Chapter 1781: Something Isn't Right

"So he wanted to invest in the seasoning factory right from the start?"

Shen Ranran repeated the question, then added tentatively, "But initially, he said he wanted to invest in the movie..."

"Didn't you tell him exactly how I started from scratch? He even said that after hearing your account, he looked thoroughly into my affairs. Only then did he tell you he wanted to invest in my film; when he discovered the film wasn't viable, he proposed having a meal with me to make friends instead."

Wang Yan picked up a shrimp and began peeling it, looking at Shen Ranran. "You heard our conversation just now; how many times did he mention the film? He talked entirely about my seasoning factory. Don't you understand what he's really after?"

"Surely not, Brother Yan? What if our film doesn't get investment from a production studio?"

"He isn't short of that two hundred thousand, and for him, it's a guaranteed profit with no risk. He read the script too; having mixed in the film and television circle for so long, he can distinguish quality. Even if he loses money, the worst case is losing two hundred thousand, and besides, he'd recover some costs; it's impossible nothing would sell, he could at least make some money. And then there's you."

"Me?" Shen Ranran was confused.

"Chu Caiyuan is quite interested in you. When we first sat down, you sat here instead of beside him; I noticed he wasn't very happy, and the way he looked at me became somewhat off."

Wang Yan said with a smile, "You brought the script to find him and told him about me; he even read the script. If he had invested in the film, what would those two hundred thousand have achieved? For me, it would have been timely help; for you, it would have saved you immense face, making you feel deeply indebted to him, while fulfilling your dream of playing the lead role."

"Doesn't he often invest in films? He's familiar with this circle. Later, when he invites you out for meals and drinks again, you'll surely go. Then he introduces you to a few roles; what will you do? You'll have to show your appreciation, won't you? What do you have to offer? How can you express your gratitude?"

"With his timely help on my side, by then, if he repeats what he said today about the seasoning factory, it's basically impossible for me to refuse. He even said, 'What is a film? What is art? The real money is in the seasoning factory.'"

"Moreover, our film won't lose too much; for him, it's as if he spent nothing. With this single arrow, he hits far more than two birds."

"Ah?" Shen Ranran was bewildered and dazed. "Is that really how it is...?"

Of course, that is exactly how it is.

Just as Chu Caiyuan had analyzed in his rambling way, he was extremely optimistic about the seasoning factory using this monopoly vacuum period to develop rapidly, subsequently forming economies of scale to expand and capture the market. The market doesn't need to be entirely captured; securing just half of the North China market would mean enormous profits.

And once capital is injected for rapid expansion, all of this becomes inevitable.

Chu Caiyuan certainly wouldn't limit himself to providing only four or five hundred thousand in funds; his connections are the key point. With his help, the company's products can be distributed quickly; while other regions aren't guaranteed, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area should be no problem, as that belongs to his comfort zone. At the same time, Chu Caiyuan can help secure loans; obtaining a few million more in loans would be sufficient.

By the time this money is spent, the company will have established a foothold in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei market, and its value will have risen. In reality, Chu Caiyuan hasn't expended much; by circulating favors that become more valuable the more they are used, spending merely a million or so, what he gains is far more than just a few million.

The ideal scenario, just as Wang Yan said, is that he recruits Wang Yan, a talented individual who rose from nothing with bare hands, as a subordinate, makes considerable profit, revitalizes a wide circle of favors, and gets Shen Ranran to willingly offer herself up.

In all this, Shen Ranran is merely an extra, a little dessert easily within reach for a big boss like him.

To be honest, Chu Caiyuan might not have thought things through so comprehensively; it's simply the instinct to seek profit and avoid harm, his long-standing modus operandi, and powerful mental inertia that allow him to make such choices without exercising much brainpower.

Ultimately, it's because the amount of money isn't large, so Chu Caiyuan doesn't need to expend much effort; it's all done casually. This is how people with confidence behave.

Wang Yan shook his head and sighed: "Look at that; wealthy big bosses like him rack their brains to scheme against us. If we agree to let him invest in the seasoning factory, who knows how he'll manipulate me in the future."

"I'm sorry, Brother Yan; I didn't expect this Chu Caiyuan to be so wicked."

"What do you have to be sorry for? After all, your intentions were good; you just didn't expect Boss Chu to want so much. Furthermore, while Chu Caiyuan is indeed no good, he isn't necessarily extremely evil. For people like him, there are only two types of individuals in their eyes: the useful and the useless."

