Chapter Ninety-Two: The Atmosphere Turned a Little Awkward

The next day.

Chen Qi slept until he woke naturally.

When he checked the time, it was only a little after nine.

He got up at an unhurried pace, washed up, then fried himself two eggs and cooked a bowl of noodle soup.

After finishing a satisfying breakfast, he called the young broker he had used last time, planning to ask him to help find another place to live.

The apartment he was renting now had only been leased for two months, and in a little over twenty days the contract would expire.

The place was a bit too out of the way, and he had no intention of renewing it.

The reason he had rented it in the first place was simply that he had not had enough money, so he had settled for it. Now that he had money, of course he wanted to move to a better environment.

In fact, over the past two days he had even considered buying a place. After all, living in one’s own home really was more comfortable. But after making a casual inquiry into property prices in the capital, he had very sensibly abandoned that unrealistic idea.

With the amount of money he had on him, there was nowhere near enough to buy a house in a city like this that he would be satisfied with.

He would rent for now. Buying a house could wait until later.

“Brother Chen!” The call was answered quickly, and the broker on the other end sounded oddly excited, which left Chen Qi a little puzzled.

Had business come his way, and that was why he was so pleased?

“The place I’m in now is about to expire. Help me find another one,” Chen Qi said, cutting straight to the point.

“Sure, Brother. What are your requirements?”

Chen Qi’s requirements were not low.

The environment had to be good, the location had to be good, and the residential complex had to be good. Also, the floor couldn’t be too low, because when he had nothing to do he liked sitting on the balcony, feeling the breeze and looking at the view.

Of course, it would be even better if he could find something near the studio; he was quite satisfied with that area.

As for size, he did not particularly care. Bigger or smaller was fine, as long as it was a proper apartment.

“Alright, no problem. I’ll look for one right away,” the broker replied readily. “Brother, how long are you planning to rent this time?”

“Hm...” Chen Qi thought for a moment. “Two years.”

“Got it! No problem!” After agreeing, the broker hesitated a little before asking, “Brother, can I ask you something? Was that series, Another Total Surprise, made by you?”

Chen Qi froze slightly, only then understanding why the broker had sounded so excited.

Come to think of it, the last time they met he had still been an ordinary person. It was probably only after seeing Another Total Surprise that the broker realized the person in it seemed to be the same man he had done business with twice.

“Heh, yes, it was me,” he said with a smile.

“I knew it looked familiar!” Hearing Chen Qi admit it, the broker also sounded a little thrilled. “Alright, Brother, don’t worry. I’ll definitely find you a place you’re satisfied with.”

“Good.” Chen Qi smiled and ended the call.

After some thought, he called Xu Buniang as well.

“What’s up?” After only two rings, Xu Buniang answered.

“President Xu, do you have any director friends you’re familiar with? I want to see how their crews operate and learn a bit from them.” They were already very familiar with each other, so Chen Qi did not bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.

“Learn?” Xu Buniang on the other end seemed momentarily stunned.

“Mm.” Chen Qi nodded.

Although he had already made two seasons of Another Total Surprise, that was entirely imitation by rote. If there had not been ready-made works for him to refer to again and again, he would never have been able to make them at all.

Even so, the final result he produced was visibly rough. It was only because of the nature of Another Total Surprise that the audience overlooked those details. Otherwise, if an ordinary film or television drama were of that quality, it would drive away many viewers no matter how excellent the content might be.

So learning some basic shooting methods and techniques was necessary.

He did not want his next work to be just as rough.

He had his pride, after all.

“Hm... I’ll ask around. Any specific requirements?” Xu Buniang quickly came back to himself, seeming to remember only then that Chen Qi had graduated from Capital University and that his field of study had nothing whatsoever to do with the entertainment industry.

“Could you find some directors with a bit of a name? Film directors, ideally,” Chen Qi asked cautiously.

Well-known directors usually had richer experience, and the experience they carried could save him many detours. He preferred film directors because he felt they handled details far more delicately than television directors did.

“I’ll ask around first and see,” Xu Buniang said, not daring to make a promise, since he himself did not know whether his limited wealth and influence could get him in touch with a famous film director.

“Alright.” Chen Qi did not say anything more.

If Xu Buniang could find someone, that would of course be best. If not, he could always try Zhao Qingqing from Simple Video later.

After hanging up, Chen Qi, having nothing else to do, had no intention of going out. Sitting there in a daze for a while, he took out his laptop and continued transcribing Immortal Heroic World.

He had been too busy shooting the second season of Another Total Surprise recently and had not copied much, so the manuscript he had stockpiled was almost used up...

...

The next day.

After breakfast, Chen Qi headed out for the studio.

He had agreed to meet Su Xiaoxiao at ten.

But when he arrived downstairs at the studio building at nine thirty, he could already see Su Xiaoxiao waiting there in the distance, her hair tied in a ponytail.

Looking at that familiar figure, Chen Qi could not help smiling.

He had known he had not misjudged her.

The taxi pulled over by the roadside downstairs, and as Chen Qi got out, Su Xiaoxiao also spotted him.

She hurried over.

“Boss.” Her gaze darted away, and she looked somewhat nervous.

Chen Qi smiled and asked, “Has everything at the hospital been sorted out?”

Su Xiaoxiao answered quickly, “Yes. The doctor said the surgery can be done in at most half a month.”

Chen Qi nodded and did not ask anything else. Taking her with him, he went upstairs.

Su Xiaoxiao followed two paces behind him.

Neither of them spoke along the way, and the atmosphere felt somewhat awkward.

Chen Qi felt it too, but he said nothing, only quickening his pace slightly as they climbed.

Things like this... he had no experience with!

Since he did not speak, Su Xiaoxiao naturally did not speak either. She simply followed quietly behind him, not even daring to lift her head and steal a glance.

Actually, after returning that day, she had also curiously looked up Chen Qi’s background, but she had not gained much in the end.

There was very little true information about him online.

To learn more about her boss, she had even spent several hours watching both seasons of Another Total Surprise in full.

In that series, she saw all manner of wild and imaginative ideas, saw his unconventional style of advertising, saw the special story he wrote about dreams. Beyond that, she also saw that he was the screenwriter, the director, the producer...

To be honest, she had been quite surprised at the time.

But that was all.

To her, none of that was important anymore. What she had to do now was keep her promise. Whatever he asked her to do, she would do.

If he turned out to be a normal person, then that would of course be best. But if not... she had already accepted her fate.

Toward him, she had only gratitude.