Chinese entertainment: Top stars started being pursued by young actresses

Chapter 184, Section 183: Zhou Ye: The Most Familiar Stranger (5k)

The recording of Happy Camp continued until late at night.

Afterwards, Guo Zifan suggested that the four of them go to a nearby hot pot restaurant for hot pot.

Liu Jiawei shook his head: "I won't go. I... I have something to do. I'll go now."

He seemed a little nervous.

Guo Zifan: "Ah... not going?"

"Okay, everyone, I have to go now. Goodbye."

After Liu Jiawei finished speaking, he left alone.

Guo Zifan sighed and looked at Lin Shaobai and Zhou Ye standing beside him: "So, you two will have hot pot with me."

"Don't go."

Zhou Ye turned around.

Lin Shaobai: "I'm not going either."

"Hey, you two."

Zhou Ye and Lin Shaobai walked forward together, leaving only the pitiful Guo Zifan behind.

"If you won't eat it, I'll eat it myself!"

Lin Shaobai was about to take a car to the airport. He didn't have time to eat hot pot here; he still had to catch a flight back to Xiamen to film.

Before getting on the bus, she saw Zhou Ye pass by and called out to her.

"You should be going back to Beijing too, right? How about we take a ride together to the airport?"

Zhou Ye stopped and slowly turned his head to look at Lin Shaobai.

"Did you call me?"

She seemed to be saying that on purpose.

Lin Shaobai: "Then who else can I call here?"

Zhou Ye raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure you're going to give me a ride? You're not going to say it's free now but then make me pay after I get in the car, are you?"

"..."

Lin Shaobai remained silent.

Zhou Ye has quite a vivid imagination; he actually came up with this idea.

"No normal person would do that, but a rip-off driver would. Alright, get in the car."

"..."

Zhou Ye stopped thinking about it; she was now fighting alone.

Why not hitch a ride if you can?

He didn't speak to Lin Shaobai after getting in the car.

The sight of the two sitting in the back row inevitably brings to mind a song.

The Most Familiar Stranger.

The driver who had been driving Lin Shaobai sensed that the atmosphere in the car was a bit strange.

They also dared not speak.

After a while, Zhou Ye felt the atmosphere was too awkward, so he took the initiative to say, "You're going to film a movie, right?"

"Yes."

"Are you still filming that drama with Zhang Jingyi?"

"Ah."

The two of them, one looking at the left side of the car and the other looking at the right side, were positioned with one eye on the car

They might even look straight ahead without looking at each other.

"You seem to have had a lot of fun filming, Lin Shaobai."

Zhou Ye was stunned for a while after saying that.

She didn't know why she said that at this time.

Isn't this just deliberately provoking someone?
And after saying that, why does the voice sound so much like a little person's?

Wait, what kind of person is this?!
"I'm quite happy."

"you!"

Zhou Ye immediately became angry.

Whenever Zhang Jingyi is mentioned, she recalls the scene where the two confronted each other.

Zhou Ye could even recite those scenes and every single word.

"Being happy is good! Being happy is the best thing! The purpose of life is to be happy!"

Zhou Ye was furious, but when he finally spoke, he could only hide it with a fake smile.

"Senior sister, are you angry?"

Lin Shaobai turned to look at Zhou Ye and said.

Zhou Ye, who had been clenching his teeth, slowly relaxed after hearing those words.

How do you think I wouldn't be angry?

"Senior sister, I was wrong before."

"I also wanted to ask you, what was Zhang Jingyi's reaction?"

"She didn't react much."

"what?!"

Zhou Ye stared straight into Lin Shaobai's eyes, somewhat incredulous.

"She didn't even react to something this big. Is she even human?"

"..."

Lin Shaobai recalled what he had just said, and thought there was nothing wrong with it.

It means the reaction wasn't significant, not that there was no reaction at all.

Zhang Jingyi's most frequent reaction was to cry.

Because of her personality, she would only swallow her bitterness in silence.

The pain in my heart is something I can process on my own; there's no need to make a scene like a shrew.

"Uh, I didn't mean to insult her, I... I might have expressed myself inaccurately..." Zhou Ye realized that there was a problem with his words and quickly tried to make amends: "I just felt that after something like this happened, she didn't react at all."

"There was a reaction, but it wasn't strong. Senior sister, actually I..."

