Actresses

Chapter 51 Revision

For veteran artists in this industry, the fastest way to make a comeback is usually to personally seek out directors and producers they used to know. But it seems Jiang Fan clearly didn't take that route.

Shi Jiahe became increasingly confused. Was this because they were afraid of using up their old connections? She really didn't understand these veteran artists.

However, there are two more urgent matters at hand.

One issue is the script progress for "Lucky Charm," which needs to be confirmed as soon as possible. Another is to sound out Stone about how things are going on their end.

Another, not-at-all-urgent but rather delicate matter is how to give the script to Wei Ning, and also how to inform Zhao Cai that Wei Ning has joined the project. Both sides need to know about each other's existence, and the situation needs to be smoothed out to prevent any unpleasantness between them.

Once the script is ready, the next step is for Wei Ning to handle the internal procedures within the platform. This is because the platform needs to conduct a content evaluation, determine the cooperation model, and sign a framework agreement before the company can apply for project approval from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and obtain a registration number before filming can begin. If these procedures aren't completed, even securing the actors is pointless. Regarding the content aspect, Shi Jiahe clearly stated that she would primarily oversee it, while Wei Ning would focus on smoothing things over with the platform, simplifying their modification requests as much as possible, and avoiding internal conflicts. This was the main consensus she and Wei Ning reached today.

Although the thought of the to-do list makes her head spin, Shi Jiahe still feels full of anticipation.

Therefore, she became increasingly reluctant to devote too much energy to Jiang Fan's side, because it was completely outside her main focus. However, Ding Yi was clearly unwilling to take over everything, which made her a little annoyed.

Shi Jiahe assigned tasks, giving the text of Jiang Fan's actor information to Danzai to work on, and then Xuanxuan to do the graphic design. After assigning tasks to the two kids, she packed her things and left. Anyway, everyone was used to the agent not being in the studio every day, going out to discuss things, and the boss wouldn't ask.

After all this fuss, the sun is setting and the day is drawing to a close.

Shi Jiahe felt sleepy, but she was unwilling to let the day end like this. She thought of Zhao Cai, who had been writing at home for three or four days and should come out for some fresh air. So she made a phone call to him.

"Feeding? I was afraid you were asleep, but you're actually awake." Shi Jiahe said into the phone.

"I'm writing a manuscript, Jiahe. I'm not sleeping all the time," Zhao Cai said with a smile.

"Don't write today, take a day off. What do you want to eat? It's my treat."

"Oh, this isn't good. I'm almost finished with the fourth episode. If I keep working hard, I should be able to submit the manuscript in a little over a day. Let's not stop here."

"This kid has already written four episodes, so there's no need to rush anymore," Shi Jiahe said, pressing her temples. "It's okay, let's go outside and chat for a bit."

Zhao Cai's voice became tense. "Teacher Shi, is it inconvenient for you that I'm staying in the living room? I'll contact you to arrange a viewing right now..."

"What are you talking about?" Shi Jiahe realized after speaking that Zhao Cai must have misunderstood, thinking she wanted to talk about moving out. She quickly comforted and explained, "Don't overthink it. You can stay at my place for a few months without any problems. I just wanted to talk to you about some work-related things. Oh! Don't be too nervous, it's not anything serious, just a casual chat. Okay?"

This child is inexperienced and simple-minded, but unexpectedly, he tends to take things quite seriously.

"Well... I'll wash my face and get ready. I'll stay near home, not too far," Zhao Cai said after a moment's hesitation.

"Okay, you can see what you'd like to eat. I'm going back now."

"Uh, I want to eat at Sushi Fresh, there's one in the mall next door."

"Huh?" This answer was unexpected for Shi Jiahe.

She had just enjoyed a ridiculously expensive lunch at her boss's restaurant, and was thinking of treating the kids to a decent meal tonight to balance things out, but then Zhao Cai suggested they eat at a budget-friendly restaurant. The two of them could only afford a couple hundred dollars' worth of food, so fine, she figured she'd save money.

They agreed on a time and place and hung up the phone. Shi Jiahe grabbed a bicycle and leisurely rode back. A little while later, the quick-witted Zhao Cai sent a WeChat message saying she had arrived and was going to reserve a seat.

So Shi Jiahe rode directly to the mall.

It wasn't quite dinnertime yet, so there weren't many people at Zhengxian. Shi Jiahe saw that Zhao Cai had found a seat towards the back, with a long row of empty seats around him, so he could talk as he pleased.

Shi Jiahe called the waiter first and ordered the tea according to what Zhao Cai wanted to eat. Then she saw Zhao Cai tear open the tea bag and fill it with water to make tea for the two of them.

"Why did you want to eat this?" Shi Jiahe asked.

"Because I haven't eaten here in a long time, when I was in college, it felt like a luxury to go out for a meal at Sushi Fresh with my classmates."

"You should have said so earlier, I would have taken you to eat some nice Japanese food."

"Jiahe, don't waste money. I honestly think it's good enough to have a good meal here. Plus, it's a good place to chat," Zhao Cai said with a smile.

Judging from his expression, he must be genuinely happy.

The excitement of young people is so simple; they can be so happy over the smallest things. Shi Jiahe couldn't even remember the last time she was this happy. Now, she felt that it didn't matter whether she ate well or poorly every day, or whether she spent more or less money. After all, no matter how much she saved, she couldn't afford a house, and she wouldn't starve even if she earned less money.

