Actresses

Chapter 13 Refusal

That day, the sun practically rose in the west; He Yuran arrived at Jiang Fan's apartment building ten minutes earlier than the agreed time. There was no need to allow time for getting lost in the complex; it was only ten meters from the street to the building entrance.

Having not seen each other for 15 years, He Yuran was still a little nervous. He calmed himself down before slowly going upstairs.

The stairs in the stairwell were slightly uneven, so she had to be careful as she walked up each floor, glancing around at the surroundings. The walls were mostly peeling and faded, a stark contrast of age and decay, the only new feature being the security door.

Jiang Fan lived on the fourth floor. He Yuran stopped when she saw the apartment number.

After hesitating for a long time, he finally raised his hand to knock on the door.

"Is it ready?" A woman's voice came from inside the door.

"it's me."

He Yuran responded while eagerly peering into the room, but the hallway was poorly lit, and he couldn't see clearly until the door was opened.

A middle-aged woman appeared inside the door. At first glance, she seemed quite unfamiliar. Her clothes and appearance were those of an ordinary housewife that one could see anywhere on the streets of Beijing. Her hair was simply tied up, but her temperament was reserved and serene.

"You're here so early, come in."

He Yuran stared at the woman in front of him in disbelief, and as he entered the room, he secretly glanced around first.

There were almost no miscellaneous items left outside the room. The sunlight streaming in cast a soft filter on the solid wood furniture, and the antique tile floor was spotless. He Yuran walked to the sofa, even starting to worry about being scolded by the owner, because if she sat down, she would create wrinkles that clashed with the room.

He Yuran hesitated for a moment before saying, "I thought... you lived with the child."

After saying that, she inwardly grimaced; the opening line was really a bit awkward.

"The child is with her father these past few days," Jiang Fan said casually. "Have a seat. What would you like to drink?"

He Yuran wanted to ask if they had any wine, but she swallowed her words. "Anything is fine, water is okay too."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

After a while, Jiang Fan brought over hot tea in a glass. It was brewed Longjing tea, with each bud pointing downwards, like a flag and a spear, floating and sinking.

"Thank you, Fan." He Yuran respectfully accepted the teacup with both hands, then automatically straightened his hips and sat properly on the sofa.

The cup was a little hot, so she hesitated for a moment, put the teacup on the coffee table, and then immediately sat up straight.

The last time she was so meek and obedient was when she met some famous director. He Yuran never expected that she would subconsciously feel so nervous after meeting Jiang Fan today.

Jiang Fan sat down as well, his brows relaxing. "I haven't been able to get away lately, but you need to see me urgently, so I can only trouble you to make this trip in person today. Thank you for your trouble."

"No, no, it's been so long since we last saw each other, I should do it." He Yuran continued, rambling incoherently. "Have you been busy lately—?"

"Oh, my daughter has a closed training camp in the suburbs in a few days. I need to pack her luggage in advance and prepare all her living and learning supplies."

He Yuran nodded and casually remarked, "So, you and the child's father do have a division of labor, right?"

"Her father is usually at the film crew and sees her about once every six months, spending three or four days together each time. He doesn't interfere in these matters. If she needs anything temporarily, he'll call me and I'll deliver it to her. The child usually lives with me."

"So... do any of the elderly people in your family help take care of the children?"

"My daughter is closer to me, and she resists being cared for by others. So I usually don't leave her for more than a day or two."

He Yuran thought to herself, "Oh no, how did we end up talking about kids like this?" She quickly tried to steer the conversation back on track.

She hesitated for a moment, then took a sip of tea. "Raising a child must be... quite expensive, right?"

"It's alright. Let's not just talk about me anymore. You still haven't told me why you suddenly contacted me this time? As long as it's not about filming, it's fine."

"Huh?...Uh...So you're not taking on roles because of the kids? Speaking of which...I actually have a role here that's perfect for you." He Yuran said incoherently.

Jiang Fan smiled after hearing this: "Ranran, it's rare for us old classmates to meet, so don't make fun of me. I haven't acted in a long time, let's talk about something else."

He had prepared and rehearsed his lines last night, but how come they were useless after just one round? He Yuran panicked instantly and threw all his prepared lines to the back of his mind.

"Fan, I'm not joking. You've known me for so many years, when have I ever joked about anything serious? I really am here to ask you to make a comeback!"

Jiang Fan paused, his polite smile fading. "I wasn't joking. I've been away from the film and television industry for seven or eight years and have no plans to make a comeback. If you're not here to catch up or have something else to discuss, then I think it's best not to take up your time. What do you think?"

"You love performing so much, don't you have any regrets at all? Besides, doesn't raising children cost money?"

"Raising children requires a lot of care and attention, not necessarily money. Besides, how much money is too much? Just be content."

"You didn't say that back in college! You liked acting even more than I did."

"Each stage of life has its own lessons. I now fully accept that I am a mother, and that is my primary identity."

"...I still owe you a fried rice."

Jiang Fan stood up and patted He Yuran on the shoulder.

"Ranran, you don't owe me anything. You're a born star, I'm not. No matter the reason, fate brought us to where we are now, that's destined, we have to accept our fate, and be content with what we have. Okay, focus on being your big star, I have some things to take care of, how about we call it a day?"

