Chapter 138: The Underground Passage

After reviewing the contract and confirming there were no issues, both parties signed it with alacrity.

After the signing, Beardy Zhang smiled and said, "The next project for our studio will be *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*. So, over the next two months, we need to finalize the script, handle the casting, and secure the locations—all the pre-production work needs to be ready. I’ve entrusted the script to Yu Min, but Xiao Zhang, as the author, you need to help us ensure the quality of the screenplay."

"You’re too kind, Director Zhang. This is the first time my novel is being adapted for the screen, so I take it more seriously than anyone. I hope that when the time comes, we can seek common ground while reserving differences and strive to produce an excellent martial arts film."

"Right, seek common ground while reserving differences." Beardy Zhang clinked his glass with Zhang Quanshun and said, "Quanshun, your son is no simple character. At first, I treated him like a child, but now, I almost forgot that he’s only seventeen years old—three years younger than my own girl."

Zhang Quanshun had been toasted by everyone in the studio and had drunk quite a bit; his tongue felt a little thick. "I can’t even look at this kid as my son anymore. Sometimes I feel like he’s the elder and I’m the child; he’s so mature and composed. He says he’ll write a novel, and he writes one; he says he’ll become famous, and he does. As his father, I have mixed feelings."

Zhao Jian gnawed on a chicken foot and remarked, "That’s because you raised him well."

Zhang Quanshun glanced at Zhang Tan, who was slowly and methodically picking at a roast duck leg. Although he claimed to be overshadowed by his son, he felt proud inside. He humbly replied, "Sigh, what did I teach him? It’s all thanks to his teachers."

Zhang Tan actually felt a bit embarrassed. To be an adult in spirit and yet be praised like a child was truly awkward. But there was no help for it; given he was only seventeen, while he could maintain professional equality in work dealings with his elders, he inevitably had to adopt a junior’s posture during private social gatherings.

He simply chose to pretend he didn't hear and focused on eating.

"Beijing roast duck really tastes great."

The meal lasted for two hours. By the time they left, Zhang Quanshun was thoroughly intoxicated. Fortunately, Zhang Tan had fully grown into his body, so he managed to support his father back to the hotel alone. It was a four-star hotel—a requirement Zhang Quanshun had insisted on back when they were trying to save money.

Leaving a note for his father saying, "I’m going out to enjoy the night view," Zhang Tan left the hotel.

He wandered into the colorful, bustling streets of Beijing. This was the Third Ring Road.

In his previous life, Zhang Tan had visited Beijing once for a business trip, but he had arrived and left in a hurry without seeing much. To him, Beijing remained the place he had been so fascinated by as a child. What did Beijing have? Roast duck, the Great Wall, the Monument to the People's Heroes, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, and Chairman Mao. And, of course, the Beijing Film Academy, which he had always admired.

The streetlights stretched and shortened his shadow, repeating the process endlessly. Even at night, one could still feel the heatwave of summer. Under the streetlamps, among the passing pedestrians, there were quite a few beautiful women in shorts and t-shirts.

Here, at this moment, no one knew him. So, he let his guard down, walking with a cocky, pigeon-toed swagger, appreciating the beauties passing by. Zhang Tan preferred a fuller, more curvaceous type of girl. The reason he had no interest in high schoolers was that they were all thin and scrawny, lacking the captivating figures that could tempt him.

As the saying goes, young men in their twenties look at faces