Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 124 Ridiculous Character Design

"Is it convenient for you to speak via voice now?"

The notification message that appeared at the top of the phone screen startled Chen Duling.

To make sure she wasn't mistaken, she deliberately exited the game and opened WeChat.

It was confirmed that the person who sent her the message was Chen Xiu.

We've been on WeChat for almost half a year, but we've never said hello or liked each other's posts. The first thing he asked was if we could have a voice message...

Chen Duling pursed her lips, frowned, thought for a moment, then edited the message and sent it to him.

"can."

It's very simple; there are no interjections or the emojis that are popular in chat these days.

After sending the message, Chen Duling waited less than 10 seconds before Chen Xiu called her.

Holding her phone, she glanced around nervously; everything she saw was the familiar room layout.

Letting out a relaxed breath, Chen Duling answered the call and said, "Hello, is this Chen Xiu?"

"Who else could it be?"

The voice was confirmed to be genuine, and the tone was calm and not flippant. Chen Duling completely relaxed, but she didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, Chen Xiu didn't seem to want to chat with her: "You don't have any other acting offers right now, do you?"

"No! School starts in a few days, and I need to start preparing my graduation thesis, so I probably won't have time to take on any acting roles."

After she finished speaking, Chen Duling sensed silence on the other end of the phone.

Realizing that her words might conflict with the purpose of Chen Xiu's phone call, Chen Duling thought for a moment and then rephrased her statement.

"Well, if there's a good script, I should be able to balance my thesis and acting..."

"You've already guessed why I called?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Duling's eyes widened suddenly, filled with surprise and astonishment.

"It doesn't matter if you know. I do have a role to recommend to you. Have you read the novel 'Love O2O'?"

"Forehead……"

Chen Duling quickly searched her memory, but found no such book.

"Seen!"

Chen Duling felt that it wouldn't be a difficult task to look it up on her phone later and then spend a few hours reading it.

In short, let's give a definite answer first and hear what Chen Xiu has to say next.

"Okay, this book is currently being adapted into a film or television series. I'll be playing the male lead, but the female lead is having some issues. Would you be interested in taking on the challenge?"

Upon hearing that Chen Xiu was inviting her to play the female lead, a hint of interest flashed across Chen Duling's face, but she still subconsciously inquired about the situation.

"What's the specific situation with this female lead you're talking about?"

"Didn't you read the novel?"

"I watched it a long time ago, but I've forgotten a bit of it now..."

"Then take a quick look on your phone first, and then call me back."

As soon as the voice fell, there was no response from the other end of the phone.

Realizing that Chen Xiu had seen through her boast, Chen Duling blushed deeply when she put down her phone.

After hesitating for a moment, she got up, ran to her computer desk, turned on her computer, found the e-book of "Love O2O", and began reading it quickly.

The purpose of reading the book was simply to get a general understanding of the content and the female protagonist's character.

So Chen Duling only read the first few chapters before calling Chen Xiu back.

"Hey, have you made up your mind?"

"Decide?"

Chen Duling was a little confused; what did Chen Xiu mean by "decision"?

There was silence on the other end of the phone for about 10 seconds. Although there was no evidence, Chen Duling could guess that Chen Xiu was rolling her eyes at her on the other end of the phone.

"Have you made a decision regarding the offer to play the female lead, Bei Weiwei?"

"Oh, I need to discuss this with my mother..."

"Aren't you already an adult?"

"I'm not a mama's girl!"

Chen Duling shouted into the phone and then explained, "When I went to the filming of 'The Left Ear' before, my mom was my agent. If I wanted to take on a role, I needed to let her know."

"You're referring to the commercial contract aspect. What I'm asking now is, what's your personal preference regarding this role? Are you willing to take the role? If the answer is no, then you don't need to tell your aunt, right?"

Chen Xiu's rational voice came from the phone, immediately calming Chen Duling's coquettish emotions down.

"I think the character of Bei Weiwei is quite interesting. If it were to depict her college life, it would be quite good."

"Okay, next, could you please send me Aunt Lin's WeChat?"

"Are you going to tell my mom yourself?"

“I just told her the situation and introduced her to a representative from the production company. If it’s inconvenient, you can create a group chat and add me and my aunt to it.”

"There's no need for that. I'll send it to you now."

Chen Duling hung up the phone, then called Lin Hongying, briefly explained the situation, and then sent her WeChat contact information to Chen Xiu.

After doing all this, Chen Duling stared at Chen Xiu's chat interface, her expression somewhat strange. "You speak so stiffly, it's like I'm your employee..."

……

The next day, Chen Duling, who was enjoying the last days of summer vacation at home, suddenly took her mother, Lin Hongying, to Songjiang University Town in Shanghai.

Upon arriving at their destination, Lin Hongying and Fang Ying engaged in a series of negotiations regarding scheduling and remuneration before finally allowing Chen Duling to enter and sign the actor contract.

From Zheng Shuang's contract termination to the replacement of the new actor, the entire process took only one day. Apart from having to reshoot the first three days' worth of footage, the filming was largely unaffected.

