Chapter 386

"Where is Sister Zixing planning to go?"

On his way to film the short film, Lu Yanhe called Huang Kairen and talked about this matter, asking questions.

Huang Kairen laughed, "Why are you asking me about this? One is your manager, and the other is your girlfriend. Shouldn't you be asking them?"

"That's precisely why it's difficult to ask," Lu Yanhe said. "Brother Huang, didn't Sister Zixing tell you?"

“She hasn’t decided yet,” Huang Kairen said. “Anyway, that’s what she told me.”

"Well, you really aren't letting any information out of the box," Lu Yanhe laughed.

Huang Kairen: "Anyway, no matter where it is, I'll go to your place."

"How could that be?" Lu Yanhe said. "Then what have you been busy with lately?"

"I'm preparing for a drama, a drama about lawyers. I'm currently observing and learning at a law firm," Huang Kairen said. "I go there every day to clock in for work."

Because the construction of the Tongfu Inn was required before filming could begin, Huang Kairen took on another project that was scheduled to start filming at the end of the year.

Lu Yanhe was astonished. "Wow, that's amazing, Brother Huang. Isn't your experience of life a bit too much? It's a bit exaggerated."

Huang Kairen: "I'm not afraid to admit it, but I really enjoy thinking about acting now. Before, in order to maintain my exposure and stay in the audience's sight, I filmed one movie after another without daring to stop. Now I don't have that sense of urgency anymore, so I've started to think about filming at a leisurely pace. Before, I felt like I was constantly rushing from one scene to another."

"When you win Best Actor," Lu Yanhe laughed, "you'll have to treat me to a big meal then."

“Okay,” Huang Kairen said. “If I really win Best Actor, I’ll treat you to a big meal. We haven’t gotten together in a long time. You’re not filming right now, you’re busy with classes every day. When are you free? I’ll ask you to have a meal.”

“Sure,” Lu Yanhe said, “but not these next two days, I need to film a short film.”

What kind of short film are you shooting?

“It’s that script for ‘Rouge’ before. You weren’t going to act in it, right? They couldn’t find any other suitable male actors, so they asked me to give it a try. But we both felt that it might not be suitable, so we thought we’d shoot a short film first to see how it goes,” Lu Yanhe said. “It was Zixing who suggested it; she organized the whole thing.”

Huang Kairen: "You're going to act in 'Rouge'? Yan He, are you sure? Have you thought it through? I'm not making excuses for myself, but the character's image is really not good. It's very risky for you to play the role. You've become the dream boyfriend of many girls because of 'Late Spring'. When 'Rouge' is released, you might get banana peels thrown at you."

Lu Yanhe understood Huang Kairen's meaning.

“Brother Huang, I know, I’m still thinking about it myself,” he said. “But this story… to be honest, I really think it will become a classic film. Classic films, regardless of whether the characters are good or bad, are artistic and aesthetic. Even characters with moral flaws still have artistry and character. Brother Huang, if you have nothing to do, why don’t you come and see the set of our short film?”

Huang Kairen: "Huh?"

Do law firms work on weekends?

"They work a lot of overtime."

“But you don’t need to check in there, right?” Lu Yanhe sincerely invited, “Come and see the short film live. Actually, you’re really suitable. Brother Huang, maybe after you see our performance live, you’ll have a different feeling and change your mind.”

"What do you mean? You're not still thinking of getting me to act in this movie, are you?"

“If you change your mind, why not?” Lu Yanhe said. “I’m looking for the most suitable actor for this script, and in my heart, you are the most suitable actor.”

Huang Kairen took a deep breath and said, "Yan He, I really don't know how to answer what you're saying. Sigh, if it weren't for this role, I would have agreed immediately. I know he's a very complex character with a lot of room for performance, but... let me put it bluntly, my acting skills aren't good enough for me to not care about the market's perception of me. If this role makes me a scumbag in the eyes of many people, it will be a huge blow to my career. Since my debut, I've actually been following a very positive image route. The more an actor follows this route, the less likely they are to easily try a villainous role, especially a villainous role involving moral issues and emotional betrayal."

