Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 438: Confirmed Eyes

After leaving the company building, the two found a nearby restaurant. Then Chen Hong called the hotel where Director Sha was staying and asked the front desk to notify him to come over for a meeting—he was staying nearby.

Because he was thinking about getting involved in the catering industry in the future, Zhang Yan didn't rush into the private room, but instead wandered around first.

Just then, three young women entered from outside. The one leading them was Gong Li, followed by Gai Lili and Wang Yan.

"General Manager Zhang, General Manager Chen?!"

Their eyes met, and Wang Yan instinctively gasped, then quickly covered her mouth.

Gong Li adjusted her sunglasses with a sullen face. Although her thoughts had changed, she still instinctively felt uncomfortable seeing Chen Hong and Zhang Yan—especially the former.

Gai Lili walked over and took Chen Hong's arm, laughing, "I was just saying I'd come see you when I had time, but who knew we'd run into each other like this."

"You're just being a smooth talker."

Chen Hong joked, "Everyone knows you're a drama fanatic; once you're on set, you don't care about anything else."

"That's not necessarily true; people change."

Gai Lili retorted with a double entendre, glancing at Zhang Yan beside her.

At this moment, Zhang Yan stepped forward to greet Gong Li and Wang Yan, and said with a smile, "How has Wang Yan been performing lately? If there's anything she's not doing well, you, the great actress, have to give her some pointers."

Wang Yan hurriedly said, "Sister Gong Li helped me a lot. If it weren't for her guidance, I definitely wouldn't have been able to meet the director's requirements!"

Although the role of Yu Ji does not require great acting skills, it is still a bit of a stretch for a newcomer to act opposite Gong Li and others right away.

Gong Li replied indifferently, "It was all the director's request."

Before Zhang Yan could speak again, Gai Lili chimed in with a smile, "You can be perfunctory about what the director asks for—since Wang Yan said you taught well, you must have put your heart into it."

Gong Li slightly pursed her lips, but said nothing more.

"We're all family here."

At this moment, Chen Hong took the initiative to invite, "Why don't we all go together? It'll be more lively with more people."

Zhang Yan frowned slightly upon hearing this. He was not comfortable letting Chen Hong and Gong Li stay together, and his initiative to come forward earlier was also intended to separate the two of them.

Who knew that Chen Hong would take the initiative to extend an invitation...

"Isn't this inappropriate?"

He couldn't help but question, "We even had an appointment to discuss serious business."

"Just book a private room next door in advance."

Chen Hong smiled and said, "You stay with us first. When the guests arrive, you can talk about your things, and we'll have our own."

As he spoke, he winked at Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement, but then immediately found an excuse to pull Chen Hong aside and whisper, "What's going on? Aren't you afraid of Gong Li..."

"Don't you see?"

Chen Hong interrupted him and whispered, "Gong Li's gaze towards you has changed now."

"Ok?"

Zhang Yan tried hard to recall, then rolled his eyes and said, "She was wearing sunglasses, how could anyone see her eyes clearly!"

“Hehehe~ Then just take it as my intuition—in this regard, my intuition has never been wrong.” Chen Hong, supporting her bulging belly, said confidently, “Either she’s had a taste for it, or she’s seen how famous and wealthy she is with ‘Sunshine’ and has decided to join us—of course, it’s also possible that it’s both.”

Since she spoke with such certainty, Zhang Yan didn't say anything more, but when arranging the seats, he deliberately kept the two far apart.

While ordering, Gai Lili leaned close to Chen Hong's ear and asked, "What happened? Did you and Gong Li have a fight?"

"It's not a big deal."

Chen Hong casually changed the subject: "But what about you? How come you're hanging out with Gong Li and Wang Yan? Isn't your crew busy lately?"

“What’s this? Our director is the one who’s always running to the set of ‘The Hegemon-King of Western Chu’,” Gai Lili said, then asked regretfully, “If I hadn’t taken on ‘Gan Shijiu Mei,’ I would have been the first choice for Yu Ji, right?”

"That's for sure."

Regardless of whether it was true or not, Chen Hong's answer was very firm: "It's a pity that 'Gan Shijiu Mei' is a project in cooperation with Shandong TV. If it were our company's own project, I would have made the decision to let you play Yu Ji instead."

