Huayu 16: I Became the Dream-Fulfilling Master for Young Actresses

Thank you for your attention.

The achievements of "A Love So Beautiful" in its first two weeks: 9 million views, 110 million new users, and an 8.0 rating on Douban. These achievements belong to the entire team.

Thank you to my executive director, Cat Tree @CatTree, your control of lighting and shadow is an indispensable part of this drama.

Thank you, Bailu (@Bailu), for transitioning from model to actress. You proved with Chen Xiaoxi that trust was not misplaced, and I will not let you down.

Yi Ye Zhi Zhou is still young, and I am still learning.

The road ahead is long; let our work speak for itself.

[Photo]: A group photo of the crew when filming wrapped up. Everyone was there, and they were all smiling happily.

—Chen Xingzhou.

After sending this, Chen Xingzhou nodded in satisfaction.

He estimated that this one point alone would keep Yu Zheng up at night for several days.

As for what Yu Zheng will do next, he is somewhat prepared.

It's nothing more than poaching talent and creating hype...

He was relieved about Bai Mengyan's situation.

But Cat Tree will definitely be contacted, and Cat Tree hasn't signed a contract with his studio yet.

The cat's tree is indeed developing quite well, but he doesn't think it can be better than his place.

After thinking for a moment, he called Cat Tree and asked him to come to the studio.

……

Chen Xingzhou sat in the main seat of his office, looking at the cat-shaped tree in front of him.

He looked somewhat reserved, sat up straight, and had an unnatural smile on his lips.

Chen Xingzhou smiled helplessly and said, "Director Cat, there's no need to be so formal. We got along quite well on set before, right?"

"This... haha," Cat Tree scratched his head:

"I joined the crew because I was interested in your script, and I only thought of you as a decent actor who wanted to direct and star in it myself."

"But now that 'A Love So Beautiful' has become a hit, I realize that I was wrong. The scenes I shot were the ones you set the tone for, and the editing rhythm was the ones you painstakingly extracted frame by frame."

"I'm at best a tool that I execute fairly well."

Chen Xingzhou waved his hand, then changed the subject: "Director Cat, haven't some people from Huanyu been contacting you these past few days?"

Cat Tree paused, his expression turning serious, and nodded.

"Yes, Director Chen. Actually, I was somewhat prepared when you told me to come here yesterday."

"To be frank, I don't really want to be restricted, and acting is something I love."

"I felt very relaxed on your set; everyone was very approachable."

"I don't want to be alienated by Director Chen because of this, so I implore Director Chen to let me join your studio."

"However, I need to be free in the studio, just like we were on set before."

Hearing the cat's sincere words, Chen Xingzhou breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the other party is so sensible and worldly-wise, he has no reason to refuse.

"Okay, Director Cat, today I formally invite you to be the director of my company."

"And I've already found you an assistant director for your new drama."

Cat Tree paused for a moment, looked at him with a puzzled expression, his eyes flashing as if he had guessed something.

Chen Xingzhou continued, "You should also know that 'Go Go Squid!' is about to start filming, right?"

Upon hearing that Chen Xingzhou was indeed referring to this matter, Cat Tree's Adam's apple bobbed, and his tone was filled with anticipation.

"Director Chen, you're not joking about this, are you?... "

"Of course not," Chen Xingzhou replied calmly. "You shoot what you want to shoot, and I'll take care of finding money, platforms, and resources. You just need to focus on shooting good footage, and I'll handle the rest."

Cat Tree was silent for a few seconds, then stood up, bowed slightly, and extended his hand to him.

"Mr. Chen, thank you. I won't let you down."

He had recently heard that Chen Xingzhou was planning a new drama, which seemed to be a big project.

He really wanted to make the film, even if he was just the assistant director.

Cat Tree left the office after signing the contract.

Chen Xingzhou watched his departing figure and nodded in satisfaction.

As for Cat Tree, all I can say is that he's a talented person.

Although Cat Tree is still a new director, he excels at using beautiful and refreshing cinematic language, accurately capturing the emotions of young audiences, and making new actors stand out.

Chen Xingzhou doesn't need him to be an all-around director; he just needs him to excel at what he's good at.

In its early days, Cat's Tree produced many short films, featuring many aspiring stars.

For example, Bai Mengyan, Chen Duling, Song Weilong, Zhang Yijie, and Hu Yitian.

In 2016, he signed with Huanyu Film and Television, and in 2017 he filmed "My Love From the Star" and "I Cannot Embrace You".

In 2020, he filmed "So Cute Us", which was Tian Xiwei's biggest step as a newcomer.

Chen Xingzhou was still somewhat grateful to him, not only for helping Bai Mengyan introduce Huan Yu, but also for bringing Tian Xiwei into the public eye.

This time, I'll just bring him into my camp and repay the kindness I owed him in my past life.

It can also provide additional support personnel.

"Hello, is this Ms. Bai Lu's assistant? This is Huan Yu..."

"Get lost! I don't answer scam calls!"

beep...

Hehe, looking at the incoming call on his phone, it was a number from Kyoto.

By the way, what did this person just say about being happy?

real or fake?

