Chapter One: Unfulfilled Ambition

  That night, Lin Xiao's notice came down.

  Five days later, he shot his last scene. It was a big mix of actors, not only Chen Daoming, but also Shi Qingsong and several other old drama bones also showed up.

  He took a close look at the script, only a few lines, this is a big play, there are many people, he is actually the most relaxed one.

  Recalling the scene, it's not difficult at all, the only thing to pay attention to is Li Ruijin's side.

  He was just about to blend in with the scene when his phone rang.

  It was a call from Qin Xin.

  "What's up?"

  "Read the script."

  "Oh. I don't have a script." Qin Xin said with a hint of envy "Are you free tonight?"

  "A date?" Lin Xiao teased, not knowing why, but whenever he saw Qin Xin, he wanted to joke around.

  "No, I'm inviting you to dinner."

  "Big sister, I was just joking."

  "That won't work either." Qin Xin was unusually persistent "I promised to do something, I must see it through."

  "Alright, then name a time."

  "How about six o'clock tonight?" Qin Xin's voice laughed "There is a small restaurant in the village, which only sells one meal a day. I also discovered it unintentionally, and the taste is very good."

  "Alright, I'll call you at 6 o'clock tonight."

  After chatting for a few more sentences, he finally hung up the phone.

  In the afternoon, he was reading scripts all the time. Sun Lei and others came once, chatted about Taiwan's experience for a while, and then left.

  At night, he casually picked up a coat and went out in his slippers.

  They lived in a small village not far from the crew, with not many people, and he quickly found Qin Xin, who was immediately impressed.

  She wore a white thin sweater, her hair scattered casually, but the texture was very good, as if a piece of velvet was attached to her shoulder.

  Simple colors, yet forming an unsimple landscape.

  "Hehe, someone once said that when you've mastered black and white, colors are also pretty good." Lin Xiao walked over and patted her shoulder "You didn't learn about colors before, did you?"

  Qin Xin heard the voice and turned her head, also brightening up at what she saw.

  "You're wearing this?" she said incredulously.

  "It's not a date, why dress so formally?" Lin Xiao laughed and said "Even if it's just friends having dinner, dressing so formally is no fun."

  "Oh." Qin Xin nodded indifferently and said, "Let's go, I'll treat you tonight. The flavor of that place is really good. Especially the mutton soup, it feels even better than Xi'an Old Sun's mutton steamed bun."

  "Have you been to Xi'an?" The two walked and chatted along the way. "By the way, I've never asked where you're from."

  "Nanjing." Qin Xin's eyes curved into a crescent smile "I've been to many places."

  Chatting and laughing, they soon arrived at a small restaurant.

  It's actually a small restaurant, from the outside you can't tell it's still doing food business, and would only think it's an ordinary inn. Only after entering did I realize that inside, four tables were placed crookedly. There are several long benches around, but the hygiene is not bad.

  The lighting in the room is very good, and since the sun has not set yet, the scene inside can be said to be crystal clear. At this point, there aren't many people, so Lin Xiao's eyes quickly landed on Li Ruijin sitting on the left, who also caught sight of him.

  Both of them raised their eyebrows, and then Li Rui sneered coldly.

  "Isn't this Lin Xiao? Bringing his own little girlfriend out for dinner?"

  "Who is his girlfriend?" This time, Qin Xin was the first to speak up, with an indignant look on her face.

  "Oh? Not really?" Li Ruijin said with a profound meaning, "If there is, it can't be said in the crew. If Manager Qian knows you're intentionally messing up his good deeds, hehe."

  Qin Xin finally reacted and her face immediately turned white.

  "Li Ruijin, let's not bring up the past. What's done is done. An actor's job is to act, and if you have this much energy, why not put it into your acting skills?" Lin Xiao said calmly, "Even when I first arrived in Wulanbutong, I could find people to accompany me, but today you're drinking alone without even bringing a single person? This really doesn't seem like your style."

  "Hmph!" Li Rui slammed his wine cup onto the table, having been drinking for a while, his eyes were already slightly red. "You're just trying to mock me for losing power, right? Say it outright! But you won't be smug for long!"

  The boss was startled by this sound and rushed out to take a look, only to see this tense scene.

  "What's going on? What's going on? We're all regular customers, let's save some trouble!" He hastily came up to mediate.

  "Nothing much, boss, just a few specialty dishes. We were just chatting and will eat after we're done talking." Lin Xiao said with a smile.

  "No need, boss, just pay the bill." Li Ruijin said with a cold smile "I lose my appetite when I see you."

  He paid the money, walked out quickly, and as he brushed past, gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "Lin's kid, you just wait, when you're gone, I'll take good care of your girlfriend, Manager Wang has been eyeing her for a long time."

  After finishing speaking, he prepared to go out.

  But he didn't walk out. Because a hand was pinching his shoulder.

  "Li Rui is making progress." Lin Xiao sighed and said, "You know, a man with a woman by his side can be very competitive. He's also easily irritated, especially when the topic comes from the woman beside him."

  "What do you want to do?" Li Rui sneered at him, "Make a move? Don't forget, there are dozens of people from the crew living in this small village. As soon as I shout, I guarantee you'll be infamous throughout the entire crew."

