Actresses

Chapter 39 Dry Waste

"But if it's just a matter of being able to continue the discussion, I can't explain it to Sister Ran. What I want is for you to at least make a verbal agreement, because I still have further considerations," Shi Jiahe said.

"But I can't be sure right now," Stone said firmly.

Shi Jiahe stood up abruptly. "Then I probably can't help you, besides, I couldn't help you in the first place."

"No, please! If that doesn't work, we also have projects that would suit Ran-jie. We can give suggestions to the production team and talk to Ran-jie."

"Thank you, but we're focused on the project we're currently working on and have no other plans for the time being," Shi Jiahe said, turning and walking out of the meeting room.

Shi Jiahe grew angrier the more she thought about it.

Anyway, I don't have anything to lose right now, so why should you take it? You're not even willing to make a verbal agreement, let alone cooperate in the future. It's like dating; if the honeymoon phase isn't over, don't expect the other person to make any vows of eternal love.

"Do you want to hear the truth?" Stone Sister remained seated.

Shi Jiahe stopped in her tracks. "Did I come here specifically for nothing?"

"Your drama is actually not something we can consider. It's just too far from the conditions we can meet to take it on."

Hearing Stone Sister's answer directly wasn't surprising at all, but Shi Jiahe still sighed reluctantly. "Could you tell me the specific conditions? Ran Sister has experience in this industry, and we can fill in the gaps one by one. I don't think anything is impossible."

"You don't have the production capabilities," Stone said bluntly. "Even if you find a suitable script, you can't make it. If a project could be made just by an actor's fame, there wouldn't be so many big-name actors sitting idle in this industry."

Shi Jiahe hesitated for a moment, then walked back and sat down gently. This time, she wasn't as relaxed as before; her posture was much more tense, and she sat up straight.

"To be honest, I started out in production, and I'll be doing production-related work on this project. We'll also be collaborating with professional producers."

Stone smiled and shook her head. "Find someone to collaborate with? What kind of person? Coordinating so many stars in a drama series, even an ordinary producer would have a hard time managing the situation. The difficulty of making a drama isn't just in the initial creative phase, but also in handling unexpected situations on set every day. You need to know how many unexpected situations can happen to actors on set every day. These actresses you're looking for, although their status and experience differ, are all A-list, and each one is difficult to work with. Today she's not satisfied with her makeup, tomorrow she wants to finish early, the day after she wants to take leave and leave the set. Can you anticipate how many things will happen every day? As agents, we have to consider at least three steps ahead for every matter. You're making such a big project as a drama series, and you're telling me you're going to collaborate with a professional producer? It proves you don't even have a specific candidate in mind. I'm sorry, but I don't think you have a basic understanding of these things, nor do I think you can find someone with that ability."

"This..." Shi Jiahe was speechless.

When it comes to experience working on film sets, she is indeed very lacking.

In the past few years, the film crews He Yuran worked on were basically all centered around her, with the other actors never causing trouble. After Shi Jiahe took over as He Yuran's manager, she never stayed on set for more than a week each time she visited. Her understanding of the dynamics within a film crew was only superficial. Moreover, her perspective was too high; she couldn't see the undercurrents and problems that were brewing beneath the surface.

As for her experience working as an assistant on a film set many years ago, that was so long ago, it felt like a thing of the past. Stone Sister was right about one thing: if you asked Shi Jiahe to imagine what problems might arise during filming, she would have absolutely no idea, let alone how to solve them.

"To put it bluntly, you can't even handle the daily work order. Who goes first, and who goes last? When some people are holding the fort, what happens to the others? What happens when someone takes a day off?"

Although Stone Sister's face seemed to be smiling, every word she said was like a knife stabbing into Shi Jiahe, making her more and more immobile with each sentence.

"I said...we'll find professional producers to work with." She continued to resist stubbornly.

"Let me be frank from the start: there aren't many people who can keep up with Panpan. I suggest you hire another artist. However, if you're willing to help me with this, I can give you a personal reward in another way. Since this is a matter between the two of us, it doesn't necessarily have to involve the drama that your sister Ran is making, right? Don't feel embarrassed. I also have my own selfish motives. Between you and me, we don't necessarily have to involve these two artists in our work."

"...Sorry, I really can't agree to that." Shi Jiahe quickly waved her hand. "If I don't put myself in Ran Jie's shoes, I probably can't help you much. But let me put it another way, if I have a suitable producer, especially one who can keep your Panpan in check, and then I help you break her up with her boyfriend, you can agree, right?"

"We can continue to discuss it, but I can't guarantee anything. Her own opinion is also very important in deciding which film or television project she gets to star in, and I will do my best to persuade her."

"Okay, I promise you. I can do both of these things." Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Do I have to go to Wei Ning again? But how am I going to explain this to Sister Ran? She clearly said she didn't need Wei Ning."

"Let's talk about what to do about her young boyfriend," said Sister Stone.

Shi Jiahe propped her head up, listlessly wondering how Sister Ran was doing.

