Chapter 349: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Mentoring the New Assistant

Early in the morning, Huang Mengying tidied herself up beautifully and, under the blessing gaze of her fellow villager and roommate Wu Jinyan, left the Beijing Film Academy campus.

Walking on the road, Huang Mengying felt incomparably excited; it had been nearly a month since she submitted her resume, and she had long since given up any hope of being selected.

But unexpectedly, the situation took a turn for the better; last night, she actually received a call from the Secretariat of Shanhe Media, inviting her to participate in an on-site interview today.

Although she had been happy all night, when the time finally came, she actually started to feel nervous and uneasy again; who knew what the result of today's interview would be?

Getting into a taxi, Huang Mengying noticed the driver glancing at her through the rearview mirror from time to time, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief; this outfit today should be able to catch the eye of Senior Brother Wei, right?

The journey was silent, and the car soon stopped in front of the Shanhe Building. After paying the fare, Huang Mengying looked up at the tall building, feeling slightly dazed.

Perhaps with this step, her life would be completely different.

Taking a deep breath, Huang Mengying secretly cheered herself on in her heart, then a smile appeared on her face, and she walked into the building with confident steps.

What came into view was a lobby with a ceiling over ten meters high, with people coming and going, bustling with activity.

It was truly worthy of being a major company in the industry.

Holding respect for the hegemon of the domestic entertainment industry, Huang Mengying walked toward the front desk.

"Hello, I am here to interview for the position of Assistant to President Wei."

Hearing this, Zhang Wen put down her phone, looked up, and took a glance; not bad, she should be the type President Wei likes, and compared to the one with an aggressive aura just now, at least her approachability was much stronger.

"Hello?"

Seeing the receptionist just staring at her without saying a word, Huang Mengying called out sweetly once more.

"Oh, please wait a moment, someone from the Secretariat will come to pick you up shortly."

"Okay."

After about a few minutes, an office lady came before Huang Mengying.

"Follow me, wait in the reception room for a while first; at ten-thirty, President Wei will personally interview you all."

After speaking, she didn't care what Huang Mengying was thinking and led the way directly.

Although full of questions, Huang Mengying still nimbly followed the office lady's pace, though she always felt the woman in front carried a hint of hostility.

Huang Mengying did not know that, besides students from various colleges, there were also many female employees currently working at Shanhe Media applying to be Wei Jin's assistant, and the one leading her was just such a person.

The opportunity to fly onto a branch and turn into a phoenix had slipped away just like that, so of course, she wouldn't have a good expression.

The journey was silent, and Huang Mengying was led to a reception room of about 100 square meters.

"A Jiao, you are here too?"

Looking at her Beijing Film Academy classmate who had long been waiting in the reception room, Huang Mengying finally understood who the "you all" the office lady mentioned referred to.

Although Zhang Jiao was in the Beijing Film Academy advanced class, there were only a few dozen people in the entire 2009 acting class of Beijing Film Academy, so everyone couldn't be more familiar with each other.

"Meng Ying, you passed the background check too?"

Seeing the appearance of a competitor, Zhang Jiao felt relieved in her heart; purely in terms of appearance, she believed she definitely wouldn't lose.

"Background check? What does that mean?"

Huang Mengying sat down next to Zhang Jiao, looking curious.

"You thought, why did it take so long to notify us to come for an interview? All interviews at Shanhe Media require a background check."

Following Zhang Jiao's explanation, Huang Mengying understood; no wonder so many artists submitted resumes every year, yet very few were signed.

"Senior Brother Wei really manages things strictly."

"That's for sure, basically those with bad habits or poor reputations at school were not given a chance at all."

In the office, Wei Jin was watching the news while listening to Chen Zhiming complain about Yang Zi's flashy operations, finding it hilarious.

Yesterday's premiere of The Sorcerer and the White Snake could be considered a complete embarrassment.

Because many big shots in the industry went to support the side of Enlight Media, the premiere of White Snake, in order to bolster the scene, invited all the second and third-tier actors in the industry, regardless of whether their names were known or not.

The travel expenses for the media were also very generous, so today's report was:

"At the premiere of The Sorcerer and the White Snake, People Mountain People Sea, with numerous guests!"

Wei Jin was truly amused; it was the first time he had seen the media use "People Mountain People Sea" to describe a premiere scene, which was really hard on them.

"President Wei, look further down, there's even more ridiculous stuff; this guy probably had this plan from the start."

Wei Jin continued to look down and, sure enough, saw Yang Zi's statement at the premiere.

"The investment budget when The Sorcerer and the White Snake was approved was 180 million, and after two subsequent additional investments, the total investment has now reached as high as 240 million, of which 100 million was spent on special effects alone, and the production cycle lasted half a year; it is absolutely the first domestic magical romance blockbuster."

