Actresses

Chapter 3 Domination

Shi Jiahe frowned and said, "Teacher Ye, it's not easy to do a project on your own. In fact, in the past year or so, we have contacted almost every director with a name in the industry, but the projects they are currently working on don't really have a suitable role for Sister Ran, and the progress is very slow. If they are like this, let alone us."

Ye Hong smiled. "Yu Ran had a high starting point, but her ten-year period of great fortune has passed. Going with the flow now also means starting afresh. The support she received from renowned directors in her early years was both a blessing and a curse; now it has become a constraint. Only by connecting with young creators can we restore her most authentic qualities and allow her to be reborn."

Every word made Shi Jiahe's heart pound; she felt like closing her eyes as she listened.

She wanted to give up trying to smooth things over. Only four words lingered in her mind.

So be it.

"Teacher Ye, do you think my luck will only last ten years?" He Yuran finally spoke. "Once my luck is over, what's the point of me working hard anymore?"

"An actor can't live on the hope of good fortune alone. Life is so long," Master Ye said.

"But I'm the kind of person who, once I start something, I'm determined to succeed. I don't believe my luck will only last ten years." He Yuran fiddled with his hair. "God has dealt me ​​a great hand, and I can't afford not to play it."

"If you hadn't become an instant sensation right after your debut, would you still be acting?"

Shi Jiahe looked at He Yuran nervously, but to her surprise, her sister Ran was very calm, as if she were commenting on a third party who had nothing to do with her. She even tugged at her hand.

"I don't know. With my talent, I was destined to become famous, and that's proven true. I can no longer think about things that haven't happened yet with the mindset I had when I was 20. But as for acting, I'm very certain now. I must continue acting and let everyone see that I, He Yuran, have the ability to rise from the ashes at any time!"

Shi Jiahe whispered a reminder from the side, "Sis, you can't use the phrase 'resurrected from ashes' like that... it's a derogatory term..."

"Oh! Just a little humor, anyway, it's all about passion, why can't we use it?" He Yuran laughed and tossed her hair again.

Before Shi Jiahe took over He Yuran's work, she had seen compilations of interview videos featuring the big star He Yuran with misspelled words and phrases. These videos were full of mispronounced and misused words, enough to make anyone burst into laughter after half a minute, no matter how bad their mood was. But once she became He Yuran's manager, she couldn't laugh at all. Ironically, He Yuran was proud and arrogant, not only refusing to ask her team to delete the mispronounced words, but also readily repeating her past mistakes during promotional interviews. As a result, the amount of material accumulated year after year, and being ridiculed became commonplace.

However, this has led to polarized opinions about He Yuran among netizens. Some admire her straightforward personality and believe she lets her work speak for itself, while others relentlessly criticize her, calling her ignorant and unworthy of her position.

From Shi Jiahe's perspective, besides trying to avoid reading the private messages from the studio that were being criticized, all she could do was remind He Yuran to use words she couldn't handle, or review drafts and sample videos beforehand, deleting any mistakes to nip any potential new slips in the bud. Even so, it couldn't stop He Yuran from occasionally coming up with her own self-righteous new writing ideas.

Shi Jiahe was lost in thought when He Yuran suddenly slapped her hard.

"Master, do you have anything else to do later?" He Yuran asked with a smile.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Oh, this is the end."

"It's alright," the master replied, his answer demonstrating both offensive and defensive capabilities.

"Okay, then I'll keep your schedule open for me." He Yuran said in a coquettish tone, then turned to look at Shi Jiahe, her eyes bright and her voice full of energy. "We had such a pleasant chat today! Jiahe, call the driver over now, the three of us will go to my house to discuss our important plans!"

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "This is bad. Once I go to Sister Ran's house, I don't know how late it will be today."

The superstar He Yuran certainly owns more than one house.

He Yuran achieved fame early on and acquired properties in several upscale residential areas in Beijing, as well as in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Sanya, and her hometown. However, her other properties in Beijing always had various problems, and He Yuran was too lazy to maintain them, so she listed them all for rent. She herself chose to live in the smaller of two apartments in the same complex, using the larger one as a studio or office. This made it convenient for her to attend company meetings.

However, as the boss, He Yuran rarely goes to the company, and her employees, including Shi Jiahe, only go to work sporadically. There's one good thing about He Yuran's current career setback: the paparazzi have basically stopped following her, and her daily life is practically that of an ordinary person. If she goes out for a stroll without makeup, almost no one will recognize her.

Even with such convenience, He Yuran still went through another ordeal. She used to live in the larger apartment and would host parties several times a week. Her career wasn't going as well, and she saw fewer celebrity friends. Apart from Shi Jiahe, the only people who frequently visited were her assistant, driver, and housekeeper. He Yuran felt the apartment was empty and too lonely, so she moved back to the smaller one.

Whenever Shi Jiahe thinks of these things, she feels a kind of unrealistic envy.

We're all human, yet so different. He Yuran's problem is having too many houses, constantly having to decide which one to live in, and being able to freely switch living spaces. Shi Jiahe, on the other hand, is currently struggling even to own a modest apartment of a few dozen square meters in Beijing. But even so, compared to people in smaller cities, this problem is far more luxurious.

Just then, the driver's words interrupted all of Shi Jiahe's random thoughts.

"Mr. He, we've arrived."

"Okay, okay." Shi Jiahe opened her eyes, got out of the passenger seat, first helped Sister Ran and Master out of the car, then gave the driver a few instructions and led the way to the elevator.

