Chapter 347 An unexpected encounter
The night deepened, and the city was ablaze with lights.
In a private room of a hot pot restaurant in Sanlitun, Meng Bai and Zhang Ruoyun sat opposite each other.
On the table on the other side of them was a set of bowls and chopsticks, which belonged to Wang Ou, but this sister had just gone to the bathroom.
"Speaking of shabu-shabu mutton, it has to be Inner Mongolia." Zhang Ruoyun took a chopstick of mutton from the pot and put it into his mouth. After tasting it twice, he said with emotion: "Their mutton is so fragrant and tender that you can eat a whole plate without dipping sauce."
"It seems that you and Lao Bai have eaten a lot in Inner Mongolia this year." Meng Bai teased.
"The filming location is more than an hour away from the city, and I'm too lazy to go so far. At first, I was interested in riding horses, shooting arrows, etc., but I got tired of it after a long time, and the rest of the time I mainly thought about food."
The main filming location of "Huo Qubing" is at the Yuanliu Film and Television Base in Ordos, Inner Mongolia. The whole drama took nearly a year to shoot, and the leading actor Zhang Ruoyun also stayed there for a long time.
"Then you have been idle for a year." Meng Bai said, "Have you taken on any new dramas recently?"
Zhang Ruoyun shook his head and smiled bitterly, "There are some scripts that have come to me, but, alas..."
Meng Bai understood. Obviously, it is a contradiction that all non-first-line actors have-they can't get the scripts they like, and they don't like the scripts they can get.
In fact, if it was Zhang Ruoyun a year ago, the situation might be much better. At that time, he had just gained popularity because of the popularity of "Forensic Qin Ming", and then he attracted a lot of fans with the role of "Tang Shanhai" in "Sparrow".
Although he was not considered a top star among the same batch of young actors at that time, he was also quite popular.
For an actor like him who is obviously in the rising period, as long as he produces another hit work next, he can basically stabilize his position.
As a result, he turned around and took over his father's "Huo Qubing".
But for Zhang Ruoyun at that time, this choice could not be considered wrong.
The popular costume theme, the character of the big male protagonist, and the "Huo Qubing" IP with a high national popularity, as long as it can be filmed normally, it is a very good resource no matter how you look at it.
But I didn't expect that the filming of this drama took nearly a year. For an actor in the rising period, this time seems a bit too long.
But this is not the most hurtful. During the filming, someone on the Internet broke some relevant information about the drama, including the number of episodes, plot, character settings, etc.
At the party, Meng Bai said that there was a problem with the plot setting of this drama. If it was really filmed according to the original script, it would definitely be scolded.
Facts have proved that as one of the top film and television producers in the industry today, Meng Bai is quite sensitive to the audience and the market.
The show hasn't even waited for its official premiere, but the leaked clips have already caused an uproar online.
Obviously, most viewers who have a little knowledge of history cannot accept that a "natural god of war" has to start from a soldier, and they can't accept that a hero who shouted "How can I have a family if the Huns are not destroyed" is in love with a foreign princess.
And judging from the recent situation, the "skin-changing" method that Meng Bai mentioned at the beginning is not very useful.
The temporary withdrawal of the two dramas "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace" and "Win the World" at the beginning of the year had the same problems of "long episodes", "costume dramas" and "falsification of historical facts". "
Huo Qubing", with more than 70 episodes, can be said to have accurately stepped on all the minefields.
"What did Director Zhang say?"
Zhang Ruoyun shook his head: "I don't know too much, but I heard that the copyright of this drama has been sold in part, so it should be okay."
"Don't be a gambling agreement, if it really can't be broadcast later, fall into it again." Meng Bai reminded.
Zhang Ruoyun was stunned when he heard this, and thought for a while: "Don't say it's really possible, I'll ask him later."
This "he" naturally refers to Zhang Ruoyun's biological father Zhang Jian.
It can be heard that the relationship between the father and son seems to have eased a little after more than a year of filming together.
Although they are very good friends, Meng Bai can't interfere in such family affairs. So after reminding him, he changed the subject.
