Actresses

Chapter 31 Attracting Wealth

Shi Jiahe and He Yuran quickly exchanged a glance.

Shi Jiahe mentally estimated when Sister Stone would finish work and arrive, hoping to use that time to deal with Wei Ning. So, she suggested, "How about we go up to the studio and talk? What do you say, Sister Ran?"

He Yuran truly lived up to her reputation as a top-tier artist. Although she had left without saying goodbye, the smile on her face was flawless. The surprise she showed was perfectly timed, and her eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions: appreciation and gratitude. Since Shi Jiahe had already offered her a way out, she gracefully accepted.

"Oh, this is the screenwriter? That's great! Come straight to our company."

Shi Jiahe breathed a sigh of relief, finally relieved that she no longer had to temporarily act as a photographer.

Although she's never afraid of the tedious details of her work, taking photos has always been torture for her. This is because Shi Jiahe can't accurately and promptly describe the artist's performance in every frame, yet this is crucial for photographing artists. Whenever she observes photographers or Xuanxuan taking pictures of Ran Jie, they immediately offer their comments like, "Great! Not bad! This angle is fantastic! Give me more smiles!" This only intensifies Shi Jiahe's anxiety. Because if she were in their shoes, she couldn't possibly imagine how many elaborate compliments could be offered, such as how the artist could strike so many poses! What makes Shi Jiahe even more self-doubting is that the artists personally sift through all the original photos, ultimately selecting a few that she's satisfied with. And those artists' choices often differ drastically from the original photos that Shi Jiahe considers acceptable, sometimes even completely overlapping. After this happened repeatedly, she seriously questioned whether her aesthetic sense was flawed, even confiding in a friend who also works as a talent agent about this anxieties. Later, she discovered that this is the norm for almost all artist teams.

As Shi Jiahe inwardly rejoiced that they could discuss things that would actually help advance the project, she led the way to the studio.

Along the way, they chatted for a few minutes.

Wei Ning explained that the frail-looking screenwriter, named Zhao Cai, was a graduate of the drama department and was quite talented.

But Shi Jiahe looked him up and down and felt that Zhao Cai looked too young, so she asked, "What are some of Zhao Cai's previous signed works...?"

Wei Ning deflected the question.

Shi Jiahe felt she had a basic idea of ​​what was going on. It was likely just someone Wei Ning had temporarily pulled in from somewhere; who knew if they were even the screenwriter? Let's see what they can come up with.

Upon arriving at the studio, Ding Zhang arranged for tea to be poured for everyone. Then the four of them sat down in the conference room.

He Yuran called Ding Yi over to listen together, and Ding Yi sat down to the side with a smile.

Unlike the atmosphere in the coffee shop earlier, He Yuran barely spoke this time. Shi Jiahe took on the role of meeting moderator and began to outline the agenda.

"Teacher Wei, everyone's here. You can begin!"

Wei Ning looked very serious and turned to Zhao Cai, saying, "It's that story about the entertainment industry you mentioned. Give Ran Jie a summary."

Zhao Cai, probably due to her lack of experience and possibly no prior contact with celebrities, was so nervous in front of He Yu Ran that she couldn't even speak clearly. She lowered her head after being glanced at by He Yu Ran, then turned to Wei Ning, her lips trembling as she said, "Teacher Wei, how about I send you the document when I get back? I…"

As he spoke, his stuttering became so severe that he was speechless.

Wei Ning grew anxious, his voice noticeably rising. "Tell me the story first! Isn't this what you wrote yourself? You need to make it flow smoothly, understand? Screenwriters shouldn't just be able to write; they need to be able to tell the story."

Shi Jiahe stood by with her arms crossed, watching as if she were observing a training course on oral expression skills for screenwriting students. Since this Zhao Cai wasn't someone she had introduced, she felt no pressure and was happy to see him make a fool of himself.

"I...I..." Zhao Cai was still stammering.

Ding Yi stood up. "Boss, I have some work to finish. Why don't you guys go ahead and get back to it?"

