Chapter 746: Ying Chanxi

October 17, Tuesday.

In the conference room of Huayue Film and Television.

After seeing off the Douyin team, Ying Chanxi leaned back in her chair and slowly exhaled.

Xiao Xuan, the assistant sent by Yuan Wanqing to oversee the scene, stepped forward and poured tea for Ying Chanxi.

Ying Chanxi asked softly, "How much longer until Li Luo's side is done?"

"I just asked," Xiao Xuan replied quietly. "Chongran's audition should wrap up in about half an hour."

"Alright, I understand," Ying Chanxi nodded.

The others in the room also composed themselves, and Ruan Tao, responsible for business coordination, began the post-mortem analysis.

Lawyer Tian sat beside Ying Chanxi; whenever she had questions about certain issues, he would offer assistance from a legal perspective.

The post-mortem meeting lasted about twenty minutes before ending.

Ying Chanxi gained some valuable insights, and substantive progress was made in coordinating with the Douyin team.

Especially after Douyin's official side confirmed Yuan Wanqing's genuine willingness to cooperate, they dispatched a dedicated negotiation team to hand over responsibilities to Yuan Wanqing's studio.

Ying Chanxi represented Chongran Culture in these talks, handling negotiations related to Yan Zhusheng and Chongran jointly joining Douyin, and learned a great deal.

For instance, during negotiations, Ruan Tao specifically instructed her not to enter the meeting room with them, but instead to pose as another team unfamiliar with Ruan Tao's group, inserting herself from outside.

Originally, from Ying Chanxi's perspective, they and Yuan Wanqing's studio were one unit—so why not negotiate together with the Douyin team?

But after this small maneuver, Ying Chanxi realized the difference.

For Douyin's side, if they knew Yuan Wanqing's studio and Chongran Culture were so closely connected that entering Douyin could be negotiated jointly, their terms would naturally shift.

But now, as two separate companies, Yuan Wanqing's studio and Chongran Culture are negotiating independently with Douyin's team—making things far more difficult for Douyin.

The most interesting point was that after the last negotiation, Douyin's team had even privately reached out to Ying Chanxi and Lawyer Tian, trying to see if they could break through Chongran Culture first.

But since Yan Zhusheng is Yuan Wanqing's daughter, such a move would likely be exposed, so it was abandoned.

For Ying Chanxi, each of these encounters and negotiations was something she had never experienced before.

Although she had ample experience as class president and student union chair, school-level scheming was clearly far simpler than social maneuvering.

After actively participating in these negotiations, Ying Chanxi truly learned a great deal and progressed rapidly.

One can only say that practice is the sole criterion for testing truth.

Ying Chanxi knew well that if she merely studied at Zhu Academy for four years—even with all the teaching resources it offered—it would never compare to personally engaging in a real business negotiation.

Of course, Zhu Academy certainly had opportunities to send students to intern at major companies.

But opportunities like hers—directly managing a company, actively participating in business coordination, leading negotiations and signing deals—were certainly beyond Zhu Academy's reach.

Ying Chanxi cherished this opportunity, eager to grow faster and become an excellent partner who could ease Li Luo's burdens.

Every time she woke in the quiet depths of night and looked at Li Luo sleeping beside her, she thought of his astonishing achievements over the past few years—and secretly felt a pang of inferiority.

She felt she wasn't good enough.

She appeared to be student union chair, top of her grade at Fu No. 1 High, and the provincial top scorer of Qianjiang Province.

But all these were merely student medals earned before entering society.

In contrast, Xu Youyu began writing Online Novels since Gao Er, achieving outstanding results like Li Luo, earning tens or even hundreds of thousands annually through his own efforts.

Yan Zhusheng, with her voice perfectly suited to Li Luo's creative talent, always delivered his songs flawlessly.

Whether it was the original version of "Nianlun," which provided real-world material for Li Luo's I Am Really Not a Star,

or later, as "Little Joy" was about to premiere, Yan Zhusheng sang "Bu Fu Shao Guang" alongside Yuan Wanqing's concert, making it this year's most-covered and most-played graduation anthem.

