In less than half an hour, Jiang Lin brought out four dishes.
Perhaps because it was later than usual, the sight of food immediately triggered Li Qianxing’s hunger. He felt these dishes looked more appetizing than those made by Xiao Zhu, with even brighter colors.
Jiang Lin gestured, “Would you like to try? I strictly followed your assistant’s instructions on oil and seasoning, but this is my first time cooking so lightly. I’m not sure if it’s up to my usual standard.”
At this point, Li Qianxing didn’t stand on ceremony. He picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of bamboo shoot in his mouth. His eyes immediately lit up. He then tried a piece of beef, this time closing his eyes slightly in enjoyment.
“Delicious!”
Such straightforward feedback greatly pleased the chef. Jiang Lin’s lips curled into a smile as he went to bring the rice cooker.
“Ah…” He peered into the pot, his smile fading into a look of frustration. “The rice absorbed so much water, there’s less than I expected. I hope it’s enough.”
Li Qianxing looked in as well, then served himself a bowl that wasn’t quite full. He asked, “Is there enough left for you?”
Jiang Lin glanced at the not-quite-full bowl in Li Qianxing’s hand, then at the pot which still had about two bowls’ worth. He replied, “You eat first. I can cook another pot later if needed. If I get hungry in the afternoon, I’ll just add some soy sauce and reheat it.”
Li Qianxing smiled, “I only eat one bowl anyway.”
Jiang Lin was taken aback. He couldn’t help but look at Li Qianxing’s bowl again. “You eat so little?”
Li Qianxing explained, “I can only have proper meals at lunch. For breakfast and dinner, I can only have specially formulated nutrition shakes as meal replacements. I need to maintain my current figure until filming wraps up, so I can’t eat too many carbs.”
Jiang Lin frowned as he served himself, saying, “What do you do when you’re hungry? Your stomach isn’t in good condition, you can’t afford to go hungry, right?”
Li Qianxing replied, “If I’m hungry, I’ll drink some nutrition shake. At most, I’ll add an egg yolk or half a cucumber.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lin’s eyes couldn’t help but show sympathy.
Li Qianxing took a few bites, then looked up and saw Jiang Lin’s expression. He misunderstood and said, “Are you not getting enough to eat with such light food? Should I ask the crew if there are any extra boxed meals?”
As he spoke, he reached for his phone, but Jiang Lin pressed his hand over Li Qianxing’s.
Jiang Lin calmly withdrew his hand, “No need. I’m not picky about food, I can eat anything. They eat spicy food here, and I’ve been having a lot of strong flavors lately. It’s nice to have something light for a change.”
Li Qianxing saw that Jiang Lin was indeed eating well, without any signs of forcing himself, so he relaxed and continued with his own meal.
Even with the same recipe, different people produce different flavors. Li Qianxing was an amateur at cooking, but his palate was quite sensitive. When he was about 70-80% full, he should have stopped eating, but he found himself still savoring his favorite dishes, chewing slowly.
“I didn’t expect you to be such a good cook. I saw you tossing the wok earlier, did you receive professional training?”
Jiang Lin countered with a question, “Is it better than what your assistant makes?”
Li Qianxing replied, “The taste is similar, but the texture is a bit better. Xiao Zhu doesn’t have much strength, so she can’t toss the wok, which affects the evenness of the cooking.”
Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow, then answered the earlier question, “I once played a supporting role as a chef, so I took a crash course to learn. But I knew how to cook simple dishes before that. Back then, my income was low, and eating out was expensive and not always hygienic, so I tried to cook for myself whenever I had time.”
“By the way, when I was an extra, I used to bring my own thermos lunch box to the set. Someone even took a photo of me. Later, when I won Best Newcomer at WL, I gained some popularity. Some marketing accounts dug up those photos from somewhere and posted them to ride on my popularity. If you search on Weibo now, you might still find them.”
Li Qianxing, who had been under Xingyu’s protection since his debut, had never experienced life as an extra. He asked curiously, “Why did you need to bring your own food? Don’t production crews usually provide meals?”
Jiang Lin explained, “Not always. Some productions hire an uncertain number of extras, so it’s inconvenient to order meals in advance. They include meal allowances in the wages instead. Sometimes, when filming is scheduled to end before mealtime but gets delayed for various reasons, they might just give cash instead if it’s difficult to arrange meals.”
Li Qianxing asked, “Is being an extra very tiring?”
Jiang Lin replied, “The acting itself isn’t too tiring, but waiting around is. However, working on many productions allows you to learn a lot. You don’t learn about on-set situations in school. Directors don’t give acting directions to extras, so I really had to figure out a lot on my own during that time. For example…”
Seeing Li Qianxing’s interest, Jiang Lin sipped his watermelon juice and shared some interesting anecdotes. Despite being in the industry for years and having worked on many productions, Li Qianxing’s perspective was different due to his position. The two found they had quite a lot to talk about.
