Buy a house with 30,000 yuan and live in a small town

Chapter 563: Come Out and See

After returning to the car, there was naturally some intimacy. Liu Wangxue almost thought that Xu Qingsong wanted to pull her aside for such a ridiculous moment.

She always likes to play it straight, so she asked.

Xu Qingsong seemed to have really thought about the possibility and replied, "It's not impossible, but I haven't prepared anything, and the space in the car is too small, so your experience may be discounted."

Liu Wangxue was sorting out her clothes. She raised her eyes and smiled wickedly, teasing him deliberately: "Shouldn't the experience be fresher and more exciting?"

Xu Qingsong thought to himself, she is really wild. They have been apart for a long time in the past year, and she is already thinking about going outdoors before we have even mastered a few positions indoors.

But he guessed that she was just talking nonsense, so he deliberately said: "You are right, there is a forest on the outskirts of the city, which is the only way for us to go back. After dinner, I will go buy some things, and then..."

Liu Wangxue buckled her seatbelt with a click and hurriedly interrupted him, fearing that he would really carry out his plan: "Stop, I'm just kidding, really kidding."

Xu Qingsong commented on her: "A giant in words, a dwarf in actions, that's you." He came closer and scanned her up and down with a gaze that seemed to be real.

Liu Wangxue felt that his eyes seemed to have the ability to see through things, which made her eager to move. After a moment of struggle, she raised her hand and pushed his face away to make him look forward: "Shut up, stop thinking, and drive quickly."

Xu Qingsong commented again: "Only the officials are allowed to set fires, but the people are not allowed to light lamps."

Liu Wangxue laughed loudly: "What? I have the final say in this family!"

"Okay, I'll obey your command." Xu Qingsong also smiled, fastened his seat belt and drove out.

The two of them went to a famous restaurant in the city. Yue Cheng and Lan Xiaoxi booked a small private room there to treat Liu Wangxue to dinner.

Liu Wangxue only sent gifts and red envelopes to the birth ceremony, full moon banquet and hundred-day banquet, but never showed up. Although she said that Xu Qingsong was representing her, Yue Cheng and Lan Xiaoxi still felt that they should at least treat her to a meal. When they learned that she was coming back after the crew finished filming, the couple invited her in advance.

Liu Wangxue originally wanted them to not be so polite, but Lan Xiaoxi grasped her mind and said, "Don't you want to see him in person? Don't you want to hug him in person? He is so cute and likes the toys you gave him so much. As an aunt, do you really have the heart to refuse him?"

Since Keke was born, the Pengci group has become a group for Yue Cheng and Lan Xiaoxi to show off their babies. Tao Huaxin and Qiu Xiangrong had also joined the group before, and when they saw them posting photos, they followed suit. Shen Nian'an and his wife also had children in the group, and not to be outdone, they also found photos of Jinghe and Youyou when they were babies and re-photographed them and posted them in.

Liu Wangxue has been online for more than half a year. Wow, it's so cute! I couldn't resist the temptation of cuteness, so I accepted the invitation to come over for dinner.

When Liu Wangxue and Xu Qingsong arrived, Yue Cheng and Lan Xiaoxi were already there with Ke Ke. Tao Huayu was also there. He happened to be going back to Taojia Village today. When he heard that they were having dinner here, he stopped by to have a meal.

Keke was already full and was lying in the stroller entertaining himself. After washing his hands, Liu Wangxue immediately came over and picked him up to tease him. The little guy giggled happily, and the emotional value was particularly high.

Liu Wangxue joked, "Keke has really grown up. He doesn't cry even when someone else holds him."

Lan Xiaoxi straightened her sleeves and said, "That's right. I was really tortured in the first two months after the baby was born. Now it's better. It's not clingy anymore and lets anyone hold it."

When Keke was just born, he only recognized Lan Xiaoxi's arms. Except when he was asleep, he would cry if he left her. He would also cry when he woke up and found he was not in her arms. The situation began to change until the third month.

Fortunately, Lan Xiaoxi also stayed in a confinement center for a month after giving birth. After returning home, she had a nanny, and Yue Cheng didn't let her worry about the trivial matters in the store and at home. Her parents and parents-in-law also took turns to help. The child also fed with milk powder, otherwise she really couldn't bear the double torture of physical and mental.

After playing for a while, Keke began to feel sleepy and hummed twice. Liu Wangxue was worried that he would make a fuss, so she handed it to Lan Xiaoxi.

