12: Start opening the wine

Yeon Jung-hoon frowned, but then he laughed again.

"No, just three days."

Tian Hengjian responded casually and started opening the wine.

The other two girls were quite proactive, helping to set the table and grill the meat.

"Come on, let's start with one!"

Yeon Jung-hoon said as he poured drinks for everyone.

Yeon Jung-hoon was indeed a good fair-weather friend; he could drink, chat, and play, even though it was just him and Tian Hengjian as the only men—not to mention the two girls accompanying them.

"Aish..."

Tian Hengjian was playing a drinking game with one of the girls when he suddenly heard Yeon Jung-hoon curse and throw his phone aside.

"Senior, what happened? Was it a call from home? How about we stop here for today and reschedule dinner for another time?"

Tian Hengjian nimbly picked up the phone and placed it back on the table.

"It's not family, it's Lee Yun-hyo.

She knows I'm getting married and is making a scene.

I told her to get rid of the baby, but she refused and insists on giving birth. Isn't this just looking for trouble for me?"

Yeon Jung-hoon's tone was filled with irritation.

"Hmm."

Tian Hengjian gave a soft response and lowered his head to take a sip of wine.

This was a conversation he really couldn't join in on.

He had met Lee Yun-hyo before; she was a student being kept as a mistress. This kind of thing wasn't rare in the industry; who didn't have some shady business?

"Hengjian, I heard you're quite good at handling these kinds of things? Didn't you resolve issues for Director Shen several times? Do you have any suggestions?"

Yeon Jung-hoon suddenly turned his head and looked at Tian Hengjian with a deep frown.

"Cough, that's not true.

If you ask me, most of these girls are just after money. Why don't you spend some to settle it?"

Tian Hengjian almost couldn't resist slamming the table and leaving.

Wasn't this obviously setting him up? He had indeed helped Director Shen handle some follow-up issues, but was that the same? Director Shen used unspoken rules to exchange for resources; it was consensual, and they were even afterward.

You've gone and gotten someone pregnant; how can that be settled by just tossing them a random role?

"Forget it, let's drink first."

After Yeon Jung-hoon finished speaking, he tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful, then punched the floor in anger so hard that the sound made Tian Hengjian feel the pain himself.

He certainly wouldn't do something like that to make things hard for himself.

"Senior, I think it's better if you go handle it.

After all, the wedding date is approaching. If some scandal breaks out, it'll be even more troublesome later."

Tian Hengjian didn't want to get involved at all.

Helping depended on the situation. He could make deals with Yeon Jung-hoon, but he couldn't become someone who specialized in cleaning up other people's messes, could he?

"Fine, then I'll leave first and contact you later."

Yeon Jung-hoon nodded, then turned and handed a Room card to the two girls nearby: "You go to the New World Hotel. I've already booked a Room. I'll come find you later."

"Alright, Senior, take care."

Tian Hengjian hurriedly stood up and bowed, seeing him out.

After seeing off Yeon Jung-hoon, Tian Hengjian had originally intended to leave as well, but he suddenly remembered there seemed to be another person in the private Room—he had completely forgotten about this person while drinking and playing games just now.

It was all because she was too quiet.

He rubbed his temples, trying hard to recall if he had said anything he shouldn't have. More importantly, he didn't even know who this woman was.

When Tian Hengjian pulled open the wooden door and was about to take off his shoes to enter the private Room, he saw the woman inside and his legs went weak, nearly causing him to collapse to the floor.

He subconsciously looked back and cursed in his heart: What kind of mess is this!

Reacting extremely fast, he quickly slipped into the Room, locked the door behind him, and rushed to the window to peek out through a crack.

Fortunately, Yeon Jung-hoon hadn't gone far and was leading the two girls down the street, seemingly toward the parking lot.

Even so, Tian Hengjian was still uneasy and hurriedly checked if anything had been left in the Room—if Yeon Jung-hoon suddenly turned back and stumbled upon this scene, he could forget about ever working in the industry again.

"Sister, we aren't that close, are we? You're really pushing me into a fire pit!"

After Tian Hengjian sat down, his heart was still pounding.

"Although we aren't close, we have met, and I often hear him mention you."

Kim Hyun-joo, who was actually Han Ga-in, said as she looked calmly at Tian Hengjian across from her.

Even though she had just sat alone in the private Room for nearly an hour, she had heard everything she should and shouldn't have.

"Um... I still have some things to do. The bill is already settled, so why don't you take your time eating?"

Tian Hengjian planned to slip away without a second thought.

Avoiding trouble as soon as you encounter it is the most natural reaction for an ordinary person.

If Yeon Jung-hoon suddenly had a change of heart and came back, this scene would be impossible to explain.

Tian Hengjian was just a small fry, yet he had brought someone's fiancée to 'catch them in the act'—

this was just too dishonorable.

Whether Yeon Jung-hoon could explain things clearly to Han Ga-in afterward was one thing, but what Tian Hengjian did today would definitely be spread around.

There would be many versions by then: Tian Hengjian had a crush on Han Ga-in and deliberately brought her to the scene; or Tian Hengjian and Han Ga-in teamed up to put on a show... His mind was already a mess, and he didn't dare think about what his image in the industry would become. He might not even be able to survive in the South Korea entertainment industry anymore.

"Do you believe that I'll call him back right now to explain himself to my face?"

Han Ga-in said while flipping the beef on the grill, not even looking up, as if she were talking to the meat.

"If I said this was purely an accident... would you believe me?"

Tian Hengjian practically wanted to cry.

