Chapter 8 Chapter 8 There is nothing to explain, I am not Chen Zhuo...
Bu Fan quickly replied to Chen Zhuo's message and asked to meet at her home. She had recently undergone a medical beauty project and it was inconvenient for her to go out.
Chen Zhuo picked up his bag and went straight to Bu Fan's house.
Bu Fan was wearing a light khaki linen top and wide-leg trousers of the same color. She had a plain face and a high ponytail, and her actual age was completely unrecognizable.
Chen Zhuo greeted with a smile: "My dear, you are in such good shape, but you must join the group quickly, otherwise it will be such a waste."
"Nonsense." Bu Fan's mouth curled up, but there was a hint of pride in his tone, "I just got the injection, my face is still a little swollen, you're praising me."
The two sat down in the living room. Fragrant white tea and a plate of snacks were already placed on the coffee table.
Chen Zhuo didn't beat around the bush. He took out a tablet from his bag, opened a document, swiped to the character biography page, and handed it over. "Have you read "Fog Lights"? The script is quite good."
"Well, Joey mentioned it to me but I haven't seen it yet. What was it about?" Joey is Bu Fan's agent. From what she said, it seems that Bu Fan is not interested in this project.
Chen Zhuo briefly introduced the plot, while Bu Fan lowered his eyes and scrolled through the tablet. "Another art film like this, it won't be a hit."
"It's not purely literary, there are still commercial elements in it. It depends on what you want. You also know that there have been few commercial films that have hit the box office in the past two years. Most of them are due to poor scripts. I won't mention a few actors, but we all know that if three or four films are released a year, the box office won't be able to hold up, and their popularity will be almost ruined." Chen Zhuo glanced at her and continued, "You know that realistic films are actually very picky about actors. The acting skills must be delicate enough, and they must be able to hold up to the camera and match their temperament. After thinking about it, I think among the current actresses, you are really the only one who can do it."
Bu Fan nodded slightly and said nothing.
Chen Zhuo struck while the iron was hot: "And if Qiao Xinyue is really chosen as the director of this drama, this movie will at least be shortlisted for the top three European awards. The last time I walked the red carpet at Cannes was three years ago. Let's go to Cannes again next year. I will arrange the styling for you half a year in advance."
Bu Fan smiled slightly, "I definitely don't have to worry about the script you promised. I'll read it."
Chen Zhuo probed, "Actually, I've already thought of the male lead."
Bu Fan looked at her with a questioning look.
"I think Si Yu is quite suitable."
How could Bu Fan not hear Chen Zhuo's voice-over? He was just trying to get her to act as a matchmaker. She suddenly smiled and said, "You came to me because of him."
"Putting aside the fact that I'm his agent, frankly, he exudes a sense of weariness and melancholy, which is quite rare and perfectly suits the truck driver in the script. He's so capable of playing a character who's taciturn and doesn't easily reveal his emotions. He also exudes a sense of old age that can't be achieved through acting."
Chen Zhuo paused and continued, "Besides, this kind of plot relies a lot on the tension between the male and female leads. I won't hide it from you, the male lead is currently in contact with Gao Yuan. He's already forty years old, and he's been going for serious dramas these days, which is completely incompatible with you and the temperament of this film. This kind of character relationship drives the plot, and without tension, the movie is half ruined. But you and Guan Siyu standing together can create a sense of atmosphere and chemistry, and young people nowadays are all about that. In terms of the later promotional roadshows, our Siyu will definitely cooperate with you, but Gao Yuan may not be sure."
In fact, Shen Zhuo's analysis made a lot of sense. Bu Fan put down the tablet and leaned back on the sofa: "You really are worried about him."
"For him, and for you." Chen Zhuo pressed his lips together. "For Si Yu, this is indeed a new attempt, and the script is hard to come by. If you're willing to let Si Yu play the leading male role, I can lower his salary when we discuss it, and I can raise yours. What do you think?"
"The pay..." Bu Fan said, "I don't mind that much."
"Then what do you want? I will definitely try my best to satisfy you if I can." Shen Zhuo said.
Bu Fan lowered his head as if thinking, when suddenly a child's voice came from the second floor: "Mommy——"
"Baby, Mommy is talking to Aunt Shen Zhuo." Bu Fan looked up and called out, "Say hello to Aunt Shen."
Chen Zhuo also looked up and saw Bu Fan's daughter Zaizai lying on the railing on the second floor.
Bu Fan doted on Zaizai. Because she was busy with work, whenever Bu Fan was at home to rest, she would ask for leave from school to stay home with her daughter. Even though Zaizai was already seven years old, she should be in school instead of at home.
