The hotel was beautifully decorated today. There were two long tables on both sides, with velvet tablecloths filled with snacks and drinks. A stage was built in the center, and the hot lights added to the atmosphere.
Jane stood quietly in the corner for half a minute.
She didn't mean anything else, it's just that once bitten, she's afraid of ropes for ten years. She was afraid that the system would suddenly give her a task as soon as she entered the door.
But after waiting for a while, nothing happened, so she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and took a sip of sparkling wine.
"Jingjing." The female editor in chief, who was wearing a houndstooth suit and high heels, came over and said with a smile, "I haven't seen you for a long time. Oh, your hair is so well dyed, your hair is so white that it's glowing."
Jian Jing remembered her. This was Editor-in-Chief Guo, an extremely smart and capable woman who maintained good relationships with most of the authors and was Jinwu's right-hand man.
"Editor-in-Chief Guo looks beautiful today too." Jian Jing complimented.
Editor-in-Chief Guo's smile deepened. She became the editor-in-chief of Jinwudang after Kang Mucheng became the vice president. Now most of the writers' affairs are handled by her, except for Jian Jing - she is the only newcomer that Kang Mucheng personally trained when he was the editor-in-chief, and he personally takes care of everything.
Writer Wu jokingly called himself "Mr. Kang's little princess," and it was not an exaggeration.
"The boss has invited quite a few directors and screenwriters from the industry today," Chief Editor Guo said, "May I introduce them to you?"
Jian Jing wanted to decline politely, but when the words came to her lips, she noticed that Editor-in-Chief Guo's toes were pointing in another direction, and his eyes were glancing over there vaguely, as if he was always paying attention to something.
She suddenly realized that it seemed that Editor-in-Chief Guo was not here just to show goodwill, but was asked to do so by someone else.
"Okay." Jian Jing nodded, curious about who wanted to see her.
Editor-in-Chief Guo achieved his goal, his brows relaxed, and he led her to the sofa in the corner.
There were two men and one woman sitting there: the older man had white hair, was thin and smoked constantly; the younger man was slightly fat and had a friendly expression; the woman had short hair and wore diamond earrings on her earlobes.
Editor-in-Chief Guo introduced that the older man smoking was Director Ding, the younger and fatter man was Screenwriter Xu, and the woman with short hair was Producer Tian.
Then he introduced them: "This is Teacher Jian Jing."
"I haven't seen Jingjing for a long time." Producer Tian laughed out loud, "You've grown into a big girl."
Jian Jing was a little surprised at their familiarity, but she couldn't remember who they were.
Producer Tian was a very shrewd person. He saw through her doubts and explained, "We met three years ago. Mu Cheng brought you to discuss the contract with me at that time. Remember, "Children Playing Hide and Seek?"
The scenes of the past emerged and she remembered.
Three years ago, when she was still in high school, Kang Mucheng said that a producer had taken a fancy to "The Kids Playing Hide and Seek" and wanted to buy it to make it into a movie, and asked her what she thought.
She agreed.
This producer Tian was the film and television party that came to buy the property at that time.
"Oh." Jian Jing showed the embarrassment that is unique to young girls. "I'm sorry, you look better with a haircut. I didn't recognize you."
This remedy was obviously lame, but Producer Tian was not angry. He smiled and said, "Come here, let me introduce you. Director Ding is the director of Hide and Seek, and this film participated in this year's film festival. Screenwriter Xu is an old friend of Director Ding and wants to talk to you."
The prosperity of the publishing industry has indirectly changed the status of screenwriters. Nowadays, if you are not a top star, it is impossible to change the script during filming. The screenwriter has much more say than ordinary actors.
Jian Jing greeted them politely.
"I knew she was a little girl, but I didn't expect her to look even younger." Director Ding puffed out smoke and said slowly, "But that's right. When we recall our youth, we only remember the good things. Only children can write the most truthful things."
Producer Tian smiled and said, "When I saw this work, I thought it had potential. The island where time and space intersect, the gloomy teenagers, plus Director Ding's style, it's perfect."
Who would have thought that Director Ding would say, "You said less."
"Oh?" Producer Tian raised his eyebrows.
Director Ding said: "Jiang Baiyan's acting skills."
Producer Tian smiled and said, "Indeed, but Director Ding also had a keen eye for talent and dug out this rough diamond in the rough, Jiang Baiyan."
"He has talent." Director Ding stopped there and turned the topic back to Jian Jing, "You too, I heard you published a new book recently?"
Jian Jing thought for a moment and nodded.
Producer Tian said, "I watched it, and the reviews were not very good. It also has something to do with the medium. The character arc of the devil is not well presented. It might be better if it is adapted into a TV series. Lao Xu, what do you think?"
"Words have their own advantages. I also think that the devil's story is more suitable to be adapted into a drama." Screenwriter Xu half-jokingly and half-testingly said, "How about it, do you have any plans in this regard?"
Jane Jing smiled.
She said that she had her eyes on "The Devil Doctor". Well, the book wasn't well-received, and she had committed suicide in the news, so she might be able to take advantage of this opportunity to get the copyright at a cheap price.
Editor-in-Chief Guo’s matchmaking is probably intended to bypass Kang Mucheng and do the ticket business on his own.
"I don't know, I haven't thought about it." She seemed very surprised and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
Editor-in-Chief Guo gently pushed her and said, "This is a good opportunity. If the TV series is made, the sales of the book will also go up. It would be even better if screenwriter Xu took charge of the project himself. Several of the scripts he wrote were very popular."
