Chapter 15
After spending a while backstage and taking photos with all the main actors, Zhu Yu and Shi Ru left. On the way out, Zhu Yu told Shi Ru about what happened during her audition that day.
“I’ve never heard of this production team before; it probably doesn’t have a large budget.” Shi Ru thought about it carefully for a moment.
"But this kind of thing is probably the norm in your industry, right?"
Although Shi Ru is not in the entertainment industry, he does have an uncle who works in film and television and a brother who is a director, so he has heard about these "secrets".
Seeing Zhu Yu's furrowed brows, he realized that the girl in front of him might also be part of the "secret".
"But these kinds of things are usually done by less reputable companies. Has a company approached you to sign an agency contract?"
Changing the subject, Shi Ru felt that if Zhu Yu needed to sign a contract, he could help her make an assessment based on his abilities.
"No, it's just that I feel... I want to take control of my own destiny."
Zhu Yu said softly, feeling somewhat ashamed of herself for saying such "pretentious" things.
They also felt that this was simply how it was, and that the right to speak was so important.
"What do you mean?" Shi Ru didn't understand. Everyone's fate is never in their own hands.
In a society governed by the rule of law, who can force anyone to make an involuntary choice?
Shi Ru's world is different from Zhu Yu's world, so he cannot understand the source of the insecurity revealed in Zhu Yu's words.
"I want to do it myself!" Zhu Yu looked at Shi Ru, her eyes as bright as the morning star hanging in the night sky.
She said these things to Shi Ru, which may have been intended to take advantage of Shi Ru's financial resources, but she was quite frank about it.
After witnessing how these people who have long resided at the top of the pyramid have firmly grasped power and wealth in their hands.
Zhu Yu clearly recognized the tragic and futile nature of a mayfly trying to shake a tree.
She didn't want to be a mayfly; she hoped Shi Ru could be her ladder to heaven.
That's why she decided to try to please him from the very beginning.
Seeing that Zhu Yu wanted to hear his opinion, Shi Ru carefully considered the suggestion.
“It’s not impossible for you to work alone,” Shi Ru nodded, searching his mind for relevant examples. “There are many celebrities in the entertainment industry who operate under the name of their own studios.”
"However, those were all people who first made a name for themselves and built up connections in large companies before going independent."
If Shi Ru were to give advice, he would not recommend that Zhu Yu go solo right from the start.
In that case, all the female stars in the entertainment industry who are similar to her will be her competitors.
With a company backing you up, even if you're not talking about the company's internal dynamics, at least the people working under the same agent can get along a bit better.
You don't have to do everything yourself to get the resources you want.
However, that's only if you have a good agent.
Otherwise, I'm afraid it would be better to go to a factory and tighten screws.
"If you're worried about signing with an agent, I can recommend Connor Films to you."
"Connor?"
“Yes,” Shi Ru nodded. “Connor is my uncle’s company. Their main business is producing TV series and movies. They used to sign some actors, but they’ve been transforming in recent years. However, I’ll talk to my uncle and he’ll let you know. Signing you is no problem.”
The film that Zhu Yu made for his graduation project was produced by Connor Films, so Zhu Yu was considered to have been associated with his uncle.
He'll talk to them again, and signing a short-term artist contract should definitely be no problem.
We can also allocate resources to Zhu Yu to the greatest extent possible—if Zhu Yu is signed, she will be the youngest of all Connor's current actors.
Generally, the youngest member of the family is the darling of the group, so there's no need to worry about workplace infighting or unspoken rules.
The more Shi Ru thought about it, the more reliable it seemed. It just so happened that turning left onto this road would lead to Connor. With that in mind, Shi Ru turned on his left turn signal and changed lanes.
"Huh? Where are we going?" Zhu Yu noticed that Shi Ru's actions did not match the route indicated on the navigation.
I quickly turned off my phone screen and looked ahead.
"Connor is having an internal screening today, so I'll take you there to show your face. Once you sign the contract, you can start acting right away."
Zhu Yu was baffled by Shi Ru's words. When did she say she wanted to sign Connor?
Weren't we just discussing her desire to be her own boss?
"I didn't sign Connor, did I?" Zhu Yu asked.
"Hmm?" It was a red light. Shi Ru stopped the car and looked at Zhu Yu.
Shi Ru, who had never imagined being rejected, asked: "Are you really planning to start your own business?"
In their circle, extravagance and debauchery are just hobbies; only starting a business is considered a waste of money.
Of course, those are just ordinary second-generation heirs; he's different. Shi Ru said confidently. However, he didn't need to start a business. Compared to the various schemes and power struggles among other families vying for inheritance, his family structure was simple, making him the undisputed successor.
“Yes,” Zhu Yu met Shi Ru’s gaze without fear. She saw the doubt in Shi Ru’s eyes, but she didn’t care.