What could two female celebrities talk about while drinking together? Just imagining it makes it pretty clear. Shi Jiahe was too lazy to think about it, and had no curiosity whatsoever. It was nothing more than exchanging gossip and ranting about everyone around them.

Actually, she could have simply brought Sister Stone over directly. But such a peaceful moment was rare. Shi Jiahe didn't even want to risk this mutual speculation for a clear-cut chaos.

But Shi Jiahe also began to hesitate.

Actually, I have evidence of Zhuang Pan's boyfriend cheating on me. Should I present it or not?

Just then, Sister Stone spoke up again: "When I came back that day, Panpan told me that you guys were actually the ones who started talking about her boyfriend. Not many people know about this. Can I ask where you heard that from?"

Stone Sister's tone was rather unpleasant. The almost interrogative tone made Shi Jiahe, whose brain was already slowing down, unconsciously break out in a cold sweat.

She immediately decided to take the blame herself.

"I was out with my friend and I accidentally saw her boyfriend with another woman. I also remembered hearing about him and Zhuang Pan somewhere before. It's that simple."

Stone smiled elegantly. "Jiahe, Ran invited Panpan to dinner that day, so let's not hide anything from each other. Doesn't a manager understand what a manager is thinking?"

"I pulled Sister Ran in," Shi Jiahe answered crisply. "She thought it was about talking about getting Panpan to act in a play."

"Why are you so insistent on denying that Ran Jie was involved?"

"Because I'm not sure how you'll tell Zhuang Pan!" Shi Jiahe couldn't hold back any longer and raised her voice, "Ultimately, we all have our own things to do, but you have a way out, we don't. You told me to find someone else. You must know we don't have a better option. If Zhuang Pan finds out that Sister Ran already knew about her boyfriend cheating—I don't know Zhuang Pan—but I bet she won't be happy. If she has this grudge, it won't be good for our discussion. So I'll admit it to you, is there a problem?"

"Why would I say these things in front of Panpan? I want you to help me break them up. Haven't I made myself clear enough? On this matter, I'm on your side. You can even interpret it as me being on Ran-jie's side."

Shi Jiahe blinked incredulously, momentarily bewildered.

"Hey! It's such a simple thing, but we've been going around in circles. We're always trying to figure out if others have bad intentions. We're so used to it that when we suddenly encounter someone who's straightforward, we don't feel comfortable."

Shi Jiahe chuckled dryly. "Maybe so, after all, we haven't met many good people in the past two years."

"But at a time like this, I suggest you can trust me completely."

"I don't trust you, and it seems I have no other choice."

"And it won't do you any harm," Stone said with a smile.

In that instant, Shi Jiahe suddenly felt as if she saw some trace of Ding Yi on Stone Sister's face, so she shook her head vigorously.

"When I came out, Zhuang Pan had gone to Ran Jie's house to have a drink with her."

"I guessed it, that's why you asked me out."

"Well, I asked you out because I wanted to ask you out too."

Stone gestured for a stop. "We don't need to explain. Everyone wants to achieve their goals. So I can figure out what you're thinking just by working backward. Similarly, you can guess what I'm thinking."

Shi Jiahe deflated like a punctured balloon and shrunk into her chair.

Stone Sister added, "Don't worry, let's wait until they finish drinking or the party ends, then we'll see what to do."

"Ran Jie's alcohol tolerance isn't very high." Shi Jiahe scratched her head. "I feel like if she really starts drinking, she'll be dizzy in no time."

"Then let's wait here for a while."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "This can't be that bad, can it? Are they going to drink until dawn and we'll have to wait until dawn too? Are we supposed to be guests in a variety show's observation room?" The thought of not knowing how long she'd have to stay made this office environment suddenly feel less welcoming, since it wasn't her home. Sleepiness crept in again, making her even more irritable.

Shi Jiahe simply grabbed a bag of snacks and started eating them half-heartedly. The two of them stared at each other blankly.

Shi Jiahe waved her phone at Sister Shi. "I left a message for Sister Ran, but she hasn't replied yet. She's probably still drinking."

Although she was chewing, her eyes were fixed on her phone.

Actually, Shi Jiahe didn't have much to say to Sister Shi. She was just thinking, "Sister Ran, you could at least send me a message if you went to the bathroom. I'm so bored."

Surprisingly, in this contest of whose phone rings first, Stone actually won.

Suddenly, Stone exclaimed, "Hey? Panpan video-called me!"

"Hurry up and answer it, what are you waiting for!" Shi Jiahe urged.

Stone Sister put the phone on speakerphone and said, holding it up, "What's wrong, Panpan? Are you okay now, sweetie?"

"Oh, I can't worry about that now! You need to quickly call Ran Jie's agent, what's her name again, what's it?" Zhuang Pan shouted in the video.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Not a single word of those three words was pronounced correctly. What? What? What?"

"I called her on video; Ran Jie suddenly wasn't feeling well."

Shi Jiahe threw down her snacks and stood up with a start. "What the hell happened?"

Zhuang Pan was surprised by the voice, "You two are together? It sounds like you have a stomachache, I don't know."

"Okay, we'll head over now." Stone's expression also became anxious.