Chapter 30
Tan Lingling was actually a little reluctant to show Zhu Yu her hard-earned notebook.
She was afraid that if Zhu Yuwan took a liking to the script and spoke to Shi Ru about it, the script would definitely be snatched away again.
"It's a period drama set in the Republican era, and I have quite a lot of screen time."
The Republic of China era? Zhu Yu is currently rehearsing the play "Thunderstorm," which, by a large extent, can be considered to be set in the Republic of China era.
It would have been better if he hadn't said anything, because this only piqued Zhu Yu's curiosity.
"Why don't you perform a scene for me? My play is also set in the Republican era, so we can exchange experiences!"
He wanted to refuse, but then he suddenly remembered the knife hanging over his head and her mission.
She still needs to get closer to Zhu Yu, find a way to become her best friend, and then hand her over to Zhou Ye.
If someone like Zhu Yu fell into Zhou Ye's hands, he probably wouldn't be as tolerant as she is, right?
She will die.
Tan Lingling's current mindset is probably similar to that of someone who has already grabbed onto a piece of driftwood and will no longer try to snatch someone else's lifebuoy.
"Well... it's still a confidential period, so I can't show it to you right now. Let's wait a while."
Tan Lingling ultimately rejected Zhu Yu, quickly finished washing up, turned off the light, and cut off Zhu Yu's gaze.
“The drama Wang Gang gave you is produced by Shi Ru. If you seize the opportunity, Zhu Yu will definitely be in it too. Find a way to bring her over to me.”
The fact that Tan Lingling didn't tell Zhou Ye about what happened today suggests that his influence is greater than Tan Lingling's.
"By the way, I haven't seen you playing games for a while. Did you guys switch to a different game?"
"No, I've been rehearsing a play recently, and my free time just didn't coincide with it, so I haven't been able to play."
"A different time? He went abroad?"
Although she had already met Shi Ru at the company, Tan Lingling had to pretend that she knew nothing about it at this moment.
After all, in Zhu Yu's eyes, she should not know Shi Ru.
"Yes, he went abroad for business last week and just got back today."
"He's in the same year as us, right? Does his internship require him to travel for business?"
As Zhu Yu's roommate, it was only a matter of time before Tan Lingling met Shi Ru. For the sake of long-term development, she had to lay the groundwork for getting to know Shi Ru.
If Shi Ru really falls for her then, these oversights won't expose his true feelings.
"He's not an intern, is he? He works at his uncle's company, and I think he's a manager or something?"
"Oh, so you didn't ask him to help you get some scripts or variety show offers?"
Zhu Yu frowned. She wasn't particularly keen on talking about others behind their backs, but she didn't stop them immediately because it wasn't about gossiping about people.
But Zhu Yu would never put a price tag on friendship or exploit it.
Although she was not entirely without benefit from Shi Ru's kindness.
But there's a significant difference between offering an opportunity and offering a job.
Zhu Yu believes that the jobs she got under Shi Ru's guidance were ultimately due to her own abilities.
"Of course! This play I'm in now is the ticket he gave me!"
Although she would mind being seen as having gotten in through connections, Zhu Yu was even more bothered by others questioning her friendship with Shi Ru.
Because Tan Lingling's tone made it sound as if, as a friend, Tan Lingling, despite her own abilities, still watched Zhu Yu run around as an extra in various film crews, suggesting that their friendship wasn't very strong.
"He introduced you to him, so why did you spend so much time preparing for the interview?"
"It's just an introduction, not like the job is handed over to me. Of course, I still need to make the necessary preparations!"
We talked a lot about Lingling today, and the topics we discussed were all things Zhu Yu doesn't like to talk about.
Seeing that Tan Lingling didn't seem to be going to change the subject, Zhu Yu became a little anxious.
"Alright, that's enough. I have to rehearse tomorrow."
Zhu Yu slammed the bed curtains shut, cutting off Tan Lingling's words before she could finish.
-
Zhou Ye certainly didn't expect that the relationship between Zhu Yu and Shi Ru wasn't one of dependence on the other at all.
At the interview site, Tan Lingling looked around and, not seeing Zhu Yu appear until the interview ended, knew that Shi Ru had not given her the role.
While feeling relieved, I couldn't help but feel a little jealous.
How could Zhu Yu dare to refuse such a great temptation?
Based on that play she's currently working on?
While stage plays may have a high reputation, that's only visible to industry insiders. To gain more fans, increase your market value, and boost your fame, you still need to make movies and TV series.
Anyway, if Tan Lingling is in charge of the selection, she won't waste her time acting in any plays.
Moreover, Zhu Yu is not even the lead actress; she is just a candidate.
In fact, when Shi Ru participated in the script budget discussion, he had considered whether to bring Zhu Yu in as well.
After all, this project was the first TV series he had ever worked on, and he really wanted to complete it with her.
However, after careful consideration, the lead role was ultimately chosen from an artist who currently enjoys a better market response and greater fame.
