Actresses

Chapter 24 Zhuang Pan

The atmosphere was very relaxed on the way back to the city. The children were especially excited because they had a day off. Xiao Zhao dropped everyone off at different subway entrances according to their addresses, and only took He Yuran home last, with Shi Jiahe accompanying her the whole way.

He Yuran yawned and agreed to make an appointment with Zhuang Pan as soon as possible. Only then did Shi Jiahe and Xiao Zhao go downstairs.

"Sister Jiahe, let me take you home," Xiao Zhao said.

"No need, it's not far, I can ride my bike back myself. You should go back and rest." Actually, Shi Jiahe was also a bit sleepy and didn't want to stay with her colleagues any longer.

But judging from Xiao Zhao's expression, he clearly still had something to say.

"Sister Jiahe, there's no one else here now. Could I possibly take up a little of your time?"

Shi Jiahe's heart churned again. She thought to herself, "My goodness, what are you trying to say now? Can't you just let me have a few days of peace and quiet..." But she couldn't show it on her face. So, she said gently, "What's the big deal about it being a delay? Tell me?"

"I know you're worried I'll quit. It's not hard to find a driver. Even if I leave, I'll recommend one to you as a backup."

Shi Jiahe sighed. "You've made up your mind after all?"

"I don't want to leave for now," Xiao Zhao said shyly.

This was unexpected for Shi Jiahe, and could even be considered the best news in two days.

"What happened? Did the boss's words move you? They were quite touching, weren't they? I knew it! There are very few artists and bosses like our Ran Jie."

"That's not why. The boss is really nice, but I know my own limitations; I'm far from being as good as him. I actually want to work with you, Jiahe. I feel like you're the one who truly understands people like us," Xiao Zhao said. "I know my abilities are definitely not up to par; all I can do is drive, nothing else. So, Jiahe, if you're willing, could you give me some pointers on what I should be doing now, and in what areas should I improve myself? That way, even if I work hard, I'll have a direction."

Shi Jiahe blinked, thinking to herself, "This task is a bit heavy! I'm just an employee too. What's the point of you following me?"

"Uh, thank you, Xiao Zhao. Actually, we're all just doing our jobs, there's no hierarchy. And you shouldn't always be so self-deprecating. Education itself isn't that important. If I had to give advice, I'd say you could consciously focus on your academic subjects. Make sure to improve your language skills. Because whether you're speaking or doing things, the core principle is the same: we need to be able to explain things clearly. Of course, you're definitely good at oral expression, so it would be best if your written skills could keep up too. Don't you like watching dramas? Besides watching dramas, read some books in your spare time, and consciously try to write something."

"What books should I read? Writing... am I capable of it?"

"As for reading, whether it's novels or social science books, anything that interests you and that you can get into is fine. Writing is also good; language arts is meant to be used. You can start by writing a diary. It's not for anyone else to read; it's just to improve your basic writing skills."

Xiao Zhao nodded as if suddenly understanding. "Will this help me in the future, so I can work for you?"

"Of course it helps. And no matter where you work, the most basic ability is to understand and digest something, and then translate it into a way that you can tell others. I think you have high emotional intelligence and a willingness to learn, so don't worry too much about your diploma. Just strengthen your cultural foundation. That way, whether you want to do publicity or try writing in the future, you can do it. There's a saying in society that liberal arts are useless because it's hard to find a job. I think you shouldn't be influenced by that. After all, those liberal arts jobs are irrelevant to you, but you have to understand that liberal arts are the foundation of all jobs. If your language skills aren't up to par, it will affect everything you do. So you must strengthen your communication skills in all aspects."

"Okay, let me digest this, Sister Jiahe."

"Don't rush, it's something that's built up little by little. No one can change in a day."

After chatting for a while longer, it was finally time to see Xiao Zhao off in his car. Only then did Shi Jiahe drag her tired body home.

On Sunday, He Yuran messaged her, saying that Zhuang Pan was in Beijing and would be free the next day, so they arranged to meet at a very private restaurant in Chaoyang District. Shi Jiahe had booked a private room in advance.

