After the divorce, I started to transfer

Chapter 1675 The Competition Between the Two

The two had lunch at Zhang Jingwen's residence. It wasn't that they were too lazy to go out; it was simply that Zhang Jingwen was now a very popular celebrity, and her every move was under scrutiny. If they were recognized while dining out, it would undoubtedly attract unnecessary attention and trouble.

Therefore, for the sake of peace and quiet, eating at home becomes the safest option.

Of course, this table full of delicacies was not made by Zhang Jingwen, but was thoughtfully ordered by her assistant from a high-end restaurant. All she needed to do was heat it up at home before she could start eating.

However, the rice in the pot was cooked by Zhang Jingwen herself in a rice cooker. The grains were plump, fragrant, and tasted really good; it was undoubtedly good rice.

After dinner, Zhang Jingwen thoughtfully brewed Chen Feng a cup of fragrant goji berry and chrysanthemum tea. The two sat side by side on the soft sofa, watching TV and chatting casually.

They naturally started chatting about their recent situations since they last parted ways. The conversation was mainly led by Zhang Jingwen, who enthusiastically shared her experiences.

Since that successful press conference, her popularity has soared, reaching a new peak. Some businesses have offered as much as eight million for an appearance fee just to invite her to an event, where she would simply appear on stage, say a few perfunctory words, and the entire event would be over in less than an hour.

However, she stubbornly refused the invitation. The reason was simple: besides the fact that she was not short of money, the more important reason was that the inviter was a real estate developer in a second-tier city.

Her family is in the real estate industry, so she is very familiar with the current real estate market. Therefore, the other party invited her to endorse the property, and their ultimate goal was nothing more than to use her fame to boost sales. There may even be other unpredictable shady dealings hidden behind it.

She keenly realized that there must be certain risks involved.

To play it safe, she naturally wouldn't try to make this seemingly tempting quick money.

Perhaps it's because Zhang Jingwen has always been opinionated and persistent that her agent, Wang Yue'e, finds it difficult to control her decisions. Furthermore, although she is nominally an artist under Fengmang Film & Television, she owns her own studio, meaning her relationship with the company is not one of direct superior and subordinate, but rather one of equal cooperation.

Not to mention the unspoken special relationship she now has with Chen Feng, the big boss.

Therefore, even though the collaborations she recently turned down have cost the company and Chen Feng a lot less money, Chen Feng doesn't seem to care much about it.

On the contrary, after hearing that she had rejected so many opportunities to make quick money, Chen Feng's eyes showed a hint of appreciation. He said, "This is truly commendable. You haven't been blinded by your temporary popularity, nor have you been blinded by profit, desperately taking on commercial activities to make quick money. Other celebrities probably wouldn't have your level of clarity and composure."

Upon hearing this, a hint of smugness flashed across Zhang Jingwen's face, and she said with a smile, "Of course. Nowadays, many celebrities in the industry only care about profits. Even if they are unwilling to participate in some commercial activities, they still have to bite the bullet and go under the dual pressure of their agents and companies. Ultimately, it's because they don't have much autonomy and are firmly controlled by their agencies. Of course, they also want to earn more money and wish they could work 24/7 without stopping. But that kind of life is too tiring, and it's definitely not what I want."

Chen Feng couldn't help but laugh and said, "That's because you met a good boss like me. If it were someone else, they would definitely have been forced to take orders and make money every day."

Zhang Jingwen laughed, leaned forward, kissed him on the cheek, and said softly, "You really are an impeccable boss."

The two chatted and laughed, and the warm atmosphere lasted for a while. Then, Zhang Jingwen suddenly changed the subject and asked, "I heard from Sister E that President Wu is currently writing a new script. Do you know what the subject matter is? Are there any roles in the script... suitable for me?"

Chen Feng thought to himself, "You and Zhang Yuxi are really well-informed." Moreover, both of them clearly had high expectations for Wu Mengting's new script.

This is not surprising, after all, Wu Mengting's reputation as a top screenwriter and producer has been thoroughly established. The phenomenal success of her previous three TV series has already made her a guarantee of quality.

“That’s true.” Chen Feng nodded frankly, and before she could ask any further questions, he said, “It’s a script about a modern city. I haven’t asked about the specifics yet, and Mengting hasn’t told me anything either.”