Lan Xiaoxi was eating some fruit, which were red honey pomeloes bought by her mother-in-law. They were very sweet, so she brought them along. There were two boxes in the car, and she planned to let Liu Wangxue take one box and Tao Huayu take the other box home after dinner. She didn't want to hold them, so she said to Liu Wangxue, "It's okay, just leave them in the car."

Yue Cheng was peeling a pomelo for Lan Xiaoxi and had no intention of taking it: "It's really okay, he can sleep by himself."

Xu Qingsong really couldn't stand it at all, so he helped Liu Wangxue put Keke down and covered him with a small blanket, and said to them, "Where is your fatherly and motherly love? A child is not as important as a bite of food, right?"

Yue Cheng smiled, but didn't dare to speak too loudly: "This is called cultivating children's sense of independence from an early age."

"My goodness," Tao Huayu added, "Sons and daughters are just different. Even if Tiantian sneezes, my brother-in-law will get nervous for a long time."

Lan Xiaoxi said: "How can it be the same? Tiantian is what my brother-in-law has been waiting for for a long time. In our family, it's up to fate."

Everyone laughed quietly, and Tao Huayu silently added in his heart, "This is also a gift from the couple."

Keke returned to the stroller without crying or making a fuss. As soon as the little pillow touched his face, he immediately fell asleep. Only Liu Wangxue and Xu Qingsong were beside the stroller, as if they were Keke's biological parents. Seeing that Keke was really sleeping soundly, the two returned to the dining table.

After a while, the dishes came up one after another, and the people ate and chatted.

Knowing that the crew had just finished filming, the topic inevitably revolved around this matter. Lan Xiaoxi has been paying close attention to "The Halo Effect" since the casting. She thinks that as long as the script written by Liu Wangxue is filmed according to it, it cannot be bad. "Early Spring Stream" is a good example, so she is also full of expectations for "The Halo Effect". Especially after seeing that the official actors are basically her favorites and optimistic about them, her expectations are even higher.

Talking about this, Lan Xiaoxi still felt a little regretful: "Xue Jianwen is such a good actor, how could he be so depressed and confused?"

Xue Jianwen was originally scheduled to be the male lead of the fifth story. Meng Luoqiu felt that he was very suitable for this role when he first read the script, and asked someone to contact him very early. However, because "The Halo Effect" was planned to be broadcast on the Internet platform and was a web drama, Xue Jianwen never agreed.

Later, after the final version of the script was completed, Meng Luoqiu took him to meet Xue Jianwen in person and finally persuaded him to participate.

The fifth story only started filming in early February this year. Xue Jianwen only had to join the crew before filming began. This was also written in the contract, so it did not affect his other work throughout last year.

In addition to filming, Xue Jianwen's biggest exposure in recent years is being a resident MC in the variety show "Come on! Challenge Together" produced by Blue Ocean TV. He is also the one with the biggest status and a high national popularity.

Last year was the tenth anniversary of the variety show. Before the official season, HaiLan TV produced a special edition prequel, which was broadcast live to the audience in early May, one episode per week, for a total of six episodes.

This special edition prequel is the one where Liang Xi'an's father initially wanted to squeeze into the sponsor team to advertise his own bread brand. Later, before signing the contract, Shi Xi asked Liang Xi'an to persuade his father to withdraw.

On the second day after the third live broadcast, the program team suddenly revealed a big bomb, which started with Xue Jianwen - evading more than 60 million yuan in taxes.

There is a rumor, not sure whether it is true or not, that when a host was investigated for tax evasion at the beginning of last year, the tax department had already sent a letter to Xue Jianwen, asking him to make up the payment. He was urged several times but still did not pay, so he was arrested.

After Xue Jianwen, the program crew seemed to be cursed. Several other resident MCs were also exposed to various negative scandals, and the director was also implicated.

What is even more surprising is that one of the program sponsors, a best-selling snack brand, was also exposed for food safety issues. This wave also successfully affected another sponsor that sells beverages. If you don’t check, you won’t know. Once you check, you will find that their newly launched "100% juice" drink is actually a mixture of technology and hard work.

The public opinion on the Internet was boiling for a while, saying that "birds of a feather flock together" and that this program was simply a den of crime. Netizens frantically @ the official organization and demanded that the other two sponsors of the program be thoroughly investigated, even though one of them was an electric car and the other was a learning app.

Liang Xi'an's father almost broke out in a cold sweat when he found out. Fortunately, he listened to his son's advice and withdrew in time, otherwise his own brand would be affected. In terms of food safety, Liang's two factories strictly follow the highest standards. He is definitely not afraid of investigation, but he is afraid of the current public opinion environment. Just like the electric car brands and learning apps affected above, some people - who may also be competitors - indiscriminately or deliberately throw pots of dirty water at others. If you can't win the public opinion war, you can only watch yourself lose a layer of skin. It's terrible!

