Chapter 20
Luo Zhengzheng came out of the bathroom and noticed that Gu Shi was glancing at her every now and then. Although his gaze was calm, she could sense the scrutiny in it, as if he wanted to dissect her and study her thoroughly.
She shivered. Applying a face mask, she turned to him, "Why were you staring at me like that?"
Gu Shi: "Nothing."
He glanced at the mask on her face and asked, "Do you need me to blow-dry your hair?"
Luo Zhengzheng scrutinized him, thinking he might be bothered by her going to Wanhua Entertainment, but then she thought, since he was the one who introduced her to Wanhua Entertainment, there was no reason for him to be bothered. So where did his strange behavior tonight come from? Not wanting to waste her energy thinking about it, she stopped trying, "Definitely need."
Gu Shi dried her hair and took a bathrobe to the bathroom. After washing up, Luo Zhengzheng had already applied a face mask and was lying in bed.
Tonight, Luo Zhengzheng planned to rest early. Luo Can was going home tomorrow. When they went to Dali and Lijiang last time, she bought some gifts for dad and mom. Better let him take them back. Thinking this, she watched Gu Shi come out, but didn't move.
Gu Shi dried his hair, lifted the silk quilt, and lay down on the bed. Seeing her lost in thought, he asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Luo Zhengzheng slightly raised her eyes to look at him. "Nothing."
Gu Shi turned to quietly watch her. Luo Zhengzheng turned her head away. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Gu Shi didn't answer her. He rolled over and lightly pressed himself against her. "My cold is better now."
If Luo Can heard him say that, he would definitely say, "You clearly told me your cold isn't better yet, you're a liar."
Luo Zhengzheng hummed in confusion. Gu Shi's lips covered hers.
Luo Zhengzheng sensed his intention, pushed him away, and whispered, "The light's still on."
Gu Shi glanced at her, kissed her lips, and after a moment, reached out and turned off the light.
Waking up, Luo Zhengzheng felt sore all over. She took a hot bath, which made her feel much better. Coming downstairs, she saw Luo Can sitting on the sofa with his head down. She smiled and said, "Don't want to go home?"
Luo Can saw Elder Sister, gave a dry laugh, and said guiltily, "No."
He remembered everything from last night's drunken mischief, especially how he had revealed Elder Sister's past relationships to Elder Brother-in-law. He wished he could go back in time and shut himself up. He wondered if Elder Brother-in-law had told Elder Sister about it. Thinking of this, he glanced at Elder Brother-in-law, who was eating breakfast in silence.
He asked Elder Sister cautiously and quietly, "Did Elder Brother-in-law say anything to you last night?"
Luo Zhengzheng didn't understand the meaning behind his words, only saying nothing was said. However, she mentally muttered, "He didn't say anything, his mind was only on doing."
Luo Can felt relieved, thinking that elder brother-in-law wasn't that bored. Feeling guilty for doing wrong to elder sister, he said solicitously, "Elder Sis, you must be hungry, go get some breakfast."
Luo Zhengzheng sat in the dining chair. Gu Shi, with a twinkle in his eyes, poured her a glass of milk and asked, "Would you like a crab roe bun?"
"Yes."
He picked up another crab roe bun and placed it on the plate in front of her. "After you finish, have some fruit."
Luo Zhengzheng hummed in agreement, took a sip of milk, and then lowered her head to eat the crab roe bun.
Gu Shi glanced at her and asked, "Want a lift this morning?"
Luo Zhengzheng looked up at him. "No need, it's too much trouble."
Gu Shi nodded, not insisting. He finished his milk, peeled an egg for Luo Zhengzheng, and placed it on her plate. "Have an egg."
Luo Zhengzheng glanced at the egg but didn't say anything. She wasn't picky. As long as the food didn't taste too strange, she could accept it.
Gu Shi finished his breakfast and stood up. "I'm going to work now. I've already arranged a driver to take Luo Can, so you don't need to worry."
Luo Zhengzheng hummed in agreement and waved goodbye. "Bye-bye."