He Yuran said, "Go to hell."

Ding Yi picked up his teacup and closed the door from the outside. One less person was in the meeting room, but the tense atmosphere didn't ease at all; it looked like Zhao Cai was even having trouble breathing.

"If it really doesn't work, we can reschedule for another day, or you can send us the document so we can process it as quickly as possible," Shi Jiahe said with a smile.

She wasn't just smiling; she was genuinely relaxed.

Wei Ning shook her head vigorously, "Sister Ran has been sitting here all day, the script is in Zhao Cai's head, but this kid is bad at expressing himself and can't explain it clearly."

"So let's just look at the documentation."

Wei Ning's face also turned red. "No, it's better to say it out loud. I believe it will definitely move Sister Ran."

He Yuran looked at Zhaocai with concern. "No rush, no rush. Young people may need some time to adjust. Don't be nervous. Just pretend we don't exist, that you're talking to thin air, or talking to yourself. If all else fails, I'll teach you a way to act—"

Shi Jiahe said from the side, "Boss, this might be a bit too late."

He Yuran said "Oh," and then, "How about this, why don't you tell me, for example, what you think is the most exciting scene for the female lead?"

Asking such a specific question seemed to ease Zhao Cai's tension a bit, and she finally opened up. "She...she was originally an unknown actress. Her most important scene was when she arrived at the new drama crew and had a serious conflict with the female lead, but unexpectedly, the female lead died a few days later. So she also became one of the murder suspects. But after being involved in the murder case, her career went from being unknown to becoming extremely popular."

"So what were her inner changes like?"

Zhao Cai took a sip of tea to calm herself down and continued, "Actually, these so-called conflicts on set are all very trivial matters. But when everything is laid out and placed under public scrutiny, it becomes very sharp. The evidence that others used to accuse the female lead of murder became proof of her good character in the public's eyes, which is also the basis for her comeback."

"But I'm having a hard time figuring out how to portray it in a film or television series. Could you elaborate?"

"I think that although some dramas in the past have depicted the entertainment industry, they have only served as background. In fact, the subtle competitive relationships between women in the entertainment industry are usually demonized and full of stereotypes. I want to use a murder case as the background of the whole story, which not only shows the competition between female stars, but also reveals some details of their work and life. This way, we can show the predicament of narrow upward mobility that actresses generally encounter."

He Yuran nodded without saying anything.

Shi Jiahe glanced at her boss and immediately understood. She added, "The story has a good start, but I think it needs a lot of industry details to support it. The story needs to be written very solidly. We may need more specific details to make you feel the main point you want to express."

The implication is that you're only in your early twenties at most, how many years of industry experience could you possibly have? Can you even write that?

Zhao Cai seemed not to understand Shi Jiahe's meaning and continued, "Actually, it's not just the female lead and the murdered female celebrity; every relationship between the characters in the story is like this, a completely opposite contrast in a certain dimension."

He Yuran scratched his ear, but still didn't say anything.

Shi Jiahe smiled politely, "May you bring wealth—"

But Zhao Cai kept talking to himself, and Shi Jiahe, at her wit's end, called out, "Zhao Cai!"

Zhao Cai then stopped talking and stared at her blankly.

"Zhao Cai, I think we should do this: we do need an ensemble piece, and the story would work if we told it based on the relationships between the characters. But if the main plot is a murder case, then I guess its primary genre is suspense, right? Suspense stories like that are usually more about plot than characters. I don't think that might fit our needs. What do you think?"

Zhao Cai listened attentively, and at that moment, his emotions seemed to suddenly stabilize, and he was no longer as cautious as before.

"Mr. Shi, I don't think so. Summarizing a story in just one or two sentences might give you some kind of preconceived notion, but if we can judge what a story is like just by looking at the synopsis, then why do we even need to write new stories! Of course, you might not believe me, but I think not only is the story itself good, but the characters and their portrayals are also quite strong!"

Zhao Cai's words even revealed a confidence he had never shown before, and his eyes sparkled with a youthful brilliance that Shi Jiahe hadn't seen in a long time.

