Chapter 54 and so on [VIP]

Chapter Summary: He still needed to explain something.

Mu Zhi turned around and looked back: ? What came into view was a hand, with a cigarette between its fingers.

Taking two steps forward, I found He Zhiyue leaning languidly against the door, her face behind the mist, her expression unreadable.

Seeing her approach, He Zhiyue said, "I'm sorry."

He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and put it in the ashtray he was holding in his other hand, then straightened up.

A small sign on the door behind them was revealed: Smoking Room.

Mu Zhi suddenly realized why she hadn't noticed someone behind her.

There turned out there was a smoking room here. The door was open, but no one was leaning out. Plus, the corridor was dimly lit, so it was hard to spot.

She ignored He Zhiyue's teasing remark and instead asked, "How long have you been standing here watching?"

"Well, let's start by you squatting down."

When He Zhiyue came in to smoke, the door wasn't closed properly; it was ajar.

He had just lit a cigarette when he heard very light footsteps outside the door. He went to close the door, and the footsteps stopped at the same time. He opened the door suspiciously and saw Mu Zhi squatting behind the potted plants with her back to him, as if she was hiding from someone.

Then I saw the two people standing not far away, and I could hear them talking.

Mu Zhi: "..." It seems that He Zhiyue heard almost everything that the two groups of people said.

Aside from work-related matters, she didn't want to have much interaction with the company boss.

"Oh, I'm going back to eat."

Just as he turned around, He Zhiyue called out to him, "Wait."

He Zhiyue knew that Mu Zhi had heard everything, and asked her, "Don't you have anything you want to ask?"

Mu Zhi did not turn around, but replied, "I knew that Lanxing Media was a newly established company before I signed the contract. I was aware of all the risks and made the decision to sign the contract after careful consideration."

Therefore, she wasn't very concerned about the details of the betting agreement.

To put it bluntly, the change of owners at Lanxing Media has no impact on her. Even if Lanxing Media goes bankrupt, she can simply switch to another company.

The most important thing for her is to focus on acting and establish herself in the industry as soon as possible through her work.

He Zhiyue was first taken aback, then smiled silently. He knew Mu Zhi was very mature when they were discussing the contract, but he didn't expect her to be so clear-headed, insightful, intelligent and determined.

But he still felt it necessary to explain.

"I was photographed having dinner with Ms. Liu Rui before. That day, she said she had decided to sign with Lanxing Media..."

He Zhiyue, who was on a business trip next to Wucheng at the time, drove over.

He was told it was Liu Rui's birthday that day, and out of gentlemanly courtesy, he treated her to a meal, which led to him being photographed.

"Given that you had some concerns about me when you signed the contract, and after hearing some gossip, I think I need to explain things to you to avoid any misunderstandings at work. I hope you can feel more secure with me as your boss."

This is also to protect Teacher Liu Rui. Tomorrow I'll have Luke issue a document within the company prohibiting employees from gossiping privately.

A boss who is upright and doesn't engage in illicit relationships is a good thing for an artist, as it helps prevent any scandals from arising.

Mu Zhi's prompt clarification of He Zhiyue's concerns is a plus.

He turned to He Zhiyue and said, "I understand."

Back in the banquet hall.

Mu Zhi noticed that the originally lively atmosphere had become somewhat quiet.

Their gazes were fixed on the table where the agents Ji Binghe and Liu Rui were sitting. Judging from the color of their clothes, the two people standing there were the mother and son who had been gossiping about He Zhiyue behind his back.

If I'm not mistaken, she and He Zhiyue should be "family".

As soon as Mu Zhi returned to her seat, You Chan immediately leaned over to explain the highlights she had missed:

"Two people suddenly arrived, claiming to be the chairman's wife and eldest son of the He Group?"

"I don't think that young master looks like Brother Zhiyue at all."

"Hilarious! Turns out, apart from their special assistant, nobody recognized them..."

Since they came in, only Mao Hongjun has stood up to greet them, asking, "Would you like a seat?" The others have given him the look of "Who are they? They're none of my business," showing no welcome whatsoever.

Apart from Ji Binghe, everyone else at that table was an artist with a certain status and influence in the industry. They only had a contractual relationship with Lanxing Media and didn't need to lower themselves to cater to or flatter anyone.

No one was holding the mother and child.

The most crucial person, He Zhiyue, is not here.

This resulted in the two of them appearing on stage, but the play couldn't be performed.

You Chan asked curiously, "Where did Brother Zhiyue go?"

He Zhiyue was still nowhere to be seen, and Mu Zhi guessed that he was deliberately avoiding the mother and son.

Dong Jingwan stood for a while, then sat down in He Zhiyue's seat.

After waiting another 3 minutes, no one came back.

