Chapter Fifty-Four: A Day of Romance

  And then with Zhang Zilin, they lingered for a long time, He Muyi reluctantly returned to the apartment, until lying in bed, he was still proud of his courage today, emotions are like this, if you don't have the courage to take the first step, you will only be stuck in place, never knowing what the scenery is like behind.

  He Miao was fortunate to have taken the first step bravely, and now he has succeeded in love and will also welcome new opportunities in his career. Good things have come to him all at once, but the only thing that makes him feel a little unsatisfied is that he's a bit short on money. Dating costs not only energy but also money, especially since Zhang Zilin is a trendy urban woman. Even if she earns enough to cover her own expenses, as her boyfriend, He Miao can't just watch her swipe her card all the time.

  Still need to seize the time to make money, Da Tang said that before He Mu's work is released, he will not consider endorsement and advertising. His current task is to focus on filming, as long as the drama is good, after it is broadcast and recognized by the audience, his worth will naturally increase, at that time, endorsing one product can top several endorsements now.

  Datang is right, He Mu has nothing to refute, can only hope that "The Young Yang Family Generals" will be broadcast as soon as possible and receive good reviews. In addition, it is hoped that Zhang Dahu will give him more film remuneration, he has already received more than 200,000 yuan in advance for "Soldiers Sortie", at this stage there are basically no other sources of income, if this continues, he can only eat soft rice, but Linlin's soft rice should be quite delicious.

  It was as if heaven had heard He Mu's inner voice, and just when he was still fantasizing about freeloading off Zhang Ziyin, Li Wenhua called him with a phone call that brought new hope.

  "Hey, I heard you're back in Beijing?" Li Wen Hua asked.

  "He's in love." He Mu's eyes sparkled with infatuation.

  "If you have time tomorrow, come to the company and I'll talk to you about something." Li Wen Hua said again.

  "I'm in love!" He Mu emphasized again.

  Li Wenhua pretended not to hear and continued saying: "If you don't come, then forget about the prize money."

  "What bonus?" He Mu asked hastily, and didn't mention love affairs anymore.

  "Didn't you once recommend a post on Tianya to me? I thought it was great and had market potential. A few days ago, I already talked to the author about it, and our company's main focus for the second half of the year is going to be this project. As a reward for discovering good books, our company specially grants you the honorary title of "Xuanzi No. 1" Book Explorer, along with a cash prize of 50,000 yuan."

  "50,000 yuan!" This was an unexpected surprise for He Mu. "Which post are you talking about? I remember recommending many to you."

  "It's the one written in the morning, it's quite humorous to read and also relaxing, and has its own thoughts. As long as it's packaged properly, it will definitely create a trend." Li Wen Hua commented.

  "Oh, that one, yeah, not bad. " He Mu was deeply impressed by the post and during the filming of "Soldier Assault", he would hold his laptop every night waiting for the author to update. Although it's unclear whether this type of work is suitable for physical publication, He Mu still had the mindset that good writing needs to be shared, so he introduced the post to Li Wen Hua. Unexpectedly, such an unintentional move would bring him a small fortune, and even more unexpectedly, his recommendation would bring Tian Di Xuan Huang such a huge wealth, even affecting the future landscape of mainland publishing.

  It's settled then, we'll go to Tian Di Xuan Huang tomorrow to collect the prize money. He Mu asked again: "I've started dating, aren't you concerned about it?"

  "I'm more concerned about when you can recommend another good book to me," Li Wen said calmly, "Don't forget, you're now the No. 1 Book Explorer of Xuanzi."

  The next morning, He Mu rushed to Tian Di Xuan Huang to collect the prize money and borrowed his car back for use. Li Wen Hua was almost always there. He knew that Li Peng gave him such a large sum of money because he had been struggling financially recently, but it would be too polite to thank his brother. He Mu took the money and left directly, not even giving Li Peng time to talk about how much "Step by Step Heart" sold, as he had more important things to attend to today.

  Today is He Mu's first date with Zhang Zilin as a couple, he has money in his hands and feels much more at ease. He Mu doesn't have much time left in the capital, so he hopes to make good use of the remaining time to accompany her.

  Taking advantage of He Mu not being famous yet, he can accompany his girlfriend to go shopping without wearing glasses or a mask, without worrying about being recognized by people, and also doesn't have to worry about causing traffic congestion. It's just that the girlfriend is really eye-catching, Zhang Zilin has already gotten used to it, but for He Mu, this is the first time he experiences it - no matter if they're male or female, old or young, after walking past them, they always turn their heads back to confirm whether that beauty is really that tall.

  He Mu has the right to speak, Zhang Zilin is indeed very tall, although she wears flat shoes, but it still seems to be a little taller than He Mu, He Mu has already begun to consider the feasibility of insoles.

  Shopping is a woman's favorite, and Zhang Zilin is no exception. She comes out of this mall and enters that store, trying on this piece of clothing and looking at those shoes. She likes everything, but can't make up her mind to buy anything. He Mu, relying on his current small fortune, generously says "I'll buy you whatever you like", only to be scolded by Zhang Zilin for being wasteful. The two people's physical contact has become very natural. When Zhang Zilin pinches He Mu's ear, he puts his arm around her slender waist. The little actions and romantic feelings of the couple in love make others envious, and He Mu is also happy about it.

