Actresses

Chapter 43 Surprise

As the alarm clock rang in her ears, Shi Jiahe suddenly opened her eyes.

She squinted as she picked up her phone; it was exactly 10:00 AM. Today at noon, the four-person lunch she had painstakingly organized over the past few days would officially begin, because there would be a surprise involved.

After a quick wash and dressing, Shi Jiahe glanced at Zhao Cai, who was still fast asleep, and then tiptoed out the door.

The restaurant we booked today was chosen by Sister Stone, mainly to accommodate Zhuang Pan's tastes. It's still a private room, ensuring privacy. Shi Jiahe went to meet up with Xiao Zhao first, and then went to pick up He Yuran.

When they met, sure enough, Sister Ran was still yawning. Shi Jiahe sighed, her relaxed demeanor was truly unique, but she couldn't let her nervousness show. However, thinking about the several tasks she had to complete today, her heart couldn't help but pound.

What if... things go wrong?

She comforted herself, telling herself not to think that way.

Once in the car, He Yuran reclined the seat a little further, leaned back, and closed her eyes to rest. "Has Sister Stone said anything to you these past two days?"

"Zhuang Pan's boyfriend kept inviting her to his older brother's parties, but luckily Sister Stone held him back. Now Zhuang Pan seems to have calmed down a bit and isn't as enthusiastic as she was a few days ago."

"Your mind is working, you're just one step away from the finish line. Today, your sister will be the one to make that final push," He Yuran said lazily.

Shi Jiahe chuckled to herself, but in her heart she thought, "Ran-jie, you're definitely a ticking time bomb today, and the kind that will explode at me at any moment."

Surprisingly, Zhuang Pan wasn't late today and arrived on time with Sister Shi. After everyone politely greeted each other and took their seats, the waiter briefly introduced the dishes and brought over a bottle of Shisidai (a type of Chinese liquor). Only then did the private room quiet down.

Seeing everyone tense and hesitant, Zhuang Pan looked around. "Actually, I don't quite understand why we're having dinner today."

He Yuran then turned to look at Shi Jiahe.

Shi Jiahe had been hiding her face with her water glass, but now that she'd been asked this question, there was no way to avoid this awkward moment. She quickly smiled and raised her glass. "Sister Ran has been resting these past two days and is completely fine now. I also confirmed with Sister Shi that Panpan is free today, so we're gathered here today to discuss the possibility of Panpan joining our drama."

"Huh?" Zhuang Pan turned to look at Sister Shi in surprise. "What are we even discussing? I don't think this was one of our options, and besides, we already made things clear with Sister Ran last time, right? So, how did you communicate with her, sis?"

The last "sister" was clearly stressed, making it sound sarcastic.

Shi Jiahe didn't dare to laugh either. This Zhuang Pan, when she throws a tantrum, doesn't care about the occasion.

Stone Sister, clearly used to it, smiled faintly. "I was indeed worried before that Panpan's abilities would put too much pressure on Ran Jie, since the audience can spot the difference in acting skills at a glance. But then I thought, we also need to transform ourselves; we can't stay in our comfort zone forever. Isn't learning from Ran Jie a ready-made opportunity?"

Zhuang Pan's expression had turned rather unpleasant as she stared at her manager as if she were a stranger. "Sister, you didn't say that before." Then she turned to look at He Yuran. "Besides, I don't really understand, Sister Ran, do you really listen to your manager in everything? How much responsibility will she take for your career?"

He Yuran chuckled softly. Shi Jiahe understood this opening; whenever her sister did this, it meant she was about to elevate the tone.

"I feel that times have changed. It's not like three, five, or even ten years ago, when the industry was booming and we had the time and energy to find fault with everyone on the team. Now, with so many fewer scripts being given to us, how can we so clearly assign blame? Even if we do, what can Panpan do? If we're so calculating with our agents, what about our own responsibilities as actors? We get paid more, so shouldn't we bear the greatest responsibility? I think we should all work together to find solutions, instead of blaming each other with our dearest agents. Don't you agree?"

Although Ran Jie's words were just polite, they almost made Shi Jiahe, who was standing next to her, lose her composure and try to discern how much truth and falsehood was in them.

"Sister Ran, I'll say something you won't like to hear: maybe your movies haven't been doing well these past few years because you've turned a blind eye!" Zhuang Pan said angrily.

But his gaze remained fixed on He Yuran, not sparing Shi Jiahe a single glance.

Sigh, Shi Jiahe thought, how did we get into this back-and-forth so quickly? But things still needed to be discussed. She was very clear about one thing: if you wanted to get the artists to work, you had to clearly explain to them the benefits. So today she had to get to Zhuang Pan's heart, and this reason had to be ten times more important than love.

Shi Jiahe began to smooth things over. "Well, since I'm the one who organized this gathering, the responsibility for this explanation still lies with me. I think everyone's starting point is the same: we all want to create a work. Every actor hopes to have a representative work and a memorable role, wouldn't you two agree?"

"That's what they say. Which production doesn't claim to be doing a good job before filming? And what's the final product? Only the fans are enthusiastically sharing it," Zhuang Pan said dismissively. "Let me tell you the truth, if you were a serious drama, I could have a good chat with you today, but unfortunately, you're not."