These were all things Yan Zhusheng could accomplish.

She simply didn't demand payment—if she had, the help her singing provided would have easily earned her a substantial reward.

In comparison, Ying Chanxi knew clearly that she could do nothing of the sort.

She could only care for Li Luo in daily life: washing fruit and pouring water while he wrote.

She threw his dirty clothes into the washing machine, washed them, hung them to dry, and folded them into his wardrobe.

Bed sheets and pillowcases were always changed and tidied by Ying Chanxi.

When shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, or other household items ran low, she carefully noted it down, went to the convenience store, bought replacements, and restocked them.

In the face of Xu Youyu and Yan Zhusheng's dominance, Ying Chanxi could only do her best.

She couldn't earn big money like Xu Youyu had since high school.

Nor could she assist Li Luo's career like Yan Zhusheng.

So she could only focus on daily chores.

But these tasks—whether Xu Youyu or Yan Zhusheng wanted to—they could always replace her.

So when she was still in high school, Li Luo jokingly told Ying Chanxi to become CEO of Chongran Culture.

Ying Chanxi knew Li Luo was just teasing her—but she remembered this remark firmly.

Now.

It was finally bearing fruit.

Being able to help Li Luo in his career was the happiest thing for Ying Chanxi.

Even if the negotiation process was tedious, filled with calculations of interest and considerations of human motives,

she threw herself into it wholeheartedly, gladly immersed in it.

"Let's call it a day for now," Ruan Tao said, gathering his documents and addressing the others. "We'll wait for Douyin's team to report to their superiors and see what feedback they get."

"Alright," Ying Chanxi nodded, then stood and turned to Lawyer Tian. "I'll head over to Li Luo's place now. Lawyer Tian, you—"

"I need to go home too," Lawyer Tian smiled, pulling out his phone and showing it to Ying Chanxi. "My wife is four months pregnant—I should get back early to keep her company."

"Huh? You never mentioned that before," Ying Chanxi said, surprised as she saw the photo on his phone's lock screen: Lawyer Tian and his pregnant wife together.

"She's only just started showing, so I didn't tell anyone until now," Lawyer Tian said with a smile. "Just contact me anytime—I need to work harder to earn more baby formula money."

"Alright." Ying Chanxi smiled faintly, bid farewell to Lawyer Tian at the meeting room door, and had her assistant Xiao Xuan lead her to Li Luo's audition room.

At this moment, Li Luo's side was auditioning the final candidate.

Inside the meeting room, Li Luo and Wang Jun sat in the main seats, with other crew members seated beside them.

Such as producer Zhang Ruiwen, or the cinematographer and makeup and costume designers, among others.

The former mainly provided Li Luo and Wang Jun with actor information—especially the backing companies behind them and certain private connections.

The latter, the cinematographer and makeup and costume designers, primarily offered professional considerations.

Some actors look stunning in person but may not photograph well, because cameras inevitably distort facial features to some degree.

Some people look unflattering in photos but appear exceptionally attractive in person—this is due to the same reason.

Or some people look stunning only from one specific angle, while other angles appear ordinary.

If a certain role required a specific effect, Li Luo had to consult the professionals beside him.

Such as right now.

The auditioning actor was an older woman.

Li Luo pulled out her profile card and glanced at it briefly.

Liu Yundan, forty-seven, theater actress, graduated from Beijing Film Academy's Acting Department, specializes in portraying ordinary lower-class characters, marginalized figures, or complex psychological villains.

Attached at the back were the theater and film/TV productions she had appeared in.

After reviewing this resume, Li Luo immediately realized she was likely a seasoned veteran.

She had extensive performance experience, was humble and practical, and her acting skills were certainly flawless.

After entering the meeting room, Liu Yundan gave a brief self-introduction, then performed the scene of Tao Yinghong as required.

"The Beginning," a rare suspense drama with a time-loop structure, revolves around a bus explosion, passenger deaths, and the protagonists' time-reversal resurrections, ultimately uncovering the explosion's truth and saving everyone on board.

