Chapter 25 Who is this person who directly threw resources at her? ...

Bai Wenning sat at the table somewhat nervously, glancing at her phone screen every now and then. Her mind was filled with conflicting emotions, and she couldn't tell whether she was more expectant or worried at the moment.

She seems to have acted a little too impulsively.

Yesterday's impulsive invitation was the most outrageous and absurd thing she had ever done.

She didn't know what she was thinking at the time; she just sent out the invitation in a moment of impulse.

Perhaps things have just been really going badly lately.

Bai Wenning defended herself in her heart.

She was just there to get to know him, and he was someone she already knew. Even if it didn't work out in the end, she wouldn't lose anything. Besides, based on what she'd heard, he seemed quite reliable.

Bai Wenning decided to consult with Shi Yao herself after hearing people around her talking about the studio.

When Shi Yao sent out the advertising message before, she glanced at it but thought the other party's account had been hacked. However, the other party then posted it again on their Moments.

So she carefully read through Shi Yao's information and found that there were indeed some projects that interested her, but she didn't think about it any further, let alone have any intention of consulting or placing an order.

Who would talk to someone they barely know online about something as crucial as their career development?

She really knows how.

When she saw Shi Yao's advertising quote, she thought to herself, "Anyone who dares to believe this is a little bit out of their mind."

It seems now that she's the one who's not quite right in the head.

Bai Wenning held her forehead, her mind a jumble of thoughts. She felt as if she had been under a spell since yesterday.

She admitted that she was a bit desperate and grasping at straws, since her condition was indeed not very good at the moment.

Since she began her career transition as an adult, her career path has become increasingly unsuccessful. The idol dramas she starred in have flopped one after another, and it's not very realistic for her to go back to acting in sitcoms.

She even took a two-year break from acting to further her training, but the audience still didn't buy it. It seemed that no matter how much she tried to improve, the audience would only think that she hadn't grown up yet.

With each project yielding worse and worse opportunities, and her agent gradually becoming less attentive, how could Bai Wenning not be worried?

The campus romance drama that just finished airing during the summer vacation has flopped again. The production team is so lazy that they don't even bother with after-sales service, they don't do any promotion, and they just let it languish. The agent also seems to be used to it and skips over the issue, sending her a new script and telling her to prepare to join the production team.

Bai Wenning read it and said that the script was utterly unremarkable; no matter who the best director came to film it, it wouldn't be successful.

Her agent told her to look at the script and prepare to join the production, rather than to see if she was interested in the script. This meant she didn't have the right to choose; even if the script was bad, she had no choice but to accept it.

Bai Wenning suddenly felt helpless. She was only 23 years old, and her career seemed to have come to an end. When she was a child, she could act in nationally popular dramas, and when she first came of age, she could freely choose scripts. But now she could only film this terrible script that was obviously going to flop.

She knew why this change had happened: she had lost her audience appeal and ratings draw. Every film she starred in flopped, and the better production teams didn't want her. Only small-budget productions that wanted actors with a certain level of fame were willing to cast her.

Bai Wenning has been reading a lot of posts about herself lately. She's very popular in the Green Leaf TV drama group now, after all, there aren't many artists like her who can flop several dramas in a row.

Most posts say she's a disgrace to being heavily promoted, a resource-backed actress who can't be helped, and that despite every film she makes being a flop, she keeps getting lead roles in one drama after another.

Bai Wenning smiled bitterly to herself. She didn't know how to prove that she wasn't a "resource-backed" actress. Although she seemed to always be playing leading roles, she really didn't fit the description of a "resource-backed" actress.

First of all, her salary is not high, and it can even be said to be far lower than that of actors of the same level and fame in the industry. Secondly, the dramas with slightly better production teams that she gets are all temporary replacements. Those big-budget productions with good production teams that outsiders think are actually the ones that were originally cast but didn't want to act anymore, so they ended up falling to her.

However, there's no way to refute this rumor, and even if we did, probably no one would believe it. Everyone thinks that someone who started as a child star must have good resources, but who would know that Bai Wenning is sighing with worry every day?

