Chapter 37: Let’s go to my house
Zhou Ze slowly walked up to the second floor of the coffee shop. As soon as he raised his eyes, he saw the oncoming Producer Xu and both of them pressed their lips together but walked towards one another as if nothing had happened and shook hands.
“Mr. Zhou, you’re here early.”
Producer Xu had a cordial smile on his face. He was the producer of “Thorns of the flower” and was in charge of the movement of personnel on behalf of Shengshi.
Zhou Ze pulled his chair and sat down. The meeting’s time was still a bit away and both men ordered something to drink first.
Zhou Ze took a sip of his coffee and, intentionally or otherwise, said: “I heard that Jiang Yuan had been a little closer to your Director Sun recently.”
Jiang Yuan was the dancer from the “Treading water” segment in “Thorns of the flower” and the candidate the Cheng Group was very dissatisfied with. According to the Cheng Group’s preliminary hazard assessment report, this young flower had been a constant source of scandals since her debuts, and any work she starred in usually ended up in the billowing smoke1 of a battlefield. That alone had been enough for the Cheng Group’s Marketing department to object to the casting.
Producer Xu smiled and put down his own cup.
“Where did you hear that from? We chose Jiang Yuan because of her popularity.”
As if anyone would believe it.
Zhou Ze cursed in his heart, everybody in the circle knew about Jiang Yun and Mr. Sun’s affair. If they really expected other companies to pay the bill of their shameful and shady business, they could always dream!
The two men tried to talk a bit longer but soon realized they were not able to. Zhou Ze put his coffee cup on the table and said: “Forget it, let’s talk when Teacher Meng arrives.”
Producer Xu touched the tip of his nose; he noticed Zhou Ze’s expression was not so good and his tone softened as he looked rather helpless: “Brother Zhou, we have cooperated a few times already, why do you need me to make it so clear? The circle is like this and even if you don’t think highly of Jiang Yuan, she has capital. If you replace her with someone else, do you think they will bring the same amount of money?
Zhou Ze was ignoring him, Producer Xu added: “Although I am the producer, this investment is not mine only, shouldn’t you have some consideration for the actors? Investors will only give money if they can see the actors they want. If Director Sun isn’t willing to invest anymore, where do I find resources for the rest of the crew?”
Zhou Ze could clearly understand what the man meant but it was impossible for him to just slap on the table and agree with a “Yes, so be it.”. Everything had to go by to his superior and let him decide.
Seeing that Zhou Ze’s momentum had weakened, Produced Xu wanted to take advantage of his victory. The competition between their companies had originally been a secret and he naturally hoped Shengshi would get the upper hand in the negotiations. But as he was about to make his next move, a voice sounded and startled both men slightly.
“Can Sun Lixing’s little capital really be considered capital?”
Cheng Su asked from a short distance and his eyes fell on Producer Su as he continued: “If you believe we are making things difficult, I can have Shengshi change producers.”
Producer Xu’s expression stagnated and his victory smile froze at the corners of his mouth.
Cheng Su stood by the B16 table, just like he had just been passing by. He did not pull off a chair and sat down but caused a huge pressure on Producer Xu and the man couldn’t help but wipe the sweat on his forehead: “This, this…”
He had nothing to say against that. Producer Xu was close to Director Sun but there were a lot of excellent producers in Shengshi. As long as Cheng Su and Shengshi’s senior executives mentioned it, Producer Xu believed that people would take the chance to go against Director Sun and have him replace him right away; business fights between higher-ups were not something he could control. In the end, replacing him would indeed be the easiest way.
Producer Xu became anxious at once; he felt very embarrassed and did not respond for a while. The longer people stayed in the business world, the more slippery they became. They all practiced tai chi2to practice tai chi / (fig.) to avoid responsibility / to pass the buck[/efn_note\ with each other, trying to not make any faux pas. Everyone tried to keep each other some kind of comfortable dignity and Producer Xu had not expected Cheng Su would make him lose face so much with one sentence and tear his hypocritical arrogance to pieces.
