Actresses

Chapter 25 Polite Refusal

When Shi Jiahe returned to the private room, she found Zhuang Pan engrossed in a phone conversation. Zhuang Pan glanced up at her when she entered, then continued talking to herself, muttering "uh-huh, okay, hahaha, that's fine."

Shi Jiahe returned to her seat, not even having a phone to play with, and unable to show her anxious mood, so she could only obediently give an awkward smile.

Zhuang Pan spoke a few words quietly into the microphone and then hung up.

Shi Jiahe immediately seized the opportunity to say, "Ran-jie will be back soon; she ate something bad in the bathroom."

Anyway, nobody cares if Ran Jie is unfairly labeled. Zhuang Pan certainly won't care either.

"Oh, it's nothing," Zhuang Pan replied in a sweet voice, but she seemed rather lazy.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, this lazy streak really does resemble He Yuran's usual sleepy and reluctant-to-leave-bed behavior at home.

Fortunately, this time Sister Ran didn't make things too difficult for Shi Jiahe, and she finally returned with her phone. She frowned, muttering something to herself, as if reciting lines.

"Hey! Sis. Are you alright? I thought you might have eaten something bad?" Zhuang Pan's voice immediately became much louder, and her energy and spirit were instantly different.

"No, no. I'm just getting old and a bit constipated," He Yuran said casually.

"Hey, let me recommend something to you. I've been taking this medicine I got from overseas recently, and it's amazing at promoting bowel movements. Just take it an hour before the time you want to poop, it's incredibly effective. It's like setting an alarm clock!"

"Okay, okay, send it to me."

The two actresses, beaming with joy, then steered the conversation to how dreams can lead to health and weight loss. They even mentioned someone in a certain drama who was taking it and experiencing remarkable results.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself that the topic couldn't continue wandering aimlessly, so she quickly steered it back on track. "I recently watched a period drama, what was it called again?"

She revealed the name of the drama in which Zhuang Pan's boyfriend played the second male lead.

At this moment, Shi Jiahe glanced at Zhuang Pan, and Zhuang Pan's expression changed slightly. Her mouth moved, but she held back and didn't say anything.

He Yuran picked up the conversation, "I know this show; their marketing is really aggressive." She then rattled off the features of this show and several other shows airing at the same time, as if she knew them by heart. These lines were all taught to her by Xiao Zhao beforehand; she quickly memorized them, enough to fool people in social situations.

"I watched it too," Zhuang Pan said casually, talking about her boyfriend's drama. "I'd really like to make a drama like that."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "I bet you said the same thing to that guy, something like, 'Let's make a movie together, and have a proper relationship!' You're too shy to say it, so I'll say it for you."

"Yes, yes, I think you could totally take on a script like this, Teacher Zhuang. It's much better than that female lead."

Zhuang Pan smiled sweetly. "You'd have to ask my agent about that. She's the one who reads the scripts, so she might be picking some. I have classes and things to learn, so I'm quite busy."

Shi Jiahe and He Yuran exchanged a glance, thinking to themselves, "They're already starting to ramble. We need to get to the point quickly."

"When will you join the next group? Is it decided yet?" He Yuran asked.

Zhuang Pan kept glancing at her phone, as if waiting for some message. She replied, "I've been picking and choosing scripts. There are too few projects starting production this year, and the roles that have been approached are all too similar, so my agent isn't keen on taking them for the time being. Also, I'm actually thinking of changing my career path. I might be able to join a film crew later, but we're still in talks, so I'm not in a hurry to join any crews."

"Oh. But it's best not to take too long off from filming, I feel like my condition isn't as good as before," He Yuran said. "It's been almost two years since I last joined a film crew."

Zhuang Pan put down her phone and blinked. "Sister Ran, you haven't filmed in so long? Aren't you worried?"

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "They've taken the bait."

He Yuran frowned, his face grave. "Sigh, how can I not be anxious? It's hard to choose the next film. You know, my first two movies didn't do well at the box office. You see, you want to switch to movies, but as someone who's been there, I really want to say that if you can still make TV series, don't rush into the film industry. The film industry itself is barely surviving. Apart from top directors and actors who can still get films, there's basically no guarantee for other projects."

