Huayu: The young actress is heavily dependent on me

"Next stop: Nanjing South Station..."

When the high-speed train announcement came on, Bai Mengyan was adjusting her shirt collar while looking out the window.

Today she wore a white shirt with black pants and a thin blazer over it.

This was an outfit she specially bought for this "business trip," which cost her last month's salary.

She felt a little heartbroken, but remembering the task her boss had assigned her, she gritted her teeth and bought it anyway.

"Xiaobai, the most important investment you should make in your life is in yourself."

Yesterday afternoon, Chen Li leaned back on the sofa in the recording studio and spoke to her earnestly.

"When you go out to do things, your clothes and appearance may seem like superficial things, but they actually reveal your attitude and confidence."

Bai Mengyan listened in a daze, feeling that what the boss said seemed to make a lot of sense.

"You are now a core member of our team. Once the studio is established, you will be a founding member."

Chen Li handed her a folder and patted her on the shoulder.

"This time when you go to Nanjing, you are not just representing yourself, but our entire team."

"Don't worry, boss! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Bai Mengyan hugged the folder to her chest, her canine tooth flashing at the corner of her mouth.

"Mission accomplished, I'll give you a raise when you get back."

Bai Mengyan's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"When has the boss ever lied to you?"

"Last time you said you'd treat me to hot pot, but you ended up making me pick up eight packages for you."

"That's the job of a personal assistant," Chen Li said without changing her expression.

"This time is different. This is a business trip on official business, so the nature of it is completely different. When you come back, you will be the number two person in our team."

"When the company grows bigger, the position of administrative director will be yours."

Bai Mengyan straightened her back upon hearing this and almost saluted Chen Li on the spot.

A scholar will die for one who understands him!

Bai Mengyan would be willing to work for her boss until she dies, and that would be worth it.

As soon as the car door opened, a wave of heat rushed in.

Bai Mengyan subconsciously shrank her neck, then remembered her current identity and immediately straightened her back.

She is now an imperial envoy sent by Chen Li's studio, and she cannot show any weakness.

"Yan Yan! Over here!"

As soon as she exited the station, she heard a familiar voice calling her name.

Hehe, wearing denim shorts and a white T-shirt, with her hair in a ponytail, waved frantically at the arrival gate.

Bai Mengyan walked over quickly, and the two almost bumped into each other in their excitement.

Hehe took a step back, looked her up and down, his eyes wide:

"My God! You've only been in Beijing for a few months, and you're like a completely different person!"

She reached out and touched the fabric of Bai Mengyan's suit jacket.

"Is this still the Bai Mengyan I know, the one who forgets to put the seasoning packet in her instant noodles when cooking them in the dorm?"

Bai Mengyan pushed up her glasses, her face tense, feigning seriousness:

"Of course, I'm considered part of the entertainment industry now."

Before he could finish speaking, he couldn't hold back anymore and his gums showed.

He chuckled and said, "Come on! In the last video, you were complaining about running errands for your boss every day, buying him coffee!"

"That was before!" Bai Mengyan raised her chin, trying to retract her canine teeth.

"Things are different now. I'm the boss's confidant, and I manage his staff—"

She paused, recalling what Chen Li had told her.

"He's in charge of the costume and props coordination for the entire film crew!"

"Also, I have a stage name now, so please call me Teacher Bailu from now on!"

"Oh ho? You even have a stage name now?"

Hehe, and respectfully cupped his hands in a gesture of respect:

"Lord Bai, it is an honor to have you grace Nanjing with your presence. I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly. Would you like to warm yourself up with a bowl of duck blood and vermicelli soup before continuing your great talent-hunting mission?"

"Young man, let's set off."

After exiting the high-speed rail station, the two first went to "Huiwei" duck blood vermicelli soup and had a bowl of noodles, then hailed a taxi and headed straight to their destination.

Hehe leaned over and whispered in my ear in the car:

"What should I call you later? General Manager Bai? Boss Bai?"

"Just be natural," Bai Mengyan said in a low voice. "You play along and don't give anything away."

Pushing open the patterned glass door, the wind chimes tinkled.

The photo studio wasn't big, but it was decorated exquisitely, with wedding photos hanging on the walls and an old-fashioned film camera placed in the corner as decoration.

"Hello, are you Mr. Yuan Shuang?" Bai Mengyan adjusted her glasses, her voice a few decibels lower than usual.

"I am Bai Mengyan, Ms. Chen Li's assistant. I spoke with you on the phone yesterday."

The long-haired young man who was editing photos behind the counter looked up.

