Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 140 All the main actors gathered
Under Hu Ge's expectant gaze, Liu Shishi nodded slightly, giving him an unequivocal answer.

Actually, Ms. Liu herself is still a bit confused. This time, the process of helping Hu Ge get a role went more smoothly than expected.

During the few days after returning from Berlin, Song Ci was in a particularly good mood. She took the opportunity to casually mention on the flight to Beiping that she asked her boyfriend if he could give the male lead role in "Orange Born in Huainan" to Hu Ge.

To her surprise, Mr. Song agreed without even asking any questions, leaving her with no chance to use any of the many excuses she had prepared in advance.

Liu Shishi was unaware of Song Ci's considerations. The cunning Song Ci thought that if Hu Ge were to have an accident later, she would definitely not be able to perform "Orange Born in Huainan". So he thought it would be better to let Liu Shishi do him a favor in vain.

If nothing unexpected happens, "Fleet of Time" is currently airing, and Hu Ge and Lü Yi are collaborating for the second time in "Unrequited Love". The two already have a certain level of popularity and a fanbase for their on-screen couple, so starring in another drama would be a sure win.

Upon receiving an affirmative reply, even with his usual composure, Hu Ge excitedly pumped his fist repeatedly, exclaiming:

"That's great, thank you so much, Shishi. Please don't hesitate to ask me for help with anything I can do in the future."

Seeing Hu Ge gesturing wildly, as happy as a child, Liu Shishi was also happy for him: "You're welcome. We're from the same company, so I'll definitely help you if I can."

Yuan Hong, who was standing to the side, felt very uncomfortable. Although she did not know exactly what had happened, she could tell from the conversation that Liu Shishi had used her connections to get Hu Ge a leading role.

While happy for her good brother, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Whenever the company had a good role, Hu Ge was always the first to choose. Sister K always favored him.

These days, even when Liu Shishi has good news, she only thinks of Lao Hu. We usually hang out together, how can colleagues from the same company be so biased towards one another?

Hu Ge had no interest in playing games at this moment; she just wanted to rush back to Xiaobailou to discuss things with Cai Yinong and finalize the matter as soon as possible. "Shishi, Lao Yuan, you guys play, I'm going back to Xiaobailou."

"I'll go back too." Yuan Hong was absent-minded, full of grievances, and had no interest in going online.

Seeing this, Hu Ge said with concern, "Shishi, since Lao Yuan is going back too, why don't you come with us? I'm worried about the young lady surfing the internet all by herself."

"Alright!" Liu Shishi didn't hesitate and shut down the computer. She liked the lively atmosphere of internet cafes with many people, and since her two senior brothers were leaving first, it wouldn't be fun for her to stay here alone.

Hu Ge put on sunglasses and a baseball cap to disguise his identity, and the three of them paid the bill and left the internet cafe together.

As soon as she stepped out of the internet cafe, the sun was blazing and the heat was intense. Waves of heat hit her in the face, and Liu Shishi quickly took out a parasol from her bag and put it up.

The internet cafe wasn't far from the small white building. The three of them walked back under the scorching summer sun, remaining silent and creating an awkward and somber atmosphere.

Hu Ge was preoccupied with her own thoughts, pondering how to quickly sign the contract with Tengda with Cai Yinong. Yuan Hong was sullen and silent. Liu Shishi simply didn't want to talk; she just kept walking forward, wanting only to get back to her dormitory in the small white building as soon as possible.

Hu Ge spoke first, and after regaining her senses and noticing the unusual atmosphere, she broke the silence: "Old Hong, why do you look unhappy?"

Yuan Hong naturally couldn't reveal her true thoughts to her brother, so she forced a smile and said, "No, I was just wondering when I'll get to play the male lead."

Upon hearing this, Hu Ge was at a loss for words. Tangren's resources were there for all to see, producing only one film a year. He himself had to ask Liu Shishi for help in securing resources.

There's nothing I can do to help my good brother with his expectations. I can't just let him be a pushover and hand over the lead role. Even if he were willing, Sister K wouldn't agree.

Given the current situation, if Yuan Hong wants to play the male lead, she can only leave Tangren Media and seek roles and resources outside the company.

Seeing his good brother's lack of enthusiasm, Hu Ge jokingly said, half-seriously, "I can't help you with this for now, but you can ask your junior sister for help."

Yuan Hong was somewhat tempted by the words, but she couldn't bring herself to ask for help. Liu Shishi didn't treat her the same way Hu Ge did; their relationship wasn't that close.

Liu Shishi strode along, pretending not to hear Yuan Hong and Hu Ge's back-and-forth.

However, if she knew what Yuan Hong was thinking, she would definitely cry foul. Although Yuan Hong was indeed a bit impulsive in his speech, Liu Shishi treated him and Hu Ge equally.