"Are you trying to blast me?" He Yuran asked reluctantly.

Jiang Fan didn't speak, he just smiled.

It's as if to say, "It's so obvious, why are you still asking such a stupid question?"

"Aren't you resentful at all? Not even a little bit?"

"I didn't," Jiang Fan answered bluntly. "The world is very different now. Ranran, to be honest, even you have your limitations, let alone me, who has been away from the industry for so many years. Besides, I don't have your kind of ambition at all."

"The fact that you said those things proves you still care about me and this industry; it proves your heart isn't dead. I know you don't want to leave your daughter, but we can film in Beijing. We can revise the script, change the story, anything. You won't have to be away from your daughter for a long time; these things are easily resolved!"

Jiang Fan didn't respond to her questions about filming, and just smiled faintly.

"You're always trending on social media, it's hard for me not to pay attention to you."

"But I'm at your house right now!" He Yuran retorted, unconvinced. "That's just how this industry is, with its ups and downs. If you want to, you can get out! If you want to!"

"If we could do whatever we wanted, the world wouldn't be the way it is now." Jiang Fan's expression was one of helplessness, then he turned his head away from her. "Alright, I have to go now. Since you insist, then do as you please."

This means, you can stay in this house if you want, but I'll leave if you don't.

...Then why bother?

He Yuran wasn't one to make a fool of herself, so she immediately stood up.

"Okay, okay, I'll go." After taking a few steps, He Yuran stopped again and uttered a few words with great difficulty. "Then... take care of yourself."

"You too. Don't push yourself too hard."

Jiang Fan's tone was very restrained, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

But it doesn't matter anymore, it's over.

He Yuran thought to herself, "Why should I keep striving? I don't know what to do every day. Anyway, I'm not short of money, so I might as well consider retiring." Seeing how fulfilled and content Jiang Fan is, maybe I should have a child too? To find something to do.

In short, my mind is full of wild and random thoughts.

He Yuran's driver had already come to pick her up, but Jiang Fan drove her all the way downstairs, so she had to take a taxi. The driver followed her at a distance.

He Yuran maintained her smile until the car had completely out of sight of Jiang Fan, then sighed, all her strength draining away as she slumped back in her seat. Although Shi Jiahe had promised to give her an answer after seeing Jiang Fan, He Yuran couldn't be bothered to say a word now.

Actually, she didn't have much of an obsession with Jiang Fan's casting, but after being so bluntly rejected, long-forgotten memories resurfaced and mingled with her intense resentment, making her extremely agitated.

He Yuran sat up abruptly and decided to head straight to the company. After thinking for a moment, she sent a WeChat message to the driver, telling him to wait for her at the entrance of her residential compound.

After getting out of the taxi, He Yuran got into his own car and told the driver to take the underground parking garage as usual, but this time to go to his studio, which was a few buildings away from his home.

When she stormed into the studio, Shi Jiahe and her colleagues were eating snacks together. When they heard the door open, they all looked up like thieves.

"...The boss?" Shi Jiahe was the first to speak.

"Okay, you guys eat." He Yuran went straight to her office.

Without saying a word, Shi Jiahe clapped her hands, got up, and ran over.

Although it was just for show, the studio did have an office for He Yuran, which was usually locked separately, and only Shi Jiahe had a key. He Yuran came to the company nine or ten times without a key, so Shi Jiahe had to go and open the door.

The door opened, and the two entered the house one after the other. Shi Jiahe closed the door behind her and asked softly, "Uh... how was it?"

He Yuran plopped down in a chair, looking furious. "The world is going to the dogs! It's truly going to the dogs!"

"...Jiang Fan's salary is very high, is it?" Shi Jiahe asked with a puzzled look.

"...What?!" He Yuran stared wide-eyed. "If she had talked to me about my salary, that would have been fine. But as soon as I opened my mouth, she rejected me."

"What's the reason?"

"It's about the kids. She needs to be with her kids. She doesn't have time to film." He Yuran leaned back in her chair and turned to look out the window.

Shi Jiahe didn't quite believe what He Yuran was saying in her anger, so she comforted her for a while. Once He Yuran calmed down, she asked her to recount everything that had happened that morning in detail, trying to be as accurate as possible.

After listening, Shi Jiahe also fell silent.

"Do you know what people fear most? Having no needs. Look at me, I love performing, I love fame and fortune, I love so many things, so this industry can keep me tied down. But Jiang Fan, it seems like she doesn't care about anything except her child. And she's already divorced, so I really don't know what else I can do with her."

Shi Jiahe thought for a moment, "Sister, calm down first, don't get upset, it's not worth it. I think your opinion is right, she definitely wants to act, it's just that for some reason. Besides, we don't necessarily need to find her, if she doesn't come, there are plenty of other people who can."

"That won't do. I'm determined now. I have to convince her, and then she'll beg me for a role!"

"It's not that bad, it's not that bad."

"This is so annoying!" He Yuran continued irritably, "You better think of a solution quickly, I really can't stand being tricked by her."

Shi Jiahe stroked her chin: "We need to treat the root cause. The key is, what exactly is her problem?"