The talent scout looked in the direction he pointed, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down on the spot.
Shen Huai was still on the phone with Ming Wei when he saw Pei Ran waving at him. He quickened his pace and walked over, just in time to see a dejected figure leaving.
He was puzzled: "What's going on?"
Pei Ran said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, let's go."
Shen Huai finally learned the truth from Xiao Fang and sighed helplessly. However, he didn't know what to say to Pei Ran.
Pei Ran said innocently, "I was just helping you test your employees' work abilities."
Shen Huai: "..."
He pressed his throbbing forehead and suddenly felt that compared to Pei Ran, the big shots in front of him were really quite obedient.
-
They quickly returned to Zhongjing City.
Shen Huai asked Xiao Fang to take the contract to the company for filing first, while he took Pei Ran home.
The villa area was as quiet as ever. Shen Huai opened the door and was stunned for a moment when he saw the empty and deserted house. Then he remembered that after Ye Cang finished recording the second episode of "National Idol", he went to other cities to participate in other events.
He was somewhat disappointed, but quickly recovered and said, "There's a problem with the lawn at the villa I prepared for you. The maintenance workers won't be here until tomorrow, so it might be a bit noisy. You can stay at my house for a few days. I've already had the guest rooms upstairs cleaned, and everything is new. You don't mind, do you?"
Pei Ran was not that delicate; when filming, he slept in a sleeping bag.
He looked around the house with some curiosity.
The house was fairly tidy, and the furniture was all in a minimalist style, making it very comfortable. However, there were some sheet music scattered on the table and sofa, a guitar leaning against the cabinet, and small potted succulents placed everywhere, which added a lot of life to the house.
Shen Huai called someone to put Pei Ran's things in the new villa. After everything was settled, he saw Pei Ran looking at the succulents on the shelf by the door.
His gaze was focused, and there was a slight smile on his lips.
To be fair, it's no wonder that talent scout tried so hard to poach him. Putting aside Pei Ran's own abilities, his face alone is stunning, even in the entertainment industry full of beauties. He doesn't need to do anything; his face alone is enough to attract fans.
These thoughts flashed through Shen Huai's mind quickly. He quickly came back to his senses and said to Pei Ran, "You should rest well these few days. We can talk about work after you've rested."
Hearing Shen Huai's words, Pei Ran withdrew her gaze, turned around and said, "I've rested long enough and I'm ready to start working anytime. We can talk about the new job now."
Shen Huai felt somewhat helpless, but he respected Pei Ran's idea. He poured two cups of coffee and the two sat facing each other on the sofa, which looked very formal.
In fact, among all the big shots Shen Huai had worked with, none of them had ever put as much pressure on him at work as Pei Ran.
Even for Chu Meibo, movies from the Republican era are very different from those of today. She enjoys the fun of filming more. Every movie is new to her. As long as she is interested in the role, she doesn't care whether it's a low-budget web series like "Honey" or a legendary epic like "Red Actress".
But Pei Ran is different. He is a superstar who created an era. He is even the pioneer of several film genres. In front of him, those big directors and screenwriters are just juniors, let alone Shen Huai.
Shen Huai has a lot of resources at his disposal, but not many of them are to his liking, and even fewer are suitable for Pei Ran.
Unlike Chu Meibo, who only looks at the characters he likes, Pei Ran had been a producer and participated in the entire film creation process, so he paid more attention to everything, asking detailed questions about every aspect, including the script, the team, and the investment.
So after this screening process, not a single work caught his eye.
Shen Huai couldn't really explain anything, but that's how the film and television industry is. Good resources are always in high demand. Even though Shen Huai is rich and capable, and has previously brought up artists like Chu Meibo to make a name for himself, not everyone is buying into that. Opportunities like "Red Actress" are rare and hard to come by.
Pei Ran knew that his requirements were a bit too high, but after acting for so many years, he couldn't help but use himself as the standard, so he was a bit harsh.
Some scripts are good, but the teams and investors are complicated. Although these things don't matter to him, he has finally been resurrected and wants to enjoy the fun of movies more than getting involved in these undercurrents unrelated to the film.
As the bigwigs' agent, Shen Huai never contradicted them on professional matters, but instead tried his best to meet their requirements.