"Lin Shaobai."

Zhou Ye interrupted him.

"If she doesn't react, then just stay with her. Anyway, I'll say it again: I can't accept anyone else."

Zhou Ye turned his head to the side and looked out the window.

The conversation between the two of them hit a freezing point again.

Zhou Ye couldn't accept that there were other people around Lin Shaobai.

She couldn't understand how Zhang Jingyi could accept it.

Is it because this person surnamed Zhang thinks differently from others?

Is her brain structure different from others?
Or perhaps her heart is structured differently from others.

If she can accept this, what else can't she accept?

Zhou Ye also wavered, but then he thought that what others do is their business.

She herself cannot waver.

"Let's change the subject, Lin Shaobai."

"Alright, by the way, are you signing with Song?"

Lin Shaobai asked.

"No."

Zhou Ye's answer was decisive.

"Li Binbin really likes you. I heard he contacted you several more times afterward, trying to get you signed by that company..."

“I originally planned to be with you. But now that this has happened, I definitely can't do that anymore. They want me to sign a ten-year contract. I'm only in my early twenties, and if I sign a ten-year contract, I'll be 30 by then. The best ten years of my life will be spent with this company. It's a huge gamble…”

Zhou Ye understood this principle, so he did not agree to the company's offer.

If something happens during this period and she is blacklisted, she will not get any exposure, will not earn any money, and will not be able to afford such a large penalty to terminate the contract.

Many artists waste the best years of their careers at their companies because they can't afford to pay the breach of contract fees.

They signed a ten-year contract right away.

Are you kidding me?!

Zhou Ye didn't dare gamble with her acting career.

But she also knew that if she relied solely on sending out resumes and going to interviews, it would be difficult to get good scripts.

They might not even be eligible for an interview.

The future is uncertain.

I get incredibly anxious just thinking about it.

"You can sign a contract with my company now."

"No way!" Zhou Ye said, throwing a tantrum like a child. "It would be so awkward to run into you all the time."

“We’re face to face right now, and I don’t see any awkwardness at all.”

“This is just the surface!”

Zhou Ye suddenly turned his head and pointed at Lin Shaobai's face: "Don't be fooled by my calm demeanor now, I've actually dug a castle out of the ground with my toes!"

Despite her fierce and stern tone, Lin Shaobai didn't sense any anger from her.

Lin Shaobai stared at it, then raised an eyebrow helplessly and said somewhat exasperatedly, "You've only said a few words and you've already dug a castle out of your toes?"

"Yes! You have a problem with that?!"

Zhou Ye bent down, grabbed a handful of air from under his feet, and held it in front of Lin Shaobai's eyes.

"Look! This is the castle I was talking about."

"..."

Lin Shaobai looked at Zhou Ye's empty palm with a sense of helplessness.

What is this called?
Is this the Emperor's New Clothes?

Sure enough, no matter how much time passed, Zhou Ye still liked to do these strange things.

"Honestly, why would I want to play this game with you?"

Seeing that Lin Shaobai remained silent for a long time, Zhou Ye quickly withdrew his hand.

Only now have I realized that we've already broken up and are definitely exes!

Why play this kind of game so intimately?

Zhou Ye blushed slightly at the thought, feeling a little ashamed.

I still can't change my old habits.

Sigh, let's take it slow.

……

Filming for "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is scheduled to wrap up at the end of June.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter. On this day, Zhang Jingyi stood outside wearing the school uniform from the play.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on him, leaving dappled shadows.

The wind rustled the leaves, and the light and shadow moved with them. But this scene felt slightly unsettling to Zhang Jingyi.

She felt it was too hot today, the temperature was so high that she felt like she was going to faint.

This temperature was tolerable before, so why am I feeling a bit dizzy today?
Zhang Jingyi wanted to finish filming quickly so she could go back to her hotel and rest.

"Zhang Jingyi, come over here!"

Staff members called out to her from a distance, but Zhang Jingyi felt her legs go weak as soon as she took a step.

Immediately afterwards, I lost consciousness and everything went black.

Just as she was about to fall, Lin Shaobai ran over, helped her up, and held her in his arms.

"Zhang Jingyi! How are you?!"

Lin Shaobai looked at Zhang Jingyi in his arms and called out.

