Chapter 27
The butler opened the door as soon as he saw Shi Ru's license plate. Shi Ru drove all the way to the front of the main building, stopped, handed the keys to the butler, and stormed in.
In fact, after Shi Fangyue showed him those behind-the-scenes transactions, Shi Ru was able to understand the operation of this business and the exchange of interests.
What he couldn't accept was that his friends had also become commodities to be traded.
Perhaps it's because you don't feel pain until the whip hits you.
"Brother, what brings you here?" It was the weekend, and Shi Ru's cousin, Shi Hua, was scooping ice cream from the refrigerator when she ran into Shi Ru coming in.
"I was planning to call you later, but since you're here, I won't have to call. I'm going to Disneyland with my classmates tomorrow, can I borrow your card?"
Shi Hua affectionately took Shi Ru's arm. The card she mentioned was a membership card that someone gave Shi Ru when she came of age.
This membership card offers a wide range of services. In addition to enjoying 20% off everything and exclusive sales at large shopping malls, it also allows you to enjoy unlimited access to all attractions without queuing at places like Disneyland.
Ever since Shi Hua learned that Shi Ru had this kind of card but had never used it, she had been thinking about it.
Shi Ru originally intended to give it to her directly, but her uncle Shi Fangyue felt that Shi Hua, as a girl, lacked self-control and that having such a luxury card would ruin her temperament, so he kept refusing to let him give it to her.
Since her father wasn't around to supervise her, Shi Hua had no choice but to seize the opportunity to get the card.
"I didn't bring it with me. Are you going tomorrow?" Although she had something to talk to her uncle about, Shi Ru patiently sat down with her little cousin.
"I'll have someone bring you the card tomorrow, and I'll help you carry your bags while I'm at it."
"Thank you, brother!" Shi Hua was overjoyed and left an ice cream-flavored kiss on Shi Ru's face before hugging her ice cream bowl and going back to her room.
She's quite shrewd. Her cousin's arrival at this time clearly indicates he has important business to attend to. Once she's achieved her goal, she'll simply leave. In case her father and cousin don't get along, it won't affect the benefits she just secured.
After finishing an online meeting in his study, Shi Fangyue received a message from the housekeeper and came downstairs.
He waited patiently until Shi Hua returned to her room before coming out. He was naturally pleased to see his daughter and nephew getting close.
He has no intention of having another son to inherit the family business in this lifetime; he will pave the way for Shi Hua's future.
From now on, Shi Hua can leave business matters to Shi Ru, and she can always be a happy little princess.
His little princess, of course, needs to be very close to the future ruler.
"Come to the study."
As the chairman of a large company, Shi Fangyue is very busy. If Zhu Yu encountered these kinds of things in a small theater troupe, no one would even dare to report them to him.
After all, Shi Ru had stated firmly that he had no special feelings for Zhu Yu, so he wouldn't presume to take care of a minor celebrity.
After hearing Shi Ru's accusations, Shi Fangyue realized that his nephew was only in his early twenties, the prime of his youth.
How long has it been since I've seen him so eager?
Shi Fangyue smiled and admired Shi Ru's mature demeanor for a while, a rare display of childlike innocence, until he was almost exasperated before clearing his throat and becoming serious.
"Alright, we at Connor have always had a cooperative relationship with the Zhou family, so it's normal for their actors to participate in our dramas."
Shi Fangyue didn't quite understand Shi Ru's concerns.
"Uncle, I wasn't talking about the issue of having a say in this drama, what I meant was..."
Shi Ru truthfully recounted what he had discovered about the relationship between Zhu Yu and the director.
Regarding how the main character was changed to an alternate character, and how Zhou Ye instructed people to bully other actors.
In the end, Shi Ru didn't even understand what he was trying to achieve by telling his uncle all this.
Looking at Shi Fangyue's calm face, Shi Ru felt somewhat powerless. He suddenly realized that if the person being bullied was not Zhu Yu, his reaction would have been the same as his uncle's today.
This realization caused Shi Ru, who always prided himself on being righteous, to break down.
He was actually a bad guy?
-
Regardless of whether he is a bad person or not, he still has to help Zhu Yu get back the opportunity to be treated fairly that she lost.
So when Zhu Yu returned to work, the director announced: "Originally, the role of Si Feng in this drama was planned to be played by two actresses, A and B."
"But considering the number of shows on this tour, and also to give young actors an opportunity, starting today, the understudy actors and the lead actors will rehearse together."
"However, there is only one role, and whether it is the A role or the B role that appears in each performance will be determined by the performance during rehearsals."
The first performance is next week, so the focus of rehearsals will have to be shifted between the two actors: A or B.
"Stop daydreaming, get to work and start rehearsing! This afternoon we'll perform like the actual show, then we'll vote to decide!"
The seemingly fair decision was met with Zhu Yu standing in the crowd, calmly accepting the gazes of those who were either mocking or pitying.
