Huayu: This celebrity doesn't follow the rules.

Chapter 37 Do you want to be a star?

Her gaze swept over the book "A Course in the Art of Film Directing" and the lit screen again, her curiosity almost written on her face.

Jiang Ye's smile deepened, and he extended his hand: "Jiang Ye. It's a pleasure to meet you, Bai Mengyan. It seems we're quite destined to bump into each other in the library."

He tapped the book cover lightly with his fingers and said casually, "Actually, I'm from the directing department of Beijing Film Academy. I just finished filming a web series."

He paused, his gaze thoughtfully sweeping over Bai Mengyan. "We're currently preparing to shoot the music video for the theme song, and we need a suitable female lead."

Bai Mengyan's eyes lit up instantly, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the book in her arms.

Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy? Web series?

These words were like a key, gently unlocking a long-dormant dream in her heart.

"So amazing..." Bai Mengyan tried to keep her voice calm, but a sweet smile involuntarily appeared on her lips. "I've always been quite curious about acting."

Jiang Ye suddenly froze, his gaze fixed on her smiling face.

"what?"

He leaned forward slightly.

Bai Mengyan was taken aback by his sudden reaction, her smile freezing on her face: "W-what's wrong?"

"Your smile..."

Jiang Ye's voice suddenly turned serious, "She perfectly matches the feeling of my MV female lead!"

Bai Mengyan's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks immediately flushed slightly.

She subconsciously raised her hand and touched her face: "Really?"

"A perfect match."

Jiang Ye opened his phone's photo album and quickly pulled up a concept art. "Look, the most important quality of the female lead is this sunny and lively smile."

The girl in the picture stands against the light, her radiant smile seemingly able to penetrate the screen.

Bai Mengyan was surprised to find that the expression did indeed seem somewhat similar to her own.

"I didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain during my trip to Changzhou for research."

Jiang Ye's tone was filled with surprise. He swiped the screen and brought up a few more pages of the script. "The female lead doesn't have many scenes in this music video, but she's very outstanding."

Bai Mengyan's gaze darted back and forth between the script and the concept art, her heart beating faster and faster.

“However…” Jiang Ye suddenly put away his phone, a troubled expression on his face, “We need to finalize the selection tomorrow.”

"So fast?" Bai Mengyan blurted out, then realized her slip and quickly added, "I mean, if there's still time..."

Jiang Ye pretended to think for a moment: "How about this, there's a quiet coffee shop nearby. If you're free now, we can talk in detail? And do a simple audition while we're at it."

Bai Mengyan glanced back at her best friend, who was frantically giving her meaningful glances in the distance, and bit her lower lip: "Okay, okay."

As she followed Jiang Ye out of the library, she caught a glimpse of Hehe staring wide-eyed, her mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

She secretly made a "wait for my message" gesture, but her best friend responded with an exaggerated throat-slitting motion.

As soon as she stepped out of the library, her phone started vibrating incessantly.

[Hehe]: Bai Mengyan, you traitor who forgets your friends for the sake of a pretty face!

[Hehe]: You promised to help me gather intelligence? ??
[Hehe]: You're just so openly cheating on your sister? ???
[Hehe]: [Animated emoticon: A series of cleaver slashes]
Bai Mengyan replied quickly: "Misunderstanding! He's a director! He's looking for a female lead for his music video!"

The message had just been sent when Jiang Ye, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around: "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing." She hurriedly locked the screen, almost dropping her phone. "It's just that my best friend is a bit..."

"In a hurry?" Jiang Ye smiled knowingly, pointing to the coffee shop not far away. "It'll be quick, it won't take you too long. If you pass the audition..."

"Your best friend might see you on TV."

The two entered the coffee shop, and Jiang Ye deliberately chose a seat by the window.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm glow on the wooden tabletop.

"Take a look at this first." Jiang Ye took out a tablet from his bag and pulled up a beautifully designed proposal. "These are some projects that our company is currently preparing."

Bai Mengyan took the tablet and gently swiped it with her fingertips.

A series of professional film and television projects flashed across the screen, each accompanied by a detailed storyboard and budget.

Her gaze lingered on the "estimated investment amount" column for a moment, and her heart involuntarily quickened.

Wow, that's so professional! Is this some kind of scam?

“Actually…” she hesitated before speaking, “I have absolutely no acting experience.” Jiang Ye chuckled and picked up his coffee cup: “Every actor has a first time. The important thing is…”

He pointed to his eyes, "A director's eye."

Just as Bai Mengyan was deep in thought, Jiang Ye suddenly took out his phone: "By the way, this is a good opportunity for you to meet the male lead of the MV."

He made a video call, and a handsome face with sleepy eyes quickly appeared on the screen.

"Old Jiang, what's up?" Ou Hao rubbed his eyes, the hotel room furnishings could be vaguely seen in the background.

"Didn't you promise to sing the theme song for 'Princess Promotion' for me for free?" Jiang Ye asked casually.

Ou Hao looked bewildered: "Really? Did I promise that?"

At this moment, Ma Sichun's voice came from off-screen: "Is that our Director Jiang? Why don't you come and see your sister?"

She peeked into the camera's view, her natural beauty still captivating.

Bai Mengyan suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes wide open.

This is a real, living celebrity!

"Hello, Sister Chun Chun!"

“Yes,” Jiang Ye continued to Ou Hao, “You said it when you were drunk at the wrap party. Do you want me to help you recall the details? Like…”

"Stop, stop, stop!" Ou Hao hurriedly interrupted, his ears visibly red. "I remember now! I did promise!"

Ma Sichun curiously leaned closer to the camera: "Who's next to you?"

"Our new female lead in the music video," Jiang Ye said, turning the camera to Bai Mengyan. "Want to say hello?"

Bai Mengyan waved her hand helplessly, her cheeks as red as ripe apples.

After the video call ended, she was still in shock and unable to recover.

"Now you believe I'm not a scammer, right?"

Jiang Ye smiled and put away his phone, taking out a contract from his briefcase. "This is a standard new employee contract. You can take it back and read it at your leisure."

"Oh, it's just shooting a music video, why do we need to sign a contract?"

"Yes! The prerequisite is that you become an artist in our company!"

"Bai Mengyan, do you want to be a star?"

……

When Bai Mengyan left, her steps were as light as if she were walking on clouds, and her eyes sparkled with anticipation for the future.

Jiang Ye watched her departing figure and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The first step of the plan has finally been successfully achieved.

He picked up the now-cold coffee, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

This special trip to Changzhou to sign Egret was, of course, a well-thought-out decision.

As a reborn individual, he knew all too well how much potential this girl with her exaggerated laughter had in the future.

Signing her now would be an incredibly cost-effective move.

What's even more remarkable is her natural audience appeal and sense of humor, qualities that are rare in the entertainment industry.

"A future top-tier actress..."

Jiang Ye tapped the table lightly, pondering his next plan in his mind.

His film and television company is just starting out and needs to build its own talent pool.

Instead of spending exorbitant sums to hire established actresses born in the 85s to film movies, it would be better to sign more promising newcomers now.

Why does Yu Zheng (the producer) prefer to use newcomers? It's simply to save money...

Thinking of this, he opened his phone's notes app, which listed a series of names: Tian, ​​Bai, Zhang, Zhou, Zhang, Liu, Wang...

Jiang Ye put away the contract, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

What he wants to build is not just an ordinary film and television company.

Of course, we have to take it one step at a time. The promotion and distribution of the web series needs to start now!

(End of this chapter)