Gu Shi glanced at her again and said to Luo Can, "Come visit again after you fill out your college applications."
Although Younger Brother-in-law was a headache, he had his adorable moments.
Without being told, Luo Can, who planned to return to Elder Sister's place after filling out his college applications and continue his summer job, readily agreed, saying, "Okay."
Gu Shi handed Luo Can a box, which Luo Can blankly accepted.
"What's this?" he asked.
Gu Shi smiled and said, "It's a gift I brought back for you from my business trip abroad."
Luo Can happily opened the box. It was a watch. He glanced at the brand, not really understanding it, but he knew Elder Brother-in-law wouldn't buy something cheap.
"This must be expensive, right?" he asked.
Gu Shi replied, "Not very expensive."
Luo Can looked at Elder Sister, unsure whether to accept it.
Luo Zhengzheng was surprised that Gu Shi had prepared a gift for Luo Can, "Your elder brother-in-law gave it to you, aren't you going to accept it?"
Since Elder Sister agreed to let him accept Elder Brother-in-law's gift, he naturally didn't stand on ceremony and put the watch on his wrist.
Luo Zhengzheng smiled and asked Gu Shi, "Why are you only giving it to him now?"
Gu Shi picked up the file folder and looked at Luo Can, "Naturally, it depends on his performance."
Luo Can was startled, looking at Elder Brother-in-law warily. Was it a reward for telling him about Elder Sister's love life during her school days last night?
Instantly, he felt the watch was burning hot. What if Elder Brother-in-law asked him about other things concerning Elder Sister? Should he tell him or not?
He fumbled for the watch strap. The watch was given to him, so it was his now. He secretly decided that even if he asked him, he wouldn't say anything.
After seeing Luo Can off, Luo Zhengzheng went to Wanhua Entertainment. Xiao Zhang accompanied her.
At Wanhua Entertainment, she went straight to the audition room on the third floor. She was a little late today. The auditions had already begun.
Director Lu saw her and warmly invited her to sit down.
Luo Zhengzheng saw a young and beautiful woman sitting next to Director Lu. She recognized the woman. She was a female celebrity named Han Yue. She had played a role in one of Director Lu's movies and later starred in a few TV series, making her a popular actress. Luo Zhengzheng sat down and sent Chen Hui a text message, telling her she was in the audition room on the third floor.
Han Yue glanced at Luo Zhengzheng, smiling, and sat quietly to the side, but her heart was pounding. She had always thought of herself as one of the prettiest actresses in the entertainment industry, but she hadn't expected this woman to be even more beautiful. Judging from Director Lu's attitude towards her, she couldn't help but be wary. She wondered about this woman's background.
She wanted to ask Director Lu, but seeing that he didn't seem inclined to introduce them, she wisely kept quiet. Her success in the entertainment industry was due to two things: genuine talent and her keen observation and careful speech.
Chen Hui arrived on the third floor and saw Luo Zhengzheng. She smiled and said, "Zhengzheng, today is auditioning for the school period female lead role . Sitting here all the time is getting boring. Why don't you come upstairs and sit for a while?"
The two were already acquainted, and Chen Hui called Luo Zhengzheng by name directly.
Luo Zhengzheng wanted to talk to her about something, so the two went upstairs. Han Yue watched them leave, constantly speculating about the identity of the woman named Zhengzheng.
Upon arriving at Chen Hui's office, Luo Zhengzheng said, "Elder Sister Hui, you're a producer. I have a novel here. Could you help me analyze whether it can be adapted into a TV series?"
Chen Hui wasn't busy at the moment and asked, "Which novel?”
She then turned on her computer.
Luo Zhengzheng said, "Home and Country."
Chen Hui searched online, pointing to the computer screen: "Is this it?"
Luo Zhengzheng looked and nodded: "Yes, this one."
Chen Hui opened the novel: "Let me take a look."
Once she started reading, she couldn't stop.
Half an hour later, Luo Zhengzheng asked her, "Elder Sister Hui, what do you think?"