He was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with slightly curly hair that fell to his shoulders, and he exuded the casualness of an artistic youth.

"Hello, Teacher Bai!" Yuan Shuang immediately stood up and warmly extended her hand.

"I didn't expect you to be so young. I've been listening to Chen Li's song 'Undyed' on repeat lately; the filming is so high-quality, your team's aesthetic sense is amazing!"

The moment Bai Mengyan heard the word "Teacher Bai," her heart warmed, and her tiger teeth almost broke down on the spot.

Hehe quietly poked her in the lower back and whispered, "Aura!"

Bai Mengyan coughed lightly: "You flatter me. Our Director Chen always emphasizes that a work must be sincere."

"Our teacher Bai even helped produce the music video!" Hehe suddenly interjected, without batting an eye.

"It's almost got tens of millions of views now!"

Yuan Shuang's eyes lit up: "Really? I've watched that rain scene at Hongyadong over and over again. The lighting and shadows are so sophisticated!"

Bai Mengyan's ears burned, and she quickly changed the subject:

"Mr. Yuan, our Director Chen greatly admires your work."

She took her tablet out of her bag and opened a Weibo page.

That was a short video that Yuan Shuang posted on her account, titled "The best trip is the way home".

"Director Chen watched this film three times. He said that your capture of emotions is too precise. The silhouette of the protagonist when he stops on the street in a foreign land and the echo of the warm light when he pushes open the door at the end seem unintentional, but they convey the core of the journey and the homecoming in a particularly thorough way."

Yuan Shuang was stunned.

He was just a wedding photography studio owner and an amateur photographer.

Although I graduated from Nanjing University of the Arts and always harbored a dream of becoming a director, I had never actually stepped into the industry.

He casually shot that short film with his own DSLR camera, edited it, and posted it on Weibo. It only got a few reposts.

But this young woman with gold-rimmed glasses was able to glean so much insight from his instinctive, albeit unintelligible, actions.

He had only one thought in his mind—professionalism.

Only those who truly understand can see the expressions that even the person himself is unaware of.

"This technique of using details to convey emotions is extremely rare in the industry."

Bai Mengyan struck while the iron was hot, pulling out the project proposal for "So Cute Us" from her bag and opening the episode outlines and filming schedule.

"We are preparing a web series with a youth theme, and Director Chen would like to invite you to serve as the assistant director and work with him on this project."

"What? An assistant director? They invited me?"

Yuan Shuang could hardly believe his ears.

He instinctively wanted to decline, but the words stuck in his throat, because every word in the proposal in front of him told him that he was serious about this matter.

"It's okay. Director Chen said that as long as you're willing to come, you can work with the crew first to get to know each other."

Bai Mengyan pushed the proposal in front of him.

"Moreover, our project has Beijing Film Academy's equipment, venues, and professional actors that we can allocate, and we can share these resources with you."

Yuan Shuang's breathing became noticeably rapid.

"Um...Teacher Bai, when do I report to Beijing?"

"Anytime is fine, but you might need to take care of things at the photo studio first?"

On the high-speed train back, Bai Mengyan received a WeChat message from Chen Li: "Did you close the deal?"

"Yeah, he said he'll be coming to Beijing next week."

"Not bad, Mr. Bai." This was followed by a grinning emoji.

Bai Mengyan's fingers flew across the screen, a hint of smugness in her expression:

"Absolutely! It doesn't even matter who's on it—but seriously, this business trip was exhausting, shouldn't the boss give me a reward?"

Chen Li replied to the message almost instantly: "Xiao Bai, your awareness is so low, isn't it?"

"In ancient times, you would be called a founding father. When the company goes public and rings the bell, you'll be in the center, and I'll carry your bag."

Bai Mengyan stared at the screen, grinning foolishly.

Meanwhile, in the rehearsal room of the Beijing Film Academy, Chen Li put down his phone and wrote Yuan Shuang's name in the "Director Team" column of the preparation list.

He knew that Yuan Shuang later changed his stage name to "Cat Tree" and that this person would later make a film called "So Cute Us".

This is what the script he currently holds will look like in the future.

He will also promote a group of young actors such as Bai Lu, Song Weilong, and Tian Xiwei.

Therefore, having Bailu recruit him now is somewhat rebellious against the Heavenly Gang...

Now, this long-haired young man who still runs a wedding photography studio in Nanjing only needs a train ticket to Beijing.

He put his pen down next to the proposal, picked up his phone again, and sent a message to Yuan Shuang:

"Welcome to the team, Ms. Yuan. I'll pick you up in Beijing."