Chapter 442: Chapter 347: Farewell, Guiying (Part 2)
Zhou Yun asked in surprise, "She’s back in the country?"
"Yep." Zhou Lan said, "When you were filming before, she had already contacted me once. I told her you were on set and brushed her off. She reached out again today, so I thought since Yu Zhiyang is still under her management, I decided to give you a call. Will you meet with her?"
Zhou Yun said, "I can meet, but I’ve been particularly busy lately. My schedule is packed every day. How could I meet?"
Zhou Lan said, "Let’s do this, I’ll arrange the time."
"Okay."
Finding a sliver of time, Zhou Lan managed to schedule the meeting for noon the day after tomorrow.
Zhou Yun had a two-hour break at noon.
On that day, after finishing an interview with a self-media outlet, she went straight to the restaurant.
She met Zhou Lan at the entrance of the restaurant and they entered together.
There were only a handful of people inside the restaurant; it looked as if it wasn’t even open for business.
Xu Guiying was sitting behind a table further inside, with two men in suits and leather shoes standing behind her; their hands were folded behind their backs, the epitome of bodyguards.
Zhou Yun and Zhou Lan exchanged glances before walking in.
Zhou Lan was the first to speak with a smile, "President Xu, have you reserved the whole place today?"
Xu Guiying stood up, gave a slight smile and said, "Miss Zhou is too famous now. To avoid any disturbances from idle folks, I cleared the place out."
"President Xu, this is quite the gesture, clearing the place out just like that," Zhou Lan gave a thumbs up.
Xu Guiying: "Please have a seat, both of you."
Faced with this woman, Zhou Yun felt somewhat conflicted.
The last time she met with this woman, things were not very pleasant.
For a while, Zhou Yun thought that Yu Zhiyang’s chances were gone.
Up to now, she still couldn’t understand why Xu Guiying suddenly relented and agreed to let Yu Zhiyang act in that movie.
Zhou Yun sat down.
Xu Guiying smiled as she looked at Zhou Yun and said, "Miss Zhou and I didn’t have the most pleasant conversation last time. You’re not still holding a grudge about that, are you?"
Zhou Yun lifted the corner of her mouth, "Why would I?"
"That’s good," Xu Guiying nodded, "I see Miss Zhou is someone with a generous spirit, not the kind to harbor grudges over small matters."
"You don’t have to worry about what I mind," Zhou Yun said bluntly, "Our last meeting was just about a collaboration, wasn’t it?"
Zhou Lan could feel the sparks flying between the two.
She nonchalantly placed her right hand on Zhou Yun’s leg, wearing an enthusiastic smile, and said, "President Xu, you asked us here today because you have something to discuss, may I know what it is?"
Xu Guiying smiled faintly and said, "Oh, it’s nothing major, just that since I’ve agreed to let Yu Zhiyang act in your movie, there are a few things I wanted to clarify with you in advance."
"Could President Xu be mistaken?" Zhou Yun returned a faint smile, "If there is anything to be clarified, you should clarify it with Yu Zhiyang, not us. We’re not under contract with you."
Xu Guiying’s smile paused.
Zhou Yun was not one to swallow her words or tolerate insults, but Xu Guiying gave her an intuition that in the face of her arrogance and dominance, Zhou Yun could not afford to swallow her words or tolerate, or it would spell big trouble.
At the same time, Zhou Yun deeply disliked Xu Guiying. The air of superiority and command that emanated from her, as if everyone else was nothing more than a pet dog that needed to wag their tail and beg for her favor. Maybe it was because Xu Guiying had been a boss for so long and was surrounded by such people, nurturing such a temperament. However, Zhou Yun understood deeply that she could not acquiesce to such behavior.
"Miss Zhou, I have already agreed to let Yu Zhiyang star in your movie, I’ve given you face."
"President Xu, while I do hope that Yu Zhiyang can play the male lead, if it really doesn’t work out, it is what it is. I won’t force it, and you shouldn’t either. The film can go on without him; there is no issue of giving or not giving face," Zhou Yun had never thought she’d say the following, "President Xu might as well ask around, how many are willing to pay to star as my male lead? The key figure in this film is me, not Yu Zhiyang."
Xu Guiying’s expression became uncontrollable for a moment, twisting slightly.
After Zhou Yun had played the bad cop to the hilt, it was Zhou Lan’s turn to step in as the good cop with a cheery demeanor.
"Oh, Xiao Yun, look at your temper. President Xu didn’t mean that," Zhou Lan said with a smile to Xu Guiying, "Is President Xu just reluctant to let Little Yu act, or are you worried? Rest assured, our film crew operates by the book; there won’t be any danger."
Xu Guiying picked up her teacup, took a sip, put it down, and said, "The entertainment industry is too chaotic. If Little Yu joins your crew, there’s no telling what temptations he might encounter. I invited the two of you here today actually just to ask you to keep an eye on him a bit more. He’s an innocent kid who hasn’t seen much of the world and is easily led astray. I don’t want him to stir up any unsavory rumors while filming with you."
"We’re all adults here, no one needs to look after anyone," Zhou Yun said indifferently, "I asked him to act, not to play baby. As for temptations and how to handle them, that’s his business. I have no intention of bringing a giant baby onto my set. To be blunt, with Yu Zhiyang’s current demeanor, it’s only me who can set requirements for him. He’s in no position to set any for me. The same goes for you, President Xu. Even if you are a big boss with all the influence, I don’t ask anything from you nor owe you anything. There’s really no need to flaunt your status in front of me. I don’t have much patience for that."
Zhou Yun’s words were very impolite, leaving Xu Guiying so choked up with anger that words couldn’t escape her throat for a long while.
Zhou Yun looked at Xu Guiying with a half-smile and casually slipped her hands into her pockets.
"Speaking of which, I am actually quite curious. President Xu, weren’t you previously adamant about not letting Yu Zhiyang act in our movie? What made you change your mind all of a sudden?"