Chapter 64
Zhu Lan came in without saying hello today, and didn't realize that there was a receptionist at Su Ning. And the person who came today happened to be Ji Xue who was preparing to sign a contract renewal.
After Ji Xue came here, she took the contract first. She was cautious enough and did not write anything right away. She planned to take a look at some of the details in it. Su Ning did not urge her. There was a boss chair by the window, so she sat there alone to read the contract.
The chair had a high back and was shaded by green plants. She slowly turned to the other side while Su Ning continued working at the desk as usual. They did not disturb each other.
The president's office was so big that Zhu Lan couldn't see anything and thought that Su Ning was the only one in the office.
She spoke directly as soon as she came in, and seemed a little excited. This was not a business secret, so Ji Xue didn't think much of it. She just kept quiet and didn't interrupt them. Su Ning didn't specifically ask her to get up.
Su Ning didn't expect Ji Xue to interrupt at this time.
He first apologized to Zhu Lan, explaining that the girl was innocent and didn't think too much about it. Then he turned around and asked her, "Have you thought about it? This is your first resource for your debut."
If there had been no replacement and reshoots, and she had directly taken the role, this role would be very suitable for a newcomer. From Su Ning's perspective, he would help Ji Xue to fight for it. The difficulty lies in that the role has already been officially announced, and the film company also released materials about Shu Miao during the early promotion.
The former is a well-known young actress who has become popular recently. Although she is a rescuer, this kind of "replacement" will inevitably be hyped and compared by marketing accounts. By then, won't the newcomer with no fan base be stepped on and blamed by the other fans?
This is a comparison and dispute that is difficult to avoid within the circle.
What's more, this role does not come with much pay. It is a cameo role in a low-budget romance movie. The role is about the young heroine, and the actor's eyebrows and eyes need to be somewhat similar to the heroine.
The female lead was a movie queen who was famous for her beauty many years ago. The "young female lead" is not even an independent role, and she has few scenes. Given these restrictions, it is quite difficult to find one among new actors.
This kind of job has no benefits, high requirements, and a high probability of being scolded. It is difficult to find a replacement in a short period of time, and it is even more offensive to just randomly assign someone to it.
It's not like Zhu Lan hadn't tried to find someone, but with her connections she couldn't find anyone, otherwise she wouldn't have come to Su Ning. Except for Shu Miao, who was originally scheduled, for everyone else it was an opportunity with stacked debuffs and no value.
Zhu Lan had been frowning, but when she heard this, she looked back. She was not the type of person who liked people interrupting her, but when she saw Ji Xue, she was stunned for a moment, and then her frown relaxed.
Ji Xue came to the company today, dressed up carefully, with curly long hair and a long skirt. She looked like a pretty little princess when she turned around in the boss's chair.
Anyone who sees her face will be stunned.
"I'm not saying this casually. I heard you guys discussing this last time I knocked on your door. Boss Chen happened to say this movie is good," Ji Xue was referring to the time at Rongcheng Hotel. "If they really can't schedule it, then I'll go. Boss Su doesn't have to be too embarrassed. I remember the female lead is Senior Xie Fangmin. Coincidentally, I do look a bit like her."
Indeed, she resembles the film queen Xie Fangmin, who is famous for her beauty, even more than Shu Miao.
Xie Fangmin is now over 40 years old, and her beauty has faded. She made a comeback after her divorce not long ago. "Old Love Letters" is her first work after her return. The audience can hardly remember her name, and her appearance is naturally not as good as before.
But looking at Ji Xue in front of her, Zhu Lan could immediately recall the charming and seductive look of Xie Fangmin when she debuted.
"Are you an actor from Guangying Entertainment?" Zhu Lan stared at her. "I haven't heard of you before."
Ji Xue smiled and said, "Not really, because I haven't signed the contract yet."
Zhu Lan's mind moved, and he asked: "Then do you want to..."
But as soon as she opened her mouth, Ji Xue waved her hand and continued, "Sign it now. I've read the contract and there's no problem."
She signed her name on the contract with a flourish, handed it to Su Ning, and said, "Boss Su, it's a pleasure to work with you."