He urged impatiently, "Shouldn't you send a few people out to look for them?"

Ji Binghe: "President He may be busy with something, and his phone is temporarily unreachable."

"What urgent matter do you have with Mr. He? I will pass on the message as soon as he returns."

Dong Jingwan glanced at the actors at the table who were eating and drinking as if nothing had happened, completely disregarding her, the wife of the group's chairman. She felt displeased and embarrassed.

He just sat there like an idiot.

Dong Jingwan had no choice but to stand up. When she turned around, she saw that her son's eyes were practically glued to Liu Rui, which made her even angrier.

She coughed lightly to bring her son back to his senses, said she had something to attend to, and the mother and son left.

Less than a minute after they left, He Zhiyue returned.

When Luke reported that Dong Jingwan and her son came in to greet him and left after waiting for about ten minutes, he looked surprised and explained that he had met a friend in the restroom and they had caught up in a private room upstairs for a while.

My phone ran out of battery and shut down, so I was unable to receive the call.

Mu Zhi listened as a sharp-eared artist at the same table vividly recounted He Zhiyue's words.

It seems the entertainment company boss has some acting skills; he puts on a pretty convincing act.

The annual dinner party has ended.

As soon as I stepped outside, I found it was snowing.

You Chan's father came to pick her up in his car. You Chan said to Mu Zhi, "Sister Mu Zhi, shall we go together?"

Mu Zhi asked You Chan for her address and learned that it was far away, one in the south and one in the north. She said that a friend could pick her up on the way, but Mu Zhi declined.

I opened the app, but found I couldn't hail a ride.

When popular actor Mao Hongjun and his team came out, they saw Mu Zhi and asked if she needed any help.

Mu Zhi shook her head: "No need, thank you, Teacher Mao."

At this moment, Ji Binghe also came out. Seeing that Mu Zhi hadn't left yet, she said, "I called a designated driver. He'll be here in 5 minutes. If you're not in a hurry, just stand here and wait. We can go together."

Mu Zhi nodded, "Okay, thank you, Director Ji."

Mao Hongjun smiled at Mu Zhi, waved goodbye, and left.

The last wave of people also came out.

This includes He Zhiyue, his special assistant Lu Ke, Liu Rui and her team.

"Mr. He, I drove my own car here tonight and had some red wine."

"I remember you live in the Yujingfu residential area. We happen to be going the same way. Could you give me a ride if it's convenient?"

He Zhiyue: "Excuse me, I'm going back to my old house tonight, which is in the opposite direction from the Yujingfu residential area."

He glanced at his watch and said, "It's getting late, everyone should go home and rest. Be careful on the road."

Luke drove the car over, and He Zhiyue walked straight towards it.

Get in the car, close the door, and the car drives away immediately.

Liu Rui probably didn't expect He Zhiyue to have no gentlemanly manners at all. With a slightly dark expression, she took out the car keys from her bag and handed them to the staff member next to her, indicating that she should drive the car.

Mu Zhi turned her head and glanced at the manager, who was looking down at his phone and acting as if nothing had happened.

She acted as if she were invisible, looking down at her phone.

After Liu Rui and her group left.

Ji Binghe suddenly looked up at Mu Zhi: "Did you drink tonight?"

Mu Zhi immediately understood the agent's intention in asking that question, shook her head, and added, "I have a driver's license."

"However, since you've already called a designated driver, it's not a good idea to cancel the order at the last minute."

After hearing Mu Zhi's words of comfort, Ji Binghe realized that she wasn't so foolish after making Mu Zhi stand there and wait for five minutes instead of letting her drive.

Mu Zhi: A decisive and efficient agent, but privately she has a slow and interesting side.

With the Little New Year over, there are only 6 days left until Lunar New Year's Eve.

During this time, Mu Zhi received a phone call from the original owner's parents.

First, he inquired about her new company's benefits, then he complained about their age and declining earning power, but said there were many expenses at home, and finally asked his younger brother to buy a laptop that cost a little over 10,000 yuan.

"Bring it back when you go home, as a New Year's gift for your younger brother."

Mu Zhi refused: "I don't have money to buy a plane ticket, I'm not going back for the New Year."

Upon hearing this, the original owner's parents on the other end of the phone were so angry that they cursed Mu Zhi as an ingrate.

Mu Zhi hung up the phone immediately.

Before participating in the talent show, the original owner had no contact with her parents. Her parents were afraid that their daughter would ask them for money. Now that Mu Zhi has gained some popularity, they have come back to her, and the first thing they ask for is money.

Mu Zhi isn't a saint; she won't indulge them.

They have no intention of having any further dealings with the original owner's parents.

During the Spring Festival, Minmin went back to her hometown to celebrate the New Year, and Liu Cai also went back to her hometown.

