Chapter 11
After dinner, back in the RV, Shen Li took water from the refrigerator and saw a large bag of ice cream with various flavors. She randomly picked one, took a bite, and felt the sweet and refreshing sensation.
Just as I was enjoying myself, Cheng Qingqing sent me a message: Luo Mingxiu's agent contacted me and asked if we were interested in signing someone.
Shen Li was somewhat surprised: Doesn't he own a company?
Cheng Qingqing: No, the company I found online is just a studio established by Liang Jin personally.
Cheng Qingqing: Liang Jin was previously scammed by a former artist and his company, you know that?
Cheng Qingqing: He used to be an independent agent managing artists. After the hit show "Youth Diary", Luo Mingxiu's popularity increased so much that he now feels that it is quite difficult to run for resources and run the company on his own. He is considering signing with a company to focus on being an agent.
That's true. In this industry, if new actors don't join a company and go it alone, they're likely to fail to make a splash.
Shen Li typed: What are your intentions? How did you tell him?
Cheng Qingqing: Of course I guessed you were interested, but I didn't say anything definitively, just that I would think about it and ask him to wait for a reply.
Cheng Qingqing: Liang Jin is a very shrewd guy. The movie has been playing for so long, I don't believe that no other company has come to talk about signing a contract. He's been eyeing Qingli for a long time.
Shen Li: That's normal. Who wouldn't want their artist to sign with a better company?
Cheng Qingqing sent a smirking emoji: It seems you're quite satisfied with him during filming. When do you want to bring him back to the company to sign the contract?
Shen Li replied with "Mmm," then switched to Luo Mingxiu's chat interface and sent him a string of angry emojis.
Luo Mingxiu first displayed two question marks, then withdrew them a second later, showing that the other party was typing.
Shen Li: I know everything. Why didn't you tell me about something this big at the company?
Luo Mingxiu: Don't be angry. Brother Liang said before that I would try to work alone. I didn't want to sign with a company, and I'm not qualified.
Chen Li: Which company isn't qualified? Qing Li? Not qualified?
Luo Mingxiu: I mean me. I'm not qualified. I'm not from a professional background. I never thought any company would be interested in me.
She was so engrossed in typing that her ice cream was melting. Shen Li quickly finished her ice cream and sent a voice message.
“Choosing actors depends on fate and opportunity. The second female lead, Sun Qi, who you are acting with, is also a newcomer without formal training. She is from our company. Cheng Qingqing picked her out from the music academy. Can you tell from her acting that she is a newcomer?”
"I can't tell."
"So you need to be confident, but also humble, not self-deprecating. This can affect your acting performance."
"Okay, I understand."
After listening to the voice message, Shen Li put down her phone. She accidentally got ice cream on her clothes, so she opened her bag, took out a stain remover, and cleaned it. Then she heard a sound coming from outside the car.
Looking up, she saw Luo Mingxiu standing outside the door. She said speechlessly, "You've come all this way to see me, and you're still chatting with me on WeChat?"
"I saw your message and wanted to reply."
“Obsessive-compulsive disorder,” Shen Li said. “It’s so hot outside, don’t just stand there, come inside.”
"Is that okay?" Luo Mingxiu lifted his foot, then put it down again.
"What, is my car a black hole? You're not the only actor who's been here. I often share snacks, okay?"
Shen Li looked amused and took out a few bags of cookies from the box for him, saying, "Take these with you when you go out later."
Upon entering, Luo Mingxiu smelled a clean, fresh fragrance. He glanced around the RV and saw that although it lacked any luxurious decorations, it was still furnished in a simple and cozy manner.
This is my sister's private space.
He swallowed hard and walked to a seat by the window.
Seeing the fine beads of sweat on his forehead, Shen Li asked, "Where did you take your lunch break? Didn't you go back to the car?"
"The parking lot is too far, and I don't have the habit of taking a nap, so I'll just stay in the common lounge for a while." Luo Mingxiu lowered his eyelashes, making no mention of the fact that he had run over.
"Oh." Shen Li pulled out a wet wipe and raised her hand. Luo Mingxiu leaned forward upon seeing this.
However, Shen Li did not make any further moves, looking at him with confusion, and raised her hand again: "What? Wipe it yourself."
Luo Mingxiu took the wet wipe, his earlobes slightly red. He wiped his entire face extensively, mainly to cool it down.
The air conditioner inside the RV was blowing out cool air, which quickly dissipated the heat that had just been brought in. The interior was quiet and comfortable. Shen Li was engrossed in scrolling through her phone, seemingly looking at something.
Luo Mingxiu tried to make conversation: "When you're not filming, are you often at the company?"
"No, I'm only in Qingli for a few months a year. The company is mainly managed by Cheng Qingqing."
Luo Mingxiu gave an "oh," his tone tinged with disappointment.
Shen Li noticed this and said with amusement, "If you're so dramatic, you won't be at the company all the time. If you want to see me, haven't you seen me on set every day?
Luo Mingxiu pursed his lips slightly: "This drama will eventually wrap up filming."
"There won't be many more opportunities to act with you."