  Lin Xiao laughed and said "I don't know if Manager Qian has told you before, but he also told me the same thing that night."

  "And now, I happen to have this intention."

  As soon as the words fell, Li Rui's sneering face twisted, and Lin Xiao's hand on his shoulder was like a tiger clip, exerting force to clamp down on his trapezius muscle.

  "You..." He panicked, because the other's strength was unexpectedly great! The trapezius muscle is a very sensitive muscle, and a little force can make people feel sore and deep into the nerves.

  Before he could even think, a severe pain mixed with sourness transmitted from his trapezius muscle, and he only had time to tremble and let out a sharp cry before squatting down with a sweat-drenched head, clutching at his shoulder.

  A loud cry of despair, and the boss hastily ran out again, took one look at the situation, and understood.

  "You can try it out yourself, I forgot to tell you, I'm a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo." Lin Xiao said lightly, casually clenching his fist and making a "cracking" sound.

  Crazy! He actually dared to take action! Li Rui's shock at this moment far exceeded the pain. In such a sensitive place as the crew, who wouldn't pretend to be good? But this person actually dared to do it!

  When he heard Qian Zhong tell him about what happened that night, he still felt a bit exaggerated, now he believes it.

  That night, if Qian Zhong insisted on taking people away, something unimaginable might have happened. Qian Zhong's intuition also told him this, and that's why he let them go.

  He was not afraid of the other party, but he was. Just as Lin Xiao had said, he was afraid, and he had been afraid since before Lin Xiao arrived, fearing that Lin Xiao would steal his thunder.

  When he saw Lin Xiao's performance on tape, he knew that he couldn't surpass this person, so he tried every means to calculate against him.

  When all this happened, his fear turned into resentment, and it wasn't until they were really face to face in private that the fear erupted.

  He didn't even have the courage to fight back!

  The more Lin Xiao smiled with an air of serenity, the more he was actually thinking deeply and cautiously.

  What will the director do? What will the crew do? What will Xu Ziyao do?!

  Why isn't he afraid? Why can he disregard the consequences?

  "Lin Xiao... you're good! Let's wait and see!" In the end, he gritted his teeth and let out a low hum, the air coming out of his nostrils was even audible to Qin Xin opposite him, his temples lightly throbbed, and the blue veins under his skin were visible.

  "Uh-huh, I'm waiting." Lin Xiao nodded.

  Li Rui stood up, the pain in his trapezius muscle was lingering, he stared at Lin Xiao with a cold sweat all over his head, then turned around and walked out.

  The boss finally let out a sigh of relief.

  Lin Xiao and Qin Xin sat down, and Qin Xin's first sentence was surprisingly "Are you really a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo?!"

  "Deceive him." Lin Xiao lost his smile "Have you heard that Taekwondo is divided into levels?"

  "Oh." Qin's heart felt a bit embarrassed under the heroic gaze, and she lowered her head.

  The atmosphere was slightly subtle, and neither of them spoke, waiting for the boss to serve the dishes.

  After a few minutes, Qin Xin suddenly said in a low voice, "Actually... you didn't have to fight for those words of his. But... thank you."

  "It's nothing." Lin Xiao said with a smile "I've disliked him for a long time."

  "When I first came, my agent told me that if someone wants to step on you, they have to step on you to death. At the time, I didn't comment. Now I know it's really a word of experience. Unfortunately, the opportunity is gone."

  After a while, he said seriously, "However, I will remember this lesson. Today, even if he himself ran into the muzzle, it was also to remind him that tolerating him once does not mean tolerating him a second time."

  Qin's heart was quietly watching his face, suddenly said "Your current expression is really scary."

  "Is it scary? I won't offend others if they don't offend me. But if someone offends you and you still put on a smiling face to welcome them, that's not being moderate, that's being weak."

  Qin Xin's heart suddenly beat a little faster as she thought of a question, if Lin Xiao had said that he was really the one who had moved his hands for Li Rui's words earlier, what should she do?

  Thought about it for half a day and still didn't come up with a solution. Just then, the boss's dishes arrived.

  Braised mutton, the most common ingredient on the grassland. Mutton soup and a few small dishes.

  The fragrance hits your nose.

  "Eat up, what are you thinking about? The mutton will go bad if it gets cold." Lin Xiao reminded with a smile.

  "Ah, oh, oh......" Qin Xin finally came back to her senses and politely said "You eat first, you eat first."

  "What's the logic of a lady inviting someone to dinner and then picking up her chopsticks first? Come on, I'm starving."

  Qin Xin then picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

  Lin Xiao also moved his chopsticks, a piece of mutton entered his mouth, hmm, the taste was really good.

  Maybe it's because of his mood, with the experience of the past life, he really doesn't think Li Ruijin is anything. New people may be at a loss for what to do with these things, but he won't. These overt and covert knives have been seen many times, after drifting for a few years, how to deal with the circle, everyone has their own way.

  Li Ruijin is like a fly, ignoring him because he's not annoying enough, but when he really gets on your nerves, you'll find an opportunity to slap him dead.

  As for CAMI, it's really a gem of wisdom. He narrowed his eyes and took another bite of the mutton, hmm, still as tender as ever.