"Hello, Aunt Chen." Zaizai waved to Chen Zhuo, "I'm going downstairs." After a while, Zaizai ran into Bu Fan's arms.
Chen Zhuo smiled at her, "Hello Zaizai, long time no see, you've grown taller and prettier. I didn't expect you to be at home, otherwise I would have brought you your beloved Princess Elsa."
"I don't like Elsa anymore."
"Really? Then what do you like? Auntie will bring it to you next time, okay?" Shen Zhuo pinched her soft little face.
“I love Lumi!”
Shen Zhuo's first reaction was: had she missed any Disney movies recently? What about Lumi? She had never heard of it.
Taking advantage of Chen Zhuo's moment of distraction, Zaizai hugged Bu Fan's neck and acted coquettishly, "Mommy, Lu Jiahao has got the hidden version of Lumi, I want it too."
Bu Fan suddenly looked up at her, and she had a bad feeling.
The next second, Bu Fan smiled and said, "Chen Zhuo, if you can help my baby find the hidden version of Lumi, I will agree to recommend Guan Siyu to play the leading male role."
*
Shen Zhuo walked out of Bu Fan's house and immediately took out his mobile phone to search for Lumi. What on earth is this thing?
After searching on Baidu, I realized that this is a core trendy toy IP under Dreamora. It was released two years ago and became a huge hit.
"The Lumi family is a group of ecological guardians who are half natural and half energy. Due to environmental collapse caused by human over-exploitation, the Earth's ecosystem has entered a 'reconstruction period'. They are the 'self-healing mechanism' instinctively nurtured by the Earth..." Chen Zhuo curled his lips as he read the introduction.
I searched for pictures and the IP image is quite cute, with coral deer ears, big round eyes, leaf-like texture on the body, and a tail...
After getting in the car, Chen Zhuo didn't start it in a hurry. Instead, he opened a certain book platform to search for hidden versions. He found out that there were actually many, and he didn't know which one he wanted.
A post about the "most expensive hidden version of Lumi" caught Shen Zhuo's attention. She clicked on it and found out that Dreamora had released a Lumi last year that was equipped with a cultivation cabin. The toy was exposed to the sun and watered every day, and real moss could grow on the base.
The good news is that this hidden model seems to still be circulating on the market.
The bad news is that it is a limited edition worldwide, so the price premium is severe. The blind box that was originally priced at 899 has been hyped up to 12,000...
Chen Zhuo rolled his eyes. Who would buy such an expensive blind box? Scrolling down the comments, he saw quite a few people asking for distribution platforms...
She wasn't interested in blind boxes. It was hard for her to imagine or understand why someone would spend a lot of money on a small doll that wasn't even the size of a palm...
After finding out, she couldn't help but call Jiang Jun to complain, "Oh my god, I think she's just trying to make things difficult for me. Do you know how expensive those hidden models are? They're three, four, five, or six thousand each, and some are over ten thousand. The key is that even if you have money, you might not be able to buy them. If she didn't want to recommend Guan Siyu, she could just say so. Does she think she's Miranda?!"
Jiang Jun laughed and said, "Thank God, she didn't ask you to ask for the handwritten manuscript of Harry Potter. Oh no, no, no, this is in China. Fortunately, she didn't ask you to ask the old thief for the finale of Dragon Race 5."
"Damn, damn general, you're so heartbreaking!"
Jiang Jun laughed twice and asked her, "Are you going to look for it or not?"
Complaints aside, work still needs to be done. Shen Zhuo sighed, "Let's find someone."
After returning home, Shen Zhuo first asked a few friends who seemed to like the two-dimensional world, and then asked a few editors at magazines. She actually found an editor who had one, but the other party was reluctant to give it up, and Shen Zhuo didn't want to force it.
Even the second-hand platforms were flooded with her lumi for several days in a row, and the homepage was full of recommendations for various blind boxes as soon as she opened it.
She looked troubled and worried, having no idea what to do.
"What do you say I should do? What should I do?!!!" Chen Zhuo grabbed the sofa with his head at home and couldn't help wailing.
Jiang Jun poured her a glass of sparkling water and handed it to her, offering a suggestion: "If all else fails, go directly to Dreamora's company and find their marketing department. Establish direct contact and cooperation, and ask them to give you a set. Anyway, that's how you helped artists secure resources in the past."
"I do want to, but I've looked through their official Weibo accounts and found that they have never worked with any artist before. I don't know where to start. If they have worked together before, I can always find a contact person to ask them." Chen Zhuo really had a headache.