Huang Kairen's words were truly sincere.

However, although Lu Yanhe understood, he still did not give up. "It's okay, you can stick to your attitude, but can you at least come and visit our class? It's not just me here, Sister Zixing is here too."

-

Xin Zixing is inspecting every place on set.

She has never actually taken the lead on a film set.

Although the filming was actually done by the team that Director Wang Zhong had worked with for many years, she was the person in charge of coordinating all aspects of the project, so she had to manage and control everything.

She had already put the unpleasantness about the leaf vein network behind her.

She had already made up her mind and was just waiting to finish her work as quickly as possible so that she could leave at the right time.

Director Wang Zhong also meticulously wandered around every corner of the set, checking every place.

He had very high requirements for props, so high that even Xin Zixing found it somewhat unbelievable.

Special emphasis is placed on texture.

"Zixing, thanks to all the meticulous work you did beforehand, everything went so smoothly this time," Wang Zhong thanked her.

"Director, please don't be so polite with me. I should thank you for giving me this opportunity to learn from such a great production team," Xin Zixing said. "Anyway, if there's anything uncomfortable in the process or details, just let me know and I'll coordinate and resolve it."

Wang Chong waved his hand.

This time, putting aside everything else, Xin Zixing handled everything in a decisive and efficient manner, including the shooting budget, cooperation model, and specific requirements, without any hesitation. This gave Wang Zhong a rare sense of peace and security during the shoot.

It's worth noting that Wang Zhong always faced various problems when filming any project. These problems required his personal intervention to resolve to some extent.

At this moment, Chen Bige arrived.

"Director, Zixing," she greeted them, "Hasn't Yan He arrived yet?"

"We're still on our way," Xin Zixing said. "We'll probably arrive in about half an hour."

Chen Bige said, "Okay, then I'll go do my makeup first."

Xin Zixing nodded.

It takes Chen Bige about two hours to get her makeup done.

After all, it takes several tens of minutes to perm her hair.

Just as Xin Zixing was about to go with Chen Bige to take a look, her phone suddenly rang.

-

“After Yan He told me all this, I’m wavering again. I’m a bit confused. Do you think I should take on the role in ‘Rouge’?” Huang Kairen asked his girlfriend.

Xin Zixing stood behind several stacked apple crates and said, "If you ask for my opinion, of course I would think you should take the role. Putting aside the role itself, with director Wang Zhong and lead actress Chen Bige, wouldn't you regret not working with such a team in the future?"

"What if my acting career is ruined because of this movie?" Huang Kairen asked.

Xin Zixing said, "What are you afraid of? There's still 'My Own Swordsman' waiting for you to film. It's a sitcom written by Lu Yanhe. The script has been read by industry insiders and is considered a very good script. Even if 'Rouge' really ruins your acting image, isn't there 'My Own Swordsman' to cover for you? I think you're too timid now, just like you were two or three years ago. In order to win awards, you became hesitant to accept roles and worried about everything, which caused you to miss out on some good scripts. You said it yourself, right?"

Huang Kairen remained silent.

“Lu Yanhe is right. If you’re hesitant, then come and watch them shoot a short film. You’re an actor, and actors rely on their sensitivity and acting skills to earn a living from the audience. So use your eyes and your feelings to see what kind of film this will be.”

Huang Kairen: "...I was afraid that if I went to see it, I would really lose my mind and want to act at all costs."

“Then what else can you say? If you want to act no matter what, but you don’t dare to act, then all these years you’ve been in the industry for nothing?” Xin Zixing said. “You have to believe that the audience nowadays is very tolerant, especially towards you. This is not like back then, when playing a villain would affect your entire life. Now everyone knows that you are acting. After a while, they will immediately come out of it.”

Huang Kairen took a deep breath.

-

"Are you going to visit the set?"

Huang Kairen's agent immediately frowned. "Why do you want to go? You've already arranged acting lessons. It's not a good idea to cancel at the last minute."

