Zhong Ruanxing answered the phone as if nothing had happened, “Hello?”
When Song JinXing heard the noisy background noise, he was stunned for a moment, “Haven’t gotten off work yet?”
Zhong Ruanxing leaned back and curled up in the oversized down jacket, “Yeah, shooting night scenes today.”
Her voice was very soft, “Are you tired?”
“Not too bad,” she said with a laugh. “It’s much more relaxing than being a CEO.”
After all, it was a career she loved, so she didn’t feel tired at all doing it. Not like when she was CEO, feeling anxious and walking on thin ice every day, afraid that a slight mistake would bankrupt the Song Corporation.
She spoke lightly, and he unconsciously smiled, “Almost done filming?”
Zhong Ruanxing rolled up her hair, “Yeah, recently shooting some scenes of Quan Qian Si that I missed before. I got to participate in the tail end of the additional shoots, so I guess I got to fulfill my dream of playing an assassin.”
Song JinXing could only play Quan Qian Si, he couldn’t play Cang Ling Xue, but she was able to portray both roles very well. Even though the actor changed, when reshooting Quan Qian Si’s scenes, no one noticed anything different from before.
Because her looks were too outstanding, in the past it actually made people overlook her acting skills.
In fact, she was a very good actor.
Now, people were finally starting to discover her brilliance, and Song JinXing felt happy for her. He said in a low voice, “About Ah Ling, thank you.”
Although neither of them had told him anything, Song Shuling must have had today’s change because she said something to her. Her emotions were always very abundant, and she could easily empathize with other people's sufferings.
“It’s nothing,” she didn’t take credit, but asked with concern, “How are grandpa and grandma?”
The switch happened too hurriedly, and she didn’t get a chance to visit them even once. Hearing Song JinXing talk about grandma boasting about the fish she raised when he recently went back to the old house, she laughed lightly.
Hearing her laugh, Song JinXing's mood improved, “When are you coming back to Jing City?”
“Probably another half month or so,” she said.
He said, “Let me know before you come back, and I’ll come pick you up.”
Zhong Ruanxing's heart skipped a beat. She jokingly said as if nothing had happened, “Ah Ling also said she wants to come pick me up. Did you two siblings make plans together?”
Song JinXing was silent for a moment, and gave a low “hmm” in response.
Zhong Ruanxing smiled, “Let’s talk about it when the time comes. What if you happen to be busy that day?”
But he insisted, “Remember to let me know in advance.”
Zhong Ruanxing had no choice but to say, “I know.” She stood up from the chair, took off her coat and shivered from the cold, “I have one last scene left, talk to you later.”
Song JinXing said, “Go on, keep warm, don't catch a cold.”
She gave a “hmm”, and then the receiver sounded the busy tone. He stared blankly at the darkened screen for a while, pinched the bridge of his nose, and silently went upstairs.
After the switch, everything in the house was unchanged, even the bedroom was kept in its previous design.
After taking a bath, Song JinXing leaned against the bed, all the lights in the bedroom were off, only the mushroom lamp on the bedside table was still on. Looking at it this way, it looked more like a glowing mushroom, with shallow mushroom patterns on the umbrella surface.
He stared at the mushroom lamp for a while, finally picked up his phone, and hesitantly and slowly typed a few words into the search bar: “How to pursue your crush”.
The mushroom lamp lit up this part of the bedroom, and also shone on Song JinXing’s almost serious expression.
...
After several consecutive nights of shooting, even Zhong Ruanxing, who loved acting, was no match for fatigue. When she returned to the hotel, only Wu Chengwang was there. Zhong Ruanxing held a hot water bottle and asked wearily, "Where's Ran Ting? I haven't seen her recently."
Agents of course weren't by the artist's side all the time like assistants. But Ran Ting only had her as a client, and was still a newcomer to the industry, it didn't seem like she had any other business to conduct either.
Not seeing someone for a few days was quite strange indeed.
But recently Zhong Ruanxing had been so busy shooting, she didn't have time to look for her either, only remembering to ask today.
