That person must be very important.
Otherwise, these investors would not be so patient and willing to wait without ordering anything except cold dishes.
However, Guan Zhiyi is not particularly concerned. She is only here to follow Liu Yun's instructions, show her face, greet others, and then sit quietly while listening to others speak.
Through everyone's exchanges, she learned that the male lead for <Dawn and the Wild> has been decided. TThe male lead is Li Xuan, a renowned actor known for his exceptional acting skills. Despite being only 30 years old, Li Xuan debuted in the industry at the age of 17 or 18, making him have relatively advanced qualifications.
In addition to Li Xuan, Xiao Ran, a popular rising star in recent years, has also joined the cast of <Dawn and the Wild>.
With such a cast, the drama is guaranteed to do well, attracting numerous artists who wish to be a part of it.
"It looks like Yitong wants the role of the queen." Liu Yun said.
Guan Zhiyi nodded, <Dawn and the Wild> did not have a fixed female lead as the story primarily focuses on the male lead. However, there are three prominent female characters: the queen, the male lead's sister, and a female official.
Based on Guan Zhiyi's impression, among the three, the queen character holds significant influence and will likely have the most screen time.
It's no wonder Zheng Yitong is interested in that role.
"I say you go for the male lead's sister role, Princess Zhaoyang, what do you think?" Liu Yun said.
Guan Zhiyi: "Okay."
Liu Yun gave her a surprised look, "I thought you would reject this kind of cute and lively role now."
After all, her last drama with a similar role ended miserably.
Guan Zhiyi smiled and said, "No, I actually really like this character."
Princess Zhaoyang is indeed cute and playful, but those who have read the novel would know that there is more to her than meets the eye.
"Are you also an artist from Yixing? I don't recall seeing you before, are you a newcomer?" A sudden question interrupted her as she took a sip from her cup.
Guan Zhiyi hastily placed her cup down and turned to face Mr. Huang Zhian, who was seated beside her. "I'm not a newcomer, but I haven't done many projects. So you might not have an impression of me, Mr. Huang."
"How can such a charming young lady have only a few projects? You must have recently debuted, right?" Mr. Huang smiled as he looked at her.
Guan Zhiyi said with some embarrassment, "Actually, it's been about four or five years."
"Has it really been that long?" Mr. Huang exclaimed. "Oh, you must have started as a child actor."
"No, no, no. I filmed my first project when I was in my freshman year. It's been a year since I graduated. I am not a child actor."
Mr. Huang looked surprised and patted Guan Zhiyi's shoulder suggestively, "You look so young. I thought you were under 18 years old, hahaha."
Guan Zhiyi forced a smile and subtly moved closer to Liu Yun.
But later, Huang Zhian kept trying to talk to her. Just as she was wondering when this awkward and unproductive topic between them would finally end, she heard the sound of someone opening the door behind her.
Guan Zhiyi noticed Zhao Zhihui getting up and walking towards the door.
It's rare to see Zhao Zhihui being so attentive, who could it be?
She turned her head to look at the door, but as soon as her eyes landed on the person who had just entered, she froze in place.
The person entering was dressed in a long black coat, standing tall with a polite and distant smile on his face. He was not alone; there was another man following behind him, helping him remove his coat before quietly stepping back.
Once the coat was off, he revealed a deep navy blue suit with a white shirt underneath. Unlike last time, he was wearing a tie this time. He looked serious yet pleasant to see.
The man did not notice her at first. He nodded slightly, and Zhao Zhihui walked over to shake his hand. His handsome face seemed to draw people in.
A few seconds later, his gaze swept over the dining table, and Guan Zhiyi immediately turned away.
She stared closely at the plate in front of her, her heart trembling. She never expected to encounter Qi Chengyan in such a setting. Moreover, judging by Zhao Zhihui's reaction, it seemed that he was quite familiar with him.
What is he doing here?
Guan Zhiyi considered running away for a moment, but after calming down, she realised it wasn't a big deal.
With Qi Chengyan position, it wouldn't be surprising if he knew these investors. And as a Yixing's actress, it also wasn't strange for her to be here.
As long as they both pretended not to know each other, everything would be fine.
With this in mind, Guan Zhiyi quickly reached for her phone to send him a message, but before she could even click on it, Liu Yun tapped her.
"Why are you still playing with your phone? Focus," Liu Yun whispered. "So it's actually Qi Chengyan, no wonder..."
Guan Zhiyi lowered her head, "Sister Yun, do you know him?"
"I've heard that the Qi family intends to enter the entertainment industry. But I didn't expect to see Qi Chengyan so soon. You probably didn't know him. He just returned from abroad. This person has a great reputation in the circle. He is very influential..... Since he's here today, could it be that he's also interested in <Dawn and the Wild>?"
Guan Zhiyi had never heard any of this gossip before and Qi Chengyan also didn't mention anything the last time they met.
Liu Yun: "Put the phone down. If you get the chance, you should say a few words to him. It'd be great if you can get recognized by him."
"....Oh."
Qi Chengyan sat down in the main seat that had been left empty by everyone. At that moment, Zhao Zhihui asked the waiter to serve the food.
"I apologise for the delay. I'm sure everyone has been waiting for quite some time," Qi Chengyan spoke slowly.
Actually, he didn't have to, but he still made people feel comfortable.