  At this moment, He Mu is happy with Zhang Zilin by his side, but going shopping is a misfortune. Most men don't like this torturous activity, and He Mu doesn't either. He rarely goes shopping; his clothes and cosmetics are all bought by Dolly according to his needs.

  After spending the morning shopping, He Mu suggested watching a movie in the afternoon, which was his favorite leisure activity. In the past, when he was single, he didn't want to go to the cinema alone, but now that he had a girlfriend, not going would be a waste.

  May is a slack season for movies, with no big-budget domestic films and no Hollywood blockbusters. In the newly built Wanda Cinema, He Mu found only a few films worth watching.

  Zhang Ziyi and Jiang Wen's "Jasmine Women", Chen Yifei's posthumous work, Chen Kun's starring "The Hairdresser", as well as Hong Kong director Liu Weiqiang's Korean film, "Chrysanthemum" led by Quan Zhixian. All three films are art-house films, and He Mu has already anticipated their dullness, so he handed over the selection rights to Zhang Zilin.

  "Watch 'Jasmine Flower' instead, Zhang Ziyi and my name are almost the same." This is the choice made by Zhang Zilin after careful consideration. As a literary film, director Hou Yongwei has handed in a qualified answer sheet, but He Mu prefers those dramatic films, he likes the narrative attribute of movies more.

  This type of movie is usually favored by women, and Zhang Zilin was very into it, making He Mu feel embarrassed to make small moves. After the movie ended, He Mu waited for Zhang Zilin's review, but she hesitated for half a day and finally said "What's for dinner tonight, I'm hungry."

  This time the two did not go to a restaurant, He Mu wanted to personally cook a sumptuous feast for his heart's desire, so here is a problem, whether to go to Zhang Zilin's place or He Mu's place.

  "Go back to your place, it's already past ten o'clock. Even if you don't leave, I'll drive you away. You should be at ease now." He Mu saw the hesitation in Zi Lin's eyes.

  "I didn't mean that," Zhang Zilin grasped He Mu's arm, "I was just wondering if your home has cooking utensils? Are there ingredients?"

  "Underestimate me," He Mu opened the car door. "This time, let you know what a good man of the new century is like. The kitchen is exactly where we shine."

  He Mu loves to eat and is good at cooking, so he has always been proud of his culinary skills. His residence is not only fully equipped with dining facilities but also stores a lot of vegetables and meat. Because Zhang Zilin needs to maintain her figure, she usually eats mainly vegetables, so He Mu doesn't cook too greasy dishes, mostly vegetarian with a small amount of meat.

  Unexpectedly, the fashionable beauty Zhang Zilin turned out to have a talent for cooking. He helped with the cooking, looking very much like a pro, but his expression of eager anticipation for the food was too captivating, making He Mu a bit distracted and absent-minded.

  "Knock knock knock..." Someone was knocking on the door, and He Mu told Zhang Zilin to go open it.

  Through the peephole, Zhang Zilin didn't see anyone, so she turned around and went back to the kitchen. Just as she walked away, there was another knock on the door. Zhang Zilin wasn't a timid person, and her boyfriend was inside, so she wasn't afraid. She directly opened the door, and just poked her head out. Suddenly, a girl jumped out from beside her, waving her hands and making a ghost face. Just as Zhang Zilin was about to react, the girl immediately returned to normal, with an embarrassed apologetic expression on her face.

  "Sorry, I think I came in through the wrong door. Excuse me." The girl wished she could find a seam in the ground to crawl into.

  Zhang Zilin didn't mind either, anyway she wasn't scared, on the contrary, she thought the girl's ghost face was quite funny, and she said straightforwardly: "Oh, it's okay."

  As Zhang Zilin had not returned, He Mu shouted from the kitchen: "Who is it?"

  "Oh, wrong door." Zhang Zilin replied and prepared to close the door.

  The girl heard and blocked the door, with a complex expression asking: "Excuse me, is this where He Mu lives?"

  Zhang Zilin's expression was equally rich: "Yes, you..."

  ——————

  A few minutes later, in the living room, He Mu introduced them to each other.

  "This is Liu Shishi, my good friend." He Mu pointed to the girl making a face, and Liu Shishi awkwardly nodded at Zhang Zilin.

  Then he pointed to Zhang Zilin, "This is Zhang Zilin, my girlfriend." He Mu openly put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. Zhang Zilin's serious expression just disappeared, and He Mu's frankness made her feel guilty for her previous suspicions. However, when she saw a flash of loss in Liu Shishi's eyes, Zhang Zilin became tense again. The three of them sat awkwardly on the sofa, He Mu felt that the atmosphere was not quite right, he didn't know what to say to Shishi, it was really frustrating.

  It was Liu Shi's words that finally broke the silence of the three: "I think I smell something burnt."

  ……

  (ps: The big arm won't be on the list for long, asking brothers and sisters to vote and support, let's make a final sprint...)