"There's no rush for the script. It just so happens that Arc Light has a spy war drama project this year. I'll send you the script later and see if you are interested."
"Hey, what are you saying? Do I need to read your script?" Zhang Ruoyun waved his hand, "As long as there is a need, in one word, I will sell you this hundred pounds, and the price is up to you."
"I'm just being polite, but you really rely on it, right?" Meng Bai laughed and scolded.
Although they scolded, the two couldn't help but smile at each other.
Zhang Ruoyun knew that Meng Bai took out the script because he wanted to help himself. Similarly, Meng Bai also knew that the other party agreed without thinking because he trusted him.
As friends, it's better to understand it in your heart, otherwise it would be hypocritical to say it out loud.
"What type is it about? Is it similar to "Peace Hotel"? "Zhang Ruoyun asked.
"It's different. The background of this time is set in the Liberation War, and the main line is the contradiction between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party. The role setting of the male protagonist is a young policeman who has just entered the workplace..."
Meng Bai roughly talked about the plot outline and setting. After listening, Zhang Ruoyun said puzzledly: "Why does this sound a bit like a workplace drama?"
"Well, how should I put it? Although the workplace and spy war are essentially different, the forms of expression are actually similar."
"The last one was a secret room, and this time it's the workplace. It's you who can come up with something new in the setting every time."
Zhang Ruoyun sighed, and then said excitedly: "I watched "Peace Hotel" at home these days. Teacher Qin Hao's acting is really awesome. I didn't dare to recognize him when I watched the first episode."
Meng Bai smiled. It was not the first time he heard this evaluation since the TV series started.
As the male and female protagonists of Peace Hotel, "Chen Jiaying" and "Wang Dading" are naturally the most popular among the audience.
But what is a bit strange is that "Chen Jiaying" is popular because of her role, and the popularity transferred to Qin Lan is quite average.
But after "Wang Dading" became popular, the bonus of the role was completely absorbed by Qin Hao.
Before this, many viewers had the impression of the name "Qin Hao", in addition to "Lou Ye's favorite male lead", and "Yi Nengjing's second marriage husband". As for him, he was always thought to be the kind of gloomy and withdrawn standard literary film male lead.
Until this time, he became popular with "Peace Hotel". Many people dug deep into his previous Weibo and programs and found that this was not a literary middle-aged man. He was clearly a standard Northeasterner, and he was a bit funny.
In just less than half a month, Qin Hao's Weibo gained hundreds of thousands of fans, and his popularity increased rapidly among Mesozoic actors. It can be said that he was a wave of popularity.
Even he himself and Meng Bai lamented that he had been shooting literary films for half his life and his popularity had never been very good. Unexpectedly, when he reached middle age, he gained a large number of young fans by relying on TV dramas.
With the rising popularity of Qin Hao, Arclight Film and Television has also become the focus of many Mesozoic actors, especially male actors.
Previously, Pan Yueming became one of the most popular male actors last year with "The Lost Tomb" and "White Night Chase". At the beginning of this year, another Qin Hao appeared.
As we all know, Arclight Films has always been dominated by male protagonists. When they were mainly doing online dramas before, many actors were still proud of their status and felt that they were a bit out of shape.
But now they have also started to make TV dramas, and you can imagine how fierce the competition for roles in future projects will be.
However, what worries many people is that Arclight is very similar to Noon Sunshine, and both like to use actors who have worked with them before. So it is not so easy to join the cooperation list of "Arclight".
Back to the present, Meng Bai and Zhang Ruoyun chatted for a while, but Wang Ou never came back.
"Women always take a long time to go to the bathroom."
"But this is a bit too long, do you need to go and see, don't let anything happen."
"Okay, then go out and see."
The two said that they were about to get up, but before they opened the door, they heard the sound of several women chatting outside.
And the voices sounded very familiar.
Just as they were wondering, the door of the room was opened. The two looked out and couldn't help but be stunned.
In addition to Wang Ou, there were also Li Yitong and Jin Chen who appeared out of nowhere standing at the door.