We're all partners in the same company, and we get along quite well. There's no need to discriminate against each other. As for introducing resources, that's a different matter.

Yuan Hong remained silent for a long time, which made Hu Ge anxious. She sighed silently, "I've already pointed you in the right direction, but you still don't appreciate it."

After all, they were close friends from their university dorm days, so Hu Ge thought he should help if he could, and asked with a smile:
"Shishi, if there are any resources later, please keep an eye out for Lao Yuan. I don't need him to be the male lead, just someone who fits the role. Lao Yuan's acting skills are still very good."

"Okay then." Liu Shishi's tone was calm, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

"Thank you, junior sister!" Yuan Hong quickly expressed his gratitude. Hu Ge had already asked for a role for him, so it would be too inconsiderate of him not to thank her.

After a journey of about ten minutes, the three returned to Tangren Xiaobailou and saw Hu Ge's assistant, Xiao Zhang, waiting in front of the door.

Upon seeing the three return, Xiao Zhang hurriedly went up to them, greeted them, and said, "Brother, Boss Cai is looking for you. I tried calling you but couldn't get through. I was just about to go to the internet cafe to find you."

Hu Ge slapped her forehead: "Look at my memory! I put my phone on silent and forgot to turn it back on. What can I do for you, Sister K?"

"Lin Yichen is here. President Cai wants you, Teacher Yuan, and Teacher Liu to go to her office to meet her."

Hu Ge kept walking and nodded to indicate that she understood. "Oh, then let's hurry over there and not keep Sister K and Yichen waiting."

In the spacious and bright office of the president of Tangren Media, Cai Yinong and Lin Yichen were chatting on the sofa when Hu Ge and the other two knocked on the door and entered.

Lin Yichen sized up the three people who entered the office. Hu Ge was an old acquaintance; she had worked with Hu Ge on "The Little Fairy." As always, Hu Ge stood tall and straight, her eyes revealing a carefree and unrestrained spirit, and she had a smile on her face, seemingly in a good mood.

The other man was imposing and exuded a composed demeanor; the woman was gentle and elegant, like a quietly blooming white lotus. It's speculated that these two are Yuan Hong, who plays Yang Kang, and Mu Nianci, and Liu Shishi, Tangren's new leading lady.

"Come on, everyone, let's get acquainted. This is Lin Yichen, the female lead in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' These two are Yuan Hong and Liu Shishi. I don't need to introduce Hu Ge."

Cai Yinong's voice was gentle yet powerful, "Next, we will be filming 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' I hope everyone can work together sincerely to create a classic." Lin Yichen smiled and nodded to everyone, her eyes bright and warm, her smile sweet and infectious, speaking in Mandarin with a Taiwanese accent: "Please continue to guide me in the future."

Upon seeing his old friend, Hu Ge greeted him warmly and kindly, saying, "Yichen, you're too kind. I don't deserve your guidance; we can all learn from each other."

Yuan Hong also laughed heartily and said, "With Teacher Lin's participation, this play will definitely be even more exciting."

Liu Shishi nodded slightly and said softly, "Let's work hard together." Looking at Lin Yichen, who was smiling and chatting, she inexplicably thought of her boyfriend's joke.

"The real leading lady is not a member of Tangren Media, but she has already played the female lead in two Tangren dramas in a row; the fake leading lady has been with the company for a year and a half, but she hasn't even had a single scene in a Tangren drama air."

Upon seeing Lin Yichen, Liu Shishi couldn't help but feel a little upset. Although she admitted that her acting skills were lacking and she couldn't portray Huang Rong's quirky and clever nature, she was still unhappy that the lead role had been given to an outsider.

After exchanging pleasantries, the group sat together on the sofa. Cai Yinong first gave a few words of advice, and then instructed them:

"Since all four of you are here, I have something to tell you. There have been some slight changes to the script of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' Please take the new script back and study it carefully."

After saying that, he handed the four scripts he had prepared on his desk to the four people.

Hu Ge took the script and asked, puzzled, "Sister K, why did you suddenly change the script just before filming was about to start? What aspects were mainly changed?"

Cai Yinong glanced at Liu Shishi, who was sitting quietly opposite him, and replied irritably, "Your scenes with Yichen have been changed very little. The main change is to the part between Shishi and Yuan Hong. At someone's strong request, all the intimate scenes between Mu Nianci and Yang Kang have been deleted."

All eyes immediately turned to Liu Shishi. No one had ever heard of a male actor requesting the removal of intimate scenes before, so the person who made the request along with Cai Yinong could only be Liu Shishi, who played Mu Nianci.

Faced with the public's inquiries, doubts, and dissatisfaction, Liu Shishi remained calm and frankly stated, "My boyfriend's family is a highly educated and traditional family. They are not very accepting of me filming intimate scenes with other actors. Thank you for your understanding, Sister K."

