Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 8 The Interrupted Date

Sizzling steak, vegetable salad, mushroom soup, bread...

To avoid putting pressure on Meng Ziyi, Chen Xiu only ordered a regular set meal and no alcohol.

Then, Meng Ziyi also ordered the same one for himself.

On their second meeting, the two, who had only just learned each other's names that day, were actually sitting in a Western restaurant, listening to music and having dinner together.

Looking at the table full of dishes, the two exchanged a glance, both feeling a little awkward, but neither of them forced a conversation.

"呲呲~"

As the steak began to cool down, Chen Xiu picked up her knife and fork, ready to cut it, when Meng Ziyi, who had been struggling with the decision for a long time, finally spoke up.

"Senior Chen Xiu, could you tell me how to get roles without signing with an agency?"

Are you in a hurry?

"not bad."

"Let's eat first then."

Meng Ziyi pursed her lips and nodded, her bright eyes slowly turning as if she were thinking about something.

Chen Xiu glanced at her but didn't pay much attention, and continued cutting her steak.

Just as he was about to bring a perfectly cut steak to his mouth with his fork, Meng Ziyi made another surprising remark.

Do you have any relatives on the film set?

"Ah~"

Chen Xiu, who was about to eat, paused slightly when she saw Meng Ziyi's round eyes, which were like those of a curious kitten, and then put the fork back.

"So? Did I guess right?"

"You can't eat in peace until you figure out what's going on, right?"

“Yeah! When you have something on your mind, nothing tastes good. Senior, why don’t we talk about it first, and then we can eat?”

Meng Ziyi clasped her hands together and pleaded in a sweet, coquettish voice.

Chen Xiu, who was initially a little annoyed, couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth when she saw her like this, and then quickly smoothed it out.

Unfortunately, Meng Ziyi caught his little gesture: "Hey, you're not so rigid and serious after all! Hehe."

"We've only met twice, don't act like you know me so well."

Chen Xiu countered Meng Ziyi's teasing with a sarcastic remark, continuing, "Didn't you want to know how to get roles without signing with an agency?"

"Yeah! Yeah! I asked a lot of senior students, and they all said I absolutely have to sign with a talent agency..."

"They're right. If you want to get an important role, signing with a talent agency is indeed the easiest way."

"Then how did you get the role?"

"It's just a minor role. With your looks, you could get it even without signing with an agency. But for roles above the fifth female lead, you'd never get one without an agency, investor, or other connections."

Chen Xiu's words shattered Meng Ziyi's illusions in the most direct way.

The silly beauty stared blankly, momentarily at a loss for words.

In the decades since the development of the Chinese entertainment industry, there have been quite a few artists like Meng Ziyi who do not want to be limited by management companies and choose to work independently, but almost none of them have truly made it big.

From a business perspective, this is easy to understand.

Because every high-quality film and television project involves a huge amount of money, the male and female leads have to consider commercial value and revenue when choosing popular stars, while the supporting roles are used to promote their own newcomers.

Why would investors choose an ordinary person with no vested interest in such an important resource? Do they really think investors are doing charity work?
People invest tens of millions to promote you so that they can make hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars in profit from you once you become famous. That's the true meaning of investment.

As for artistic pursuits and the success or failure of the film and television industry, what do those have to do with business people?
After a few seconds, Meng Ziyi also processed Chen Xiu's answer: "So I still have to choose a talent agency?"

“New actors don’t have many choices to begin with, and the conditions offered by agencies are all pretty much the same.”

"Sigh, it suddenly feels so difficult."

Seeing Meng Ziyi's increasingly gloomy expression, Chen Xiu felt a pang of sympathy and couldn't help but offer a word of comfort. "Actually, there's no need to be so pessimistic. With your great looks, if you work hard, you'll become famous soon. Then you can set up your own studio and won't be exploited by your agency anymore."

Do you think I can become famous?

"Yes, you have bright and attractive features, and your personality is also very likable. If you can gain popularity by appearing on popular variety shows, and then get a couple of hit dramas to boost your status, it will be easy for you to become a breakout star."

Upon hearing this, Meng Ziyi parted his lips slightly, raised the corners of his mouth, and stared at Chen Xiu with bright eyes.

Meeting Meng Ziyi's gaze, Chen Xiu nodded in affirmation. He had given the standard answer, so how could he not be sure?

After staring at each other for two seconds, the smile on Meng Ziyi's lips gradually widened.

Just as she was about to say something, a cell phone ringtone suddenly interrupted her chanting.

"Dingle bell! Dingle bell!"

"Um, I'll take the call."

Meng Ziyi took out her phone, glanced apologetically at Chen Xiu, and then got up and went to the restroom.

After she left, Chen Xiu glanced at the steak on the table and felt that she could finally eat it.

As a result, before he had even taken two bites, his phone rang.

Chen Xiu took out her phone, looked at the caller ID, and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, what's up?"

Are you free to come over now?

"Go to Yingdu? Or to your place?"

“I don’t leave work that early… I just finished a meeting with those companies to discuss the Series C funding next month. If you’re still interested, come over and let’s chat.”

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll take a taxi over now."

Upon hearing that it was a serious matter that he was concerned about, Chen Xiu immediately stopped joking.

After the call ended, he was about to get up when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Meng Ziyi's bag on the seat.

After a moment's thought, Chen Xiu stood up again and waved to the restaurant manager.

"Sir, is there anything you need?"

"Please pay the bill, but don't take the things away. That lady will be coming back later. And do you provide roses here?"

"We have some available, would you like a bunch?"

"Okay, also prepare a pen and paper for me..."

After leaving her things, Chen Xiu waited for Meng Ziyi for 5 minutes while calling a Didi ride.

Finally, when he couldn't wait any longer, he left the restaurant and took a car to Yingdu Building.

About five minutes after Chen Xiu left, Meng Ziyi finally returned.

Looking at the empty seat next to Chen Xiu, and the extra bouquet of roses on his own seat, Meng Ziyi tilted his head and began searching around.

Then, she successfully discovered the note placed on the bouquet of roses.

Picking up the note, Meng read it aloud word by word.

"I'm sorry, something urgent came up and I have to leave now. I'll invite you back next time I have time."

"Pfft~, you could have just said it on WeChat, who would bother writing a note? So old-fashioned."

After voicing his inner complaints, Meng Ziyi cautiously glanced around.

Once she was sure no one had heard, she relaxed and picked up the bouquet, her smile even brighter than the roses as she waved to the waiter to pay the bill, only to be told that Chen Xiu had already paid.

"They've already paid the bill, and they even said they'd treat me next time...hehe."

(End of this chapter)