Chapter 110 Newcomer [VIP]
Chapter Summary: A secret has been discovered, but it cannot be spoken.
Mu Zhi was sitting on the sofa watching a movie when her phone vibrated.
I picked up my phone and saw that it was my agent calling from over an hour ago.
As soon as the call connected, the agent briefly explained the purpose of the call: to arrange for Minmin to visit and for a private doctor to come and check on Muzhi, and to let them know in advance.
The next second, the doorbell rang.
Mu Zhi coughed twice, startled by her agent's concern. She glanced down at her casual home attire. Her apartment was temperature-controlled, and she could usually wear short sleeves at home.
I caught a cold a couple of days ago and was worried about getting chilled, so today I was wearing a beige tracksuit at home, which was perfectly fine.
Upon reaching the door, I peeked through the peephole and confirmed that standing outside were Minmin and a strange man carrying a medicine box, who was probably the private doctor the agent had mentioned.
Only then did they open the door.
"Sister Zhizhi, are you feeling better?"
Minmin was carrying a large bouquet of flowers in one arm and a fruit basket in the other, looking a bit strained.
Mu Zhi took the fruit basket from Minmin and invited the two of them in, leaving the door open.
Seeing Mu Zhi sizing up the private doctor carrying the medicine box, Minmin introduced, "This is, Dr. Zhou?"
His surname is Zhou, right? I think that's what the boss calls him.
Private doctor Zhou Jing introduced himself to Mu Zhi with a warm smile: "Ms. Mu, hello, my name is Zhou Jing, and I am a doctor at Beicheng Kangjing Hospital."
Zhou Jing is Zhou Cheng's older brother, and he has played ball with He Zhiyue a few times.
Before He Zhiyue came to the hospital to see him, she had called ahead and described Mu Zhi's general condition: she had a fever for a few days, a sore throat, and a slight cough.
Zhou Jing had prepared some medicine in his first-aid kit in advance.
At first, I thought I was going to see a very difficult and uncooperative patient, so I avoided the hospital because I didn't want to see a doctor.
On the way there, He Zhiyue revealed that the sick person's name was Mu Zhi.
Zhou Jing doesn't follow the entertainment industry, but he knows Mu Zhi. He recently watched the TV series "The Edge of the Blade" and is a fan of spy dramas.
Before meeting Mu Zhi, his impression of her was: this female celebrity was quite pretentious; when she was sick, she didn't want to go to the hospital and had her boss arrange for a home visit instead.
Now, they could see that Mu Zhi was surprised by their arrival, but also somewhat helpless.
Clearly unaware beforehand, but very well-mannered, showing no emotional outburst, politely poured them water, and regarding his home visit... since they were already there, they cooperated by explaining their illness and agreeing to the examination.
After examining Mu Zhi, Zhou Jing found that Mu Zhi's illness was not very serious, guessing that it was just that someone was worried and confused.
"If the high fever persists, intravenous fluids at the hospital can help you recover as quickly as possible."
"Miss Mu just has a common cold. She should recover on her own in about three or four days by taking medicine and resting at home."
After checking the medication Mu Zhi was taking, I found it wasn't enough to treat her symptoms, so I took a few new boxes from the medicine cabinet, along with some cough medicine.
Before leaving, I told him: "Take your medicine after each meal, get plenty of rest, drink lots of hot water, and keep warm."
After Zhou Jing came out carrying his medicine box, he saw He Zhiyue waiting at the corner.
"Brother Jing, how are you?"
Zhou Jing: "A common cold."
He Zhiyue breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and also noticed the slight sarcasm in Zhou Jing's tone. Under the other party's quiet gaze, she raised her hand and touched her eyebrows: "Teacher Mu caught a cold and suffered from altitude sickness in Tibet last time, and developed pulmonary edema the next day. As the company boss, I heard that she hadn't gotten better after a few days of cold, so..."
Zhou Jing had a look on his face that said, "Do you think I believe that?", but he wasn't as gossipy as his younger brother, Zhou Cheng.
"Next time we play, give me two balls."
"OK."
Mu Zhi arranged the flowers that Minmin had given her into a vase.
Each lily seemed to have been carefully selected and was in full bloom, with a few dewdrops clinging to its petals and a delicate fragrance that was refreshing and delightful.
"Minmin, thank you for the flowers, they are very beautiful."
Minmin lowered her head slightly, waved her hand and smiled, "...No, don't be so polite."
Mu Zhi glanced at the wall clock; it was time for dinner.
Minmin has gone to great lengths to make this trip, and it's her first time being a guest here, so we decided to let her stay for a meal before returning to the company.
In the days following the wrap-up of filming, Mu Zhi ordered takeout or bought groceries online and had them delivered to her door, simply cooking porridge and noodles for herself.
She opened the food delivery app on her phone, planning to order food separately from Minmin so that they could sit at opposite ends of the table and she wouldn't have to worry about catching her cold from Minmin.
"Minmin, what do you want to eat? I'll order takeout."
Just then, Minmin's phone rang. The caller ID showed the number as: deliveryman.
