Chapter 98

After a busy day, the Pudong Film City finally began to quiet down.

A black car slowly drove away.

Inside the car, Su Lan, with her graceful demeanor, comfortably leaned back in the rear seat.

Yang Zhu, who was driving, glanced at her in the rearview mirror and, seeing that she wasn't sleeping, couldn't help but ask, "Susu, do you know about it?"

"What?" Su Lan was puzzled, not understanding the sudden question.

"Do you know about Director Zhang's production being ordered to stop?"

Su Lan, who had been tired, instantly perked up and sat straight.

"What's going on? Tell me."

Seeing that Susu really didn't know, Yang Zhu became more animated and vividly recounted what she had seen today and the information she had gathered, summarizing and digesting it before relaying it to Su Lan in her own words.

"How could this happen? Just when things were getting started."

Su Lan took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Zhang Tan.

"I heard about what happened. Is it serious?"

Zhang Tan quickly replied.

"Not serious, it can be resolved. Thanks for your concern."

Su Lan sighed in relief, then leaned back comfortably in her seat, closing her eyes, lost in thought.

Back at the hotel, Yang Zhu immediately took out some chilled, sliced watermelon from the fridge.

"Susu, have some watermelon. It's delicious, good for your skin, and refreshing," Yang Zhu said. "Oh, by the way, Susu, I found this variety of watermelon. It was so hard to find. I went to five stores before I found it, and it cost 500 yuan."

Su Lan was surprised. "How much? 500?"

She looked at the watermelon she had bitten into twice and asked, "That expensive? I must have eaten a few dozen yuan worth already."

Yang Zhu said, "Absolutely, 500 yuan each. This kind of watermelon is all the same size, five pounds each, and a fixed price of 500 yuan. No wonder it's so sweet, and no wonder Director Zhang gave it to you."

Su Lan thought, if Zhang Tan had brought a whole carload, wouldn't he be bankrupt?

---

Xiaohongma Academy.

"Welcome, the watermelon is ready, and the teddy bears are ready. The windmill and the fake experienced one are already fighting."

Zhang Tan welcomed Xiao Bai, Liuliu, Chengcheng, and Xiaomi, who had come to visit.

The children had been coming to his place for several days now. Ever since Zhang Tan had warmly welcomed all four of them, it was no longer just Xiao Bai coming alone.

It was good to have them visit often. No matter how much scheming and drama there was outside, the academy was a simple and carefree place. Using the children to heal worries was free, all he needed to provide was the space and a few bottles of teddy bear drinks. How nice.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhang," Xiao Bai said.

"Thank you, Mr. Zhang."

"Mr. Zhang is the best."

"Mr. Zhang is a scapegoat."

The children all praised him, after all, they hadn't brought any gifts.

After eating the watermelon that Zhang Tan had cut, the children all said it was very sweet, even sweeter than the last time.

Could the last one compare? This one cost 500 yuan each, and it was the leftover from the special supply for Su Lan.

"Uncle, do you want to listen to a song?" Xiao Bai asked after finishing the watermelon.

"Sure, go ahead."

Xiao Bai happily said, "Do you want 'Little Ducks' or 'Little Geese'?"

'Little Geese' sounded like an insult, so let's go with 'Little Geese.'

Just as Xiao Bai was about to sing, Liuliu was about to shout 666, Chengcheng was daydreaming, and Xiaomi was hesitating whether to join Xiao Bai... the power went out.

The power went out~~~

The children were caught off guard, and screams immediately filled the air, intertwining.

Zhang Tan felt his eardrums about to burst.

"Mr. Zhang, don't joke around, the children are scared," Xiao Bai shouted.

Liuliu and Chengcheng hugged each other, afraid of the dark, and shouted, "Mr. Zhang, don't joke around."

Xiaomi, too afraid to move, weakly called out, "Mr. Zhang~~~"

"Coming, coming, the lights will be on soon."

Zhang Tan saw lights coming from downstairs and the yard.

What was going on?

Was it just the third floor that lost power?

He found two candles, lit them, and placed them on a plate, which he then brought to the living room and put on a small stool.

"Don't be afraid, the candles are here."

He put down the plate and was about to go out to check, thinking it might be a circuit breaker.

However, the situation took an unexpected turn.

The three children, seeing him bring the candles, paused for a moment, then suddenly held hands, forming a circle around the small stool with the candles, and started singing the birthday song under the candlelight.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, Mr. Zhang, happy birthday to you..."

(O_O)?(O_O)?(O_O)?

Zhang Tan was stunned, dazed, and completely confused by the children.

What's going on?

The birthday song? Are you serious?

He stood there, making the children even more determined to continue singing the birthday song.

After they finished, they blew out the candles in unison.

Now the house was pitch black.

Not far away, the roosters took advantage of the chaos and started clucking, adding to the commotion.

Moonlight streamed in from the balcony and windows, illuminating the three cute children.

From the shadows, they could be seen tilting their little heads, staring at Zhang Tan, waiting for him to react.

"Mr. Zhang, turn on the lights."

Xiao Bai's voice came from the darkness, reminding him to turn on the lights, not to be a wooden stick.

"Mr. Zhang~~ Happy birthday, turn on the lights." This was Liuliu.

"Turn on the lights~" This was Chengcheng.

"Mr. Zhang~~~" Xiaomi weakly called out.

Zhang Tan couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Alright, since you want to play this way, I'll play along.

"I haven't made a wish yet, how could you blow out the candles?"

"Oh no~~ Oops."

"Sorry."

Zhang Tan turned on the flashlight on his phone and saw the four children looking at him expectantly.

Liuliu said, "The lights are on, Mr. Zhang, make a wish quickly."

Xiao Bai giggled and covered her ears, not wanting to eavesdrop. Seeing Chengcheng's silly expression, she let go of her own ears and covered Chengcheng's ears from behind.

Liuliu, seeing this, covered Xiao Bai's ears from behind. Then she quickly reached back and made Xiaomi cover her own ears.

This way, she could eavesdrop on Mr. Zhang's wish openly.

"Mr. Zhang, make a wish quickly." Liuliu urged, taking advantage of Xiao Bai's confusion to act quickly.

Under the children's expectant gazes, Zhang Tan strangely made a wish two months early.

Then... Chengcheng, the silly girl, puffed her cheeks and blew at the lit phone, trying to extinguish the light.

Little Liuliu licked her lips and asked hopefully, "Mr. Zhang, where's the cake?"

...

"Come back and play tomorrow."

At 9 PM, Zhang Tan escorted the children downstairs.

The little ones held hands, descending the stairs step by step, chatting enthusiastically about cartoons, Mr. Zhang's birthday, and how delicious the cake was.

Zhang Tan reminded them, "Hold hands, be careful, watch your steps, don't just chat."

"Got it, Mr. Zhang."