She thought about it and wondered if she had reacted too quickly just now.

What if this big company wants to discuss cooperation with Mengmeng?

Just as she was about to dial the number, the phone rang again.

"Hello, Ms. Hehe, I am the Publicity Director of Huanyu Company, and my surname is Li."

Hehe tightened his grip on the phone and cursed himself inwardly.

What if Mengmeng loses a good project?

She immediately forced a smile: "Oh, it's Director Li! I'm so sorry, I thought it was a scam call. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"It's alright. I heard you're one of the closest people to Teacher Bailu. As a senior in the industry, I feel it's necessary for me to remind you of a few things."

Hearing this, I was a little confused. Are all people in the entertainment industry really this nice? They're even giving advice to newcomers?

She smiled and replied, "Go ahead."

"Currently, Teacher Bailu is signed with Yiye Zhizhou Studio. The drama 'A Love So Beautiful' has achieved great success, which can completely enable Teacher Bailu to leap from a complete newcomer to many levels."

"However, Yi Ye Zhi Zhou Studio is still a newly established studio. Although it has produced a hit film, it's hard to say what will happen next."

"Promoting an artist requires a lot of resources."

"Director Chen Xingzhou doesn't have much of a background, so Bai Lu's career is likely to stagnate."

Listening to the other party's analysis, Haha's mental defenses were indeed breached quite a bit.

Yes, Chen Xingzhou did produce a blockbuster film, but what about the follow-up?

She wasn't unaware of their relationship, but she didn't want to see Bai Mengyan's career stagnate like this.

"So... what do you think we should do, Director Li?"

Hearing the slightly reassuring tone of "hehe," Director Li laughed heartily:

"We are happy to have ample resources to provide a platform for Teacher Bailu, so there's absolutely no need to worry about the issues I mentioned earlier..."

He began by praising a whole host of the benefits of going to Huanyu, then took the opportunity to belittle Chen Xingzhou, before finally revealing his true purpose.

"Hehe, Ms. Bailu, our company wants to sign her. As her assistant, you should be able to persuade her. We don't want to see such a talented newcomer go to waste. What do you think?"

Hehe paused for a moment, then could only reply, "I will consider it, Director Li."

He hung up the phone, his brows furrowed.

Isn't this a scam call?

She felt like she was being completely fooled, but what they said did make some sense.

After hesitating for a moment, she went to Bai Mengyan, who was resting, and told her about the phone call.

Bai Mengyan nodded. "What did you reply?"

"I told you I'd think about it." Hehe, speaking the truth, "But... Mengmeng, what he said..."

"What do you think?" Bai Mengyan interrupted her. "Do you think what he said is really right?"

He chuckled, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.

Bai Mengyan continued, "Xingzhou's studio is indeed very small now, but... I remember telling you before that he was in talks with iQiyi about another drama, right?"

"But... this show might not be a success..." Hehe couldn't help but say.

Bai Mengyan smiled, stood up, and ruffled her hair. "My silly girl, even if you don't believe in Xingzhou's directing skills, his acting is undeniable, right?"

"He's someone many production teams want to invite to play the male lead, so it's not like I can't even have a taste..."

"Besides, don't you understand my feelings for him?...

"I believe him."

Seeing the gleam in Bai Mengyan's eyes, he chuckled helplessly, "What a womanizer!"

"You eat my food, drink my drinks, and sleep in my bed every day, and you still dare to curse me... You stinky." Bai Mengyan pinched her cheek.

hehe:"……"

"Give me the phone number of that Huan Yu person, I'll discuss a plan with Xing Zhou first."

"Alright, my benefactors..."

……

In the afternoon, Chen Xingzhou received a call from Bai Mengyan, whose voice sounded somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Xingzhou, that Huanyu person secretly contacted Hehe and even instigated her to whisper in her ear, asking me to go to their company."

Chen Xingzhou's eyes remained largely unchanged: "Who contacted them?"

Bai Mengyan repeated Hehe's words to her.

Finally, her tone revealed a hint of worry and nervousness that she hadn't shown in front of Hehe.

"Xingzhou... what do you think I should say? If I refuse directly, will it cause you trouble?"

"But I won't leave you... ever, unless you don't want me anymore..."

Chen Xingzhou didn't react much to the first part of what he said.

These are all standard tactics used by talent agencies to poach talent, and they are actually most effective for small studios like his.

It's just a pity they came to the wrong person.

His eyes softened when he heard the last sentence.

I remembered a fleeting figure that appeared in a corner of a small film crew during a chance encounter in my past life.

There was also the time when Bai Mengyan was cyberbullied, he spoke out silently, and in the end Bai Mengyan came to his door, leaving in silence.

He snapped out of his daze and said softly, "Don't worry, it's nothing. Just leave the problem to me."

"Are you really okay? I should still..."

"It's alright," Chen Xingzhou chuckled. "Silly girl, don't you trust your man?"

"...Understood. Then I'll say this: I'm very interested in Huanyu's projects, and we can discuss suitable ones if needed. But regarding my personal contract, I only recognize Chen Xingzhou!!"

"Okay," Chen Xingzhou nodded, an idea suddenly popping into his mind.