Actually, according to the usual practice of celebrities meeting up for meals, they generally don't bring their managers, because it's inconvenient to talk, since it's not a work-related gathering. Besides, many celebrities' first thing to do upon meeting is to complain about their managers. However, He Yuran had given Zhuang Pan a heads-up beforehand, saying that her manager was like a younger sister, and she didn't need to hide anything from her. She also mentioned that she frequently makes negative headlines and was worried about needing to consult her in case of emergencies, so she brought her along. Zhuang Pan readily agreed on WeChat, saying it was no problem.

If it were any other actress, He Yuran wouldn't bother to be so thorough as to explain these details beforehand. But Zhuang Pan was, after all, a wandering flower, and now that her status has risen, this change in position is very subtle. So she still made sure to let everyone know.

In this kind of situation, the agent would definitely arrive first. Shi Jiahe arrived at the private room early to order the food, and then waited for the two celebrities to arrive.

To be honest, this was actually the first time Shi Jiahe had ever dealt with Zhuang Pan.

I'd heard Ran Jie mention before that when she first met Zhuang Pan, Zhuang Pan was a newcomer actress who hadn't been in the industry for long. So, in front of He Yu Ran, Zhuang Pan was still somewhat mindful of their past relationship and behaved rather politely. Shi Jiahe then asked He Yu Ran, "Then why do you think she's mentally unstable? What exactly did she do?" He Yu Ran rambled on about a bunch of things, but in Shi Jiahe's eyes, they were all trivial matters. In the end, she extracted the core idea.

That stemmed entirely from a popular female celebrity's wariness of promising younger colleagues. It was like an instinct, and also a professional instinct.

As it turns out, Zhuang Pan became famous within two years and even joined the ranks of top-tier female celebrities.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, no matter what, Sister Ran's ability to judge people and her judgment on many things in the industry are truly first-rate.

Moreover, although she didn't say it out loud, Shi Jiahe felt that the fact that the boss was able to think things through today and take the initiative to ask Zhuang Pan out was definitely a step forward.

More than half an hour later, the two main characters of the day finally arrived.

Zhuang Pan's outfit clearly shows she's a free-spirited and flamboyant young woman. Her top and bag feature bold color blocking, her long, beautiful legs are on full display under her shorts, and she's wearing ankle boots—a combination that's both daring and fashionable.

The overwhelming sense of youth made Shi Jiahe sigh: Indeed, youth is an asset.

"Ran-jie!" Zhuang Pan fluttered over like a butterfly, hugging He Yuran and starting to act coquettishly. "We haven't seen each other for so, so, so long! Even if you hadn't asked me out, I would have wanted to ask you out a long time ago!"

Shi Jiahe chuckled aloud, but inwardly she thought, "Ugh, can we please fast-forward through all this terribly boring formality in this industry? Everyone clearly sees each other as crazy, yet they all have to pretend. I'm just praying the boss gets to the point."

He Yuran also flashed her signature business smile, "Oh my! Time flies! In the past few years, everyone went out less. But I've always kept an eye on you. I knew you were busy, so I was just thinking of asking you out recently. And guess what? You're in Beijing too! Panpan, you're still so beautiful! It's so enviable to be young."

Zhuang Pan smiled sweetly: "Sister, you look absolutely amazing! Let's take some pictures quickly, I'll show you a new filter, the one I've been using a lot lately!"

"well!"

The two started striking various poses typical of female celebrities in front of the selfie camera.

Shi Jiahe got tired of awkwardly laughing and went to sit down to the side; her head was throbbing. She left everything to Ran Jie from now on.

The two actresses sat down next to each other and continued their intimate whispering. Shi Jiahe didn't intend to join the conversation, so she ate her food slowly while listening intently.

