Dreaming With My Dragon Lover - Chapter 151

Even the only veteran Beijing Opera fan among the guests is in awe, “No whip in the hand, but a whip in the performance. Even if Master Mei Lanfang were to come back to life, it would be no better than this! Young Master Guan, you really deserve to take over your family business and usher in a new era. You have so much talent under your command!”

Without waiting for Arthur Guan to ask, Rong Qiuchen bows to him respectfully and says, “I am the attendant for Childe Yuan. My master is not feeling well today, so I have taken the liberty to amuse Childe Guan on his behalf.”

After speaking, he takes a few steps back and stands respectfully behind Yuan Ge.

Everybody in the room is amused by Rong Qiuchen’s words and actions. They turn to Yuan Ge and laugh, “This is so funny! We didn’t know that you had a boy attendant, Mr Yuan. Look at this little guy, he’s quite capable. Make sure you bring him along when the shooting starts.”

The boss of Magic Lamp Pictures has just recovered from Rong Qiuchen’s stunning Beijing Opera performance, but his eyes still rest on him. He can’t help but exclaim, “How come all the talent has been taken by Master Guan first? Look at your King Guan Entertainment, you have so many talented people under your command, all with extraordinary singing and dancing abilities. Even at the party tonight, there are crouching tigers and hidden dragons. Not only do you have professional ballet dancers, but also heirs to the traditional arts! We don’t know what kind of superb cast you will assemble when you start shooting this blockbuster!”

Arthur Guan smiles confidently and says with pride, “With the new talent selected from the 3,000-strong audition, plus the veteran artists we already have, it is indeed not an overstatement to say that the line-up for this upcoming film is superb.”

Mr Jia from An’s Estate chimes in, “I know a lot about the real estate industry, but very little about showbiz. However, even from an outsider’s perspective, it’s quite clear how big a splash the Second Young Master Guan has made in the industry since taking over the reigns of King Guan. The momentum of the reform has almost overshadowed that of his older brother in charge of Guan’s Properties…”

At the mention of his brother, Arthur Guan just smiles noncommittally. Clearly the flattery from the crowd is far less interesting than Yuan Ge and his eccentric little sidekick.

Although Rong Qiuchen has eased the tension in the room, Arthur Guan doesn’t intend to let Yuan Ge off the hook easily. He asks Rong Qiuchen with interest, “Your… ‘master’ didn’t say that he couldn’t dance because he wasn’t feeling well. How could you overstep your bounds and interfere in his affairs?”

But Rong Qiuchen replies calmly, neither servile nor overbearing.

“To answer Childe Guan’s question, as a dancer, if you don’t practise for one day, your body will know; if you don’t practise for two days, your master will know; and if you don’t practise for three days, then everyone in the world will know. Childe Yuan is a gentleman who strives for perfection; if he cannot present his performance to you with perfection, he would rather not dance.”

Yuan Ge is also dumbfounded by Rong Qiuchen’s well thought out speech, and can only play along with him, nodding slightly awkwardly.

Arthur Guan bursts into laughter, pulling Yuan Ge to sit beside him, asking the waiter to serve wine, and continuing to chat with the investors in the room about the various details of sponsorship in his new film. Liu Sang has also started organising the music and the entertainers who came with him to liven up the atmosphere, bringing in some cute girls in mini skirts and rabbit ears to sing and dance for everyone. In no time, the private room is filled with the lively atmosphere of the New Year.

Yuan Ge is an artist in every sense of the word, naturally different and not one to pander. The more he frustrates people, the more these people want to make friends with him. So, one by one, a group of uncultured businessmen come over to drink and converse with him on the pretext of meeting this new leading man.

Yuan Ge has never been a good drinker, so he is no match for these experienced party players who are used to such occasions. After a few glasses of wine, he is already red faced and feeling dizzy in his head.

Rong Qiuchen has been standing beside Yuan Ge and already taken several rounds of drinks for him. Everybody in the room is great at social drinking and is surprised to find that this handsome and delicate-looking porcelain doll-like young man could actually hold his drinks incredibly well. Unconvinced, one by one they try to challenge him. Whether it is a finger-guessing drinking game or a straight drinking contest, they are all defeated in the end.

Rong Qiuchen is not afraid to mix different drinks either, wine, whisky, vodka, brandy, whatever, he can drink it all in one gulp or sip it slowly. He treats wine like mineral water, drinking so much of it and not looking any different in his appearance and demeanour, and still speaking in a somewhat annoyingly ancient scholarly way, neither too emotional nor indifferent, but pleasant and soothing to the listener, with a fresh and interesting, if somewhat unfashionable, point of view. In the end, even Arthur Guan cannot resist and has a few drinks with him, finally leaving both of them semi-drunk.

The party has carried on late into the night and finally everyone has had their fun, starting saying goodbye to each other.

Arthur Guan, who is the last to leave, pats Yuan Ge on the shoulder and says, “Not bad, you’ve found such a capable assistant to help you out tonight. He can dance and drink on your behalf. I’m letting you off the hook this time, but you owe me one. You go back to get yourself back on form and practice well. Be ready to dance for me alone!”