"Sis, you must be worried because you have high standards for acting. But I haven't been on set for a year either. Can I say it? I just can't get into any scripts. I'm in a state of... well, I just have no interest in work. I'm not short of money, so why can't I enjoy life? Of course, my agent isn't happy about it, but thankfully she's not here right now." Zhuang Pan laughed for a while as she spoke, and finally said, "Actually, I just like taking on some commercial gigs. It's quick money, easy work, I get all made up, shoot some promotional material, and that's it. But my agent keeps saying I still have to be on set. Ugh, so annoying! Just like the fans. It's either urging me to do promotional work or urging me to be on set. I don't want to hear it."

"These days, female celebrities' fans are like this; they value their careers more. They don't really want their idols to be in relationships," Shi Jiahe said, deliberately watching Zhuang Pan's reaction.

Zhuang Pan's small, palm-sized face did indeed appear longer. Of course, the change was very subtle.

"You're the manager, you know the most about celebrities dating! I think this is prejudice. Why do we actresses think that dating will hinder our careers? Male actors can cheat on their partners all the time, but fans don't stop supporting them. Even if their careers collapse, fans still love them. What's wrong with me dating normally?" Zhuang Pan said angrily to Shi Jiahe.

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became a little tense.

That's normal, after all, it hit a nerve. He Yuran gave Shi Jiahe a wink, meaning, "Take it easy."

Zhuang Pan became even more restless, as if her bottom was on fire, constantly glancing towards the door. Just then, the door opened, and a woman rushed in, looking as if a mountain had collapsed at first glance. This was only because the woman was tall and strong, standing out in the entertainment industry where thinness is considered beautiful. She looked like the kind of stern-faced manager who would personally handle her artists at the airport like they were little chicks.

Zhuang Pan let out a sigh of relief and said, "My manager is Sister Stone."

"Hello, hello! How sudden! Why did Sister Ran invite us?" Although Sister Stone greeted us verbally, her expression was very dignified and meticulous.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Goodness, this Stone Sister could knock out two of me with one punch." She quickly waved and greeted He Yuran, who also smiled and nodded.

However, Stone Sister still fits the stereotypical image of an entertainment industry agent. The logo on her bag was facing forward, exuding an air of wealth. She tossed the bag onto a stool, walked over and sat down next to Zhuang Pan, like Saint Seiya guarding Athena, clearly assuming that whatever she did was come at her first.

Zhuang Pan said, "My agent just happened to contact me. Knowing that I was with Sister Ran, he said I had to come and learn from her."

Stone Sister said, "Yeah, yeah, where were you guys talking about?"

Shi Jiahe pretended to be nonchalant: "We were talking about actresses dating."

She pretended to laugh cheerfully, but then noticed that Sister Stone didn't reply. Instead, she stared at Zhuang Pan with an extremely stern expression.

"You said it?"

Zhuang Pan looked helpless: "What did I say? We were just chatting idly. We didn't say anything!"

Stone Sister calmed down and smiled apologetically at He Yuran and Shi Jiahe, "It's okay, it's okay!"

He Yuran pretended not to hear and said only, "I have something important I want to talk to Panpan about. It would be even better if the manager were here."

Zhuang Pan and Sister Shi turned their faces away at the same time.

"Sister Ran, you say it."

"As mentioned earlier, I haven't been on set for almost two years. To be honest, I haven't been satisfied with the scripts and roles I've received in the past two years. So I started having this idea to produce my own film. When I was casting, I thought of Panpan. I know you haven't been on set for a while, so I wanted to ask you out to talk. I believe you can relate to the problem of mere role homogenization that I've encountered. Waiting at home isn't a solution, so why don't we sit down and discuss what kind of roles we want to play? And then realize that in one film, what do you think?"

"Sister Ran, I want to ask, is it a TV series or a movie?" Sister Stone asked. "If you're directing it, it must be a movie, right?"

"It's not really a movie. The film industry is so competitive now that it's almost a guaranteed loss if you enter. What I want to do is screenplays, which happens to be your area of ​​expertise."

"But our next plan is to make movies. The scripts we're looking at now are all movie scripts."

Zhuang Pan nodded vigorously beside him, meaning that he hadn't been lying.

"But I think that the audience's viewing habits are still concentrated on TV dramas, and fewer and fewer people are going to the cinema. Now is not a good time to switch to the big screen," Shi Jiahe said.

