Liu Wenping and Xie Jie headed back first. Meanwhile, in the car, Zhang Jin’an and Jiang Siyang continued to discuss their lines for a while until Xiao Zhou and Li Qiang complained it was too dull and forced them into a casual chat.
Everyone was quite open, and the conversation flowed freely, filling the car with constant laughter.
"Hey, tell me, who hasn't done something stupid? Remember that one time? Zhang Jin’an’s hoverboard..." Li Qiang only got halfway through the sentence, but Jiang Siyang felt like this was a story many people already knew.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhou sat up straight. "Qiang-ge, if you're talking about that, then I’m wide awake."
Even Zhang Jin’an, who had been looking out the window, let out a chuckle. "Here it comes—the famous Hoverboard Incident. A daily lecture, guaranteed to provide six months' worth of laughs."
Li Qiang cleared his throat and glanced at the bewildered Jiang Siyang in the rearview mirror. "It happened about half a year ago. Every year, we gather at Jin’an’s place. At the time, Jin’an and Xiao Zhou had gone out to buy snacks, so they weren't there. Did you know he had a hoverboard? We’d all had a bit to drink, and I don’t know which lunatic suggested it, but someone said we should have a hoverboard race in the hallway."
Jiang Siyang followed up cooperatively, "And then?"
Zhang Jin’an had heard Li Qiang tell this story so many times he knew it by heart. Thinking about what happened next, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.
"So, with everyone’s 'valiant' efforts, one friend finally managed to stand on it. A group of us crowded around to record the moment. But as it turned out, that friend couldn't brake when he tried to turn back and came crashing straight into us. I mean, how fast can a drunk person react? So, *whoosh*—the back of one person's head hit the chin of the person behind them. Our whole line went down like a row of dominoes."
Li Qiang told the story with such vivid expression that Jiang Siyang could immediately picture the scene and burst out laughing.
Xiao Zhou laughed so hard his eyes disappeared. "You really had to see it for it to be funny. I was dying, seriously. My god, when I pushed the door open, there were 'bodies' strewn all over the floor. I nearly fainted from laughing."
Jiang Siyang chuckled a few more times before asking, "But didn't it hurt?"
"The pain wasn't too bad; the alcohol numbed our nerves, so we were fine. But Zhang Jin’an’s hoverboard slammed into the wall and a huge chunk of it broke off," Li Qiang said, then turned to Zhang Jin’an. "Hey, Jin’an, did you ever get that hoverboard fixed?"
"No, I threw it out," Zhang Jin’an replied.
Xiao Zhou gave him a thumbs up. "Spoken like a true rich man. Throwing it out just like that."
"It was smashed to bits. The repair cost was enough to buy a new one," Zhang Jin’an thought it was a bit of a waste. "It’s a pity, but I don't have the time to deal with it now, and I’m out of money. I’ll worry about it later."
"How could you be out of money?" Jiang Siyang asked curiously. As a Movie King, Zhang Jin’an’s status and salary should be at the top tier. If it were Jiang Siyang, he could easily live for a year off the earnings of a single TV drama.
Zhang Jin’an looked at Jiang Siyang and said, "I bought a house for my retirement."
Realization dawned on Jiang Siyang. "Oh..."
"Tsk, tsk. This is the consequence of not knowing how to manage finances. Siyang, you must never learn from him," Li Qiang paused. "By the way, Siyang, how do you handle your salary?"
Jiang Siyang nodded. "I don't have that much money, so I divide it up. For example, one-third goes to personal living expenses, one-third is saved for investment, and one-third is for emergencies. I’m hoping to buy my own place in a few years."
Li Qiang clicked his tongue in praise. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. That’s great. You have a plan and ambition. Zhang Jin’an, you should take notes."
Zhang Jin’an shrugged, about to retort, when he heard Jiang Siyang speak again. "But everyone’s lifestyle is different. As long as one isn't being extravagant and is living happily, that’s what matters. I’m sure Jin’an-ge has his own reasons. Right, Ge?" After saying this, Jiang Siyang looked at him with a bright smile.
Zhang Jin’an was momentarily stunned.
He had lost track of how many times Jiang Siyang had spoken up for him.
Zhang Jin’an suddenly really wanted to know how Jiang Siyang truly saw him in his heart. Was he really that worthy of trust?
*I’m not as good as you think,* Zhang Jin’an sighed inwardly, then gave a hum of affirmation. "You’re right."
Zhang Jin’an looked out the window. Why hadn't the rain stopped yet?
The car drove into Jiang Siyang’s residential complex. Because it was an old neighborhood, there was no underground parking, and the surface spots were mostly full, so they had to stop at the entrance.
Zhang Jin’an put on his mask and hat, stepped out of the car first, and opened the umbrella.
Before leaving, Jiang Siyang didn't forget to lean down and thank Li Qiang and Xiao Zhou. "I’ve really troubled you both too much."
"It’s fine, we’re all friends," Xiao Zhou waved him off. "Just treat us to a meal next time. We won't get out of the car."
Jiang Siyang immediately smiled. "Okay."
"Let’s go," Zhang Jin’an said through his mask. It was a good thing he’d been wise enough not to wear sunglasses, or he wouldn't have been able to see a thing.
"Let me hold it," Jiang Siyang’s hand covered Zhang Jin’an’s on the umbrella handle. He looked at Zhang Jin’an with an air of righteous conviction. "I saw it. Ge, you were intentionally tilting the umbrella toward me earlier, weren't you?"
Zhang Jin’an didn't panic. Knowing he couldn't win against Jiang Siyang, he let go. "Fine, you do it."
