Actresses

Chapter 91 Pouring Oil

Over the next week or two, He Yuran and Zhuang Pan saw each other more often. Whether Zhuang Pan was having dinner with her friends or hosting parties, He Yuran would always go along. She didn't stay long, but she was trying to build connections with these young people. Overall, it seemed to be effective. He Yuran learned a lot about the current state of filming, such as the ecosystem of fans and paparazzi, the topics among young artists, the finances behind the more active agencies in the industry, who did well and who did badly with the latest popular cosmetic procedures, and what actors did to earn money in their spare time besides filming—the list goes on. She even learned about several newly popular "masters"—like the one whose name was the one who kept attracting celebrities to a certain mountain recently. In short, all the industry information had been completely updated.

But the more He Yuran learned, the more she realized that the traces of the previous generation of artists were completely indelible, and the gap between her and the younger generation was obvious. She never imagined that among these people's connections, there could be a suitable agent for her.

These days, besides socializing, she's been spending more time at the studio, sometimes up to four times a week, sitting at Shi Jiahe's old workstation every day. The boss's arrival has made everyone nervous, especially Ding Yi. But He Yuran isn't going to treat everyone to meals to maintain harmony like she did at the beginning. She hopes her presence here will become something everyone takes for granted, although that seems unlikely for now.

When He Yuran is at the company, she spends most of her time reading novels. Anyway, if there's anything she needs, Ding Yi will just knock on the table to find her.

"Boss, would you like to take a look at this?" Two weeks later, Ding Yi asked hesitantly in the office.

"What's wrong?" He Yuran thought to herself, I never leave the house and hang out with girls all day, what negative trending topics could I possibly have?

Ding brought the computer over, and He Yuran carefully looked at the information on the page. It turned out to be Cheng Xiaotang again.

Just when things seemed to have calmed down, Cheng Xiaotang posted a new Weibo post, saying she found out online that He Yuran's studio had actually registered a drama series. She then went on to provide a lengthy analysis of the series' synopsis, determining its genre and convincingly stating that He Yuran was absolutely unsuitable for this kind of project. Marketing accounts have already started sharing this, speculating about what will happen if He Yuran, now a flop, produces her own drama. This has sparked a serious debate among casual viewers and fans, with some expressing great anticipation and others predicting a flop.

He Yuran didn't take it seriously at all, waving his hand and saying, "Oh well, let them dig if they want."

But Ding Yi looked worried. "Boss, actually, there's a problem with the scriptwriters right now."

"How so?"

"Because the payment deadline had passed, I called the person named Meng Zhaocai using the contact information in the contract and told her that I couldn't make the payment yet because I hadn't received the final draft of this part of the script. She said I didn't need to make the payment and that the deposit would be refunded immediately. I said I didn't understand what she meant by not needing to make the payment and why I needed to get my deposit back. But she hung up on me and didn't answer my calls again."

"Huh?" He Yuran suddenly felt something was wrong and said, "Wait for me, I'm going to make a phone call."

Ding nodded hurriedly.

He Yuran went to the conference room alone and immediately called Wei Ning via voice message. Wei Ning answered and said, "Sister Ran, is something wrong?"

"Zhao Cai told us we don't need to make any payment and that they'll refund the deposit. I don't quite understand. Is there something you haven't told me?"

Wei Ning paused for a moment before stammering, "Oh dear... Sister Ran, I'm still thinking about how to tell you about this. I think I can handle it. But Zhao Cai has already told you all, right?"

"Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened!"

"Here's the thing, Zhao Cai herself suggested taking the script back. She'll still write the complete version herself, but because Jia He resigned, she only trusts Jia He, so she doesn't want to continue working with anyone else in your studio. I'm currently trying to persuade her, because I can guarantee that this project will pass the platform's review, but her actions will seriously delay the progress, and the entire process might have to be restarted. And which production company can we find to take over? But she says she doesn't care about any of that; she only cares about Jia He."

"Screenwriter Zhao Cai...you mean that gentle, delicate girl? I remember she was very quiet." Although his memory was hazy, He Yuran still tried hard to recall the scene when he met Zhao Cai in the conference room. At this moment, a trace of regret welled up in his heart; he hadn't interacted with Zhao Cai more and cultivated a relationship with her.

"Yes, she is a bit introverted, but she's always been very principled. Jiahe took her in for a while recently, so she's always remembered that kindness."

Every time He Yuran heard about things Shi Jiahe had done that he didn't know about, he felt conflicted. Why didn't Jiahe say anything? But it really didn't seem necessary to tell her, his boss, these things.

She sighed. "Now that Cheng Xiaotang has exposed the fact that my studio has registered the drama online, I'm in a bit of a bind. Since Zhaocai is determined to withdraw the cooperation, can you give me some advice on what I should do? I can't possibly argue with the screenwriter about breaking the contract, or Jiahe will hate me to death."