This joke had gone too far. If it was just minor trouble before, now it was a massive farce.

Everyone knew that the wedding of Han Ga-in and Yeon Jung-hoon was no secret in the industry; the invitations were about to be sent out.

"Of course I believe you.

If I hadn't followed you, I wouldn't have believed what was right in front of me either.

Here, the meat is grilled. You didn't seem to eat much just now."

As Han Ga-in spoke, she had already wrapped a piece of beef in lettuce and handed it to Tian Hengjian.

"Did I go too far today..."

Tian Hengjian took the lettuce wrap with a bitter smile and took a large bite.

He had really taken a hard fall today.

"According to etiquette, food given by a senior should be eaten in one bite to show respect."

Han Ga-in glanced at him and continued wrapping meat.

"Anyway, I'm going back to the US tomorrow. You've really messed me up this time.

Please tell me now that this is actually a hidden camera show, right?"

Tian Hengjian didn't care about any rules anymore.

"Am I not more miserable than you?"

Han Ga-in rolled her eyes at him. This time, she didn't hand over the wrapped meat but stuffed it into her own mouth, her cheeks puffing out.

"Sigh..."

Tian Hengjian looked at her face, rounded by the food.

Normally, he would have secretly taken a photo and uploaded it online for everyone to enjoy, but now he was in no mood for that. He could only lower his head and continue eating the beef in his hand... 008 Han Ga-in was in a very good mood today.

The day before yesterday, she finally broke free from her dense schedule. She rested at home all day yesterday, and today she planned to go pick out some furniture for her marital home.

There were no endless schedules, no swarming endorsement offers, and no Managers or assistants constantly urging her to work. The world seemed to have suddenly become quiet.

She put on a thick down jacket, wrapped herself in a large scarf, and wanted to experience a day in the life of an ordinary person, so she boarded a bus she hadn't taken in a long time.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she walked to the back row, she ran into an acquaintance—Tian Hengjian.

This Chinese-American her fiancé often mentioned was said to be a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts and reportedly mastered four or five foreign languages.

She had also met him once at a dinner party last time. The jokes he told during the meal were very interesting, especially the fun stories about living in the US.

Most of their group had no experience living abroad, so they all listened with great interest.

After that time, Han Ga-in had a special impression of Tian Hengjian, thinking he was an interesting and talented person—of course, that was all.

Meeting him on the bus today, she had a sudden whim to see if this acquaintance could recognize her.

If even a colleague couldn't recognize her, then her shopping trip today would be even more worry-free.

Just as she sat down, she saw Tian Hengjian flipping through a stack of English documents. She curiously glanced at them and found that he didn't notice her, so she became a bit bolder.

However, the words on the documents were dense and small, and since Tian Hengjian flipped through them quickly, she couldn't see the content very clearly.

The more she looked, the more curious she became: What exactly was all that English? It looked like a contract. Had Tian Hengjian taken on a script from the US?

As an actress, she was always interested in scripts, especially the opportunity to participate in a Hollywood production—that wasn't something just anyone could have.

If that were really the case, she wanted to call her fiancé later to see if they could use some connections.

When Tian Hengjian flipped to the last document, Han Ga-in recognized it at a glance as an artist contract—she had just signed a renewal two days ago, and the format was very similar. Plus, her English wasn't bad, so she immediately recognized the company name in the title.

"Hehe!"

Tian Hengjian couldn't help but laugh as he looked at the contract in his hand. "Do you really think the entertainment industry is that easy to navigate? I hope you can find a translation lawyer to check it again. This is all I can help you with."

Han Ga-in became even more curious upon hearing this. She looked carefully at where Tian Hengjian's finger was pointing and indeed found a very harsh clause.

She felt helpless; unspoken rules had always existed in this industry. For those girls who chose that path voluntarily, she couldn't say much; everyone has their own ambitions.

"Alright, heavens, I'm just a translator. I don't care about anything else... No, for this company's future work, I'll either charge more or just not take it. It's too predatory."

When Tian Hengjian muttered again, Han Ga-in caught a glimpse of the mocking expression on his face, and she felt a bit uncomfortable.

As an artist herself, although she didn't know what other hidden clauses Tian Hengjian had discovered, her intuition told her he definitely saw them but didn't plan to warn the other party.

She even wondered if this was an artist contract Tian Hengjian had helped the company draft, so she asked him directly.

However, after the two of them started arguing, Han Ga-in also felt she was being a bit impulsive, but she just couldn't get over it: Why do you directors act like this? If there were no demand, unspoken rules wouldn't happen.

Isn't there a saying—without buying and selling, there would be no harm.

After following Tian Hengjian off the bus, she just wanted to seek justice: Not everyone in the entertainment industry is self-deprecating; only young and ignorant girls think of relying on this path to rise, but that's actually taking the wrong road.

Once you fall into it, such things spread very quickly in the industry.

Minor directors might not care, but don't count on participating in the works of major directors—famous directors all cherish their reputation. If your business is exposed, they who have collaborated with you might also be tainted; these people won't take that risk.

So girls who want to rely on their bodies to rise simply don't understand: in the eyes of major directors, no matter how beautiful you are, they won't use you without actual results.

Unless you can be like the current Lee Ji-woo, so famous that no one dares to gossip about her private life.

Even if her life is a mess, those she accompanies are all high-level figures in Seoul—who would dare to casually discuss the background of such people? Although South Korea claims to be a democracy, does it really have it? Unless they want to lose their lives.

Later, Han Ga-in also felt she wasn't calm enough.