Chapter 33: He Called Me Lowlife

During the meal, we ordered a bottle of red wine, mostly because there was a lady present. Zhou Le knew that beer had a diuretic effect, but he didn't know why red wine made him want to use the restroom as well. While he was there, a fellow "urination buddy" suddenly pulled up to the urinal next to him.

Under normal circumstances, Zhou Le never looked at others while peeing; he was confident enough in himself that he didn't need to seek superiority by glancing around. But just as he was fully focused on "opening the floodgates," the man next to him spoke up.

"Zhou Le?"

The sudden voice made Zhou Le’s hand tremble, and he nearly splashed outside the bowl. He turned his head instinctively, and in an instant, his expression shifted from relaxed to pleasantly surprised.

"Han Han? Teacher Han Han?"

The man wasn't classically handsome, but he had a look that grew on you. Even while standing at a urinal, he radiated an undeniable literary aura. Looking at him now, he seemed to have lost much of the sharp edge he had in his youth.

"It's me. I didn't expect to run into you here," Han Han said.

Zhou Le was puzzled. "Teacher Han Han, you know me? I should be the one saying that to you."

As they spoke, both men continued their business. Finally, they both gave a little shiver, shook off, and pulled up their pants.

"Haha, I saw you on the trending topics. I think you're very interesting and have a great sense of humor. Didn't you just finish two movies this year?"

"You even know that?"

"Of course, I’m a director now, after all."

They both reached out for a handshake, then paused, looked down, and silently retracted their hands. Only after washing and drying them at the sink did they finally shake.

"Teacher Han Han, I really love your books. I’ve read *Triple Gate*, *Like a Youth Flying*, *Chang'an Chaos*, and *A City*. *Chang'an Chaos* is my favorite. And believe it or not... the reason I became an actor is that *The Continent* was my true initiation."

"And after that?"

"After that? I started reading web novels. I rarely read physical books anymore, and since your later works were mostly collections of essays, they weren't really my style, so I stopped reading them."

"Haha, web novels, fair enough. Anyway, are you here eating with friends?"

Zhou Le nodded. "Yes, with Director Da Peng and Liu Yan."

Han Han had asked out of casual interest, but upon hearing the name Da Peng...

"Da Peng? We’ve known each other for a long time. There aren't many people in your group—why don't you all come over and join us? It’s a coincidence we’re all here. There are seven of us, so if you join, we'll be ten. Plus, we have women in our party too."

Zhou Le wasn't sure if the invitation was just polite or sincere, so he said he would go back and ask. Da Peng, however, didn't hesitate. "Sure! I know Han Han well. Let me tell you, back in the day, he was the first person to follow me on Weibo. It scared the life out of me; I was a huge fan of his."

Zhou Le then had the waiter move everything over. As he followed Han Han into the room, his eyes lit up.

"Whoa, it's a room full of stars!"

Zhao Liying, Li Ronghao, Zhang Benyu, Jiaoshou... and several others he didn't recognize, though their presence made it clear they were celebrities.

Zhao Liying needed no introduction; she was the industry's famous workaholic, known for one hit drama after another, and she was incredibly popular right now. His impression of Li Ronghao was from his college days, when he’d heard the song *Model* on a bus while visiting home. He thought it was his own niche discovery, only for the song to inexplicably explode in popularity later. As for Zhang Benyu, Zhou Le preferred to call him "Father King." And Jiaoshou was the director of *Unexpected*.

Once they were seated, Han Han, as the host, began making introductions. Zhou Le learned that the guy who looked like a kid was Dong Zijian—as soon as he heard the name, he recognized him: his father had played the guy wielding the pole in *Kung Fu Hustle*, and his mother was the famous agent Wang Jinghua. There was also Gao Huayang, though Zhou Le only had a faint impression of him and couldn't quite place him.

Since Da Peng and Liu Yan were already well-established in the industry, the group was particularly curious about Zhou Le, the new face.

"Everyone, let me introduce Zhou Le again. He’s a very interesting guy. You might know him from his trending gossip with Nazha, but I only realized that the person I’d been following for his jokes was an actor after he changed his name and hit the trending list."

Zhou Le was stunned. "Teacher Han Han, when did you follow me?"

"Oh, I meant 'follow' in the sense of paying attention, not a Weibo follow. I watch your Weibo often, but I never clicked the follow button."

Zhou Le: "???"

*Bro, are you really being this abstract? You don't look like the type!*

"Hahaha, it’s fine. Not clicking follow is the mark of a die-hard fan, it's normal." Han Han laughed. "You haven't followed me either, have you?"

"Die-hard fans! We’re all die-hard fans!"

Zhou Le later learned they were gathered because Han Han was about to shoot a new film, and everyone present was already cast, so they were grabbing dinner. They hadn't expected to run into Da Peng.

"Ah, is it that comedy? I heard you were in pre-production."

"Yes, that's the one," Han Han said, looking a bit embarrassed. "I thought you were busy at the time, so I didn't tell you, and then other things came up and I forgot."

Da Peng didn't mind; he knew that was just how Han Han was.

"The lead for our film is Deng Chao, but he's not in Beijing right now, so we'll have to get together another time."

At the mention of Deng Chao’s name, Liu Yan’s expression flickered, but she quickly returned to normal.

The rest of the night was spent chatting. Zhou Le expressed his love for *Unexpected*, having watched the production budget grow from the very first season. Suddenly, Jiaoshou spoke up. "By the way, Teacher Han Han, don't you still need an actor for the film?"

Han Han looked at Zhou Le instinctively. "I need an actor who is handsome but also very funny, and preferably someone with some physical skills, since the role is the leader of a small gang."

Before anyone else could speak, Da Peng couldn't stay quiet. "Young Master Han, that’s your requirement?"

"Yes."

"Then Zhou Le is the perfect fit."

Han Han was still hesitant. "Writing jokes and being able to act are two different things."

Da Peng shook his head. "Let me put it this way, Han: Zhou Le is the most abstract, funniest male actor I’ve ever met. I feel like my scripts actually limited his potential. And did you know he’s even sparred with Wu Jing?"

Han Han immediately became interested. "Sparred with Wu Jing? Who won?"

"Zhou Le won, of course."

"You beat Wu Jing? What did he say at the time?" Han Han looked at Zhou Le with surprise, knowing Wu Jing’s reputation for fight scenes.

Zhou Le said sheepishly, "He told me I fight like a cheap thug."