Chen Hui replied with delight, "It's been a long time since I've encountered such a thrilling novel. If this novel was to be adapted, the investment can't be small, and we absolutely need to find a good screenwriter. I didn't expect you to have such good taste."
Just as Luo Zhengzheng was about to speak, Chen Hui's phone rang. She picked it up and saw it was Director Lu calling. She asked, "What's up?"
Director Lu yelled into the phone, "It's hard to explain over the phone. Come downstairs."
Chen Hui hung up and said to Luo Zhengzheng, "Something's happened. Let's go down and see."
Upon reaching the third floor, they learned that a few child actors had auditioned that morning. Two were suitable, but Director Lu couldn't make a decision and wanted to consult Chen Hui.
Han Yue stood up when she saw Chen Hui and Luo Zhengzheng enter. One of the two suitable child actors was her niece. Knowing she couldn't get a role in the film herself, she had her niece try out. Unexpectedly, her niece's acting skills had passed Director Lu's test.
If her niece's acting wasn't great, so be it. But since she passed Director Lu's test, he'd probably agree to let her play the younger version of the female lead, out of consideration for her.
Chen Hui glanced at Han Yue, a top actress in the company, whom she naturally recognized. She looked at Director Lu and said, "Choose the best one. You're the director, you decide."
Director Lu scratched his head, glanced at Han Yue beside him, and pulled Chen Hui aside, whispering to her, "The little actress over there was the most suitable, but her parents don't approve of her acting. As for Han Yue's niece, she's a little lacking. Could you talk to her parents for me?"
Chen Hui frowned: "If her parents don't approve, how did she even audition?"
Director Lu said, "I spotted that girl outside. She came with her elder sister without telling her parents."
Having finally found a suitable young actress, he naturally didn't want to give up easily.
Chen Hui looked at Director Lu: "Why don't her parents agree? Are they afraid it will interfere with her studies?"
Director Lu nodded. That was certainly the case. The parents felt their child was too young. Studies were the priority. They didn't want her to lose her focus. But this girl had a real talent for acting. With proper nurturing, she might achieve great things in the future.
Chen Hui said, "Okay, I'll give it a try."
The two went outside. Chen Hui explained the situation to Luo Zhengzheng. Luo Zhengzheng looked at her: "Does the younger female lead have a lot of scenes?"
The main focus was on her adulthood, right?
Chen Hui sighed: "Not a lot, but the main thing is that her parents don't want her to act, lest she develop an interest in acting and become unwilling to study."
Luo Zhengzheng understood, saying, "This child is over ten years old, probably in middle school. If her grades are good, her parents naturally want her to achieve something academically."
Chen Hui's eyes... A bright light appeared on her face, and she quickly said, "I'll go ask that child how her studies are going."
A few minutes later, Chen Hui pulled Luo Zhengzheng's arm: "That child's grades were average, so her parents don't want her to do anything else and want her to focus on her studies."
Luo Zhengzheng said, "Filming won't interfere with her studies. We can hire a tutor to help her on set, and she could even go to an arts school in the future."
The girl's grades were average, but Director Lu said she had exceptional acting talent. Considering everything, entering the entertainment industry seemed like a better option. After all, the fact that she was willing to audition clearly showed she liked acting.
It wouldn't be so bad if there wasn't an opportunity, but letting it slip away when it's presented to you would definitely lead to regret later.
She added, "We can discuss it with the child's parents first. Let's film this movie first, and then talk about other things. After all, if the child wants to act but her parents won't allow it, she might become rebellious and even less focused on her studies. We can set a condition for her: acting was fine, but it shouldn't interfere with her studies."
Chen Hui smiled and said, "I think you'd be quite suitable to be a producer."
Luo Zhengzheng shook her head: "If I invest in a TV series and ask you to be the producer. I won't do it."
Chen Hui, considering her position, understood and said, "Okay. If you trust me, I'll be your producer."
Luo Zhengzheng naturally trusted her.