“What did the boss want from you?” Another team leader encountered Lin Jie in the hallway and curiously asked.
Lin Jie merely replied, “Confidential company project.”
“Got it.”
Random Entertainment has too many confidential projects. To prevent leaks of planning content, only those directly involved in the project are allowed to participate, and naturally, they are the only ones with the right to know.
For instance, this music show. Most people in the company only found out about it in the past two months, but the project had already been in the planning stage for half a year.
This is to prevent the "Wolf is coming" phenomenon from occurring too often, where the public has lost their sense of surprise.
After leaving Jiang Juyou’s office, Lin Jie did not return to her team’s workspace but entered a conference room, calling in several staff members and contacting a few people from the performance and variety departments.
Meanwhile, Jiang Juyou was lying in her office chair, enjoying a brief moment of leisure as sunlight crept through the blinds and cast shadows on the floor.
She momentarily indulged in this idleness, ignoring the documents on her desk and instead using her feet to play with the patterns of light and shadow on the floor.
Suddenly, she remembered something and got up to press the answer button on her desk phone.
Outside the office area, four girls were busy with their tasks. One of them suddenly heard the phone ring.
“Hello, Director Jiang,” she answered.
On the other end of the line, Jiang Juyou’s voice came through, “What’s the schedule for this afternoon?”
“Um… There’s a screening at four, and then Sister Chen Xi said she’ll come after the screening.” She held the phone with her shoulder and checked Jiang Juyou’s afternoon schedule.
Jiang Juyou sighed on the other end, “Forget it… Alright, got it, thank you.”
Jiang Juyou, who had wanted to skip work, leaned back and hung up the phone, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, “It’s rare to want to slack off.”
She lay back down and said to Cong Lixia, “I’ll take a nap, wake me up when it’s time.”
“Okay.”
Cong Lixia had already noted the time, but just as Jiang Juyou was settling in, she suddenly sat up again.
Cong Lixia was startled and double-checked the time to see if it had skipped ahead.
“I’m just a workaholic!” Jiang Juyou threw off the blanket covering her legs, stood up, tidied her hair, and then picked up her phone to head out.
Having been with her for so long, Cong Lixia understood her every move.
“Going to the program site?” Cong Lixia asked.
Jiang Juyou, putting on her coat, smiled, “You know me too well.”
Her camel-colored coat enveloped her, softening the sternness in her demeanor.
Jiang Juyou adjusted her collar and said, “Maybe I can only truly rest when I’m paused.”
Just like when she was a child.
-
Today, there are several artist pre-recordings scheduled, and Jiang Juyou is not at ease and wants to check on them.
The program has just started, and the content is largely the same, as it’s mainly about promoting songs and stages. The only changes are in makeup, costumes, and stage settings.
This episode’s lineup is only slightly different from the last, with one or two new faces added, including AIcho and a solo singer.
Today’s pre-recording schedule doesn’t include them, but Jiang Juyou still wants to go down and take a look.
Just as she complained, she’s a workaholic.
At the moment, the fans haven’t entered the venue yet. The few people on stage are testing microphones and confirming camera positions.
Jiang Juyou stood behind a group of staff members, not disturbing anyone.
The seven boys on stage were also familiar to her. They were early trainees at Random Entertainment, having participated in the filming of "Youth Excitation 21 Times," and two of them even made it into the top twenty, participating in the recording of "Time Train Countdown."
Unlike their first recording, this stage had more props and settings, better costumes, and even new hair colors. Two of them had dyed their hair blue and platinum blonde, respectively.
It was clear how much they wanted to leave an impression on the audience.
“Remember to make eye contact with the camera when the boom comes over.”
“Don’t block the camera operator on stage when others are moving.”
“Take a good look at your camera.”
The staff member holding the microphone was reminding them, and the seven boys stood in a row, nervously clasping their hands and shrinking their shoulders, “Got it, we remember.”