He quickly picked the person up and placed them under the shade of a tree. After a while, the staff members also came over in a few scattered places.

Everyone is curious about what happened to Zhang Jingyi.
However, judging from this situation, it might be dizziness caused by prolonged sun exposure?

Zhang Jingyi spent the whole day filming outside; it's unrealistic for her not to feel dizzy under the scorching sun.

It's amazing that she's managed to hold on this long.

The staff nearby quickly brought ice packs and Huoxiang Zhengqi Water (a traditional Chinese medicine for heatstroke).

Once she regained some strength, Zhang Jingyi quickly got up, thinking about filming.

In this situation, it all comes down to willpower; she doesn't want to be a burden to everyone.

The director also ran over and asked, "Zhang Jingyi, are you alright? Should we go to the hospital?"

"No need. Don't worry, Director, I didn't have heatstroke. I'm just a little dizzy, I'll be fine after a while."

Zhang Jingyi was sitting on a small stool, with beads of sweat on her forehead.

"Are you really alright? You didn't go to the hospital last time, you should go and get checked out this time."

"No need, Director, I don't need to go to the hospital. Look, I'm already fine."

Zhang Jingyi raised the corners of her mouth and looked around at the staff surrounding her.

She thought that she would never forget the show even after it ended.

Because no matter what, the concern in everyone's eyes is genuine.

Turning her head again, she saw Lin Shaobai sitting beside her, and Zhang Jingyi felt incredibly happy.

Fortunately, Lin Shaobai was there.

Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how badly you'd get hurt if you fell to the ground.

"Thank you."

Zhang Jingyi suddenly said to Lin Shaobai.

Her voice was soft and sweet, traveling through the sweltering air to Lin Shaobai's ears.

Lin Shaobai: "You've been standing outside for too long."

"Yeah. Plus, I didn't get enough rest, but it's okay, I feel much better now, thank you."

"fine."

Zhang Jingyi took a deep breath and looked into the distance.

At this moment, many extras dressed as students are standing on the playground.

The sky was a deep, clear blue, as if it had been washed by rain.

If it weren't for filming, this scene would only have happened during my student days.

Filming only started in April, but it feels like everything here has already become part of my life.

It's really hard to leave.

Zhang Jingyi thought to herself.

……

On Friday night, Lin Shaobai flew back to his company, Baichen Entertainment.

The company recently hired some more employees.

Similarly, he also hired a personal assistant for himself.

She is a female college student who has just graduated from a prestigious university.

Her surname is Zhao, so Lin Shaobai usually calls her Xiao Zhao.

That evening, after finishing his work, Lin Shaobai and his assistant Xiao Zhao took the elevator to the practice room.

"President Lin, these are the recent performance evaluation results for Kong Xueer and Liu Yuxin."

Assistant Xiao Zhao took out the evaluation form from her bag.

Kong Xueer and Liu Yuxin are idol trainees signed by Baichen Entertainment.

Since they are trainees, they must be assessed every cycle.

Like Xiaohan, there are many trainees in a company, and if they fail the regular assessments, they can be fired.

However, Lin Shaobai's company currently only has two trainees, so it's definitely impossible for them to be let go.

If you fail the assessment, you will at most receive some verbal criticism.

Lin Shaobai first looked at Liu Yuxin's assessment form.

"In the first assessment, she got A's in everything except vocals?"

Assistant Xiao Zhao chimed in, "Yes, Ms. Lin. She's especially outstanding in media class; the instructor described her as flawless."

"Not a drop leaks..."

"That is to say, she can answer any question calmly without hurting anyone or belittling herself. It can be said to be a perfect answer."

"Yes, that does fit her persona."

Lin Shaobai smiled helplessly, then took out the second assessment form.

"Kong Xueer's vocal score is a D? That's almost a failing grade?"

Assistant Xiao Zhao calmly said, "Well, you could say she's hovering around the passing mark. I feel like some of the teachers were a bit sympathetic, so they raised her score a little."

As they talked, they arrived at the door of the practice room.

Lin Shaobai looked inside through the glass door.

Even at this hour, Kong Xueer and her old partner Liu Yuxin are still practicing together.

They've been dancing together since their time in a girl group, and their chemistry is incredibly high.

Perhaps their vocals don't quite meet the teachers' standards, but their dancing is impeccable.

The tears, sweat, hardships, and fundamental skills accumulated over the years will not lie.

