Chapter 8 A Pancake Falls from the Sky: Who Did It To? Our hero, Little Nezha. ...
The meeting lasted until 3 a.m., and as the night deepened, Xiao Ao saw off the board members and returned to Wen Qi's office.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, apart from the few cars on the overpass, the night view remained as vibrant as ever. On the LED screen of the building across the street, LR's wedding jewelry promotional video was still playing.
Wen Qi stood quietly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, head down.
The black and white wall clock echoed in the quiet space, like a sacred chant.
Xiao Ao handed over the revised proposal: "President Wen, please take a look."
Wen Qi pressed his temples, flipped through a few pages, and then instructed him to go to Haicheng for negotiations early the next morning, while he himself would arrive later in the afternoon.
Having witnessed the CEO's extramarital affair firsthand, Xiao Ao was probably mentally prepared, but he didn't show any surprise, only nodding: "Yuan Lang is already waiting downstairs."
Wen Qi grabbed his coat from the sofa and walked out: "To Lu's Group."
The Lu and Wen families were only two streets apart, and since it was nighttime, they arrived at their destination quickly. The Lu family building was magnificent, with several floors brightly lit, and one could vaguely see the busy figures of people inside.
Wen Qi sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, not giving any further instructions. Xiao Ao thought for a moment and then told Yuan Lang to pull the car over to the side of the road.
A short while later, a black Bentley sped past and screeched to a halt in front of the Lu family's gate. Two people rushed out of the revolving door and hurriedly opened the back door.
A man in a shirt and trousers came out, his hair a little messy. He took the documents from one of the men, flipped through them, and walked inside, talking to the two men as he did so.
It was President Lu. Xiao Ao subconsciously turned to look at Wen Qi. But Wen Qi suddenly leaned forward, his body entering the driver's seat, and honked the horn.
The city center at night is like a starry night sky, with twinkling lights yet a serene atmosphere. Car headlights illuminate the asphalt road, where fine ice crystals glisten, resembling a small patch of starry sky. But this short, piercing horn shatters the shared tranquility of these three starry skies.
Normally, Xiao Ao would have thought Wen Qi was joking if he made this gesture, but today, he felt it was a provocation. His heart skipped a beat, and he didn't know if it was from staying up all night or from being scared.
Hearing the noise, President Lu and his entourage turned around, most of them annoyed by the commotion. One of them had already come over to ask what was going on. Then President Lu raised his hand, and the man turned back and didn't come over again.
But the look that President Lu gave him was a perfect example of silent intimidation. He didn't hesitate at all and went straight into the Lu Group building.
So, President Lu knows it's President Wen? Do they have a conflict?!
Xiao Ao forgot to breathe, but his mind was working faster than ever before.
Halfway through the meeting, he received news that the company competing with the Wen family for the Haicheng project was actually the Lu family's branch office in Haicheng. However, when President Wen found out, his reaction was extremely indifferent.
He had found it strange that, given the relationship between President Lu and President Wen, they would fight over such a small project. But now he knew why. President Lu must have discovered President Wen's entanglement with a female celebrity, so he snatched the project from Wen's Group.
But how did Mr. Wen know that Mr. Lu was coming to the company to work overtime?
He suddenly remembered that in the middle of the meeting, President Wen had received a phone call about another project in Haicheng.
Did President Wen also try to trip up President Lu? Are these two men treating the project like a game?
After completing his analysis, Xiao Ao felt no joy whatsoever from the gossip. Only deep resentment!
Aren't laborers human beings?! Working themselves to the bone, putting in extra hours, just for the sake of a fight between two men!
He angrily turned his head to the window, where his reflection shone with rage. Why only six orifices? Because he dared not open his mouth.
"Back to the company."
Why not go home? Why go back to the company? What's the point of all this trouble?
Mr. Wen, do you know that your voice has become so unbearably awful?
Xiao Ao fastened his seatbelt again, his face a standard poker expression, and mechanically replied, "Received."
"Notify the finance department to calculate the bonuses."
Alright! It's like listening to celestial music, my ears are instantly enlightened! He's Mr. Wen's most loyal lackey! The kind who just eats his money!