Su Ning took the contract and reminded her again: "Ji Xue, don't just make a decision casually thinking of helping me."
He was afraid that Ji Xue didn't understand and would suffer a loss because of this due to her impulsiveness.
"I've made up my mind," Ji Xue blinked, "I mainly want to meet Teacher Xie Fangmin. She was my idol when I was a child. Don't worry, Mr. Su. I won't joke about my job."
She had seen some promotional materials for this movie on the Internet and had an impression that it did not seem like the kind of shoddy film that was made.
Even with Su Ning's help, Ji Xue knew that it would not be easy to make a comeback. The entertainment industry is not a place where you can conquer everything with just a pretty face. She had no works, so it would be difficult for her to get good resources at the beginning.
The advantage of this movie is that it can be released shortly after the reshoots. Although her role is not large, the shots she has are already considered a decent work. Her resume is no longer blank, which is a good thing, even if the box office is a little low.
She had her own ideas, and Su Ning couldn't persuade her. After thinking for a while, he nodded and said, "Okay, I respect your wishes."
The artist's own ideas are indeed very important. Shu Miao doesn't want to reshoot and wants to go for a big-budget ancient costume drama. Even if Su Ning pulls her to the reshoot set, she won't agree.
Now that it's like this, both sides are happy.
Zhu Lan didn't expect that someone who could solve the problem would appear so quickly.
Just at this time, Shen Mingzheng called, and when Su Ning picked up the phone, he heard the other end ask, "Did she go to bother you?"
Su Ning glanced at Zhu Lan and said, "Not really. It was just a discussion. You told me before that Sister Lan is such a straightforward person. It's just a coincidence that she came today. If Ji Xue hadn't been here, it might not have been easy to resolve. It's all about luck, timing, location, and people."
As soon as Zhu Lan heard it, he knew that the person on the other side was Shen Mingzheng. He snorted, but looked at Su Ning a few more times.
This guy is good at speaking, no wonder the old man mentioned him several times at home.
"Ji Xue is going to perform?" Shen Mingzheng was a little surprised. He thought about it and sighed, "Go, it's a good thing."
Zhu Lan wants to cultivate new traffic artists, and Shen Mingzheng naturally wants to too.
He knows that no one is optimistic about the movie "Old Love Letters" now, and it does not seem to stand out in the Valentine's Day schedule when there are many handsome young men and beautiful women, but romantic movies have a base in this schedule, and this movie is the one that will stand out.
It was released during the Valentine's Day period, following the tail of "The Rescue at Sea", and raked in nearly 1 billion at the box office, making it one of the best love movies of the year. At this time in his previous life, Liao Yuansi had not yet gotten into trouble. Shu Miao's performance in this movie was brilliant, and this new director gave her the most beautiful pictures.
Having few roles doesn’t mean there are no highlights.
Moreover, the young stars who become popular in online dramas are different from those who become popular in movies. The quality of "Old Love Letters" is very high, and the scripts that Shu Miao received were directly transferred from the online drama category to the movie category. This is a qualitative leap in resources and positioning.
Shen Mingzheng coordinated again and again, hoping that she could join the crew seamlessly without overlapping the two roles and give her both resources.
In his memory, the performance of that ancient costume drama was average, and Shu Miao was only the second female lead. There were more eye-catching and popular male and female leads before her, who took up the only bit of popularity. Her performance was indeed not as profitable as "Old Love Letters".
But the artists couldn't wait and wouldn't believe anything. They looked down on roles that only had a few minutes of screen time in low-budget movies. The big-budget ancient costume drama was about to start filming, and Zhu Lan was strong-willed and intended to snatch the right to speak from Jianfeng and Shen Mingzheng. It became a situation where they had to choose one of the two.
Shen Mingzheng had no intention of snatching this opportunity away from someone else. He felt that whoever got it should get it. But that's fate. The other party didn't want it, but Ji Xue got it instead.
"Baby, give the phone to Zhu Lan," Shen Mingzheng said to Su Ning, "She got what she wanted. I still have to explain to the film company. After all, it was Jian Feng who caused the reshoots. Now that they have to replace someone else, it's not too much for her to pay some resources to compensate, right? Ji Xue can't go there for nothing to save the situation."
