Actresses

Chapter 90 Loneliness

He Yuran actually disliked being told by name that she needed help and that she was doing it for her own good. She hated being treated like a victim. Besides, no matter how famous Zhuang Pan was, she was still just an actress. When did she become entitled to interfere in production matters? But the other person meant well, and her project did indeed have a lot of problems, so she couldn't show an overbearing attitude.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Panpan, for remembering my project."

"Oh dear, sis, I should have told you sooner," Zhuang Pan said, slapping her thigh. "My manager probably talked to your manager, but maybe they didn't pass it on to you. Anyway, I'm still very sorry!"

In the past, He Yuran wouldn't have taken these words to heart, but now she realized there was a subtle undertone in them. She thought to herself, even if my agent hadn't left, Jiahe would be furious if she heard this. She had originally called me here today to discuss poaching someone, but now she thought she should forget it and talk about it another time.

After exchanging a few more polite words, He Yuran came out of the restroom and returned to her seat. The atmosphere was the same as when she left; Ye Meng remained almost silent, simply smiling and observing everyone. When her eyes met He Yuran's, she smiled and nodded.

Zhuang Pan still hadn't returned. He Yuran thought, "You're the one with the upset stomach."

When she was bored, she couldn't help but look at Ye Meng again. She wondered how to start a conversation. Even if she wanted to get to know someone, she had to strike up a conversation first. She was a celebrity, and she didn't want to force herself to add someone on WeChat. It would be fine if the other person was an ordinary person, but if it was the boss of a large company, it would seem like she was trying too hard.

Ye Meng seemed to notice that the movie actor next to her was paying attention to her, so she deliberately turned her head and smiled at He Yuran. He Yuran was stunned; it was the first time he had ever been so captivated by a woman's smile.

Ye Meng isn't the type of stunning beauty, but her features come together to create a very pleasing appearance. And why does she also have a touch of naivety? She seems quite innocent.

"President Ye, you look so handsome." He Yuran suddenly said out of the blue.

Upon hearing this, the girls nearby immediately stopped talking and all turned to look at them.

He Yuran ignored her and continued to stare intently at Ye Meng. "I think you have a movie star face."

Ye Meng smiled gently. "Thank you, Teacher He. I don't have the ability to be an actress. But I'm very happy to hear you say that."

"Actually, I wanted to ask you some questions, but I don't really understand your job," He Yuran said with a smile.

Even in front of juniors, she wasn't afraid of losing face. After all, they were all in the industry, and everyone knew it was the truth.

"We just have different professions, there's no such thing as one person knowing more. I've always thought the film and television industry is very interesting. I think it's really amazing that you can make a living as an actor. Luckily, I didn't have any unrealistic dreams of going down this path when I was in college, otherwise I probably wouldn't have been able to survive in this industry at all, because I just can't relax in front of the camera."

"It's all trainable; you gradually get used to the camera. I think it's better to have a proper job now; being an actor is too passive," He Yuran said. "We just play whatever roles are offered to us."

"You can find something you enjoy doing."

"I enjoy acting, but once I'm off set, I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

Ye Meng smiled and didn't say anything more. The conversation obviously couldn't continue. He Yuran said awkwardly, "Zhuang Pan, you rascal, why aren't you back yet? The matchmaker didn't even step in. You've made me look like I'm some kind of heartthrob on a blind date, we're not even on the same level."

Just as He Yuran was hesitating and preparing to leave, Zhuang Pan finally returned, bringing new wine and glasses, and urging everyone to have a drink. After asking around, it was learned that no one was driving that night, so everyone readily poured themselves a drink. Sure enough, after a few drinks, the atmosphere warmed up a bit. However, a barrier remained between He Yuran and Ye Meng, which they couldn't overcome, and they didn't speak to each other again.

Around 11 o'clock, Ye Meng stood up and said, "I'm getting old, I need to rest early. I should head back now. Panpan, how about we get together again next time?"

Zhuang Pan looked disappointed and said, "Okay... I know I can't keep you here, but Mr. Ye, please let me know next time you have time."

He Yuran thought to herself, "This Zhuang Pan doesn't seem to realize that Ye Meng is just here to repay a favor. She'll leave soon, so it won't hurt her reputation as a popular female star." Then Zhuang Pan insisted on seeing Ye Meng downstairs, and He Yuran suddenly had a whim and said, "I'll go down with you too." Then the three of them went out together.

He walked from the building entrance all the way to the driveway. He Yuran crossed his arms and looked at Ye Meng, wanting to see what kind of behavior the real-life female CEO was like, in case it came in handy for acting in the future.

Two beams of light flashed at the end of the driveway, and a black sedan slowly approached, stopping beside them. A young man, wearing a baseball cap, appeared to be around thirty years old, tall and handsome. He walked straight to Ye Meng's side; at first glance, they seemed quite well-matched.

Before anyone could react, Zhuang Pan nudged He Yuran gossipy and whispered, "Look, it's the handsome guy from President Ye's family!"

Hearing the man speak, He Yuran suddenly realized that the person speaking outside the door when Ye Meng entered was him. The young man had one hand on Ye Meng's shoulder, and with the other, he opened the passenger door, even blocking the top edge of the door to prevent her from bumping her head—extremely considerate. Judging by their intimate actions, he was definitely more than just a driver.

Before Ye Meng even got into the car, she turned around and saw Zhuang Pan's excited expression. She smiled and said, "Didn't you see him last time?"