Zhou Ze was surprised to see Cheng Su here, but was not by his words; after all, with his personality, no one would be able to threaten him with any unspoken rules. No one had the qualifications yet, anyway.
After a moment of reflection, Producer Xu bit the bullet and asked: “The production of “Thorns of the Flower” will begin soon. If you want to replace Jiang Yuan, where will you find a suitable candidate in such a short time?”
Arrogance could be heard in his voice; he was sure Cheng Su didn’t know much about the entertainment industry and wouldn’t be able to find someone on such short notice. As long as President Cheng couldn’t answer right away, he meant he would still have won.
But as he looked at Cheng Su in a complacent manner, the man replied: “I remember Meng Lingsi recommended a girl. She is from your circle, isn’t she?”
Cheng Su stared at Producer Xu quietly. He didn’t urge him to answer but Producer Xu was unable to speak as if his throat had been violently strangled. His eyes rolled back and forth in their sockets and he locked very flustered as he finally understood the question. He burst into a cold sweat and gritted his teeth.
“Do you mean Qiao Dai? She cannot. She is just a trainee who has not made her debut yet, how can we have her act in a movie? Jiang Yuan is a real actor.”
As he replied, Producer Xu’s voice became smaller and smaller. Especially when he faced Cheng Su’s indifferent gaze, he lost all confidence to persuade him to choose Jiang Yuan. After all… her acting skills were only sub-par, if it was the only reason to choose the actor, he would also ignore her.
Cheng Su raised his brows lightly and asked: “Is she an actor?”
Producer Xu: …
Cheng Su sounded very sincere but it was what made it particularly hurtful. There was no malice, just puzzlement, and Producer Xu didn’t know what to say for a long time. He suspected that if Jiang Yuan had heard Cheng Su’s question with her own ears, she would have run away crying with anger.
Seeing that Producer Xu stopped talking, Zhou Ze quickly took over: “Didn’t Teacher Meng originally fancied Qiao Dai? In that case, why bother her to teach Jiang Yuan to dance, wouldn’t it be better to have her perform instead?”
There didn’t seem to be any problem? Producer Xu’s mind was in chaos and he felt his blood pressure soar, but he couldn’t find any reason to refute. He cursed Jiang Yuan in his heart; had she had a better reputation, fewer scandals, or even acting skills, he might have been able to convince President Cheng and wouldn’t have so many headaches!
“Besides, isn’t Qiao Dai a very popular player in <Pick Eleven>? This show is also produced by Shengshi, wouldn’t it be one of your own people in the end?”
Zhou Ze finished to persuade him calmly and Producer Xu was silent for a moment, before finally nodding.
“I guess this is settled. Since President Cheng and Teacher Meng are in favor, I believe there will be no issue.”
Nobody would be able to blame him, at least. Producer Xu also felt that picking Qiao Dai was a better choice than Jiang Yuan; not only was she currently very popular but had been recognized by “Treading water” original choreographer. He really had nothing to say.
As for Director Sun… forget it, he also had to give President Cheng’s face. Could he blame him for being afraid to offend the big man?
So even before their appointment with Meng Lingsi, Producer Xu and Zhou Ze had already finalized the actor’s choice.
“Xiao Qiao, are you already at the coffee shop? Mr. Zhou and Mr. Xu already decided to let you try this role. You will have to talk to your agent and let her make arrangements to go to Shengshi to discuss the contact.” Meng Lingsi had been on the way when she had received the news. She had not expected something that had troubled her for so long to be resolved suddenly, without even needing her presence. Everybody had reached a consensus and had selected Qiao Dai, whom she really wanted in the first place. She was really overjoyed.
Meng Lingsi contacted Qiao Dai to inform her of the decision and tell her she did not have to hurry to the coffee shop anymore but wait for a follow-up on the matter.
“I understand, thank you, Teacher Meng.”
