Chapter 159 Meeting the Rivals: Foreign Visitors, Cooperation Arrives at Your Doorstep
After Luo Luo finished talking with Song Ying, she came downstairs and saw Sister Li standing by the flower bed at the entrance of SY Entertainment, tearing off the holly leaves from the green area one by one.
She almost pulled one of the branches bald.
"Sister Li, what's wrong? Did Shen Yuning upset you again?"
Luo Luo stepped forward to inquire.
Sister Li stopped what she was doing, looked at Luo Luo with her fiery red hair, and swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Let alone Shen Yuning.
Even she, after spending this time together, would find it hard not to like Luo Luo.
She has a warm and lively personality, is sincere and humorous, works efficiently and decisively, learns things quickly, and most importantly, is good-looking.
It's not surprising that Shen Yuning would be moved, and Luo Luo can't be blamed for it.
It can only be said that the two of them did not meet at the most suitable time.
If Shen Yuning were already a firmly established film emperor, then his marriage with his assistant and fan would certainly be a beautiful story.
Or perhaps Luo Luo is simply an outsider to the entertainment industry and doesn't have much interaction with Shen Yuning. Once Shen Yuning has gained some experience, it wouldn't be a problem for him to quietly settle down and start a family.
But now Shen Yuning is stuck in a limbo, neither good enough for high-end jobs nor low-end ones. As an idol, this is the time when he should be making money and growing by relying on his fans' popularity. He doesn't dare to reveal his relationship at this time, let alone let it be revealed by one of his biggest fans.
Dating on company money, sleeping with fans...
Even if it's a free-choice relationship, Sister Li can imagine how her rivals will smear Chen Yuning.
This is a major taboo in the industry.
"Luo Luo, what do you think of Shen Yuning's reaction today?"
Sister Li changed her question to a more tactful one.
"You say he refused? What else can we say?" Luo Luo couldn't help but roll her eyes at Shen Yuning, who was out of sight in the car, recalling what happened in Song Ying's office earlier. "He's stupid! It's a good thing he's not my son. If he were, I would strangle him! As his mother, I've worried myself sick over him, and he's so ungrateful. It's really too much!"
Upon hearing the phrase "as a mother," Sister Li couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Luo Luo was taken aback. "Am I wrong, Sister Li?"
"No, you're absolutely right."
Sister Li patted Luo Luo on the shoulder.
How could she forget that Luo Luo is Shen Yuning's "mommy fan"?
Someone likes another person, but that person only treats him like a son.
"Now that you've signed the contract, prepare seriously when you appear on the show. These days, many things are easily over-interpreted, and netizens are incredibly impatient. You're straightforward and speak your mind, so please remember to tone it down a bit to avoid getting hurt in the process, understand?"
Sister Li gave her earnest advice.
Luo Luo patted her chest and assured her, "Don't worry, Sister Li! I'll be careful!"
Once in the car, Shen Yuning was still awkward, but not as sullen as before.
I just haven't looked at the contract or the script yet.
Luo Luo didn't urge him, after all, she knew that Shen Yuning was a proud and arrogant person. Once he figured out that this matter was entirely beneficial, he would take the initiative to look at the script.
Sister Li didn't urge him, because Shen Yuning's schedule for the next two months was almost completely full, including the dance variety show "Dancing Youth" with Jian Cheng, an idol under Song Ying's company. He would be practicing dancing and singing, and even if he accepted the script, he wouldn't be able to join the crew for another two months.
Each of the three had their own thoughts, and they walked in silence.
-
Ji Zhiheng's research made a breakthrough in a short period of time, which directly determined the start time of the romance variety show.
The official live recording will take place three days later.
The program is titled "Passion".
It symbolizes passionate love—love for one's lover, love for life, and love for oneself.
During the pre-event period, it attracted many viewers to make reservations in advance.
In just three days, the number of reservations across the internet exceeded 100 million, an unprecedented level of popularity for dating reality shows.
The day before she officially joined the crew, Song Ying was preparing to leave work early when she received an iMssage.
[Zachary: My dear Ying, I have arrived in your homeland and am now in the beautiful capital. Would it be convenient for me to invite you to dinner today?]
Upon seeing the message, Song Ying was somewhat surprised, but after the surprise came joy.
Instead of replying to the message, she made a VoIP call directly.
The call was connected quickly.
"Zucker, have you come to China?"