Jiang Jun: "Or else don't fight for it."
Chen Zhuo: "Didn't I show you the script? Even you said it's good. It would be a shame not to act. If Guan Siyu plays this well, she will be able to gain a firm foothold in the film industry. The main thing now is that Bu Fan is not sure about playing the leading female role. If she agrees, I can talk to Li Yaqi about it."
Jiang Jun exclaimed, "Wow!" "The producer is Li Yaqi. She's been discovering new directors and screenwriters over the past two years, and several of her films have received good reviews. If Guan Siyu can play the role, it will be a great endorsement for the work."
Even Jiang Jun knew about it, how could she not know...
"But for some reason I have a very strong intuition that Guan Siyu can play the male lead in 'Fog Lights'." Shen Zhuo suddenly straightened up.
Jiang Jun raised his hand and placed it on Chen Zhuo's shoulder, mumbling, "I'll help your intuition and strengthen your connection to the universe. You must believe in the power of belief."
"Oh..." Chen Zhuo leaned back helplessly like a deflated balloon, lying on the sofa, staring at the white ceiling, and let out a long breath.
＊
The weather that had been sunny for many consecutive days changed overnight. The sunlight seemed to be obscured by the haze floating in the air. The temperature continued to rise, and there was an indescribable sense of stuffiness in the air.
As Shao Chengzhang drove to the office, the car's display screen lit up—the number for Yihai Villa's landline popped up on the screen. He frowned slightly and tapped his index finger to answer the call.
The other end of the phone exploded almost instantly: "Who told you to get married without permission?!" Shao Song's angry voice shook the car speakers to a resonant roar. With uncontrollable anger, he said, "Get back here right now!"
Shao Chengzhang's knuckles tightened slightly as he gripped the steering wheel, veins faintly emerging, but his tone remained calm: "Dad, getting married is my personal matter, I don't need approval."
"Ridiculous!" Shao Song interrupted him with a roar, "Do you really think you have the final say in your own affairs?!"
My phone buzzed twice. It was a message from my eldest brother: Dad hasn't been feeling well lately. The physical examination results came out a few days ago, and the indicators are not ideal. Come back soon.
The gloomy sky outside the car window was weighed down by a suffocating sense of restlessness.
The black Cayenne mixed into the leftmost lane from the straight road and turned the front of the car directly at the traffic light intersection.
When Shao Chengzhang returned to Yihai Villa, the housekeeper, Uncle Qu, came out to greet him and told him, "Mr. Shao, the chairman is very angry. When you go in, please follow his instructions and don't go against him."
Shao Chengzhang paused, "Uncle Qu, I just got married. If he asks me to divorce, will I do it?"
Uncle Qu was speechless for a moment and could only whisper: "The chairman is doing this for your own good."
Shao Chengzhang's eyes turned colder: "He is doing this for the Shao family, not me."
"Chengzhang." Shao Chengke opened the door and exchanged glances with his younger brother who came in.
Shao Chengzhang knew what his elder brother meant by asking, and nodded at him, indicating that his marriage was true.
A hint of surprise flashed across Shao Chengke's eyes.
In the living room, Shao Song was sitting on the sofa with an angry look on his face, and Lan Fuyu was making tea with lotus seed core and cassia seed to clear the heart fire and reduce the liver fire.
"Tell me clearly what this marriage is all about and where did that woman come from?!" Shao Song's voice was almost filled with anger.
Just after dawn, he received a call from an old friend, whose tone was half teasing and half surprised: "Old Shao, how come your Cheng Zhang got married? Such a big thing, and you didn't even inform us? Why do I remember that it was your Cheng Ke who got married this year?"
This question left Shao Song completely confused. He immediately asked someone to check, and within half an hour, they confirmed the news - some time ago, Shao Chengzhang had indeed gone to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a marriage certificate.
For a financially powerful group like the Shaw Brothers, every move could cause quite a stir within the upper echelons of society. Although Shao Chengzhang was an illegitimate child, he had already acknowledged his ancestral roots and was a legitimate member of the Shao family, so outsiders wouldn't dare to gossip about him.
Shao Chengzhang acts low-key, but his wealth and position cannot be overstated - he is one of the most watched corporate heirs among the younger generation. Several families with daughters of marriageable age have already listed him as a "potential marriage partner", so his movements are naturally extremely sensitive.
Shao Chengzhang was very calm: "There is nothing to explain. I will not marry anyone but Chen Zhuo."
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