In the dark stairwell, as time passed minute by minute, Qiao Dai was as anxious as a little sea otter being chased by a big killer whale when her phone rang suddenly and Meng Lingsi told her about the cancellation of the meeting. At that moment, Qiao Dai couldn’t help but shed some tears and quickly stretched out a paw to wipe her face, and footsteps were heard outside the door of the employee passage.
“It’s me.”
Cheng Su pushed the door open and walked in. At a glance, he found Qiao Dai who was hidden in a corner and his dark eyes slightly lit up. One matter had been resolved but another problem was still awaiting them.
Cheng Su looked at the furry little sea otter in front of him and his eyebrows rose lightly.
***
A while later, in the North Island.
A man dragged a huge suitcase and walked silently on the side of the road. When he reached the big intersection, he stopped and waited for the traffic to pass. Except for the occasionally speeding cars, the streets were quiet and only the rustle of the wind blowing over the leaves was heard.
But suddenly, in the silence, a small voice sounded.
Luggage: “Thank you.”
Cheng Su: …
The man took a breath, cast his gaze across the street, and whispered: “Don’t talk.”
He reached out his hand and tapped on the suitcase indifferently, and Qiao Dai who was hiding inside immediately felt she had been knocked on her forehead. She shrunk down to hide and the low voice of Cheng Su reached her ears again: “It’s a little frightening.”
Luggage: “Oh, okay.”
Cheng Su: …
It seemed to be a dumb little sea otter.
The bright sunlight cast from the gasps in the leaves and was a little dazzling. With a faint “tsk”, Cheng Su looked up at the signal light and felt that the red countdown had become longer for some reason. He unconsciously tapped his fingers on the suitcase, looking a little irritable. It would be nice if someone said something…
As soon as this thought crossed Cheng Su’s mind, the quiet suitcase shook a little and a timid voice came out, soft and light, and burned his ears like scattered sparks: “Can I talk now?”
Cheng Su looked at the suitcase for a while before quickly moving his gaze away. The ups and downs of his emotions couldn’t be heard but he replied: “Talk if you want to.”
Luggage: “Where are we going now?”
“My house.” Cheng Su answered in a deep voice.
Chapter 37: Let’s go to my house
Zhou Ze slowly walked up to the second floor of the coffee shop. As soon as he raised his eyes, he saw the oncoming Producer Xu and both of them pressed their lips together but walked towards one another as if nothing had happened and shook hands.
“Mr. Zhou, you’re here early.”
Producer Xu had a cordial smile on his face. He was the producer of “Thorns of the flower” and was in charge of the movement of personnel on behalf of Shengshi.
Zhou Ze pulled his chair and sat down. The meeting’s time was still a bit away and both men ordered something to drink first.
Zhou Ze took a sip of his coffee and, intentionally or otherwise, said: “I heard that Jiang Yuan had been a little closer to your Director Sun recently.”
Jiang Yuan was the dancer from the “Treading water” segment in “Thorns of the flower” and the candidate the Cheng Group was very dissatisfied with. According to the Cheng Group’s preliminary hazard assessment report, this young flower had been a constant source of scandals since her debuts, and any work she starred in usually ended up in the billowing smoke1 of a battlefield. That alone had been enough for the Cheng Group’s Marketing department to object to the casting.
Producer Xu smiled and put down his own cup.
“Where did you hear that from? We chose Jiang Yuan because of her popularity.”
As if anyone would believe it.
Zhou Ze cursed in his heart, everybody in the circle knew about Jiang Yun and Mr. Sun’s affair. If they really expected other companies to pay the bill of their shameful and shady business, they could always dream!
The two men tried to talk a bit longer but soon realized they were not able to. Zhou Ze put his coffee cup on the table and said: “Forget it, let’s talk when Teacher Meng arrives.”
Producer Xu touched the tip of his nose; he noticed Zhou Ze’s expression was not so good and his tone softened as he looked rather helpless: “Brother Zhou, we have cooperated a few times already, why do you need me to make it so clear? The circle is like this and even if you don’t think highly of Jiang Yuan, she has capital. If you replace her with someone else, do you think they will bring the same amount of money?
