Chapter 107: Midnight Snack
For an actor, not being able to recognize a face is an extremely humiliating thing, especially when Xu Qingye stares at him with a sincere look on his face, it feels like all his past is being wiped out.
After filming for so many years, the other party didn’t even recognize me.
With people coming and going around him, he couldn't lose his temper, so he tried hard to suppress his anger and keep smiling.
"My name is Zhuang Qibei. I'm sure you're familiar with this name."
"Ah, ah, I have some impression of you, but you look quite different in person than in the photo. I realized it when you said your name, but do we know each other?"
Xu Qingye suddenly realized that it was the cannon fodder actor in the original novel who had a lot of competition with Shen Que. He had checked the photo before, but perhaps because of his young age and his appearance had not yet been fully finalized, the person in front of him did not match the photo at all.
"I don't know him, but I've seen a photo of you and Shen Que. You two are friends, right?"
Zhuang Qibei controlled his temper and tried to remain polite.
"You're quite interested in him, but our photo has only been trending once. I'm surprised you recognized me. But I have to go now. You're probably busy, too. I won't waste your time."
Xu Qingye smiled. It was mentioned in the original book that Zhuang Qibei had been very successful since his debut. He had always been known as an acting genius. From the way he could burst into tears at a young age to his handsome face that grew in proportion to his age, he had always lived in praise. After he grew up, he applied to study cinema, and his filming was still going smoothly.
He had heard too much praise since he was a child, and in such a situation, suddenly someone appeared and took away all his glory.
Shen Que's appearance is of the same type as Zhuang Qibei, but Shen Que is more stunning in comparison. It only took him one drama to go from an amateur to the best actor. The title of genius was changed, and with the exaggerated gimmick of Ziwei Star, Zhuang Qibei's name seemed to have become obsolete all of a sudden. Everyone remembered "A Summer Named After You" that summer, but no one noticed that he also filmed a youth campus drama.
The entertainment industry is sometimes so cruel. People are enthusiastically calling him "Brother Beibei" one second, and calling him "Emperor Que" the next second. One is "younger brother" and the other is "Emperor of Television".
"I heard you're in marketing, we can work together next time."
"You've got a lot of information. My studio is across the street. You're welcome to come see me, but my fees are quite high. Come back when you have enough money."
Xu Qingye waved his hand, and the image of a cannon fodder who was jealous of the male protagonist was very vivid. In the original novel, Shen Que ignored him at all. After all, they were not on the same path. Zhuang Qibei had been filming TV series, while Shen Que had been in the film industry early on. Comparing Chen Que and Zhuang Qibei was simply elevating Zhuang Qibei's status.
Not long after Xu Qingye left, Zhuang Qibei's agent came over and saw Zhuang Qibei looking up at Shen Que on the display screen, and couldn't help but sigh.
"Abei, why are you still here? Let's go upstairs."
"Um."
Zhuang Qibei responded with a "brother" and followed his agent upstairs. He came to discuss signing a contract. His contract with the current agency was about to expire, and he did not plan to renew it. He thought about it for a long time and finally decided to come to Glory Film and Television. Although Glory Film and Television mainly focused on movies, it also had a lot of TV drama resources. Moreover, if he could successfully sign the contract, he and Shen Que would become colleagues.
Zhuang Qibei didn't know what his mentality was. When he reluctantly clicked on "A Summer Named After You" and was completely impressed by Shen Que's acting skills, something in his heart collapsed.
Back in the studio, Xu Qingye searched Zhuang Qibei's data. Looking at the photos, he still felt that there were some differences. Probably many of the photos were taken when Zhuang Qibei was seventeen or eighteen years old. Now he is twenty-three, so he looks a lot more mature.
Xu Qingye took a look. Zhuang Qibei's agency was a small, unknown company with few artists under it. Zhuang Qibei was already the most popular, so he was probably going to Glory Films to sign a contract.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Qingye sent a message to Zhao Wen to inquire. Zhao Wen was just an agent and she didn't know much, but she had many colleagues and she came to a conclusion after a little inquiry.
Zhao Wen: Zhuang Qibei's contract is about to end. He's been in contact with the company recently, but it's not clear whether it will be successful yet. Why are you asking about him? Are you a newbie?
Shen Que said that Xu Qingye was also a fan, but his fan following was very mixed. There were a lot of messy posters in his room, and no one knew how many of them were genuine. He had to go to the scene for work, so he looked like a crazy fan, but it was hard to tell how much of his feelings were genuine.
Xu Qingye: As for the youth senior students, Chen Que is enough. I met him today and just asked casually.
Xu Qingye replied, and Zhao Wen replied with an emoticon package without saying anything more.
Xu Qingye looked at Zhuang Qibei's acting experience. He started acting at the age of six and has won some newcomer awards until now. His other achievements are not outstanding. He played the teenage years in the dramas with the highest ratings, which cannot be counted as his achievement. Now that he has just become an adult, maybe his future development will be better.
Xu Qingye didn't study it too much and just thought it was an accident. He was busy promoting Shen Que recently. "Dawn" will be released this year. Although Shen Que is only a supporting role, it is his first movie after all, so the promotion is still in place.
The crew has also arranged a lot of offline promotions, and Xu Qingye plans to attend a few events. There will also be a preview of the film later. Once everything is done, the year will almost be over.
While arranging the itinerary, Xu Qingye asked a question in the work group.
