After Transmigrated as a Black-Hearted Entertainment Boss [Transmigration] - Chapter 39

After sending the three younger boys off, Tao Zui and Gu Nan followed The Afterlife crew to Chongqing.

Because filming had moved ahead of schedule, many previously approved location permits needed to be re-vetted, and the call sheet had to be adjusted accordingly. Gu Nan’s scenes were pushed back, and once they arrived at the location, he found himself unexpectedly idle.

However, while he had the freedom to wander about, Tao Zui did not. As a half-producer, he had to keep watch by the set as long as the crew was operating.

“This is sheer torture… We’ve been in Chongqing for two days, and forget about catching a single hot pot meal—I can’t even get my hands on some grilled pig brain. And don’t get me started on the spicy noodles, sour and spicy rice noodles, or malatang…”

Tao Zui sat beside Zhou Fanghong, muttering incessantly, until he finally pushed the director over the edge. “Go, go, go! Sit further away! You’ve been droning on for two days; can’t you give it a rest? Besides, if you can’t get any, neither can I! With you rambling on, my head is full of food—how am I supposed to direct! Quick! Move further away!”

Tao Zui hauled his little stool over, grumbling as he sat a bit further away, and let out a long sigh.

Technically, it should have been easy to hunt for food while filming on location. A city’s most authentic and characteristic snacks were always hidden in the streets and alleys—even if you couldn’t stumble upon them every few steps, at least they should be accessible within walking distance.

But unfortunately, due to the adjusted filming schedule, the crew’s first few locations were complex, aging residential compounds—some even in a semi-abandoned state. Only in places like these could they film without needing extra government permits.

And no business owner would be foolish enough to operate a business in a place like this.

Tao Zui let out a gloomy sigh. There was food near the hotel, but the problem was that walking to it required climbing more stairs than he had in his entire life, and taking a taxi took an hour… talk about bad luck.

Just as Tao Zui was calculating how long until filming here concluded and whether he could sneak a bite while the crew was transitioning to the next location, a spicy, numbing, and fragrant scent hit his nostrils, jolting him awake.

So fragrant! Why is it so fragrant? Is it a hallucination?

Tao Zui reflexively stood up and looked over, seeing Gu Nan and Li Shengping walking over while carrying several large bags. The fragrance was clearly drifting from those very bags!

Tao Zui’s eyes lit up. He bolted forward in a flash, circling around Gu Nan. “What is this, Gu Nan? What did you buy? Why does it smell so good?”

Gu Nan enjoyed Tao Zui’s drooling expression for a while before answering languidly under his expectant gaze: “Grilled pig brain.”

“Grilled pig brain!” Tao Zui wished he could hug Gu Nan and plant two kisses on him. He hurriedly escorted them to the clearing where the camera was set up. The moment they put the bags down, he couldn’t wait to open them and stick his head in to look.

Beyond the grilled brains, Gu Nan had also bought milk tea. For those who didn’t eat brains, they could have milk tea—he had been incredibly thoughtful.

Catching the scent, Zhou Fanghong lost all interest in directing. Just as the take wrapped up, he waved his hand: “That’s a wrap on this take, take a half-hour break!”

A burst of cheers erupted as everyone flocked over.

“Thanks for the grilled brain, Teacher Gu!”

“Thanks for the milk tea, Brother Nan!”

The feeling of having someone bring good food and drinks while working was just like having a pocket warmer in the dead of winter or an iced watermelon during the dog days of summer—it was pure bliss. The crew members kept piling on the praise, and some even started calling him “Brother Nan” directly.

Tao Zui held his grilled brain, watching the swarming crowd, and began to ponder while holding his spoon in his mouth.

Filming on location meant they didn’t need—and couldn’t afford—to bring everyone, so the number of accompanying staff was pathetically small compared to the hundreds from the soundstage shoots. But even with a streamlined team, counting them up, there were over twenty people, not including the actors.

A serving of grilled brain cost about twenty yuan, and the milk tea was around the same price. That was forty yuan per person; for thirty people, that was nearly a thousand yuan.

The money wasn’t a huge amount, but Gu Nan currently had zero income. His acting salary had been converted into a box-office share by Tao Zui, and there was a high possibility he wouldn’t see a dime if the movie flopped…

Where did he get the money to buy all this?

When the staff dispersed, Tao Zui leaned close to Gu Nan and poked him in the ribs with his elbow: “Did you take up a side job behind my back?”

Gu Nan dug into a piece of brain, shot him a glance: “Do you think I can turn invisible or teleport?”

“Fair point. You’re under my nose every single day; what kind of side job could you even take… I have to say, kid, you’re really getting less and less respectful!” As Tao Zui spoke, he suddenly realized something and glared at Gu Nan.

He didn’t know when it started, but Gu Nan, who used to sneakily observe him from the shadows, had grown increasingly bold, sometimes not even bothering to hide his claws.

Occasional glares were one thing, but he also loved to prick him with sharp words out of the blue, seriously challenging his authority as both a boss and a “father figure.”

He hadn’t seen him acting this way toward Su Jiqiu and the others? Could this be the inevitable result of two “Big Daddies” colliding?

Tao Zui puzzledly stuffed a spoonful of brain into his mouth, only to hear Gu Nan say: “You’re only five years older than me.”

“Five years is a huge difference! I was already in university while you were still a junior high student… Dammit.” Tao Zui felt a pang of pain halfway through his sentence. Using that comparison really made him feel old!

Unintentionally stabbing himself, Tao Zui turned his sorrow and anger into appetite, shoving the rest of the grilled brain into his mouth in two or three bites. Because he ate too hurriedly, he didn’t notice and swallowed the seasoning with it. The heat of the Thai chili and the numbing sensation of the Sichuan peppercorn instantly rushed to his brain, making his eyes tear up.

