Chapter 31: A Good Friend’s Assist! Experiencing Boss Cao’s Joy Again?
The nearly two-hour concert came to an end.
Zhang Liangying watched as the audience stood up and exited the venue. She then headed backstage, where she saw Shen Lang and smiled at him. “Xiao Lang, you’re a natural-born singer!”
“Not only do you sing well, but you also adapted to the concert stage so quickly.”
“Your second performance was even better than the first…”
“Liangying, surprise!”
At that moment, someone rushed over and hugged Zhang Liangying tightly.
“Qianqian, what are you doing here?”
Indeed, it was Liu Yifei, Zhang Liangying’s best friend.
Since their collaboration in The Return of the Condor Heroes, the two had become close sisters and best friends.
Zhang Liangying chuckled and said, “By the way, let me introduce you. This is Shen Lang, my good friend…”
Liu Yifei gave the two a meaningful look and whispered, “Liangying, are you two really not…?”
“Qianqian, stop talking nonsense!”
Zhang Liangying cut her off immediately. “I’m married, and Xiao Lang hasn’t even graduated yet…”
“Oh, right! Xiao Lang is a student at your alma mater, Beijing Film Academy.”
“Really?” Liu Yifei grinned and turned to Shen Lang. “Hello, junior~”
He nodded in response and greeted her but didn’t interject further.
When women got together, especially long-separated best friends, they always had endless things to talk about.
After chatting for a while and waiting for the audience to fully disperse, they left the Wukesong Stadium.
Liu Yifei said she hadn’t had enough of the singing and had booked a karaoke room. She wanted to hear Zhang Liangying and Shen Lang sing together again, and maybe even duet with her junior herself.
“Qianqian, do you have your eyes on Shen Lang?”
Inside the karaoke room, Zhang Liangying took advantage of Shen Lang stepping out to grab something and quietly asked Liu Yifei.
“Liangying, what are you talking about? I just met him, how could I like him?”
Liu Yifei rolled her eyes. “But Liangying, the way you and Shen Lang looked at each other while singing was practically electric… Honestly, you should just get a divorce and be with him!”
“You two would make such a good, ”
Zhang Liangying interrupted her again. Though she had considered divorce, she saw Shen Lang only as a friend and younger brother.
“Qianqian, since you don’t have a boyfriend, how about I set you up with Xiao Lang tonight?”
“Or how about I set you up with him instead? Just wait, I’ll get you drunk and give Shen Lang an opening, hehehe, ”
“Qianqian, you’ve become such a troublemaker!”
“I’m just a passionate shipper, you know how crazy shippers can be, so…”
Before she could finish, the door opened. Shen Lang walked in, followed by a staff member pushing a cart loaded with fruits, tea, snacks, and other refreshments.
“I’ll pick the first song! I want to sing If This Is Love~”
As she said this, Liu Yifei winked at Zhang Liangying.
“Oh right, Shen Lang, the new song you sang… Ah, the karaoke system hasn’t added it yet. Guess we’ll have to wait for next time. Let’s just duet Under the Sea for now…”
While talking, Liu Yifei queued up several songs she liked.
First, she pulled Zhang Liangying into a duet, then sang with Shen Lang, and finally performed a solo.
Of course, she also encouraged Zhang Liangying to sing a few songs, though she reminded her to rest her voice, while pushing Shen Lang to sing more.
At some point, the singing turned into a drinking contest.
“Qianqian, don’t go overboard!”
Zhang Liangying quickly tried to stop her.
Liu Yifei brushed her off, pouring drinks while saying:
“I’m not going overboard! Karaoke is for singing and drinking. What’s the point of coming if we don’t drink? Right, junior?”
“Junior, let’s have a drink!”
“Liangying, don’t drink too much, protect your voice. You’ve already sung for over an hour today. Stick to tea.”
“Junior, don’t men always say ‘can’t admit defeat’? Stop hesitating and drink with your senior!”
Is she after my good looks?
Still, Shen Lang couldn’t refuse. He started drinking with Liu Yifei.
As the drinks flowed, he loosened up, no longer resisting, even taking the initiative and pulling Zhang Liangying into the mix.
Singing, drinking, playing games… Time flew by.
“Junior, you’re from Beijing Film Academy, how are you so good at singing?”
“Junior, in a few months, I’m heading to Hollywood for a film. Once I establish myself there, I’ll take you with me! You have no idea, I landed a Disney movie, Mulan…”
“I start training at the end of July. Since I have a dance background, I’ll pick up martial arts quickly…”
“Junior, have you heard of Disney’s Mulan? A Disney princess film! It’s guaranteed to make at least a billion dollars worldwide, hehehe…”
“Once I make it big, I’ll definitely bring you along!”
“Liangying, you should get divorced sooner. You got scammed out of money and emotions…”
“Honestly, your ex-husband isn’t even handsome, he’s not worth a single hair on Shen Lang…”
“Junior, come on, let’s have another!”
“Liangying, I want to hear you two sing If This Is Love…”
Zhang Liangying was speechless. Liu Yifei was clearly drunk and rambling.
Shen Lang asked softly, “Liangying-jie, should we leave?”
“Let’s wait a bit longer. Once Qianqian gets drunk, she’ll pass out, and nothing will wake her up.”
She knew her best friend well.
“Junior, Liangying, what are you two whispering about?”
Liu Yifei slung an arm over Shen Lang’s shoulder and another over Zhang Liangying’s, smirking.
“Qianqian, you’re drunk.”
“I’m not drunk! I’m just happy today!”
“I’m about to go to Hollywood, I’m thrilled!”
“I’m finally going to make it big! After so many box office flops and being forced back into TV dramas, hmph… But now I’ve got a Disney film. Just you wait!”
Suddenly, Liu Yifei let out a helpless sigh. “Right now, I’m still stuck filming a TV drama. Who knows how it’ll turn out? But it doesn’t matter, I’m about to turn things around!”
“Me, Liu Yifei, will crush all of you beneath my feet!”
“Junior, bottoms up!”
With that, Liu Yifei grabbed a can of beer and chugged it in one go.
After finishing it, she slammed the can down and shouted, “That hit the spot!”
Then, she collapsed into Zhang Liangying’s arms, completely wasted.
“Xiao Lang, don’t mind her. Qianqian just wants to prove herself too badly…”
Zhang Liangying apologized.
Shen Lang shook his head, saying it was fine.
As he listened to Liu Yifei talk about Mulan and Legend of the Perfumer, two projects that would define her career, one a high-profile Disney princess film that flopped spectacularly, the other a TV drama doomed by controversy, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.