A well-established stage play, while greatly saving actors' rehearsal time, does not mean that it can be played without any rehearsals.
Zhu Yu is now in a rather awkward situation. She only participated in one day of rehearsal, and on that day, she mostly just watched from the sidelines.
Everyone thought she was doomed to lose.
It wasn't until Shi Ru came in from outside that she stood beside Zhu Yu, smiling and encouraging her.
The director went up to Shi Ru and led him to sit down in the best viewing spot in the center of the stage.
So the mocking gazes disappeared, each harboring their own schemes.
"Young Master Zhou, Shi Ru has arrived at the theater."
In the corner, a slightly short man hid behind the curtain and quietly zoomed in as wide as possible before finally capturing Shi Ru's figure clearly.
"Well done. Your first cover for ERW next week. Have your agent handle the arrangements."
It's like they live inside the phone; they reply to messages very quickly.
Zhou Ye's interest in Shi Ru's news wasn't because he wanted to do anything; he simply couldn't stand the man's arrogant attitude.
They're all in the same circle. He wants to be clean and despise them, but is that even possible?
However, for someone of Shi Ru's status, the first step in taking over the family business would be to manage a small theater.
He recalled the day he went to the theater to see Zhu Yu, the girl's panicked expression like a fawn, and her rabbit-like movements as she tumbled between the rows of seats.
Shi Ruren may not be much, but he certainly has a good eye for talent.
No wonder this girl was unmoved by his offer; it turns out she had already found someone better.
Why don't we go join the fun?
Zhou Ye glanced through the list and realized that the lead actress competing with Zhu Yu was someone he had never seen before, so he wasn't very interested.
However, if he could annoy Shi Ru and show Zhu Yu that Shi Ru, who hadn't yet taken power, was no match for this young master Zhou, then...
Without hesitation, Zhou Ye pushed the woman off him, changed his clothes, and went out.
Because of his nephew's excessive interest in the play, and fearing that his nephew might suffer losses, Shi Fangyue also paid some attention to this small project, which might not even generate more than 200,000 yuan in profit.
The fact that the competition was arranged by the director was entirely to curry favor with Shi Ru.
However, he would feel more at ease if Shi Ru could really learn to use such petty gains to get what he wanted.
Too much rigidity leads to breakage; an overly upright person cannot succeed in the business world.
"President Shi, President Lin said there's an urgent matter, and the afternoon meeting needs to be postponed."
"Perfect timing, let's go check out the drama club."
"Okay, you and Mr. Zhao from Hengyuan will meet at Dengyanglou at noon."
"Okay, I got it. Make me a cup of coffee."
"yes."
With Shi Ru present, Zhu Yu no longer had to wait backstage to watch others perform.
I spent the whole morning experiencing what it felt like to be the center of attention.
So this is what power can be so captivating.
When the boxed lunches were being handed out, Zhu Yu felt almost corrupted as she looked at the meals she and Shi Ru had, which were clearly a level above the others.
"Are you nervous?" Shi Ru handed over the coffee with a straw inserted.
"I think your last take was much more natural than your first one."
"Thank you." After practicing all morning, Zhu Yu went from being nervous and trembling at the beginning to being able to practice with ease.
But she has made great progress... "You haven't seen the lead actress's performance, she's really amazing."
"My chances of winning are slim."
As an actress, she not only needs the ability to study diligently, but also the awareness to reflect on herself.
Perhaps because he had watched too many classic videos before, Zhu Yu found that his performance today was almost an imitation of other people's acting styles.
"You're overthinking it. I'm here today watching, no one dares to pull any stunts."
If Zhu Yu were someone with exceptional abilities who had been frustrated and unsuccessful due to a lack of powerful backing, she would definitely be deeply moved by these words.
Unfortunately, she wasn't.
Upon hearing Shi Ru's words, she felt not only unmoved but also somewhat mocked.
Just how bad must her acting be for her to need others to use unjust means to help her win?
She didn't care about such a victory.
Zhu Yu shook her head. It was difficult to admit that she was worse than others, but what Zhu Yu feared even more was that if she didn't dare to admit her shortcomings, she wouldn't be able to embrace her progress.
As long as I'm a little better today than yesterday, that's enough.
"It's not a conspiracy; I just didn't act as well as that other person."
There is a bit of regret, because the two were assigned roles A and B. Although Zhu Yu really wanted to get to know the other person, the other person seemed to be deliberately avoiding her, leaving after each rehearsal and performance and never staying long.
Like today, the official match didn't start until the afternoon because that person couldn't get to the theater until then.
It's said that her schedule is extremely busy. If the contract hadn't been signed just before the release of her wildly popular drama, she wouldn't have come to perform in this play at all.
Shi Ru didn't say anything more after hearing this. He had a bias towards Zhu Yu, and no matter how well the other actress performed, this was the resource he was preparing to give to Zhu Yu.
Surely it's not like he, the heir of the prestigious Shi family, could have something given to someone else that could be replaced!
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