Zhou Ze was ignoring him, Producer Xu added: “Although I am the producer, this investment is not mine only, shouldn’t you have some consideration for the actors? Investors will only give money if they can see the actors they want. If Director Sun isn’t willing to invest anymore, where do I find resources for the rest of the crew?”
Zhou Ze could clearly understand what the man meant but it was impossible for him to just slap on the table and agree with a “Yes, so be it.”. Everything had to go by to his superior and let him decide.
Seeing that Zhou Ze’s momentum had weakened, Produced Xu wanted to take advantage of his victory. The competition between their companies had originally been a secret and he naturally hoped Shengshi would get the upper hand in the negotiations. But as he was about to make his next move, a voice sounded and startled both men slightly.
“Can Sun Lixing’s little capital really be considered capital?”
Cheng Su asked from a short distance and his eyes fell on Producer Su as he continued: “If you believe we are making things difficult, I can have Shengshi change producers.”
Producer Xu’s expression stagnated and his victory smile froze at the corners of his mouth.
Cheng Su stood by the B16 table, just like he had just been passing by. He did not pull off a chair and sat down but caused a huge pressure on Producer Xu and the man couldn’t help but wipe the sweat on his forehead: “This, this…”
He had nothing to say against that. Producer Xu was close to Director Sun but there were a lot of excellent producers in Shengshi. As long as Cheng Su and Shengshi’s senior executives mentioned it, Producer Xu believed that people would take the chance to go against Director Sun and have him replace him right away; business fights between higher-ups were not something he could control. In the end, replacing him would indeed be the easiest way.
Producer Xu became anxious at once; he felt very embarrassed and did not respond for a while. The longer people stayed in the business world, the more slippery they became. They all practiced tai chi2to practice tai chi / (fig.) to avoid responsibility / to pass the buck[/efn_note\ with each other, trying to not make any faux pas. Everyone tried to keep each other some kind of comfortable dignity and Producer Xu had not expected Cheng Su would make him lose face so much with one sentence and tear his hypocritical arrogance to pieces.
Zhou Ze was surprised to see Cheng Su here, but was not by his words; after all, with his personality, no one would be able to threaten him with any unspoken rules. No one had the qualifications yet, anyway.
After a moment of reflection, Producer Xu bit the bullet and asked: “The production of “Thorns of the Flower” will begin soon. If you want to replace Jiang Yuan, where will you find a suitable candidate in such a short time?”
Arrogance could be heard in his voice; he was sure Cheng Su didn’t know much about the entertainment industry and wouldn’t be able to find someone on such short notice. As long as President Cheng couldn’t answer right away, he meant he would still have won.
But as he looked at Cheng Su in a complacent manner, the man replied: “I remember Meng Lingsi recommended a girl. She is from your circle, isn’t she?”
Cheng Su stared at Producer Xu quietly. He didn’t urge him to answer but Producer Xu was unable to speak as if his throat had been violently strangled. His eyes rolled back and forth in their sockets and he locked very flustered as he finally understood the question. He burst into a cold sweat and gritted his teeth.
“Do you mean Qiao Dai? She cannot. She is just a trainee who has not made her debut yet, how can we have her act in a movie? Jiang Yuan is a real actor.”
As he replied, Producer Xu’s voice became smaller and smaller. Especially when he faced Cheng Su’s indifferent gaze, he lost all confidence to persuade him to choose Jiang Yuan. After all… her acting skills were only sub-par, if it was the only reason to choose the actor, he would also ignore her.
Cheng Su raised his brows lightly and asked: “Is she an actor?”
Producer Xu: …
Cheng Su sounded very sincere but it was what made it particularly hurtful. There was no malice, just puzzlement, and Producer Xu didn’t know what to say for a long time. He suspected that if Jiang Yuan had heard Cheng Su’s question with her own ears, she would have run away crying with anger.
Seeing that Producer Xu stopped talking, Zhou Ze quickly took over: “Didn’t Teacher Meng originally fancied Qiao Dai? In that case, why bother her to teach Jiang Yuan to dance, wouldn’t it be better to have her perform instead?”
