I entered Huayu Entertainment in 2016.

Wang Chunzi glanced at him, then at the girls standing in a row under the streetlights behind him, her gaze sweeping lightly among them before finally settling back on Wang Zian's face.

A faint, meaningful smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"You're already causing so much trouble before you even start school; you'll definitely be even more amazing once you go to school."

"I only have one sentence: Don't forget your original aspirations, and don't go astray."

"Teacher Wang, I've got it!"

Everyone stood at the gate and watched Wang Chunzi get into the car.

The unassuming dark gray sedan lit up its taillights, the red lights slowly dimming in the night until it disappeared completely after turning the street corner.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Ye suddenly spoke.

Her voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

"Did you deliberately call Teacher Wang this morning?"

"You noticed!"

Tian Xiwei shook her head vigorously beside him, and her mouth was faster than Zhou Ye's, directly exposing him.

"How novel! You're being way too obvious!"

"From the moment she walked in the door this morning, I felt that your attitude towards her was different."

It's not just being polite, it's being overly attentive. When have you ever been so attentive to anyone?

Then they asked her to help with casting, treated her to meals, and made her stay to provide guidance. Isn't it obvious? They're practically freeloading her labor.

"It's a case of one willing to give and the other willing to receive!" Wang Zian laughed. "She wants me to go to the Beijing Film Academy, so of course she has to get closer to me!"

"But she didn't know that I had already decided to go to Beijing Film Academy, so in her mind, she was investing time and resources in a potential student whose future was still uncertain."

"And I took advantage of her mindset to get her professional guidance for free."

She won't feel like she's lost out, because she's sacrificing for the person she wants to win over; I won't feel like I've lost out either, because I got the guidance I wanted.

This isn't called getting something for free; it's called mutual benefit.

"But even you, Xiaotian, could see through it, so it seems my acting skills aren't up to par. Teacher Wang probably saw through my trick a long time ago, but he was just too lazy to call me out on it."

Tian Xiwei wasn't angry. She put her arm around Zhou Ye's shoulder and pointed at Wang Zi'an with her finger:

"Zhou Ye, look at her, this cunning old woman, she sold out others, and they're still counting the money for her!"

Liu Haochun chimed in, "Brother Li, do you know about this too?"

"You talked a lot with Teacher Wang this morning, from renting the factory to acquiring the company, you were really into each and every detail. You're not usually such a talkative person?"

Old Li nodded without any hesitation, his face displaying the candor characteristic of a seasoned veteran.

"Before I went out to pick up Teacher Wang, Mr. Wang quietly pulled me aside and asked me to talk more about the film crew."

Tian Xiwei immediately released her arm and took a step back:

"You guys are so mean! I thought you really respected Teacher Wang, that's why you said so much."

"Of course I respect him; but what I say is what Teacher Wang is willing to listen to. These two things are not contradictory."

Old Li shrugged, the movement clean and efficient, without any psychological burden.

····

When I got home in the evening, the floor lamp in the living room was on, and the warm yellow light enveloped the large, milky-white beanbag sofa in a soft halo.

Zhang Ruonan sank deep into the sofa, her laptop resting on her lap. The cold white light from the screen shone on her face, clearly reflecting the weariness in her almond-shaped eyes.

He didn't even lift an eyelid when he saw the others return.

Zhou Ye was the first to change into slippers, jogged over and squeezed himself into the sofa, moved next to Zhang Ruonan, grabbed her arm, and rubbed his face against her shoulder.

"Nan-jie, how was your afternoon?"

"Not good." Zhang Ruonan's voice carried a kind of frustration that came from being completely drained, to the point that she didn't even bother to complain.

"First, I talked to your sister about the design plan for more than an hour, and then I went back to the company to interview Sister Hong. I'm exhausted."

I was hoping to go to the film set to watch you guys film, but I couldn't even leave the house.

"Sister Nan, you've worked hard."

Liu Haochun followed Zhou Ye into the living room, her voice soft and filled with genuine concern.

"Sister Nan, we're exhausted from filming too!"

Tian Xiwei kicked off her canvas shoes, walked over barefoot on the floor, plopped down on the other side of the sofa, and rested her head on Zhang Ruonan's other shoulder.

