Actresses

Chapter 57 Advancement

Zhuang Pan sighed and continued, "He said, 'Fine, do whatever you want. Life only offers a few opportunities, and if you can't seize them, that's your own problem.' After saying that, he turned around and went back."

"He went back and seized the opportunity," He Yuran continued to complain.

"I played two games by myself in the bathroom, lost both times, and got yelled at, which made me even angrier. When I came out, those guys were still there. Then another woman came, and there was one more person who couldn't speak properly. They didn't even look at me. My boyfriend couldn't get a word in edgewise either, and just kept making silly noises and laughing."

"I'm still completely confused by what you've been saying. What did you do all night?" He Yuran asked sarcastically.

"Pah! I didn't care this time. Right in front of those people, I went back to get my bag and left. It's amazing, I almost got lost in that alley, turning left and right. Luckily, someone came out to use the restroom in the middle of the night. At first, I thought he was a pervert and I was so scared that I kept screaming. He said, 'Why are you screaming? I'm scared.' Then that person kindly gave me directions. After I got out, I used Doubao to search how to call a taxi. I never needed to do these things before! But yesterday I really didn't want to call Shitou at all."

"Why are you doing this?"

Shi Jiahe nodded repeatedly, "Yes, even Sister Ran could think of that."

Zhuang Pan sighed. "But at least I'm home now. I didn't tell anyone on the team. I know they're all looking for me, but I'm still angry. Don't think that just because I'm angry with my boyfriend, I'm not angry with her."

"But the nature of the situation is different. I've said it before, your agent is genuinely good to you, you have to admit that."

Zhuang Pan didn't answer the question directly, but continued talking about herself. "I went to sleep as soon as I got home. Then I got up in the middle of the night to drink, play some games, and space out, and then it was dawn. I dozed off again for a while. I went to the bathroom, looked at myself in the mirror for a bit, and suddenly realized, 'How ugly I am! I'm so swollen! It must be because of those few sips of whiskey I drank last night. Plus, I got angry with that guy. I can't lose my love, my career, and then my face too—that would be the end of me!'"

"But I don't see you doing any projects."

"Sigh, I'm afraid of pain, so there are many things I can't do, and I'm too scared to get injections. I'll think about it in a few years. If I really do get cast, then I can't move around too much, in case I don't recover properly. Sigh, now even changing my makeup makes people say I look like I have a completely different face, it's so annoying, I don't want to do anything every day."

"I think we should call those two younger sisters in," He Yuran said. "You were talking so strangely earlier, I thought you'd been taken advantage of, but it seems like it's all fine now."

Shi Jiahe knew that Ran Jie was putting Zhuang Pan down. This person was really funny, asking others such a jarring question, and then saying these things herself.

"Oh dear, I'm worried about what might happen next, so..."

Then Shi Jiahe heard He Yuran shout outside, and soon the door opened and someone came in. Actually, He Yuran's voice could be heard very clearly from the front desk.

After that, there was no further meaningful conversation. Shi Jiahe listened for another ten minutes or so. The artist was probably about to close her eyes and rest before starting the facial treatment, so she turned off the phone and took off her headphones. Then she sent He Yuran a WeChat message.

For Shi Jiahe, this period of time was simply a matter of enduring it.

She did want to get a facial massage, but she didn't know when the service ended. She asked the manager, who only gave a vague answer: about an hour. However, this presented another problem. The manager couldn't predict what the celebrity would say or do after waking up. They're different from regular customers; whatever they might say, like asking someone to wait outside the room, the shop couldn't rush them, as they relied on these celebrity clients. Therefore, the entire process could easily be extended, and the time was uncertain.

Shi Jiahe borrowed a power bank from the store, otherwise her phone would have run out of battery twice.

It was past noon when the two celebrities finally emerged, looking rather dawdled. It's unclear what treatment they had done, but both their faces were slightly flushed. This is likely due to recent stimulation of the skin; they should recover after a few days of rest.

When Zhuang Pan saw Shi Jiahe outside, she exclaimed, "Wow! Sister, your agent is so kind, he even came to the store to pick you up!"

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "I've been here all along."

Then the two of them argued back and forth about whose card to swipe, and after arguing for a while at the front desk, they finally came out.

After going downstairs, Shi Jiahe was still thinking that everyone should go home. But no, Zhuang Pan had no intention of leaving and followed He Yuran all the way.

"Sis, are you busy today? I want to spend a little more time with you," Zhuang Pan said in a coquettish tone.

"I'm going home." He Yuran gave Shi Jiahe a meaningful look.

Shi Jiahe understood; this probably meant, "I didn't expect Zhuang Pan to show up. What, are you determined to be her little tagalong today, even going home with her?"

