Chapter 115: Wang Ou: Boss Yan, Can You Let Me Try Out for a Role?

Yi'an Film & Television

After more than a month away from the company, Yan Li felt like there were many more people around.

On one hand, the company was running multiple projects and constantly hiring; on the other, many crew members from the Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies production were also working in the office, turning the formerly empty 300-square-meter studio into something of a squeeze.

"Boss Yan."

"Good morning, Boss."

"..."

As soon as Yan Li stepped through the door, employees and crew members alike greeted him all the way from the front desk to his office.

Having experienced this many times before, Yan Li, though pleased by the larger crowd and the extra warmth this time, remained composed, merely nodding slightly or raising a hand in acknowledgment.

Behind him, Wang Ou watched as Yan Li greeted everyone in the company, her eyes sparkling with admiration.

Wang Ou, already possessing a strong presence and refined bearing, now seemed especially radiant, vigorous, and commanding.

"Xiao Hu, this is Wang Ou. Take care of her first, then bring me all the company documents from this period, and notify Vice Director Yue and Director Xiao, plus Finance and HR—they must stay in the office this afternoon; I may need them at any time."

"Understood."

Secretary Hu Ya opened the door for Yan Li, brewed tea, tidied the documents, and quietly withdrew from the office.

Wang Ou had been waiting at her desk; Hu Ya opened her drawer: "What would you like? Tea, coffee, or a drink?"

"No trouble needed—just plain water."

Hu Ya poured her a glass of water, her round face tilted as she studied Wang Ou: "I feel like I've seen you somewhere before—are you an actress?"

"Sort of, but I haven't done much filming—I auditioned for Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies before."

"Oh, now I remember!"

Hu Ya slapped her forehead—she'd helped out during the production's auditions and had seen Wang Ou then.

The woman was tall and had a distinctive look, so Hu Ya remembered her, which explained why she felt she'd seen her before.

"Why are you with the Boss? Are you going to sign with our company? Didn't you say you're not taking on talent management right now?"

Wang Ou was curious: "Why not take on talent management? Your company seems pretty big."

This wasn't flattery—Wang Ou had visited few film companies, and Yi'an was among the most impressive, which was why she'd originally wanted to sign with them.

She never expected this company wouldn't sign artists at all.

"The Boss thinks talent management is troublesome and not very profitable, so he's putting it on hold for now. The company's focus is on investment, production, and distribution. We'll consider talent management later, once we have more bandwidth."

Talent management isn't unprofitable, but compared to film production, the margins are smaller.

Still, film production carries the risk of loss, while talent doesn't—once you have one famous artist, you can earn money continuously.

Plus, talent management complements film production, maximizing resource utilization, so many film companies consider it.

Yan Li hadn't abandoned talent management, but he felt his resources were limited and he lacked suitable staff, so he'd hold off on it for now.

Once the company accumulates enough connections and more projects come in, artists will come knocking on their own.

Of course, there was also a small, unspoken reason: Yan Li feared that if the company signed anyone, Dong Xuan and Qin Lan would both rush to join Yi'an, and trouble would brew at home.

Unaware of the inner details, Wang Ou's heart sank halfway when she heard Yi'an wouldn't sign artists for now.

But then she thought of Yan Li again.

Whether the company signed artists or not—it was still just the Boss's word. Likewise, if Yan Li was willing to promote her, signing with the company or not made no difference.

Wang Ou waited patiently, expecting Yan Li to finish soon.

But Yan Li seemed to have forgotten her—he kept working, with several people coming and going from his office, and she never saw him emerge, until dusk fell and many employees had left; only then did Hu Ya knock to remind him.

"It's this late?"

Yan Li's office was dim, so the lights had stayed on; absorbed in work, he hadn't noticed the time, and hadn't realized it was already dark.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

Yan Li offered a slight apology; Wang Ou assured him it was fine, and added a compliment: "Seeing how seriously you work, no wonder you're so successful at such a young age."

"Can't be helped—born to work."

Yan Li waved his hand, then turned to Hu Ya: "Have you eaten? Come with us."

Hu Ya glanced at Wang Ou, then shook her round face: "No thanks, I've already made plans with friends."

"Mm."

Yan Li didn't press further; he left the company with Wang Ou, and as they waited for the elevator, he called Qin Lan.

"Don't wait up for me—I've got another engagement. Yeah, I've got my keys."

After hanging up, Yan Li shook his phone: "Girlfriend. Just letting her know."

Wang Ou's eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled warmly: "Your girlfriend is truly lucky to have such an outstanding boyfriend, Boss Yan."

"Hah."

Yan Li chuckled, and on the way to the restaurant, he chatted casually with Wang Ou, half-heartedly.

Though this girl was somewhat shrewd, she was still young—no match for Yan Li.

After a while, he had drawn out plenty of information from her.

From Guizhou, just turned 21, started entering modeling competitions at 19, won the China-Vietnam Modeling Championship last year, and made her first film and TV appearance.

Earlier this year, she entered the CCTV modeling competition, advanced from the Guizhou regional round to the finals, and achieved a solid result.

As a result, she received some opportunities and stayed in Jingcheng, beginning her Northward drift.

Modeling is hard to survive in—the circle is complicated, and the pay is low—so she wanted to move into film and television.

This was Wang Ou's resume, and Yan Li had also extracted most of her family background.

