141: Old Chen, you've ruined me!

After signing Shen Teng and Ma Li into the company, Chen Le finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Now that the two most crucial actors were secured, the rest would be much simpler.

Following this, Chen Le drew up a list and handed it to Zhang Li, instructing her to find the people on it. It was fine if she couldn't find them, but it would be best if she could.

After that, he started writing the script while simultaneously assembling the directorial team for the new production.

Of course, this work couldn't be completed in just a day or two.

Chen Le was not in a hurry. Since the Lunar New Year was less than two months away, he had been very relaxed lately.

He often went to chat with Old Wang, and while he was there, he checked if his alma mater had any promising talents he could recruit into his company.

Beijing Film Academy, Dean Wang's office.

Dean Wang looked at Chen Le, who had come again, with an expression of helplessness.

"Why are you here again, kid? Didn't you just come yesterday?" Dean Wang looked at Chen Le, feeling quite helpless.

Chen Le had been very idle these past few days and kept coming over to chat with him.

"The Lunar New Year is approaching, and I have no scenes to film, so I came to strengthen our bond," Chen Le said with a smile.

"You've visited so many times, yet you never bring any tea leaves. My stock is running low; you've drunk it all up," Dean Wang said, carefully scooping out a few tea leaves from his caddy with a pained expression.

"Haha, Old Wang, I'm just helping you clear out inventory. Tea leaves aren't good if they sit for too long," Chen Le said cheekily.

"You kid don't understand. I think they taste better when they've been aged," Dean Wang scoffed at Chen Le's words.

"Haha, I don't understand."

"Oh, right, Chen Le, how are the preparations for your new movie going? Aren't you still short on people?" Dean Wang suddenly asked.

"Right now, I'm only missing a few supporting roles; the leads have all been found," Chen Le replied, shaking his head.

"You found the lead actors so quickly?" Dean Wang was surprised.

"That's right. If I hadn't found them, I wouldn't be this relaxed right now," Chen Le said with a smile.

"Are there any promising talents in our school? If so, I could let them play a supporting role or something," Chen Le asked.

"I'm not too sure about that. Probably not. There haven't been many good prospects in the past two years. The brightest ones are just you and Yang Mi," Dean Wang said, smiling.

"Alright then, it's fine if there aren't any," Chen Le nodded.

Following this, he and Dean Wang didn't chat for too long.

After all, although Dean Wang sat in his office every day, he was actually very busy; he was just busy with different things.

After Chen Le left, a phone call suddenly came in for him.

He looked at the caller ID; it was Mother-in-law.

So he immediately answered the phone.

These days, Yang Mi's mother—his Mother-in-law—often invited him over for dinner, since they were both in Yanjing and not far apart.

The call now was probably also asking him to come for a meal.

"Hello. Little Le! When are you coming over to eat with us today?" Soon, Mother-in-law's voice came through the phone.

Sure enough, she was calling him over for dinner.

"I might be a bit late today. You and Uncle don't need to wait for me," Chen Le replied with a smile.

"It's fine, we'll wait a little longer. What time exactly will you arrive?" Mother Yang continued to ask.

"I might not arrive until close to one o'clock."

"Alright, I'll keep the dishes warm and wait for you to arrive," Mother Yang nodded.

"Okay."

Following that, Chen Le hung up the phone.

Then he drove quickly toward his Father-in-law's house.

Chen Le finally arrived at his Father-in-law's house close to one o'clock.

At this time, Yang Father and Mother had been waiting for a long time. When they saw Chen Le arrive, they immediately walked up smiling.

"Little Le, you must be tired from driving. Come inside quickly," Mother Yang said, walking over with a smile.

"Since you come here to eat every day, you don't need to bring any gifts. Just treat Auntie's place like home.

Your home is far from here, and usually, there's no one to cook for you. Whenever you have time, you can come to Auntie's place, and I'll cook for you," Mother Yang said earnestly.

Hearing this, Chen Le nodded with a smile, "Understood, Auntie."

Sitting down at the dining table, Mother Yang looked at Chen Le with a benevolent smile. "Little Le, eat more. Tell Auntie if it's not enough."

"Mhm," Chen Le nodded while eating.

"Little Le, have you been very busy lately?" Father Yang suddenly asked from the side.

"Not really. Since I don't have to film right now, I'm actually quite idle," Chen Le replied truthfully.

"Quite idle?" Father Yang was a bit surprised. After all, Yang Mi was busy every single day, so how could Chen Le be so free?

"That's right. After the last movie finished filming, I've been idle. I'm preparing for the next one now, but it won't start shooting until after the New Year, so I've been very relaxed lately," Chen Le said, nodding with a smile.

"I don't know why Mi Mi is so busy. She rests for just a few days and then goes off to film or shoot commercials again," Mother Yang sighed, having overheard their conversation.

"What do you know? Mi Mi is making money. It's completely normal for her to be busy," Father Yang retorted, looking at Mother Yang.

"Even if she's making money, she still needs to pay attention to rest. Mi Mi is running around all year long. She earns a lot of money, but she doesn't get much time off," Mother Yang continued.

As the group chatted, a phone ring suddenly interrupted their conversation.

Chen Le heard the ringtone coming from his pocket.

He quickly took out his phone. The caller ID showed Mi Mi.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

They had just been talking about Yang Mi, and now Yang Mi was calling.

Seeing Yang Mi's call, he immediately answered.

"Hello, Mi Mi."

Nearby, Yang Father and Mother immediately perked up their ears when they heard Chen Le call out Mi Mi's name.

"Lao Chen, did you miss me?" Yang Mi's voice carried a hint of playfulness.

"I missed you!"

At this moment, Chen Le felt awkward, because he had turned on the speakerphone.

Yang Father and Mother also heard Yang Mi's voice. He quickly replied, "Mi Mi, I'm at your house right now."

"At my house?" Yang Mi was stunned for a moment, then she continued, "Are my parents there?"

"Yes, and I have the speakerphone on."

After Chen Le finished speaking, Yang Mi's end fell into a deathly silence.

Just then, Mother Yang spoke up, breaking the awkward, silent atmosphere.

"Mi Mi, have you been busy lately?"

On the other end, when Yang Mi heard her mother's words, her face instantly flushed bright red.

She hadn't expected Chen Le to have the speakerphone on, which meant everything she had just said was heard by her parents.

This was utterly socially devastating!

"Mom, I—I've been quite busy lately," Yang Mi stammered, unsure how to address her parents.

"Haha, alright. Take care of yourself over there. Don't just focus on work and neglect your health," Mother Yang advised.

"Okay, you chat with Little Le. I won't interrupt you two young lovebirds," Mother Yang said, looking at Chen Le with a knowing, aunt-like smile.

"Okay."

Following that, Chen Le walked to the door and turned off the speakerphone.

"Mi Mi, I'm at the door now. The speakerphone is off."

"Phew! Lao Chen, you almost killed me. I've lost all face," Yang Mi said, gritting her teeth slightly.

"It was an accident, truly an accident," Chen Le quickly explained.