With the contract in hand, she took Chen Duling to the filming location of "Love O2O".

When Chen Xiu met the mother and daughter, it was already afternoon.

"Aunt Lin, it's been a long time."

Chen Xiu smiled and nodded to Lin Hongying. When he turned to Chen Duling, he wasn't stumped about how to address her: "Hello, Bei Weiwei!"

"Hello."

The second time they met, Chen Duling's stubbornness was gone, but she still had that reserved and silent demeanor.

Compared to this innocent college girl who hasn't been hardened by society, Lin Hongying's social skills are much more sophisticated.

"Xiao Xiu, thank you so much for recommending this role. I think it's about time now, so how about we go out for dinner together and let Auntie show her some appreciation?"

"But I've already made plans to have dinner with someone... Could I invite her along?"

"Sure! It'll be more lively with more people, and you can also let Dudu get to know your friends on set as soon as possible, so she can cooperate better when filming tomorrow."

"Auntie, she's my girlfriend," Chen Xiu explained with a smile.

His idea was to take Meng Ziyi along to have dinner with Chen Duling and her daughter, so that the silly beauty wouldn't get jealous for no reason.

However, when Lin Hongying heard that Chen Xiu had a girlfriend, a look of extreme disappointment flashed across her eyes, and even her smile froze for a moment.

"Hehe, since she's your girlfriend, you should definitely introduce her to me. Let's all get to know each other."

"Okay, please wait a moment while I go and call Sister Meng."

As Chen Xiu turned and walked away, Chen Duling stared at his retreating figure for a long time.

She was also a little curious about what kind of person Chen Xiu's girlfriend was.

Of course, it was just pure curiosity. After all, she had met Chen Xiucai twice and chatted with him once. To talk about having feelings for him was just nonsense.

……

Chen Xiu's impression of Chen Duling is that she hasn't experienced the harsh realities of the entertainment industry.

During the press conference for the film "The Left Ear," several interviews and variety show recordings revealed a subtle sense of pride in the young woman's words, a testament to her status as a top student from a prestigious 211 university making her way in the film industry.

This sense of pride will eventually be taught a lesson by netizens.

To Chen Xiu's surprise, Meng Ziyi actually got along quite well with her.

Seeing the two people, who were clearly meeting for the first time, getting so close together and whispering in each other's ears, Chen Xiu raised an eyebrow in slight surprise.

However, upon closer inspection, Chen Xiu discovered some things underwater.

The innocent-looking college girl remained tense, while the silly beauty's eyes were constantly shifting as she observed. In terms of acting skills, Meng Ziyi was still able to crush Chen Duling.

With Meng Ziyi and Chen Duling together, Chen Xiu was left to face Lin Hongying's enthusiastic hospitality alone.

"Xiao Xiu, thank you so much for the role recommendation this time."

"Actually, I didn't do anything. It's just that Chen Duling herself is outstanding enough."

Chen Xiu's extremely official reply even used his full name when addressing him.

Lin Hongying understood what this meant, but getting a leading role was already an unexpected bonus for Chen Duling, so she didn't say anything and instead started another topic.

"After Dudu finishes filming this drama, she will probably make her official debut and will no longer be able to work in a field related to her university major. At that time, I hope you can take care of her in the industry."

Before Chen Xiu could say anything, Meng Ziyi and Chen Duling looked over first.

Faced with the stares of the three women, Chen Xiu gave an unexpected answer.

"If Chen Duling really wants to pursue a career in scientific research, she can continue her studies after graduating from university, pursue a master's and a doctoral degree, spend a few years, wait for the popularity of the film and television works to completely fade, and then find a city to settle down and work. It shouldn't have any impact, right?"

"Um, this..."

Lin Hongying was speechless for a moment. She never expected that the persona she had created for her daughter would be seen through by Chen Xiu at a glance.

The turnover rate of celebrities in the entertainment industry is comparable to the iteration of internet products.

If Chen Duling were to study abroad for a few years to enhance her professional skills and start working at the age of 30, her name would likely be forgotten by the entertainment industry.

However, she did not do so.

Then, Lin Rui Entertainment, Chen Duling's agency, has Lin Hongying as a major shareholder. Such resources cannot be obtained immediately... Many things are not worth delving into.

Chen Xiu didn't care about the career planning that Lin Hongying made for Chen Duling; in fact, she was quite understanding of it.

The reputation of a 211 university graduate venturing into the entertainment industry is only slightly less than that of a billionaire like him, demonstrating a differentiated competitive advantage.

However, there's no need to keep bringing up his persona and using it to fool him, since nobody's a fool.

Seeing Lin Hongying's speechless expression, Chen Xiu didn't want to embarrass the elder too much: "If Chen Duling is interested in the film and television industry, I'm willing to lend a hand if the opportunity arises."

"Haha, that's good."

Lin Hongying smiled sullenly, and for the rest of the dinner, she didn't bring up the topic of her public image again.

(End of this chapter)