet table meant for talking business, he was an absolute master!

Although Wu Xiang didn't have much experience in this area, he had attended similar banquets before. Everyone was there to talk business—that was correct—yet while eating and drinking, nobody brought up the business at hand.

Did that mean the meal was eaten in vain?

Absolutely not. Once everyone had drunk well, eaten to satisfaction, deepened their rapport, and dissolved their mutual barriers, the business would naturally be concluded.

This was the business culture of our country; no wonder some companies asked about your alcohol tolerance during job interviews. Whether this was good or bad wasn't something to debate right now, nor would a debate yield a clear conclusion. However, Wu Xiang did not want to be plied with alcohol by others before discussing matters.

"Brother Lao Shi!" Even the form of address had changed. "Let's lay our cards on the table. Are you guys after my television series *Drawing Sword* this time?"

The way Wu Xiang said this sounded somewhat slurred. Was he really drunk? Not really; he was just leaning into that state to say what needed to be said.

As the saying goes, business is easier to discuss at the banquet table. If you said something wrong, it could just be dismissed as drunken chatter—like passing gas, released and forgotten.

"My brother, what you're saying is a bit—well. But your older brother here looks at how our Liaoning TV's development speed over these past few years, compared to those brother stations, is always less than satisfactory. Your older brother here worries..."

You have to hand it to him, old Lao Shi was truly formidable, instantly shifting gears into emotional persuasion!

Would Wu Xiang be moved by old Lao Shi's 'sincere' emotions?