She seemed to have been stuck in this middle ground for a long time, unable to move up or down, making her less sensitive to life within this range. It was only when a young person like Zhao Cai, genuinely struggling to make ends meet, vividly shared his feelings before her that Shi Jiahe received a stark wake-up call. What, then, truly is life?

However, Shi Jiahe doesn't really want to talk about these things right now.

She was still pondering how to express herself in a way that would make this single-minded person clearly grasp the key information: after learning that Wei Ning would be joining the project, she wanted to pretend that the period when Wei Ning stayed at her house had never happened. Ideally, she should just gloss over it without mentioning it at all.

"Zhao Cai, how do you feel about writing this script now?"

Zhao Cai's face turned slightly red. "Actually, I quite like this script, but I'm not that confident, Teacher Shi."

"Although I haven't seen it yet, I trust your judgment. Only when writers enjoy the stories they write can they move others. This is an experience I've gained from reading scripts over the years. If a creator harbors resentment and grievances about what they're writing, they won't produce anything good. That's why commissioned works are generally not as good as original works. Judging from your state of mind, I know this script should be pretty good."

"I'll send you a look after I finish writing the first five episodes!" Zhao Cai said excitedly.

Shi Jiahe said firmly, "Send it to President Ning first. Don't send it to anyone else, including me."

"Huh? Why? It's the script you asked me for. Besides... actually, President Ning hasn't mentioned these things to me at all these days. Wouldn't it be strange if I sent it to her out of the blue?"

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Sigh, it's just a long detour."

"We should be grateful and repay kindness, right?" she said seriously. "Although I helped you out of your immediate predicament, it was Wei Ning who discovered you. I think she was the first person you showed this notebook to."

"Ah, Teacher Shi, I'm so sorry. I always thought, I thought..." Zhao Cai began to stammer.

"What did you think?"

"I thought you and President Ning had a grudge," Zhao Cai said, blinking and lowering her voice.

Shi Jiahe gave a helpless laugh and shook her head.

It's impossible to explain the trivial and meaningless intricacies of relationships between people who have been working for over a decade to someone who's only been working for two years. Just tell them the conclusion directly.

"We don't celebrate holidays together, we don't celebrate the Spring Festival together." Shi Jiahe chuckled dryly. "Just keep in touch with President Ning as usual. Once the project gets moving, you'll probably be even busier."

He deflected the matter with just a few words.

Fortunately, the child didn't think too much about it or ask any questions.

The meal at Sushi Fresh was truly enjoyable, and Shi Jiahe watched as the fortune-telling business grew—the various dishes were piled up to half a person's height. They even ate quite a bit of the most expensive dish, which cost 12 yuan a plate. When Shi Jiahe finally paid the bill, it was almost 300 yuan.

Zhao Cai gasped, "That's so expensive! Let's split the cost, Teacher Shi..."

Shi Jiahe said, "Forget it," paid the bill, and dragged Zhao Cai back home.

That evening, she spent a quiet and peaceful night. She watched some dramas and scrolled through Douyin (TikTok) in her bedroom. Meanwhile, in the living room, Zhao Cai (a character from TikTok) was diligently writing the script she needed.

Shi Jiahe even crawled into bed early and fell asleep around 11 p.m.

It feels so good to dump all the work on others, without having to do anything and just waiting for the results. I just wonder how long this idyllic life can last.

Just as Shi Jiahe predicted, the peaceful days wouldn't even last a day. Early the next morning, He Yuran started asking about the progress of Jiang Fan's materials in the company group chat. Previously, the boss rarely even inquired about his own materials. Now, everyone in the work group was in a real bind, and they started complaining in a smaller group, asking what was wrong with the boss's urgent demands.

Shi Jiahe was also helpless. She could only say a few words of comfort, let him calm down, wash up, and go to the company.

Throughout the entire day, the content and layout of the PPT were repeatedly revised. He Yuran was still not satisfied, saying in the group chat that it needed to be more grand, and then that it needed to have a more textured and retro feel. But after six or seven revisions, she couldn't give a more specific opinion and just kept going around in circles with these few words. In short, she made everyone feel like they were in a complete mess.

As another day drew to a close, Shi Jiahe felt a headache coming on and asked Ding Yi, "Do you want to go out and buy something to eat? I'm about to burst."

Ding Yi shrugged. "I don't have time, I'm busy sorting out team newsletters."

"Sigh, there aren't many groups left to go to, it's already the dead of winter."

"The boss said it doesn't matter if it's a TV series or a movie. Teacher Jiang Fan has a wide range of roles and can play anything, so I'll just do whatever he asks." Ding Yi's lazy tone also carried a subtle sense of sarcasm.

When He Yuran is not in the company, everyone is definitely on the same side, but only if no one betrays them.

Shi Jiahe fiddled with the charging cable connector in her hand, answering absentmindedly, "Our boss hasn't updated his own data in ages."

Ding Yi exclaimed, "Oh dear! Jiahe, don't give me extra work! If you provoke the boss, we'll be making two PowerPoint presentations in the next few days. Isn't that just creating unnecessary work?"

The two children next to them listened, unsure whether to cry or laugh.

I finally settled on the PPT layout by the time I was supposed to leave work. In the end, I chose one of the previous versions and changed it to a simpler style.

Shi Jiahe quickly calculated that the script should have made progress by tomorrow during the day, so she decided to take another day off.

Just then, her phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen; the caller was Sister Stone. Unexpectedly, the first thing she said when she answered was, "Jiahe! Something terrible has happened!"