Actresses

Chapter 40 Lobbying

This time, Shi Jiahe was really anxious.

Before she came out, He Yuran hadn't eaten anything and had already been drinking. If she had been drinking on an empty stomach until now, it would be perfectly normal for her stomach to feel uncomfortable.

Shi Jiahe began to recall, but she couldn't recall anything similar happening before. Or perhaps it rarely occurred. In any case, she had no recollection of it, which could only be attributed to He Yuran's relatively good health, or perhaps she was just lucky. Today, it was probably due to her recent bad mood combined with the stimulation of drinking, all of which happened at the same time.

Just as Shi Jiahe was about to call a taxi, Sister Shi interrupted her, saying, "I'll drive. It's right outside."

She originally wanted to say, "Let's go up after you find a parking spot. It might not be as fast as me taking a taxi."

But whatever, we're on their turf now, so let's just listen to them.

After turning off the lights and locking the doors and windows, Sister Stone checked everything again, which took several more minutes. Then the two of them took their things to the front yard to get the car.

Every detail revealed that Stone Sister was someone who valued quality of life. Her car was a brand new all-electric SUV, probably only recently purchased. Opening the door and starting the engine was a seamless process; she drove off in one smooth motion. Shi Jiahe, nestled in the passenger seat, glanced at Stone Sister, who was a head taller than her, and thought to herself, being next to this person definitely gave her a sense of complete security. No wonder Zhuang Pan was always so unreliable; Stone Sister gave the impression of being able to solve anything. She was that reliable. She even felt that if she ever lost her job, she could easily come and help Stone Sister with odd jobs.

However, unlike Ding Yi's steady and subtle approach, Stone Sister possesses a more bold and unrestrained spirit.

Shi Jiahe gave the address, and then Sister Stone drove there according to the navigation.

The two didn't talk much on the way. Shi Jiahe kept sending WeChat messages to He Yuran, but never received a reply, and Zhuang Pan didn't call again.

Nobody knows the latest developments. It seems we can only wait and see.

Shi Jiahe couldn't help but ask, "Does your Panpan know how to buy medicine?"

Stone suddenly burst into laughter. "How could that be! She has trouble even ordering a coffee by herself."

"Sigh, do you really not know how, or do you just not want to learn?"

"If you've reached that level where someone takes care of all the trivial matters for you, you won't want to learn anymore."

Shi Jiahe closed her eyes. "I don't think I can. I don't enjoy this kind of life either. If I can't even do small things well, then I feel I can't do big things well either."

"Hahaha... But most people in our industry don't think that way. Especially actors, the better they are taken care of by their teams, the more it proves our professionalism. Otherwise, what's the point of having you agents? People who do big things don't need to do small things."

"Although I understand the logic, I sometimes get really angry when I see celebrities acting like idiots who can't take care of themselves."

"Then you still have to spoil them, right? That's part of our job," Stone said with a laugh.

"Can't we just focus on work? Just work. The kind of work that's really important. Don't let it interfere with your personal life. Sometimes I can't even tell if I'm an assistant or not."

"Take a look, is this the door you should go in through?" Sister Stone patted Shi Jiahe on the shoulder.

Shi Jiahe peeked out and saw that they had already arrived at the entrance to the underground parking garage of the residential area.

"Yes, yes, go straight, then turn right."

While steering the car, Stone said, "When we deal with artists, we can't separate work from life. Actually, it's not just the film and television industry. I'm rather pessimistic about this. I think it's the same in all industries. As long as you're dealing with a specific person, it's very difficult to keep the boundaries clear. It's just that the boundaries in the film and television industry are even more messy."

As they spoke, the car drove down the passageway.

Shi Jiahe suddenly felt herself getting nervous. "I'm a little afraid of what I'll see after I open the door."

Stone remained as calm as ever. "Don't worry, if anything happens, Panpan will call me. Ran might even be better by the time we get there."

Stone Sister double-checked the location and found a parking space in the driveway closest to the building entrance. As Shi Jiahe unbuckled her seatbelt, her mind raced with random thoughts; the mystery was about to be revealed.

"Let me make this clear beforehand: I have to drive, so I won't drink a drop of alcohol. You guys can drink, and I'll clean up the mess," Sister Stone said.

"Let's see if we need an ambulance first."

After opening the access control, we went up to He Yuran's house.

Sure enough, it was Zhuang Pan who opened the door. However, judging from the way Zhuang Pan and Sister Shi looked at each other, they didn't seem like they had just had a fight that night.

"Where's Sister Ran? Sister Ran?" Shi Jiahe threw off her shoes and rushed into the house.

When they reached the sofa, sure enough, He Yuran was curled up, her face turned inwards, so their expressions couldn't be seen. Shi Jiahe sat beside her, carefully placing her hand on He Yuran's body, and whispered, "Sis, should we call 120? Are you feeling better now? What exactly is bothering you?"

He Yuran didn't speak, but raised one hand and waved it, meaning no need.

Shi Jiahe turned to look at Zhuang Pan: "How long have you been like this, sister?"

Zhuang Pan tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Uh, it's been about a minute before I called you guys until now, but Ran-jie doesn't seem to be in any particular pain, because she hasn't been making any noises." Zhuang Pan said, frowning, "She hasn't cried out in pain or screamed, so she should be alright?"

Stone Sister, standing to the side, said with a hint of helplessness, "Panpan, not everyone makes a fuss about a little pain. Some people just won't say it."

"Okay." Zhuang Pan shrugged. "So what's next? You guys figure it out. I've completed my mission."

Shi Jiahe almost couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark. Oh, the task was just making a phone call, and you still have the nerve to mention it?