When Wang Zian walked up to the refrigerator and heard those words, he knew that Zhang Ruonan had said them to him, so he grabbed an extra drink.

"Sister Nan, you've worked so hard!"

"It's no trouble at all!" Zhang Ruonan took the drink. "Well, that's what happens when I'm the manager!"

She unscrewed the bottle cap and took a big gulp, then turned the laptop in her hand so that the screen was facing Wang Zian.

"Here, take a look! This is the company's current personnel plan."

Wang Zian took the computer and looked down at it carefully.

Tian Xiwei and Zhou Ye were both very curious people. They immediately let go of Nan Jie's arm and moved to Wang Zi'an's side, one on each side, and leaned in to stare at the densely packed organizational chart with him.

The tables on the screen were neatly arranged, from top to bottom.

General Manager Zhang Ruonan, Clothing Department Zhou Ye, Photography Department Lao Li, Film and Television Planning Department Wang Zian, Public Relations Department Hong Jie, Legal Department Lawyer Zhang.

Breaking it down further, four screenwriters were hired, two more art directors were added, two more makeup artists were hired, and the post-production team hired the most, bringing in ten people at once.

"How's the post-production going?" Wang Zian asked, looking up.

"Don't worry, they're all graduates of computer science departments at top universities. Two of them are veterans from the Beijing Film Academy, with many years of post-production experience. Newcomers will pick it up very quickly if they mentor them."

Wang Zian reviewed the personnel plan from beginning to end, found no faults, and then closed the computer and handed it back.

Zhang Ruonan took the computer but didn't continue looking at the reports. Instead, she closed the screen and put it aside, then leaned back on the sofa in a more comfortable position and inquired about their filming that day.

She had been busy all day and hadn't had a chance to visit the film set, but she kept thinking about it.

"Sister Nan, acting is not easy at all." Zhou Ye was the first to speak, telling her about the group scene that they filmed ten times before it was approved.

When talking about the NG scene where she walked out of the frame, Tian Xiwei chimed in, imitating her blank look as she turned around, which made Liu Haochun chuckle.

As he finished speaking, Zhou Ye leaned back on the sofa, his voice tinged with the exhaustion of someone who had just survived a disaster.

"It took ten takes to get it right, but judging from Brother Li and Teacher Wang's expressions, they were clearly still not satisfied."

Tian Xiwei chimed in, "Teacher Wang has very high standards; she assigned us a lot of homework when she got back."

"Homework?" Zhang Ruonan was somewhat surprised.

"It's about eye contact and emotional expression," Liu Haochun added softly. "She gave us a website with a lot of instructional videos on acting techniques, and told us to watch them ourselves."

At this point, Zhou Ye immediately sat up.

Zhou Ye immediately sat up straight on the sofa, all the languidness he had been slumped over was gone in an instant.

"I need to go study right away. You all saw the look in Ms. Wang's eyes today. If I don't hand in my homework tomorrow, she definitely won't let me off the hook."

She started to walk towards her room as she spoke.

Hearing Zhou Ye say this, Tian Xiwei and Liu Haochun also left.

The living room fell silent, with only the buzzing sound of the air conditioner vents remaining.

The light from the floor lamp quietly spread across the light gray carpet between the sofa and coffee table, making Zhang Ruonan's bare ankles appear exceptionally white.

Zhang Ruonan tilted her head and looked at Wang Zian, who was still leaning against the sofa.

"Sister Zhou Ye told me today that the clothing design is already underway. The design drawings will be ready tomorrow, and the first batch of sample garments will be delivered the day after tomorrow."

Prince An nodded.

"Are you interested in acting?" he suddenly asked.

Zhang Ruonan twisted the bottle cap and thought for a while.

"It's alright. I'm interested in anything that can make money."

"Then I'll make movies for you!"

Zhang Ruonan tilted her head and glanced at him, neither saying yes nor no.

She simply shifted her gaze from his face to the potted green ivy on the coffee table, its leaves shimmering faintly under the lamplight. The curve of his lips was not clearly visible in the dim light.

She wondered how many plans this person had hidden behind the word "future," never revealing them to anyone beforehand, but always speaking of them as if they had already accomplished everything.

···