*
When Zhu Qingzhi got up and went downstairs, the second bedroom next door looked exactly the same as when she passed by the night before.
Wen Qi didn't come home all night? It seems being a CEO is really tough.
There was a sandwich and a cup of Americano on the dining table downstairs, but no sticky notes were on it, so it must have been prepared by the maid.
Since she would be coming back to stay the night, she didn't need to pack anything today. She sat at the dining table and slowly finished her breakfast. Then she picked the most inconspicuous car from the garage and headed towards Chaoxing.
Dani arrived before her and was discussing the scripts they had recently received with her team. They were all mediocre, much worse than the ones they had received in the past.
Asahi is a newly established company, and the best roles their artists have ever had are, at most, supporting roles in S-level scripts.
Her first project after signing with Chaoxing is crucial and cannot be taken lightly. She must treat it with the mindset of "better not to take it than to take it carelessly," because whether Chaoxing can gain a foothold in the industry depends on her.
This is what Yang Qing said yesterday. Zhu Qingzhi neither agreed nor disagreed with such expectations.
Chaoxing needs her to gain a foothold? Ha, that's giving her far too much credit.
Is it that the morning star can't gain a foothold? Clearly, it doesn't want to!
If they can acquire a top luxury brand like LR, what else can't they do? It's obvious that the upper management is just letting things slide and not putting any effort into running the business.
However, she certainly couldn't tell Yang Qing about this.
Just a quarter past twelve, Zhu Qingzhi finished taking promotional photos, changed into casual clothes, and had just opened her lunchbox and taken a couple of bites when Dani called, telling her to go to the reception room immediately to wait.
They're treating her like a donkey!
Asahi's reception room was on the sixth floor. The door to the office next door was closed. The side closest to the corridor was made of transparent glass, and the blinds were not fully closed, leaving a small gap through which a man could be seen.
Zhu Qingzhi glanced up at the sign: [601], followed by a blank space. She then looked at the adjacent conference room: [602 Reception Room].
Hmm, that's a bit strange, but she didn't stop and pushed open the door to the reception room.
Dani pressed her down in the swivel chair, scanning her thoroughly from head to toe, and finally removed a small feather hidden in her hair.
The items on the table were neatly arranged: her resume, previous stills, character biographies she had written before... and in the folders on the projector were clips from several TV dramas she starred in.
What's the meaning?
Zhu Qingzhi didn't quite understand.
"I've been busy choosing notebooks for you these past few days, haven't I? There are quite a few good notebooks, but they're just missing something."
"Director Yang kept advising me to wait and take my time choosing, saying it wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer. Guess what? We actually got to wait!"
Dani slammed the A4-printed document next to her onto the table—[Yunshuiyao].
"It was just handed over two hours ago! Filming is planned to begin early next year!"
"The Knot" is a literary work from the 1990s. The story revolves around the love story between a teenage girl named Xiaoyue and a troubled boy named Xiaoqiu. There were rumors of a remake as early as three years ago, but in the end, nothing came of it.
For young actors, art films are not as commercially successful as commercial films. Although they have a certain chance of winning awards, they do almost nothing to enhance the actor's commercial value, so they are not worth wasting time on.
In the past, when someone handed a notebook like this, Dani would usually just push it over. Why is she so excited today?
"Director Zheng, Director Zheng who has been retired from acting for almost ten years."
Dani immediately saw through Zhu Qingzhi's thoughts and wished she could slap the words "[Director: Zheng Yimou]" on the paper in her face. "Director Zheng's involvement means even art films can sell like commercial films! It's incredibly lucrative!"
Zheng Yimou has been in the arts for over forty years, winning numerous awards both domestically and internationally, including the prestigious VAST Film Festival Best Director Award three times.
Ten years ago, his sci-fi special effects film "The End of the World" broke down the barriers between Chinese and foreign sci-fi films. Even after retiring from acting, his achievements remain unmatched, demonstrating his exceptional status.
And now Zheng Yimou has invited her to play the female lead in "The Knot"?!