Everyone had different thoughts after hearing this. Cai Yinong became irritated by Liu Shishi's self-willed manner and directly asked her to leave.
"If there's nothing else, you should go back and prepare well. The actors will report for duty tomorrow, martial arts training will begin the day after tomorrow, and filming will officially start in August."

“Okay, Sister K.” “Please go ahead with your work, Mr. Cai.” Apart from Hu Ge, the three of them said goodbye and left.

Cai Yinong noticed that Hu Ge was sitting motionless: "Is something the matter?"

Hu Ge was overjoyed and rubbed her hands excitedly, saying, "Sister K, good news! Shi Shi helped me get the male lead role in 'Orange Born in Huainan,' but I need you to help me coordinate the contract and schedule."

Upon hearing this, Cai Yinong's eyes widened, his heart filled with excitement: "Great! I'll contact Zhang Zhao right away and finalize things." He then took out his phone and called Zhang Zhao to inquire about the matter.

After a brief exchange on the phone, Cai Yinong smiled broadly, clearly satisfied with the outcome. "Thank you so much, Mr. Zhang, for your help."

As soon as the call ended, Hu Ge couldn't wait to ask, "What did Tengda say, Sister K?"

"It's done! We'll discuss the specific details in person when Zhuang Liqi comes to Hengdian in a few days. He's the producer of 'Orange Born in Huainan.' From now on, Zhuang Liqi will be in charge of all television production at Tengda Culture. Just contact him directly."

Hu Ge breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally settling down. Leaning back on the sofa, she felt completely relaxed and secretly marveled, "Shi Shi is really amazing! Sister K, you've struck gold! Everyone else is benefiting too!"

"Shishi is good, but she's too stubborn and won't listen to advice." Thinking of his little aunt's temper, Cai Yinong sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

Hu Ge sided with Liu Shishi and couldn't help but argue, "Sister K, at our age, it's normal to fall in love and have relationships. It's against human nature to prevent people from dating!"

Cai Yinong glanced at Tangren's top star, who was also in love, and soberly advised, "What do you know? Shishi is only nineteen! Many girls her age are still in high school. Do you think a relationship this early can lead to marriage?"

To take a recent example, Sun Li and Huang Sanshi dragged their relationship out for seven years before finally getting married. Fortunately, she was lucky.

Fame should be achieved early. In the prime of life, one should focus on building a career and making more money. Thinking about marrying into a wealthy family is unrealistic.

Didn't you hear what she just said? Her boyfriend comes from a highly educated family. Our line of work is completely different from that of highly educated people. Young people act impulsively. Right now, they're head over heels in love. But once the novelty wears off, will they be able to withstand the erosion of time and distance?

Take you for example. You and Xue Jianing are both actors, you only see each other a few times a year. And your mother is such a strong-willed person, would she really agree to you being with Xue Jianing?

Hu Ge fell silent. What Cai Yinong said made sense. He hadn't told his mother about his relationship with Xue Jianing yet.

"It seems that Shishi is smarter than me. She found someone outside the entertainment industry so that one of them can take care of the family. Both of us are actors, and being in a long-distance relationship is definitely not a long-term solution."

Cai Yinong asked curiously, "Do you know Shishi's boyfriend?" Liu Shishi kept quiet, saying she still had no clue about the girl's boyfriend.

Hu Ge didn't want to say much, and gave a vague answer: "I don't know, I just mentioned it in a previous chat, and I know that the other person is a college student."

Cai Yi Nong sighed: "I can't control you guys. Just be careful in general. But I still need to find out about Shi Shi's boyfriend. I want to meet him to see what kind of person he is and help Shi Shi keep an eye on him so she doesn't get cheated out of money or her body."

"Then Sister K, you can find an opportunity to have a good talk with Shishi. If you want to meet her, Shishi should agree."

Cai Yinong nodded, indicating that he understood. Sigh, he really had the fate of a mother, worrying himself sick over his little aunt, and the worst part was that she didn't even appreciate it. Can you believe it?

Liu Shishi was unaware that Cai Yinong was criticizing her; if she had known, she would have thought her boss was being nosy.

As they were about to enter the dormitory, Lin Yichen, who had come up to the second floor with them, invited, "Shishi, do you have time tonight? I'd like to invite you, Hu Ge, and Yuan Hong to dinner so you can all chat and get to know each other better, which will help you work together more smoothly when filming later."

After thinking for a moment, Liu Shishi readily agreed. She was by nature a person who didn't compete or fight for anything, and the little bit of emotion she had just felt in the office had long since vanished in the face of Lin Yichen's enthusiasm.

When Lin Yichen saw Liu Shishi agree, a bright smile appeared on her face. Before coming to Tangren, she had done some research. This top female star of Tangren was the female lead with a box office of 50 million in her debut. Her agent had repeatedly reminded her to get along well with the other artists at Tangren.

(End of this chapter)