Xu Qingye: Who would like to accompany me on Chen Que’s trip recently? Please raise your hands if you are willing.
Yihe: No time, a bit busy.
Cao Muan: I’m serving Queen Zhuang, so I don’t have time either.
Pin Yue: I have the will but not the ability, and I am a bit busy.
When Pin Yue came, Xu Qingye transferred the parts of Su Ziyu and Jiang Boqi to her. She had been in charge of Su Ziyu's publicity work before, and she was quite good at it. This made Pin Yue feel as if she had not changed jobs.
Since everyone was busy, Xu Qingye directly @Lin Yang.
Xu Qingye: @Lin Yang, come with me, just write some manuscripts and help out.
Lin Yang's job is the easiest. He is mainly responsible for the operation of several more literary accounts, the most important of which is "Xu Ge Talks about Movies". The data of that account has been good recently. Lin Yang is quite good at writing film reviews, and Xu Qingye plans to take him to expand the business.
When called out, Lin Yang replied “Got it” in the group.
Lin Yang has been in a good mood recently. He tried to chat with Shen Que privately. He thought Shen Que was just being polite and would not reply to him, but he didn't expect Shen Que to actually communicate with him. He occasionally showed Shen Que the manuscripts he wrote recently, and Shen Que would always give some pertinent suggestions.
Lin Yang was a little excited to meet Shen Que.
The offline promotion of the movie basically consists of previews, roadshows, and creative meet-and-greets. Shen Que is not the lead actor, so he does not attend every one of them. Xu Qingye confirmed the itinerary with him and asked Lin Yang to book the flight and hotel.
The first time Lin Yang went out alone with Xu Qingye, he seemed a little reserved. He tried to find a topic, but after thinking about it, it seemed that he could only talk about Shen De.
"Boss, what kind of person is Shen Que in private?"
Xu Qingye was reading gossip in the group chat. When he heard Lin Yang's question, he turned around and looked at him.
"Shen Que's private personality is quite complicated. He's like that unattainable academic bully in school. His thoughts are hard to guess, but he's definitely a good person. He appears cold on the surface, but he's passionate on the inside."
Xu Qingye thought about it and decided that putting aside their romantic relationship, it would actually be nice to be friends with Shen Que.
"It's quite similar to what I imagined. I recently talked to him about film reviews and he was quite enthusiastic."
"You have to write a good review of 'Breaking Dawn' this time. Focus on being serious and accurate, but don't be too obvious. Just a little personal opinion will be fine. After all, the male and female leads are so famous, don't provoke a fight."
Xu Qingye had read Lin Yang's film reviews. His style was as sharp as Shen Que's, but the praise was also good, and he could make changes as long as he made any requests.
"Of course I know that, and I believe Shen Que's performance in the movie will be great."
"When it comes to work, don't be too fan-brained. No matter who you're a fan of, try not to show it too obviously in the future. You still need to be professional at work."
Xu Qingye glanced at Lin Yang. He didn't stipulate that employees couldn't chase stars. It was just that the nature of their work required them to come into contact with many different stars. If their own preferences affected their work judgment, it would seem too unprofessional. After all, what they did was marketing, not professional fans.
"I understand. Don't worry, I know my limits."
Lin Yang nodded, but didn't continue chatting with Xu Qingye because he was afraid that he would think too much. He took out his mobile phone and started chatting with people in the fan group.
Although Shen Que has not produced many works, he already has a lot of fans. Lin Yang has joined many fan groups and is now a senior fan. Some people in the group also participate in offline activities. If it were not for work, Lin Yang would like to meet them in person.
The first stop of the roadshow was in City C. After packing up his things at the hotel, Xu Qingye went out. Shen Que had been in City C for two days. Xu Qingye bought some midnight snacks to go see him.
Because it was an offline roadshow, the main creators all stayed together. The hotel was booked by the crew together. Zhao Wen led Xu Qingye upstairs and Xu Qingye gave her a midnight snack.
In the room, Shen Que was reading the script. He was reading the script of "Dark War". He didn't have many scenes and the filming would be finished in about a month.
"What are you looking at so seriously?"
When Xu Qingye entered the room, Shen Que closed the script with his hands. He stood up to greet Xu Qingye and hugged him tightly in his arms before he could speak.
Xu Qingye was suddenly surrounded by warmth, and he had the illusion that Shen Jue was kneading into his body. The sound of breathing and heartbeat intertwined in his ears, and he suddenly felt very safe.
It was a long time before Shen Que let him go. Xu Qingye looked at Shen Que and reached out to pinch his face.
"I bought some midnight snacks, but I knew you couldn't eat them, so I ate them for you."
Xu Qingye sat down on the sofa, took out the packed midnight snack and started to eat. Shen Que wanted to maintain his figure and was controlling his diet recently. The company customized nutritious meals for him, and he would not eat any other food.
"You eat it, I'll eat something else."
Chen Que held his chin and looked at Xu Qingye. Xu Qingye had just stuffed a skewer of meat in his mouth, and his cheeks were bulging. When he heard Chen Que's words, he immediately looked up alertly.
"What are you eating?"
"Midnight snack, didn't you deliver it to my door?"
Xu Qingye was eating barbecue, and there was some oil on the corner of his mouth. He reached out to wipe it, and his fingertips were stained with some oil stains. Chen Que grabbed his hand and put it in his mouth and sucked it carefully. Xu Qingye suddenly lost the desire to eat supper, and the person in front of him seemed more lively.
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