Minmin knew that this was takeout ordered by the boss for Muzhi, and that Minmin's phone number was left.
So after the food arrived, the deliveryman called Minmin.
"Sister Zhizhi, you don't need to order anymore. Um... I already ordered takeout half an hour ago, and it's already downstairs after I just got the call."
Give me your access card, I'll go downstairs to get it.
Mu Zhi: ? Minmin seems a bit strange today? When did she order the food?
Minmin usually discusses things with herself before doing anything, but today she was quite proactive.
Mu Zhi guessed that Minmin probably knew she had a cold and couldn't go out to eat, so she would most likely choose to order takeout. She also knew her own food preferences, so she just ordered directly.
He didn't take it to heart and gave the access card to Minmin.
Before going downstairs.
Minmin hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Sister Zhizhi, I heard that the boss also lives on this floor. Do you often run into each other?"
Mu Zhi has lived in Donghua Mansion for a year, and has only bumped into the boss a handful of times.
"You rarely encounter this, what's wrong?"
"No, no, I'm just worried about running into the boss, that would be so awkward, haha."
"I'll go get my takeout."
Minmin wasn't good at lying and didn't dare look Muzhi in the eye. After saying that, she quickly went downstairs.
Take the elevator downstairs.
Minmin wondered: Did the boss have feelings for Sister Zhizhi that she was thinking about?
But just now, Sister Zhizhi mentioned that the boss's expression was normal, suggesting they weren't very familiar with each other privately? Aside from showing Sister Zhizhi some special care and concern today, the boss didn't seem to...
Oh right, I just remembered the last time I was in Tibet!
The boss was very anxious and took Sister Zhizhi to the hospital, leaving behind someone to keep watch over her overnight.
That is indeed a bit unusual.
So... the boss really does have feelings for Sister Zhizhi, right?
Minmin felt she had discovered an incredible secret!
To be precise, the boss's feelings for Sister Zhizhi seem to be an unspoken secret crush.
Unlike other rich kids on TV and in real life, who would immediately show their love to a woman they liked by showering her with gifts to win her heart.
The boss was very low-key, and didn't want anyone to mention the flowers he sent, the private doctor he arranged, or the takeout he ordered, saying he didn't want to cause Mu Zhi any trouble.
Did I expect the boss to be playing the role of a domineering CEO, but rather a quietly devoted and caring man? Or perhaps he simply doesn't want to disrupt the current harmonious relationship?
Minmin knew that Muzhi was only focused on filming and had no interest in dating. Her boss had also asked her to keep it a secret, so... she decided to keep quiet about her boss's crush on Sister Zhizhi.
Let Sister Zhizhi focus on her career.
However, one of the most painful things in the world is discovering a secret but not being able to tell it!
I feel so awful!!
February 7th, the day after tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve.
Mu Zhi's cold has finally cleared up, and she came to Lanxing Media.
I talked to my agent about work arrangements after the new year.
This was Mu Zhi's first meeting with Ji Binghe after joining the cast of "The Most Beautiful Teacher".
The first thing you say to each other when you meet.
You've lost weight.
You've lost weight.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Ji Binghe looked at Mu Zhi's short hairstyle and said, "Even if you shaved your head, you would still be a beauty."
Mu Zhi: "..." If the character I'm playing has to have a bald look, I'll just use special effects makeup to achieve that.
I sat down on the sofa.
Let's get down to business. For Mu Zhi, the most important filming schedule for the new year includes: first, a film directed by Xu Kuan called "Infinite Flow"; second, a martial arts film tentatively scheduled with Hong Yan; and the rest of her schedule mainly consists of commercial shoots, magazine shoots, brand events, and large-scale industry galas.
Oh, and there's also the dubbing and promotional tours for "Countdown" and "The Most Beautiful Teacher".
After going through the above work schedule once.
Ji Binghe silently and accurately pulled out a green-covered folder from the pile of documents and handed it to Mu Zhi: "These are the lyrics to 10 songs. See if there are any you like?"
It's been almost a year since Mu Zhi proposed the idea of releasing a song.
These 10 lyrics were written by several musicians. Mu Zhi was first asked to check if there were any she was satisfied with, and then music was composed based on the lyrics to create music demos.
“There are still three months before Director Xu’s movie starts filming. I was thinking of seeing if you could release a single during this period, or try to release one within this year.”
Mu Zhi: "Okay, I'll carefully choose during the Spring Festival holiday." She put the folder away.
During the filming of "The Most Beautiful Teacher", the agent did not visit the set, and there was little phone contact with Mu Zhi, as her schedule was extremely busy.
One of the projects he's currently busy with is auditioning for the film "Escape from the Game".
Mu Zhi had heard Ji Binghe mention that Director Xu Kuan had organized an open audition for the male lead in the movie "Escape from the Game".
Ask the agent: "Has the cast for 'Escape from the Game' been finalized?"
Ji Binghe: "I was just about to tell you about this."
"We finally reached an agreement a couple of days ago. The male lead has been cast. He's a professionally trained newcomer that our company signed last year, named Bian Wu."
