"My God, over three million euros, that's..."
Qin Wei roughly calculated the exchange rate. Although she couldn't figure it out exactly in her head, she also knew it was no small sum.
She finally concluded:
"Your dad is rich!"
Youyou chimed in from the side:
"Yep, rich!"
Shen Qingqing ignored their reactions as she ordered dishes, pointing at the tablet:
"We've ordered, what do you two want to eat?"
Qin Wei: "Goose liver."
Youyou: "Truffle."
Qin Wei: "Bird's nest."
Youyou: "Fish maw."
Qin Wei: "Ginseng."
Youyou: "Cordyceps."
Shen Qingqing: "..."
"Are those things you eat in hot pot?"
Shen Qingqing tapped the table, then took the tablet and tapped a few times before pressing confirm.
"You two have lost hot pot ordering privileges."
While waiting for the food, Youyou asked Qin Wei:
"Sis, you filmed with Su Yang today right? Is he good looking in person? I saw that photo of you two online, it blew up, you know? It's only been a few hours and it's already trending, Weiyang CP, the hype is going up up up!"
Popularity is a good thing, especially during filming when activities are reduced and exposure decreases. If some marketable events can happen during this time, celebs and their companies are quite happy.
But Qin Wei didn't look happy. On the contrary, she looked worried:
"It's like what you see in the video...I don't want to hype up any CPs now. Hyping up CPs with male celebs, whether actively or passively, will likely get criticized by both sides, and Su Yang has a lot of girlfriend fans...
Forget it, let's not talk about this. We rarely get to eat together, say something happy!"
Sun Tiantian: "When's your next scene with Su Yang? I'll come visit the set...Don't glare at me, sis, I'm loyal to the CP I ship. I just admire Su Yang, I'll just watch."
Youyou raised her hand:
"Take me too."
Shen Qingqing scoffed:
"Don't need to take me, I saw him today, he's nothing special, not as tall as Kai Ge or as..."
"Qingqing, what does your dad do? Seems quite rich."
Qin Wei quickly changed the topic.
Following Qin Wei's question, Shen Qingqing continued:
"Middle-aged wealthy businessman, want an introduction?"
Qin Wei: "..."
Youyou looked at her classmate:
"Qingqing, just to joke around you're implicating your dad, do you know if your mom finds out how unfilial you're being?"
Shen Qingqing didn't care and wasn't mad:
"Let's not talk about my family stuff, we're just a small household. Let's talk about yours, you still haven't told your sis about your..."
Youyou cut her off and turned to ask Qin Wei:
"Sis, you got in a fight at the studio? With who? Why? Did you win?"
Qin Wei truthfully recounted what had just happened.
After listening, the first to express concern was Sun Tiantian. In her understanding, Qin Wei had always been cautious and timid. Even if helping others, she wouldn't have done it this way:
"The studio is chaotic, you shouldn't have meddled."
Qin Wei justified herself: "Qiao Sixiao said I can kick anyone who harasses me on set."
Shen Qingqing sneered: "Oh right, Qin Wei is an obedient good girl. No wonder she didn't fight back for real, just kicked him. I get it, it's Teacher Qiao's fault, Teacher Qiao gave her the courage."
Youyou didn't seem to care:
"That guy was so nasty, even if she beat him up he deserved it. My sis did the right thing! Hitting him served him right! Teacher Qiao is right! Harassers should be kicked!"
Sun Tiantian sighed:
"You and Teacher Qiao just spoil her. She's foolish, what judgment does she have? What if she gets cocky and starts hitting anyone later?"
Qin Wei protested:
"I do have judgment! That guy kept bullying little what's-her-name, fleecing a sheep to death!"
Shen Qingqing: "Fleece one sheep continuously is pretty excessive (╯ʖ╰) Occasionally switching sheep is fine too!!"
"Exactly!"
Qin Wei nodded repeatedly,
"And little what's-her-name is our friend! Can't let our friend get bullied. Today if it was Shen Qingqing being bullied, I would have stepped in all the same, don't assume that just because she's usually so annoying!"
Shen Qingqing: "Um, thanks?"
Youyou agreed:
"After saving her make her treat us to this hot pot!"
Shen Qingqing rolled her eyes at them:
"Help, the only ones bullying me are you two! Go extort Qiao Sixiao, that fat sheep. She's actually loaded, she just got a Cadillac last month and ordered a Bugatti overseas today. Go fleece her!"
As soon as she heard, Sun Tiantian was interested and leaned over:
"She got another car? How do you know?"
"My dad knows the general manager. He also knows I've been hanging out with you all lately. When I went out earlier my dad said Qiao Sixiao ordered a car, pink and girly, good for young girls. He even asked if I wanted the same model since I don't have a car...
I don't want it. I don't dare buy the same model as her tier. If I did that I'd be out of the biz..."
Qin Wei sighed: "She really is rich..."
...
By now the hot pot ingredients had all arrived, divided yinyang style. For them it was three clear broths, and her one spicy.
But this was much better than eating grass. Eating salads for breakfast and lunch was driving her crazy. Only breakfast she could eat her fill.
Although there was no oil or seasoning now, at least it was more satisfying than salad.
After eating her fill, and even two slices of beef, it was getting late. The friends had to part after the brief get-together.
Shen Qingqing sent Sun Tiantian back to her set. Li Liang came to drive Qin Wei back. Qin Wei asked Youyou where she was going, and Youyou said she'd go back to the hotel with her. So they all got in the car and went back.
En route, Youyou finally asked her:
"Sis doesn't seem interested at all in each of our family backgrounds."
Qin Wei shook her head:
"It's not that I'm not interested, I feel I shouldn't ask. If you're willing to share, I'll listen. If not, it doesn't affect our friendship. I can't rank friends by family assets, can I?"
Youyou thought for a bit, gazing out the window for a long time before saying:
"You're right, I didn't know Shen Qingqing's family was quite wealthy when we first met. She doesn't tell people, and doesn't deliberately hide it either, although her dad invested in Fire Line. But she's pretty capable, gave it her all seriously and diligently, and has had some success on her own since. "
"So..."
Qin Wei was a bit surprised:
"Outsiders all say the director discovered her during casting and picked her, but actually...it was because of her dad? I always thought she got the role through her own efforts..."
Youyou looked at her sis, guessing she had never considered these issues, and told her:
"In this industry, all celebs with any renown, there are many debut paths, but they boil down to two types. One is boosted by capital, like their own family, company, connections.
The other crawled their way in, got chosen by capital. The company sees potential in you, signs you, becoming the capital behind you...
But whether you make it big, how far you'll go, depends on yourself.
Most of us walked this path, nothing strange about it. Even Teacher Qiao back then, supposedly discovered and cast in a movie by the director, right after filming signed with Huan Yi Entertainment, didn't she?"
"What about you then?"
Qin Wei asked her.