Seeing the staff member’s exasperated expression, it was clear they had been reminded before but had made mistakes again.
Standing at the back, Jiang Juyou took in everything happening on the stage.
The few girls standing beside the stage were dressed in hoodies and down vests, looking familiar but lacking the professional aura they once had.
They bowed and apologized to the assistant director and camera crew.
The assistant director was angrily scolding them, his words clear.
“If you’re going to change your hair color, you should have told us in advance, or at least sent us the dance video!”
“Changing the song and the positions again and again, do you think the hundreds of people working on this show are just sitting around waiting for you?”
The assistant director was furious, and the others didn’t dare to make any big moves, afraid that any noise would draw his attention and get them scolded.
Other staff members moved props and equipment gently, afraid the assistant director would turn around and see them.
Just from the few words of scolding below, Jiang Juyou could guess what had happened.
They changed the intro of the song and added a dance break but didn’t inform the program in advance or send the dance position video to the program team, resulting in the planned camera cuts and positions not matching their performance.
Li Yao and the others knew the mistake was on their side and had nothing to argue about, so they could only apologize repeatedly.
“I’m sorry, really sorry!” Li Yao bowed and apologized, looking towards the stage, “In that case, we can record later. Please, teachers, remake the camera positions and order. We’re really sorry!”
“I’m really sorry, we’ll be more careful next time! This is our fault, we’re very sorry!” Zhao Xu also apologized to the assistant director.
The assistant director was still fuming, “What’s the use of apologizing now? Forget it, I don’t want to talk about it!”
He didn’t want to deal with these people anymore, throwing the script on the ground and storming off, his clothes rustling and his footsteps heavy, startling the surrounding staff.
The most frightened were the seven boys on stage, who felt like they were being roasted under the spotlight.
Yang Siyu below comforted Li Yao, helping her wipe away her tears and looking up at the stage, gesturing for them to come down.
“Take your name tags and go record the new dance video. Luo Man, go with them. There’s a large restroom at the end of the corridor, they know where it is.” Yang Siyu patted Li Yao, suppressing her fatigue and trying to control the situation.
She turned back to Li Yao and said, “The incident has already happened, there’s no use blaming yourself now. Alright, don’t cry, we’ll get it done later.”
“I’m also at fault, it’s my fault that the music and dance came out too late, the time was too tight.”
“Alright, ladies, your crying is giving me a headache, stop it.”
Just as she turned around, Yang Siyu locked eyes with Jiang Juyou, who was standing by the railing, wearing a coat, her hands in her pockets, watching the scene below. She was in the dark, making it hard to see her expression or even her face, but Yang Siyu knew it was Jiang Juyou.
-
The deafening music played over and over again. Several groups with minimal stage settings were arranged to rehearse together. They basically danced a couple of times, checked the cameras, and then passed, leaving the rest for the official recording later.
Jiang Juyou sat in the viewing area, crossed her legs, and scrolled through messages in the project group on her phone.
“Here.”
Suddenly, someone stood beside her and handed her a cup of coffee. Jiang Juyou paused her actions and looked up.
It was Yang Siyu.
Jiang Juyou was momentarily stunned, not reacting at first, so Yang Siyu placed the coffee on an empty chair and sat down in another empty seat.
"Thank you." Jiang Juyou finally picked up the coffee from the chair, warming her cold fingertips.
No one spoke, and both of them fell silent for a while, leaving only the noisy music from the stage below.
The clichéd arrangement combined with the unchanging rhythm, and coupled with the hard-to-understand, tongue-twisting lyrics, made the song less appealing.
After the music below ended, Yang Siyu finally spoke, "...This song probably isn't your type."
Jiang Juyou shifted her gaze from her phone to glance below, "Indeed." She held the hot coffee and looked at Yang Siyu, "Your songs are pretty good."
Yang Siyu, sitting there, smiled, "We were trained by you."
Seeing her smile, Jiang Juyou also smiled.