The young man paused, then turned around and said, "Are you talking about me?"

Ye Meng raised her chin. "Quickly greet the two female celebrities."

The man immediately turned around, bowed very seriously to He Yuran and Zhuang Pan, and nodded, saying, "Hello, you two."

Zhuang Pan smiled and put her arm around He Yuran's, saying, "When we met last time, he was very considerate; he didn't even say his name. What, is he afraid we'll steal you from President Ye?"

He Yuran frowned. Zhuang Pan had this one particularly bad habit: she always looked at handsome men first, which made her seem cheap. Why bother? There weren't enough handsome men in the film and television industry.

The young man glanced at Ye Meng, and when Ye Meng said, "It's nothing, just say it," the man said, "Oh, just call me Chai Yuan. Ye Meng is my senior in graduate school."

Zhuang Pan widened her eyes and said, "You're alumni? I thought..."

Ye Meng clicked her tongue, and Chai Yuan chuckled and added, "You probably thought I was a kept man, right? You really do look like one."

"I didn't say that, Mr. Ye!"

"He has his work, and we're not together all the time," Ye Meng said with a smile.

Then, the guy named Chai Yuan seemed a little embarrassed and said, "You guys continue chatting," before heading back to the driver's seat. Clearly, he was extremely mindful of maintaining appropriate boundaries with other women in front of Ye Meng.

He Yuran glanced at Zhuang Pan and thought to herself, "Look at her boyfriend, and then look at yours."

He Yuran could sense that Ye Meng maintained a subtle distance, just right, yet impossible to get close to. Zhuang Pan, however, clearly thought she had broken through that barrier and even stepped forward for a close hug. But He Yuran could tell from Ye Meng's expression that this CEO Ye actually treated both of them as outsiders.

"Let's definitely meet again next time, Mr. Ye." Zhuang Pan was still reluctant to part.

Ye Meng smiled, nodded to the two of them, and turned to get into the passenger seat. The car slowly drove away.

Looking at the distance of the driveway, Zhuang Pan couldn't help but exclaim, "That's really cool."

He Yuran teased, "I can't even tell which of them you like more?"

Zhuang Pan turned to look at her, "Ran-jie, I think I'd be okay with either of them."

"...And what about your little boyfriend?"

Zhuang Pan waved her hand absentmindedly and said, "We haven't been in touch for many days. Let's go, let's go upstairs."

But He Yuran hesitated. Taking advantage of the quiet surroundings, which was actually a good time to talk, she called out to Zhuang Pan. "I want to talk to you about something important."

Zhuang Pan was a little surprised. "Sister, what is it?"

"Could you help me steer the conversation towards...some work-related matters? I'd like to get a new agent, and the sooner the better."

"Huh? What happened to that girl who was always by your side? What did she do that upset you?"

He Yuran didn't want to tell the truth, and the more she explained, the more complicated it would become, so she could only make excuses: "She has some health problems and may need to rest for a long time. I can't neglect my work either, but I haven't been in contact with any new agents for several years. I was wondering if anyone knows anyone suitable to help me find one."

"No problem, sis, you should have said so earlier! This is a big deal. What's wrong with that manager?"

"It's alright, but I'll need a long period of rest. Please help me out."

Zhuang Pan gave her assurance. After giving her instructions, the two went upstairs again. He Yuran had no interest in drinking or listening to gossip. Even a decade or so ago, she wasn't particularly interested in such things, because she didn't care about other actresses back then. Looking back now, she only remembered spending almost every night on set honing her skills—this was the norm on film sets, and something she now found particularly fascinating and proud of. The more she filtered through her memories, the more apprehensive and ashamed she felt about wasting so much time now. Looking at these rising young actors in the industry, each one sporting a dopamine-fueled look, their phone cases almost as big as their heads, He Yuran, dressed in plain clothes, felt utterly out of place.

"I want to ask, do you worry about the future?" He Yuran finally couldn't help but join the conversation.

The girls were taken aback by the abrupt question, but they began to think about it seriously.

One actress said, "Sister, I think every actor has worries, right? We can all understand each other's anxieties, but there's no use thinking about it. All we can do is wait, right? We can only play whatever our agents offer." Another actress added, "Yeah, actually I've basically never played a role I liked. Of course, I've met male actors I liked, hahaha..." Another one lazily chimed in, "Sigh, when it comes to making money, you make money if you can, and if you can't, you just take whatever comes your way."

"Do you work with the male actors on set to refine your lines? Do you share your ideas with the director?" He Yuran asked again.

Zhuang Pan shook her head. "Basically no, no one will spend time scrutinizing the acting. Nowadays, dramas are trying to meet deadlines as much as possible. Besides, we just shoot however the director tells us to."

"Don't even mention it," a girl chimed in. "I once raised some objections to the camera angle, and the director was clearly unhappy. That night, my agent even scolded me, saying, 'What nonsense are you spouting to the director during the day? Don't you have any self-awareness about your acting skills?' After that, I never dared to say anything again. Oh well, it's all just a matter of getting the job done anyway. They still have to dub and edit it again, so I don't want to ask anymore."

He Yuran listened attentively for a while, and suddenly felt that she was lonely and confused, while the actresses, including Zhuang Pan, were noisy and confused. She regretted asking the question earlier.

She patted Zhuang Pan beside her, stood up and said, "I should go back too."