"Uh... to be honest, Sister Ran, the screenwriter isn't responsible for this, and they didn't get paid." Wei Ning said bluntly, "Zhao Cai just told me to check the accounts."

He Yuran was silent for a moment. "So, she's going to take this all with her? She's leaving, and she's not leaving me with the project either. Do you think she instructed the screenwriter to do this?"

"Impossible, Sister! Jiahe isn't that kind of person!" Wei Ning knew who He Yuran was talking about without even stuttering, her tone resolute. "She repeatedly told me and Zhaocai to keep the project going. But Zhaocai is determined not to cooperate with you. The two of them have argued about this so many times."

"You found out again? Did you see it with your own eyes?" He Yuran said somewhat defiantly.

"I saw it with my own eyes, because we live together now."

"Huh? When did this happen?"

"Uh, it's hard to explain in a sentence... Anyway, Jiahe and Zhaocai are staying at my place now, so we can look out for each other and it's convenient to talk about work. Ran-jie, just pretend you don't know. Jiahe is also resting and hasn't actually done anything. She hasn't looked for a job, so don't worry."

"What does it matter to me whether she looks for a job or not?" But He Yu-ran felt even worse after hearing this.

You, Shi Jiahe, your life hasn't changed much, but mine has been turned upside down!

He Yuran casually sent Cheng Xiaotang's Weibo link to Wei Ning. "Take a look, and then tell me what to do? My former boss is clearly trying to make me look bad. Once she finds out how things develop, who knows how she'll continue to jump around on Weibo and mock me!"

Wei Ning was quite adamant this time, though her tone was humble, her words were firm. "Sister Ran, I really have no choice. Zhao Cai told me directly that this is her decision. I can use my platform status to pressure her when we cooperate, but if she just walks away, then I'm nothing."

"Sigh, okay, I'll think about it some more."

After hanging up the phone, He Yuran left the meeting room and returned to her workstation, lost in thought. Ding Yi stood up and said quietly, "Boss, that kid really did send the money back. I received the deposit notification."

He Yuran waved his hand impatiently, "I know."

"...So, are we really going to proceed with canceling the registration? Should I prepare to terminate the agreement first?"

"No rush." ​​He Yuran plopped down and stared blankly at the novel on her iPad. She even started thinking, "Why don't I just buy a novel and adapt it? Why does it have to be Zhao Cai's original work? Am I begging you?"

As she kept switching between several reading platforms, Ding Yi stood up again, looked at her, and whispered, "Boss?"

"What is it now!" He Yuran was practically bursting with anger.

Having vented her anger, He Yuran noticed Ding's face had turned pale and realized she had gone too far, quickly lowering her voice. "What's wrong?"

Ding blinked. "A friend told me that a film company owner wants to talk to you."

"What? You want me to act in a movie?"

"I'm not sure either. My friend told me that I need to talk to you in person. He's the owner of Yizhen Films, named Ren Jie. I looked him up, and he seems like a pretty reliable company. Whether it's a collaboration or not, I feel like I should talk to him."

He Yuran rested her chin on her hand and searched online herself. After seeing the list of works by Yizhen Film and Television, her mood improved considerably. Her intuition told her it must be good news, so she said, "Then create a group chat, I'll chat with this person and see."

"Great!" Ding Yi smiled broadly, quickly pulled the group together, and led the greetings.

He Yuran quickly accepted Ren Jie's friend request.

There's no need to be too formal with this kind of film company boss; you never know when you might need their help in the future. After adding him, He Yuran opened the chat box, thinking of an opening line, when the other party spoke first.

"Teacher He, I've heard so much about you!"

"Mr. Ren, you're too kind. I heard you were looking for me. Is there anything I can do for you?" When it comes to business, He Yuran always tries to be the most respectable person.

"Well, this involves your former agent, Shi Jiahe. I'd like to confirm first, has she really resigned?"

He Yuran frowned, thinking, "Why is everyone talking about Jiahe like this in front of me today?" But she could only patiently reply, "Yes, I resigned."

"Oh, that's good!"

He Yuran immediately became unhappy. So you added me here just to ask this question? A boss of your stature is quite inconsiderate.

Ren Jie continued, "Here's the thing, I'm trying to recruit Shi Jiahe to my company as a producer. I talked to her once before, but she still has some reservations. Today I saw some news online about the project 'Top Star Killer,' and I'm very interested. I know that Jiahe was in charge of this project when she was with you, including discovering the screenwriter. I'd like to talk to you, Mr. He, about buying this project and having my company develop it. It would also be a welcome gift for Jiahe. Mr. He, what's your price?"