Chapter 5 Bringing money into the team
Thank you VitaB for the Ko-fi!
After a while, it was time for lunch, and the three artists and their agents moved together to a private room at a hotel not far away. This time it was just a small gathering of the key members of the crew. The scene was not big and the atmosphere was very casual. Ling Xi had been to a lot of dinner parties before, but this was the first time he had dinner with a certain crew. He couldn't get in on the topics the director and the screenwriter were talking about, so he simply ate and drank with peace of mind.
An Ruifeng had seamlessly adapted to the atmosphere at the banquet. He had been so popular in the past two years, not to mention that he was about to step into the film circle. Everyone swarmed over with wine glasses to congratulate him. He welcomed all those who approached, and could converse with them. He did not put on airs, and no matter who mentioned him, he always gave his approval.
Zhu Linlin raised her eyebrows and suddenly asked Ling Xi, her tone aiming to incite: "This is a private party. How did you get in?"
Ling Xi pouted in anger and turned in An Ruifeng's direction: "I firmly hugged the golden thigh and acted as his leg pendant to get in and freeload." He asked: "How did you get in?"
Zhu Linlin stuck out her chest very proudly: "This Great Aunt brought money into the team!"
......that’s why she could take the four words “li suo dang ran[1]” for granted.
Ling Xi later asked Wu Youpeng to find out who Zhu Linlin had been “generous” to, and Wu Youpeng ran to ask the screenwriter he knew well. The screenwriter dage[2] slapped his thigh and pointed to his nose: "Who else can she give it to but me? Anyway, I am also a famous screenwriter. If I can assign your family’s Ling Xi into the group, then of course I can also get Zhu Linlin into the group."
The screenwriter dage was too drunk, and couldn’t control his mouth: “Originally, in this play, there were only three apprentices under the master. One old, one young, and one dog, and they were all male. Male! But Zhu Linlin’s agent approached me and asked me to add a role for her. He said the price was easy to negotiate. I said okay and asked for two million yuan to add a role, but he said it was too expensive. He bargained with me for one million[3]...for one million, humph, she can only play half of the role."
After hearing this, Ling Xi hurriedly offered three more drinks to the screenwriter dage. Zhu Linlin's role was the same as his--they were both co-acting with another actor. However, Zhu Linlin spent a million yuan while he didn't spend a cent. This kindness really moved him to tears.
In addition to thanking the screenwriter, he also wanted to thank his agent Wu Youpeng. These were all opportunities that Brother Wu had helped him fight for by running around. He would no longer dislike the lack of compensation! He must seize this opportunity and try hard to express himself. Maybe he could discover his talent for acting, and from then on, he would soar to the sky and win the golden elephant[4], golden lion[5], and golden man.[6]
After the dinner, Ling Xi once again took An Ruifeng's nanny car to the airport. An Ruifeng drank a lot of wine at dinner, and when he was forced to get into the car, he was still very energetic. Once he sat on the sofa seat, the feeling of fatigue instantly surged to his head. He pulled open the collar of his shirt, swept his hair back with his hands, slid down and lay on the couch.
His clothes were messy, showing a strong chest and a prominent clavicle peeked from his shirt collar. He looked exhausted and smelled of wine from head to foot. One of his long legs was on the sofa and the other on the ground. The shoes on his feet had flown off somewhere. This was a An Ruifeng who hadn't appeared on TV, in magazines, or on the Internet.
Ling Xi suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He was sitting very close to him, and felt like a thief who broke into someone's home, and accidentally peeped into a secret that he shouldn't know.
As An Ruifeng’s agent, Xu Zhiqiang was also toasted with a lot of alcohol at the dinner, but his face looked much better. At least he could still pour water and give medicine to An Ruifeng in a hurry: "Take the medicine and sleep for a while. There are fans at the airport to see you off. You are in a bad condition, so remember to bring a pair of sunglasses."
--So this was it! Ling Xi suddenly realized that when he got in the nanny car, Xu Zhiqiang looked at him with an ugly expression. It turned out that Xu Zhiqiang thought he would not only freeload the car ride, but also freeload the fans again...
But the treatment of the big stars was really different. A small audition meeting had enthusiastic fans picking him up at the airport before the audition and seeing him off after the audition. He was really jealous when he saw it.