Aside from the male and female leads trapped in the time loop, nearly all major supporting characters were concentrated on this single bus.

Tao Yinghong, as one of the behind-the-scenes culprits, became a crucial element in the entire drama's experience.

Logically, selecting an actor for this supporting role should have been done with extreme caution.

But when Li Luo saw the instant transformation in Liu Yundan's gaze as she slipped into character, his spine prickled with unease.

Liu Yundan had clearly studied the role deeply.

Before the audition, she had deliberately made herself look ordinary, even staying up late to create dark circles under her eyes.

Now that she was in character, an inexplicable sense of pressure subtly crept in.

After Liu Yundan finished her performance, Li Luo instinctively glanced at Wang Jun, and both saw the same affirmative answer in each other's eyes.

But since a second audition was still ahead, neither of them made a final commitment.

"Thank you very much, Teacher Liu, for coming all the way to audition," Wang Jun said warmly. "Your audition was excellent. Please be sure to attend the second audition at the end of the month."

"Of course, of course!" After stepping out of character, Liu Yundan returned to her normal self, smiling as she stepped forward to shake hands with Wang Jun and Li Luo. "Teacher Chongran, I've seen your 'Little Joy.' I loved it. I'm truly looking forward to the chance to act in your script."

"No, no, you're too kind," Li Luo quickly stood up. "Just call me Chongran. I can't possibly accept the title 'Teacher.'"

After a brief exchange, Liu Yundan politely took her leave.

Li Luo stayed behind to review the results with Wang Jun, shortlisting several suitable supporting actors, planning to decide after the second audition.

But for the supporting role of Tao Yinghong, both agreed immediately: they would cast Liu Yundan.

That feeling—clearly, it was exactly what they wanted.

"Li Luo, are you done?"

Just as the two finalized today's decisions, the meeting room door opened and Ying Chanxi's face peeked in, asking Li Luo.

"Just finished," Li Luo stretched, stood up, and waved to Wang Jun and the others. "I've got an appointment this afternoon—I'll take my leave. I'll treat everyone to dinner next time."

Everyone was used to this, so they waved goodbye and watched Li Luo's back disappear.

After stepping out of the meeting room, Li Luo pulled out his phone and asked, "Have Youyu and Zhusheng arrived yet?"

"They're already waiting at the entrance."

"Oh." Li Luo nodded—he'd already seen the message Xu Youyu sent on WeChat.

She had just picked up Yan Zhusheng at the music academy and driven to the Huayue Film and Television building.

So Li Luo led Ying Chanxi downstairs, found his Audi in the underground parking lot, drove out the exit, located Xu Youyu's car on the street, and pulled up beside it, rolling down his window.

"Let's go. You know where?" Li Luo asked.

"Of course I do. You lead the way," Xu Youyu rolled down her passenger window and gestured to Li Luo.

Yan Zhusheng sat in the front passenger seat.

Four people, two cars, drove down the road—Li Luo soon guided them to an auto park.

The area housed several authorized 4S dealerships of different brands, making it easy to view cars and even test-drive them on-site.

After finishing the auditions today, Li Luo had already planned his next move: bringing the three girls here to pick out new cars.

"Which one first?" Li Luo asked the three women as he stepped out of the car. "Any preferences?"

"If you all have no ideas, let's start with BMW," Xu Youyu linked arms with her two best friends, grinning. "I've always wanted to see the BMW 7 Series. I couldn't afford it before, but now I'm not holding back."

Knowing Li Luo intended to spoil them, Xu Youyu understood this perfectly—and sensing Ying Chanxi and Yan Zhusheng always tried to save Li Luo money—she volunteered, winking at him: "Don't get stingy with your wallet later."

"Just don't worry about my wallet for me," Li Luo trailed behind slowly. "Before we look at cars, let's set a rule: no cars under 500,000 yuan."

"Huh?" Hearing that price, Ying Chanxi immediately looked troubled. "That's way too expensive."