Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 307 Broken Hair

The hearty laughter sounded particularly abrupt in the tense and oppressive atmosphere of the photo studio, instantly attracting the attention of onlookers.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, very curious about who was so brave.

Although everyone understood that the director's sarcastic remark was indeed funny, they all held back in order not to affect filming and not to offend Huang Xiaoming's girlfriend.

Noticing the gazes directed at her, Liu Shishi's fair cheeks flushed instantly, feeling a little embarrassed.

She took a small step back and hid behind her master, Li Xuejian. However, Li Xuejian was not tall enough to completely block out the figure of the eldest sister.

The onlookers recognized the source of the laughter as Liu Shishi, the top female star of Tangren Media.

Huang Jianxin also heard the laughter. He was already annoyed because Yang Ying couldn't cry, and now someone was making things worse. He was about to lose his temper.

Turning around, he saw Liu Shishi and could only suppress his anger and pretend nothing had happened.

Yang Ying, who was also present, was displeased. Although she had never met Liu Shishi before, the Four Little Actresses were prominent figures in the entertainment industry, and she recognized Liu Shishi at a glance.

He found Liu Shishi's laughter extremely grating, clearly mocking him. He secretly made a grudge against her, intending to get his revenge later.

After a brief hiccup, filming continued.

The director realized that dragging things out like this was not a solution, and Andy Lau's patience was clearly reaching its limit, so he immediately made a decision:

"This is the last time. If it doesn't work out, we'll reschedule for another day. Yang Ying, you have three minutes to get into character. Behave yourself."

Three minutes flew by. It was unclear whether it was the stimulation of Liu Shishi's laughter, the encouragement from the director, or the effect of the eye drops.

In short, Yang Ying's eyes were slightly moist this time, and she squeezed out two crystal tears, as if she had cried a little.

Huang Jianxin stared at the monitor screen. Although Yang Ying's performance was mediocre, it was still much better than the previous times.

With a long sigh, believing that helping others is helping yourself, and not wanting to torture himself and Liu Dehua any longer, he shouted, "Cut! That's a wrap!"

In front of the camera, Andy Lau's tense body instantly relaxed, he breathed heavily, and his face showed a relieved expression.

At that moment, this entertainment industry superstar secretly vowed in his heart that he would never work with Yang Ying again in this lifetime.

The scenes I just filmed felt like a nightmare. Working with an actress with this kind of acting skill can cause psychological trauma that's hard to heal.

"Disperse, disperse!" Seeing that more and more onlookers were gathering on the sidelines and crowding the set, Huang Jianxin dispersed them.

Seeing that the scene was finally over, everyone left happily, in small groups, and went away together.

Recalling what he had just seen and heard, Li Xuejian felt it was unbelievable and muttered to himself:
"That girl must be a singer or model. Even if she wants to switch to acting, she'll have to put in a lot of hard work and hone her skills. Coming into acting with zero experience, what does she think the entertainment industry is? A game!"

Seeing her master's displeasure, Liu Shishi comforted her, "Her role is probably just a scene or two, just a temporary cameo. And the director didn't say anything, so why are you getting angry? It's not worth it."

Li Xuejian nodded slowly. With directors Han Sanping and Huang Jianxin around, he really didn't need to worry about anything: "Girl, I'll take you to meet some old friends."

"Okay." Liu Shishi followed her master closely and soon arrived at a spacious rest shed.

Looking around, she recognized all the people sitting inside; they were all well-known bigwigs in the film and television industry.

"Brother Xuejian is here! We were just about to come looking for you." Wang Xueqi saw Li Xuejian from afar, quickly stood up, and greeted him warmly.

"Brother Xueqi, it's been a long time! How have you been?" Li Xuejian greeted him with a smile, quickly walking up to him and giving Wang Xueqi a firm hug.

He then waved to Liu Shishi, "You know all of these people, right? Do you need me to introduce them?"

"I know her!" The eldest sister nodded vigorously, subtly sizing her up.

Han Sanping, Tang Guoqiang, Zhao Benshan, Wang Xueqi, and Ma Shaoye are all pillars of the industry, so we dared not be careless and quickly and respectfully greeted them.

Seeing that Miss Liu was poised and elegant, and her manners were humble and proper, Li Xuejian was very satisfied: "This is my newly accepted disciple, Liu Shishi. This girl is diligent and eager to learn, and she loves performing."

The others didn't know much about Liu Shishi's background, so they just smiled and nodded politely.

But Han Sanping knew the inside story, and out of courtesy, he responded very warmly, his words full of encouragement for Liu Shishi.

