The Rise of Chinese Entertainment in 2008

In mid-March, Tencent announced that it would join hands with 100 mainstream media outlets in the industry to hold the "Post-80s New Generation Entertainment Stars" selection event.

This evaluation adopted a selection method of "online voting + media review + offline spot checks".

The new "Four Little Actresses" and "Four Little Actors" will be selected.

This news immediately sparked heated discussions within the industry, and the internet was in an uproar over it.

Some websites were completely unprepared for this surge in traffic, and their sites crashed immediately.

For celebrities who feel they have a chance to win over, their companies are making great efforts, and news of post-80s actresses and actors attending various events and signing contracts for dramas or endorsements can be seen both online and offline.

Although Liu Yifei's exposure has decreased sharply since filming "The Forbidden Kingdom" last year, she has rarely participated in events.

However, thanks to the popularity she accumulated in the past few years, she is still among the top contenders for the title of one of the "Four Little Actresses".

Although Shu Chang was also mentioned, the disadvantages of not having a company became apparent at this time.

In terms of popularity, she can't compare to Liu Yifei, and she doesn't have a company or public relations team behind her. Among the dozen or so popular candidates, she can only rank at the bottom.

"Changchang, are you alright?"

Seeing that Shu Chang was distracted, Liu Yifei comforted her, "This event was organized by Tencent and doesn't have any real significance."

Upon hearing this, Shu Chang snapped out of her reverie and shook her head, saying, "I don't care about that."

"Why have you been so absent-minded and sullen these past few days?" Liu Yifei asked, puzzled.

Shu Chang hugged Liu Yifei's arm, rested her head on her shoulder, and said, "Qianqian, I don't know what to say."

"If you don't know how to say it, just say it slowly."

Liu Yifei laughed and said, "You don't have a boyfriend, but you're too shy to tell me, do you?"

"No." Shu Chang shook her head slightly.

Liu Yifei turned to the side, placed her hands on Shu Chang's shoulders, looked at her seriously, and said, "Changchang, do you still consider me a friend?"

"Of course, you are my best friend." Shu Chang nodded.

"So what's on your mind? Tell me!" Liu Yifei said anxiously.

Based on her understanding of Shu Chang, as she just joked that Shu Chang was too shy to ask for a boyfriend, Shu Chang would definitely not be so nonchalant.

This is a stark contrast to Shu Chang's usual lively and cheerful demeanor.

After hesitating for a moment, Shu Chang said, "Qianqian, do you remember what I asked Aunt Liu to investigate a few days ago?"

"I remember."

Liu Yifei said, "Isn't it just the business situation of Tianxingxing?"

"Aunt Liu said that the company is indeed having problems and advised me not to sign the contract," Shu Chang said.

"Did the company pressure you?" Liu Yifei asked.

"no."

Shu Chang shook her head and said, "I told my aunt what Aunt Liu told me, but she advised me to sign the contract."

"Why?"

Liu Yifei asked, puzzled, "My mom said your company has serious problems, so why is your aunt still urging you to sign the contract?"

"My aunt said that every company encounters difficulties, and this is normal. Signing a contract with the company at this time is a timely help, and after the company overcomes its difficulties, it will give me more resources in return."

Shu Chang didn't say something. Her aunt told her not to listen to outsiders, that she was her family and that only they would wholeheartedly consider her needs.

She and her mother depended on each other since she was a child, but her mother passed away when she was ten years old.

Because of her childhood experiences, she longs for and cherishes family affection.

Her uncle and aunt have always been very kind to her, and she is very grateful to both families.

Even though her aunt was her uncle's second wife, she always treated her aunt with great respect.

Later, her aunt wanted to be her agent, and she agreed.

If it were only Gu Ning who advised her not to sign the contract, she wouldn't hesitate at all and would listen to her aunt and sign with the company.

However, Liu Yifei's mother treated her very well, and took great care of her when they were on the set of "The Story of a Noble Family".

Of course, Shu Chang did not suspect that her aunt had ulterior motives, but she felt that her aunt's insight in this regard might not be as good as Liu Xiaoli's and Gu Ning's.

She wavered on signing the contract, but couldn't convince her aunt, which led her into a deep dilemma.

"Why don't you just explain the pros and cons to your aunt?" Liu Yifei said.

Shu Chang opened her mouth, but ultimately did not express the troubles in her heart.

…………

"Get in the car."

Gu Ning rolled down the car window and spoke to Shu Chang, who was waiting by the roadside wearing a mask.

"Thank you for your help, Director Gu."

Shu Chang walked around the car, opened the passenger door, and got in.

"Where shall we talk?" Gu Ning asked with a smile.

"Can Director Gu drink alcohol?"

Shu Chang said, "There's a quiet bar nearby, how about we go sit there for a while?"

"I don't care, but you are a public figure after all. It wouldn't be good if you were recognized."

Gu Ning said, "Didn't you say last time that you usually cook for yourself? How about I go buy some food and drinks, and you cook?"

"This…"

Shu Chang hesitated upon hearing this.

After talking with Liu Yifei yesterday, she went home and thought about it carefully, but she was still reluctant to sign the contract.

However, Liu Yifei couldn't give her any good advice. Considering that Gu Ning was interested in signing her, she called Gu Ning today to discuss the contract and see if he had any suggestions.

The reason she wanted to hear Gu Ning's advice was that Gu Ning hadn't lied to her that day, which inexplicably gave her a sense of trust in him.

"What's wrong?"

Gu Ning smiled and said, "Is the house not cleaned up? Or is your cooking not very good?"

Shu Chang blushed as she recalled that day, her eyes darting around as she said, "Since Director Gu doesn't mind, let's go to my house. But I don't have much food at home, so I'll need to go buy some."

"Give me directions to the nearby supermarket," Gu Ning said, starting the car.

"Supermarkets don't have a complete selection and are quite expensive. Let's go to the farmers' market instead; it's not far," Shu Chang said.

Gu Ning did not refuse upon hearing this, and drove to a vegetable market under Shu Chang's direction.

Since it was afternoon, there weren't many people at the market. After asking Gu Ning, Shu Chang went to several shops with a clear purpose and bought all the vegetables she needed.

He even haggled with the vegetable vendor when buying vegetables, which shows he's a regular customer.

After buying groceries and leaving the market, Shu Chang realized that she had spent a lot of time haggling over prices. She said somewhat apologetically, "Director Gu, I'm sorry. I'm used to buying groceries all the time. I've taken up your time."

"It's okay, I just happen to be free today, so I'll just treat it as a relaxing trip," Gu Ning said nonchalantly.

He's been busy editing the short film these past few days, and just finished it yesterday. There's not much else to do.

The two drove back to the neighborhood and arrived at Shu Chang's house. They didn't see the messy scene from last time; the living room was very tidy.

"Director Gu, please leave it here for now."

Shu Chang placed the dishes she was carrying on the table and then turned on the air conditioner.

"Director Gu, why don't you watch TV for a while? I'll go make you some tea."

Shu Chang took off her trench coat and hung it up, then found some tea leaves to brew tea for Gu Ning.

Now that the weather is warming up, she went out wearing a trench coat over a black turtleneck sweater.

After taking off her trench coat, her tight-fitting sweater accentuated her graceful figure.

Shu Chang brewed tea for Gu Ning, greeted her, and then went into the kitchen to busy herself with the groceries she had bought.