The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

Where do you live?

After getting on the bus, Gu Ning turned her head to look at Shu Chang.

After finishing their business, Liu Yifei received a phone call and said she had to leave. Seeing that she was in a hurry, Shu Chang told her to go first and that she would take a taxi home herself.

Upon hearing this, Gu Ning offered to take her home. Shu Chang declined for a moment, but then agreed.

I live in…

Shu Chang gave him the address, and Gu Ning started the car.

The car fell silent for a moment. The two were not actually familiar with each other; it was the first time they had met since the audition that morning.

Although the awkwardness had dissipated somewhat during our casual conversation over dinner, being alone in the cramped space of the car now left me unsure of what to say.

Gu Ning asked, "It's rare to see such a good relationship between you two in the industry."

Upon hearing this, Shu Chang thought of her friendship with Liu Yifei and smiled happily, saying, "I met Xixi when we were filming 'The Story of a Noble Family.' At that time, although I had acted in many dramas, I was not very famous, and Xixi was acting for the first time. Because we were about the same age, we talked the most in the crew."

We stayed in touch and gradually became good friends.

"fine."

Gu Ning nodded. In this world of fame and fortune, both of them are still top-tier celebrities, and there is a certain degree of competition between them.

It is truly rare to be able to become good friends and maintain a pure friendship.

Once the conversation started, the awkward atmosphere disappeared, and Shu Chang relaxed, chatting casually with Gu Ning along the way.

Half an hour later, the car arrived at the residential area where Shu Chang lived.

"Director Gu, thank you for your help. Would you like to come upstairs for a cup of tea?"

As soon as Shu Chang said it, she regretted it. Inviting a man to her home so late at night seemed inappropriate.

Gu Ning was also surprised to hear this, but seeing Shu Chang's somewhat nervous expression, he knew that she was just being polite on instinct.

"The food was a bit salty, and I am indeed a little thirsty," Gu Ning said, starting the car again.

When Shu Chang heard Gu Ning agree, her lips moved slightly, but she didn't know what to say.

Gu Ning accepted the invitation she herself had extended; she couldn't very well say that she had just been being polite.

A car worth around a million was definitely considered a luxury car in 09, and the security guard let it through without even asking any questions.

Following Shu Chang's instructions, Gu Ning drove the car to the parking space downstairs from Shu Chang's building and parked it.

Shu Chang lowered her head and led Gu Ning into the apartment building and into the elevator.

The elevator stopped on the ninth floor. After the doors opened, Shu Chang took out her key and opened the door on the left.

"Director Gu, please come in."

Gu Ning went inside. There was a shoe cabinet by the door, with many shoes on it, all of which looked like Shu Chang shoes.

"Do I need to change my shoes?" Gu Ning asked.

"We don't have any slippers at home, so please make your own, Director Gu," Shu Chang said.

"Okay then."

Gu Ning nodded and walked into the living room.

The house is fully furnished and has a cozy atmosphere. Clothes are scattered haphazardly on the sofa in the living room.

Shu Chang changed into slippers and came over. Seeing this scene, her face turned red. She hurriedly stepped forward to put away her clothes and said somewhat awkwardly, "Director Gu, please sit down and watch some TV. I'll go make you some tea."

"Okay." Gu Ning nodded.

Shu Chang was carrying the clothes and wanted to take them back to her room, but one of them fell off as she walked past Gu Ning.

She didn't realize it, and Gu Ning, seeing the fallen underwear, couldn't help pick it up, so he could only call out to her.

"That Shu Chang, she lost a piece of clothing," Gu Ning said.

"Um?"

Shu Chang turned around and looked at the ground. Her face instantly turned red. She hurriedly picked it up and ran back to her room.

"Bang!"

Gu Ning touched her nose, unsure whether to stay or leave.

He doesn't like those skinny girls; he prefers singers like Shu Chang and Liu Yifei.

