My heart skipped a beat and I felt very uneasy. I had heard about Zhu Jingye's strange personality. Secretly, I was very reluctant to meet Zhu Jingye alone, but I had to.
Zhu Jingye lives in a luxury hotel, with soft plush carpets in the corridors, but it is not hot when you walk in. It is said that Zhu Jingye comes to this hotel every time he comes to Beijing. He is from Hong Kong and has not bought a house in Beijing. This time he came to Beijing to shoot a movie based on the theme of the actresses who drifted to Beijing, so he could only stay in the hotel.
In fact, many of the actors in the same crew who have houses in Beijing also live in this hotel, which is more convenient for filming, but I don’t like it. No matter how late I finish work, I will go home. I don’t like the feeling of staying in a hotel. Even if my house is empty and deserted at night without a trace of human breath, I still like to go home.
It's just because hotels give me an inexplicable sense of oppression, as if someone is always watching me. I like the camera, but I also hate the camera. I hate the camera of reporters. When I stay in a hotel, I can't avoid being secretly photographed by some nosy people.
In fact, even when I entered the room of an actor or director in the same crew, I felt uneasy. After thinking over and over again, I realized that it was because I had offended a troublesome villain who would do anything to get revenge.
The spacious presidential suite was filled with gorgeous European and American retro style. Zhu Jingye's Chinese Tang suit seemed out of place, but Zhu Jingye did not notice these things, or rather, he did not care about them at all. Zhu Jingye has been pursuing his dreams all his life. He does not seem to take the slander or compliments of others seriously and has been immersed in film creation for many years.
"Sit down, don't be shy." Compared with the director Zhu Jingye who was in charge of the overall situation on the set, Zhu Jingye outside the set seemed much more amiable. His face was full of wrinkles under his gray hair, but he still couldn't hide his handsomeness that made thousands of girls crazy when he was young. That was a very special kind of handsomeness, clean and desirable. Every time I watch the movies Zhu Jingye made when he was young, I feel that this person's eyes are so clean.
Even now, at the age of nearly 60, Zhu Jingye still has a pure look in his eyes that most young actors today do not have. So when he called me to his room, I was not afraid that he would have any improper thoughts about me. I was just afraid that he would teach me a lesson because of the incident on Weibo, or even that I would lose this opportunity to be on the big screen.
If you don’t want to be famous as an actor, you are not a good actor. I used to have an enviable marriage, and I put all my thoughts on that marriage. Over time, I forgot my original dream and pursued an ordinary life.
Now I am alone, so my childhood dream is rekindled. I sit upright, my heart tense.
"Xiao Shen, don't be so nervous. I don't eat people." Zhu Jingye smiled kindly: "Relax."
“Uh…” As someone who has been in the entertainment industry for a long time, I should have been comfortable with interpersonal relationships and should not have been nervous when meeting a director. However, I was quite useless and as nervous as a college student who had just entered society and met the boss of a company.
Maybe Zhu Jingye's aura is too strong. He often sees unpromising actresses like me. He smiled helplessly: "Don't look at me as serious on the set. I'm actually very easy to get along with. Look at my assistants. They always like to make fun of me."
“Uh…” I continued to be nervous. I felt like a rookie intern in a company. I was afraid that I would do something wrong and the boss would dislike me and find a random reason to tactfully fire me.
Zhu Jingye stood up and poured two cups of tea, placing one cup in front of me. I became even more nervous, so nervous that I stuttered a little: "Thank you, Director Zhu."
"Xiao Shen, you don't have to be nervous. I just think that this movie has been decided for such a long time, and I haven't had a good chat with you yet. I just want to chat with you like a friend." Zhu Jingye had a smile on his face, and his relaxed tone made me relax a lot.
It turned out that he just wanted to chat with me. It seemed that I was too suspicious and was afraid that he would change the heroine because of my scandal. I suddenly felt embarrassed and nodded and continued woodenly: "Uh."
Seeing that I was still like this, Zhu Jingye smiled helplessly and continued, "As far as I know, you finished high school and were admitted to university, but you didn't go. You went to Beijing alone and started as a stuntman. In fact, with your qualifications, if you had gone to university and had a teacher's recommendation, you would have developed better than you are now. What was the reason that prompted you not to go to university?"
"For family reasons, my family was too poor at the time..." Although I didn't quite understand why Zhu Jingye asked me these questions, I still told him the truth. There was nothing to hide.
Zhu Jingye nodded to show his understanding, and his vicissitudes of life seemed to recall the past: "I was unable to attend the university I liked because of this reason."