Zhao Zhihui quickly responded, "No, we just arrived. We haven't been waiting long."
Qi Chengyan smiled and said, "Mr. Zhao, please have a seat. There's no need to stand."
"Ah, alright." After Zhao Zhihui sat down, he introduced someone, "Mr. Qi, this is Yixing's artist, Zheng Yitong."
Zhao Zhihui deliberately placed Zheng Yitong next to Qi Chengyan. After the introduction, Zheng Yitong, who had been very quiet this whole time, suddenly smiled brightly and said, "Hello, my name is Zheng Yitong."
From her words to her demeanour, it was very different from when she introduced herself to others.
It was obvious that she had a specific purpose for being there that night.
Qi Chengyan simply nodded and greeted her.
Zhao Zhihui's meaningful eyes locked with Zheng Yitong for a second, before smoothly began to introduce the next person.
There are about a dozen people at the table, Zhao Zhihui will have to introduce her sooner or later.
Guan Zhiyi took a deep breath, lowered her hand that she had been pretending to scratch her forehead with, and raised her head.
Qi Chengyan did not immediately notice Guan Zhiyi, as he would politely pay attention to each person as they were introduced. However, when they were two or three people away from Guan Zhiyi, Qi Chengyan finally caught sight of her. His eyes paused and naturally landed on her familiar face.
"..."
Seeing his eyes falling on her, Guan Zhiyi's heart tightened. When her nervousness subsided, she started to blink vigorously at him.
He was half astonished and half suspicious, but he quickly understood her message and simply smiled at her.
Guan Zhiyi coughed lightly and shook her head.
The corners of Qi Chengyan's mouth were twitched slightly.
"President Qi, this is Guan Zhiyi, also from our company." Zhao Zhihui briefly introduced, ready to move on to the next person.
However, Qi Chengyan, who has not said anything till now, suddenly leaned forward, "Guan Zhiyi."
Zhao Zhihui paused, "Huh? Yes, Guan Zhiyi, our company's actress."
Zheng Yitong furrowed her brows slightly upon witnessing this scene.
Even though Guan Zhiyi had a perfunctory smile on her face, her heart was beating nervously. Why is he calling her? Didn't he understand her hint?
"Well, I see." Just as Guan Zhiyi was thinking about what Qi Chengyan would do next, he shifted his gaze to the person next to her. "This is Mr. Huang, correct?"
"Oh yes, hello, President Qi."
———
The bosses proceeded to discuss business matters.
Guan Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately, he didn't intend to 'recognise' her.
But just now... did he scare her on purpose?
Toasting and drinking, Qi Chengyan's arrival marked the real beginning of this meal.
Everyone drank a lot during the intersecting time.
"Zhiyi, come, let's have a drink together," President Huang suddenly pointed at her. Guan Zhiyi quickly picked up her wine glass and clinked it with his. "Mr. Huang, it would be my pleasure."
"No, no, let's not talk about it, let's just drink," Mr. Huang turned his head to look at her, his eyes behind the glasses flushed with the scent of alcohol.
Guan Zhiyi pulled the corner of her mouth and drank from her own cup.
From time to time, Qi Chengyan would pay attention to Guan Zhiyi, but he knew that this little girl did not want to reveal that they knew each other, so he just let her be.
When he saw her finish that glass of red wine, he frowned.
She's so good at drinking?
Zhao Zhihui glanced sideways and noticed Qi Chengyan's gaze fall across the room, he followed Qi Chengyan's line of sight, chuckled lightly and said, "Mr. Huang's taste hasn't changed at all, it's rare to find someone so innocent and cute. Sure enough, I made a great decision by bringing Zhiyi today."
Zhao Zhihui had also drunk too much and spoke more freely and casually. But he didn't expect the person next to him to react with a dark expression as soon as he finished speaking.
Zhao Zhihui was taken aback for a moment, "President Qi?"
Huang Zhian on the other side was obviously already drunk, he became even more excited, continuously pouring wine for Guan Zhiyi three times in a row. Guan Zhiyi had already drunk a lot from the previous toast, but Huang Zhi'an persuaded her to drink two more cups. She knew the limit of her drinking capacity and refused to drink any more.
"Mr. Huang, I will really get drunk if I drink more. How about I have tea instead of wine?"
"That won't do. Are you trying to embarrass me? What's the point of drinking tea?"
"But..."
"Come on. Just one cup, the last one."
Liu Yun also intervened, "Mr. Huang, she really can't handle alcohol well. Let me take this cup instead."
"What are you doing here?" Huang Zhian's tone suddenly turned cold.
Although there wasn't much noise, everyone at the table turned their attention towards them.
The actors are helpless and indifferent, while the upper class observe the situation without surprise.
Liu Yun smiled awkwardly.
She didn't want Guan Zhiyi to get drunk, but she also didn't want to offend Huang Zhian. She looked at Guan Zhiyi, hesitated for a moment, and then signalled for her to drink this cup as the last one to appease Huang Zhian.
Guan Zhiyi felt helpless, took a deep breath, and slowly extended her hand...
"Guan Zhiyi." At that moment, a voice came from the other side.
The room was somewhat quiet, so the voice was clear and distinct.
Everyone was startled and turned their attention to the person who spoke.
They saw Qi Chengyan, who had been friendly and pleasant all night, furrow his brow and calmly said, "Come here."