I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

Chapter 87 Yang Zi's Choice and Da Tian Tian's Invitation

"Seriously." Kong Sheng nodded. "We were too fixated on the standard of 'girlishness' before, and ignored the vitality in her. Hu Xiangxiang isn't a flower in a greenhouse; she's a weed that grew out of the flames of war. Yang Zi—has that weed-like spirit."

Hou Hongliang pondered for a moment, then turned to look at Jiang Chen: "You kid, you know how to pick people."

"Of course," Jiang Chen replied with his usual playful grin. "Brother Hou, when have I ever had bad taste?"

Hou Hongliang glared at him, but the corners of his mouth had already twitched.

"Okay, call Yang Zi to audition. Let's do it today, no need to wait."

"Also, you better stay put. Gu Qingming's matter isn't settled yet, so don't cause any trouble."

;

"Don't worry, Brother Hou, I promise I won't cause any trouble. I'll just—and maybe sit in and learn a bit, since I'm going to be a producer someday."

Hou Hongliang:

Holy crap!

Is this guy really after me?

Rental housing in Huangtingzi residential area.

Jiang Chen lay on the beanbag chair in the same posture as he had a few months ago.

This time, however, the treatment was clearly upgraded.

Yang Zi squatted down at his feet, her hands kneading hard, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Brother Chen, is this pressure okay?"

"Push harder on the left side."

"Okay!"

Yang Zi, her face flushed from straining, asked earnestly, "Are you satisfied, sir?"

Jiang Chen hummed in response, without even opening his eyes.

Beside him, Li Xian stood respectfully to the side, holding a cup of tea.

This guy is delivering tea again, but it's not the Jingzhou Bijian tea from last time; it's a new one.

A box of pre-Qingming Longjing tea, with its exquisite packaging, looks quite valuable.

"Brother Chen, this is some pre-Qingming Longjing tea I brought from Hangzhou, from Lion Peak Mountain. Would you like to try some?"

Jiang Chen opened his eyes, took the cup, took a sip, and said calmly, "It's better than last time."

Li Xian smiled broadly: "I'm glad you like it, Brother Chen. I'll put it in the cabinet for you. Just call me anytime you want some!"

Even more outrageous is Zhang Yisan.

He moved a small stool and sat down next to Jiang Chen's legs, kneading Jiang Chen's calves with both hands. His movements were skillful and his expression was serious, as if he were carrying out some sacred mission.

"Godfather, is that the right amount of force?"

"improvise."

"Okay, I'll get you a new leg."

Yang Zi, standing to the side, scoffed, "Shorty, what are you doing so eagerly? Brother Chen helped me get the female lead role, why are you flattering him?"

"How can you be so short-sighted?"

Zhang Yisan didn't even look up. "My godfather's so powerful now, he gets tons of scripts asking him to act. What's wrong with me giving him a leg massage?"

As he spoke, he increased the pressure on his hand, his fawning without any restraint.

Jiang Chen leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The children are all very filial.

After a few jokes, Yang Zi suddenly became serious.

"Xiao Chenzi, my contract with Huayi expires next year."

"How about I sign with your studio?"

The room suddenly fell silent.

Zhang Yisan frowned, his voice serious: "Zi-mei, are you serious? This is no joke."

"Seriously. I'm definitely not renewing my contract with Huayi. They have a lot of resources there, but no matter how they're distributed, I won't get a chance."

In 2011, Yang Zi signed with Huayi Brothers with the expectation of "transforming from a child star", but the resource allocation system within Huayi Brothers was more brutal than she had imagined.

Huayi has too many artists!

Recently, resources from Li Bingbing, Yao Cheng, An Yixuan, Chen Zihan, and others have all been tilted towards Baby.

Baby joined the company around the same time as her, but because of Huang Xiaoming's influence, she received priority access to film, fashion, and variety show resources.

Yang Zi spent three years at Huayi, and what he received were mostly scraps.

She's been thinking a lot lately.

Although Jiang Chen's studio is just starting out, it is affiliated with Zhengwu Sunshine and Shandong Film and Television Media, so it has no shortage of resources.