After the laughter, the place fell silent again. The in-house team wisely didn't play any more music, making the silence even more awkward.
When Random Entertainment was first established, Yang Siyu and the others were in the A&R department, responsible for album planning and song selection.
At first, they still had their own musical preferences, but later they leaned towards Jiang Juyou's preferences.
Jiang Juyou's preferences had very distinct characteristics: a unique and catchy opening, a chorus in the refrain, and a melody with emotional ups and downs.
How popular her preferences were could be seen from the current achievements of those groups. The groups from Random Entertainment were not only popular with artists but also with albums, and some songs were even more famous than the groups themselves.
This year, the cyberpunk element was in vogue, and the theme songs from Random Entertainment's early programs became popular again. These days, you can hear them every time you watch a video.
Even when they were still at Random Entertainment, their preferences had already leaned towards Jiang Juyou's tastes.
They didn't realize this when making their own group, and only when the album was completed and the MV was shot did they see the results and suddenly realize.
This was exactly Jiang Juyou's taste.
It was also for this reason that their group gained a little attention after last week's program aired, at least making it onto the song charts.
The place fell silent again. Jiang Juyou was thinking about topics to talk about in her mind, just about to speak, when Yang Siyu beside her said—
"I'm sorry."
The sounds of moving props and loud directing below were blocked out at this moment. Jiang Juyou looked at Yang Siyu, not understanding what this sudden apology was for.
Yang Siyu, who hadn't dared to look at Jiang Juyou, finally turned her head and sincerely said, "When I first left the company, I was quite confident, thinking you were wrong, trying to keep everything balanced in this capital-driven entertainment industry... It's a bit too charitable."
She sneered mockingly, "Only after we set up our own company did I realize how wrong I was back then. Looking back now, I must have looked very disgusting with that confident face."
Yang Siyu looked at Jiang Juyou, "So I've always owed you an apology."
At that time, there were people in the company who said she was eager to prove herself, but she was disdainful, thinking everyone else was drunk and she was the only one sober.
Only after starting her own company could she empathize with Jiang Juyou's position and feelings at that time.
That wasn't a regular talent show; it was a competition within the company's trainees.
Unlike those external trainee talent shows that carry the company's honor and reputation, the program she took over, whether it was popular trainees or those at the bottom, were all nurtured by the company with a lot of time and money.
Just as Jiang Juyou had questioned her, how hard did those trainees without camera time have to work to be noticed? Were they not noticed because they didn't work hard enough?
Now they were in the same situation as those bottom trainees, no matter how good their skills were, they couldn't be seen without resources.
It was at this moment that she understood the helplessness of those trainees.
Their being noticed at this moment was also due to Jiang Juyou's fairness, which she had once scoffed at.
Hearing her apology, Jiang Juyou just smiled slightly, "Then I'll accept it."
This matter had long been over in her mind.
She didn't want to dwell on it and instead looked at Yang Siyu, changing the subject, "What was going on just now?"
Yang Siyu sighed, "…Let's not talk about it. We thought that since we have to come every week, performing the same thing each time would be a bit boring, so we wanted to put some small ideas into the arrangement or Dance Break. We focused on practicing the new arrangement and forgot to send the position video to the program team."
"None of us six remembered." Yang Siyu patted her head, still feeling a headache when she thought about it now.
"Is it handled now? If not, should I talk to the director for you?" Jiang Juyou asked her.
Yang Siyu didn't want to trouble Jiang Juyou and just said, "It's already handled. I just went to apologize to the deputy director. This really is all our fault; we haven't slept much these days and forgot."
Sitting in this theater, with the original old-timers from the company around, Jiang Juyou couldn't help but think of the early days of Random Entertainment.
She looked up at the ceiling, "Galaxy has been renovated many times, but this ceiling has always remained the same."
Jiang Juyou then looked back at their seats, "Do you remember when we sat here for the first monthly evaluation?"
