Chapter 649: Filming Begins

"This is the good stuff. I had to pull a lot of strings to get my hands on it." Once in Shen Yibin’s car, Director Kong patted his case, not noticing at all that Shen Yibin had changed vehicles.

"No rush on that. We still have a month, so we can enjoy it slowly. Tonight, I’ll make a new dish I just learned. I guarantee you’ll love it!" Shen Yibin started the car.

"Oh? Then I’ll have to give it a try!" Director Kong’s life revolved around fine food, fine wine, and beautiful women. The moment he heard there was something delicious to eat, his interest was piqued, and he urged Shen Yibin to drive faster the whole way.

"Alright, go have a seat in the living room for a bit. Have some tea, it’ll be ready soon!" Shen Yibin led Director Kong into his living room. Sun Qian and Qianqian followed them in. Before Shen Yibin could do anything, Qianqian hurried to pour Director Kong some tea, while Sun Qian profusely thanked the director for his support.

"What is that smell? Why is it so fragrant?" Director Kong, however, paid no mind to the two of them. He just kept sniffing the air, trying to identify the aroma. ’It smells a bit like heated Monkey Wine? Is Bin planning on serving the Monkey Wine warm? But Monkey Wine isn’t yellow rice wine. Would it even taste good warm?’

"I can’t tell you that. You’ll find out once the food is on the table," Sun Qian said with a smile, refusing to answer. Her mouth was starting to water too; the Monkey Wine roasted spring chicken from last time had left a deep impression on her.

The roasted spring chicken had been put in the oven to bake long before Shen Yibin had even left the house. The other dishes were also more or less ready, so it wasn’t long before Shen Yibin called Sun Qian and Qianqian in to help bring out the food.

"Come, give these a try. Junshan Silver Needle Chicken Slices, West Lake Longjing Shrimp, West Lake Vinegar Fish... they’re all dishes I just learned to make. I’m sure Director Kong has been to West Lake Louwailou Restaurant. Why not try my versions and see how far off I am from their master chefs?" Shen Yibin came out last, carrying a large ball of mud.

"Roasted spring chicken?" As an old gourmand, how could Director Kong not recognize this dish? He sniffed the air again, and his expression changed dramatically. "No way. Bin, you actually used Monkey Wine to mix the mud! This is... this is an outrageous waste of a heavenly gift!" Director Kong’s finger trembled as he pointed at the roasted spring chicken, at a loss for words.

"Using wine for seasoning is a time-honored tradition. The better the wine, the better the dish. Try it first, then you can tell me if it was a waste or not! As for the Monkey Wine, I have quite a bit stored away, more than enough for you to drink. Besides, this batch is very different from the one you had before. You’ll understand the benefits once you taste it." Shen Yibin didn’t argue further. He simply smashed open the mud crust, and the aroma of the roasted spring chicken instantly filled the air, momentarily overpowering even the scent of the Monkey Wine.

"The aroma really is different. The one I had before wasn’t this fragrant!" Director Kong’s eyebrows twitched. He could no longer be bothered to complain. He immediately sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and put a piece of the roasted spring chicken into his mouth.

"Excellent! This is even better than the one I had at that century-old restaurant! The Monkey Wine definitely wasn’t wasted." Just as Shen Yibin had predicted, once Director Kong tasted the dish, he stopped talking about waste altogether.

"Everyone, please take a seat! If you don’t start soon, Director Kong is going to eat it all!" Shen Yibin ushered Director Kong’s team to their seats. "Go on and start eating. I’ll go get the wine!"

Down in the wine cellar, Shen Yibin stared at the glass jars where various medicinal herbs were steeping in alcohol. He mulled it over. ’Which infusion should I choose? Well, Director Kong brought a very beautiful "daily necessity" with him this time—some new starlet from Xiangjiang, I think. Given the circumstances, this bottle of Maca-infused wine should suit his tastes. As for me, I’ll just drink this cordyceps one.’

Back at the dinner table, Shen Yibin poured everyone some wine. Director Kong immediately picked up his glass and took a sip. "Eh? Bin, did you infuse this with medicinal herbs? Hmm, the flavor is even better than before. But what herb is in here? What does it do?"

"Heh heh, you’ll find out tomorrow morning!" Shen Yibin gave a mysterious smile and said no more. ’This isn’t the sort of thing you discuss in front of so many people.’

After that, everyone happily ate and drank, with no talk of work. Shen Yibin and Sun Qian weren’t worried; they knew that once Director Kong made a promise, he would keep it. The party continued until just after seven in the evening, when everyone finally dispersed, fully satisfied. Director Kong took his "daily necessity" back to his villa, while the other staff members, along with Sun Qian and Qianqian, stayed at Shen Yibin’s house. ’Well, might as well let him enjoy some pleasant private time tonight.’

After arranging the accommodations and cleaning up the dining table and kitchen, the staff members, tired from their journey, went to rest. Shen Yibin, however, took Sun Qian down to the river for another round of practice.

The next morning, the staff members woke up full of energy, likely thanks to the medicinal wine and congee. Director Kong was up bright and early too. The moment he saw Shen Yibin, he rushed over. "Bin, is there any of that wine left? Can you give me a bottle to take with me and drink slowly?"

He then leaned close to Shen Yibin’s ear and said smugly, "Haha, a full three times! And not a single one was less than half an hour. That stuff is amazing!"

’Dude, you’re this old and still partying so hard. Aren’t you afraid something will go wrong? A life like that is just... just so enviable!’

"I have more, but I can’t give it to you all at once. From now on, come over every day, and I’ll pour you three glasses." Shen Yibin was actually a little worried something might happen to him.

"That works, that works!" Hearing there was more, Director Kong couldn’t ask for anything else and hastily agreed. After breakfast, he called Shen Yibin and Sun Qian over. "How are your preparations coming along? Are you in the right headspace? Have you picked a shooting location? If everything’s ready, let’s start working today!"

’The sooner we finish the work, the sooner I can send these people back. Then I can finally enjoy my vacation in peace.’

The song was about a giant panda in the mountains, so the filming location definitely had to be in the mountains. Shen Yibin thought for a moment and came up with a suitable spot, which he had already coordinated with Qi Jian.

"Here, these are the three potential locations. Director Kong, take a look and see which one you think is best." Shen Yibin opened his laptop and showed the photos to Director Kong.

"Hmm, these are all pretty good, but this one seems even better. It perfectly fits the script’s requirements. If it’s convenient, let’s go with this one!" Director Kong made his choice.

"This place isn’t too far from here. In that case, let’s head out now!" And so, everyone bustled about, packing their things into the cars and setting off toward the mountains.