Zhang Ruoyun quickly glanced at Meng Bai beside him, and then he couldn't help but admire him.
As expected of Old Meng, he didn't change his expression at all.
What he didn't know was that Meng Bai's heart actually paused for a moment just now. It's just that he is experienced and can stay calm even when he is distracted.
Wang Ou, who opened the door, was startled by the two people behind the door: "Why are you two standing here?"
"I saw that you haven't come back for a long time, and I was planning to go see if anything happened." Meng Bai explained casually.
But with this buffer, he has adjusted his state.
He glanced at Wang Ou first, and seeing that the sister looked normal, he immediately felt confident.
Turning to look at Li Yitong, he smiled as usual, "Why are you here too?"
"Daxi came to see me and said he wanted to eat shabu-shabu. I just remembered that you told me this restaurant was good, so I came here." Li Yitong looked at Meng Bai, smiling, "Really, you guys had a secret party without inviting me. If I hadn't just bumped into Sister Ou, I wouldn't have known you were here."
Meng Bai suddenly remembered that this restaurant was near where Li Yitong lived.
Well, it turned out to be his own pot. But then again, who would have thought that this girl would remember it so clearly after having mentioned it once before.
"Hello, Teacher Meng." Jin Chen behind Li Yitong smiled and said, "I'm sorry first, Tongtong is mine today."
Meng Bai raised his eyebrows, but he didn't rush to ask, and first called everyone in, "Don't stand at the door, come in and talk."
The three women entered one after another, and Li Yitong and Jin Chen also greeted Zhang Ruoyun on the other side.
Speaking of which, the people present were not strangers to each other. Li Yitong starred in "The Great Detective", and Jin Chen also worked with Zhang Ruoyun in "The Monster Killer".
Even Wang Ou and Jin Chen had worked together in an anti-Japanese war drama before.
"Daxi plays Sister Ou's sister-in-law?"
Meng Bai looked at the information he found on his phone and looked at the two women with a strange expression.
"Tsk, what do you mean." Wang Ou glanced at him angrily, but he was also somewhat shy.
That drama was filmed five or six years ago, when she was still a young actress who had just started filming. She played whatever role she could get, so there was no room for selection.
"That's right, Sister Ou can't play the younger sister." Li Yitong, who was sitting next to Meng Bai, chimed in.
She and Wang Ou also worked together in "The Great Detective" for a long time, and they had a close relationship with each other.
Because there were two more people, their positions had also changed a bit.
Meng Bai and Li Yitong sat together, opposite Wang Ou and Jin Chen, and Zhang Ruoyun sat at the head of the table.
"I'll ask the waiter to add two sets of tableware." Zhang Ruoyun, who suddenly became independent, consciously acted as a tool.
"No, no." Li Yitong waved her hand. She and Jin Chen saw Wang Ou when they were about to leave after eating. If they hadn't heard that Meng Bai was here, the two would have gone back by now.
Looking at the few people chatting, Meng Bai leaned close to Li Yitong's ear and whispered, "Are we going to your place or mine tonight?"
Li Yitong heard this, her face bitter, and she showed a flattering smile: "Daxi is in a bad mood. I have to accompany her tonight and can't go with you."
"How can she be in a bad mood?" Meng Bai asked in surprise.
In his impression, this girl has always been a fun person.
Among the people he knows around him, only Bai Lu, the "funny girl", can barely compete with her.
She actually has bad moods sometimes?
Meng Bai thought about it and felt that emotional problems should not be a big deal. It can only be a career problem.
Li Yitong explained in a low voice, and sure enough, it was just as he guessed.
Jin Chen's company is Tangren. As a veteran film and television company in the industry, it has been going downhill in recent years, just like other traditional companies.
The year before last, it had a brief resurgence with the web drama "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer", but the subsequent sequels and other projects were lagging behind.
Jin Chen originally signed with a small agency, and was later spotted by Tangren during an audition. The man was in love, and the concubine was interested, so she terminated the contract and signed with Tangren.
