217: Chapter 216 Tang Yingxue also wants to play the queen

The next morning, Jiang Fan sat in his office chair, continuing to bury himself in writing the script.

A knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

Li Cheng pushed the door open, sat down, and slid a folder across the desk.

"Brother Jiang, I've found out. There's news from the Hou Family Troupe."

Jiang Fan stopped his work and opened the folder.

"The current head of the Hou Family Troupe is called Hou Chuanwu, and he has a son named Hou Jinlai, who is twenty-six this year."

Li Cheng pointed to a photo in the file.

"This kid has been practicing Monkey Opera with his dad since he was little; his movements and skills are top-notch. A few years ago, he even won a gold medal at a national opera competition."

Jiang Fan looked at the young man in the photo.

His features were lean, his eye sockets deep, and his gaze into the camera radiated a wildness; his bone structure perfectly matched the requirements for The Monkey King.

"Have you contacted him?" Jiang Fan closed the folder.

Li Cheng scratched the back of his head.

"I made contact, but I got a cold shoulder. Hou Jinlai himself is interested, but his father, Old Master Hou, is a stubborn old man."

"He insists that the entertainment industry is a cesspool and that their Hou Family Troupe's Monkey Opera is a national treasure that cannot be used to entertain people in front of the TV like monkeys."

Jiang Fan tapped his fingers on the desk twice.

With traditional artisans, throwing money at them doesn't do much.

But The Monkey King is the soul of the entire journey to the west.

Other roles can be chosen slowly, but this monkey must be a professional.

"Book two tickets to the capital for this afternoon." Jiang Fan handed the folder back. "We'll go there ourselves."

Li Cheng took the folder and stood up.

"Alright, I'll get right on it. What do we do when we get to the capital? Should we find someone to make an introduction?"

"Let's go see first."

At six in the evening, the two landed at Daxing Airport in the capital.

Li Cheng hailed a car and headed straight to the Southern District, stopping in front of a star-rated hotel.

The two took their luggage and walked into the lobby.

Li Cheng took out his ID and handed it to the front desk.

"Please book two rooms with big beds."

Jiang Fan stood to the side and spoke up.

"Just book one room for now."

Li Cheng turned to look at Jiang Fan, shivering.

"Brother Jiang, we're sharing a room? I snore, fart, and grind my teeth in my sleep. You have such heavy tastes?"

Jiang Fan glanced at him.

"Get lost, you stay in your own. I'm going to find a friend."

Li Cheng looked Jiang Fan up and down.

"You have friends in the capital? Male or female? How come I've never heard of them?"

Jiang Fan ignored him and turned to walk out of the lobby.

"Brother Jiang, if you're not coming back tonight, what time are we going to the Southern District tomorrow?" Li Cheng chased him to the door.

"Tomorrow at ten in the morning, wait for me at the hotel entrance."

Jiang Fan walked out of the hotel, took out his phone, and opened Tang Yingxue's WeChat.

"Send me your location."

As soon as the message was sent, the top of the chat box displayed "The other party is typing."

Ten seconds later, Tang Yingxue replied.

"You came to the capital?"

Jiang Fan: "Yes."

Tang Yingxue sent a location. "Come straight up when you arrive, the code is 0715."

Jiang Fan put away his phone and hailed a taxi.

"Take me to Kyoto No. 1 Courtyard."

The taxi moved in fits and starts through the evening rush hour traffic.

The car stopped at the entrance of the residential complex.

Jiang Fan paid, got out, registered with the security guard, and walked in according to the building number Tang Yingxue sent.

It was a top-floor flat; Jiang Fan stood in front of the door and entered 0715 on the keypad.

The lock made a "beep" sound and opened.

The foyer was spacious, and a pair of brand-new men's slippers sat next to the shoe cabinet.

Jiang Fan put on the slippers and walked inside.

The living room was large, and the decor was quite luxurious.