"Urban drama?" Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingwen also frowned slightly. Clearly, Wu Mengting's sudden change in style had made her feel a little uncertain.

Furthermore, her situation differs slightly from Zhang Yuxi's: Zhang Jingwen has been solely an actress since her debut, and has only starred in two highly successful period dramas. Zhang Yuxi, on the other hand, is also a singer, in addition to being an actress.

Zhang Jingwen herself is not really confident about taking on the challenge of modern urban dramas.

After all, there are many precedents in the industry. There are many first-tier or even top-tier actors in China who are dazzling and amazing when they act in period dramas, but once they change into modern clothes, they either perform in a mediocre way without any highlights, or their reputations are completely ruined.

Take Yang Ziying, a national star, for example. She rose to fame and became a household name through a series of classic period dramas. What the public remembers most are the classic roles she portrayed in those period dramas.

In fact, Yang Ziying has also acted in several modern dramas and even starred in several movies.

Unfortunately, none of these works left a deep impression on the public, especially the films in which she starred, which were box office failures, leading many rivals and haters to sarcastically call her a "box office poison."

This has directly resulted in Yang Ziying receiving almost no audition invitations for films in recent years.

Conversely, some well-known actors, especially actresses, are naturally suited to modern dramas, but when they put on period costumes, they seem out of place and fail to stand out.

Therefore, Zhang Jingwen was worried that she might not be suitable for the style of modern dramas, and also worried that Wu Mengting's urban drama scripts might not reach the heights of her period drama scripts.

She and Zhang Yuxi had the same thoughts at this moment: they were afraid that the script was of poor quality or that the role was not suitable for them, and they were also afraid that they would miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So Chen Feng reassured her, "Let's wait until Mengting's script is completely finished before we talk about it. There might not be a suitable role for you in it, and even if there is, if it's not the female lead, given your current status, I don't think you'd consider taking the role. Besides, I, as the boss, don't have the final say in this matter. Mengting is the screenwriter, the producer, and the person in charge of the entire project. At most, I only have the right to make suggestions, not the right to designate who will star in this drama."

Zhang Yuxi didn't say anything more after hearing the same words, but Zhang Jingwen said with a hint of coquettishness, "That's true, but as long as you, the big boss, insist on recommending it, I don't believe she would dare not give you face. After all, you are the one who makes the final decision, aren't you?"

Chen Feng, of course, wouldn't immediately agree. He simply said gently, "We can discuss this matter after she finishes writing her script."

Seeing that his attitude was clear, Zhang Jingwen didn't insist that he immediately promise her a role. After all, the script and whether the roles, especially the female lead, were suitable for her were still unknown.

However, she felt it was still necessary to give Chen Feng a heads-up beforehand and make him remember this. Zhang Jingwen then asked, "Does Zhang Yuxi know about this too? Has she asked you for a role?"

Zhang Jingwen was quite concerned about Zhang Yuxi, a potential competitor. In fact, Zhang Yuxi felt the same way, but she didn't show it directly to Chen Feng.

Chen Feng saw no need to hide this, so he nodded and admitted, "Yes, she already knew and had told me beforehand. But I didn't agree to her request or promise her a role."

Zhang Jingwen was fairly satisfied with Chen Feng's answer and nodded slightly, saying, "That's good. At worst, we can compete fairly. My acting skills are no worse than hers, and my popularity far surpasses hers now."

Chen Feng just smiled and didn't reply.

Zhang Yuxi and Zhang Jingwen hold roughly the same weight in his heart; they each have their own unique characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses.

Chen Feng still tried his best to treat both of them equally.

Chen Feng spent another hour chatting tenderly with Zhang Jingwen before bidding her farewell amidst her reluctant gaze.

This time, Chen Feng went straight home and didn't go looking for any other female confidantes.

Sun Xiaorui went to the university town to visit her younger brother and hasn't returned yet. Wu Mengting locked herself in her room to concentrate on writing her script, and Chen Feng didn't want to disturb her train of thought.

He first went to the bathroom to wash his face, changed into a loose and comfortable set of training clothes, and then went straight to the training room to start meditating and absorbing that special energy.

In this way, an afternoon passed quietly in tranquility.

