Chapter 2136


    Chapter 2136 A Specific Brand of Risk


    Neither Cindy nor Gary said anything in response to this, but it wasn''t as if she knew how to exin her


    present rtionship with him either.


    She nced over at Otis and asked instead, "Do you think we look simr?"


    Otis actually considered this as he assessed both their faces. He rubbed his chin and said, "I used to


    think there''s some resemnce there, but I tend to be easily convinced by my own perceptions. Now


    that you''ve mentioned it, I don''t think there are any simrities at all." He turned his gaze toward Cindy


    and asked, "Well, are you both rted or not?"


    Cindy gave Gary a perfunctory look, and he interjected without much implication, "No, we''re friends."


    Otis knew who Ian was, and upon hearing Gary''s answer, he immediately pressed, "Did you guys meet


    through Ian?" He chuckled heartily before adding, "I have to admit that Ian is a special kid. I don''t think


    he has ever dropped off the press'' radar before. The investors really have set their eyes on him, you


    know."


    Cindy and Gary offered no exnation for this. They couldn''t, and it didn''t appear as if they needed to.


    Whether or not they had indeed met through Ian made little to no difference to their dynamics.


    Meanwhile, Otis probably thought that there was no other way for them to cross paths at all if it hadn''t


    been for Ian.


    Cindy went along with the topic and said, "Perhaps he''s trending right now, so the investors and fans


    are taking note of him at the moment."


    Being an investor himself, Otis nodded. "Indeed, he''s trending right now. I''m not going to lie—I did


    invest in a movie not too long ago, and I was nning on asking him to star in it. However, after I spoke


    with the other producers and investors, they decided to go with another guy. No offense, but Ian carries


    with him a specific brand of risk that we just can''t cover for now."


    Cindy understood what he meant and said, "Well, you aren''t wrong."


    While young actors who starred in movies often started trending right around the time the movie


    premiered, they were expected to perform well. Otherwise, they would receive intense bacsh from


    the public. The way Cindy saw it, it was a good thing for Ian not to have been a part of the movie. He


    wasn''t trained in performing arts, and the standards expected of him when it came to acting on the


    silver screen were much higher than those of his current line of work, and he might not be able to pull


    off what the audience wanted.


    If that were to happen, the movie might bomb at the box office, and Ian would be pelted with harsh


    criticism left, right and center.


    Cindy honestly wished that he would return to working on music; it was something he liked, but ever


    since signing with the agency, his career was no longer centered around music. Perhaps most


    celebrities were aiming for acting on the big screen, soap operas as well as music, but as far as she


    was concerned, she still hoped furtively for Ian to focus on what he did best so that he could make a


    name for himself.


    If he were to go on doing something he did not have real talent for, he might never leave a strong


    enough impression among the producers and directors at best, or end up bing theughing stock


    of the industry at worst.


    Perhaps Ian''s identity and status as a celebrity was too delicate a topic to dive into, for Otis quickly


    changed the subject and started asking about the dishes they had ordered instead.


    Perhaps Ian''s identity and status as a celebrity was too delicate a topic to dive into, for Otis quickly


    changed the subject and started asking about the dishes they had ordered instead.


    Gary had been here before, so he knew enough about the menu to exin the specialty of every dish


    he had ordered earlier.


    Meanwhile, Cindy kept quiet on the other side of the table. If she were lucky enough, she might not


    have to utter a single word throughout this lunch. After all, she had nothing to say to the men sitting


    across from her.


    After speaking to Gary for a while, Otis turned to look at her and said, "There''s no need to be so stiff,


    youngdy. Join in the conversation. If you and Gary are friends, you don''t have to be shy in front of


    me. Don''t think of me as the head of the department—that''ll make me awkward too."


    Cindy shed him a smile. She wasn''t sure how he wanted her to see him if not the head of the


    Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    department. In fact, she was so uneasy that she even began to see Gary as the head of her


    department. Whenever she thought about her job, she thought about Gary and how his presence was


    even more overwhelming than the actual head of the department.


    It was an unsettling feeling to have. She considered the fact that she was a married woman now, and


    she couldn''t help her guilt when she was in Gary''s presence.


    She sighed to herself.


    Perhaps sensing her unnerved state, Gary nced at her for a while. Then, he averted his gaze and


    went on to talk about investments with Otis.