Su Ning: ...
"Um, Mingzheng," he said, "Sister Lan is next to me, I turned on the loudspeaker, she can hear it."
Shen Mingzheng seemed to have been in conflict with Zhu Lan quite a bit recently, so he said in the same tone, "It's okay."
She heard it and she heard it.
Zhu Lan snorted, answered the phone, turned around and said a few words. The key issue was resolved and the two sides reached an agreement quickly.
The film producer is also an old company, so Zhu Lan has no need to offend them. She then returned the phone to Su Ning and said, "It's okay. He really is considerate of the artists of Guangying Entertainment."
They just want some resources for film promotion channels, and it would be a piece of cake for Zhu Lan to give the green light.
Su Ning wanted to say something to mediate: "It's good that everything is fine. There are always quarrels in the operation of a company. For the good of the artists, it is inevitable that there will be disagreements. This is all very normal. Don't take it to heart."
Su Hongda is his uncle, didn't he point at Su Ning's nose and scold him when he first came? Now he is quite obedient.
"I've seen this many times. It's okay," Zhu Lan said. "It won't interfere with my earning money. Everything is fine. Mr. Su, I'm sorry to bother you today. I'm leaving now. We'll meet again some other day when we have time."
Su Ning: "Okay. If you come to Guangying Entertainment next time, just tell the front desk and I'll ask my secretary to pick you up."
It must be said that this man was very decent in every aspect. He even took the initiative to send her down. Before Zhu Lan left, she carefully looked Su Ning up and down and muttered, "I even suspect that the Shen family has made a mistake."
Su Ning: "What's wrong?"
"Sister Qiangwei, Shen Qiangwei is Shen Mingzheng's mother. She has a gentle temper and is pleasant to talk to. She is a particularly good person. How could she give birth to a scoundrel like Shen Mingzheng who would bite to death and not let go? On the contrary, you are more like her personality, and you are really likable," Zhu Lan said, "I feel like you two are the wrong ones?"
Su Ning was stunned for a moment, then laughed awkwardly: "...I think it's unlikely."
"Okay, let's go."
Zhu Lan waved her hand, and turned back to the door, saying, "By the way, your tea is a bit bad. Shen Mingzheng is really not knowing how to find you something good. He really has no taste. How did you like him?"
She never forgot to criticize Shen Mingzheng in every way.
Is the tea bad?
The tea prepared by the president's office has certain specifications. The tea brewed for Zhu Lan is the best Phoenix Dancong No. 1. The price per unit of this tea is comparable to the price of gold and it is difficult to buy. However, it is not as bad as she said.
"Forget it, I'll send you some later," Zhu Lan said, "I have something better."
Then she left.
Ji Xue watched her leave and sighed twice.
She thought that people like Zhu Lan could only be dealt with by the cooperation of Su Ning and Shen Mingzheng.
Mr. Shen is not strong enough to overpower her, so he can be easily led by her. But if Mr. Su hadn't come to the rescue and smooth things over, things would have been too ugly.
If you have to deal with this kind of people, you will have a lot of trouble in the future.
She didn't say this out loud, but just asked, "Boss Su, when can I join the team?"
Su Ning: "I'll ask now."
The film crew was also anxious. They were a little unhappy when they first heard about the replacement, but when Ji Xue went over, most of their unhappiness disappeared.
She is indeed very beautiful, and looks more like Xie Minfang than Shu Miao.
Besides, Su Ning really cares about his artists. It was just a supporting role that was reshot. He was afraid that Ji Xue would be out of touch with the scenes as she hadn't filmed for a long time, so the effect would not be good, so he specially invited an acting teacher to join the crew.
This teacher is the one from Haicheng Drama Academy.
Although Ji Xue could have used personal connections to invite her over, from Su Ning's perspective, he was still very honest and paid enough money to invite her over.
The movie "Old Love Letters", as the title suggests, is about the reunion of old loves.
The young lovers were forced to separate because of the girl's strict father. The boy left the town and vowed to make a name for himself and come back to be with his beloved, but life outside was not as simple as he thought.