Pei Ran, on the contrary, felt somewhat apologetic. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Actually, I had considered making my own movie before."
Shen Huai was stunned.
Pei Ran's eyes revealed a hint of nostalgia: "Actually, I've had this idea for a long time. I've always wanted to make a martial arts film, but no one wrote it. I thought I might as well give it a try. I originally planned to start working on it after finishing 'The Couple,' but I didn't expect..."
"The Couple" is the movie where Pei Ran died in an accident.
Shen Huai was stunned for a moment before finally saying, "I will help you."
Chapter 146
Pei Ran hadn't meant it that way, but seeing Shen Huai's serious expression, he changed his mind and nodded with a light laugh: "Okay, then I'll have to trouble you from now on."
Ever since Pei Ran said that, Shen Huai has kept it in mind.
Shen Huai had just returned to Zhongjing City and had many things to deal with, keeping him busy for several days in a row.
Although Shen Huai was diligent and responsible in the past, he entered the industry more out of curiosity. He casually acquired a company, secretly worked his way in as an agent, and didn't pay much attention to the company's affairs.
But things are different now. Shen Huai has truly made this his career, and Morning Star Company is now a completely different company. Following Ye Cang, it has gradually made a name for itself, and the company's scale has gradually expanded.
Besides Morningstar, there's also Yixing Film Studio. Shen Huai is more cautious about Yixing. Currently, Yixing only invests in small-scale online dramas and movies. However, because Shen Huai knows many industry bigwigs, they occasionally invest in other companies.
After finishing this busy period, the second episode of "Everybody's Idol" aired.
Over this period of time, Pei Ran has gradually gotten used to her current lifestyle. Especially after learning that she could use her phone to access the internet and search on Baidu, she no longer bothered Shen Huai and looked up everything herself.
He knew that Tang Wanjun had been resurrected in Xia Shiyu's body, and that she had participated in the show "National Idol," so he couldn't help but pay some attention.
With the show's promotion, the popularity of "Everybody's Idol" is gradually rising. Xia Shiyu became the most popular contestant in the first episode due to his various quirky actions and more screen time than others.
Although many people are still criticizing her on various social media platforms, most people don't really care. Moreover, Shen Huai has always been careful to guide public opinion, and Huayu Entertainment has been too busy dealing with him to focus on Xia Shiyu. Therefore, the online evaluation of Xia Shiyu is currently quite positive.
In the trailer for the second episode of "Everybody's Idol," all contestants have three days to learn the theme song and participate in the theme song selection.
From the very beginning, the production team emphasized how difficult it would be, even placing a countdown timer in the practice room to create an even more tense atmosphere. Many people who study dance and singing also shared their experiences, saying that learning is one thing, but practicing to the point where you can perform on stage is no easy feat.
All of this piqued the curiosity of many viewers.
The main feature begins with the members' dormitories and practice rooms under dim daylight.
The production team thoughtfully displayed the time on the subtitles; it was 4:30 a.m. At that moment, there was already movement in the members' dormitory. The camera kept focusing on the dormitory door, and the first person to come out was Xia Shiyu.
Xia Shiyu had already changed into her training clothes. Her face was clean and refreshed, with only simple skincare and no makeup. Yet, she showed no signs of fatigue and instead looked energetic.
She was taken aback when she saw the film crew squatting at the dormitory entrance, but then she reacted and greeted them.
The director noticed she was carrying a bag and asked curiously, "What's in your bag?"
Xia Shiyu didn't hide anything and opened it to show her, revealing a different set of training clothes.
The director and the audience seemed a bit confused, but the production team didn't immediately answer their questions and continued filming.
Starting at 4:30, the members gradually made their way to the practice room, but it wasn't until 9:30 in the morning that the last member who had overslept hurriedly ran out of the dormitory.
The production team didn't comment on the matter, but netizens already had their own thoughts.
[You can tell who's studying hard and who's just wasting time just by looking at when they wake up, right?]
Xia Shiyu is such a show-off! Did he already know the production crew would be filming outside his dorm, which is why he got up so early?
[No verification needed, I'm not a fan. If Xia really knew the show would be raiding the dorms, why wouldn't she be wearing makeup? Even if you're going to criticize someone, at least use your brain!]