With the drama "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer", she became a little popular. Tangren also gave her a few internal dramas, but they didn't make much splash, so they soon fell silent, and Jin Chen gradually became dissatisfied with the company.
The breaking point was last year's "Martial Universe" role change incident, when Jin Chen proposed to terminate the contract on the grounds that "the company failed to provide the promised resources and failed to fulfill the obligations of the agency".
This really touched Tangren's minefield. In the past few years, it was very unhappy because of the successive terminations of its artists. Now there is another one, so it is naturally impossible to agree easily.
Want to leave? Sure, just pay the millions of yuan in liquidated damages.
Jin Chen naturally couldn't agree to that, so she went to court.
The result was naturally that she was in the wrong. The first instance judgment came down two days ago, and the court ruled that Tangren won the case and required to continue to perform the contract.
At this point, Jin Chen knew that even if she bowed her head, the company would not give her resources, so she decisively applied for an appeal.
"It's difficult." Meng Bai shook his head, not optimistic about the result of the appeal.
Most of the contracts between celebrities and brokerage companies are a mess. After all, it is difficult to define what "providing appropriate resources" means, so in most cases, mediation is still the main method.
But now that it has come to the point of judgment, it is obvious that Tangren's attitude is very firm. Judging from the current situation, it is difficult for Jin Chen to gain any advantage in the second instance.
There are only two ways left, either pay the liquidated damages and leave, or wait for a year for the contract to expire.
No matter which choice you make, the result is not good. It is precisely for this reason that she is in a bad mood and comes to her best friend to complain and seek comfort.
"Hey, can you help Daxi go talk to her company?"
Meng Bai shook his head: "It's not easy to help."
Huguang and Tangren have no intersection, and they are completely strangers to each other.
Of course, if you really make up your mind to spend a lot of effort to contact the network, it is not without a way. But the problem is that Jinchen is not worth Meng Bai's resources.
Li Yitong naturally understood this, so she just sighed and said nothing more.
After thinking about it, Meng Bai said: "But if there is a suitable role, you can give her one-provided that her company agrees."
"This..." Li Yitong turned around and asked: "Daxi, does your company still let you take on other dramas?"
"I can take it." Jin Chen naturally understood the reason why her bestie asked her this, but she shook her head and said: "But the subsequent issues about pay and so on will definitely be troublesome, so there is no need."
After saying that, she smiled proudly: "It's okay, at most I can just wait until the contract ends, anyway there's only one year left."
Obviously, she didn't intend to trouble Meng Bai.
However, this made Meng Bai feel more favorable towards her, and he half-jokingly said: "Daxi, if your contract ends, you can consider coming to our Taiyang Chuanhe, it's very good."
"Okay, then I'll have to ask Teacher Meng for an introduction." Jin Chen said with a smile.
The few of them chatted for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, they planned to leave.
"I really can't accompany you tonight." Li Yitong grabbed the corner of Meng Bai's clothes and said coquettishly: "Wait until Daxi leaves in two days, I'll find you again."
"Why does it have to be two days? Can't you comfort me all night? Why are you so fragile?" Meng Bai had a look of disgust on his face.
"Oh, girls, understand."
Li Yitong looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, then she tiptoed and kissed him on the face: "Then we'll leave first."
"Okay, call me when you get home."
Watching the two girls' car leave, Meng Bai and Zhang Ruoyun said hello and said goodbye to each other.
"I'll send you the script later."
"No problem."
Wang Ou was the last one to arrive because she had to pay the bill. When she came out, she only saw Meng Bai.
"Where are Tongtong and the others?"
"They went with her bestie, leaving me alone." Meng Bai spread his hands.
Wang Ou's originally disappointed mood suddenly rose when she heard this.
Because she felt guilty in front of Li Yitong, she didn't say much tonight. She thought Meng Bai and the others would definitely go back together, but she didn't expect that things would take a turn for the better. With
a somewhat happy expression hidden under the mask and hat, Wang Ou coughed lightly and looked at Meng Bai: "Then I wonder if it would be convenient for you to trouble Teacher Meng to send it back for me."
"Of course, I'm happy to help."
(End of this chapter)
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