After introducing his apprentice to his old friends, Li Xuejian knew she would feel restricted staying there, so he let her go and stayed to chat with his friends.

Liu Shishi felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She bowed respectfully to the seniors once again before turning to leave.

Watching Liu Shishi's departing figure, Han Sanping couldn't wait to ask, "Xuejian, why did you suddenly take Liu Shishi as your disciple?"

"It was fate. She played Ms. Yang in the movie, who was my 'daughter.' During filming, the young girl sincerely asked me to be her apprentice, so I agreed."

Upon hearing this, Han Sanping couldn't help but sigh, "Brother, you've made a great connection by taking Liu Shishi as your disciple; you're truly blessed. Do you know, her husband is no ordinary person."

"She's been married! What's her husband's background?" Not only was Li Xuejian very surprised, but the others beside her were also very curious.

They all know Liu Shishi, but she's a very popular young actress right now, only 23 years old this year. They've never heard of a female celebrity in the entertainment industry getting married so early.

Seeing Han Sanping being deliberately mysterious and speaking in riddles, Tang Guo forced a smile and urged, "Old Han, stop being so mysterious."

Han Sanping whetted the appetites of his old friends before slowly saying, "Her husband is the top of the rich list, the one from Tengda Group."

"Song Dynasty poetry!" "He's actually the richest man."

The group gasped in surprise, exchanging glances, all seeing disbelief in the eyes of the others.

"Chairman Han, you're not kidding, are you?" Li Xuejian was stunned for a moment, his mouth slightly agape. He really hadn't expected that the female apprentice he had taken in by chance would have such an amazing background. Han Sanping glared at his friend: "Do you think I would joke about something like this?"

Li Xuejian suddenly realized why Han Sanping had been so attentive to Liu Shishi, his attitude completely different from the others.

So this is the reason for everything. I can't help but marvel at the wonder of the world.

"Congratulations, brother!" The group realized what was happening and were filled with envy for Li Xuejian taking the richest man's wife as his disciple.

Although they are highly experienced and prestigious in the entertainment industry, this is all due to their hard work day after day and year after year.

People will treat you with respect and address you as a senior in normal times, but if they don't, you might be called an "old man" behind your back.

Moreover, in today's entertainment industry, capital reigns supreme. Capital doesn't care about seniority or reputation.

By taking Liu Shishi as his disciple, Li Xuejian has established a connection with the richest man in China. This is undoubtedly a great thing for him, both for his own sake and for the sake of his children.

At this moment, Li Xuejian was also overjoyed. He was over fifty years old and could see the end of his life ahead of him, but his children were still young. With Liu Shishi's connection, their future in the entertainment industry would be much smoother.

Life on the set of "Building a Great Cause" is busy and fulfilling. Liu Shishi has been receiving careful guidance from Li Xuejian and has also received frequent pointers from a group of experienced veteran actors in the crew. Her acting skills have improved significantly, and she is now able to act with ease.

That day in the dressing room of the film crew, the leading lady sat quietly in front of the dressing mirror, her whole body wrapped tightly in a barber's cape, with only her small head showing.

Behind her, the stylist held a small, gleaming pair of silver scissors in one hand and a wooden comb in the other, gently combing Liu Shishi's waterfall-like black hair.

"Teacher Liu, you should think this through. If I cut your hair, all your beautiful long hair will be gone. It won't grow back in at least six months."

Looking at her long, flowing hair in the mirror, Liu Shishi's eyes revealed a hint of longing and reluctance. She had been growing her hair long since she was a teenager, and over the years, it had become an integral part of her image.

Mr. Song always liked to gently stroke her long hair, and her fans also loved her beautiful long hair. Now that she had to cut off this familiar hair that had accompanied her for many years, she felt a pang of sadness and reluctance.

However, in pursuit of art and to better portray Ms. Yang's capable image after marriage in the film, Yi Jie's eyes gradually hardened, and she gritted her teeth and ordered, "Cut it! Xiaoxia, and help me put my hair away later."

After speaking, seemingly unable to bear seeing her carefully nurtured hair being cut off, she slowly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, revealing her inner tension.

With Liu Shishi's permission, the stylist no longer hesitated, and with a series of sharp "snip" cuts, the scissors cut off the star's hair.

Lin Xia, quick-witted and agile, swiftly caught the little master's falling hair with a prepared box.

The sound of scissors opening and closing kept entering my ears, one after another, striking at my heartstrings.

After a while, Liu Shishi slowly opened her eyes and nervously looked at her new short hairstyle in the mirror.

