Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Art is too mysterious a thing; everyone has their own measuring stick in their heart.

If he also went to make art, to invest himself in his own understanding of art, then conflict between him and Song Chi would be inevitable.

To strangle that kind of conflict in the cradle, Wu Chengbao required himself to focus only on the business itself, to focus on commerce and the market, to focus on making money.

He Wenyun lit a cigarette for herself.

"Actually, it’s Song Chi’s good fortune to have a partner like President Wu to start a company with him."

She suddenly said this, catching Wu Chengbao off guard, not knowing how to respond.

Because Wu Chengbao didn’t know why He Wenyun suddenly said that.

He Wenyun said, "President Wu, have you never thought about going solo?"

There was a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

Wu Chengbao smiled.

He said, "I don’t have that plan for the moment."

"That’s really a pity." He Wenyun shrugged. "Right now a lot of people have their eye on this piece of the market and want to come in; they need an executor who understands this market better."

"Outsiders are outsiders after all. If things don’t go well, they can just pat their butts and walk away, but we live here; we’ve got to do something for ourselves." Wu Chengbao said.

He Wenyun looked at him in surprise and said, "I thought when you said just now that you’re just a businessman, you meant it."

"I did mean it. But even businessmen have their own ideas. Please forgive that." Wu Chengbao said.

...

After the lead cast of "Conspicuous and Trouble" was set, Song Chi called Zhou Yun right away.

Zhou Yun was extremely surprised when she heard He Wenyun’s name.

"How come she’s come back to act again?"

"No idea. It was actually her agency that reached out to us first; we were pretty surprised too." Song Chi said. "But this way, the lineup for this show is actually quite strong—stronger than the previous cast. Chestnut Video is very satisfied."

"Just the label of ’Wei Weicheng’s comeback work’ is loud enough." Zhou Yun was well versed in current publicity tactics. "He Wenyun’s base in the domestic market isn’t very solid; she only has ’Deep Sea.’ She’s mainly known within the industry. This time acting with Wei Weicheng in ’Conspicuous and Trouble’ is just right to help her make up for that shortcoming."

"Mm." Song Chi said. "We originally thought she’d open her mouth wide on the fee. Everyone knows the pressure we’re under to get this show rolling; if she asked for more, it would be understandable. But the price she quoted was actually lower than the market rate."

"Mm?" Zhou Yun was a bit surprised. "Her side quoted very low?"

"Yeah." Song Chi said. "That’s what surprised both me and Wu Chengbao. Of course, if she’s happy not taking a high fee, we’re more than happy about it."

"Maybe it’s because she wants to build a longer-term working relationship with you." From an actor’s standpoint, Zhou Yun thought through He Wenyun’s possible motives and offered this guess.

Song Chi: "My company has only just gotten off the ground. Didn’t she already sign with Yuehai? Why would she still want to build a longer-term relationship with me?"

"You can’t have too many partners. She’s someone with her own ideas. The projects from Yuehai probably can’t meet her demands." Zhou Yun said.

The shows Yuehai produced didn’t interest her; by the same logic, they definitely wouldn’t interest He Wenyun either.

Even though not all of Song Chi’s company’s projects were high-reputation, high-quality shows, there were always some productions like "Mother" and "Balcony" in the works.

Those just happened to be the kind of projects that could meet He Wenyun’s standards.

Song Chi said, "Aren’t you heading to Australia in a couple of days?"

"Yeah." Zhou Yun said. "We’re leaving this Saturday, shooting in Australia for two months first, then heading to the United States."

Song Chi: "Stay safe. I’ll come see you when I get some time."

"If you’re busy, don’t bother coming, it’s fine." Zhou Yun said. "Once I finish shooting ’Killing Song,’ I’ll come back."

"You don’t have any other shooting plans after that?" Song Chi asked.

Zhou Yun said, "For now, no. But next year we’ll probably be shooting the second part of ’Two tigers.’"

"Around when would that be?" Song Chi asked.

Zhou Yun: "I don’t know yet; I haven’t gotten any notice. Right now, apart from ’Killing Song,’ there’s nothing else scheduled for me."

"I got a script over here that I think suits you quite well."

"Hm?" Zhou Yun was a bit surprised when she heard that.