I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

What was once straightforward about wealthy businessmen keeping mistresses and exchanging money has gradually transformed into resource allocation to film and television companies, platforms, and top directors.

Nowadays, "godparents" don't need large cash transfers; an S-level script, a red carpet appearance, or a PR bailout during a crisis can all become bargaining chips.

There are countless similar rumors in the industry: a certain top actress had a business tycoon backing her in her early years, who monopolized all her acting resources and even spent millions to hold a coming-of-age ceremony for her; there are also actresses with a pure and innocent image who have film and television bosses backing them to obtain exclusive leading roles and are parachuted into the film crew without any auditions.

Most of these rumors eventually faded away, with the parties involved giving vague responses and the public opinion gradually fading, but those in the industry generally accepted that there was something fishy going on.

Fan Shuangbing has been working in the entertainment industry for nearly 20 years and is very familiar with these unspoken rules.

She originally thought that Cheng Sheng, being so young and holding the power of a top international director, would have a vision and bottom line far exceeding that of ordinary people in the industry, and would not be tainted by this kind of trend.

Unexpectedly, he did the opposite and recognized two older married actresses as his god-sisters.

In her mind, this relationship was anything but innocent.

It wasn't her subjective, malicious speculation, but rather the inherent nature of the industry.

When people of the opposite sex in the entertainment industry adopt godparents across age groups, it's usually just a polite way of putting it in public.

Moreover, the age gap is extremely glaring: Xu Fan is a full twelve years older than Cheng Sheng, already over forty, and according to conventional seniority, she can definitely be considered an aunt; Chen Hong is also nearly ten years older than Cheng Sheng.

As her thoughts wandered, she remembered Cheng Sheng's publicly acknowledged girlfriend, Zeng Li, who was also seven years older than him.

An uncontrollable thought crept into her mind. Fan Shuangbing lowered her eyes to hide the turmoil in them, her fingertips unconsciously gripping the edge of her phone. She muttered to herself: Could it be that Cheng Sheng only has a preference for older women? I am just as good-looking, as well as as well-regarded in the industry, but the age difference is smaller, so why can't I catch his eye?

At this thought, a strange and inexplicable sense of resentment arose in her heart.

Fan Shuangbing's fingertip had already pressed the lock screen button on her phone, preparing to put it down to rest and touch up her makeup. However, she caught a glimpse of Cheng Sheng's Weibo homepage when a dynamic update suddenly popped up, with the pinned post being refreshed simultaneously. She subconsciously let out a soft "hmm" and abruptly stopped in her tracks.

The pinned post contained only one sentence, accompanied by a picture of the cover of the original English script for "Juno": "[My first Hollywood collaboration with Lionsgate, 'Juno'."]

The moment she saw the words, Fan Shuangbing jumped up from the lounge chair, her skirt billowing with the movement. Her eyes were filled with unconcealed shock as she muttered in a low voice, "Cheng Sheng is actually going to start filming in Hollywood."

Almost all directors and A-list actors in the industry have the ultimate goal of breaking into the mainstream of Hollywood.

For many years, most mainland practitioners have only been able to attend Cannes, Venice and Oscars red carpet events, serving as background figures to gain attention. In the last decade, very few have actually taken the lead on independent Hollywood projects and become full-time directors.

Despite spending years building connections overseas, Fan Shuangbing has only been able to secure supporting roles in niche independent films, unable to even access mainstream theatrical releases.

Cheng Sheng is only 25 years old. He previously became a legend with Chinese historical films and is now directly crossing over to Hollywood to independently launch projects.

Once "Juno" achieves both critical and commercial success, he will be able to establish himself as a top-tier Hollywood director with global film and television resources at his disposal. A huge sense of crisis and opportunity surged into his heart at the same time. Fan Shuangbing lowered his eyes and composed himself, quickly calculating in his mind: He had originally planned to wait for Cheng Sheng to return to China before slowly laying the groundwork to build a closer relationship and win him over, but now it seemed too late. Staying in China would only allow him to wait passively. He had to go to Los Angeles in person to seize the opportunity and firmly establish himself as a powerful figure.

Once she had made up her mind, she turned to the center of the set and called out to director Teng Xiaoyi, "Director Teng, I've finished resting and am ready to start filming anytime."

Teng Xiaoyi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then looked up at the timer. Only four and a half minutes had passed since the last scene ended.

However, Fan Shuangbing is both the female lead of the film and the boss of the co-producer. Since the investor himself voluntarily gave up his rest, he naturally had no reason to object and could only nod to signal the crew to reset the camera position.

The other supporting actors all looked resentful, slumped in their chairs and reluctant to get up.

The intense drama of fighting within the family takes a huge toll on one's emotions, and even five minutes is not enough to calm one down. Rushing into filming makes it easy for mistakes to occur.

However, Fan Shuangbing controlled all the personnel and resources for the entire production, so even if everyone was dissatisfied, they could only suppress their emotions and cooperate with the scheduling.

Fan Shuangbing paid no attention to these people's complaints because she planned to finish filming the series as soon as possible and then head to Los Angeles.

The scene shifts to Kyoto, China, showing a penthouse apartment with a river view in the Jinxiu Garden complex.

Cheng Sheng had purchased this property in full long ago. The hard and soft furnishings were completed in a minimalist light luxury style. After three months of 24/7 ventilation and professional formaldehyde removal, the indoor formaldehyde level has already met the standards, and it is ready to move in immediately.

Cheng Sheng had been busy with projects in various places and had not had time to move in, so he handed the room key to Li Xiaoran and Zhang Meng in advance so that the two of them could move in and settle in.

As evening fell, the wall-mounted TV in the living room was switched to the entertainment news channel, with the screen continuously displaying photos of Cheng Sheng at Los Angeles Airport, the statement from the god-siblings, and the trailer for the start of filming of "Juno".

Li Xiaoran nestled in the cushions of the fabric sofa, casually swiping her phone. She turned to look at Zhang Meng beside her and asked in a calm tone, "Mengmeng, do you believe this story circulating online that Cheng Sheng, Chen Hong, and Xu Fan are completely innocent and have no connection whatsoever?"

Zhang Meng hesitated slightly, but with her emotional intelligence intact, she didn't rush to conclusions. She replied softly, "Sister Xiaoran, I haven't known Brother Sheng for long enough to understand his private behavior. You've been with him for a long time, so you must see things more clearly. Just tell me the truth."

People jokingly call Li Xiaoran a "silly beauty" because of her bright looks and simple mind. However, after more than ten years in the entertainment industry, she just doesn't like scheming and intrigue, and she is not really stupid.

When she first entered the industry, more than one investor made subtle offers to be her sugar daddy, wanting to be her backer. She rejected them all on the spot with a firm hand, without any room for compromise.

She knew all about the unspoken rules of the industry and the shady dealings of godparent-godparent relationships.

Li Xiaoran chuckled, a knowing glint in her eyes: "This guy has always had a huge appetite and is never content with his lot."

Zhang Meng smoothly changed the subject, his expression serious: "Sister Xiaoran, I recently met a close friend in the 'Nine-Tailed Fox' crew. Her character and acting skills are impeccable. Now she's being maliciously suppressed, and I want to help her out."

"You've only been on set for half a month, and you've already made close friends?" Li Xiaoran was slightly surprised. The crew of "Nine-Tailed Fox" was a mixed bag, and most newcomers only had superficial friendships; it was difficult to quickly develop deep bonds. (End of Chapter)