"Yes, dear Ying, we landed late last night. Because it was so late and we had to adjust our sleep schedule, we've been traveling until now. I feel refreshed now, so I wanted to see my dear old friend. I wonder if I've bothered you?"
The voice on the other end of the phone was magnetic and gentle, and the fluent English was extremely gentlemanly.
Just by hearing his voice, Song Ying could immediately recall her old friend's familiar voice, smile, and the air of a British aristocrat.
"No problem at all. I was just about to leave work. Where are you? My husband and I would like to invite you to dinner."
After agreeing on a meeting place, Song Ying hung up the phone and then called Qin Shu again.
"Zachary? What's he doing in the capital? Isn't he here to be a rich young master and a top celebrity in the entertainment industry, to film a movie in China?"
To be fair, Zachary herself is not unpleasant.
Qin Shu's instinctive repulsion towards him stemmed from a man's damned competitive spirit.
After all, when Song Ying was studying abroad, Zachary, who was also in the drama club and had collaborated with her on many plays, had pursued her quite a bit.
The two are definitely rivals in love.
However, after Song Ying and Qin Shu confirmed their relationship, Zachary took the initiative to keep her distance from Song Ying.
It doesn't really count as crossing the line.
So the two are still good friends to this day.
Not to mention, Zachary's father is an Earl of England, and her mother is Song Ying's acting teacher, who runs Fleming, the largest talent agency in the United States.
Before Song Ying returned to China to develop her career, Zachary and her son had been trying to persuade her to stay in the US and sign with Fleming.
Logically and emotionally, it's impossible for her and Zachary to pretend to be strangers.
"So, are you going or not?" Song Ying asked.
“I’ll go! I’ll definitely go!” Qin Shu said.
If he doesn't go, what if that peacock starts flirting with his wife again?
It's no wonder Qin Shu was nervous; Zachary's face, even by Chinese audience standards, is extremely handsome.
In the words of his Chinese fans, Zachary's blue eyes are as deep as the sea, possessing a bewitching power, like the song of a siren, as if luring people to the forbidden land of the gods.
But when he smiles, his smile is as pure as if kissed by an angel. His fine, golden hair seems to be a gift of light from the sun god, and his straight nose is a gift of elegance from the mountain god.
When Qin Shu first heard this description, he almost burst out laughing.
This was the first time he had ever heard someone describe their appearance like this. It really had the feel of non-mainstream literature from a few years ago, and it was even harder to imagine what kind of face was described under such an abstract description.
Until he met the real person.
Suddenly I understand those descriptions online; they seem exaggerated, but they're actually quite accurate when used to describe Zachary's face.
It was a face that transcended geographical boundaries, nationalities, and even gender aesthetics.
Even Qin Shu, a man, had to admit that Zachary was handsome—of course, he was still a bit inferior to him, otherwise why would Aying have chosen him?
After so long, seeing Zachary again, he hasn't changed at all.
She even looks more radiant than when she was a student.
It's true that red skin is good for health.
Following Zachary's suggestion, the group did not meet at a Western restaurant, but instead went to a Sichuan restaurant.
"China looks more advanced and beautiful than when I came a few years ago. There are many beautiful sights along the way, and the transportation is much more convenient than ours."
"Yes, the development in recent years has indeed been quite rapid."
After chatting for a while, Song Ying asked Zachary about his purpose for coming.
"You mean this? To be honest, I'm here to collaborate with your Chinese entertainment company. The Grammy Awards are currently preparing to invest heavily in a multinational co-production film. In addition to China, we will also invite stars from Japan and South Korea to participate, all in an effort to compete for next year's Oscars."
"Chinese stars have amazing kung fu skills, which is exactly what we need. I hope to find suitable actors this time and work closely with the companies behind them."
"I've shortlisted a few companies for now. Ying, you've been back in China for so long, you must know your entertainment company very well. I hope you can give me some advice on which companies are most worth cooperating with."
There have been many joint ventures between Chinese and foreign companies to produce films in recent years. The Dramamine Films also collaborated with domestic film and television companies a few years ago, so Song Ying was not surprised.
When Zachary specifically mentioned the names of those companies, Song Ying put down her wine glass, thinking about how to say something that wouldn't disappoint him.
"After you landed, you haven't visited these companies or paid attention to their recent activities, have you?"
Zachary nodded, his deep blue eyes as unfathomable as the sea. "Indeed, not yet. I mentioned it to you during our previous call. After landing last night, my assistant and I were still adjusting to the time difference—what's wrong? Did something happen to those companies?"
