Shen Yichen nodded his head as he looked at Jiang Yuning.
After arriving at the hotel, Shen Yichen quickly brought his artiste, Jiang Yuning, into the elegant hotel room because one of his top rules was to never let a director wait for an actress or actor.
Half an hour later, Director Shen Guobang and his assistant pushed open the door of the hotel room.
The first impression that Director Shen Guobang had as soon as he saw Jiang Yuning was that she had eyes that made her looked like a sly fox and she had a beautiful smile. From the outset, one could already tell that Jiang Yuning was very intelligent and she could even be a little treacherous. However, she was really very beautiful and she did not try to hide her wild personality at all.
This was so much better then staring into the face of an actress who would do anything just to get his attention.
“Hello, Director Shen.”
“Sit down, sit down. You do not have to stand up.” Shen Guobang said to Jiang Yuning as soon as he sat down.
This girl was definitely not as simple as she looked.
“I have already seen the short video that you uploaded onto your public social account. The video was really good. I really enjoyed it. Why did you decide to make the video?”
Shen Guobang asked Jiang Yuning but at the same time, he was thinking to himself that she had better not reply that she did it was to promote the national cultural campaign that was ongoing.
She had better not say that she did it purely because she was passionate about it.
He knew that anything done by anyone in the entertainment industry was always because they wanted to get famous or recognized.
“I guess I probably did it because the netizens seem to be less annoying and have fewer criticisms for me when I do this,” Jiang Yuning replied as she smiled. “In fact, I have been trying to look for a way to do things so that I can change the negative perception that the netizens seem to have about me.”
“Have you watched any of the dramas that I have produced?” Shen Guobang asked as he leaned back against the back of his chair and stared at Jiang Yuning.
This was a bonus question, miss! The assistant felt a little anxious as he stood beside Shen Guobang.
However, Jiang Yuning did not answer the way anyone else would have if they had been in her situation. After shaking her head, she bluntly replied, “I have already been in the entertainment industry for five years and in addition to reading and memorizing my script, I rarely have the time to watch other people’s drama.”
Shen Yichen and Shen Guobang’s assistant were both in shock when they heard Jiang Yuning’s blunt reply.
Any other actresses would have begun to sing praises about his work, but Jiang Yuning…
It’s over. Everything is over. Shen Guobang’s assistant thought to himself.
“So, what makes you think that I will choose you for the role of the third female lead then?” The expression on Shen Guobang’s face did not change, but his tone was harsher, as though it was a precursor to his anger.
The atmosphere at this time was already extremely awkward and Shen Yichen was just thinking of ways to remedy the situation when he suddenly heard Jiang Yuning’s reply.
“I guess you will probably choose me because I am beautiful? Hahaha…I am actually pretty sure that you will choose me in the end. I am not sure what kind of character your third female lead is supposed to have, but I believe that I must be a perfect match for you to invite me here today.”
The entire room was silent for two seconds and it felt as though the atmosphere had gotten even more tense in that mere two seconds.
Aside from that, the atmosphere in the room felt a little strange too.
At this time, Shen Guobang suddenly laughed out loud. “Young girl, you are really brave. I like your attitude.”
“That is because…” Jiang Yuning continued as she looked at Shen Guobang. “If you really wanted to look for a good actress, there are so many other actresses out there who are much more talented than I am. If you had decided to contact me, then I guess you must be really interested to cast me for the role. That means that I have an advantage over the others, right?”
“It’s her…just sign her.” Shen Guobang instantly made a decision.
Shen Yichen exchange glances with Shen Guobang’s assistant because they felt that signing an employment contract in such a manner was not right…wouldn’t this be too casual?
They did not discuss the role. They did not even discuss Jiang Yuning’s acting skills.
“Director Shen, are you sure about this?”
“If I am not sure, would you like to make a decision for me?” Shen Guobang replied as he glared at his assistant. After that, he turned around and looked at Jiang Yuning before asking, “So, when will you release the second issue of the short video?”