“I have to go,” Huang Kairen said. “If it really turns into a regret, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life and I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

The agent said, "We've already analyzed the role in 'Rouge,' and it's not suitable for you. Why waste your time on it? Let's stick to our previous strategy, film serious dramas, and hone our acting skills. All you need now is time."

Huang Kairen: "No, I have to go."

The agent looked disappointed. "Ever since you and Xin Zixing announced your relationship, you seem to be paying less and less attention to my opinions, Kai Ren."

Huang Kairen could only say, "No, how could that be? But you know how close I am to Yan He. He asked me to visit the set, how could I not go? Besides, Director Wang Zhong and Chen Bige are both there, it would be good for me to go and see them."

Agent: "Anyway, I can't stop you. If you really want to go, then go ahead."

The agent's dissatisfaction was clearly written all over his face.

Huang Kairen felt a little helpless.

His conflict with his agent seems to have been escalating recently.

Such conversations happen frequently.

What's wrong?

We used to work together very well, we could talk about anything, and we worked hard and struggled together. Why can't we understand each other now?

These doubts and emotions could only be kept in his heart; Huang Kairen couldn't express them. If he did, it would only worsen his relationship with his agent.

-

"As an agent, do you ever encounter situations where you can't handle the relationship with the artists?" At that moment, Chen Ziyan was being interviewed by a media outlet. As a promoter for her high-end service company, the reporter naturally asked her this question.

Chen Ziyan is best known as a celebrity agent.

"Yes, of course," Chen Ziyan said. "Actually, don't be fooled by everyone saying I'm a top agent. It's just like your relationship with your boss. No matter how great or powerful your boss is in other people's eyes, to you, he's just an annoying guy who makes you work 996 every day and manipulates you. It's the same for me as an agent. Many times, we have to admit that honest advice is hard to hear and good medicine is bitter. Artists will be unhappy and dissatisfied. It's just that because I have experience and ability, many people will hold back and keep quiet."

"According to you, there are actually many times when artists don't listen to you?"

"You can't say that. I'm just putting myself in a position where I have good intentions and treat the artists well. So, in my eyes, disobedient artists are all seen as having a negative image. But what if my premise is wrong? For example, if I'm a bad manager, if my vision can't keep up with the artists' development, if my abilities can't help the artists solve problems in time, or if my resources can't help the artists reach the next level, then of course the artists will be disobedient to me. And their disobedience is understandable. From an outsider's perspective, it's definitely understandable, right?"

The reporter nodded.

“But agents might not be able to accept that,” Chen Ziyan immediately added. “After all, before an artist becomes famous, who makes the tremendous efforts and sacrifices to make them famous? To be honest, before an artist becomes famous, the effort and energy that an agent has to put in far exceeds the rewards they receive. And many fans inherently view agents as a villainous figure, someone with ulterior motives who exploits the artist, right?”

The reporter nodded.

Chen Ziyan said, "I am an agent myself, so I can't help but empathize with agents in situations where two people are just at different stages of their development and are not compatible, rather than having any fundamental issues with each other."

"Do you think celebrities should just endure it at this time?"

“No.” Chen Ziyan shook her head. “On the contrary, I think that ambitious and capable artists, even if they have a falling out with their managers, will still have to. It’s like, how should I put it, a breakup is always earth-shattering and devastating, but those who have truly had a good experience can actually understand each other after getting through the most difficult breakup phase. I’m a manager, and to be honest, for the artists I’ve sincerely managed, as long as they haven’t been two-faced or betrayed me, or anything like that, even if they don’t listen to my advice and insist on leaving me, then OK, I will let go.”

"If one day Yan He tells you that you two are not a good match and he wants to change agents, what would you say?" the reporter asked.

Chen Ziyan laughed.

“I hadn’t thought about it,” Chen Ziyan said. “I wouldn’t have thought about it before it happened.”

"But actually, upon further reflection, I feel I've already answered that question."

(End of this chapter)