The two of them started by talking about some trivial gossip from recent trending topics, then moved on to who was secretly meeting with whom, who had fallen out with the "master," who recommended a fitness coach who was supposedly quite handsome and had a lot of masculine energy, and who supposedly got a bad injection and was too scared to show their face. In short, they didn't say a single serious thing. And they just kept rambling about unrelated people in the industry.

Shi Jiahe felt increasingly uneasy as she listened, and put down her chopsticks to ponder why Sister Ran was beating around the bush. She should at least ask Zhuang Pan when she would be joining the next group.

Then the two actresses stopped talking so frequently, Zhuang Pan's phone kept vibrating, and her eyes kept drifting in that direction. He Yuran noticed this and got up to say she was going to the restroom.

So only Shi Jiahe and Zhuang Pan remained in the private room.

This was somewhat awkward, so Shi Jiahe had no choice but to lower her head and start eating again. But then she thought, wait a minute, is the boss doing this on purpose? So she simply got up as well.

"Teacher Zhuang, I also need to use the restroom."

"Go away, go away." Zhuang Pan was already typing on her phone, without even looking up.

Shi Jiahe left the private room and went to the restroom but couldn't find He Yuran. She searched every stall but couldn't find him either. Getting anxious, she had no choice but to call him.

"Sister Ran? Where are you?"

"Downstairs. Just wanted some fresh air."

"You don't smoke, do you?!" Upon hearing this, Shi Jiahe quickly ran to the elevator to prepare to go down.

"Of course not. Don't worry, nobody's with her. I just think, why bother asking her out today! Don't you think she's still putting on an act? Let me tell you, these young idols these days are completely different from the actors from our generation. You can't really connect with them on a deep level."

"No, sis, you haven't even started talking yet, and you're already jumping to conclusions."

"Alright, you can tell if people get along as soon as you meet them. I'm already doing a good job of holding on this long. Okay, I'll go up and say hello in a bit, then we'll call it a day."

As they were talking, Shi Jiahe had already run out of the restaurant and looked around to find He Yuran hiding behind a car, making a phone call.

"Sister!" Shi Jiahe ran over.

"Why are you out here too? Wasn't she alone in that private room?" He Yuran glared at her. "You're a manager, don't you know how to handle things? Don't you have any common sense?"

After being scolded harshly, Shi Jiahe suppressed her anger and said calmly, "Sis, if you don't want to bring it up yourself, then I'll say it, okay?"

"You should have said it! I even arranged the meeting for you." He Yuran rolled her eyes. "I've already tried my best, okay!"

"Okay, I'll say it. I have a request: no matter what I say, there's one thing you have to say for me, Sister Ran."

"What did you say?"

"You have to stick with me. Tell her we have a role that was tailor-made for her, that only she can play it, and that she's the most suitable. I can start the conversation, but it's not enough for just me to say it. You're her senior, and she'll listen to what you say. You have to stand with me, like there's no turning back. Is that okay?"

"Why is there no way out? It's just a role, I can find anyone to play it. I can't bring myself to say it, and besides, I've never even seen Zhuang Pan's shows. What acting skills does a popular idol have? Why should I waste my time on her?" He Yuran said irritably.

"Then why did you agree to invite her out?!" Shi Jiahe was practically furious.

"Wasn't this what you insisted on? You said our fate had brought us together! This was for your own good, okay?"

"Sister Ran, arguing about whether it's for me or for someone else is pointless now. Let's deal with the immediate issue. You haven't seen it? Okay, call Xiao Zhao now. He must have seen Zhuang Pan's performance. Ask him to quickly summarize a few lines you can use to start a conversation, and then memorize them. We'll meet in the private room in five minutes. Otherwise, if we drag this out any longer, Zhuang Pan will leave!"

"Okay, then hurry up and go upstairs." He Yuran still didn't seem to care and gestured with her chin towards the door.

Seeing that He Yuran remained motionless, Shi Jiahe was extremely helpless. She had no choice but to take out her phone and call Xiao Zhao. After the call was connected, she immediately put the phone to He Yuran's ear and then turned around and walked towards the restaurant.