Her hair was trimmed to her jawline, and the clean lines accentuated her delicate bone structure. Her entire demeanor instantly transformed from gentle and graceful to capable and efficient, as if she had become a completely different person.

Seeing Liu Shishi staring intently at her reflection in the vanity mirror, a hint of complexity in her eyes, the stylist grinned and said, "Ms. Liu, don't worry, we're professionals. We guarantee to come up with something unique and design a beautiful short hairstyle for you."

After a wash, cut, and blow-dry, the queen of short hair is freshly born.

Liu Shishi stood in front of the long mirror, looking left and right, constantly turning her body, examining her new image from all angles. Her face showed both satisfaction with her new look and nostalgia for her long hair.

As night fell, Song Ci returned home and saw his wife curled up on the sofa scrolling through her phone. He was slightly taken aback, then exclaimed in surprise, "Shishi, your hair?"

When Liu Shishi saw her husband return, she immediately got up from the sofa, stretched out her arms, and gracefully turned around in front of Song Ci: "Husband, how is my new look? Am I beautiful?"

A look of amazement flashed in Song Ci's eyes, and she praised repeatedly: "Beautiful. Short hair is different from long hair, and it has a unique charm. It has both the capable and sharp edge of a modern woman and the gentle and graceful sentiment of a classical woman."

Miss Liu felt a sweet warmth in her heart, but she still pretended to be reproachful and muttered, "Perfunctory! Please, Mr. Song, show off your profound literary skills and use gorgeous words to praise his wife."

"Good!" Song Ci nodded slightly, paused for a moment, and began to speak: "The uniquely cut short hair outlines the delicate bone structure, and the slightly curled ends are like ink brushstrokes lightly sweeping across the neck, revealing a touch of the elegance of a classical lady."

Her jet-black hair shimmered like satin under the light, and the pearl earrings peeking out from behind her ears were like a finishing touch of blank space in a traditional Chinese ink painting.

Song Ci was in high spirits. He reached out and gently stroked his wife's willow-leaf eyebrows, and continued, "My wife's eyebrows and eyes are like a painting. Her short hair further accentuates the arch of her eyebrows and the delicate phoenix shape at the corners of her eyes. Her nose casts a long, thin shadow in the backlight, creating an aesthetic of warm and cool colors with the rose color of her lips."

Liu Shishi was delighted by her husband's beautiful words and writing style, and gave him a kiss: "My husband is amazing. Yuanyuan and Xiaoxia just keep saying how beautiful they are, so beautiful it's bubbly, but there's no originality at all."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and women see women differently than men see women."

Seeing her husband looking tired after a busy day, Liu Shishi knew he had been working on the company's financing these past few days. She helped him sit down on the sofa and asked with concern, "Have you had dinner yet, darling?"

"I've already eaten at the cafeteria." After sitting down, Song Ci closed his eyes and let Liu Shishi gently massage his temples. The gentle and comfortable pressure made him hum softly.

While massaging her husband, Liu Shishi asked considerately, "Would you like Sister Li to make some more late-night snacks?"

"No need." Song Ci leaned against Miss Liu's chest. Facebook was pressing WeChat step by step, and the North American branch was in a bad situation. Financing was urgent, and Tenda needed to find some powerful new shareholders in North America.

"Any gossip in the entertainment industry lately?" Song Ci squinted, gathering her thoughts. Business battles were too oppressive, so since she was at home, she decided not to think about them and instead listen to some interesting stories from the entertainment industry to relax.

Liu Shishi thought about the Weibo posts she had been scrolling through these past two days: "There's nothing particularly sensational in the news, but Feng Xiaogang's film 'The Great Earthquake' has already grossed over 6 million yuan, breaking the record for Chinese-language films."

Also, director Zhang Yimou's new film "Under the Hawthorn Tree" is about to be released and is being promoted online. The female lead is a high school senior named Zhou Dongyu, whom Director Zhang described as "completely ignorant of social etiquette" and said he greatly admires her innocence.

What a lucky young woman! To be chosen by Director Zhang to become a "Zhang Yimou Girl" is like a meteoric rise to fame.

Song Ci sensed the envy in Liu Shishi's words and chuckled, "You are a one-of-a-kind 'Ci Girl' in the entertainment industry, which is much better than 'Zhang Yimou Girl'."

"If you want to make a movie, just make one next year. I've written so many great scripts before, all with the potential to be huge hits. Just pick one and find someone to direct it."

Liu Shishi's eyes lit up, she was very excited by her husband's words, and said excitedly: "Then I will make a movie next year. I have a script in mind for a long time, it is that very interesting book called 'Goodbye Mr. Loser'."

(End of this chapter)