Liang Xi'an had an extra layer of respect for Shi Xi, and his attitude had changed from that of an elder brother to that of a younger brother to that of a younger brother to that of a boss.

"Let's Challenge" was suspended indefinitely, and it died before its tenth anniversary celebration. The artists, directors and unscrupulous sponsors were all punished accordingly.

Back to Xue Jianwen, he was naturally banned. Not only could he not perform in "Halo Effect", he also had to pay liquidated damages.

Fortunately, this incident broke out before the filming started, which was a warning to Meng Luoqiu. She quickly contacted Du Yunxiang to ask for information about the other leading actors, hoping that nothing would happen again. She also complained to Liu Wangxue: "Today's actors are really high-risk professions - they bring high risks to others."

Lan Xiaoxi really likes watching Xue Jianwen's dramas. No matter whether it is a TV series or a movie, Xue Jianwen is a guarantee of good reputation. His performance in variety shows is also good. He has no airs of a senior at all and is good at making jokes and creating memes. She really feels sorry for this guy.

"What's so hard to get over?" Tao Huayu said. "I think it's just greed. Aren't these stars paid very high? The higher the pay, the more tax they have to pay. If they feel the pain, it's just a matter of a thought."

"This is not a one-shot difference, is it?" Yue Cheng disagreed. "It is said that the tax bureau urged him several times but he refused to pay the arrears. Isn't this just a fluke mentality?"

"Let's not talk about this anymore." Lan Xiaoxi changed the subject and continued to ask Liu Wangxue when the drama would be broadcast. She was waiting for it.

Liu Wangxue said: "Post-production will take some time. I heard from the director that it will be submitted for review in the middle of next month, and the broadcast license will be obtained by the middle of June. The plan is to release it online during the summer vacation, but whether it will be in July or August depends on the company's arrangements."

Du Yunxiang gave Meng Luoqiu a lot of authority for this drama. He was not short of money and was not in a hurry, so he let her shoot at her own pace. But Meng Luoqiu was also concerned about "The 21st Case of Dazhao", so she couldn't really shoot slowly. She rushed to shoot one story in two months. And after shooting a story, she asked the post-production team to start editing and production, and she had to find time to supervise it.

Tao Huayu and the other two naturally knew that Jingshan Technology was developing a stand-alone game called "Halo Effect", so they asked Xu Qingsong when the game would be launched.

However, Xu Qingsong was not in charge of this game, so he was not very clear about the details: "It was tested internally last month, but the results didn't seem to be ideal. We've been working overtime to revise it recently."

It’s not that the results were unsatisfactory. According to Du Yunkai, it was that it failed to satisfy several “investors” - namely Shu Mingyuan and his group.

When they heard about the internal beta test, they asked the B-game team for accounts to try out the game and made suggestions from a player's perspective. They said there was no problem with the plot, but they felt that the quality of the graphics and the smoothness of the character movements could be improved.

Shu Mingyuan said: "The subject matter and plot are depressing enough. If the game graphics are not exquisite, how can we attract players? Not to mention the educational significance we want to achieve. If no one plays and no one pays attention to it, everything will be in vain."

Therefore, after the internal beta test, everyone in the second game group was either working overtime or on the way to work overtime. As far as the game is concerned, Tao Huayu and the other two are more concerned about "The Twenty-one Cases of Dazhao", but there is nothing much to say about this, as it is still far from the internal beta test. Instead, they can talk about the filming of the TV series.

Lan Xiaoxi asked Liu Wangxue: "Have you decided when to start the machine?"

Liu Wangxue added a spoonful of fish soup to herself and said, "The plan is to do it in mid-June."

The project of this drama was approved in the middle of last year and was originally planned to start filming in March this year, but due to the delay in casting, the filming was postponed.

In fact, casting is not difficult. The difficulty lies in the fact that Du Yunxiang and Sheng Zongjiang, the two largest investors and producers, are too demanding.

The show is planned to be filmed in three parts, one for each year, so any character who has a role throughout the show is required to sign a three-year contract. During these three years, once filming starts, actors are not allowed to take other jobs until the filming is completed. Any work taken before or after filming starts cannot conflict with the filming of the show, and a high penalty will be imposed.

In addition, there are many other requirements with multiple clauses, such as the management of the actors' personal image and the image of the characters in the play. The main one is to lock in the clause "actors serve the roles" in the contract.

