Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Preparing a Surprise
Gu Peihai has a laid-back personality, which never quite meshed with the serious and meticulous nature of Gu Cheng since childhood.
But this time, he agreed with the decision.
"Uncle used to have such a good relationship with him, he even rejected other invitations several times to take part in Pineapple TV’s variety shows, just to help him."
At the beginning of the year, when "Star Chasing Journey" was on air, he thought Ai Zhen would actively help out, but he didn’t. At that time, he was also busy, so he took some time to ask Gu Che about it, and the other party said not to bother with these things, so he temporarily put the matter aside.
After returning from overseas filming for a few months, he found out that Zhou Yan had been riding the wave of popularity all along, which made him furious. This was when Gu Cheng stepped in.
He felt at that time that something was amiss. Ai Zhen’s previous delay in taking action might have been due to inconvenience, or perhaps, he was waiting for his friend’s sons to approach him proactively.
Whether it’s the top star Gu Che or the recently Golden Spirit Tiger Best Director award-winning Gu Cheng, both have excellent popularity and reputation.
It’s right to return favors. Only by reciprocating can relationships be maintained. In their industry, reputation is also important.
Gu Cheng wants to continue surviving in this industry, so he indeed should return the favor. However, Ai Zhen’s approach seems to be a bit of using kindness for leverage, which leaves an uncomfortable feeling.
Having a foot in both camps, Gu Cheng agreeing to go on that low-rated show was already generous enough, yet Ai Zhen still set his sights on Gu Peihai.
Gu Peihai curled his lips, and at that moment, he looked completely roguish.
"Just go and participate, do what makes you comfortable in the program," the Film Emperor sneered, "as for whether he can achieve his goal in the end, huh."
Tuanzi clung to her elder brother’s arm, curiously looking at him.
Just now, she thought this cousin was cool, but now she felt he was a bit naughty. However, being naughty seemed quite okay too.
Gu Cheng slightly furrowed his brows, "I don’t need you to intervene."
"I’m not intervening at all."
The Film Emperor spread his hands innocently, "He wants to become the station director, but there are so many people vying for that position. How could a single program make that possible? I’m just, like, rationally analyzing his situation, doing nothing."
Gu Cheng was half-believing, half-doubting.
Afterward, Gu Peihai told Ai Zhen that, after checking the schedule with his manager, he found no available time slots.
This was also true.
He had just finished shooting a movie and is now about to start participating in some show promotions. At least a month later, he would be free.
A month later, "Go on an Adventure Together," which only had six episodes left, would be finished.
He could completely participate in another family variety show.
Ai Zhen sent a message expressing regret, and also messaged Gu Cheng. The gist was that after much thought, since you want to develop a relationship with your sister, we should still give you the opportunity, as seniors should take care of their juniors.
Gu Cheng: "..."
[Ancient Martial System: Sometimes, the shamelessness of humans knows no bounds]
Tuanzi stomped her feet in anger.
"This guy’s talking is so annoying!"
Both before and now, it seemed like he was considering her big brother’s interests, but actually... "Ah ya ya ya!"
Tuanzi swung her little fist as if Ai Zhen were standing right in front of her.
Gu Peihai took out his phone and snapped a few pictures.
Tuanzi tilted her head to look at him, "What are you doing?"
"You look so cute, just taking a picture for my wallpaper."
Tuanzi: "?"
The system explained a bit.
Tuanzi held her face, "Oh, so you want to admire Miaomiao’s cuteness anytime, then Miaomiao will reluctantly agree, no charge."
Gu Peihai glanced at her expressive little face and then at Gu Cheng’s cold expression, bursting into laughter.
The contrast between this pair of siblings was too stark.
The three of them had a meal together.
The next day, Gu Cheng went to Pineapple TV and signed the contract with the program crew.
When signing, Ai Zhen was busy and didn’t come.
He carefully reviewed the contract and noticed his sister’s curiosity, explaining it in detail to her.
Director Li teased, "Director Gu doesn’t trust us?"
Before Gu Cheng could speak, Tuanzi naively said, "But, before, some guests quit because it seemed like your program didn’t have good safety measures."
She rubbed her own soft, chubby cheeks, "If Miaomiao gets hurt and you don’t compensate, that wouldn’t be good."
Patting her big brother’s arm, she seriously advised, "Big brother, you need to look more carefully, okay."
Director Li’s smile gradually froze.
The assistant who came along, Xu Min, held back her laughter.
After signing the contract, Tuanzi wanted to go to the restroom, and since it was inconvenient for Gu Cheng to accompany her, he let the female assistant go with her.
When Tuanzi and Xiao Xu came out of the restroom, they followed the sign to leave.
At this time, familiar voices were coming from the men’s restroom.
"That Gu Cheng, he just won a Golden Spirit Tiger Best Director, what is he showing off about?"
The other voice wasn’t too familiar, but it was clear he was siding with Director Li.
Director Li then said, "He’s like a block of wood. What if he screws up during the program? Our efforts in signing him would be wasted."
The other person suggested that if Gu Cheng performed poorly, they could actually gain popularity by comparing him with other guests.
Although their voices were not loud, Tuanzi is trained in martial arts and has excellent hearing.
She stopped in her tracks, puffed her cheeks, clenched her fists, and wished she could burst in and give them a good beating.
[Ancient Martial System: Girls cannot enter the men’s restroom]
[Miaomiao: Then I’ll wait until they come out and then beat them]
[Ancient Martial System: You’ve already signed the contract, besides, I also think it’s best to return the favor this way]
The system provided examples: the favor is always there and needs to be returned sooner or later. What if in the future Ai Zhen asks Gu Cheng to direct a lousy TV drama? That would really ruin Gu Cheng’s reputation.
[Ancient Martial System: Moreover, when you get to the wild outdoors, Director Li will be there, and Ai Zhen might also come to observe. By then, what happens is up to you, isn’t it?]
Tuanzi suddenly understood, with her eyes sparkling.
[Miaomiao: Surprise! Miaomiao will prepare a surprise for them!]
Seeing she was appeased, the system didn’t correct her that the surprise equaled shock.
When finding Gu Cheng, Tuanzi curiously asked Xu Min, "Sister, what is the Golden Spirit Tiger, is it a tiger?"
"No, it’s a film award."
Xu Min briefly introduced that domestically there are three major film awards, and internationally there are five.
Among them, the Golden Spirit Tiger Award has the shortest history but the broadest nationality among its jury members.
"The five chief judges happen to come from five different countries, and one of them is from our country. The jury includes members from various countries, and a supervisory team oversees whether their voting is influenced."
In short, winning the Golden Spirit Tiger Best Director proves that this film is recognized by elites in the global film industry, which is quite remarkable.
"Director Gu is the first director in our country to receive this award, very impressive."
"Wow~"
Tuanzi jumped up in excitement.
When she saw Gu Cheng, she jumped directly onto him, hanging around his neck.
"Big brother, you’re amazing, actually winning the Golden Spirit Tiger award."
Gu Cheng coughed softly.
"That was in the past."
"But it’s super impressive!"
Tuanzi nuzzled her face against him, "How could Miaomiao have such an awesome big brother?"
Gu Cheng pursed his lips, with a slight blush at the tips of his ears.
His sister was just too good with words.
He would keep working hard to become even more impressive.