It wasn't until after 5 p.m. that Chen Feng slowly emerged from the training room.

He first went to Wu Mengting's door, knocked gently, and after waiting a moment, pushed the door open and went inside.

Sure enough, Wu Mengting was sitting at her desk by the window, intently typing on a laptop.

Noticing Chen Feng enter, she looked up at him and asked, "What do you want with me?"

Chen Feng walked up to her and casually asked, "What's the new script you're writing about?"

Wu Mengting paused what she was doing, thought for a moment, and then succinctly summarized: "It mainly tells the story of two women struggling and entangled in a big city."

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng raised an eyebrow in surprise: "You've written a story with two female leads this time?"

Wu Mengting nodded in confirmation: "Yes, it's a dual female lead. You could say their relationship is a love-hate one. They were childhood friends, classmates in junior high and high school, and even went to the same university in the same city. But later, because of a boy, they became enemies and lost contact, becoming like strangers. But fate is cruel; after graduating from university, they unexpectedly entered the same company and became colleagues. Later, they both fell in love with the same man and became rivals in love."

Chen Feng pressed further, "So it's a workplace drama?"

Wu Mengting replied, "Not entirely, but it will involve a lot of workplace content. The main storyline still focuses on the life trajectories of these two women in the big city, including their careers and relationships."

"When you were conceiving this script, did you already have someone in mind for the two female leads?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Mengting raised her eyebrows slightly and asked sharply, "What, someone has already offered themselves to you, the big boss?"

"No, I was just asking."

Wu Mengting pondered for a moment, then frankly said, "When I first conceived the idea, I did design the personalities of the two female leads based on Zhang Jingwen and Zhang Yuxi. After all, they are currently our company's two most popular cash cows, and they also have a subtle competitive relationship in real life. This way, perhaps we could create more realistic sparks during filming and achieve a kind of natural performance effect. However, now that I've written about a third of the story, I feel that the personality of one of the characters has deviated somewhat from Zhang Yuxi herself."

She continued her analysis: "The main problem is that I haven't been able to accurately grasp Zhang Yuxi's true personality yet. You might say she's gentle and kind, but that doesn't quite feel like it; yet, to say she's scheming and manipulative seems a bit harsh. In short, I feel her true personality is somewhat complex and difficult to understand."

"In comparison, Zhang Jingwen's personality is quite obvious. Her main characteristics are her distinct willfulness, straightforwardness, and simplicity. She is passionate and expressive, and all her emotions are clearly written on her face."

After hearing this, Chen Feng reminded him, "Don't forget He Xiaofeng, who is signed by our company. She has been hoping to act in your dramas. In addition, there are Luo Yingying and Jiang Shumin. They are the veteran artists of our company."

Wu Mengting shook her head and analyzed professionally, "Luo Yingying and Jiang Shumin have limited potential. Their personal images are not very recognizable or memorable, making it difficult for them to leave a deep impression on the audience. It's unlikely that their acting careers will see a significant leap forward. Especially since Jiang Shumin wanted to terminate her contract with us last time, we're even less likely to promote her. The company has given them quite a few acting opportunities in the past two years, but their performances haven't been particularly outstanding."

As for He Xiaofeng, she has her own independent studio, though it's affiliated with our company. She's too independent, and her work is closely tied to Qitian Media. Therefore, instead of focusing resources on her, it's better to fully develop Zhang Jingwen and Zhang Yuxi. Of course, the company hasn't treated her unfairly; we've already used our connections to secure three good acting opportunities for her: one as the second female lead in a film, and two as the lead in television dramas.”

"Okay, just keep these things in mind. I really don't want to get involved in company matters anymore; you'll have to take care of them from now on."

Wu Mengting immediately rolled her eyes at him, saying, "You're still the company's official boss, you should at least show up at the company once or twice a month, right? Otherwise, everyone in the company will think something has happened to you."

Chen Feng replied perfunctorily, "I know, I'll go when I have time."

After saying this, Chen Feng immediately changed the subject, saying, "Don't write for now, let's go eat first, it's almost six o'clock."

Wu Mengting glanced at the time and found it was indeed the right time. She stretched comfortably, stood up from her chair, and went downstairs with Chen Feng to have dinner.