Actresses

Chapter 42 Apology

However, Shi Jiahe also hated herself for being so easily swayed by her emotions; she needed to remember her stance. She shouldn't forget that she was on He Yuran's side.

She told Zhao Cai not to forget to eat while writing, then quickly tidied herself up and went out.

This time, Shi Jiahe didn't contact Wei Ning first. Instead, she took a taxi directly to the office building where the platform was located. Standing in front of the building for a while, she wondered what excuse she could use to get Wei Ning out. Shi Jiahe hadn't even considered the possibility that Wei Ning was currently out discussing business. Because, if facing the pressure of being laid off, Wei Ning certainly wouldn't go anywhere.

After thinking for a moment, she had an idea. She edited a WeChat message and sent it to Wei Ning.

"President Ning, I'm downstairs at your company. Would you like a massage? It's a reward for all your hard work these past few days."

Wei Ning replied quickly. "Hey, why are you suddenly talking nonsense with me like this? Is something wrong?"

"I want to see you, but it's such a cliché thing for us to do something like this."

"I'm very busy today, I don't have time, let's do it another day."

Shi Jiahe got angry. Why was she still rejecting her? She glared at him and typed a new message.

"Didn't you want to talk about the play?"

The message had barely been sent when Wei Ning called, immediately launching into a barrage of questions: "What does this mean? Did Sister Ran see it? What did she say?"

"Sister Ran... it's not decided yet, but I'm unilaterally announcing that I'll be working with you on this, so let's talk first."

"Damn it, you can't make the decision anyway, what's the point of me talking to you?" Wei Ning's tone suddenly changed from excitement to impatience.

"You're being too materialistic. I'm Ran Jie's producer and agent, after all. Don't I have the authority to make decisions for her? Artists don't handle the specifics, so in the end, it'll be me who's against you."

Wei Ning hesitated for a moment this time. "Well... if you're not in a hurry, could you wait for me downstairs for 20 minutes? I'll come down as soon as possible."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, I can wait as long as you want, but I still have to maintain this posture.

"Then you'd better hurry up, I'm quite busy too."

"Okay, I got it!"

After hanging up the phone, Shi Jiahe found a seat in a coffee shop near the platform. The place was mostly filled with platform suppliers or production company representatives attending meetings, as well as screenwriters writing their scripts—basically, people from the industry.

After ordering an iced Americano and pouring two glasses of water, Shi Jiahe sat down and began to space out.

She still hadn't figured out how to persuade He Yuran. But after thinking it over, with her abilities, it seemed she couldn't find a second producer who met Stone Sister's requirements besides Wei Ning. Besides, why look further afield? But when she remembered that Zhao Cai had said that Zhuang Pan and Wei Ning's previous collaboration seemed to have been unpleasant, she felt a little worried.

It seems that Wei Ning will encounter problems getting along with both main actors. If that's the case, can the project still proceed smoothly? Even if one actor agrees, the other might disagree. What should be done? The more she thought about it, the more worried she became.

Conversely, the most difficult person to communicate with is not Stone Sister, but definitely the two artists. Zhuang Pan is easier to talk to because Stone Sister can make decisions, but Ran Jie has her own set of logic, which is full of flaws, but she is very self-consistent, making it difficult for Shi Jiahe to find a breakthrough.

Shi Jiahe crossed her arms and stared at the entrance of the coffee shop, almost bursting her eyes out.

Just then, she overheard a couple chatting at the next table. They didn't seem to be from this industry; they were probably just nearby office workers on a blind date.

Having a blind date over coffee in the middle of the day? They really value efficiency. If it doesn't work out, they should just call it a day. That's what Shi Jiahe thought.

The man said, "Actually, my parents are more anxious."

Shi Jiahe glanced at the girl, who was sipping her coffee and seemed quite introverted. She couldn't help but think to herself, "If you don't want to see her, just leave. Let's not waste each other's time."

The man probably realized what was going on and said, "I'm fine, you can leave now if you're busy."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "This guy is alright. He's not as abnormal as those online dating jokes, who rush in and want to discuss conditions right away."

Then the woman said, "Um... I'm fine. Are you in a hurry?"

The man said, "I'm fine with anything. There's still more than an hour before lunch break ends, and besides, our work attendance isn't too strict, so it doesn't matter if I go back a little later."

She even laughed as she spoke, her tone quite gentle. If it weren't for the fact that they were too close and she would be easily spotted, Shi Jiahe really wanted to turn around and take a closer look at what her face looked like.

The girl still seemed a little shy: "Well, actually I haven't been working around here for very long."

"Would you like me to show you around? There are a few good restaurants nearby, I think they're pretty good, if you can handle spicy food."

"OK."

"Then—should we go over now?"

The girl said, "I'll ask the waiter to pack the coffee to go."

The two got up, took their coffees, and headed towards the order counter.

Shi Jiahe became puzzled. Could it be that this was actually going to happen? Had things really progressed so smoothly? She stared at the backs of the two people, lost in thought, and at the same time, she seemed to have been inspired.

She suddenly remembered the key to dealing with Sister Ran.

He Yuran is like a donkey that's been stroked the right way. You absolutely cannot force a thing, idea, or viewpoint into her. If you go along with her, you might get some extremely outrageous surprises.

Shi Jiahe slapped his thigh, as if he knew what to do.

Just then, she was startled to find Wei Ning standing right in front of her, waving his hand.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Shi Jiahe then came to her senses. "Oh, what are you drinking?"

"I'm not drinking anymore. You're so angry every day, a little water is enough. What's wrong?" Wei Ning plopped down opposite him. For some reason, even though he was just going downstairs, he looked like he'd been traveling.