"Then what's the reason that made you move to Beijing? It's not an easy thing for an 18-year-old girl." Zhu Jingye asked casually, holding a cup of tea in his hand.
Therefore, I gradually relaxed and talked a little more: "Initially it was because of dreams. Everyone has their own dreams. It is the happiest thing to be able to realize your dreams in your lifetime."
"Xiao Shen, you are a good actor. It is not easy for a girl to go from being a stuntman to where she is today without any background or high education and without relying on anyone." Zhu Jingye spoke to me without any airs of a director. He was both a teacher and a friend: "However, you must know that there are always higher mountains than others. Don't ruin your future for the sake of momentary anger. Just ignore the rumors and produce good works."
"You're right." I didn't know what to say, so I just agreed with him.
Zhu Jingye had a smile on his face the whole time: "Do you know why I chose you as the heroine? Your own experience is very similar to the heroine in the movie. I believe you will play this role well. It will be a little difficult at the beginning, but it will go smoothly slowly."
"Thank you, director..." I said this sincerely. After so many years in the entertainment industry, I swear that Zhu Jingye is the best director I have ever met. Although he looks a bit fierce on the set, he is kind to everyone in private, and he doesn't look down on the poor as the outside world pretends.
Finally, he said goodbye in a very polite and warm way: "I just wanted to chat with you. The more familiar we are, the smoother the cooperation will be. Go back. It's getting late. Be safe."
After talking to Zhu Jingye, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I no longer had to worry about losing the role. At the same time, I also found that I was too suspicious. Who is Zhu Jingye? He started working as a stuntman at the age of seventeen. He has been in the entertainment industry for decades, but he still can't see through the little things of young people.
I was also really touched by Zhu Jingye's trust in me. If others saw this Weibo incident, they might think that Zhao Yicheng and I were working together to hype it up. But Zhu Jingye didn't think so. A long time later, Zhu Jingye said this to me.
He said that only actors without any works would do those things, and a good actor does not need to do those meaningless things.
What he said was very true, but only half right. In this age where the Internet is prevalent, it is very easy to gain fame overnight by hyping up love affairs, female star conflicts, or any other topic.
I have never thought about or dared to think about achieving success overnight. In fact, I care more about the process than the result.
But some of the processes were also extremely uncomfortable, such as the process of Zhao Yicheng and I entangled endlessly. I don’t know what this person was thinking, but he actually sent out such a Weibo post. You have to know how influential the Internet is in this era. Now my Weibo and even the outside of my house are full of smoke and fog.
I was going to go home, but before I even got there, I saw a large number of reporters blocking my door. Looking at this situation, I can't go home today. The only person I can find now is Shen Shiqi. Apart from him, I don't think I can adapt to other people's homes. After all, he is my younger brother, and I would feel more comfortable going to his place. Besides, I am embarrassed to harass others in the middle of the night, so I can only harass my own brother!
Shen Shiqi rented a house in the city center. It was a combination of his company and home, a unique Soho lifestyle for young people. It was on the 20th floor. The company was at the entrance, and the innermost part was a small apartment of about 40 square meters with two bedrooms. It was not spacious, but it was enough to accommodate the two of us.
It was past two in the middle of the night and Shen Shiqi had not gone to bed yet. When I arrived, he was still working on the computer. I heard him say that a large company was recently bidding and needed an internal system. If the bid was successful, it would bring huge profits to his studio.
I thought I was late enough, but he was even later. If he was at home, my mom would nag him endlessly, saying that he valued money more than his life. So I nagged on behalf of my mom: "Shen Shiqi, what time is it? Why are you still working? Go to bed early. If mom knew about this, she would be so worried!"
"Sister, I know my own body, don't worry about it, go to bed quickly, don't you have to shoot tomorrow morning?" Shen Shiqi stopped typing on the keyboard, raised his head and urged me: "I know, I will go to bed after I finish these, you go to bed quickly!"
"Okay, then go to bed early! You don't know how many young people die suddenly nowadays, so just take it easy!" My persuasion was useless, so I could only give him a few words of advice and then go in and go to bed.
I know Shen Shiqi's temper. He is always meticulous, serious, and stubborn at work. Maybe I was too tired. I fell asleep within two minutes of lying down.
In a daze, I seemed to hear a woman's voice, and that voice was very familiar.
"Shen Shiqi! I tell you, if you talk nonsense again I will tear your mouth apart! I've said it so many times, I'm not a thief, I'm not a thief!" the woman shouted angrily.
The man also shouted: "Qi Xiaoyu, keep your voice down! My sister is in there! What if you wake her up?" (To be continued)