132: Chapter 132 I'll Let You Eat Your Fill Today

Seven o'clock in the evening, at the seafood restaurant.

Li Cheng didn't hold back when ordering, getting Australian lobster, king crab, abalone with scallion oil, scallops with garlic vermicelli...

"The boss said we can order whatever we want today." Li Cheng closed the menu and tilted his chin at the waiter, "Bring us two dozen chilled beers."

Zhou Yutong was wearing disposable plastic gloves, busy gnawing on half a crab.

She gave a thumbs-up while speaking indistinctly, "Brother Cheng is generous!"

"What does that have to do with me? It's Brother Fan's money being spent." Li Cheng rolled his eyes and picked up a bottle opener to open a beer.

Shen Nian sat next to Jiang Fan, quietly peeling shrimp.

Once she finished peeling one, she casually placed it on the plate in front of Jiang Fan.

Li Cheng downed half a glass of chilled beer, slammed the glass onto the table, and let out a hiccup.

"Old Jiang, are you really going to film a comedy?"

As soon as these words were out, the table went quiet for two seconds.

Zhou Yutong put down the crab leg in her hand, and Shen Nian's shrimp-peeling motion also stopped.

She turned her head and looked at Jiang Fan.

"You want to make a movie?"

Jiang Fan dipped the shrimp from the plate into some vinegar and put it into his mouth.

After chewing and swallowing, he picked up a napkin and wiped the corners of his mouth.

"I have that idea. I'll start by shooting a low-budget one to test the waters."

Shen Nian gave an "Oh" but didn't ask further; she had always rarely interfered with Jiang Fan's decisions.

From the day she decided to entrust her life to him, whatever he said went.

Li Cheng chewed on an abalone and spoke vaguely, "Don't just focus on the movie. The semi-finals of The Sound of Nature are this week, and the rules have changed. Zhang Yihan has spent a fortune over there."

"You found that out?" Jiang Fan picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Li Cheng wiped his hands with a tissue and leaned toward the center of the table.

"Universal is determined to get Zhang Yihan into the finals this time. Qin Wanhao hired a vocal coach from abroad named Thomas. This foreigner specializes in that kind of mournful music in the European and American circles, the gloomy style, and he's very famous."

"Mournful music?" Zhou Yutong blinked, putting down the crab leg in her hand completely, "What kind of style is that?"

"It's just 'sadness'." Li Cheng lowered his voice, "That old ghost Qin Wanhao must have pulled some strings. If the draw lands on 'sadness', it'll be Zhang Yihan's home turf. With that voice of hers, she's best at singing these kinds of lifeless songs."

Jiang Fan leaned back in his chair, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup.

"Jiang Fan, have you chosen your 'sad' song yet?" Li Cheng asked, staring at him.

Jiang Fan didn't answer.

He looked at the plate of king crab on the lazy Susan that still had more than half left.

"Eat first."

Li Cheng opened his mouth, but was choked back.

This meal lasted an hour and a half.

After finishing the meal, Li Cheng went to the front desk to pay the bill.

Although it wasn't his money he was spending, seeing that long string of numbers on the receipt still made his heart ache for a while.

The four of them parted ways at the entrance of the restaurant.

Jiang Fan and Shen Nian hailed a taxi.

The car window was half open, and the night breeze blew in from outside, dispersing the smell of seafood on both of them.

Shen Nian leaned against the backseat without speaking, watching the streetlights outside the window fly past from front to back.

The light from the traffic signal at the intersection hit her profile, flickering on and off.

Pushing open the apartment door, Shen Nian changed into those plush slippers.

She walked to the sofa, sat down, and patted the spot next to her.

"Come here."

Jiang Fan walked over and sat down, casually taking off his jacket and draping it over the sofa armrest.

"You want to make a movie, why didn't you mention it to me before?" Shen Nian crossed her legs, turned to look at him, her tone devoid of any discernible emotion.

"It's not even off the ground yet." Jiang Fan leaned back, resting his crossed hands on his abdomen, "Li Cheng is still running around for the licenses. The fastest it can go through the process is next month. Casting, locations, building the crew—it's all a hassle."

"Are you short on money?"

"No."

Shen Nian didn't listen to him; she took out her phone from her pocket and opened the banking app.

"I still have over ten million in my account." She looked down, swiping on the screen, "I donated a portion, and sent a few million to my parents. I'll transfer the rest to you."

Jiang Fan pressed down on her wrist.

"I said, I'm not short on money. A movie is a bottomless pit; the little money you have won't even make a splash if you throw it in. Keep it for yourself as a safety net."

Shen Nian brushed his hand away.

"Who needs a safety net?" Her fingers tapped quickly on the screen, "You're charging ahead, I can't just watch from behind all the time. If I can't help with anything else, can't I at least contribute some money?"

She was very stubborn, entering the password quickly.

With a crisp "ding" sound.

The phone in Jiang Fan's pocket vibrated.

He took it out and glanced at it.

Bank transfer notification: 11.2 million, she even transferred the small change.

Jiang Fan stared at the string of numbers for a few seconds, then tossed the phone onto the coffee table.

"You've emptied out your savings, what will you eat in the future?"

"Eat you, of course." Shen Nian said righteously, tossing her phone aside and leaning against him, "Anyway, I'm your person now, you have to provide my meals."

"Keep this money to buy some clothes and jewelry. You're a girl, don't always be so stingy with yourself."

"I don't like those things." Shen Nian hugged his arm, "As long as I have enough clothes to wear, that's fine. Money is just a string of numbers when it's with me; it's better to let you use it to tinker around. If you lose it, at worst, I'll just take on more commercial performances in the future and support you."

Jiang Fan laughed.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, his palm resting against her back.

Through the thin T-shirt, there was finally a thin layer of soft flesh on her waist.

It was much better than when they first met; back then, she was so thin she was bony to the touch.

"Alright." He lowered his head, rubbing his chin against the top of her hair, smelling the scent of shampoo. "I'll let you eat your fill today."

Shen Nian's body stiffened slightly.

"I'll go take a shower first, I smell all like seafood."

Jiang Fan didn't let go; instead, he tightened his arms, firmly circling her in his embrace.

"What's the rush to shower?"

Shen Nian's breathing became a bit erratic, and she pushed against Jiang Fan's chest.

"Let go."

"Who was it that said they wanted to eat me just now?" Jiang Fan lowered his head, leaning close to her ear.

Warm breath hit her earlobe, sparking a small shiver.

Shen Nian bit her lower lip and stopped struggling.

Shen Nian snuggled into Jiang Fan's arms, listening to his steady heartbeat.

His warm palm reached in along the hem of her shirt, pressing against that layer of delicate skin.

Shen Nian closed her eyes, her eyelashes casting a small shadow on her eyelids.

The sound of breathing was infinitely amplified in the quiet room.

Jiang Fan's fingers unfastened the clasp behind her back.

The sofa wasn't very spacious.

Jiang Fan pushed the coffee table away by half a meter, making a dull scraping sound.

Shen Nian knelt on the carpet by the coffee table; the carpet had been newly replaced last week, long-pile and very soft.

Jiang Fan's fingers ran through her long hair, sliding from the back of her head down to her neck.

Shen Nian's breathing became rapid, her hands clutching tightly at the hem of his shirt.

"Jiang Fan..." She called his name, her voice trembling.

Jiang Fan pressed down on her head, blocking the rest of her words.