Translator: Yunyi Editor: Yunyi
“What type of new artist?” Long Jie asked. “You need to know that I have very high expectations.”
“You’ll know once you see them,” Han Xiuche deliberately kept Long Jie guessing, but left her with a slither of hope.
Long Jie remembered Lin Qian’s warning, but she had no choice. As long as there was the slightest chance of improvement for Superstar Media, she was willing to give it a try.
“In that case, arrange for us to meet.”
“OK.”
Han Xiuche’s overly passionate response made Long Jie wary, but she still couldn’t resist temptation.
In the end, Long Jie did not discuss the matter with Lin Qian because she knew that Lin Qian was a long way into her pregnancy and couldn’t be overly stressed.
…
A few days later, Han Xiuche brought a few newcomers to Superstar Media. As soon as Long Jie looked at them and realized that they were a group, she lit up and was tempted.
Their appearance, presence, background and other points weren’t bad, so Long Jie predicted they’d be a hit if she fixed their image a little.
“What do you think? Are you satisfied?” Han Xiuche smiled. “My juniors from art school aren’t bad. That’s why I introduced them to you.”
“Not bad, indeed…” Long Jie nodded. “I’ll have to depend on them to help Superstar Media back on its feet.”
“Don’t worry, they are honestly really good.”
However, this wasn’t something that Han Xiuche could determine on his own.
Long Jie had her methods and her connections, so it wasn’t hard for her to investigate further into something. Luckily, the group that Han Xiuche introduced to her, had clean backgrounds.
“I would like to thank you for doing all this,” Long Jie thanked Han Xiuche.
“We are all a part of Superstar Media, there’s no need to be polite,” Han Xiuche acted modest, but as soon as he turned around, the smile on his face was filled with a deeper meaning.
“I will manage this group personally…”
“I trust in your abilities.”
Long Jie decided to personally manage the group because she had her suspicions. Besides, keeping an eye on a group was relatively more difficult.
So, as soon as she signed a contract with the group, she immediately started their training.
However, she never expected that this would be the start of her misfortunes.
…
Tangning learned a lot on the set of ‘The Resurrected Specimen’ and Jones was very patient with her. Because he could tell that she was truly talented, he couldn’t wait to pass on everything he knew to her so she could produce some results in the world of sci-fi.
As a result, the people on set gradually realized that Tangning wasn’t a simple errands person. She was Jones’ student!
The majority of them began to feel a little nasty for judging her in the past.
During this time, the most important thing that Tangning got from the experience was that she got to witness the professionalism of Western actors. For the sake of a role, they were willing to gain weight at any time; get dirty at any time; crawl, roll and even fight at any time. This willingness was something that the East was lacking.
“Tangning, I’ve come in contact with many Chinese in the past. But, whether they were from the industry or not, it was rare to come across someone that was diligent, earnest and willing to put their identities aside. The Chinese are particularly prideful.”
This was something that the producer of ‘The Resurrected Specimen’ said to Tangning while he was visiting on set. “After seeing the hardwork you’ve put into learning how to produce a good film and seeing you make guest appearances here and there, I’ve been tempted to ask if you’d like to pursue a career in Hollywood?”
“I’ve looked into your incidences in China and don’t believe you should have received the treatment that you did. I’ve also watched your films. To be honest, I think it’s a shame for you to produce a film, rather than act in a film.”
“So, even though I know you may reject me, I still want to ask if you’d like to come to Hollywood and take on a role with me?”
“I was originally planning to go to China this weekend to recruit an actress. If you’re willing to work with me, I won’t have to make this trip.”
After hearing what the producer had to say, Tangning smiled and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I made a vow that I would never act again and I would like to stick to that promise.”
“Besides, I put in so much effort to learn how to produce a good sci-fi film because I want to fulfill a friend’s dream.”
“So, I’m sorry…but I need to turn down your offer.”
The man nodded his head in a defeated manner, “Fine, I guess I have no choice but to make this trip to China.”
“I wish you all the best.”
The man did not pressure Tangning. He felt she had a lot of personality and was persistent. So, he believed that she deserved respect. That’s why he didn’t understand why a talent like Tangning was hurt so much in China…
Soon, the producer arrived in Beijing. As soon as he stepped out of the airport, he saw a commercial featuring Ma Weiwei. He was shocked that the woman resembled Tangning so much.
As he liked Tangning a lot, he asked his assistant to do some research into Ma Weiwei.
But, after he understood her a little better, he was extremely disappointed, “This woman, Ma Weiwei, deliberately did plastic surgery to look like Tangning so she could be famous.”
“Then she’s just a thief that’s trying to take credit for someone else’s hard work…”
“Since that’s the case, let’s make an open call for auditions. What do you think?”
“OK,” the producer nodded.
“What if Ma Weiwei also turns up?”
“Then, let’s see her perform; let’s wait and see how far she is from Tangning,” the producer replied. “By the way, don’t let anyone know that Tangning is currently learning from Director Jones. It doesn’t seem like anyone in Beijing knows yet. Don’t be a loose-lipped person. We should keep this to ourselves.”
“I originally wanted to work with Tangning, so don’t do something that makes her dislike us.”
“I understand.”
Tangning did not ask to be treated that way, but she received the respect that she deserved. No, to be exact, she was treated well because she was the student of Jones.
As expected, a top producer recruiting for Hollywood was a highly attractive opportunity…
As a newcomer in the industry, Ma Weiwei, of course, dreamed of securing the deal.
So, she immediately asked her management agency to make arrangements. But, if she was to discover how much the producer admired Tangning, would her face be swollen from the faceslap?
Up until this point, she had yet to play any outstanding roles – because she couldn’t act!
This was something that couldn’t be replicated even if she was rebuilt from scratch!