Upon hearing this, Gai Lili remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "If it were Wang Jinghua, wouldn't she have the authority to make the decision?" "What?"

Chen Hong didn't react immediately.

What if it were Wang Luyao?

Gailley pressed for an answer.

Now Chen Hong realized what was going on and stared at Gai Lili with interest, asking, "What, you also want to move behind the scenes? This doesn't fit your usual thinking."

"I wouldn't go straight behind the scenes, but an actress's prime is only a few years, so I have to think about the future, right? If I have to play those mother-in-law/grandmother roles, I'd rather retire from the industry."

After a long silence, Chen Hong said seriously, "In terms of power within the company, Jinghua is definitely superior."

Wang Jinghua and Wang Luyao represent two different paths to advancement within Yuanmeng. Gai Lili's words just now were a test of Chen Hong's intentions.

After all, whether you choose the former or the latter, Chen Hong, the boss lady, is an obstacle you must overcome.

When Chen Hong hinted that she should take the former's path, Gai Lili didn't know whether to be happy or regretful, since she was genuinely interested in Zhang Yan.

But Chen Hong was clearly wary of her and did not want her to follow the same path as Wang Luyao.

This might stem from the psychological shadow of being at the bottom compared to the top. Even though Chen Hong has long since made a comeback and become her boss, there is still a slight lack of confidence deep down.

While the two were whispering to each other, Gong Li and Wang Yan on the other side were also thinking differently, or rather, in similar ways—Gong Li didn't know how to face Zhang Yan, while Wang Yan didn't know how to get close to Zhang Yan.

Previously, Commander Wang had hinted to Wang Yan that he would introduce her to the group of concubines.

Unfortunately, after Zhang Yan returned to China from Venice, Wang Luyao was busy with commercial performances with her troupe—she did come back briefly to participate in the opening ceremony, but she was too busy to attend to Wang Yan's matter.

Wang Yan had been extremely anxious for the past month. If Chen Hong hadn't been sitting right across from her, she probably would have stretched her legs out under the table long ago.

As a professional dancer, Wang Yan was confident that she could count the change in Zhang Yan's pocket with her toes in a minute.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by heavy breathing—clearly, Director Sha had run over after receiving the news.

but……

There seemed to be more than one voice.

Zhang Yan got up, looked at Gong Li, then at Chen Hong, still feeling a little uneasy.

Seeing Chen Hong give him an encouraging look, he walked past Gong Li and Wang Yan and headed outside.

As he passed behind Gong Li, he deliberately bumped into her with an unexpected twist of his body.
Gong Li subconsciously turned around and met his eyes. She was surprised, embarrassed, and ashamed... but there was no sense of rejection.

After confirming the look in her eyes, Zhang Yan finally felt relieved—Chen Hong's intuition was indeed correct, and Gong Li's attitude had indeed changed significantly.

He pushed open the door and went outside. Just as he was about to ask if it was 'Director Sha', he suddenly saw an acquaintance standing next to him.

"Zhang Jiayi?"

"it's me."

Zhang Jiayi forced a smile and said, "Mr. Zhang... it's been almost two years since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"

He initially wanted to call him Brother Zhang, which was what everyone called him when they were on the set of "Hair Messed Up".

But things are different now, and Zhang Yan's demeanor has also changed significantly, so he changed his mind on the spot.

Hearing the somewhat abrupt "General Manager Zhang," Zhang Yan felt a pang of emotion, but he didn't correct Zhang Jiayi, lest the other party lose his composure like Kang Hua did, ultimately causing unpleasantness for both of them.

He asked with a smile, "When did you come to Tianjin? Why didn't you tell me? You've gained a lot of weight since then, your neck is even thicker."

When Zhang Jiayi first filmed "Hair Messed Up," he was still quite green, but now he has already shown the beginnings of his later career.

"I just arrived too."

Zhang Jiayi smiled sheepishly at the person in front of him: "I came here with Director Sha."

"boss Zhang."

Director Sha finally caught his breath and offered his hand, saying, "If possible, I hope Xiao Zhang can play the male lead in this film."

No wonder he was trying to convince himself; he was planning to play the emotional card.

(End of this chapter)