After standing outside for ten minutes, Lin Shaobai knocked on the door.

"Dong dong dong."

Kong Xueer turned around and immediately turned off the music, and together with Liu Yuxin, greeted Lin Shaobai.

"Hello, Mr. Lin."

"It's so late, why aren't you resting?"

Lin Shaobai looked at the two of them and said.

"No rest."

"Kong Xueer said, with her head down."

"By the way, I've seen your results from your first assessment since joining the company. Hmm, you need to practice your vocals more. I'm planning to hire an additional vocal coach to give you daily vocal lessons, and you absolutely must."

Lin Shaobai doesn't care what other companies do, but he absolutely cannot neglect the vocal training of his company's trainees.

If you improve your vocal skills, you can participate in singing competition shows in the future.

In the past, trainees in Korean idol groups learned both vocals and dance, but now most trainees only train in dancing.

Just practice your vocals casually, and you'll be good enough to perform on stage.

How many people actually sing live with their microphones completely open?
Even if a video is difficult to judge and has its audio muted, fans will still adore it.

"Oh, as long as my older brother and sister can dance in sync, that's enough!"

"You've already made progress. Look how well you dance, and your singing is improving too. Don't be so impatient."

"Those who say our family is using microphones, take a look at your own microphones first."

Passersby wouldn't bother watching muted videos.

They only watch the most perfect performances.

The only people who truly care about the muted videos and use them to start arguments are the fans of the various groups.

As an idol, you have to dance and sing. Your voice will tremble when you dance, so you must master the basics.

"You guys really need to practice your vocals."

"Ah."

Kong Xueer and Liu Yuxin didn't say much, they just kept nodding.

They discovered that although Lin Shaobai didn't come to the company often, his established plans were quite good.

Moreover, the teachers we invited were all very professional, which is the benefit of having a wide network of contacts.

"I hope you both can improve in the next assessment."

"Don't worry, Mr. Lin!"

Kong Xueer clenched her fist and said with utmost seriousness, "I will definitely not sing off-key in the next assessment."

Assistant Xiao Zhao: "..."

Liu Yuxin: "..."

Lin Shaobai gasped.

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned, because once it was, everyone knew that she sang off-key during the audition.

"You... well, take it easy."

After Lin Shaobai finished speaking, he asked his assistant, Xiao Zhao, to bring over the skincare products he had bought.

"These two boxes of skincare products are a gift I brought for you. Consider it a reward for passing the assessment."

"A prize? I sang off-key, and I still get a prize!"

"Kong Xueer said excitedly."

Lin Shaobai smiled and said, "It's encouragement. I hope you can keep up the good work. Both of you danced very well, both got A's. Consider it a reward for achieving a perfect score in the dance assessment."

Assistant Xiao Zhao distributed the two boxes of skincare products to the two trainees as instructed by Lin Shaobai.

"Then you guys continue practicing, I'm leaving now."

Goodbye, Mr. Lin!

Two minutes after Lin Shaobai left, Kong Xueer couldn't wait to open the skincare products.

"Wow, as expected of President Lin, he's so generous."

Kong Xueer's eyes lit up when she looked at these skincare products.

She's been on a money-saving plan lately, so she doesn't need to buy any skincare products anymore!
"President Lin is, after all, a top influencer."

Do top celebrities ever lack money?
With over a dozen endorsements, how could Lin Shaobai possibly be short of money?
"And, Yuxin, do you know? From what I understand, President Lin's parents are also very rich. Super rich."

Kong Xueer quietly approached Liu Yuxin and said.

Liu Yuxin laughed, annoyed: "It's common knowledge that President Lin's parents are wealthy. They're the vice dean of the Beijing Film Academy's acting department and a major shareholder of Huace Company..."

When Lin Shaobai became popular, his background was exposed.

How could someone with even a little knowledge not know?
"That's why I said that following President Lin's side is the best choice. And President Lin also told me before that as long as we can seize the opportunity of 'Youth With You Season 2,' we will become famous. Xue Er."

Liu Yuxin gripped Kong Xueer's shoulders firmly and said, "We must practice hard, whether it's dance or vocal music. We can't let President Lin down. We must fight for our dreams. Opportunities are rare; seize them and you'll succeed."

"Huh? Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

(End of this chapter)