But it wasn't easy to refuse. He Yuran could only smile and say, "Okay, then I'll take you home today and make sure you're well taken care of."

Zhuang Pan, ever the opportunist, feigned shyness and leaned against He Yuran. "Sis, you're always saying things that make people blush."

Shi Jiahe turned her face away; she couldn't bear to look.

So the three of them went downstairs to meet Xiao Zhao and got into the car. Shi Jiahe automatically sat in the front passenger seat. She thought to herself, although she had waited long enough, Xiao Zhao had been even more bored and tired, waiting in the car all by himself until now.

They drove all the way back to He Yuran's apartment complex. After parking in the underground garage, Shi Jiahe hesitated whether to go upstairs, but Zhuang Pan grabbed her arm. "Manager, don't go, come with us."

Shi Jiahe really wanted to say, "I have my own name," but then she thought, "Forget it." Why bother arguing with this kind of celebrity? It's pointless.

She glanced at the boss as if seeking help, but He Yuran nodded without hesitation. "Let's go, let's go, it'll be more fun with more people."

Shi Jiahe had no choice but to open the building entrance door, and then walk ahead, pressing elevator buttons and blocking doors along the way.

The two celebrities were arm in arm, chatting and laughing, looking like longtime best friends.

Shi Jiahe kept stealing glances at He Yuran, thinking to herself, "Although my sister is ten years older than Zhuang Pan, she really has a superior temperament." For the first time, the passage of time didn't make her feel that women getting older was scary; on the contrary, it clearly added to their charm and allure. Shi Jiahe even started thinking, "If I had to choose between these two actresses right now, I'd choose Sister Ran." Then she thought to herself, "How did I end up picking her?"

She opened the door, went inside, and changed her shoes. Shi Jiahe, unsurprisingly, took on the role of looking after everyone. She fetched a glass and poured wine, completing the series of actions in one smooth motion.

"Sister Ran, does your manager come to your house often?" Zhuang Pan asked.

"Yeah, my house is her house too, she even sleeps at my house all the time," He Yuran said casually.

Shi Jiahe couldn't explain it either, because she always had to come and drag Ran Jie out of bed. She just smiled and said, "Yes, Ran Jie gave me my second home in Beijing."

"Oh, that's great. I also want to be like sisters with my manager. Stone is really scary, she feels like my mom. I know she's good to me, but sometimes I'm just so annoyed, so very annoyed. It's the same with my mom, I just can't handle this kind of relationship." Zhuang Pan said, hugging her cup and curled up in the corner of the sofa.

At times like these, He Yuran's strengths shine through. She always holds herself to industry standards when interacting with younger artists, resulting in exceptionally appropriate behavior.

She sat very demurely, the corners of her mouth turned up in an extremely elegant curve. "Panpan, I think the problem is like this. You want your agent to be like a sister to you, but you have to consider the actual situation between the two of you. I'm a bit older than Jiahe, so physically she naturally feels like my younger sister. But there's also an age difference between you and your agent, so from your perspective, it's difficult to become best friends. You can't force it. You can't see our relationship as ideal and then try to apply it to yourself. For example, if I envy your youth, it's just needless worry, because I can never go back to your age, and even with cosmetic procedures, I won't have your skin condition, right? We need to be objective."

"Sis, I haven't really had any cosmetic procedures done. I just couldn't think of anything else to do today, so..."

Zhuang Pan became incoherent, clearly because she was a little smug after being praised by He Yuran.

Shi Jiahe, standing to the side, covered her face with a cup, secretly chuckling to herself.

But He Yuran remained serious. "You said you made a scene yesterday, you were all sulking, and a whole day has passed, yet you still haven't replied to your team and agent's WeChat messages. What are the staff supposed to think? How can things move forward? Right? People are afraid to meet, trees are afraid to have their bark peeled off. It's better if everyone talks things out. Besides, after last night, looking back, isn't it reasonable for your agent to oppose you being with your boyfriend? Last night only proved that she was prescient."

Zhuang Pan remained silent and quietly downed half a glass of wine.

"For us artists, the most important thing is to have a genuine manager, not someone who just tries to please us by saying nice things all the time. The truth is often hurtful. Actually, behind closed doors, I get angry with my manager every day too. But if I hear these honest criticisms of me from outsiders, it means something is wrong. So Jiahe and I are like family, like the closest sisters. With this kind of relationship, we can joke around and bicker all the time, but we can't really want to separate. That's still my view."

"Okay, sis, I got it. I'll stay here for a day, and I'll contact her when I get back tomorrow, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Jiahe's eyes widened.

Sure enough, He Yuran was also a little surprised, and the two even looked at each other.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Tomorrow? Are you going to spend the night at Ran Jie's house?"