Zhou Jingzhu's family lives in Beicheng, and she invited Mu Zhi to her home to celebrate the New Year together.

Mu Zhi declined. She wasn't a person who enjoyed crowds, and she didn't feel lonely when she was alone.

She is not alone; she wants to fully understand the character "Zhou Can" and has been immersed in the character's world lately, with the character as her companion.

However, she didn't spend New Year's Eve alone.

I received a call from my agent, Ji Binghe:

"Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and I plan to have hot pot at home. I accidentally ordered too much food, and I can't finish it all by myself. If you have time, come over and have some with me. We can also chat about our plans for the new year."

After saying that, he hung up the phone without giving her a chance to refuse.

The next second, Mu Zhi received the address location sent by her agent.

Having a meal and discussing work left her no room to refuse, so she took a taxi there.

Ji Binghe's apartment is small, with two bedrooms and a living room, about 80 square meters. It has the same style as the office, and is a bit messy.

"I had originally hired someone to clean up, but the lady there decided to go back to her hometown for the Chinese New Year and couldn't come. Since I couldn't find anyone, I had to clean up myself."

It's still a mess that I've been trying to clean up but haven't been able to.

Mu Zhi couldn't stand it anymore, so she helped tidy up the living room.

The agent's description of "eating hot pot at home" simply means bringing the hot pot restaurant's ingredients home. They ordered a hot pot restaurant with a pre-prepared broth and all the ingredients were ready-made.

Just press the switch.

Mu Zhi was astonished when she saw the table full of various ingredients.

Ji Binghe: "I like the atmosphere of having ingredients spread all over the table, so I ordered a lot. I put the leftovers in the refrigerator and will cook them tomorrow so they won't go to waste."

Mu Zhi: "......" Okay.

During the hot pot meal, Ji Binghe shared her love story.

"Being a real estate agent requires being on call 24/7 to handle all kinds of emergencies. It's too busy, and it's impossible to balance career, love, and life..."

Three years ago, under pressure from her parents and boyfriend, Ji Binghe made the decision to temporarily retire from the entertainment industry.

I married my boyfriend of seven years.

"I was thinking of getting married, having a child, having my parents help take care of the child, getting through this stage of my life as quickly as possible, and then returning to the workforce, but..."

She chuckled self-deprecatingly at this point: "In the second year of our marriage, I discovered he was cheating on me. In the third year, I finally managed to get a divorce, and I felt a sense of relief."

Now, although my life as a salesperson is very busy every day, it's fulfilling, and I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from striving in my career.

Mu Zhi didn't say anything, but raised her glass and clinked it with Ji Binghe's.

Ji Binghe's sudden sharing of her story wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; there was a purpose behind it.

Looking at Mu Zhi, he said, "After this Spring Festival holiday, once the filming of 'Back to 17' starts, your work schedule will be very busy. The next two or three years will be a crucial period for your career development."

I know you are a very clear-headed young woman, but as your agent, and also as an older sister who has been through it all, I am here today.

I still want to add a word of advice: I hope that in this fame-driven entertainment industry, you can stay true to yourself, focus on your career, and make money.

Mu Zhi knew that in her agent's eyes, she was just a 21-year-old girl, and he was worried that she might accidentally lose herself in the entertainment industry, a place that was full of temptations.

He solemnly assured his agent, "Okay, I'll remember that."

During the Chinese New Year holiday, while on vacation, Ji Binghe then chatted with Mu Zhi about the schedule before joining the crew.

"February is almost over after the Spring Festival, and filming for the movie starts in April, so there are still two months left. Before the Lunar New Year, I received several invitations from variety shows, all of which will start filming after the New Year..."

When asked if Mu Zhi had any intention of appearing on a variety show, she replied...

Mu Zhi shook her head: "Two months is just enough time for me to figure out the character, try on makeup, attend script reading sessions, and discuss the character with Director Xu and the screenwriter. I don't want to spend my energy recording variety shows."

"Once 'The Bell Ringer' passes censorship, then we can consider publicity and exposure?"

Ji Binghe respected Mu Zhi's choice, and her understanding of Mu Zhi was refreshed once again.

Knowing that Mu Zhi has talent and ambition in acting, now let's add another: passion.

From the preparations before filming began, it's clear that Mu Zhizhen loves acting, has a pure heart, and a deep reverence for the craft.

When it comes to "The Bell Ringing Record", Mu Zhi has an important question that needs to be confirmed.

"The summer release schedule for 'The Bell Ringer' is probably in July or August. We expect to complete post-production and submit the edited film for review in April or May."

I was already filming "Back to 17" at that time...

Ji Binghe nodded: "That's right."

Mu Zhi: "Director Ji, I will do the voice acting for the female lead in 'The Bell Ringer' myself."