Before going to bed, An Ruifeng politely apologized to Ling Xi: "I'm really sorry, I'm in a bad condition today. I let you see a joke."
Ling Xi hurriedly shook his head: "I interrupted you today. Thank you for helping me. Without your introduction to so many people, I couldn’t have spoken in front of the director."
"Why not? Just a moment ago, the director sang your praises to me. He said you are very spiritual, and your eyes are very ‘dramatic’."
It seemed An Ruifeng was faking as a polite and good person, but An Ruifeng's tone was gentle and sincere. Ling Xi couldn't lift his head anymore due to embarrassment. When Ling Xi remembered that he should say something, An Ruifeng had fallen asleep.
A handsome guy was a handsome guy even when asleep. Ling Xi thought, Disney should really make a special animation to teach everyone how to kiss and wake the sleeping prince.
Taking advantage of the two agents’ inattention, he secretly took a picture of An Ruifeng's sleeping face with his mobile phone, and decided to take out this exclusive photo in exchange for rations when he was destitute in the future.
On the way to the airport, Ling Xi and Wu Youpeng took the initiative to ask to get off the car on the road outside the airport. They were embarrassed enough to rub[7] their fans once. No matter how thick their skin was, they couldn’t rub them again. An Ruifeng was already awake at the time, and when he heard Ling Xi's words, he said that it was okay, they were friends and should help each other. Xu Zhiqiang didn't dare to stare at his own artist, so he could only glare at Ling Xi instead, looking like a wicked mother-in-law.
"Nevertheless, it’s troublesome," Ling Xi waved his hand: "Your 'Maple Leaves’ are too enthusiastic. If they see me ride the car twice, I fear that they will say I take advantage of you."
An Ruifeng couldn't persuade him, so he could only let him go. Before they parted, the two exchanged their mobile phone numbers and agreed to keep in touch when they were free.
Looking at the back of An Ruifeng's nanny car, Ling Xi sighed. On his return to B city, he would go into seclusion and rush to compose the first draft of the end credits song before the commencement of shooting for "Jian Jue Tianxia". After that, he had to ask a teacher to train his acting skills. On the other hand, An Ruifeng would fly directly to Hong Kong Island to attend a certain commercial event, and he would concentrate on preparing his first movie. Ling Xi guessed that the next time they saw each other again, the TV series would officially start filming.
※※※
After facing several hours of turbulence on the plane, Ling Xi finally returned to his residence in City B. After running around for two days, Ling Xi's body was exhausted, but his mind was very stimulated. He benefited a lot from this trip to N City. Not only did he successfully get the role, but he also got to know the famous director and screenwriter in the circle. But most importantly, he got acquainted with a strong golden thigh! Now his mobile phone not only had Golden Thigh’s contact number, but also had the photo of Golden Thigh’s sleeping face!
He was just a little shrimp in the entertainment industry, while An Ruifeng was a rising star. When he thought about how he had hooked up with such a powerful "friend", Ling Xi was like a happy little turtle turned over in the air, randomly kicking all four limbs...
However, in the entertainment circle, making friends was regarded as important as “an appropriate match”. The status difference between them was so big that the paparazzi would definitely make a fuss about their friendship.
Ling Xi grunted and sat up from the bed. He quickly turned on the phone. Yesterday when the two of them appeared together at the airport for an interview, he had a stiff smiling face. He wondered if he was ridiculed by reporters.
He first searched in those entertainment portals and found that everything was calm. The news of An Ruifeng's audition for "Jian Jue Tianxia" naturally occupied the front position in the recommended articles. He clicked on it and read the report. The main news was that An Ruifeng appeared at the airport in N City yesterday and was about to participate in the audition of "Jian Jue Tianxia". Because of his recent hectic work schedule, he had lost a lot of weight. His fans were crying in distress.
As for Ling Xi?
In the last paragraph of the news-- "Singer Ling Xi, who also appeared at the airport, will help out with the end-credits song of "Jian Jue Tianxia". It was reported that he will also participate in the audition." Just a few dozen words summed up all of Ling Xi's efforts in the past two days and the next few months.
Seeing this news, the neglected Ling Xi rejoiced and yet, also felt a sense of loss...
