The cocktail party was held at the East Suburban Clubhouse in Eastern Binhai.
It was a private, members-only clubhouse with a long history. It had once truly been in the eastern suburbs, but with the city’s rapid development, it was now located in a bustling part of the urban area.
Around 7:30 PM, Feng Jian drove Yan Feifan and Wang Chuan to the East Suburban Clubhouse in his Cayenne.
Yan Feifan, carrying a small plastic bag, followed Wang Chuan. Using the digital invitation on their phone, they passed the security guard’s check, were led by a server through halls and courtyards, and finally entered a brightly lit courtyard.
The courtyard was quite large, covering at least a thousand square meters.
It had rockeries and fish ponds, gazebos and wisteria trellises, beautiful ornamental flowers and trees, and a large lawn.
Yan Feifan saw thirty or forty people scattered about, chatting and tasting wine in small groups.
There were also beautiful women with model-like figures, dressed in revealing, uniform-style short qipaos, weaving through the crowd with trays of wine and drinks.
"Mr. Wang, Mr. Yan..."
Yan Feifan followed the voice and saw someone he knew.
Mr. Gao, the producer, was approaching with the meticulously dressed-up beauty Du Yumei and handsome Shen Qing.
Mr. Gao asked with a chuckle, "I didn’t expect to see you two here. Are you meeting someone?"
Wang Chuan answered vaguely, "We were invited by the hosts of the cocktail party. We were hoping to meet some friends in the film industry."
Mr. Gao let out a soft "Oh" and said with a look of understanding, "Sunshine Film and Television’s two movies and the TV series they released this year didn’t do so well in terms of box office, ratings, or reviews."
"It seems they’re planning to increase their investment across the board to stage a major comeback next year."
Wang Chuan chuckled, glanced at Du Yumei and Shen Qing next to Mr. Gao, and asked, "Is the TV series filming going smoothly?"
Mr. Gao nodded. "It’s going okay. We’re on schedule."
"If everything goes well, you should see it on screen around the Lunar New Year..."
Just then, a tall, beautiful server walked over and asked politely, "Excuse me, are you Dr. Wang and Mr. Yan?"
After they confirmed, the beautiful server made a welcoming gesture.
"Gentlemen, please follow me. Mr. Sun has requested your presence."
Wang Chuan excused himself from Mr. Gao’s group and, with Yan Feifan, followed the server across the courtyard and into a small, three-story building to the north.
In a reception area on the second floor, Yan Feifan saw a man in his forties named Sun Xinping, who was wearing a suit, and a handsome, sunny-looking man with short hair who appeared to be in his late twenties.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they sat down, hosts on one side and guests on the other.
"Mr. Wang, Mr. Yan, I have a lot to attend to tonight, so I’ll get straight to the point..."
Sun Xinping, the executive director of Sunshine Film and Television, explained, "In recent years, audiences have grown increasingly tired of pretty-boy pop stars, and this trend has become more and more obvious in the market."
"Naturally, we’re following the trend. We’re preparing a big-budget, hardcore action production for next year."
Sun Xinping pointed to the sunny-looking man beside him and said, "This is Shao Jun, the male lead for that production."
He then turned and instructed, "Shao Jun, show the two experts what you’re working with."
At Sun Xinping’s words, Shao Jun stood up, took off his suit jacket, and unbuttoned his shirt.
He pulled his shirt open with both hands and flexed his chest.
His eight-pack abs and his pectoral muscles were indeed sharply defined and distinct.
As a man himself, Yan Feifan felt a pang of envy. He couldn’t help but tug at his own stomach.
He could pinch an inch of fat.
’I really need to work out more.’
Yan Feifan silently reminded himself, and in that instant, he understood why they had been invited.
Shao Jun had built a muscular physique, but he had the friendly face of a sunny pop idol, not the chiseled, determined features of a hardened hero.
His facial features created an image that was a bit at odds with the character he was meant to play.
Seeing Sun Xinping look at him, Yan Feifan took the initiative and said, "Mr. Sun, are you looking to make his facial features more rugged?"
Sun Xinping nodded with a smile. "Exactly."
"Mr. Yan, we’ve done our research. We know that when it comes to facial plastic surgery, your skills are almost supernatural."
"My idea is to make Shao Jun’s features look colder, sharper."
"Also, it can’t look like he’s had work done, so the changes to his face can’t be too drastic."
"Shao Jun might not be a huge star yet, but he’s not a complete newcomer. He’s appeared in a few movies and TV shows."
"Once he gets famous, a lot of his old photos, past roles, and other things will be dug up."
"We need the change to look like something he achieved through a period of intense training."
"Mr. Yan, can you do it?"
Yan Feifan carefully studied Shao Jun’s features, pondered for a moment, and said with a troubled expression, "Mr. Sun, his facial lines are a bit too soft. To make them look stern and rugged without changing too much..."
"The degree of difficulty is quite high."
Sun Xinping smiled knowingly. "A high degree of difficulty doesn’t mean it’s impossible. I understand, I understand."