Once inside, He Yuran closed the door behind her. Master Ye said with a hint of surprise, "I didn't expect your home to be decorated in such a warm and inviting style."

"Ah, otherwise, what would Teacher Ye think I live in, some kind of mansion?" He Yuran laughed heartily.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Ha, this time Master Ye didn't figure it out. The mansion is in another neighborhood, and yet another neighborhood."

After the three of them changed their shoes, they went inside and sat down. Shi Jiahe went to pour water and make tea, and He Yuran asked her to get some wine. He said a string of words in a mix of Chinese and English. Seeing that Shi Jiahe looked blank, he simply stood up and went to get the wine and ice himself.

"We don't have an ice bucket at home, and the wine is just so-so, so let's just have a casual drink." He Yuran elegantly raised her glass.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Besides you, no one here cares whether there's ice or what year or manufacturer the wine is."

Sure enough, Ye Hongwei casually took a sip and said, "It's delicious, but unfortunately I don't usually drink and don't know much about it."

He Yuran smiled. "Teacher Ye, this is our first time meeting. Please don't mind if I've offended you in any way."

Shi Jiahe's heart skipped a beat. Ran-jie had changed her form of address already? No longer calling him "Master," but "Teacher" directly. She had originally wanted to interject and subtly remind He Yuran, but judging from the atmosphere of the conversation, it seemed unnecessary for the time being.

"How could that be? I know you have a straightforward personality." Ye Hongwei's slightly smiling face didn't reveal his true temper.

"Teacher Ye, something you said just now really touched me: life is so long! Yes! But I want to tell you seriously now that the best years for us actresses are only twenty or thirty years, and that's already a long time. I've already used up more than ten years of them. I don't want to waste any more time in fear. I want to play roles with fire in my eyes, women who trample fate under their feet. No matter how badly I fall, it won't be worse than giving up on myself."

Ye Hongwei watched He Yuran raise her glass. "I really appreciate what you said. I'm cheering you on."

After saying that, he drank it all in one gulp.

"Oh! I wasn't trying to force you to drink, I was just thinking—" Seeing this, He Yuran quickly finished her glass and said, "Could you come and be my consultant, like taking a look at the script or giving me some advice on marketing strategies?"

Ye Hongwei hesitated for a moment. "To be honest, I need to think about it; I might not have the time."

"Then why don't you just write a script tailor-made for me?" He Yuran felt like she'd thrown a flurry of punches but unexpectedly grasped a universal truth; her eyes suddenly lit up. "You told me you wanted to handle projects yourself, and I've been wondering where scripts come from. Now the answer is clear, isn't it?"

"Writing screenplays isn't my forte. But your approach is on the right track; it's definitely about being hands-on from the creative stage."

"Then let's find a suitable screenwriter to write it. Screenwriters are easy to find, I have some! I can find screenwriters who have won any award! Golden Bull Award! Golden Goose Award? You name it!" He Yuran said, gesturing excitedly as she reached for her phone.

Shi Jiahe quickly restrained He Yuran, who was becoming increasingly agitated. "Sister Ran! Sister! Let's listen to Teacher Ye first."

"Okay." He Yuran put down her phone and leaned obediently against Shi Jiahe.

"Yu Ran, you need to write scripts for ensemble pieces. Don't think about carrying a whole show by yourself anymore, otherwise it will most likely fail. Don't take offense at this."

"No, if you had said that two years ago, I might have minded, but the past two years have taught me a lesson!" He Yuran said cheerfully. Shi Jiahe, who wasn't drinking, choked and coughed, quickly taking a sip to soothe her throat. He Yuran naturally reached out to pat Shi Jiahe's back, while continuing to stare intently at Master Ye. "I did have some illusions before, but today I suddenly realized that I have to face reality, regardless of my pride."

Master Ye laughed heartily. "Yu Ran is being humorous. But he's right."

After clinking glasses, He Yuran took two sips, put down his glass, and pleaded, "Master, my comprehension is limited. Please give me some pointers! What kind of script should I look for?"

Although everyone had completely relaxed, Ye Hongwei was still very cautious in his choice of words. "The subject matter isn't the most important thing. The most urgent task is to reduce the commercial pressure of the projects you're involved in from the source. Simply put, you need to increase the project's leverage while actively reducing costs."

Shi Jiahe was somewhat puzzled. "Could it be that..."

Ye Hong gazed at Shi Jiahe with a smile, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Shi Jiahe was both confused and flustered by the look in her eyes. "...Are you suggesting we take the lead in organizing the project ourselves...?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Hongwei smiled and nodded, looking pleased.

He Yuran's hand, holding a wine glass, hovered in mid-air, and he translated incredulously, "You want me to invest my own money in film and television dramas?"

Master Ye remained calm and unhurried, saying, "Investment is one aspect, but more importantly, you must lead this project from beginning to end, sharing both the glory and the shame, and taking full responsibility."

Shi Jiahe couldn't help but steal glances at He Yuran.

Sure enough, He Yuran's enthusiasm vanished, and her face fell again after hearing this. "I get it. So, in short, nobody wants to play with me anymore, so I'm organizing my own group and begging people to play with me. Right?"

"That's right." Ye Hongwei put down his still-empty glass. "Actors' income has always been received early on and isn't affected by the profits or losses of projects, especially for big-name actors. Right now, it's more difficult than ever for the industry to start new projects. Everyone tends to gamble on top-tier projects with greater commercial appeal, but it's obvious that there's no room for you to shine in those kinds of projects right now. So you have to give up some of your own interests and not stand with the investors, otherwise you might really have no chance in the future."

After that, a terrible silence fell over the room.