Her parents divorced and paid her little attention; she was left with neighbors to raise from a young age, with limited living expenses. She studied dance in middle school to earn money for herself, harboring resentment toward her parents yet craving their attention.

Currently, Wang Ou shares a small apartment with two modeling friends.

She takes occasional freelance gigs—print ads, car modeling—and spends the rest of her time auditioning; if modeling brings no income, she survives by dancing or other odd jobs.

Independent, emotionally starved, financially strained!

After sizing her up, Yan Li formed an assessment of Wang Ou, then added a note: personality—calculating and selfish.

These two words were not pejorative, but objective, truthful descriptions.

Deprived of love since childhood, living in hardship, consumed with the desire to escape her plight and climb upward—how could she not be calculative?

Her parents ignored her, her grandmother didn't care, her grandfather didn't love her—she fought her way from her hometown to Jingcheng, surviving in the murky world of modeling; it would be strange if she weren't selfish.

To be honest, Yan Li had originally just wanted to find a beautiful, visually appealing "friend" for some transactional arrangement.

But after hearing Wang Ou's background, he genuinely felt a spark of admiration for her talent.

For a girlfriend, he preferred Dong Xuan, Qin Lan—women who didn't cause trouble, gentle and family-oriented, with few scheming thoughts.

But as a boss, he favored such ruthless people who climbed with all their might—bold, relentless, willing to risk everything.

Of course, such people were useful, but they carried the risk of turning on you at any moment.

Today they might call you "Father," tomorrow they might grab a halberd and shout, "Old villain, give me your life!" and stab you in the gut.

If Yan Li didn't have an intelligence network, he'd also be vague, advising cautious use.

But he had his system as leverage, allowing him to maximize prevention and control over such risks—his courage and resolve grew considerably.

So, seeing Wang Ou's traits and her physical attributes, Yan Li seriously considered whether he might nurture and elevate her.

The company didn't sign artists—so he'd keep her loosely managed, occasionally offering resources to test her true quality.

It wasn't that ruthless people were guaranteed success—ability, tactics, and fortune all mattered crucially.

Yan Li wasn't afraid Wang Ou would run off after tasting a little sweetness—he had absolute confidence in himself; if she fled before signing, she was foolish, with poor vision and intellect, unworthy of cultivation.

Yi'an didn't need Wang Ou—it could still elevate others; but if Wang Ou left Yi'an, things would be very different.

Having made up his mind, Yan Li stopped probing further and switched to casual chatter.

Wang Ou, however, was impatient—she'd finally stumbled upon this opportunity; if she missed it today, who knew when she'd get another chance?

Earlier, when Yan Li asked her questions, she thought he was interested in her; now he stopped, and her heart sank.

At the restaurant, Wang Ou reserved a private room and began fawning over Yan Li—serving him dishes, showering him with flattery.

Yan Li remained calm, eating whatever she served, accepting every compliment—but when she slipped in试探, he pretended not to hear.

Opportunities given freely are taken for granted; only those fiercely fought for are valued.

Seeing this, Wang Ou realized these tactics weren't enough. She glanced at Yan Li's face and physique, clenched her teeth, and escalated her efforts.

Her hand casually rested on his, she reached out to subtly wipe his lips, stood to serve him food and pour wine, then "accidentally" tripped, her upper body lightly bouncing against him.

She kept feeding him small sweets, but never let him gain too much advantage—yet left him yearning for more.

"You've got quite a few tricks."

Yan Li sighed—modeling circles truly forged people; her little tactics came one after another.

But Wang Ou had met her match. Yan Li had seen it all—her thunder without rain had almost no effect on him.

One rule: take the sweet, claim the benefit—but still wouldn't Tukou.

Wang Ou was at a loss, unsure what to do next.

They'd only met a few times; Yan Li's attitude was unclear. What if she poured all her resources in and got nothing?

Just as she hesitated, Yan Li suddenly spoke: "By the way, Xiao Ou, I'm about to negotiate a project with a female lead role—I think you'd suit it perfectly. If things go smoothly, I'll recommend you to the director."

"Female lead?"

Wang Ou's eyes flashed bright. Yan Li nodded: "The character is a rural girl who comes to the city for work, gets tricked, and ends up as a hair salon worker, then reforms herself—significant screen time, strong character arc. Would you be willing to play her?"

"Yes yes, I'm willing to play."

Wang Ou nodded frantically—no matter the role, it was the female lead! For a model who couldn't even land a single acting gig, anything was better than nothing.

"Alright."

Yan Li nodded: "I'll arrange it for you later. But…"

"But what?"

Wang Ou's entire being was filled with the three words "female lead." Hearing the turn in Yan Li's tone, her heart clenched.

"The hair salon worker in the drama has no intimate or bed scenes, but it's still a sensitive profession—hard to portray."

Yan Li looked at Wang Ou, his tone ambiguous: "You're not a trained actor—I'm worried you won't capture the character's essence?"

Wang Ou looked at Yan Li, cheeks slightly flushed, bit her lip, stood up, and sat on his lap, her small hands stroking him continuously, her breath warm and sweet.

"Boss Yan, if you're unsure, why not help me rehearse?"

"No need for rehearsal—I have to go home soon."

Yan Li shook his head, gently lifted Wang Ou off his lap, placed his hands on her shoulders, and guided her slowly to kneel.

"I'll just explain it to you."

(End of Chapter)