novelnext Chapter 68 Inviting Sister Nan to Start a Company
Chapter 68 Inviting Sister Nan to Start a Company
"Senior Brother Li, you're quite capable, why aren't you working as a director of photography on set?" he asked directly.
At this point, the atmosphere in the room suddenly froze.
Old Li's men, who were busy packing up their equipment, all slowed down for a second.
There's a story behind this.
Old Li remained silent for a moment.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the camera body a few times, then looked up, a hint of lingering resentment flashing in his eyes.
"Alright. I might as well tell you, just like an experienced person telling a story to their junior brother."
"This industry isn't easy to navigate, especially when you don't have connections..."
His story wasn't long, but it was enough for Prince An to understand his tale.
He was overconfident in his abilities, young and arrogant, and full of youthful passion.
After graduating from Beijing Film Academy, I joined a film crew as a photography assistant under the arrangement of my teacher, thinking that as long as I had good skills, I could make a name for myself.
On set, I saw the lighting crew placing a light in a position that would obviously give away the mistake. I spoke bluntly and bluntly, without giving the veteran worker any face.
The lighting technician had been with the producer for over ten years. The next day, he was reassigned to carry the tracks, and on the third day, he wasn't even allowed to carry the tracks anymore.
He offended someone and was treated unfairly, so he left the film crew after less than half a month.
After working in several different groups, he discovered that each group had its own ecosystem.
Some people stay there not because they are technically skilled, but because they belong to a certain circle, a certain faction, or a producer's old crew.
Someone like him, who had neither connections nor the will to back down, was gradually ostracized and could only make a living by taking on some commercial shoots on the fringes of the industry.
What's even more interesting is that the group of people gathered around him were basically all from this group.
Wang Zian glanced at the seven or eight people in the room.
They were packing up their equipment. No one looked up, but everyone's movements were quiet and tacit; they knew what the other needed without speaking.
So this is a group of rebellious and temperamental people that other production crews didn't want!
However, he does possess some skill.
He realized he would need a regular crew to film his shows, and the idea of recruiting them became increasingly clear in his mind.
However, there's no rush.
It's only the first day; both sides still need time to see things clearly.
He took out his phone and added Lao Li's contact information.
After settling today's expenses, I watched as their several commercial vehicles left the factory gate in the twilight.
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After leaving Wang Zian and the other two, Zhou Ye stood up from the sofa, dragged his still somewhat weak legs to him, and extended his hand.
"Give me the camera, let us see what you took."
Wang Zian obediently handed over his camera. Today, both batteries in his Nikon D810 ran out of power, but thankfully Zhou Ye's Canon backup camera kept him going for the rest of the shoot.
Zhang Ruonan leaned closer, their heads touching, their hair brushing together, but neither of them paid any attention, busy swiping their fingers left and right on the screen.
The photos scrolled by one by one, occasionally accompanied by a soft "wow".
Wang Zian stood to the side, his hands in his pockets, listening to the exclamations of amazement, a sense of peace and satisfaction welling up inside him.
After a long while, the two raised their heads, revealing two pairs of bright, sparkling eyes.
"Wang Zian, did you really take these photos?!" Zhou Ye was the first to speak, his voice filled with genuine amazement. "I look so good!"
Although I had witnessed Wang Zian's photography skills at the museum before, those were just casual snapshots taken while traveling, and they were on completely different levels from the professional lighting, makeup, and scenes captured today.
Zhang Ruonan nodded in agreement. Her expression was calmer than Zhou Ye's, but her eyes were still bright.
"Your skills have improved a lot. It's much better than the last time we filmed in Yuhang."
"Thank you!" Wang Zian nodded to Sister Nan.
Originally, Zhang Ruonan was just expressing her gratitude, but those words instantly made Zhou Ye's heart clench.
Zhang Ruonan noticed Zhou Ye's scrutinizing gaze and immediately smiled and explained.
Zhang Ruonan briefly recounted how Wang Zian had taken many photos of her at West Lake and Lingyin Temple during their last trip to Yuhang.