As for the other supporting characters... it has to be said that after actually sitting in this position, Shi Ru realized that some things are not something that can be controlled by the level of one's position.
Connor's business is quite large, and he has a lot of connections in this social circle, so he has naturally received a lot of favors.
The lead actor needs to carry the show, and he can also control the selection of the best actor from among those who submitted their resumes.
As for those who are trying to gain attention by associating themselves with the show's potential for success, they are all using their own unique methods, each representing a different kind of power.
During the period after the auditions, when all the actors were gathered for intensive training, they caused him quite a bit of trouble.
Shi Ru was so busy that he didn't even have time to help Zhu Yu with her acting.
"It's okay, it's okay, I can practice by myself, I don't necessarily need your help."
Zhu Yu was somewhat surprised when she received Shi Ru's call and heard him immediately apologize.
After all, it was she who asked Shi Ru for help, and Shi Ru didn't owe her anything.
"Are you going to play later? I'll bring you a flower basket."
The director did promise to let Zhu Yu appear on screen... but as everyone knows, a man's word doesn't count until it's actually fulfilled.
"Probably. I'll send you a flower basket when you turn on your computer!"
"I'm not an actor, why would I accept flower baskets? But I still feel quite guilty that I couldn't have you act this time..."
"How can you give me everything? Your uncle will have a problem with that."
Zhu Yu didn't take it seriously at all. In fact, if Shi Ru hadn't told her, she wouldn't have known at all that Shi Ru was in charge of the production.
But knowing this won't help. Shi Ru has already found her a resource, so she can't just keep taking advantage of him!
"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for you. If there's a suitable drama for you later, I'll save it for you and make sure you get the lead role!"
The phone call lasted until Zhu Yu's phone indicated low battery and was about to shut down, at which point the two reluctantly hung up.
Since their careers have both gotten on track, they can't even schedule a phone call without chatting on WeChat for a week before they can make an appointment.
(Reincarnation: The reply only came after the flowers had all withered.)
"Zhu Yuyu, you're guaranteed to be on stage for next week's tour!"
The message was sent by the assistant who had helped Zhu Yu last time; she was a producer on the play "Thunderstorm."
The assistant to the actress who plays Zhou Fanyi in the film.
"?"
Just before the 60-second countdown ended, Zhu Yu rushed out of bed, plugged in the charger, and managed to reply to the message in time.
“Look at Tian Tian’s Weibo, her studio posted her schedule. Next week, around the time of our tour, she has a show to perform at overseas!”
"!!!"
There was no time to reply. As a substitute, Zhu Yu was waiting for the lead actor to be too busy to respond.
She immediately opened Weibo and searched for Tian Tian's name.
For a currently popular celebrity, being greeted at the airport is a great opportunity to demonstrate their popularity and increase fan loyalty.
Therefore, many celebrities will disclose part of their schedule to make it easier for fans to greet them at the airport.
Tian Tian naturally did the same.
The schedule is in calendar format, and as a popular star, Tian Tian's popularity is directly displayed on her schedule calendar.
Strictly speaking, there wasn't a schedule clash; it's just that the timing was very tight.
The routine is roughly: watching a fashion show in France in the morning, flying back to China in the afternoon to participate in a business live stream, landing directly in the tour city in the early morning, and even having time to shoot an advertisement in the morning before performing at the theater in the afternoon.
Just by glancing at it briefly, Zhu Yu was overwhelmed by the oppressive feeling emanating from the itinerary, making her breath quicken.
With this level of travel intensity, won't Tian Tian suddenly die?
When I opened the comments section, sure enough, not a single fan was refusing to criticize.
This is treating artists like donkeys, not letting them rest until they're spitting blood!
"Although we normal people think that her schedule is definitely not enough to support a flawless performance required for a live stage play..."
Zhu Yu suppressed her heartache and analyzed the situation rationally.
"Given the state of her company, I think they probably wouldn't want her to be replaced."
The assistant over there also realized this after calming down.
Because Tian Tian's company has strict controls, neither of them was actually able to add anyone's contact information.
Actually, at the very beginning, Zhu Yu even wanted to ask someone for advice—his acting was indeed excellent!
They were stopped by the agent, who was as thick as three Zhu Yu.
His teeth were yellow, he reeked of cigarettes, and he had a huge tattoo on his arm.
He doesn't look like the manager of a popular young actress at all; even hiring him as a bodyguard would be a risky move...
Zhu Yu didn't understand, and neither did the assistant.
They discovered this while playing with crickets together: Tian Tian's company seemed to be using her as a consumable.
“A couple of days ago, Tian Tian forgot her lines on stage. If it weren’t for my teacher’s help, there would have been a performance mishap.”
The assistant called Zhu Yu, which was a clever little scheme. After all, a sudden phone call from someone on WeChat is unlikely to be recorded.
"Although our director isn't exactly a person of high moral character, I think he still has high standards for his work."
"And Tian Tian really doesn't look quite right. You didn't see her without makeup; her complexion was sallow!"
"Just wait and see, I think Tian Tian might even ask the director to let you play the part!"
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