The five companies Zachary had in mind were the same ones previously owned by Qian Lai and Yang Xu, plus Huatian Media.
Song Ying briefly recounted the scandals these companies had previously been involved in, and then gestured for Zachary to search online for the details of the incidents.
Zachary has been studying Chinese for several years.
Although his speech still has a foreign accent and is not as natural as when he speaks English, basic Chinese reading comprehension is not a problem for him.
Upon seeing this, he was shocked.
“The background checks I have were given to me by the company’s research department half a month ago. I had previously been to H country and R country to discuss projects before finally coming to China. I never expected that our proposed partners would be so despicable, even going so far as to bully you and your husband, doing things like slandering plagiarism and kidnapping. They should all be arrested.”
Zachary was so indignant that he nearly knocked over the dishes the waiter was preparing to serve.
"Excuse me, beautiful lady!"
Zachary apologized in broken Chinese, and the waiter blushed the moment his eyes met.
"No, it's okay..."
The little girl lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and fled as if she were running away.
The winning and losing couple exchanged a glance, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
Some people are born to be social butterflies.
"Come on, try the Sichuan dishes you wanted—spicy diced chicken, sliced beef and tripe in chili sauce, sliced beef in chili oil, and garlic-flavored pork belly—"
Song Ying picked up the serving chopsticks and placed a piece of meat on Zachary's plate.
Then Qin Shu took the chopsticks from him, saying, "Let me do it."
Song Ying turned around and caught a glimpse of Qin Shu's jealous expression, and couldn't help but laugh, "Okay, you come."
Zachary thanked him, picked up the sliced beef and tripe from the plate, glanced at it a few times, and looked at it strangely.
"Is this 'husband and wife lung slices' really made from the lungs of a husband and wife? Isn't organ trafficking illegal in China?"
Qin Shu said, "This couple is not the same as that couple. The main ingredients of this dish are beef heart, beef tongue, beef tripe, and beef. After these ingredients are braised, they are sliced and mixed with soy sauce, chili oil, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorn powder, sesame powder, etc., and that makes this dish. The reason it is called this is because the people who originally created this dish were a husband and wife, and the shop they sold this dish was called Husband and Wife Lung Slices, so the dish got its name from that."
Zachary was surprised that the dish's name had such a sophisticated meaning, and he praised it repeatedly.
But when I ate it, I kept choking and coughing.
Having grown accustomed to Western food, their stomachs simply couldn't handle such spicy food. In the end, Qin Shu ordered two Western dishes and had them delivered to Zachary and his assistant, thus saving the foreign friends from their predicament.
So on the square table, half was Western food and the other half was Sichuan food, with a clear boundary and a very stark contrast.
"You said you can't handle spicy food, yet you still wanted someone to take you to eat Sichuan food? I thought you just liked it."
“It’s not that I’m a fan of Sichuan cuisine.” Zachary took a sip of red wine. “It’s that on the plane to China, I met a Chinese person who heard that I had never eaten Sichuan food before, so he specifically recommended that I try it, otherwise my trip to China would be in vain.”
Song Ying: "..."
Qin Shu: "..."
For a moment, I didn't know how to respond to that.
Forget it, I'll just eat in silence.
As the meal progressed, the conversation returned to Zachary's search for a business partner.
"These companies have run into trouble, but I now own a new entertainment company called SY Entertainment. It's a merger of two well-known entertainment companies in Beijing, Shengshi and Qingcheng. Currently, it should be on par with Huatian Media, both being industry leaders. Xiao Zha, would you consider cooperating with me?"
With Qian Lai and others' company running into trouble, Huatian Media became the only option on the shortlist for the Grammy Awards.
Given the global influence of the Dermamy Awards, if Huatian wins this opportunity, it will definitely leave SY far behind in the future. Therefore, Song Ying has no choice but to take advantage of her proximity and actively poach talent from SY.
"We need a professional actress who knows kung fu and has a certain influence in the Chinese entertainment industry. Most importantly, she must be fluent in English, have good acting skills, and be highly cooperative. Ying, if your company has such a high-quality actress, you might as well have this opportunity to work with her."
Song Ying raised an eyebrow and pointed to herself.
How am I?
"You? If you'd like to participate, that would be wonderful! We've worked together many times, and even my mother approves of your professionalism. She would be very happy and welcoming if she knew you were interested in joining us!"
As Zachary waved his hand as he spoke, Qin Shu squeezed Song Ying's left hand under the table.
Song Ying glanced at him, then smiled and looked at Zachary.
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