She glanced at the bottles of wine on the table; two or three had been opened, but judging from the labels, not much had been consumed. She then looked back at He Yuran lying there, as if suddenly understanding. So she stood up.

"It's alright, I'm here. You guys go back first."

Zhuang Pan's expression turned somewhat unpleasant after Shi Tou Jie said something to her, but she couldn't argue with Shi Tou Jie.

Stone Sister, holding Zhuang Pan like a police officer controlling a criminal, said with a smile, "We're relieved that everything's alright. Call anytime."

After speaking, he gave Shi Jiahe a meaningful look. Shi Jiahe nodded knowingly.

"Okay, let's talk on WeChat."

Zhuang Pan called out to the sofa again, "Sis, I'm going back now!"

"Sigh, okay... I won't see you off..." He Yuran replied weakly, as if she was just squeezing out a few words from her throat.

Shi Jiahe noticed the two people next to her whispering something, so she quickly leaned close to He Yuran's ear and whispered, "Did I really let them leave?"

She heard an even softer "hmm".

Shi Jiahe got up to see them off.

Only now did she realize that Sister Stone hadn't driven her there, but to pick up Zhuang Pan. When they arrived at the underground parking lot, she watched the car drive away, waving goodbye until it was out of sight, before turning and going upstairs. During this time, Zhuang Pan made no attempt to add her on WeChat, and she couldn't be bothered. Adding such an arrogant young artist was pointless.

Upon re-entering the house, Shi Jiahe found that He Yuran had already rolled over and was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with her back ramrod straight.

"Sis, I knew you were faking it," Shi Jiahe said.

"What else can I do? Zhuang Pan keeps nagging, she might really pester me until dawn, so I just want her to leave as soon as possible."

"So, she didn't even notice?"

He Yuran rolled her eyes. "My acting skills are far superior to hers."

"Yes, yes, yes. So what did she talk to you about? Was it about her boyfriend again?"

"Wrong! She didn't mention a single word." He Yuran frowned, crossing her arms as she looked at Shi Jiahe. "You didn't grasp the essence of a single word I said. I told her that her boyfriend cheating on her made her lose face. Do you think she would bring up relationship issues with me? She told me that her agent had problems and asked if I knew any reliable agents she could recommend. How could I get involved in something like that? What if that 'Stone Sister' found out? What would become of me, a big star like me? So, in my panic, I had to pretend to be sick. If this were outside, I could easily get away, but this is my own home! She's really causing me trouble."

"My sister is so clever! I've learned something new."

"And you? Why did you come with Stone Sister? Are you two together? If you go to see her, doesn't that mean we're splitting up to try and get information out of each other?"

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Oh no, how could I have forgotten this detail?" She cleared her throat awkwardly and pretended to be calm, saying, "Sister Shi told me why they were arguing—it was about joining the production team."

He then quickly recounted the whole story he had heard.

"Heh, I think there's more to this than meets the eye. It can't be that simple. Zhuang Pan isn't stupid. If that group were really that good, she would have gone there immediately without hesitation," He Yuran sneered.

"Oh? But this film has a huge budget, and it's attracting a lot of attention in the industry."

"This kind of drama is more serious and dramatic, what use would they have for a popular actress like her? There must be some kind of exchange. To be blunt, in a production like this, they might even treat Zhuang Pan as a major guest star. But it doesn't matter if they don't say anything. In my opinion, Sister Stone hasn't actually decided which production to join. Maybe Zhuang Pan is in the same boat as me, with no better options." He Yuran smiled confidently. "We are her best choice!"

Shi Jiahe was also very supportive, saying, "Sister, the energy you're having right now is really captivating."

"Hey, I'm not just making this up, it could very well be true. Isn't it common for people in this industry to lie to each other? I'm just guessing based on common sense. Let me emphasize this to you again! When you talk to Sister Stone, you should think that they need us, not that we're begging her. This kind of mindset is very important, understand?" He Yuran said, hands on her hips.

"Sister Ran, after you said that, my mind is much clearer. I'll ask her out again tomorrow."

He Yu interrupted her impatiently, "Don't make the appointment tomorrow! Wait a day! Otherwise, it'll seem like you're in a bigger rush. Tell her to sort things out between Zhuang Pan first. Pay attention to what I mean by attitude, attitude, understand?"

"Okay, fine. I'll make an appointment for noon the day after tomorrow."

"Okay, but don't drag it out for too many days."

"Will you come when we meet, sister?"

"Of course I had to come! I personally prepared this play, so I had to show up. I showed my sincerity, and we discussed things normally."

"Okay." Shi Jiahe blinked, thinking about the most offensive thing Sister Stone had said.

—You don't have a professional producer, and you can't keep Zhuang Pan in check on set.

So, this gathering can't be done with just the four of them; we need to invite one more person. But how do we bring this up with Sister Ran...?

"Sis, how do you think you are at handling Zhuang Pan?" Shi Jiahe decided to change the subject.

Why are you asking that?

"For example, if she actually comes and throws a tantrum on set, are you confident you can calm her down?"

"Why would I do something like this myself?" He Yuran glared. "If someone leaks information saying the two actresses are fighting, it's better to avoid trouble."

"Yes, yes, it's not good to just make assumptions."

Shi Jiahe thought, it's as if the movie has already started filming, Ran Jie is talking so logically.

"I'll leave it to Sister Stone." He Yuran waved his hand, let out a long yawn, and showed a hint of impatience. "I'm sleepy. Are you staying here with me, or going back to sleep?"

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, I can't leave. This has to be said in person; it's hopeless if we talk about it on WeChat.

"Sister, I think we should invite Wei Ning to this meal," she said, mustering her courage.