Wei Jin was impressed; this film, in his view, had an investment of at most 150 million. One had to know that Li Lianjie had used Cui Baozhu's favor to get a free ride by making a cameo appearance.

As for the special effects, Shanhe Ink knew it best, but Wei Jin was a bit curious, "Lao Chen, didn't the media come to verify it with you?"

"Hey, the moment this guy opened his mouth, I ran away immediately, just afraid of being cornered and questioned."

"Hahaha."

Recalling what he saw yesterday, Chen Zhiming also laughed until he was doubled over; he really had never seen anyone so capable of bragging.

After chatting for a while, Chen Zhiming reported on the follow-up situation in Venice; everything was going smoothly, and then he took his leave. As the CEO of Shanhe Media, he was much busier than Wei Jin.

After dismissing Chen Zhiming, Wei Jin checked the time and continued to browse industry news.

These past few days, that guy Lu Chuan had made a fool of himself again.

The two films The Last Supper and White Vengeance were approved one after another, and the latter started filming two months later, yet the others had already wrapped up and were aiming for the New Year Slot.

But looking at Lu Chuan's side, The Last Supper started filming in March, and now half a year had passed, and it still wasn't finished.

That would be fine, but the key was that this guy had already used up the 100 million in invested funds and was demanding the producers add more investment.

Qin Hong of Stellar Mega's patience had reached its limit, and she directly opened fire on Weibo.

"Really, giving face but not wanting it; being polite to you doesn't mean I'm easy to bully. Don't go too far in doing things. If you don't have the ability, you shouldn't have come to pull for investment in the first place. Stellar Mega will consider withdrawing from The Last Supper entirely."

Emperor Motion Pictures, as the controlling party with an investment ratio as high as 70%, was now also in a dilemma. The project had reached this point, and it was impossible to let it become a failure, but to continue investing, it was unknown how much more would be needed; it was just that this guy was too good at dragging things out.

Everyone in the circle was watching Lu Chuan's joke, and the internet was full of ridicule.

"Learning from others to shoot a historical blockbuster, does Lu Tai Lang have that ability?"

"With his skewed perspective, what kind of standard could he possibly have?"

The more spectacular part came next; Lu Chuan took shamelessness to the extreme and posted directly on Weibo: "President Qin, don't be angry. It's just a movie, what's the big deal?"

The industry was so angry they laughed; to squander 100 million in funds like this, he truly is invincible in his shamelessness.

Immediately after, this guy Lu Chuan, braving the mockery, snuck back to Beijing to meet with the two major investors.

Under Lu Chuan's smooth-talking, plus a military pledge to finish filming in two months, Qin Hong and Boss Yang bit the bullet and added another 40 million in investment.

Once he got the money, this fellow Lu Chuan became high-profile and stated directly during an interview.

"'The Feast' has an investment as high as 140 million, and will wrap up by early November at the latest. I stake my character on it: this movie will absolutely be an epic blockbuster, with a box office floor of 300 million!"

Unsurprisingly, as soon as this interview was reported, Lu Chuan was once again surrounded by the mockery of netizens. After all, having experienced the incident with 'Nanjing', he had already squandered his reputation, so where would he still have character? Right now, under his Weibo, it was nothing but ridicule and mockery.

"He really is a moron. The movie isn't even finished filming yet, and he dares to make such a guarantee. 300 million? Even if you're just farting, you have to let it brew for a bit."

"Anyway, there's no tax on bragging. Why don't you shout 10 billion, Lu-taro? It would be best if you could take down Wei Jin and happily win the championship."

"."

After consuming this gossip, Wei Jin didn't even know what to say. This fellow Lu Chuan had such poor audience appeal that this film was destined to flop. At this moment, Boss Yang must be regretting it so much her intestines are turning green, right? I have to say, Yang Zi and Lu Chuan can be called the Crouching Dragon and Fledgling Phoenix of the entertainment industry.

As Wei Jin was sighing, his secretary knocked and entered.

"President Wei, it's time for the interviews."

"Alright." — Zhang Jiao stood outside Wei Jin's office door, feeling very nervous.

She was born in '88 and was already 23 years old this year. Since she was 17, when she served as a light stand-in for Gong Li in 'Curse of the Golden Flower', she had been in the entertainment industry for a full 6 years.

During this time, she had been a model and run around film sets. Because she was disliked for not being photogenic, she specifically spent two years losing weight.

But despite working very hard, because she wasn't from a professional acting background, almost no film crew was willing to take her in, let alone sign her.

So, starting in '09, she applied for the advanced acting class at the Beijing Film Academy, hoping to gain the status of a professional background to make it easier to get by in the circle.