Seeing that the company and her agent were all preparing to let her do whatever she wanted, Bai Wenning was so anxious that she wanted to go out and audition for roles herself. No matter what role she got, it was better than waiting passively like this.

She told her agent what she was thinking, but the agent's reaction was very cold.

He said, "If you have any ideas, go out and try it yourself. The company really doesn't have any more resources. I have quite a few artists under my management, as you know. We've fulfilled all the requirements in the contract. If you're not satisfied, there's nothing I can do."

Bai Wenning felt disheartened. Before she turned 18, her mother had always acted as her agent. After she was admitted to university, her teachers and classmates suggested that she sign with a professional company, since family-run businesses were inevitably not professional enough.

She was a popular child star and ranked first in her major that year. Many companies wanted to sign her. Her agent mentioned that the contract required her to prepare at least two leading roles in a drama every year, which was the reason why she finally chose this company.

Who could have imagined that this was the beginning of her descent into a fiery pit?

The other party did keep their promise to give her lead roles, but the lead roles she got were either background characters for the male lead or unlikable, forgettable female leads. When she did get a normal one, the male actor she was acting with was very uncooperative, and the resulting scenes had no chemistry between them.

Bai Wenning was in unbearable pain.

Many times she wondered if she was really that unlucky, why she always fell short, was she really that bad, or why fate just wouldn't favor her?

She believes her acting skills are not bad and certainly not to the point of being unwatchable. After all, she was the top student in her year of enrollment. So why has her career been so unsuccessful?

Upon receiving her agent's reply, Bai Wenning knew that she couldn't get any help from the company. Apart from the dramas that were assigned to her, the company probably wouldn't actively help her secure any resources.

She can only get acting roles on her own if she wants to.

However, her resources were very limited. She signed with this company as soon as she entered university, and her agent kept a close eye on her social life. The productions she joined were all company productions, so she didn't have many opportunities to meet other people. Because all she did was study and film, she didn't maintain any connections at school. She was practically isolated and helpless.

Upon seeing Shi Yao's advertisement again, Bai Wenning was strangely tempted.

The source of her attraction was a dinner party a few days ago. The cast and crew of the family sitcom she filmed when she was a child were having their 12th anniversary team building event, which happened to be held in the capital. She went and ran into one of her few close friends in the industry, Fang Xuran.

Fang Xuran and she were both child stars who debuted together in this sitcom, playing siblings in the show. She knew about Fang Xuran's situation over the years and realized that she, like Fang Xuran, was facing difficulties in transitioning to other careers.

However, the other party's situation was much better than hers. Fang Xuran's management team was very professional and wholeheartedly served him, and was 100% of his mind.

Unlike Bai Wenning, her agent treated her like an enemy, never offering any help outside the contract, only routinely assigning her work according to the contract.

If we were to use a meme to describe her relationship with her manager, she would probably be like the manager's illegitimate daughter, someone who is completely unfit to be seated at the table.

The dinner party was just about eating, singing, and drinking. Bai Wenning was a little distracted during the meal because of the recent flop of her drama, and Fang Xuran kindly comforted her.

Besides offering comfort, the other person also told her something else.

That's Shi Yao's studio.

Fang Xuran knew that Bai Wenning had added Shi Yao on WeChat, so during dinner she started to subtly probe Bai Wenning's opinion. When she heard Bai Wenning say that she thought Shi Yao's account had been hacked, she was extremely anxious and kept explaining to her, even going so far as to tell her that she had already placed an order with Shi Yao.

Fang Xuran praised Shi Yao to an incredible degree, which Bai Wenning found unbelievable. In fact, there were studios like Shi Yao in the industry, but their business scope was not as comprehensive as hers, and their fees were not as outrageous.

Most importantly, everyone knows that Shi Yao used to be an actress. Although her performance wasn't great, she did act for several years and her undergraduate degree was in drama-related fields, not marketing.