Jiang Siyang took the umbrella with satisfaction. However, Zhang Jin’an noticed that Jiang Siyang was doing the exact same thing—tilting the umbrella toward him.
Zhang Jin’an fully experienced what Jiang Siyang must have felt earlier—knowing exactly what was happening but being unable to disturb the other person's kindness. To see through the gesture but keep silent.
It was a strange feeling, one he couldn't quite put into words.
They talked a lot during that short walk, mostly about their lines.
Whenever he offered a suggestion, Jiang Siyang would stare at him with those eyes of his. Zhang Jin’an wondered if Jiang Siyang had a pen right now, would he start taking notes directly on the back of his hand?
Regardless, Zhang Jin’an felt the sensation wasn't bad at all.
After walking for about two minutes, they finally reached the bottom of Jiang Siyang’s building. Zhang Jin’an stood under the umbrella, facing Jiang Siyang, and asked one last question: "We’ll be heading to the film set soon. Are you looking forward to it?"
"Of course I am. I finally get to act opposite you, Ge," there seemed to be a light in Jiang Siyang’s eyes. "I look forward to it every time I go to a set. Especially when I see the final product, I feel like everything was worth it. It’s just... I have very few opportunities. I wasted a lot of time during my gap periods; I suppose I wasn't good enough back then. That’s why I cherish every opportunity I get." As Jiang Siyang finished, he lowered his eyes, and the light in them dimmed.
Zhang Jin’an suddenly remembered Jiang Siyang mentioning his "gap periods" during an interview for *Friday Morning*. Perhaps back then he had simply thought it was common for new actors to have periods of unemployment, or perhaps because Jiang Siyang had smiled so peacefully at the time, he hadn't given it a second thought.
But now, Zhang Jin’an felt a sudden urge to reach out, cup Jiang Siyang’s face, make him look up, and tell him that he had always done well—that he deserved every opportunity, and it was just that those people hadn't opened their eyes yet.
It must have been because the sound of the rain was too noisy; it was making his thoughts a bit muddled.
Zhang Jin’an’s hand lifted slightly but quickly dropped back down. In the end, he only said softly, "See you tomorrow."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he saw the other man immediately flash his usual bright smile, as if that momentary look of despondency had never existed. "Yeah, see you tomorrow." With that, he turned and headed upstairs.
"..."
Zhang Jin’an listened as Jiang Siyang’s footsteps grew fainter until they could no longer be heard. Only then did he turn to leave.
Li Qiang had intended to take advantage of the rain stopping to have a cigarette. Just as he pulled one out, he heard Xiao Zhou say, "Oh? The Big Boss is back. Why is he still holding the umbrella? The rain stopped."
Xiao Zhou rolled down the window and waved at Zhang Jin’an. "Hurry up, come on!"
As Zhang Jin’an walked quickly to the car, Xiao Zhou said with a laugh, "Big Boss, what are you thinking about? The rain stopped, why are you still holding the umbrella?"
Li Qiang noticed Zhang Jin’an visibly freeze for a moment before he pulled the umbrella away and looked up.
Zhang Jin’an climbed into the back seat of the car. "The rain stopped? When did it stop?"
"It stopped ages ago. Not even two minutes after you guys left. I was just about to have a smoke," Li Qiang showed Zhang Jin’an the cigarette between his fingers.
"...Is that so? I didn't notice." After buckling his seatbelt, Zhang Jin’an stared out the window and fell silent.
"What’s wrong with him?" Xiao Zhou whispered to Li Qiang.
Although Li Qiang had worked with Zhang Jin’an for years, this was the first time he had seen him like this. He was also baffled, but could this possibly stump a gold-medal manager like him?
A flash of inspiration hit Li Qiang, and he surmised, "Could he be hungry?"
Xiao Zhou immediately nodded. "Looks like it to me."
Li Qiang cleared his throat and asked loudly, "Jin’an, what do you want to eat?"
Zhang Jin’an clearly just snapped back to reality and blinked. "Huh? ...Oh, whatever. Just pick something you guys like." He offered a small smile as he spoke.
*See? He’s just hungry.*
Li Qiang felt proud of his deduction and turned on the GPS. "Let’s have BBQ then. Haven't had it in a while."
"Okay, sure." Zhang Jin’an nodded, his state of mind seemingly returning to normal. "But I have a photo shoot tomorrow, so you guys just go ahead and eat your fill."
"You bet. Since Qiang-ge is treating, I’m definitely eating a lot," Xiao Zhou said with a grin.
Li Qiang glared at Xiao Zhou. "When did I say I was treating?"
"Whoever suggests it pays the bill..."
"You always eat the most!"
"Blehh!"
...
As Zhang Jin’an silently watched the two of them bicker, he felt his phone vibrate. It was a WeChat message from Jiang Siyang.
[Jiang Siyang]: A rainbow came out. Did you see it, Ge?
[Jiang Siyang]: [Image]
Zhang Jin’an paused. A rainbow?
He tapped on the picture. The perspective seemed to be from Jiang Siyang’s balcony. One could faintly see a red, yellow, and blue arc hanging against the backdrop of the twilight sky.
Zhang Jin’an rolled down his window. Just as the car drove into an open area, he saw the rainbow himself. Without a second thought, he immediately snapped a photo and sent it over.
[Zhang Jin’an]: I see it. [Image]
[Jiang Siyang]: This is a great shot, Ge. [Thumbs Up]
Perhaps it was because he had seen the rainbow, but Zhang Jin’an suddenly felt his mood brighten considerably.
***
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Unable to be Arrogant [Entertainment Circle] | Chapter 58 | Under One Umbrella | Novela.app | Novela.app