Zhuang Pan completely ignored Shi Jiahe and instead said to He Yuran, "Sister Ran, you've always acted in films, and you've already achieved your goal of making movies, so you'd like to try acting in a drama. But for me, movies are the challenge I want to take on. I haven't even reached your starting point yet. Shouldn't you understand me better in this regard? Sister, how about this, I'll retweet and promote it for you on Weibo as soon as it happens. Okay?"

"So, you're not joining the crew just to wait for the movie to start filming?" He Yuran said.

"Yes!" Zhuang Pan said decisively.

"Okay, thankfully it's not because of dating or anything."

Stone smiled politely, "How could that be?"

The laughter was tinged with embarrassment.

Zhuang Pan laughed too. "Oh, we're actresses ourselves, so don't think that actresses are making a big deal out of dating. We've already talked about this before, Sister Ran. There's only so much we can do in our daily lives, and our world is too narrow. Dating is also a way to experience life."

Stone Sister chatted with Shi Jiahe about their agents, asking, "Sister Ran, what will you be busy with when you're preparing for a film?"

Before Shi Jiahe could even speak, He Yuran, with her keen hearing, took over the conversation, raising her voice three octaves. "She's busy reading scripts every day now. I've asked Jiahe to work with the screenwriter to revise the script thoroughly, making sure every character is well-developed. And the role I'm looking for for Panpan is a perfect fit for her; I can't even think of anyone else who could play it. It's no exaggeration to say that the casting for 'Reply 1988' was just as perfect as mine!"

"Wouldn't that be tailor-made for you?" Stone Sister exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, that's what I mean."

Shi Jiahe silently prayed, thinking that even if Sister Shi just mentioned wanting to see the script, there would still be a chance. Because if they got the script, they would be able to continue the conversation to some extent, but as long as she didn't bring it up, it was still far from certain. She still politely declined.

Despite her high expectations, Stone ultimately didn't say it.

"With Sister Ran personally overseeing this project, I'm sure it will be great! To be honest, Panpan still has some acting problems, especially if she's acting alongside you, I think we'll really hold her back."

"But you're all going to be making movies. You don't need to worry so much about your acting skills!" Shi Jiahe said.

"In movies, we have fewer scenes, and each shot is filmed many times. The director also helps us adjust our state and lines. So I'm not that worried. But in a drama, if we're on screen with Ran Jie, we'll definitely be outshone. I personally think Ran Jie should be cast with better acting skills. Our Panpan's acting skills still need improvement."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Fine, so this popular idol who came from ancient costume dramas and modern romance dramas is going to hone his acting skills in movies? Fine, he's already belittling himself. There's really no need for him to keep trying to win me over."

No wonder Zhuang Pan asked Stone Sister to come and support her; it seems she wanted her to help her escape while preventing He Yuran from finding fault. And, she genuinely didn't want to act. Otherwise, any artist would have immediately lost their temper if their manager said that about their acting skills.

"Then... shall I go to the restroom?" Zhuang Pan said with a smile.

He Yuran smiled and nodded.

What else could be said? There was nothing more to say. After she finished touching up her makeup in the restroom, everyone prepared to go their separate ways. Shi Jiahe sighed and also prepared to pay the bill.

Stone Sister got up and accompanied Zhuang Pan out of the private room.

Shi Jiahe quickly ran over to He Yuran and asked, "Sis! Aren't you really going to talk about her boyfriend? It looks like there's no chance for her anymore."

He Yuran sighed and shook her head. "Absolutely not. Zhuang Pan's pride can't accept it, and besides, if she wanted to bring it up, she would have already done so."

Shi Jiahe was still unwilling to give up, feeling that she was just one step away from success. Just a moment ago, Zhuang Pan was about to bring up her boyfriend's name, but she was distracted again.

Just as the two were staring blankly at each other, a series of chaotic footsteps sounded at the door, and the door to the private room was reopened.

Stone Sister and Zhuang Pan ran in one after the other, slamming the door shut behind them, both of them panting heavily.

He Yuran asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Panpan?"

"There are some of Panpan's fans outside. They saw her in the restroom and then followed her here," said Sister Stone. "They're blocking the door now and they're probably not going to leave anytime soon."