“I will start shooting the video later in the afternoon and the short video will be released next Monday,” Jiang Yuning quickly replied.
“Your videographer is pretty impressive. Let me know who your videographer is. Ask him to come and learn some skills from me for a few days. Next time, he will definitely be able to take his video shooting to the next level.”
Shen Guobang’s assistant was extremely surprised to see this side of the director.
There was only laughter and the sound of endless conversations going on throughout the entire lunchtime. It was as though a father was having lunch with his daughter. Shen Yichen had already known that Jiang Yuning could get along easily with the older generation. If she could get along so well with Gu Pingsheng, it was only natural that she would be able to get along with Shen Guobang. The more Shen Yichen looked at Jiang Yuning, the more he was impressed with her knowledge. She had been talking about pen and ink with the director and now they had already moved on to talk about gold, silver, and jade.
This was the most comfortable Shen Guobang had ever felt after meeting up with many different actors and actresses. He felt that Jiang Yuning was really a very interesting person. She did not talk about the terms of the employment contract, she did not talk about the upcoming drama, but she was willing to talk to him about everything else in the world, just so that he would feel good.
Furthermore, her knowledge was vast and she was not merely saying things that she did not know about at all.
Shen Guobang thoroughly enjoyed the lunch that he had with Jiang Yuning. After that, they also settled the contract involving the role of the third female lead in a pleasant and amicable manner.
“Wait for our notice in two days’ time before coming over to try out the outfits and the makeup.”
“Alright then, I will wait patiently for Director Shen Guobang’s notice,” Jiang Yuning replied as she smiled brightly.
“I really like your smile,” Shen Guobang replied as he pointed at Jiang Yuning. “You remind me of my young daughter. She is always smiling so brightly just like you and it makes everyone around her feel extremely comfortable and relaxed. I am happy to include a person like you in my cast.”
“I will not let you down.”
Shen Guobang laughed out loud before he got into his black car and left the hotel. After seeing the two persons off, Shen Yichen returned to Jiang Yuning’s side before saying, “How do you do it? Every time I bring you out to discuss a collaboration, you always have your own way to do it and it always turns out to be a wonderful ending!”
“Director Shen, you have to get used to it,” Jiang Yuning replied as she patted his shoulder gently. “I do not want to do what everyone else is doing.”
Shen Yichen did not know why but he felt as though he could see extreme vitality radiating from Jiang Yuning’s smile.
This must be the reason why anyone who had contact with her would immediately be attracted to her.
She seemed to have the potential to make everyone adore her.
“You somehow managed to get the role that everyone else tried everything in the world to get and you did it so easily. I am really speechless.”
“It’s fate. It’s all fate!” Jiang Yuning replied as she laughed.
“I am really curious though. Where did you gain all your knowledge from? How did you know about ancient papermaking, how to distinguish jade, how to prepare jasmine tea, and so forth? Who did you learn it from?”
“My grandpa used to love such topics and he would be talking about them all day long. I had no choice but to listen to him go on and on. I guess that is why I know it all right now,” Jiang Yuning replied as she thought about her grandfather.
“I would not be surprised if you suddenly told me that you know how to sew and embroider,” Shen Yichen said because he would not be surprised if she actually knew how to do it. “I almost forgot to tell you. Chairman Gu had spoken to me today and he has decided to completely remove the role of Qin Tong from <Backlight>. I guess he really values you and this is the way that he has decided to give you justice.”
“Uncle is really good to me.”
Everyone was good to her. It was not just Gu Pingsheng.
…
Last night at eleven o’clock in the middle of the night.
After Lu Jingzhi saw that Jiang Yuning had finally fallen asleep, he got out of bed and took his cell phone to the study room.
He searched for the number of one of his father’s close friend and eventually clicked on the contact of a person named Shen Guobang.
Even if I am not working in your industry and even if I do not have the time to accompany you during the day, I still want to protect you in my own way. – Lu Jingzhi.
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