Shi Yao herself doesn't have a good reputation; there are more haters than fans online. If she really has such amazing skills, why doesn't she try to turn her reputation around first?

"Because she retired from the entertainment industry!" Fang Xuran said, her face full of accusation that she couldn't believe her. "Didn't you see her retirement statement? She really retired, I'm not kidding. Haven't you noticed she hasn't been active in the industry for a long time?"

"I did think about her professionalism at first, but it turns out she really is professional, and her methods are... very cunning. You know about the time I took the exam for someone else, right? She was the one who helped me solve it."

Fang Xuran didn't hesitate to reveal his hand in order to gain Bai Wenning's trust. Such a private matter should have been kept strictly confidential, but the two had been friends for many years, and he trusted Bai Wenning's character.

Bai Wenning changed her attitude after hearing this. Of course she knew that the cheating incident had caused such a big stir. At the time, she was worried for Fang Xuran. She didn't expect it to be resolved the next day. Although it took a turn for the worse later, it was resolved completely in a short time.

"Let me tell you, Shi Yao resolved this matter for me in less than a day, and it could have been resolved in less than a day originally." Fang Xuran felt a pang of regret when he talked about it, because his momentary hesitation caused him to miss out on a discount, and the price even quadrupled.

Fang Xuran persuaded Bai Wenning with great enthusiasm, even revealing that the incident involving Pei Zixuan and Jian Mingzhou a few days ago was orchestrated by Shi Yao Studio, making it even more irresistible for Bai Wenning.

After returning home, Bai Wenning tossed and turned all night, and the next day she still picked up her phone and sent that invitation message.

Bai Wenning comforted herself, thinking of it as just asking for advice.

For some reason, the closer the meeting got, the more nervous she became. The last time they met was on a variety show, where she was the other person's senior. This time, the meeting turned into this. She, a child star who had been in the industry for over ten years, was looking for a junior artist whose experience, acting skills, and career were all inferior to hers.

She's so impulsive; she gets all hot-headed as soon as someone says something.

Bai Wenning was lost in thought when suddenly the door to the private room opened. Caught off guard, she looked up and met a pair of bright, clear almond-shaped eyes.

Shi Yao wore a baby blue short skirt suit with a pure white cotton T-shirt underneath. She simply tied her hair into a bun, her skin was fair and radiant, and her lips were a light pink. She looked energetic and fresh.

Bai Wenning was somewhat envious of the other person's good complexion. She had been worried every day lately, and her skin had gotten worse.

But Shi Yao's good complexion also made her realize one thing: the other person had indeed been doing well recently, and her whole person had changed dramatically compared to the past.

She had met Shi Yao a few times before, and each time the other person wore heavy makeup. Although her features were very beautiful, they were all covered up, making her look pretentious. She had hinted to the other person to change her makeup, but she didn't know whether she didn't understand or didn't want to change. She continued to wear heavy makeup, as if heavy makeup was her weapon.

During this meeting, Shi Yao actually removed her semi-permanent makeup, which suggests that her mindset has undergone a significant change.

Shi Yao's vitality affected Bai Wenning, and she unconsciously relaxed a little, sitting up straight and starting to order food.

After ordering a few simple specialty dishes, the waiter tactfully closed the door and left. Bai Wenning didn't know how to start a conversation, so she silently wiped her hands with a wet wipe.

She wiped for a full two minutes, her hands almost turning red, before finally reluctantly throwing it away. When she looked up again, she met Shi Yao's teasing gaze once more.

"Are you nervous to see me, Sister Xiaobai?" Shi Yao blinked, her tone teasing.

Bai Wenning blushed and awkwardly smoothed her hair: "N-nothing."

Shi Yao noticed her tension and didn't ask any more questions. She knew that Bai Wenning was just a gentle and shy person, and that her invitation had probably exhausted all her courage.

Fortunately, it was a text invitation via screen. If it had been a phone call or a face-to-face meeting, the other party would probably have had to do much more preparation.

It's okay. She's very good at starting conversations and understands each boss's pain points very well. Bai Wenning's ability to take the first step and contact her is already half the battle won.