Outside the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows was the night view of the capital.

Tang Yingxue was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.

She was wearing a black silk bathrobe, the belt tied loosely.

Jiang Fan walked over and sat down on the single sofa nearby.

Tang Yingxue stood up, poured a glass of warm water, and walked back to hand it to Jiang Fan.

She didn't sit back in her original spot but sat down next to Jiang Fan on the armrest of the single sofa.

"Are you in the capital for business?"

"Looking for an actor."

Jiang Fan took a sip of water and set the cup down.

Tang Yingxue looked at Jiang Fan's face, which was inches away.

In the ten-plus days since returning from Shanghai, her skin condition had clearly deteriorated.

Fine lines at the corners of her eyes were showing signs of reappearing.

It is easy to go from frugal to luxurious, but hard to go from luxurious to frugal.

Having experienced that feeling of reverse aging and vitality, she couldn't stand having even one more wrinkle now.

She had originally planned to find an excuse to fly to Shanghai in a few days to find Jiang Fan, but she hadn't expected him to show up on her doorstep.

Tang Yingxue's gaze drifted downward, landing on Jiang Fan's collar.

Besides her skin condition, there was something else on her mind.

The news that Su Yuyan had secured the TV adaptation rights for journey to the west had already spread through the industry.

Not only had she secured the rights, but she was also going to play the White Bone Demon in it.

Xu Qingya had stepped on her with the song "as you wish," and now Su Yuyan was climbing up the ladder relying on Jiang Fan's script.

The landscape of The Four Heavenly Queens was about to be reshuffled by Jiang Fan alone.

She couldn't just watch; she had to find a way to get a role.

She had carefully read journey to the west, and the Queen of the Daughter Kingdom in it wasn't bad.

The only female character in the original work to have a romantic entanglement with Tang Monk.

As long as she played it well, the popularity would definitely be no lower than the White Bone Demon.

Tang Yingxue stood up.

"Come on, since it's your first time at my place, I'll take you on a tour."

She led Jiang Fan, turning directly toward the end of the hallway.

Jiang Fan followed behind.

Tang Yingxue pushed open the wooden door at the end of the hallway; it was her master bedroom.

The master bedroom was spacious, with a two-meter-wide bed placed in the center.

A warm yellow lamp was lit by the bedside.

Jiang Fan looked at Tang Yingxue.

"Teacher Tang, why are we touring the bedroom right off the bat?"

Tang Yingxue didn't answer; she raised her hand and placed it on Jiang Fan's shoulder.

"I want a role in your journey to the west too."

She was a businesswoman; her goals were never concealed.

Jiang Fan placed his hand on her waist; the touch of the silk was very smooth.

Tang Yingxue's body immediately tensed up, that familiar feeling of trembling climbing up her spine.

"What do you want to play?"

"Queen of the Daughter Kingdom."

Jiang Fan paused for two seconds.

Information asymmetry is a good thing.

Tang Yingxue didn't know that this role had already been decided by Xu Qingya in bed, and even the conditions for adding scenes had been agreed upon.

Jiang Fan neither refused directly nor agreed.

"Let me test you first to see what role you're suited for."

Tang Yingxue didn't catch the subtext; she thought Jiang Fan had relented.

She took the initiative to untie her belt.

The black silk bathrobe slid down her shoulders and dropped onto the carpet.

There was actually nothing underneath.

Jiang Fan pushed her onto the bed; with only a little force, Tang Yingxue completely lost the initiative.

The mattress made a faint rustling sound.

Tang Yingxue bit her lip, her hands gripping the sheets.

She wanted to maintain the dignity of a Heavenly Queen, but her body was completely beyond her control.

"You..." Tang Yingxue's voice was intermittent, "Are you... going to give me... the role?"

Jiang Fan didn't answer.

Tang Yingxue's special constitution once again displayed astonishing gripping strength, forcing Jiang Fan to shift his focus.