In this way, a certain part of the actors were excluded first. For example, Meng Huadong, Jing Yujun, and Meng Luoqiu all had acquaintances with actors who were both talented and famous. After reading the contract, many of them felt that it was too harsh and declined the offer.

They thought, what a joke, this drama takes at least half a year to shoot from the beginning to the end, is this the only money they can earn in these three years? Moreover, after filming, there are only more than 30 episodes, which will be broadcasted in more than half a month. Actors also need constant exposure. In this circle, where will the traffic come from without exposure? Without traffic, how can there be acting offers? Besides, the pay is not so high that it would make people willing to give up the benefits brought by other jobs.

There are so many characters in the script that Yunxi and Shenghai cannot let their own actors take on all of them. Besides, some actors have schedule conflicts, and some are unwilling to sign after knowing the contents of the contract. They are a formal company and cannot force anyone, so the casting can only be done slowly.

Meng Huadong had held auditions for roles before, and this time he was the one making the final decision. Du Yunxiang and Sheng Zongjiang expressed their full support, and the auditions for actors for "The Twenty-one Cases of Da Zhao" officially kicked off in October last year.

It's mid-April now, almost two months left.

Lan Xiaoxi had heard Liu Wangxue mention casting in their daily conversations, so she asked, "Have all the actors been decided?"

Liu Wangxue took a sip of soup and nodded: "There are still a few main actors who have not been decided. The final round of screening will be next month. Director Meng asked me to go there and give some reference and advice."

Xu Qingsong had heard about this from Liu Wangxue before. He still felt a bit nervous after hearing it again. He sighed sadly. It seemed like they were about to part. He said with a strong sense of reluctance, "At best, you can only rest for 20 days."

Excluding the two days they stayed in Beijing, they only had eighteen days to spend together! Eighteen days, wasn't it calculated based on twenty-four hours a day?
Tsk, so sad!

Seeing Xu Qingsong's undisguised expression, Tao Huayu immediately began to laugh at him: "Before you got together with our great screenwriter, I never saw you sighing because of being alone in an empty room."

Lan Xiaoxi and Yue Cheng laughed together and were not polite either: "Brother Qingsong, why don't you also participate in the audition? The role of the resentful husband in the boudoir is quite suitable for your current state, hahaha..."

Liu Wangxue couldn't stop laughing, but she still wanted to "protect" her boyfriend: "Don't make random suggestions. Our Mr. Xu is not interested in this. He doesn't like to be in the spotlight. Hahaha..."

Xu Qingsong picked up some food for Liu Wangxue, signaling her to eat a few more bites and say less. It was already heartbreaking enough.

Seeing that Tao Huayu was still going to talk, Xu Qingsong said, "Don't be jealous. Your mother told me a few days ago that your aunt wanted to introduce you to someone. Your mother asked me to trick you back for a blind date, but I blocked it for you because of our good relationship. Now I declare that our relationship is not good anymore. I will call my aunt right away and tell her that you agreed."

Tao Huayu swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth and quickly begged Xu Qingsong for mercy.

Liu Wangxue helped Xu Qingsong and asked Tao Huayu: "What kind of girl do you like? We have quite a few girls in our crew, with excellent education, character, and looks. How about I introduce you to someone?"

Tao Huayu seemed to have thought of something and said, "Even if she is so outstanding, she may not be able to look down on me."

Liu Wangxue and Lan Xiaoxi noticed it and asked at the same time: "Is this - is there something wrong?"

Yue Cheng then exclaimed, "Brother Huayu, is the iron tree about to bloom?"

Xu Qingsong immediately put down the food that was about to reach his mouth: "Why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had told your family honestly, no one would have urged you to go on a blind date!"

Tao Huayu didn't know what to say, so he took a sip of his drink and said, "It's not even a start yet."

Liu Wangxue asked him: "Would you like to talk about it first, and we can give you some advice?"

Tao Huayu hesitated for a moment and said, "It was an interior designer who joined my company last year. He returned from studying abroad and previously worked at Du Yunkai's company. His resume was so impressive that I thought he might not think highly of me."

Yue Cheng disagreed with this statement: "Even if you don't like her, you are still her boss now!"

Lan Xiaoxi kicked him and said, "How can you talk like that?"

Yue Cheng said again: "Brother, that's not what I meant. I meant that you should not belittle yourself! You have opened such a big company by yourself, you should be proud of yourself!"

Lan Xiaoxi stuffed a piece of tofu into his mouth: "Shut up!"

Liu Wangxue and Xu Qingsong laughed, and then asked Tao Huayu: "Have you ever made a date with her?"