Kong Sheng, Hou Hongliang, Zhang Kaizhou—these are all well-known names in the industry, and they are all part of his network.

Moreover, the two are classmates and good friends.

More importantly, Jiang Chen is a very loyal person.

They were all very pure-hearted towards their classmates.

The recommendation of a role is genuine, and the assistance in securing one is also genuine.

Jiang Chen helped her secure the roles in her two most recent dramas, Fuqu in "Swords of Legends" and Hu Xiangxiang in "Battle of Changsha".

What else is there to say?

We need to latch onto their coattails.

Moreover, this person is genuinely trying to help you.

"Brother Chen," she walked up to Jiang Chen, squatted down, and looked up at him, "I didn't do this on a whim. I've made up my mind, I'm going to follow you!"

Jiang Chen looked at her but did not answer immediately.

He sat up, got off the beanbag chair, and walked to the window.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft glow on his left cheek.

"Zi Mei, signing a contract is a big deal, there's no rush. Think it through yourself."

"Huayi is a big company after all. Its platform, resources, and connections are all readily available. My studio is just starting out. I don't even have a proper office building yet. I'm still renting a place on the old site of the Beijing Film Studio. It's very risky for you to come with me."

"I'm not afraid of risks," Yang Zi shook her head.

"I know you're not afraid," Jiang Chen smiled, "but I have to take responsibility for you. You're about to play the female lead in 'Battle of Changsha,' and you'll definitely have a lot of acting offers afterward. Even if Hua Yi is biased, they won't let go of a cash cow. You can take this opportunity to negotiate better terms with them."

He paused for a moment, his gaze becoming serious.

"But if by then you still feel that Huayi is not suitable and want to venture out on your own."

"I would definitely welcome it."

Yang Zi's eyes were slightly red, but the corners of her mouth turned up.

"Brother Chen, I'll remember what you said."

"Just remember that." Jiang Chen finished showing off and lay back down in the beanbag chair. "Now continue massaging your legs. Left side, put some pressure on them."

"Yes, this servant knows her mistake."

Yang Zi gritted his teeth and squatted back down, increasing the pressure on his hands.

Li Xian stood to the side, seemingly lost in thought.

Yanjing, north of Chang'an Avenue.

An inconspicuous courtyard house is hidden in the shadow of sycamore trees, with gray walls and black tiles, and not even a signboard above the door.

Several black sedans were parked at the entrance. The license plates were ordinary, but anyone in the know could tell at a glance that the one with the license plate starting with 京A8 was a special car belonging to a certain system.

As Jiang Chen got out of the car, a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit approached him and bowed slightly: "Mr. Jiang? Miss Jing is waiting for you."

He followed through a moon gate, his feet resting on gold bricks transported from Suzhou, each step producing a dull echo.

In the courtyard stands a century-old crabapple tree, its pink and white blossoms in full bloom. Beneath the tree lies a Taihu stone, its veins resembling swirling clouds and mist.

"This courtyard," Jiang Chen asked casually, "was it once a prince's residence?"

"The villa in Prince Gong's Mansion," the middle-aged man said calmly, as if discussing something ordinary, "was purchased by Miss Jing's father ten years ago and renovated. The designer was Mr. I.M. Pei's last disciple, and the restoration was done to preserve its original appearance; everything inside was salvaged from the original site."

Jiang Chen nodded and said nothing more.

We walked through the corridor and entered the main hall.

The hall is not large, but it has a very high ceiling. Four golden nanmu pillars support the roof, and the grain of the pillars looks like flowing landscape under the lights.

The floor is paved with the same gold bricks as those in the Forbidden City, and a splashed-ink landscape painting by Zhang Daqian hangs on the wall, with the seal of Dafengtang stamped at the end.

It doesn't look like a counterfeit.

"Mr. Jiang, please."

A middle-aged man pushed open a carved wooden door, revealing an elevator inside.

The elevator descends two floors, and when the doors open, a hidden world unfolds underground.