She practically jumped up from her chair immediately: "Are you sure? You're inviting me? It's not just someone with the same name, is it?"
"Director Zheng has seen all your past works, including your audition clip for Jiaren. He said you have great potential! You could try out for the lead role!"
Dani pinched her hand hard, the pain telling her she wasn't dreaming. "Director Zheng will be here soon, so don't let this sure thing slip away!"
Half an hour later, Yang Qing arrived with Director Zheng and his team. Director Zheng was not young; he was nearly 70 years old, with gray hair and a simple Tang suit, but he looked very energetic.
Zhu Qingzhi was a little nervous and shy.
The audition scene depicted the breakup between Xiaoyue and Xiaoqiu. She had only memorized about 70-80% of the long lines, which conveyed several complex emotions—a mixture of love and hate, despair and hope…
Director Zheng prefers to use the one-shot shooting technique, which places extremely high demands on the actors and leaves almost no room for error. If there is even the slightest mishap, it has to be done all over again.
She wasn't fully prepared, but Director Zheng had already arrived, and she had no time to spare.
As everyone took their seats, Director Zheng sat in the center of the conference table, opposite her.
"Director Zheng, hello. I'm Zhu Qingzhi. Thank you so much..."
Before Zhu Qingzhi could finish speaking, Director Zheng raised his hand to interrupt her. He had no interest in anything prepared on the table and even had the projector in the reception room turned off: "Let's get straight to the point."
His assistant set up a camera on the table, while another drew the curtains, suddenly darkening the bright room. The camera light shone directly on Zhu Qingzhi's face, so close that it was quite glaring.
She clenched and unclenched her hands on her knees several times before finally nodding with a smile.
When an opportunity arises, you should devote yourself to it wholeheartedly and do it without regrets.
The result is not important.
The audition was supposed to be only ten minutes long, but she performed the entire scene without anyone saying a word.
Tears welled up in her eyes but didn't fall. She just stared at the camera lens with her eyes open, opened her mouth, but said nothing in the end.
The moment the tears fell, Director Zheng raised his hand and asked, "What's the last thing you want to say?"
Actually, she didn't know what she wanted to say.
Is it an accusation against Xiao Qiu for abandoning her?
Is the question you're asking Xiaoqiu if she regrets it?
Is it to ask Xiao Qiu how she is doing?
I still want to ask Xiaoyue herself, is all of this worth it?
The curtains were drawn back, letting in light. Behind the frosted glass separating the office from the next room, a blurry figure flashed by.
She didn't seem to care and forced a smile: "It's not important to Xiaoyue."
There's no need to ask either of them, because there won't be an answer.
Upon hearing her answer, a smile appeared in Director Zheng's eyes. He nodded and praised her, "You really did live up to our expectations and didn't disappoint us."
"We"? Does that refer to Director Zheng and whom?
However, her key point was that she didn't let them down!
The contract was signed quickly.
Afterwards, Director Zheng's assistant sent her the electronic script, asking her to familiarize herself with the core of the character as soon as possible, and preferably write a short biography of the character. If she had any misunderstandings about the character, they could correct them in time to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Even after the contract took effect, Zhu Qingzhi still felt like she was living in a dream.
Who says the result doesn't matter? The result is extremely important!
She! She actually! Worked with Director Zheng!
It's her!
It's her!
Our hero, Nezha!
Yang Qing was genuinely happy for her and said a few polite words, but neither she nor Dani took it seriously. She even felt that without Chao Xing's help, Director Zheng, who had been retired for ten years, would not have returned to acting so quickly.
I just don't know what the people behind Chaoxing are trying to do. Why are they pushing all the good things onto her, and she's even so low-key that she doesn't want to claim any credit?
Thinking of this, Zhu Qingzhi suddenly asked Yang Qing a question: "Director Yang, may I ask what that office next door is used for?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Kiyoshi [shyly]: I'm really amazing.
Wen Qi [Fanfan]: Mm.
Author [Glasses]: Continuous practice + Thomas-style starry eyes!
Director Zheng lost his original name and changed it to Zheng Yimou. So emo! [Laughing and crying while covering face]
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