Shi Jiahe couldn't help but laugh, "What, did your boss Zhou Chun steal your thunder?"

"Don't bring up things you don't want to talk about. If you can give me a definite answer today, we can move forward properly. I can go through the process for you on the platform first. If that doesn't work, I'll go up there now. Anyway, I'm not asking you for anything," Wei Ning said with a straight face.

Upon hearing this tone, Shi Jiahe exclaimed, "Oh dear, you're definitely impatient." "I thought we were going to work together, but I didn't expect you to treat me so badly."

"And you're still talking about me? You've been keeping quiet and not telling me what Ran Jie's attitude is, so I can only talk to the next group. I'm busy with next year's S+, and let me make it clear, I don't really need another partner like you, and I certainly don't need another actress like He Yu Ran."

"Alright, alright, I know you don't need to beg us. I've said it before, it's us actors who need to beg your platform. That's why I came to see you today, Mr. Ning, please calm down."

Wei Ning sighed and gulped down half a glass of water. "Let me catch my breath, I just finished a meeting."

Shi Jiahe frowned, thinking, "She looks so energetic and full of life, you'd never guess she's about to be laid off. No, I have to trick her a little."

"So, what kind of drama is Mr. Ning planning to film next year?"

Wei Ning waved her hand impatiently. "It has nothing to do with your sister Ran's age or status, so you don't need to ask."

"Alright, alright, I'll get straight to the point. I want to ask you to do me a favor. I promise I'll definitely have you as the producer for this film, and moreover, I need you."

Wei Ning raised an eyebrow and put down his water glass. "Then I need to hear what it is about and what benefits it will bring me."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "This guy, even after working on the platform for a day, still has all the platform's bad habits. He's obsessed with saving face and has to act all high and mighty no matter where he is. He might be kicked out tomorrow, but he's still putting on this act."

Well, we've been colleagues for a long time, so I should give them face.

"To be honest, there's been a slight change on Zhuang Pan's side, and she's still one step away from agreeing to join our show."

"Oh, I knew you wouldn't agree." A subtle smile flickered across Wei Ning's face, as if he were watching a spectacle.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "What are you guessing? You clearly don't know anything." She pretended to be nonchalant and explained, "Zhuang Pan's boyfriend suddenly appeared and told her that a big shot was going to make a movie and wanted her to be the female lead, so the two of them could openly date in the movie. So Zhuang Pan wanted to back out."

"What era are we living in that we're still calling him 'big brother'?"

"Look, we both have the same reaction, we both think it's unreliable, right? But Zhuang Pan is completely bewitched now, she insists on going to see her older brother with that boyfriend."

"Then I think you should just let her go see her. She'll be the one who regrets it later anyway," Wei Ning said indifferently.

Shi Jiahe clicked her tongue. "I'm in a hurry to finalize the cast, and if I see one of the lead actors leaving, of course I have to stop it."

"What does that have to do with me?" Wei Ning blinked.

"If you were the producer of this film, wouldn't this be relevant to you?"

"But I'm not," Wei Ning sneered. "I'm just here to watch the show. I'll let you all know how difficult it is to deal with online traffic. You guys are so professional, you can definitely handle 100 ideas today and tomorrow, right?"

Shi Jiahe was both angry and amused. Goodness, she was really getting worked up.

"I think we should both put our tempers aside. I know you were upset when Sister Ran embarrassed you last time. But the premise is that we both have to get things done, right? If this show is successful, wouldn't it benefit us all? Don't act impulsively."

Wei Ning smiled slightly. "So you know everything. May I ask what happened these past two days that made you suddenly change your mind? Couldn't you find anyone else? Sorry, I'm very busy right now. I'll finish this coffee with you and then I'll go upstairs."

Shi Jiahe could actually understand Wei Ning's feelings. Everyone has a temper, especially in the entertainment industry where there are no standards. Even a small thing can cause several parties to argue endlessly.

"Calm down, can't we just sit down and talk this out calmly?"

"Oh, so you think I'm throwing a tantrum?" Wei Ning shook his head. "Do you know why I sometimes don't want to deal with so-called artists or good actors? You're not even as good as those popular celebrities. At least they lay all the conditions on the table for discussion, and I just need to meet them one by one; there's always a way to appease them. What I hate most is being emotional, always feeling that something's wrong here or there, but what exactly is wrong? You can't even clearly explain what you like; all your descriptions are just outlines. In that case, things can't move forward. I'm really not going to talk to you anymore; I have to go upstairs."

After Wei Ning finished speaking, he stood up and left. Shi Jiahe blushed and her neck turned red, but she didn't care about saving face anymore. She quickly chased after him and grabbed Wei Ning's wrist.

"Wei Ning!"

Wei Ning's face darkened. "What? Haven't I made myself clear enough?"

"It's my fault, and I apologize. I admit that after you joined the platform, I saw you becoming more and more smug, and I probably felt unbalanced. I kept thinking you had changed, and I made all sorts of assumptions about you. But I've reflected on this over the past two days. Maybe my judgment was off in some things. You were just doing your job normally. But because you're on the platform, I subconsciously thought you had become arrogant. Actually, you bringing the screenwriter to see us was already a gesture, but Ran-jie and I's behavior disappointed you instead."

Wei Ning sighed. "You have nothing to apologize for. So many years have passed, everyone changes a bit. I don't care what others think of me, I just want to keep my job. If you won't give me this project, fine, it's that simple, let's not talk about anything else."

"I've come to you... I won't go to anyone else. I'll try to persuade the others. Can you give me a little more time to let me explain what I want you to do?" Shi Jiahe said sincerely.