Mu Zhi wasn't too surprised when she heard this: "Congratulations."
Seeing that Mu Zhi was accepting of her well and not upset by it, Ji Binghe felt relieved.
Previously, I had only briefly mentioned it on the phone, but now I explained to Mu Zhi in person the reasons why the film crew of "Escape from the Game" chose to hold open auditions to cast newcomers as the lead actors.
"Director Xu initially planned to look for young actors..."
The first group of young actors targeted are those with formal training and good acting skills. From these, we then select those whose image, height, and temperament match the film characters.
The second tier consists of popular artists recommended by various entertainment agencies. These include child stars who have been in the industry for many years, idols who have transitioned to acting, those who became famous for their roles in web dramas, and those who have played supporting roles in movies.
"Finally, after a comprehensive screening based on various criteria, a popular male actor who had become famous for his role in a period drama and had also acted in movies with decent acting skills stood out. However, during the collaboration negotiations, he and Director Xu broke down in talks."
Mu Zhi: "The reason?"
"The team of this popular male actor demanded a fixed salary and insisted on signing a contract."
"......"
“I made some inquiries and found that the male celebrity’s team was also in contact with another film project. They probably felt that Director Xu only had one representative film. Many online opinions attributed the success of ‘Back to 17’ to Guangying Media’s publicity and distribution, good release date selection, and good script.”
Mu Zhi's acting skills carried the film, and the cameo appearances of Feng Zhongxian, Pu Jiamu, and the lead actor from his first film also added a lot of highlights to this youth film.
Director Xu's presence wasn't very strong, and I think his contribution to the film's box office was minimal.
The "infinite flow" genre is risky, and this male streamer may not be very confident about this film project.
The cooperation negotiations ultimately ended unhappily.
Xu Kuan, who was frustrated with casting, believes that the most important thing for the big IP "Escape from the Game" is to bring the story world of the novel to life as much as possible, to restore it, to ensure that the post-production quality is up to standard, and that the male and female leads' performances are good and that they have a good sibling-like chemistry.
The male lead doesn't necessarily have to be someone with box office appeal and popularity; the key is that he can portray the character well.
After weighing the options, Xu Kuan decided to use newcomers, intending to use the saved salaries for post-production.
Ji Binghe: "Bian Wu was able to be selected as the male lead not only because he met all the requirements for the role and performed well in the audition, but also because the company added more resources to his bid."
The female lead, played by Mu Zhi, is one of the investors in Lanxing Media, and two actors from the company will also make guest appearances. After several rounds of negotiations with Xu Kuan, the collaboration was finalized.
"Bian Wu happens to be at the company today. I'll call him in so you can get to know each other?"
Mu Zhi nodded: "Okay."
Director Xu Kuan personally auditioned and selected the male lead, so Mu Zhi naturally had no objections. Since the collaboration had already been arranged, it would be better for them to get to know each other beforehand so that they could establish a better working relationship more quickly when they joined the crew for filming.
5 minutes later.
A tall boy wearing a denim jacket over a black hoodie walked in.
The male and female protagonists of "Escape from the Game" are in a relationship where the woman is older than the man, meaning the male lead is a younger brother.
Byun Go has a pair of clear, bright eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. He has a sunny and handsome appearance, with two cute dimples when he smiles. His smile is very innocent, making him quite suitable for the role of a male lead who pretends to be weak but is actually strong.
"Hello, Teacher Mu."
"I've seen all your work, I'm a fan, and I'm very happy to have met you."
He greeted Mu Zhi very politely, neither humble nor arrogant, with the fearless spirit of a newborn calf.
Mu Zhi smiled faintly: "Thank you for your support. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to our collaboration."
Bian Wu knew he was a newcomer, while Mu Zhi was already a top-tier actress in the industry.
Before meeting Mu Zhi, I was mentally prepared that she might not be very friendly to me, and that my impression of her might be shattered after we met in private.
Unexpectedly... Mu Zhi truly lives up to her reputation as his role model; she's an incredibly nice person!
Bian Wu's eyes lit up, revealing two adorable dimples, and he clenched his fist, saying, "Thank you, Teacher Mu! I will definitely do my best!"
After Bian Wu went out.
Ji Binghe found it somewhat amusing and recounted to Mu Zhi the process of the company signing Bian Wu's contract.
“He submitted his resume to the company on his own initiative. We selected 10 new employees through multiple rounds of screening, but only one was signed. President He personally reviewed the materials and made the final decision, saying that he felt a connection with Bian Wu.”
Mu Zhi: "..." He Zhiyue really has the aura of a male protagonist.
The moment she saw Bian Wu, she had a premonition that this younger brother would become famous soon.
However, once the cast of the movie "Escape from the Game" was revealed, Mu Zhi could already foresee that she would inevitably be criticized for the movie's poor resources.
I hope my fans can believe in me.
[Author's Note]
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:35:28 on August 4, 2022 and 23:29:50 on August 5, 2022!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Ye Zhirou and Little Tiger Loves Fish (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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