After scanning all the entertainment websites, Ling Xi thought for a moment and clicked on An Ruifeng's fan network. An Ruifeng’s fan website was linked to the personal website set up for him by the agency. When he first debuted, the fan-net had no restrictions for registration and browsing. But after his fans increased rapidly like mitotic spores, the website repeatedly raised the threshold for registration and did not allow non-members to browse.
It could be said that this website gathered An Ruifeng's most loyal and experienced die-hard fans. If you wanted to know the latest and most complete information about An Ruifeng, this was the right place.
It was a curious coincidence that Ling Xi had an account on this website. His main purpose had been to watch the "Maple Leaf" civil war... But today he landed on the fan-net to cast a solemn vote on the post “An Ruifeng’s best feature: his eyes or his lips?”
As a result, after opening the post, he was stuck between the two options in the main building[8] for half an hour and couldn’t choose either. He could only click the little red cross, crestfallen.
He truly looked good from any angle. He really looked good when he gazed at you earnestly, and he also looked good when he smiled at you.
Ling Xi couldn't vote, so he just wandered around on the fan network. Maple Leaf Fan Network had very clear divisions. It included the picture area, film and television area, (Mary Sue) literature area, news information area, and so on. Just like every website, the gossip irrigation area was always the most active place for fans. Ling Xi opened the gossip irrigation area to see if there was any sensational news about An Ruifeng recently. As a result, the very first forum thread was so dazzling, it almost blinded his eyes.
〓Maple Leaf Flutters〓Heart has Ling Xi〓150702|| Airport pick-up and drop off fans gossip! Ling Xi and An Ruifeng’s covert friendship! Lots of materials and pictures!
Just by looking at the title, Ling Xi was scared enough to pee. Why did his name appear here...
Footnotes:
[1] as it should be by rights (idiom); proper and to be expected as a matter of course; inevitable and right.
[2] Big brother.
[3] 1000000 yuan = 155300 USD as of today. Woah! That’s a lot of money.
[4] The only award I could find is given to the developer of the most outstanding board game of the year. This doesn’t make sense as the next two awards are related to films. Let me know if any film award trophy is a golden elephant.
[5] The highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival.
[6] Oscar.
[7] freeload.
[8] Main building refers to the post. The commentators are called floors. For example: The first comment is the first floor and so on.
Chapter 5 Bringing money into the team
Thank you VitaB for the Ko-fi!
After a while, it was time for lunch, and the three artists and their agents moved together to a private room at a hotel not far away. This time it was just a small gathering of the key members of the crew. The scene was not big and the atmosphere was very casual. Ling Xi had been to a lot of dinner parties before, but this was the first time he had dinner with a certain crew. He couldn't get in on the topics the director and the screenwriter were talking about, so he simply ate and drank with peace of mind.
An Ruifeng had seamlessly adapted to the atmosphere at the banquet. He had been so popular in the past two years, not to mention that he was about to step into the film circle. Everyone swarmed over with wine glasses to congratulate him. He welcomed all those who approached, and could converse with them. He did not put on airs, and no matter who mentioned him, he always gave his approval.
Zhu Linlin raised her eyebrows and suddenly asked Ling Xi, her tone aiming to incite: "This is a private party. How did you get in?"
Ling Xi pouted in anger and turned in An Ruifeng's direction: "I firmly hugged the golden thigh and acted as his leg pendant to get in and freeload." He asked: "How did you get in?"
Zhu Linlin stuck out her chest very proudly: "This Great Aunt brought money into the team!"
......that’s why she could take the four words “li suo dang ran[1]” for granted.
Ling Xi later asked Wu Youpeng to find out who Zhu Linlin had been “generous” to, and Wu Youpeng ran to ask the screenwriter he knew well. The screenwriter dage[2] slapped his thigh and pointed to his nose: "Who else can she give it to but me? Anyway, I am also a famous screenwriter. If I can assign your family’s Ling Xi into the group, then of course I can also get Zhu Linlin into the group."
The screenwriter dage was too drunk, and couldn’t control his mouth: “Originally, in this play, there were only three apprentices under the master. One old, one young, and one dog, and they were all male. Male! But Zhu Linlin’s agent approached me and asked me to add a role for her. He said the price was easy to negotiate. I said okay and asked for two million yuan to add a role, but he said it was too expensive. He bargained with me for one million[3]...for one million, humph, she can only play half of the role."