Because Bai Wenning was already on her target list.

Having read the original novel, she knew that Bai Wenning would be taking on a fantasy romance drama with a terrible production team and a ridiculous script. To make matters worse, the male lead was a drug addict, and the scandal broke halfway through the series. It was even discovered that the drama was a money laundering production, leading to the removal of the entire crew and the end of Bai Wenning's career.

In fact, Bai Wenning herself was innocent. She neither used drugs nor participated in money laundering, but unfortunately, the production crew was full of all sorts of corrupt people. As the female lead, no one believed her when she said she was innocent. To make matters worse, her agency even rubbed oil on her, and the studio's account rushed to apologize on her behalf, which was tantamount to confirming her wrongdoing.

Now, Bai Wenning was both right and wrong. She couldn't make it in the entertainment industry anymore and had no choice but to announce her retirement.

Judging from the progress of the plot, it shouldn't be long before Bai Wenning takes on that fantasy drama script. Originally, Shi Yao was thinking about which connections to use to contact Bai Wenning, but unexpectedly, she came to him on her own.

It came to me without any effort at all.

Bai Wenning is a very easy person to get along with, which can be seen from previous variety shows. Based on my memory, she has a gentle and mild personality and is theoretically a rather conservative person. At least, consulting a retired artist's studio about career development would be quite unconventional for her.

For Bai Wenning to have this idea, there must be two essential conditions: first, her current situation must be really urgent, to the point that she can no longer sit idly by; second, there must be external help, most likely from one of her friends in the industry who told her about Shi Yao and persuaded her.

Based on Shi Yao's speculation, she felt that this person was most likely Fang Xuran.

As a fellow child star, and having been acquainted with Bai Wenning for many years, as well as being one of Shi Yao's customers, he was the only one who met all three conditions.

Shi Yao added another credit to Fang Xuran's mind. This woman was truly the strongest wingman. Pei Zixuan, whom she had introduced before, had won her heart, and now she had brought her a new customer.

I'll definitely give him a discount next time!

Shi Yao cut straight to the point, proactively guiding the conversation: "Sister Xiaobai, yesterday you mentioned on WeChat that you wanted to consult about career development paths. I went back and did some research, and your current situation is rather dangerous, isn't it?"

Bai Wenning was hesitating about how to start the conversation when she heard Shi Yao's question. Her heart skipped a beat, not expecting the other party to be so direct. She subconsciously nodded in response.

Then I regretted it a little. Why did I go with them so readily? I should have observed them more carefully to see if they were reliable before revealing the truth.

Bai Wenning felt annoyed, but she didn't expect that this was just the beginning. Every word Shi Yao said next shocked her even more.

"When you mentioned wanting to consult about your career development, I actually guessed your current situation. However, to be on the safe side, I did some further investigation. It turns out that the dramas you took on after you turned 18 did not perform very well. The main reason for this is actually your agency, right?"

"Your company didn't choose the most suitable development path for you based on your personal characteristics. They just kept giving you lead roles, regardless of whether they were effective or not. This has damaged your confidence in acting, hasn't it?"

"Although I've been given leading roles, some of them are either supporting roles or characters whose personalities don't match my age at all, making my performance less effective."

"The urban idol drama you just finished airing was the same. The female lead was set to be 32 years old, a sophisticated and capable urban woman, and had a mature urban romance with the male lead who was also successful in his career. The male lead was indeed chosen to be an actor who fit the age, but you yourself were almost ten years younger than the official character, and you looked too young to transform into a mature woman. In the end, the effect was like an age-gap romance, which is why you were heavily criticized by the audience."

Shi Yao didn't even bring any documents; she just poured out her thoughts as if chatting with Bai Wenning, and with each sentence she spoke, the astonishment on Bai Wenning's face became more and more obvious.

"Your company is really outrageous. They don't even think there's anything wrong with their plans for you. The latest script they gave you is also indescribable. They actually dared to accept a fantasy drama from Galaxy Entertainment. Don't they know that rising actresses avoid this company?"