After listening, Zhou Ye's lips moved slightly, and then he said:
"Oh, I see! West Lake? The scenery must be beautiful!"
"Wang Zian also took a picture at the museum last time!"
She said this in a flat tone, with a slight smile on her lips, but her eyes didn't smile.
Zhang Ruonan keenly detected a faint smell of vinegar in the air.
After spending the day together, she became even more certain of Zhou Ye's feelings.
But she didn't expose it.
The little girl thought she was hiding it well, but her eyes don't lie.
Wang Zian put away his camera and said dismissively, "I'm definitely improving! My understanding of light and shadow is improving, and so is my understanding of composition. I also learned a lot from Senior Brother Li today."
"Let's go eat! We can also discuss something while we're at it!"
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The three of them sat down at a private restaurant hidden deep in a hutong.
After a busy day, they had only hastily ordered a few takeout meals for lunch, and all three of them were quite hungry.
I was so hungry that even drinking tea didn't help.
As soon as the dishes were served, no one spoke; chopsticks moved rapidly between the plates.
The fat from the Dongpo pork glistened under the light, and the aroma of tea and the freshness of the shrimp from Longjing tea blended together. The three of them each buried their heads and ate more than half a bowl of rice before slowing down their pace.
Leaning back in his chair, Wang Zian picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Zhang Ruonan, who was still chatting and laughing with Zhou Ye across from him.
"Sister Nan~!" Wang Zian put down his teacup.
"Hmm~!" Zhang Ruonan answered subconsciously without even looking.
"I'm planning to start a company, could you be my manager?"
"Ah~~!"
Zhang Ruonan's smile froze in mid-air.
She turned her head, the smile in her almond-shaped eyes mostly gone, replaced by astonishment. "Say that again?"
"Hmm~~!!!" Zhou Ye also put down his chopsticks, his gaze shifting from Zhang Ruonan's face to Wang Zi'an's, and the smile on his lips disappeared.
"Me?" Zhang Ruonan pointed to the tip of her nose. "Are you serious?"
Wang Zian nodded. "I trust you. Besides, you've been influenced by your parents since you were little. You also helped manage your family's Taobao store; you've been involved in inventory, accounting, and customer service. It's the same as managing a small company."
"But I feel like I don't have that ability!" Her usual straightforwardness and confidence wavered at this moment.
Through today, she could sense that Wang Zi'an genuinely wanted to do something.
But she is a college student who hasn't graduated yet and earns money by modeling in her spare time.
"It's alright. We started as a makeshift team, and nobody was born knowing everything. We'll all learn as we go," Wang Zian comforted him.
To help her make a firm decision, Wang Zian added, "We will recruit more people who understand this industry later, so you won't have to handle everything alone."
"You just need to do what you can: manage the company's daily operations, control the accounts, and handle external communications. Sister Nan, you can definitely do all of that."
Zhang Ruonan stared at Wang Zian with her big eyes, her heart pounding with excitement, really wanting to agree.
This is the career she wanted: to start a company.
Zhou Ye was getting a little anxious; she wanted to get involved too.
Zhou Ye sat to the side, his fingers holding chopsticks, his equally large eyes darting back and forth between Wang Zi'an and Zhang Ruonan.
Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to say "What about me?", but Wang Zi'an was looking at Zhang Ruonan, and she swallowed the words back.
She could only sit there, staring at them with a hint of anxiety.
"No problem!" Zhang Ruonan put aside all her worries and nodded solemnly. "As long as you don't mind that I'm a novice."
Seeing that the two had made up their minds, Zhou Ye finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"And what about me?"
"You... My company is just an operations company. We're not signing any artists for now. We'll talk again when we set up a dedicated artist management division later."
"Fine~!" Zhou Ye said sullenly, somewhat unhappy.
"Besides, you can ask your sister about your future plans; she might have some resources," Wang Zian reminded him.
Zhou Ye was stunned. She had completely forgotten about that.
Her sister is a designer and knows some people in the entertainment industry.
The really prestigious art exam prep class she attended was found by her sister.
She leaned back in her chair and nodded.