[I saw in the behind-the-scenes footage that they had just finished recording their preliminary stage the night before, and apparently they recorded until the early hours of the morning. Even if it was just for show, the fact that she could get up at 4:30 is admirable. I certainly couldn't do that.]
[On a side note, doesn't anyone else think Xia Shiyu looks great? I'm strangely envious of her sleep quality...]
-
Shen Huai had just returned from the company when he opened the door and heard the familiar background music of "Everybody's Idol". He was stunned and then realized that Pei Ran was watching "Everybody's Idol".
Hearing the noise at the door, Pei Ran turned her head slightly: "You're back?"
"Hmm." Shen Huai responded, then suddenly remembered something, "The property management told me that the lawn around your house has been trimmed, and you can move in in a day or two."
Pei Ran smiled and said, "Thank you."
Shen Huai took off his coat and went back to his room to change into some loungewear. When he came out, he found that Pei Ran was still watching, and seemed to be enjoying it.
Shen Huai had previously heard Ming Wei report that Xia Shiyu's approval rating was now in third place and was still rising, and it was expected to jump to first place in the next day or two.
Shen Huai had great confidence in Xia Shiyu's abilities, but he hadn't expected her to achieve such good results. After all, idols and singers are different. Idols are more like jacks-of-all-trades, knowing a little bit about everything, and they are closer to the audience, so gaining public favor is the most important thing.
Given Xia Shiyu's previous reputation, even if he was exceptionally talented, it's unlikely he could rise to first place in just two episodes.
Although Shen Huai was curious, he had been too busy to watch the second episode of "Everybody's Idol". Today was a perfect opportunity, so he sat down on the other side of the sofa and watched it with Pei Ran.
Compared to before, Xia Shiyu had far fewer scenes after entering the training phase.
After training for a period of time, many members were so tired that they collapsed on the ground. Some complained about the hardship, while others tried to find humor in the situation. Under the editing of the program team, the scenes became quite amusing.
Some members with a natural talent for variety shows stood out significantly during this phase.
But Xia Shiyu kept practicing quietly. It was good that she learned quickly, but dance was her weakness. To do the same move perfectly was not easy for her.
As is an unspoken rule of the show, those in the top tier get much more screen time than others, but even so, Xia Shiyu's screen time is still pitifully short, and he mostly appears in the background of other members.
By midnight, even the most determined members couldn't hold on any longer and gradually went back to sleep.
Xia Shiyu didn't seem as energetic as before. She sat on the ground to rest for a while, then took her bag and left the practice room.
This bag acted like a deeply buried foreshadowing, reigniting the audience's curiosity. The production team then added the message "Fifteen minutes later..." to the subtitles.
Xia Shiyu pushed open the door to the practice room again. At this moment, there were still a few strands of hair on her forehead that were damp with moisture. The sweat on her face had been washed away, and she looked refreshed again. Moreover, her training clothes had obviously been changed, and it was obvious what she had just been doing.
The music started playing again, and she began practicing in front of the mirror once more.
The recording was sped up, showing her practicing the theme song dance all night until four or five in the morning, when she could no longer stay awake and collapsed on the practice room floor, falling asleep completely exhausted.
This segment lasted five minutes and consisted entirely of Xia Shiyu's solo shots, but netizens no longer complained about her having too much screen time.
[That's incredibly dedicated...]
[I've become a fan! I admire Xia Shiyu's diligence. If I had her effort, I might have even gotten into Zhongjing University.]
[I used to be prejudiced, thinking that idols were just good-looking people who could casually sing and dance on stage and have a bunch of brainless fans screaming. But after watching this show, I realized how narrow-minded I was. Success in any industry isn't easy. Go Xia Shiyu! Go all the hardworking young ladies!]
[It reminded me of when I was starting my business. I was working tirelessly towards a goal, day and night. When I got tired, I would wash my face with cold water and then come back to keep going. Only when I was completely exhausted would I lie down on the floor for a short nap. I never expected to see the same thing happening to a young woman in her early twenties. It makes me a little emotional...]
[Sobbing, I feel so sorry for Xiaxia...]
Shen Huai, watching from outside the screen, also had mixed feelings.