There didn’t seem to be any problem? Producer Xu’s mind was in chaos and he felt his blood pressure soar, but he couldn’t find any reason to refute. He cursed Jiang Yuan in his heart; had she had a better reputation, fewer scandals, or even acting skills, he might have been able to convince President Cheng and wouldn’t have so many headaches!
“Besides, isn’t Qiao Dai a very popular player in <Pick Eleven>? This show is also produced by Shengshi, wouldn’t it be one of your own people in the end?”
Zhou Ze finished to persuade him calmly and Producer Xu was silent for a moment, before finally nodding.
“I guess this is settled. Since President Cheng and Teacher Meng are in favor, I believe there will be no issue.”
Nobody would be able to blame him, at least. Producer Xu also felt that picking Qiao Dai was a better choice than Jiang Yuan; not only was she currently very popular but had been recognized by “Treading water” original choreographer. He really had nothing to say.
As for Director Sun… forget it, he also had to give President Cheng’s face. Could he blame him for being afraid to offend the big man?
So even before their appointment with Meng Lingsi, Producer Xu and Zhou Ze had already finalized the actor’s choice.
“Xiao Qiao, are you already at the coffee shop? Mr. Zhou and Mr. Xu already decided to let you try this role. You will have to talk to your agent and let her make arrangements to go to Shengshi to discuss the contact.” Meng Lingsi had been on the way when she had received the news. She had not expected something that had troubled her for so long to be resolved suddenly, without even needing her presence. Everybody had reached a consensus and had selected Qiao Dai, whom she really wanted in the first place. She was really overjoyed.
Meng Lingsi contacted Qiao Dai to inform her of the decision and tell her she did not have to hurry to the coffee shop anymore but wait for a follow-up on the matter.
“I understand, thank you, Teacher Meng.”
In the dark stairwell, as time passed minute by minute, Qiao Dai was as anxious as a little sea otter being chased by a big killer whale when her phone rang suddenly and Meng Lingsi told her about the cancellation of the meeting. At that moment, Qiao Dai couldn’t help but shed some tears and quickly stretched out a paw to wipe her face, and footsteps were heard outside the door of the employee passage.
“It’s me.”
Cheng Su pushed the door open and walked in. At a glance, he found Qiao Dai who was hidden in a corner and his dark eyes slightly lit up. One matter had been resolved but another problem was still awaiting them.
Cheng Su looked at the furry little sea otter in front of him and his eyebrows rose lightly.
***
A while later, in the North Island.
A man dragged a huge suitcase and walked silently on the side of the road. When he reached the big intersection, he stopped and waited for the traffic to pass. Except for the occasionally speeding cars, the streets were quiet and only the rustle of the wind blowing over the leaves was heard.
But suddenly, in the silence, a small voice sounded.
Luggage: “Thank you.”
Cheng Su: …
The man took a breath, cast his gaze across the street, and whispered: “Don’t talk.”
He reached out his hand and tapped on the suitcase indifferently, and Qiao Dai who was hiding inside immediately felt she had been knocked on her forehead. She shrunk down to hide and the low voice of Cheng Su reached her ears again: “It’s a little frightening.”
Luggage: “Oh, okay.”
Cheng Su: …
It seemed to be a dumb little sea otter.
The bright sunlight cast from the gasps in the leaves and was a little dazzling. With a faint “tsk”, Cheng Su looked up at the signal light and felt that the red countdown had become longer for some reason. He unconsciously tapped his fingers on the suitcase, looking a little irritable. It would be nice if someone said something…
As soon as this thought crossed Cheng Su’s mind, the quiet suitcase shook a little and a timid voice came out, soft and light, and burned his ears like scattered sparks: “Can I talk now?”
Cheng Su looked at the suitcase for a while before quickly moving his gaze away. The ups and downs of his emotions couldn’t be heard but he replied: “Talk if you want to.”
Luggage: “Where are we going now?”
“My house.” Cheng Su answered in a deep voice.