After that, he listed the names of several TV series that have been very popular in recent years.
"You're awesome." Jian Jing gave an unsociable smile.
The topic was immediately stuck.
Editor-in-Chief Guo promptly smoothed things over: "That's right. It's a great honor for us that screenwriter Xu is willing to come this time."
"You look shabby, don't you?" Screenwriter Xu was also very smooth. If he couldn't answer the question, he would not answer it. He was not in a hurry. "If I don't come, I will definitely be pointed at and scolded for being ungrateful."
Editor-in-Chief Guo said, "What do you mean by ungrateful? If anyone dares to say such a thing, tell me and I will beat him up."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Jian Jing also curled up the corners of her lips and smiled politely. But from the others' point of view, her smile faded faster than usual, as if she suddenly felt uncomfortable.
She didn't understand and looked a little doubtful.
Others were even more uncomfortable.
It’s strange to say, Jian Jing is just a little girl. Even if she is carrying a light source, in their eyes it is just a layer of false light and does not pose any threat.
But her gaze... her gaze was different.
She was watching them, examining them, without curiosity, without planning, just observation.
In the world of Vanity Fair, everyone is involved in the game. This kind of scrutiny from the sidelines makes them instinctively uncomfortable, as if every expression and every movement is magnified.
When Kang Mucheng walked over, he saw this strange scene: several people were clearly sitting together, supposedly chatting and laughing, but some were drinking, some were getting their hair done, and only Jian Jing was sitting alone at the other end, with her newly dyed cold gray hair falling on her shoulders, not like a real person.
"Jingjing." He walked over as if nothing had happened, put his hand on the back of her chair, and supported her lightly, "What are you talking about?"
Producer Tian smiled and said, "Hide and seek."
"Oh, it's been shortlisted for the film festival," Kang Mucheng was well-informed, "Maybe it will win an award."
Director Ding was very modest: "It depends on luck. The films from Europe are very good, and they are also remakes of novels, so they may be more to the taste of the judges."
"That's not necessarily true." Kang Mucheng named a few unpopular films and chatted with Director Ding about the gossip about the film festival before returning to the main topic. "My mom is here and asked me to take Jingjing over. I'll be leaving for a while."
Of course everyone said "it's their duty" and released him without hesitation.
Jian Jing stood up and left.
After walking a little further, he asked, "Guess what they told me?"
"It's shameless to lie to a child." Kang Mucheng said, "Don't listen to them. I'm optimistic about the devil. If Director Ding's film wins an award, it will be easier to talk."
Jian Jing said: "I know."
Kang Mucheng asked again: "Is there enough money?"
“I don’t have much to spend money on.”
Kang Mucheng nodded and took her to her mother.
Kang Mucheng's mother is the president of Jinwu Publishing House. She has a bun on the back of her head, not a single strand of white hair, and wears a black fishtail dress, looking elegant and generous. If it weren't for the fine lines around her eyes, no one would have thought she was already over sixty years old.
"Aunt." Jian Jing took the initiative to greet.
With a smile on his lips, President Kang put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Jingjing is here. She looks so beautiful today. Come, let me introduce you to our publishing house's little star. Don't underestimate her young age, she is very talented."
The people chatting with President Kang were either the CEOs and their wives of other companies or the leaders of related departments. When they saw a talented writer like Jian Jing who was still childish, they couldn't help but make a few jokes.
"I've heard of her. She's the girl your family is promoting."
"Sister Kang, since you like her so much, why don't you adopt her as your goddaughter?"
President Kang smiled and said, "No, no, this child is Mu Cheng's. It's not right for me to compete with my son for her. Besides, young people have different perspectives than us. I'm old, and I've always made mistakes over the years."
"Who doesn't have presbyopia when they get older?" said an equally shrewd and capable woman. "Look at me, my myopia is 500 degrees and my presbyopia is 300 degrees."
"My eyes are just a minor problem. I stayed in the hospital for three months last year because of my heart condition. I almost didn't recover." Another middle-aged man with slightly graying temples took over.
They chatted with each other, occasionally mentioning Jian Jing's name and asking her "is it?" or "is it okay?"
Jian Jing just smiled.
After a while, Kang Mucheng said, "President, I'll take Jingjing upstairs to meet some friends."
President Kang glanced at Jian Jing, a hint of regret flashed across his brows, but his tone was cheerful: "Go away, I knew you were impatient to accompany us old guys."
After saying that, he glanced at Jian Jing again.
The little girl who looked like a snow maiden said, "I want to go to the bathroom first."
The others laughed as they glanced away, no longer able to see her.
Kang Mucheng remained calm, took her a few steps away, and then asked, "Is it boring?"
"It's okay." Jian Jing said, "Auntie seems a little disappointed."
President Kang tried to get her to say something several times, but she showed no interest at all.
It is difficult to explain this psychological motivation. I know rationally that this is an opportunity to meet some big shots. If they can give me a word or two of praise, maybe the book will sell better and become more famous.
Even if we take a step back and rely on Kang Mucheng for everything, if he promotes someone new one day, he will always have more confidence because of his connections.
However, she just felt... quite boring.
The adrenaline hasn't changed at all and I can't get myself excited.
It’s not as good as the mystery club.
As soon as the thought came to her mind, Jian Jing was startled and quickly said "Pooh" twice in her heart, thinking, I must have just been reborn into a strange world and was scared by the system.
The farther away from me the better.
She brainwashed herself many times before she felt a little relieved.