"Teacher Zhuang, I really don't think actors can only shine in serious dramas. Over the years, the audience and fans are quite familiar with your acting style. But everyone still has expectations, hoping that you can bring out your own stubbornness, gentleness, and insight into the characters. This script is definitely different from the dramas you've seen. It's not a character with only highlights or a superficial persona. It's truly written based on your characteristics, and it will bring your charm to life through the character."

Zhuang Pan finally glanced at Shi Jiahe, sneered, and a tiny curve appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Shi Jiahe ignored her mockery and continued talking.

"Actually, in the few times I've worked with you, I've seen different facets of you. In the past, your roles might have only highlighted one aspect, such as being carefree or innocent, so people would label you, which over time seemed too one-dimensional, which might have led you to want to transform. But I think you haven't yet explored your strengths to the fullest. What this role can offer you is that you don't have to step out of your comfort zone, but you can tear off all the stereotypical labels and let everyone see the flexibility and possibilities in your performance. I've never believed that an actor has to force a transformation. In fact, no actor can handle every role. It's already difficult to leave a distinct image in the audience's mind, especially with today's diverse and fragmented media channels. In fact, the main group that most identifies with this role might just be fans. But the problem is that some actors, after hearing some fans' suggestions that they want to see you play whatever role they want, immediately go and play roles that are completely incompatible with their temperament, completely wasting their talent. What I'm going to do now is combine your charm with the role, and the acting requirements are definitely within your capabilities. I believe it will become your true life role to date."

Zhuang Pan still didn't answer, picked up the glass of wine on the table, took a sip, and glanced at Sister Stone. "Did you know beforehand that she was going to say that?"

"Yes." Stone nodded. "I've also read the character's biography."

Just then, Shi Jiahe heard her phone ring. She glanced down and saw it was from He Yuran. Startled, she quickly grabbed the phone.

"I didn't even see the character biographies, how did Zhuang Pan see them?"

The two were sitting on the same side of the table, and she didn't even notice when He Yuran took her phone under the table.

She immediately started to get a headache and quickly typed a few words: "Sis, I'll talk to you in a bit."

I put down my phone again and looked at the person across the street with a smile.

Where were we?

"Your characters are the most awesome," Zhuang Pan said irritably.

"Teacher Zhuang, whether I'm bragging or not, Sister Shi will have her say." Shi Jiahe suddenly got a little angry.

She passed the buck to Stone, but the pressure couldn't all fall on her; the two of them had to work together.

Stone Sister is reliable; she handled it steadily. "Panpan, we can say whatever we want in private, but in front of a senior like you, it's all the same. Over the years, I've watched you come this far. Actually, your last few films weren't low-budget productions, but how were the results?"

"I think it works pretty well," Zhuang Pan said, sticking out her neck.

"That's to appease you. And nobody says anything unpleasant to an artist, not even the platform's leaders and producers. They're all just trying to appease you. You've actually had several flops in a row? Why is it so hard to secure your next role? Do you think that if you can't carry a historical or modern drama, you can just get a superficial role in a serious drama and everything will be fine? I thought it would be okay for you to take a break and experience life, but you've spent all your time dating—"

Zhuang Pan interrupted Stone Sister directly. "It's still the same old story! What's wrong with me dating? Did I commit a crime? Why do you all have such a big prejudice against actresses dating? It's my own relationship, and I'll handle any problems myself, okay? I'll also make my own choices about which roles I want to take, so stop pressuring me."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Then you should at least try to resolve this." However, just watching Sister Stone get angry was a bit intimidating. But Shi Jiahe had a gut feeling that even if things continued like this, she still wouldn't be able to persuade Zhuang Pan today.

Zhuang Pan continued her tirade: "He's busier every day now, we hardly ever see each other, and he told me, 'You've been through a rising phase too, you have to understand me, especially since female fans are always following me. If we get photographed together, it won't be good for you.' What can I say? What can I say?"

"These are all just appearances. Does he really mean he has no time? What kind of international superstar is he that he can't even find time to meet with you and have a proper talk?"

"Don't ask me, go ask him."

Emma Stone's voice also rose noticeably. "This is your own problem! You're not addressing the core issue, and it's already affecting the entire team's morale, do you understand?"

Shi Jiahe suddenly realized the crux of the problem.

There's one problem with chatting with Zhuang Pan: the communication efficiency is too low. She can understand everything in a flat way. I don't know if that's just her level of comprehension, or if she's just pretending not to understand. In any case, the conversation can't go any deeper. No wonder Sister Stone finds it so tiring to work with her.

On the other hand, even though Zhuang Pan makes no secret of her growing dissatisfaction with Stone, she actually can't do without her. Because given Zhuang Pan's temper, no manager could tolerate her, and it's very likely that it would make Zhuang Pan even more unbearable.

However, Shi Jiahe couldn't care less about any of that right now, nor did she have time to think about He Yuran's feelings. She tilted her phone screen slightly outward and quickly typed another line of text.

"Hurry up and come, this place is about to collapse."