Chapter 384: Chapter 318: First Light: 1_5
This time, he didn’t bring Gu Huaichun.
"Wow, Xiao Yun is getting more and more beautiful!" Liu Pinran exclaimed with an exaggerated tone as soon as they met.
Zhou Yun’s eyes sparkled as she said, "Director Liu is getting more and more handsome too! With ’Dark Sky’ being so popular, how do you still have time to see me?"
Originally, she was supposed to be the female lead in this play, acting opposite Gu Huaichun.
Liu Pinran didn’t want to talk about ’Dark Sky’, smiled, and said, "Of course, I’m here to congratulate you on winning the Movie Queen! You really made us Chinese proud!"
Zhou Yun waved her hands and said, "Don’t put it that way, I’m embarrassed."
"There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s really uplifting. If it were an artist from my company who won such a big award, I’d be talking about it every day," Liu Pinran said.
Zhou Yun thought to herself, you’re slandering your own artists behind their backs, do they know about this?
Yet she still smiled.
Zhou Lan took over the conversation, asking, "Xiao Gu is now the male celebrity most liked by young girls, Director Liu must be thrilled, right?"
Gu Huaichun was picked by Liu Pinran to star in ’Eighth Heartbeat’ and became an instant hit. His second film ’Dark Sky’ also maintained high popularity with pleasing viewership numbers.
In Yuehai, Gu Huaichun bore a profound mark of Liu Pinran.
Undoubtedly, this gave Liu Pinran greater leverage in discussions. Not just leverage, but many other implicit benefits.
Liu Pinran said, "He is indeed very popular now. Almost every film is asking if he’s available on their shooting schedule. He’s had too many offers. But Xiao Yun, you know that although ’Eighth Heartbeat’ wasn’t critically acclaimed, it still has many fans who love you and Gu Huaichun, and both of you were fantastic in that play. There are lots of your CP (couple pairing) fans and many people who hope to see you work together again, don’t you think?"
Zhou Yun forced a laugh, turned her head to Zhou Lan and said, "Sister Lan, do I have any free time later?"
Zhou Lan shook her head directly, sighed, and said, "Xiao Yun, although I know you also want to work with Xiao Gu, your schedule for next year is already fully booked."
Zhou Lan said to Liu Pinran, "I’m sorry, Director Liu, as you know, Zhou Yun also has many offers and has already signed up to shoot four or five films. There’s simply no way to coordinate the time. She’s fully booked for next year."
Liu Pinran smiled and said, "Of course, I know Xiao Yun is also very busy. Even though next year’s schedule is booked up, we can shoot the year after. I’m sure we can find a great project to collaborate on again."
Zhou Lan nodded and said, "Director Liu, as long as you have a suitable project, we will certainly consider collaborating with you first, since our previous collaborations were also very enjoyable."
Liu Pinran: "Then it’s settled. I will definitely find a good project."
The three chatted and laughed, finishing a meal together. In the midst of their conversation, Liu Pinran mentioned Zhou Yun and Song Chi’s relationship, saying, "You guys are pretty bold, walking hand in hand into the hotel so openly. Isn’t that just asking for the photographers?"
Zhou Yun said, "That’s exactly what we want, not hiding anything."
Liu Pinran looked at her in surprise.
Zhou Lan said, "Yuehai doesn’t allow young artists to date, right?"
"It now takes so much to bring a young person into the industry, honestly, too many kids aren’t as disciplined as Xiao Yun. Once they start dating, they become overly emotional and disregard everything. We can’t take that risk," Liu Pinran said, "Besides, at the beginning of their careers, they usually follow an idol route. Like Xiao Gu, even though he’s an actor and not strictly following an idol route, isn’t it also true that most of his fans are because he’s considered a boyfriend figure? Stirring up CP rumours can boost popularity, but real-life dating could make many fans feel they no longer ’own’ him. If he really dated someone, his popularity could directly drop, affecting his career."
Zhou Yun was no stranger to hearing this kind of talk.
She said, "Liking someone is natural, urging them to suppress their nature is inhumane."
Liu Pinran laughed and said, "Nature is one thing, but we aren’t asking you to suppress your nature. However, once you choose to enter the entertainment industry, to be an artist, you have to face this reality. The company invests money in you and aims to cultivate you. There are limited resources, but plenty of people sharing the cake. If I give it to you, I need some assurance. How many artists, after getting popular, disregard everything, treating the company like a nanny, making us have to clean up their messes? I’d rather state the ugly truth upfront: if you want to date, then don’t work in this industry; if you want to work in this industry, you have to make some sacrifices."