After hearing this, Ling Xi hurriedly offered three more drinks to the screenwriter dage. Zhu Linlin's role was the same as his--they were both co-acting with another actor. However, Zhu Linlin spent a million yuan while he didn't spend a cent. This kindness really moved him to tears.
In addition to thanking the screenwriter, he also wanted to thank his agent Wu Youpeng. These were all opportunities that Brother Wu had helped him fight for by running around. He would no longer dislike the lack of compensation! He must seize this opportunity and try hard to express himself. Maybe he could discover his talent for acting, and from then on, he would soar to the sky and win the golden elephant[4], golden lion[5], and golden man.[6]
After the dinner, Ling Xi once again took An Ruifeng's nanny car to the airport. An Ruifeng drank a lot of wine at dinner, and when he was forced to get into the car, he was still very energetic. Once he sat on the sofa seat, the feeling of fatigue instantly surged to his head. He pulled open the collar of his shirt, swept his hair back with his hands, slid down and lay on the couch.
His clothes were messy, showing a strong chest and a prominent clavicle peeked from his shirt collar. He looked exhausted and smelled of wine from head to foot. One of his long legs was on the sofa and the other on the ground. The shoes on his feet had flown off somewhere. This was a An Ruifeng who hadn't appeared on TV, in magazines, or on the Internet.
Ling Xi suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He was sitting very close to him, and felt like a thief who broke into someone's home, and accidentally peeped into a secret that he shouldn't know.
As An Ruifeng’s agent, Xu Zhiqiang was also toasted with a lot of alcohol at the dinner, but his face looked much better. At least he could still pour water and give medicine to An Ruifeng in a hurry: "Take the medicine and sleep for a while. There are fans at the airport to see you off. You are in a bad condition, so remember to bring a pair of sunglasses."
--So this was it! Ling Xi suddenly realized that when he got in the nanny car, Xu Zhiqiang looked at him with an ugly expression. It turned out that Xu Zhiqiang thought he would not only freeload the car ride, but also freeload the fans again...
But the treatment of the big stars was really different. A small audition meeting had enthusiastic fans picking him up at the airport before the audition and seeing him off after the audition. He was really jealous when he saw it.
Before going to bed, An Ruifeng politely apologized to Ling Xi: "I'm really sorry, I'm in a bad condition today. I let you see a joke."
Ling Xi hurriedly shook his head: "I interrupted you today. Thank you for helping me. Without your introduction to so many people, I couldn’t have spoken in front of the director."
"Why not? Just a moment ago, the director sang your praises to me. He said you are very spiritual, and your eyes are very ‘dramatic’."
It seemed An Ruifeng was faking as a polite and good person, but An Ruifeng's tone was gentle and sincere. Ling Xi couldn't lift his head anymore due to embarrassment. When Ling Xi remembered that he should say something, An Ruifeng had fallen asleep.
A handsome guy was a handsome guy even when asleep. Ling Xi thought, Disney should really make a special animation to teach everyone how to kiss and wake the sleeping prince.
Taking advantage of the two agents’ inattention, he secretly took a picture of An Ruifeng's sleeping face with his mobile phone, and decided to take out this exclusive photo in exchange for rations when he was destitute in the future.
On the way to the airport, Ling Xi and Wu Youpeng took the initiative to ask to get off the car on the road outside the airport. They were embarrassed enough to rub[7] their fans once. No matter how thick their skin was, they couldn’t rub them again. An Ruifeng was already awake at the time, and when he heard Ling Xi's words, he said that it was okay, they were friends and should help each other. Xu Zhiqiang didn't dare to stare at his own artist, so he could only glare at Ling Xi instead, looking like a wicked mother-in-law.
"Nevertheless, it’s troublesome," Ling Xi waved his hand: "Your 'Maple Leaves’ are too enthusiastic. If they see me ride the car twice, I fear that they will say I take advantage of you."
An Ruifeng couldn't persuade him, so he could only let him go. Before they parted, the two exchanged their mobile phone numbers and agreed to keep in touch when they were free.
Looking at the back of An Ruifeng's nanny car, Ling Xi sighed. On his return to B city, he would go into seclusion and rush to compose the first draft of the end credits song before the commencement of shooting for "Jian Jue Tianxia". After that, he had to ask a teacher to train his acting skills. On the other hand, An Ruifeng would fly directly to Hong Kong Island to attend a certain commercial event, and he would concentrate on preparing his first movie. Ling Xi guessed that the next time they saw each other again, the TV series would officially start filming.