Even though he knew that Shu Chang's invitation to come upstairs was just a polite gesture, he still agreed, not because he was hoping to take things further so quickly.

I just thought this would bring us closer, but I never expected such an awkward situation to happen.

If he left quietly at this moment, although it would ease the awkwardness, this grudge would remain, and Shu Chang would instinctively avoid him in the future, and there would be no chance.

Therefore, Gu Ning hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the sofa, took the remote control, turned on the TV, and deliberately turned up the volume to let Shu Chang know that he was still there.

"I'm going to die!"

Shu Chang entered the room, threw her clothes on the bed, and buried her head in the blankets.

At this moment, she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to scratch her toes. She lived alone and naturally wouldn't care about such things normally.

I just casually invited Gu Ning up for tea, and I didn't expect her to agree.

My mind was a bit confused, and for a moment I forgot that the house hadn't been cleaned.

Thinking about what had just happened, she wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

It took Shu Chang a while to regain some composure. Hearing the faint sound of a television coming from outside, she took a deep breath, got up, and went outside.

"Director Gu, it's so late, how about you have some drinks? I'm afraid you won't be able to sleep if you drink tea," Shu Chang said with a smile.

As expected of an actress, her acting skills were superb; Gu Ning couldn't detect any abnormality in her expression.

However, he also understood Shu Chang's underlying message: drink the beverage quickly, and leave as soon as you've finished.

"It's alright, I like drinking tea. Besides, I'm different from other people; drinking tea or coffee doesn't affect my sleep," Gu Ning said.

He wasn't talking nonsense; he seemed to be naturally immune to tea and coffee. While others couldn't sleep after drinking them before bed, he could drink a little without any effect.

"Okay then, I only have green tea at home, is that alright?" Shu Chang asked.

"Okay, I'm not picky." Gu Ning nodded.

Shu Chang went into the kitchen and soon brought out a cup of tea for Gu Ning.

"I don't know how to brew tea, so I just put in some tea leaves. Please don't mind, Director Gu." Shu Chang placed the tea in front of Gu Ning.

Gu Ning smiled and said, "I'm not particular about these things."

"Then I'll go cut some fruit for Director Gu."

"No need, I'm full and can't eat anymore. I'll just have some tea and go back."

Upon hearing this, Shu Chang sat down on the single sofa next to her.

"By the way, which company have you signed with?" Gu Ning asked.

"Um?"

Shu Chang was taken aback upon hearing this, and said, "I'm not currently signed with any company. I've been working with Tianxingxing before, but we've recently been discussing signing a contract."

I suggest you don't sign it.

Gu Ning cautioned, "As far as I know, Tianxingxing has recently encountered some operational problems. If you sign a contract, it will be very detrimental to your future development."

Gu Ning naturally considered signing Shu Chang, a top-tier artist without a major company involved.

Therefore, after an investigation, it was discovered that she had only been cooperating with Tianxingji, who acted as her agent. In reality, her aunt was the one doing the agent work.

However, Tianxingxing has recently encountered some operational problems and urgently needs to sign Shuchang to provide assistance to the company.

It's said that Shu Chang's career declined later on, which was related to her not signing with a major company and not attending the Central Academy of Drama after being admitted.

After learning about this information, Gu Ning felt that her sudden disappearance was largely due to the company she had signed with.

He had never even heard of Tianxingxing, and Shuchang was someone he signed when the company was facing problems. What help could she possibly offer him?

Conversely, before signing a formal contract, Shu Chang's development was unrestricted, but after signing, she became subject to company constraints.

The company went under, and naturally she suffered along with it.

"Is what Director Gu said true?" Shu Chang asked in surprise.

Her aunt handles all her management work, and she only focuses on acting and has never paid attention to these things.

Although she felt that the previous cooperation method was good, her aunt kept persuading her, and she began to waver.

"This matter can be easily investigated. You can ask Consort Yi to help you investigate."

Gu Ning said, "If you're interested in signing a contract, you can consider my company."