Shi Jiahe paused for a moment, then quickly smiled again. "Yes, I believe in your talent, but just saying it like that might not be enough for us to fully understand. Is there a text, even just an outline? That would help us understand what you mean better."

In fact, at this point, Shi Jiahe already had a general idea of ​​where the crux of the problem lay.

Film and television have been repeatedly telling stories that humanity has told long ago; this is nothing new. The core issue today isn't whether Zhao Cai is worldly-wise or not, nor whether the story outweighs the characters, but rather that, as things stand, Wei Ning seems intent on securing the artist's interest first. Not having a fully developed script isn't inherently bad, but why is Wei Ning in such a hurry, even violating industry procedures? That's a question.

Based on Shi Jiahe's experience, it's likely that Wei Ning's production studio encountered some problems.

But this has nothing to do with Shi Jiahe.

To put it bluntly, or even to be cynical, whether Wei Ning was involved in this project or not is irrelevant. As long as there's a suitable script, He Yuran's name alone can find a producer, and there won't be a shortage of production and investment.

Shi Jiahe turned her gaze back to Zhao Cai in front of her and began to carefully examine his youthful face.

The greeting was rushed, but now I see she's a girl with a remarkably pure face, her eyes revealing clarity and determination. I just don't know if she's a seasoned screenwriter. If she had existing work, Wei Ning would have mentioned it already. After all, Wei Ning is such a pragmatic person; she always likes to talk about achievements.

"Let's add each other on WeChat, that way you can send me the files anytime," Shi Jiahe said to Zhao Cai.

Unexpectedly, Wei Ning stepped in front of Zhao Cai and said first, "Zhao Cai is shy, Jia He, we can just keep in touch. We'll release character biographies, highlight scenes, and a 3000-word synopsis as soon as possible, how about that?"

Shi Jiahe pretended not to notice the subtle tension and immediately said, "Okay! When is the earliest I can see it? Looking forward to it."

"Two days?" Wei Ning asked, turning to look at Zhao Cai as if testing the waters.

Without hesitation, Zhao Cai replied, "I can give it to you tonight."

"No need to rush, let's proofread it carefully. How about we provide a complete version the day after tomorrow?"

"No problem," Shi Jiahe said. "Then I look forward to your masterpiece."

"Okay! Let's go back and prepare our things now." This time, Wei Ning was decisive and immediately pulled Zhao Cai up to say goodbye.

Shi Jiahe didn't try to stop them. She came out and watched the two of them enter the elevator before turning back to the conference room.

He Yuran was still sitting in her seat, slowly sipping her tea. "You haven't added me on WeChat yet, have you?"

"I didn't say anything more. Let's wait for Wei Ning to give us the things. Sis, why did Wei Ning stop me from adding that kid on WeChat?"

"That's someone else's creator resources."

"But if she didn't want us to see her, she wouldn't have bothered to bring her out at all."

"Then you'll have to ask her yourself." He Yuran waved her phone. "I just asked a friend, and they said that there's been a rumor circulating within the platform where Wei Ning works that a batch of studios will be laid off by the end of this year. If I'm not mistaken, Wei Ning must be under a lot of pressure right now, so she probably needs to urgently tie herself to a few projects first."

"No wonder. In that case, we don't need to work with her at all. But I'm quite interested in that screenwriter. It's just that she's too bad at talking."

"I think he's quite articulate; let's just talk to that kid directly."

"Wei Ning would be furious if he knew," Shi Jiahe said jokingly.

"Without a contract, it doesn't count for anything. We never even planned to work with her in the first place."

"Got it, I'll go find someone to inquire about Zhao Cai right away. Actually, I think her story sounds quite interesting, and with a few modifications, it should meet our requirements. It's just that suspense might not be so easy to film."

"Let's get the script first before we talk about the next step," He Yuran said bluntly. "Anyway, we don't have a better option at this stage. Let's contact Zhao Cai first, and don't let Wei Ning know."

"Okay." Shi Jiahe made a receiving gesture.