Facts proved her decision was correct. Just after joining the Beijing Film Academy, she was spotted by a South Korean exchange student from the Director Department and appeared in a micro-movie called 'Falling Cherry'.

It was just a pity that the micro-movie couldn't enter theaters, and it didn't make any waves online; she was still a nobody.

Fortunately, she later received a recommendation from a teacher to make a guest appearance in 'Saving Mr. Wu', where she met Wei Jin.

Ever since Wei Jin visited the set that time, her treatment on the crew had been much better, which made her realize that to make it in the entertainment industry, one must have a benefactor to promote them.

Therefore, she had to seize this opportunity.

Gathering her courage, Zhang Jiao put on a sweet smile and pushed open the door.

"Hello, Senior Brother Wei."

"Mm, hello, Zhang Jiao, sit."

Looking at the spirited woman in front of him, Wei Jin had to admit that this face was indeed suitable for the entertainment industry.

Zhang Jiao belonged to the bright and beautiful type; her palm-sized face combined with three-dimensional features was indeed very photogenic.

"Don't be nervous. May I ask you a few questions?"

Although she tried her best not to be so nervous and kept a smile on her face, Zhang Jiao's heart was still beating very fast.

"Mm, ask away, Senior Brother." — Two hours later, Wei Jin had finished interviewing two assistant candidates. After pondering for a while, he made a decision in his heart and picked up the internal phone.

"Notify Zhang Xu to sign Zhang Jiao..."

The meaning in Wei Jin's words was very clear: Zhang Jiao had lost the qualification to be an assistant, but had gained the opportunity to sign with Shanhe Media.

Honestly, both Meng Ying and Zhang Jiao were good. In terms of looks alone, the latter was even more outstanding, but she was too thin. A bony beauty is suitable for the camera, but not necessarily suitable for the bed, let alone as a long-term bed partner?

By comparison, Meng Ying's figure was very NICE. With a height of 169, her legs were heaven-defyingly long, her physique was more fleshy than Zhang Jiao's, and her measurements were even more eye-catching.

Her appearance was also very sweet, her smile was very healing, and she was a fellow native of Shudi; Wei Jin naturally felt a sense of closeness to her.

Wei Jin had an impression of this girl from his past life. After graduation, she became an artist under Yang Mi. She had almost no scandals after debuting for many years, and in private, she was a very quiet person; this could also be seen from the interview just now.

Honestly, the reason Meng Ying wasn't famous in her past life was largely determined by her looks.

Meng Ying's appearance belonged to the typical Asian beauty, with a slightly oval face shape. The on-camera effect was indeed a bit lacking, and she could only rotate on the small screen, but as someone from a professional background, her acting skills were actually quite good.

For this type of girl, Wei Jin didn't mind promoting her a bit.

After finishing the matters regarding the assistants, Wei Jin began to consider the group's production issues for next year.

The special effects for 'Gravity' wouldn't be finished until the second half of next year, so he wasn't considering the release schedule for now.

The other two movies featuring women, as well as 'Whiplash', would most likely be released next year.

Adding in 'Saving Mr. Wu' and the two films from Golden Harvest, that made 6 films. According to the original plan, that was basically enough.

But considering Hollywood's entry and the current booming film market, Wei Jin felt he could speed things up.

As for the tools, several figures appeared in Wei Jin's mind—after finishing the day's work, Wei Jin brought his new assistant to the Golden House to conduct pre-job training.

It was clear that the girl from Shudi beneath him was a bit nervous; not only were her movements clumsy, but she also couldn't quite let go.

Wei Jin had no choice but to lead by example, touching her milky-white breasts to provide feedback.

"Right, that was quite good just now, you can go a bit deeper..."

"Mm, open up a bit more, you must pay attention..."

"Mm, the movements of your hands can coordinate with it, yes, yes, just like that."

Meng Ying, who was buried in her work, had a fair and pretty face that was already flushed red under the man's blunt guidance, but after ten minutes of service, she actually felt a hint of heat.

Stroking the girl's hair, Wei Jin felt that knowledge gained from books is ultimately shallow, and to truly understand this, one must practice it; he still needed to do it for real.

"Alright, Meng Ying, now it's time for the internship."

Hearing this, Meng Ying's movements paused. Was it finally time?

Raising her head to look at the man's angular, handsome face and his smooth, powerful muscles, Meng Ying felt as if a ball of fire was burning in her heart.

"You don't need to be nervous, just leave everything to me tonight..."

Wei Jin tried his best to make his voice sound gentler, but the movements of his hands did not stop.

He took the opportunity to pull the girl up, then flipped over to pin her beneath him.

Hoisting the girl's long, beautiful legs, wrapped in black silk stockings, onto his shoulders, Wei Jin began his arduous journey of gathering nectar. (End of this chapter)