A long corridor extends forward, with full-length glass curtain walls on both sides, where tropical fish are kept. Lights shine up from the bottom of the water, casting shimmering light onto the ceiling.

At the end of the corridor is a double door, inlaid with two complete pieces of Hetian white jade, the jade is warm and smooth, and carved with lotus patterns.

The door opened.

The private room was very large, more than 100 square meters, but it only had one round table.

The walls are covered with golden nanmu wood paneling, and a crystal chandelier hangs from the ceiling, with each crystal custom-made by Swarovski.

The floor was covered with a Persian handmade carpet, and in the corner stood a cloisonné incense burner, from which wisps of smoke rose.

There was only one person sitting at the round table.

Jingtian.

She wore a champagne-colored silk dress with a modified cheongsam-style stand-up collar, revealing a section of her fair neck.

Her hair was loosely tied back, adorned with a jade hairpin of excellent quality, resembling a still lake under the light.

A tea set, blue and white with underglaze red, was placed in front of her. She was pouring tea with practiced ease, the tea soup was golden and the aroma was delicate.

"Junior, you're here?"

She raised her head, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into crescent moons, showing no airs whatsoever.

"I finally met my senior."

Jing Tian was a student at Beijing Film Academy in 2007, three years ahead of him.

The two had no interaction while in school.

She had already signed with a talent agency when she enrolled, and spent her time filming movies, dating shows, and attending dinner parties, rarely appearing on campus.

But in the alumni directory of Beijing Film Academy, her name is always at the very top.

"Sit down." She gestured to the chair opposite her. "Don't be shy, make yourself at home."

Jiang Chen sat down, his gaze sweeping across the table.

There were only two sets of bowls and chopsticks, but on the serving table next to them, more than a dozen cold dishes were already arranged, and the plating was as exquisite as a work of art.

"What would you like to eat?" Jing Tian pushed the teacup in front of him. "The crab meat lion's head meatballs here are quite good. The chef was invited from Yangzhou. His ancestors were imperial chefs for Emperor Qianlong. The lion's head meatballs are made with crab meat from Yangcheng Lake's June Yellow crabs, freshly extracted, paired with black pork, and steamed for four hours. They melt in your mouth."

"There's also a dish called Boiled Cabbage in Clear Broth. The chef is a grand-disciple of Luo Guorong, a master of Sichuan cuisine. The broth is simmered for eight hours with old hen, old duck, ham, and dried scallops. It's been filtered seven times and is as clear as boiled water, but so fresh that you could bite your tongue off."

Jiang Chen picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Then try them all."

Jing Tian's eyes lit up.

She has seen too many people.

Some were so nervous in front of her that they couldn't speak, some pretended to be aloof to show that they were different from others, and some tried their best to show off their talents in order to get special treatment.

But Jiang Chen was neither obsequious, nor aloof, nor overly polite.

This sense of relaxation is rare.

"Okay, then bring them all on." She clapped her hands, and the waiters beside her silently withdrew.

The dishes were served one by one.

The crab meat lion's head meatballs are served in a blue and white porcelain bowl. The soup is clear and flavorful, and the meatballs break apart at the slightest touch of chopsticks. The sweetness of the crab meat blends with the aroma of the pork, melting on the tip of the tongue.

The boiled cabbage soup is crystal clear, with a cabbage heart lying in the soup like a blooming white lotus. Upon tasting it, you'll experience layers upon layers of umami flavor that linger from the tip of your tongue all the way to your stomach.

There's also a dish called "Fanfei Soup," made with the liver of the Taihu Fan fish. It's as tender as tofu and incredibly fresh.

A dish of braised shark fin, with thick shark fin needles and a thick broth, served with freshly steamed silver thread rolls.

Every dish has a story behind it.

Every dish is made with money.

Jiang Chen ate with great focus, because it was truly delicious.

Jing Tian looked at him, his smile growing wider.

"Junior, do you know why I asked you to come?"

"Senior, why did you call me here?"

"I'd like to ask you to write a song for me."

Jiang Chen was a little confused.

(P.S.: Five chapters today, 1.1 words total. Please vote with monthly tickets!)