※※※
After facing several hours of turbulence on the plane, Ling Xi finally returned to his residence in City B. After running around for two days, Ling Xi's body was exhausted, but his mind was very stimulated. He benefited a lot from this trip to N City. Not only did he successfully get the role, but he also got to know the famous director and screenwriter in the circle. But most importantly, he got acquainted with a strong golden thigh! Now his mobile phone not only had Golden Thigh’s contact number, but also had the photo of Golden Thigh’s sleeping face!
He was just a little shrimp in the entertainment industry, while An Ruifeng was a rising star. When he thought about how he had hooked up with such a powerful "friend", Ling Xi was like a happy little turtle turned over in the air, randomly kicking all four limbs...
However, in the entertainment circle, making friends was regarded as important as “an appropriate match”. The status difference between them was so big that the paparazzi would definitely make a fuss about their friendship.
Ling Xi grunted and sat up from the bed. He quickly turned on the phone. Yesterday when the two of them appeared together at the airport for an interview, he had a stiff smiling face. He wondered if he was ridiculed by reporters.
He first searched in those entertainment portals and found that everything was calm. The news of An Ruifeng's audition for "Jian Jue Tianxia" naturally occupied the front position in the recommended articles. He clicked on it and read the report. The main news was that An Ruifeng appeared at the airport in N City yesterday and was about to participate in the audition of "Jian Jue Tianxia". Because of his recent hectic work schedule, he had lost a lot of weight. His fans were crying in distress.
As for Ling Xi?
In the last paragraph of the news-- "Singer Ling Xi, who also appeared at the airport, will help out with the end-credits song of "Jian Jue Tianxia". It was reported that he will also participate in the audition." Just a few dozen words summed up all of Ling Xi's efforts in the past two days and the next few months.
Seeing this news, the neglected Ling Xi rejoiced and yet, also felt a sense of loss...
After scanning all the entertainment websites, Ling Xi thought for a moment and clicked on An Ruifeng's fan network. An Ruifeng’s fan website was linked to the personal website set up for him by the agency. When he first debuted, the fan-net had no restrictions for registration and browsing. But after his fans increased rapidly like mitotic spores, the website repeatedly raised the threshold for registration and did not allow non-members to browse.
It could be said that this website gathered An Ruifeng's most loyal and experienced die-hard fans. If you wanted to know the latest and most complete information about An Ruifeng, this was the right place.
It was a curious coincidence that Ling Xi had an account on this website. His main purpose had been to watch the "Maple Leaf" civil war... But today he landed on the fan-net to cast a solemn vote on the post “An Ruifeng’s best feature: his eyes or his lips?”
As a result, after opening the post, he was stuck between the two options in the main building[8] for half an hour and couldn’t choose either. He could only click the little red cross, crestfallen.
He truly looked good from any angle. He really looked good when he gazed at you earnestly, and he also looked good when he smiled at you.
Ling Xi couldn't vote, so he just wandered around on the fan network. Maple Leaf Fan Network had very clear divisions. It included the picture area, film and television area, (Mary Sue) literature area, news information area, and so on. Just like every website, the gossip irrigation area was always the most active place for fans. Ling Xi opened the gossip irrigation area to see if there was any sensational news about An Ruifeng recently. As a result, the very first forum thread was so dazzling, it almost blinded his eyes.
〓Maple Leaf Flutters〓Heart has Ling Xi〓150702|| Airport pick-up and drop off fans gossip! Ling Xi and An Ruifeng’s covert friendship! Lots of materials and pictures!
Just by looking at the title, Ling Xi was scared enough to pee. Why did his name appear here...
Footnotes:
[1] as it should be by rights (idiom); proper and to be expected as a matter of course; inevitable and right.
[2] Big brother.
[3] 1000000 yuan = 155300 USD as of today. Woah! That’s a lot of money.
[4] The only award I could find is given to the developer of the most outstanding board game of the year. This doesn’t make sense as the next two awards are related to films. Let me know if any film award trophy is a golden elephant.
[5] The highest prize given to a film at the Venice Film Festival.
[6] Oscar.
[7] freeload.
[8] Main building refers to the post. The commentators are called floors. For example: The first comment is the first floor and so on.