Just as he was coughing violently, the plastic box and spoon were snatched from his hands. At the same time, a milk tea cup with an inserted straw appeared before him. Condensation droplets hung on the side of the cup; it looked perfectly ice-cold, refreshing, and spicy-relief.

Tao Zui took a massive gulp of the milk tea, finally suppressing the pungent spiciness. Just as he lifted his head to let out a refreshing sigh, a remark drifted over coolly.

“With you like this, do you look like someone five years older than me?”

“You… cough cough cough! Shut, shut up! Quick, tell me, how much did it cost? I’ll transfer it to you.” Tao Zui grumbled while pulling out his phone. He waited for a long time but received no answer. Looking up, he found Gu Nan eating his grilled brain with focused dedication, leaving him with nothing but the back of a round head.

Tao Zui walked in front of him: “Speak up, how much…”

Before he could finish, the person in front of him spun around on the spot, turning his back to him to continue burying his head in his meal.

“No, what are you dodging for…”

Tao Zui chased after him, but Gu Nan spun around on his heel.

Tao Zui laughed in spite of his anger. After a moment, he spoke earnestly to Gu Nan’s back: “I know you’re being kind by treating everyone, but you have no income right now. You’re likely using your savings for this. Even though it’s only a matter of time before you’re earning, why look down on money? Having money in your pocket gives you confidence. Besides, connecting with the crew is my job as the investor; why are you stepping up to take the spotlight…”

Gu Nan grew increasingly annoyed, turning around and shoving the bowl and spoon into Tao Zui’s arms: “Eat your own food! This bit of money won’t make me go broke!”

Having said that, he stormed off, fuming.

“Hey, this kid!” Tao Zui held the grilled brain, instinctively digging out a spoonful and shoving it into his mouth. After his tongue swept over the plastic spoon, he suddenly realized—

This was Gu Nan’s grilled brain! His own portion was already finished; the box and spoon had been tossed away by Gu Nan!

“Holy crap!” Tao Zui froze with the spoon in his mouth. Four words—so ambiguous that merely thinking about them made his heart thump—played on a loop in his brain, and the plastic box in his hand began to feel faintly hot.

Just as Tao Zui’s brain sluggishly pondered whether to finish the evidence, or quietly toss it away and act like nothing had happened, Gu Nan returned.

Seeing Tao Zui holding the box and biting the spoon, Gu Nan froze for a brief moment before his face turned a violent shade of red. The next second, he lunged over, snatched away the remaining grilled brain, and roared:

“Why did you eat it?! That’s mine!”

Tao Zui recoiled, instinctively firing back: “You shoved it into my arms without a word; I thought you weren’t eating it anymore!”

Gu Nan: “Even if I wasn’t eating it, you couldn’t eat it!”

Tao Zui: “Why can’t I eat it? Don’t you know that wasting food is shameful!”

Gu Nan: “Eating other people’s stuff without permission is even more shameful!”

Tao Zui: “You never said you were still going to eat it!”

Gu Nan: “Just because I didn’t say it, that means you can eat it?”

Tao Zui: “You can’t waste food!”

Gu Nan: “Still can’t eat other people’s stuff!”

Tao Zui: “You never said!”

Not far away, Zhou Fanghong finally couldn’t take it anymore. He stumbled over, panting, to mediate the argument: “Hiss… it’s just a box of grilled pig brain; is it worth going in circles… talking back and forth? Hiss… seriously, hiss… Oh my god, this grilled brain is way too spicy, hiss… I can’t take it anymore, does anyone want some?”

Tao Zui and Gu Nan glanced at the half-eaten grilled brain in Zhou Fanghong’s hand, then glanced at each other. One carrying the box he’d snatched back, the other holding his milk tea, they turned and walked off, leaving Zhou Fanghong standing there with his own share, completely dumbfounded.

“Weren’t you guys just fighting over it… hiss… do you really not want it? I only ate half; the other half is untouched! Hey!”

Tao Zui never found out what happened to the grilled brain that was passed back and forth between Gu Nan and himself, but the next day, Gu Nan treated everyone to spicy noodles, followed by shaved ice the third day.

By the time the shots for this area wrapped up and they transitioned to the next location, Tao Zui paced around the snack street next door three times without being able to decide what to eat, mostly because he’d already tried everything. Furthermore, the sight of grilled brain reminded him of the mishap that occurred that day, making him so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole with his toes and bury himself; he could only escape the scene of the “crime” rapidly.

Once he dragged his feet back to the filming site and saw Gu Nan standing before the camera in his police uniform, inspiration suddenly struck—

Before this, Gu Nan was treating the crew to food every other day—could it have been because of him?

It shouldn’t… be that, right? Tao Zui suppressed his racing heart, frantically digging for seemingly rational evidence to prove that he was just overthinking things.

He did mutter every single day about wanting to eat this or that, but Gu Nan treating everyone didn’t necessarily mean it was because of him… just as Zhou Fanghong said, maybe because he kept nagging, Gu Nan wanted to eat it too? When everyone was busy, eating alone was too unloyal, and Gu Nan wasn’t that type of person… Back in the industrial park, the place was too remote; the nearest milk tea shop was five kilometers away, and they wouldn’t even deliver for treats. Plus, treating hundreds of people would bankrupt him… Now that they were in the city, delivery was convenient, so naturally, he’d treat people whenever he felt like it…

Tao Zui had surface-level convinced himself, yet he couldn’t hide the joy in his heart. He pulled out his phone and started placing an order, buying coffee and cake for everyone.

Spending nearly a thousand yuan with a few taps of his fingers, Young CEO Tao put away his phone, feeling thoroughly satisfied, the smile at the corners of his lips impossible to suppress.

If you want to treat everyone, then treat them~