Many years later, he returned to his hometown in his forties with half a broken leg and injuries, taking his savings with him. He dared not mention his previous vows again, but he met his old love in his hometown who was pushing a snack cart to make a living after her husband died. The boy was no longer high-spirited and the girl was no longer beautiful. After being worn down by life, the two were still attracted to each other and fell in love again.
Overall, it is a film that is both realistic and romantic.
The protagonists are well chosen, and middle-aged love requires sparks between the protagonists. Although they were ridiculed as outdated, Xie Fangmin and the male lead became famous together by playing lovers at the time, and were popular all over the country. Now they are no longer the same as before, and acting together again, it has the feeling of a "reunion of old loves" story in the movies.
The focus of this play is Xie Fangmin.
The performance of the heroine is very important, even though the young her lives on in our memories and is like a label in the movie.
When she was young, she was controlled by her father. She could not be with the person she liked, and she could not even leave the small town to study outside. When she grew up, her father married her to a husband who seemed decent but was cheating on her in private. When her husband died unexpectedly, she was relieved, but the son she raised alone did not agree with her being with others because the husband was half lame, and he felt it was shameful for a mother to fall in love at this age.
The sweetness of love and the bitterness of life are intertwined. It is said to be a reunion of old love, but in fact the heroine gradually breaks free from the shackles of her father and husband.
In the end, the sick male protagonist had no regrets about falling in love with her, and realized that true love is to hope that the lover lives a good life, so he used half of his life savings to send her away from this small town, to open a shop outside, and to start a new life. The love letter and the ticket to go far away that he failed to send were finally sent decades later.
The first scene we reshot was the foggy weather in the small town.
The male protagonist, who was promoted from the countryside to attend high school in town, heard that there was a famous beauty in the school. He was really curious, so he waited on the road that must be passed by the school.
Morning self-study had not started yet. It was foggy in the town at such an early hour. Students came one after another. Things in the distance were blurry due to the fog and became clear only when they got closer.
Then the young girl appeared in the mist.
When those eyes looked over, the background was the green mountains and woods in the distance of the town, the sound of bicycle bells jingled, and the girl was a beauty in the mist, like a delicate flower covered with water droplets.
The morning mist in his memory shrouded the boy's heart, but in the next second of the movie, the morning mist turned into steam rising from the snack stand. After it dissipated, the heroine's current appearance was revealed.
Her hair was half white and dry, her clothes were old, her face was covered with wrinkles, her hands were covered with rough calluses, and she was wearing an apron. She had no time to talk as she was busy making hot vegetable dumplings.
Because of the strong contrast, the theme of the movie becomes more obvious - time flies, things change, youth is gone, but people in love will still be attracted to each other and fall in love.
When the first day of reshoots started, Su Ning went to watch.
The director had very clear requirements for this shot. It had to be beautiful, pure and alluring, and it would be best if the audience could understand just by seeing it what kind of beauty is that can make people think about it for so many years and never forget it.
Her face is already perfect, but how to show it in front of the camera is another matter. She can't be a wooden beauty.
Ji Xue nodded seriously: "Okay, I understand."
As for seducing people, she is very good at it.
The director had filmed Shu Miao's scenes before, probably with the same requirement. Shu Miao performed well. When she walked over, she glanced at the male actor sitting on the wall with a smile, and her eyes were very precise.
But this isn’t the only way to attract people.
Ji Xue walked over, and the students next to the male protagonist whistled.
Everyone knows that she is the most beautiful girl in this school, no, in the whole town.
But Ji Xue didn't look at the male actor.
The looks from these people didn't matter to her, so she just walked past them.
But her expression was not that of a wooden beauty with no expression on her face. She raised her head slightly, like a white swan with spotless eyes, or like a pure and untouchable alpine snow lotus. Her eyes moved, but she was just looking ahead.
It’s not because I’m arrogant, I’m just used to such stares.
The contrast between her at this stage and the snack stand owner who was skillfully greeting customers many years later was even more obvious, but there were some similarities inside.
She has always been like this and doesn't care about what others think.
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