After finishing his watermelon juice, Jiang Lin stood up and started clearing the dishes.
Li Qianxing quickly got up, “Let me do it.”
Jiang Lin replied, “Let’s do it together then.”
However, the sink in the trailer was small, with not enough room for two people. Li Qianxing insisted on washing, so Jiang Lin had to step aside and take the washed dishes to dry with a cloth.
After everything was cleaned up, Jiang Lin was about to say goodbye when there was a knock on the trailer door.
A woman’s voice came through, “Hello, Teacher Li. I’m Yan Yi.”
Jiang Lin started, quickly explaining, “That’s my agent.”
Li Qianxing nodded and called out, “Please come in.”
Yan Yi opened the door and stepped in. She glanced at Jiang Lin, then smiled at Li Qianxing, “Thank you for taking care of our Jiang Lin during this time, Teacher Li.”
Li Qianxing replied, “Not at all, I’m the one who’s been taken care of. Please, have a seat, Miss Yan.”
After offering a seat, Li Qianxing was about to pour water, but Jiang Lin beat him to it, placing a cup in front of Yan Yi and a cup of warm water in front of Li Qianxing.
Knowing Li Qianxing disliked socializing and didn’t have his assistant with him, Jiang Lin interjected with a pretend complaint, “Yan-jie, you could have told me you were coming.”
Yan Yi responded, “I was dropping Nini off at the set nearby, so I stopped by. Besides, seeing you is secondary. I’m mainly here to see Teacher Li.”
Li Qianxing had assumed she was just checking on Jiang Lin and greeting him, so he was surprised to hear she had business with him.
Yan Yi opened her bag, took out a folder, and pushed it towards Li Qianxing. “I have a script here with a role I’d like you to consider. In my opinion, this role is perfect for you.”
Hearing it was work-related, Li Qianxing opened the folder and examined its contents carefully. It contained a story synopsis, plot outline, and character descriptions.
Jiang Lin glanced at it and asked Yan Yi, “Is Xiao Yu-jie’s new script finished?”
Yan Yi replied, “Almost. We’re just making final improvements and polishing it.”
Jiang Lin inquired, “The role I was interested in…”
Yan Yi assured him, “Don’t worry, it’s reserved for you.”
Li Qianxing finished skimming through the materials and looked up. “I’m very interested. However, I’d like to see the complete script first. Also, I need to discuss this with my company.”
Yan Yi smiled warmly, “Of course. As soon as the script is finished, I’ll send it to Jiang Lin to pass on to you. Mr. Qi has my number. I’ll be eagerly awaiting your response.”
She then stood up, “I have some things to discuss with Jiang Lin, so I won’t disturb your rest any further.”
Li Qianxing also stood and saw them out of the trailer.
Once outside, Yan Yi’s demeanor became more casual. She glanced at Jiang Lin and patted his arm, “You’re getting along well, I see.”
Jiang Lin replied matter-of-factly, “We’re playing a couple. It wouldn’t be right if we were cold to each other off-camera. Besides, we’re both single, so there’s no need to be overly cautious.”
Yan Yi looked him over, “I heard from Xiao Ding that on the first day of filming, when you first met, Teacher Li specifically emphasized no dating on the set.”
Jiang Lin remained composed, “That applies to me too.”
Yan Yi warned, “It better.”
As they talked, they boarded Jiang Lin’s trailer.
Jiang Lin finally asked, “What was so important that you had to come in person?”
If it was just to offer Li Qianxing a role, there was no need for a special trip. It would have been more convenient to go through Jiang Lin or Qi Jingnian.
“I was in the area anyway, otherwise I would have just called,” Yan Yi explained as she sat down. “It’s nothing major. Liao Hai should be joining the production soon, right?”
Liao Hai was the actor playing the bartender. Like the college student actor, he came for the script reading, costume photos, and opening ceremony and then left.
Jiang Lin looked at Xiao Ding, who nodded and said, “I believe they said he’s expected to join next week.”
Jiang Lin asked, “What about him?”
Yan Yi explained, “You’ve been busy filming, so you haven’t been keeping up with online discussions. He’s always been known as the ‘eternal supporting actor,’ but a role in his new drama that aired this month suddenly became a hit. There’s a lot of buzz about him.”
Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow, “So what? Even if his status has risen, he’s not going to break his contract and quit, is he?”
Yan Yi replied, “No, he wouldn’t. This film has a big-name director and a top actor. He wouldn’t give up such a good opportunity. It’s just…”
She paused before continuing, “Sudden fame can go to people’s heads.”
Jiang Lin seemed unconcerned, “No matter how high he flies outside, he’ll have to behave professionally once he’s here.”
Yan Yi looked at him and chuckled lightly, “I just wanted to give you a heads up. He’s a veteran in the industry, so hopefully he can keep his ego in check.”
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