What she says now is unconvincing. Only when she truly demonstrates her abilities will someone like Shi Ru, who holds a position of power, stop treating her with a subordinate attitude.
"With my current qualifications, no matter which company I go to, I won't be valued. It's hard to say whether I'll have any roles to play, and I won't be able to decide what kind of roles I get."
Zhu Yu explained, "The career lifespan of actresses is too short nowadays. A good work may not necessarily make an actor, but a little bit of scandal can completely ruin an artist."
Perhaps Zhu Yu was too pessimistic; when it came to her future career, she was always more concerned about how to protect herself.
It was as if she was about to enter not the workplace, but a battlefield.
"But if you go it alone, you're more likely to waste your time playing minor roles."
Shi Ru restarted the car, made a U-turn at a location permitted by traffic regulations, and returned to the route to the restaurant.
"Unless you want Zhang Yuge to keep helping you find jobs, and of course, I might be involved in that too."
Another red light appeared, and the car slowly came to a stop in front of the pedestrian crossing. Shi Ru looked at the red light ahead, which still had thirty seconds left, and his tone was calm but revealed a hint of indifference.
He calmly exposed Zhu Yu's little scheme, which really startled Zhu Yu.
Just when she almost thought that her relationship with Shi Ru might be over, and was hesitating whether she should wisely open the door and get out of the car,
"You're very smart; you know how to make use of the resources around you." Shi Ru glanced at Zhu Yu's hand, which seemed to be unconsciously touching the door open button.
For some reason, there was a road full of waiting cars with a 4-second green light in the middle of the lane.
Shi Ru pressed the lock button for all the car doors.
"Click." The sound of the lock clicking shut brought a certain actor, who had almost turned into a road movie, back to his senses.
"You...?" Zhu Yu carefully discerned Shi Ru's expression. She really couldn't tell whether his words were a mockery of her snobbishness or a sincere statement.
"To be honest, people like you, who wear their ambition on their sleeves and are so open about it, simply don't exist in our circle."
No matter how beautiful the exterior, it is nothing more than a foul and filthy soul, utterly repulsive.
Although he had never built anything, Shi Ru, who had heard of the suffering, always kept his distance from those people.
Therefore, he admires people like Zhu Yu, who are without guile and live an honest life.
For example, her initial indifference upon first meeting him, and her deliberate approach after learning his identity.
Shi Ru himself found it strange that he didn't dislike such a close approach with such a strong ulterior motive.
Perhaps it's because her expression was really obvious.
Although she's practically an actress, Zhu Yu still wears her heart on her sleeve: "Hmm?"
Not understanding what Shi Ru was talking about, Zhu Yu could only smile and nod, pretending that she was the person Shi Ru was referring to.
"That's right, I'm very ambitious. Actually, my goal is to win the Best Actress award."
That was indeed a very ambitious statement. Shi Ru was amused by Zhu Yu, but her resolute expression made her look a little silly.
It's strangely cute.
"Having ambition is a good thing, but you also need to pay attention to your methods. You can't just treat the entire entertainment industry as your enemy before you've even debuted, can you?"
"Besides, your major is acting. You're not familiar with operations and other business integration. Even if you want to go solo, you can learn it at a company first."
Compared to the dirty deeds that Shi Ru considered insignificant, his analysis clearly showed that Zhu Yu, who had no connections, could only achieve the best development by signing with a company.
"I know you're ambitious and want to grow bigger and stronger, but you can't get fat in one bite, right?"
If Zhang Yuge were here, upon hearing Shi Ru's gentle and persuasive voice, which was almost dripping with tenderness, he would definitely jump three feet high.
Even Shi Ru himself didn't realize how doting he was when he spoke to Zhu Yu, as if an old father were advising his rebellious daughter.
That makes sense. Zhu Yu nodded, realizing that it was impossible to achieve her goals by relying on the abilities of those around her.
Regardless of whether their relationship was that deep, just considering Shi Ru's sensitivity to interests as a finance student...
Zhu Yu is clearly not a high-return investment product worth investing in now.
Perhaps one day Zhu Yu will be able to persuade Shi Ru to abandon some of his principles and give up some of his interests to help her, but that's a long way off.
Not now.
After Zhu Yu figured this out, she became more open-minded, since she hadn't officially entered the entertainment industry yet anyway.
Everything is still uncertain!
“I understand what you mean; but for now, I definitely don’t plan to sign a contract. I want to go to the film set first.”
Let's see what the difference is between a campus film crew formed with classmates and a legitimate film crew with investment in the real world.
"No problem, whenever you're thinking of signing, or if a company contacts you, I can help you take a look at the contract."
Although he wasn't from a legal background, he certainly knew more about the relevant legal provisions than Zhu Yu.
Shi Ru was very confident about this.
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