When Shi Yao uttered those last words, Bai Wenning was utterly shocked.

She even knows what drama she's been cast in next!

Bai Wenning only received the script three days ago. After reading it, she felt there were problems, so she went to talk to her agent about wanting to audition for an outside role. However, she was met with ridicule and sarcasm, and she hasn't signed a contract yet.

Shi Yao actually knew this!

As if guessing her surprise, Shi Yao waved to Bai Wenning and said calmly, "I have my own channels. Don't worry, I will never leak anything. I'm very tight-lipped."

Every point the other party made hit the nail on the head, and even mentioned the company's future plans. Bai Wenning now truly believed that Shi Yao was capable, and unconsciously sat up straighter, placing her hands on the table, looking on with the seriousness of a child listening to a lesson.

Sensing the subtle change in the other party's attitude, Shi Yao felt a sense of calm and composure.

She then took out her tablet from her bag and began to analyze the situation carefully for Bai Wenning.

"Actually, I don't understand why you took the last role. To be precise, I don't understand any of them, but I especially don't understand the last one. You're only 23 years old. You'd be more suited to playing a student than a middle-aged woman. Is your agent a pig-brain? Doesn't she know that?" Shi Yao mercilessly dissed Bai Wenning's agent.

"And those previous projects were completely wasting your talent. What kind of roles did you take on?" Shi Yao became slightly more serious. "Personally, I think that actors, especially rising stars like you, must be very careful when choosing roles. Every step has a huge impact on your future career. It's really malicious of your company to make such a mistake every time."

Bai Wenning was amused by Shi Yao's tone, but then a bitter feeling welled up in her heart. She knew all this all too well. She also wanted to cherish her reputation, but the company didn't care about her thoughts at all. They just kept throwing her into the film crew, and she had no choice but to let it go. In this way, one wrong step led to another.

Seeing that Bai Wenning was feeling down, Shi Yao comforted her, "But it's okay, you don't have to worry anymore. I'll plan things out for you and guarantee that you'll be back on the rise in your career in less than a year. You'll definitely become the top influencer in less than three years."

I don't know when that idea suddenly popped into my head.

You no longer need to be afraid, because your strength has arrived.

She suddenly shuddered with a chill, thinking that this was all Yingxu's fault. It was all because he kept calling her "Teacher Daqiang" all the time, making her think of Daqiang all the time.

Bai Wenning was amused by Shi Yao's exaggerated tone again, and her worries were somewhat relieved. She also imitated Shi Yao's tone and said playfully, "Then I'll leave it to you."

Shi Yao raised an eyebrow at her: "Don't worry."

She flipped through the tablet, then suddenly looked up at Bai Wenning and said seriously, "I have to say this first: for a rising star like you, the character's personality and the degree of completion are more important than the total amount of screen time. Similarly, the importance of the billing order should come second. You're not the kind of person who cares about the billing order, are you?"

Bai Wenning immediately shook her head: "I don't care, I don't care what order I'm ranked." How could she care about the order of billing? She had no right to fight over billing order at all.

Shi Yao nodded in satisfaction. Although she knew that Bai Wenning probably didn't care, she still had to ask. After all, there were many people in the industry obsessed with billing order, especially popular actresses, which made it increasingly difficult for dramas to be produced. No one was willing to be second best.

She hasn't even become a top star yet, but she has a lot of demands.

They value billing order above all else, as if it represents their status in the industry.

Shi Yao opened the document she had prepared the night before, pushed it in front of Bai Wenning, and tapped the screen, saying, "Perfect timing, I have a drama here that's perfect for you, you can give it a try."

Bai Wenning looked up in surprise. She had only come to ask for advice, but the other party was actually giving her resources directly?

Who exactly is Shi Yao?

Author's Note: Sister Shi (Sunglasses with Gold Rim Version): Want the resources? Here you go.

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-06-13 20:55:22 and 2024-06-14 20:33:32!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: catle and 1 bottle of "getting richer and richer";

Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!