"Useless people, he can't even be bothered to glance at. But if someone is useful, even slightly, he will squeeze them completely dry. Ranran, society is too treacherous, especially in your entertainment circle where problems are even more numerous; you must be careful in the future, as human hearts are too unpredictable."

Shen Ranran nodded: "Yes, Brother Yan. You don't know how lively the film set is; everyone spends all day spreading rumors about the circle. I've heard quite a few messy stories, though I don't know if they're true or false. But where there's smoke, there's fire; I'm afraid there are indeed some issues."

"Exactly, so you must fully learn from these experiences and lessons, ensuring you don't one day become the subject of someone else's exposé. Moreover, the saying 'where there's smoke, there's fire' isn't quite accurate here; it's very possible that others deliberately spread rumors to slander, which is also hard to predict."

"Just be cautious with your words and actions when you're out there. Although once you become famous and popular in the future, you won't be able to stop malicious people from slandering and framing you, you can still minimize unnecessary troubles to the greatest extent."

"I understand; thank you, Brother Yan."

"We're all insiders, good friends; saying 'thank you' is too polite."

Shen Ranran blinked her big eyes at Wang Yan, saying nothing, just looking.

"Eat up; look at this huge table of food; Boss Chu barely touched any of it. Look at this wine; Boss Chu just said it's aged Moutai. Let's eat a bit more, and then we'll pack everything up to take back; none of them have ever tasted dishes from the Jingcheng Hotel, nor this aged Moutai. I'll bring two taels back for Old Guo."

Shen Ranran came to her senses and said with a bright smile: "Brother Yan, it won't be long before you can eat here three meals a day; by then, for a banquet like this, you'll order two tables, eat one, and throw the other away."

Wang Yan laughed heartily: "That's a good way of putting it, but it's too extravagant and wasteful; these are all good things, we really can't just throw them away..."

The two chatted and laughed happily; Shen Ranran became immersed in it, and before she knew it, she had happily finished this meal...

Wang Yan really did pack up the food and wine to take back for everyone at Winter Goes, Spring Comes; they were all poor buddies, none of whom had ever enjoyed such things, so everyone ate and drank with immense joy.

That night, after the merriment, everyone washed up and went to sleep.

Zhuangzhuang asked Shen Ranran about the meeting with Chu Caiyuan during the day; she hadn't been able to make it to lunch because she had to attend classes. Of course, a meal at the Jingcheng Hotel was worth taking a day off for. However, Zhuangzhuang was still participating in a singing competition, with another match coming up in a few days, so she needed to seize the time to study and improve. This was obviously more important than eating at the Jingcheng Hotel.

When everyone was eating and drinking together that evening, Wang Yan and Shen Ranran didn't discuss the details of their interaction with Chu Caiyuan too much; they merely talked about what the Jingcheng Hotel was like, imagining together how, once they became successful, they would eat one table and throw away another.

Shen Ranran recounted the events to Zhuangzhuang in considerable detail; upon hearing that Wang Yan had nearly left Chu Caiyuan unable to save face, Zhuangzhuang burst out laughing.

"I knew this meal couldn't possibly be finished smoothly and quietly."

"Sister Zhuangzhuang, why do you say that?"

"Brother Yan is a rather direct person; he doesn't pay too much attention to status. Of course, that doesn't mean he disrespects people; it's just that if he's dissatisfied with someone or encounters a problem, he generally states it straight out. He is very much his own person and extremely self-centered."

Shen Ranran said: "Brother Yan was indeed blunt; at the time, Chu Caiyuan's expression was particularly bad. After chatting with Brother Yan for a while, he took a phone call and left."

"Feeling embarrassed, then? That's normal." In the darkness, Zhuangzhuang lay perfectly straight, comfortably closing her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.

"Sister Zhuangzhuang, what was your feeling when you first met Brother Yan?"

"Wasn't my bag snatched back then? Brother Yan caught the thief. At the time, I didn't think of anything else; I just felt a weight lift off my heart, as if a great savior had arrived."

Zhuangzhuang's voice was very gentle, slightly drowsy: "Later, after I settled down at Winter Goes, Spring Comes, I couldn't sleep the first night; the scenes from daytime replayed in my mind, and I felt Brother Yan was truly amazing. He grabbed the thief directly and smashed him onto the ground; it was incredibly powerful..."

Shen Ranran no longer needed to press further; Zhuangzhuang re-sorted the bits and pieces of how she and Wang Yan met, came to know each other, and eventually ended up together. This was a story Shen Ranran was already familiar with.

However, this time as she listened, she felt a slight difference in her thoughts. She didn't know why this was happening; it seemed that unknowingly, a shadow had formed in her heart, and her joys, angers, sorrows, and happiness were now swayed by it...

