Chapter 1459: Chapter 898: Fierce Ghost Demands Life
It was too early to call, which would be very strange, so Yang Xiao decided to fill his belly first. He was exhausted last night, and now his stomach was growling.
The five of them found a breakfast stall nearby, the open-air kind, run by a middle-aged couple.
The man wore a vest covered in oil stains, busy at the stove, while the woman was responsible for cleaning dishes, taking orders, and collecting payments. The scene was very lively.
Yang Xiao gobbled down two baskets of soup dumplings, smacked his lips after finishing, and complained, "Why don’t these dumplings taste as good as the ones I usually have?"
"Probably because they didn’t use gutter oil inside, you’re not used to it," Jiang Qingluan said seriously.
"Tsk, what kind of comment is that?" Yang Xiao tapped his bowl with his chopsticks, showing dissatisfaction.
"Chu, my little brother, you shouldn’t tap the bowl with chopsticks; there’s a saying in my hometown that only beggars do that. Miss Jiang is just concerned about you." Zhou Mingxiao said with a squinting smile.
Zhou Mingxiao was an old hand in the world of martial arts; he could naturally see that Yang Xiao and Jiang Qingluan’s relationship was not ordinary—like a bickering couple bantering playfully.
However, he didn’t think further. He merely assumed that since they shared a night together, it was natural for a lone man and woman to ignite sparks.
Besides, Yang Xiao was good-looking and spoke pleasantly; Jiang Qingluan was also a rare beauty. Together, they were pleasing to the eye. Zhou Mingxiao, who owed Yang Xiao a favor from last night, was very willing to assist him as a wingman.
After breakfast, the five left, found a secluded spot, and Zhou Mingxiao took the lead to dial the number, contacting Pioneer Film and Television Prop Rental Company.
The phone rang only three times before it was answered, and a slightly fatigued female voice came through, "Hello, who is this?"
"May I speak with Ms. Xu Yan?" Zhou Mingxiao modulated his voice, full of energy.
"That’s me, and you are...?"
"This is New Island Clothing Design Company. Our company has taken on a new project and needs some film shooting props. Could we meet and discuss?" Zhou Mingxiao got straight to the point.
"Certainly, our company has extensive experience in this area, with long-term collaborations with various crews." A sound of rustling came through the line, suggesting Ms. Xu Yan hadn’t gotten up yet, "May I know your surname?"
"Surname Zhou."
"President Zhou, how about I give you an address, and you can come over, and we can discuss the details?"
After some conversation, Zhou Mingxiao received an address: No. 334, Pinglong Road, Greater Bay Area.
Yang Xiao and the others hailed a black car, a white van, and sped over. It wasn’t a nearby place, taking almost half an hour to drive.
After checking with the driver, they got off about 200 meters away from the destination, to avoid appearing too disheveled upon arrival.
Once off the bus, Zhou Mingxiao adjusted his clothes, and the group verified their identities: Zhou Mingxiao was naturally the boss, Jiang Qingluan the secretary, and Yang Xiao and the other three were staff.
Frankly speaking, Zhou Mingxiao’s outfits were quite ordinary, but when he got serious, his aura was very strong. After all, he was also a prominent figure in the real world, exuding an aura of "keep your distance" with every gesture.
Under Zhou Mingxiao’s lead, the five of them headed to the designated place, a five-story villa that looked somewhat dilapidated from the outside. This location’s conditions were much inferior to those around the Rongjin Building.
As they approached, a woman in a light blue cheongsam stood waiting impatiently at the villa’s entrance. She appeared to be around 45 years old, wore heavy makeup, and her chin was pointed and narrow, giving her features a slightly harsh look.
Upon seeing the group led by Zhou Mingxiao, the woman immediately put on a smile and trotted up to them proactively, "Hello, are you President Zhou? Thank you for coming, we originally planned to have a car pick you up."
"No problem, we’re here to talk business." Zhou Mingxiao offered his hand for a brief handshake with the woman, speaking in a formal yet casual tone, instantly establishing dominance.
The woman’s voice matched the one on the phone, confirming she was indeed Xu Yan, which was what mattered most to Zhou Mingxiao and his group.
Under the woman’s lead, they entered the five-story villa, arriving at a room tucked inside the second floor, with a plaque of Pioneer Props Company on the door.
This appeared to be merely an office rented by the company for business transactions.
The villa’s location was quite secluded, and the interior was greatly aged, with corridor walls adorned with European-style wall lamps and the floor was old marble tiles, poorly maintained, somewhat messy, indicating Pioneer Film and Television Prop Rental Company’s business was not thriving.
It was no wonder Xu Yan was so eager; few clients proactively came by.
Upon entering, there were only a man and a woman employee in the office, who deliberately acted busy when they saw clients arriving.
Xu Yan led them inside to a separate room, offering good privacy, furnished with a tea table and several spacious leather sofas.
Xu Yan was extremely courteous, and once Zhou Mingxiao was seated, she skillfully began preparing tea.
Zhou Mingxiao got straight to the point, fabricating his needs, and examined several samples Xu Yan brought, expressing reasonable satisfaction, and they haggled over prices for quite a while.
Once the preparation was nearly complete, Zhou Mingxiao shifted the conversation to Chen’s Strange Film Industry, making the transition very naturally.