Tao Huayu shook his head: "I feel like she seems to be interested in me, but I'm not sure and I'm afraid it would be a bit abrupt to ask her out alone."

Xu Qingsong was disappointed: "If you don't ask her out, how can you be sure whether she is interested in you?"

"That's right," Liu Wangxue said, "You can just find an excuse, such as eating, shopping, watching a movie, or whatever she likes to do. You can ask her to do what she likes. That's fine."

Lan Xiaoxi also suggested: "How about going to the Peach Blossom Festival?"

Liu Wangxue immediately agreed: "That's great! How about next week? Qingsong and his PC game group are going on a team building trip, why don't we go and have some fun together."

"Sure," Yue Cheng agreed immediately. "Xiaoxi and I are planning to take the kids there this weekend. It's Taoyuan Town's 20th anniversary, and this year's Peach Blossom Festival is quite grand. There are many videos online."

Taoyuan Town is the town where Liu Wangxue and his friends went to pick peaches in July of the year before last. The 20th anniversary was counted from the year the peach orchard was built. Peach Blossom Festivals have been held in recent years. This year's is the grandest, and publicity has already started.

The PC game group was very busy last year and did not go out for team building. Last month, when the peach blossoms just started to bloom, Du Yunkai happened to see the video and suggested that they organize a group to go and have some fun. The proposal was unanimously agreed by everyone, so the logistics department was asked to start the process.

Lan Xiaoxi said: "The grassland we went to play last time has opened a new camping site next to the market. Yue Cheng was lucky and got a spot."

Yue Cheng was full of regret: "It's not that good, I didn't get the place to cook."

He had planned to book a "picnic" site like last time, where he could cook and rest. Camping sounds good, but it's just a simple shed where you can't cook or do other things like barbecue. You can only bring some ready-to-eat food, which is equivalent to a picnic.

"That's perfect," Xu Qingsong said, "Our studio has also booked a relatively large gazebo. We'll see if we can arrange it together. Don't worry about food and drinks. The three chefs in the canteen will prepare them."

One of the three master chefs is Liu Nanshan. This time he and Gu Xuelan went there to play together.

The studio did not book a picnic venue as there were too many people and the stove was too small, so it was inconvenient. So everyone decided to bring some food with them. It didn’t matter if they were not full, as there were restaurants in Taoyuan and snacks for sale at the market nearby.

Tao Huayu thought that this might be an opportunity. The designer happened to need inspiration for the order he had on hand, so he could use this as an excuse to see if he could get the person out.

Little Keke, who was sleeping in the stroller, woke up as if on cue when they finished their meal. Just as the waiter brought the baby food, Yue Cheng picked Keke up and Lan Xiaoxi fed him with a small spoon.

After Ke Ke finished eating, the five adults surrounded the baby and played with him for a while. Before leaving, Liu Wangxue handed Lan Xiaoxi a handbag containing two sets of baby-style Hanfu clothes. One could tell at a glance that the materials and workmanship were excellent.

Lan Xiaoxi felt that she had made Liu Wangxue spend money. The couple had treated her to this meal just to return the favor, and now this was bad enough.

Seeing that she didn't take it, Liu Wangxue pushed it into her hands and said, "Why are you being so polite? I didn't spend a penny. This is from Xixi Studio, but it's not on the market yet. I thought it was cute, so I bought a few sets. This one is for Keke, and the other two are for Tiantian."

Tao Huayu immediately responded with a smile on his face: "Then let me thank you on behalf of our Tiantian. It's just right. I can wear it when I go to the Peach Blossom Festival."

Xu Qingsong reminded Liu Wangxue: "Didn't you say that you should wear it next time you go out to play? There is a set that is suitable for the occasion, don't forget it."

"Yes!" Liu Wangxue clapped her hands and suggested to everyone with a smile, "Why don't we wear them together? I'll ask Xixi to send a set to each of us, and we'll definitely receive them before we go to Taoyuan. What do you think?"

This suggestion was good, and everyone agreed, but Lan Xiaoxi quickly said, "No, no, I bought it. Yue Cheng and I both have it."

Of course, I bought it from the "Chunjian" online store, which is a token of support.

Tao Huayu didn't have any, but he didn't want to trouble her to send it: "I'll go home and ask my sister and brother-in-law. If they want to go, they can just buy it online. It's the same."

"Okay." Liu Wangxue didn't force it. She deliberately asked Xu Qingsong, "What about you?"

Xu Qingsong: "Do I even need to ask? You are definitely responsible!"