Wu Chengwang was always honest: "She went to Shanghai the day before yesterday, said she was going to meet a producer to discuss cooperation."
Wow, impressive, the little agent could now take the initiative to get business deals for her.
Zhong Ruanxing was quite looking forward to it, guessing what business the little agent could bring back for her. But she didn't have too high expectations either, given her popularity level and Ran Ting's connections, there was only so big a deal she could land.
Unexpectedly, the next day, Ran Ting brought her back a huge surprise.
"Mango TV's new variety show, simulcast online and on TV, produced by renowned variety show director in the industry, confirmed celebrity guests include award-winning actress Yong Yun, popular singer Xia Xi, rising actor Yao Jingshan, and there will be a Zhong Ruanxing if you agree!"
Zhong Ruanxing was drinking milk tea and was so shocked that the pearls almost jumped out of her mouth, "Such a star-studded variety show, and I can join?"
Ran Ting immediately had a resentful look as if hating iron for not becoming steel: “Miss Zhong Ruanxing, please don't underestimate yourself! You are very popular now too! Although they are bigger names than you, they aren't top A-listers either, I bet their fan engagement numbers on social media are lower than yours!"
Zhong Ruanxing was amused by her and burst out laughing, "What artist compares fan engagement numbers? That would be so embarrassing!" She returned to the main point, "You've been beating around the bush, so what variety show is it exactly?"
Ran Ting: "It's a survival romance variety show."
Zhong Ruanxing: "?" She looked at her with an expression of disbelief, "Survival? Romance variety show? How can those two words be put together?"
Ran Ting said earnestly, "Yes! That's why this show is such a big production, that's why it can invite so many big name stars, because it's really different from the cliched variety shows out there now, people in the industry have high hopes for it. Lots of artists are fighting for a spot, it took me a lot of effort to get it for you!"
Of course, precisely because this show is still essentially a romance variety show at its core, even if top A-listers covet it, they wouldn't participate. Artists building a single persona and relying on girlfriend fans to retain fans wouldn't dare touch it either, so Zhong Ruanxing could come in to add some weight.
Ran Ting carefully explained the content of the show to her: "It will invite a total of eight celebrity guests, paired into four couples. Among them six are celebrities, two are civilians, and among these eight people, there is one real life couple."
"Before the show starts, there will be a vote where the audience tries to guess who the real couple is as they watch. The identity of the real couple will only be revealed at the end of the show. Exciting right? Even more exciting - the place where the cast will date arranged by the crew is on an island. They can only rely on themselves for food, shelter, transportation, everything. Surviving while dating at the same time, super thrilling right! Just reading the proposal made me really want to watch it, I think it will be a hit!"
"What you lack now is exposure, this show being live broadcast can make up for your deficiency in that area. Soon after the broadcast finishes will be the May 1st holiday, your movie The Spy will be released, so the timing aligns perfectly, and the popularity boost can be sustained."
"You're a professional actress, not an idol star, the audience is a lot more tolerant of actresses dating, look at how many shippers you have on social media. Going on a romance variety show doesn't mean you have to actually date, if you don't like any of them, just don't choose anyone in the end, we're mainly looking at popularity and exposure."
Zhong Ruanxing looked at her agent analyzing the pros and cons and was gratified to see how much she had grown from when they first met. She could even negotiate a deal this big for her now.
Ran Ting, who was still passionately explaining, suddenly hesitated, a troubled look on her face, "The only problem with you going on this show is..." She looked at Zhong Ruanxing, eyes full of concern, "What if Boss Song disapproves when you go on a romance variety show?"
Zhong Ruanxing: "..." Complex emotions flashed through her eyes before quickly disappearing again, "We don't have any relationship, why can't I go on a romance show?"
She stood up and patted Ran Ting on the shoulder, speaking righteously, "Listen, I'll tell you a life lesson. Never give up your career for a man, no matter what. This is such a good opportunity, we have to take it."