Shen Li looked at him and said, "Don't you think positively? What if the show becomes a hit and investors consider having the original cast film other series? I would love to work with them again."
“Like He Li…” Luo Mingxiu paused for a moment and said, “like that movie star, I heard he’ll also have a cameo in this movie.”
"You mean Li Nan? He is indeed the one I've worked with the most. We've been friends for many years, and our teams are familiar with each other and have a stable working relationship. When we have a suitable script, communication and collaboration are not difficult."
But now he's a director, and people begged him for ages before he agreed to act in this film. It's really ridiculous..." Shen Li said, noticing the man's expression darken.
Stop and ask him, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Luo Mingxiu opened his mouth but didn't say anything. He got up, picked up the snacks he wanted to take, and then said indifferently, "I'm leaving."
Strangely enough, Shen Li wanted to ask him if he was really feeling unwell, but seeing that he was walking quite quickly, she didn't ask any more questions and continued to look at the announcement calendar on her phone.
Before work started, she sent the divorce agreement to Fang Wei, but he hasn't accepted the PDF yet. Not only that, he's also not replying to messages or answering phone calls.
It's impossible to expect him to come to the Civil Affairs Bureau at a set time; she needs to take some time to go back to City B and get the divorce settled as soon as possible.
But when should she go back? Shen Li opened the overall shooting schedule that Director Liu had sent her before.
The drama "Detective Xie Huaixi" begins with Xie Huaixi searching for his father's killer. Currently, some background and subplots have been filmed in Hengdian. The core of the story will be the four-person team investigating the case later. After filming in Hengdian, the crew will move on to other locations for filming.
Filming in Hengdian will end next month, and if the subsequent group scenes along the route are delayed, it will be difficult to reshoot them.
I've made up my mind; I'll go back at the end of the month.
While taking Luo Mingxiu back to the company to sign the contract, Shen Li sent the leave request to Director Liu, who immediately replied with an OK emoji.
After the official promotional materials were released, they received a warm response from netizens, and the actors, especially the lead actors, were very motivated in the days that followed.
In addition, with Shen Li, the "Queen of Curves," in the crew, everyone looked up to her, which greatly improved the filming efficiency.
Thinking back to the first week of filming, every day before sunset, the directors and supervisors of each group would grab megaphones and shout to grab the last bit of daylight.
Now there's no need to rush them; the actors can guarantee the schedule.
Cheng Qingqing booked the plane ticket back to City B; she is decisive and efficient.
After deciding to sign Luo Mingxiu, they added his team to Qingli's group chat and called to say that everything was arranged and they were just waiting to welcome tomorrow's star.
Shen Li was waiting for her flight when she was amused by Cheng Qingqing's words. She nudged the person next to her and relayed what Cheng Qingqing had said verbatim.
Luo Mingxiu felt embarrassed: "Thank you, President Cheng."
"President Cheng? You've changed your title so quickly," Shen Li said, surprised by his speed of adaptation. She blinked. "And me? I've signed a contract, so I'm your boss too."
Just then, the announcement of the flight information came over the loudspeaker. Luo Mingxiu hummed in response, seemingly not having heard clearly, and leaned down, wanting her to repeat it.
Shen Li turned around and had no choice but to get closer to him and repeat herself.
The pure scent of pears wafted over, and Luo Mingxiu's lips curled up slightly: "Then, Mr. Shen, please take good care of me."
Chen Li turned back with satisfaction.
Qingli explicitly forbids fans from picking her up at the airport, but Shenli still can't avoid being photographed by paparazzi when she goes out.
Moreover, Luo Mingxiu's fans were also present. To avoid congestion and disruption of order, they boarded their respective minivans after exiting the V-shaped gate.
Upon arriving at Qingli Film Studio, Cheng Qingqing was waiting for her downstairs, spreading her arms wide from a distance, ready to pounce on her.
As she wished, Shen Li ran over to hug her as soon as she got out of the car: "Did you miss me?"
I missed you so much.
Luo Mingxiu followed behind and greeted Cheng Qingqing. Cheng Qingqing nodded and went to the elevator: "Go up and let Liang Jin show you around. He's been working here for a week and is pretty familiar with it."
Luo Mingxiu: "Okay."
Cheng Qingqing: "I remember you came to my office to sign the contract after the tour, and we even booked a restaurant for dinner that night."
Luo Mingxiu responded again.
Seeing that he was sparing with his words, Cheng Qingqing lost interest in being polite and caring. She turned to Shen Li and said, "Your villa has been cleaned up. You can go back to stay there tonight. How about we get someone to move your things from Tianshui Garden too? Fang Wei will be home tomorrow, it's his day off. Are you sure you want to go?"
Shen Li: "I have to go there in person. Fang Wei isn't replying to my messages. I'll talk to him and take the things I need with me."
Cheng Qingqing: "Then I'll go with you."
Shen Li: "You can't do it, can you? Didn't your mom ask you to go home this week? I can go by myself. He can't hit me just because we're getting a divorce."
"I'll stay with you," Luo Mingxiu suddenly said, and both women looked at him at the same time.
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