After another session of deep communication reaching the depths of the soul concluded, Zhuangzhuang lay in bed, watching Wang Yan sitting by the table with his legs crossed, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, holding a pen and scribbling on paper.

"What are you writing?"

"Thinking about the soundtrack."

"Soundtrack?" Zhuangzhuang became interested. "Didn't you hand that over to the production studio?"

"They are handling some of the intermediate background music and such; I'm thinking about which songs to use, which ones would be appropriate."

"Have you thought of anything? Let me see?"

As she spoke, Zhuangzhuang got out of bed radiating vitality, leaned over to take a look, and said: "'The Story of Time' and 'On the Field of Hope'; both of these songs are quite good, but 'The Story of Time' seems a bit too soft? It feels more like a love song."

"Think about it; the character has lived for so many years, how could he not have some stories? Although we aren't filming those parts, this forms the protagonist's underlying color. I'm thinking of filming a scene where someone asks about his past relationships, capturing his reactions, and having him say a few words of philosophical insight about life."

Zhuangzhuang nodded in agreement, then pointed with her finger at a line of vigorous, sweeping characters on the paper: "Then what is this you wrote here: 'Time is something that catches people off guard; sunny days bring wind, cloudy days bring rain'?"

"Lyrics," the sentence popped into his mind, and he thought about writing a song.

"Looking at these lyrics, is it... pop music?"

"I don't understand; I just wrote it blindly." Wang Yan pretended to be a stubborn fool.

Zhuang Zhuang smiled and said, "Your lyrics are really good, Brother Yan. You must write this song."

"I'll try my best. After all, I don't understand these things; it's all based on feeling. But I think those two songs from before must be used. After your next competition, let's record those two first."

Zhuang Zhuang nodded happily, with a touch of excitement: "This is my first time officially recording a song..."

"In the future, you'll probably get tired of recording."

"How could I get tired doing what I love?"

After chatting and laughing for a while, the two of them went back to talking about bed.

Zhuang Zhuang leaned against Wang Yan, not feeling sticky at all. She sighed: "I feel Ranran has been acting a bit strange lately."

Wang Yan played with the big treasure: "What's strange?"

"I can't say; I just feel something is off."

"Maybe the protagonist's scenes are coming up soon, so she's just a bit overexcited."

Zhuang Zhuang looked up at Wang Yan, then lay back down: "Maybe..."

The Acting Department of the Central Academy of Drama is a cradle for stars.

For instance, the famous Class of '96: Zhang Meng Ziyi, Liu Ye, Qin Hailu, Yuan Quan, and others are all famous actors. Additionally, there are Chen Baoguo, Jiang Wen, and others, all figures more impressive than the last.

At that moment, in the teachers' office of the academy, Wang Yan and the people from the production studio were flipping through student files here. Some were currently studying at the school, while others had already graduated.

"How many people do you need for this play? Take Chen Jianbin and Li Yapeng from the Class of '90, Huang Zhizhong from the Class of '91... The Class of '93 has only been here a year, but they are also good: Xin Baiqing, Wang Qianyuan, Li Naiwen, all of them are good. Director Wang, why don't I call everyone over for you to audition them?"

With each name the teacher mentioned, they pulled out the file and placed it in front of Wang Yan, showing great enthusiasm.

Film resources are limited; even with vigorous development, there is a cap. Although this play from the production studio isn't a major production, they are directly seeking the lead and other main actors, so of course, they must be enthusiastic.

Wang Yan looked at the student files one by one: "Have all the ones you mentioned come to audition. Also, the pay isn't high. Take this Li Yapeng; he acted two years ago, so his asking price is definitely not cheap. No need to bring him. For the others, you should have an understanding; you decide who comes and who doesn't."

"Acting doesn't mean they can immediately demand a high price. Still, let him come. You can see for yourselves; the pay is negotiable. Especially since the holidays are coming up soon, and your filming is right during the break, nothing will be delayed. They can even gain experience. Even if they can't be leads, you can pull them in as extras; just feeding them is enough."

"That's great. Let them all come. We'll interview them directly. If they fit, we'll confirm; if not, anyone willing to go later can still go."

Wang Yan agreed very decisively. This belonged to an all-star lineup. These were people who had been tested by time; those who managed to make a name for themselves would have no problems with skill or attitude. Even if they hadn't made a name yet, they still possessed advantages. So, as long as the actor suited the role, they could be used; the rest didn't need much consideration.

On the other hand, there was this malicious fun from time itself; just watching it made one happy...

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