"Yeah… At that time, we both thought Yao Shuo was extraordinary, and later he did debut," Yang Siyu was also drawn into the memories.
Mentioning the monthly evaluation, Yang Siyu would remember the first performance she saw when she transitioned from a fan to an insider. By their current standards, those kids were indeed a bit immature at the time.
But the impression left was very deep, an emotion they would never forget.
Jiang Juyou also sighed, "People really do get nostalgic as they age."
Just like being a fan, the initial memories are always the most cherished.
Jiang Juyou occasionally also reminisced about the early days of Random Entertainment, everyone squeezing in the backstage of this venue, initially only five or six staff members, and later there were so many that they couldn't fit.
Just now, when talking with Lin Jie, she mentioned Random Entertainment, which was like a child raised by Jiang Juyou, from an innocent young age to a chaotic adolescence, and now Random Entertainment is in a state of entering society, gradually rising, becoming stronger, and possessing its own resources and connections.
As if making a decision, Jiang Juyou took a sip of hot coffee and then stood up, "Alright, I accept your apology, and you should hurry up and get busy too."
"Are you already kicking me out?" Yang Siyu looked up at her.
"Yes, get out."
"My resignation back then was definitely the right choice!"
The two of them joked again, just like those few days when Yang Siyu finished her handover work, laughing and joking.
The difference was that this time there was no estrangement.
After seeing Yang Siyu off, Jiang Juyou went downstairs to meet the director and asked about his future invitation ideas.
Because Time Train Countdown is set to officially release next week, and they need to balance their promotional stages with performing on 'Idol New Museum,' they might not be able to come as frequently, so the director was asked to consider the future lineup more carefully.
This wasn't her responsibility, but since she was already here, Jiang Juyou discussed Lin Jie's ideas with the director on her behalf.
At this moment, Lin Jie had been in meetings all numb. She had been in the company since morning and hadn't left the conference room much. This enclosed space was already making her feel suffocated.
"Let's take a break for a while," Lin Jie rubbed her temples and slumped on the table without any image.
Those present were all familiar faces, all of them were people who usually brainstormed plans and schemes with Jiang Juyou. Just like when they had meetings with Jiang Juyou, they sat there all day.
The others also slumped there, sprawled out.
"I'm done for, did you get possessed by the boss?" The man sitting in the corner seemed drained of energy, looking a bit listless.
After an hour-long brainstorming session, all his proposals were rejected by Lin Jie.
Lin Jie didn't even look at him, just raised a few fingers, "The boss gives you a task, and you'll be like this too."
"So what's the task! You won't even tell!"
"Secret!"
-
"Good afternoon."
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Hey! Sister Cheng!”
People gradually entered the screening room, and while the door was still open and the lights hadn’t gone out, everyone exchanged a few polite words.
Jiang Juyou was delayed downstairs for a while and arrived later. As soon as she pushed the door open, everyone inside looked over.
“Sorry, I was delayed downstairs for a moment,” Jiang Juyou said, handing her coat to her assistant and greeting a few people inside.
Seeing Jiang Juyou come in, the door was closed again, and everyone else took their seats.
She was arranged to sit on the middle sofa, with the director and Cheng Yuan on either side. After sitting down, she exchanged a few words with the director.
Jiang Tang, sitting in the front, quietly turned her head and exchanged a glance with Jiang Jie, then giggled secretly.
At that moment, the familiar opening sound rang out, and the dragon logo appeared on the screen.
“Is this the final theatrical version?” Jiang Juyou whispered to her assistant.
“Yes,” the assistant replied in a whisper, mimicking Jiang Juyou’s manner.
Everyone in the screening room settled down, ready to watch the film.
The public’s impression of Random Entertainment was still stuck on their knack for producing idols and novelty merchandise, plus Random iWatch.
Few knew that Random Entertainment had also invested in several high-grossing and well-received films over the past few years.
Although the production teams they signed had not yet produced any outstanding film works, the investment results were quite impressive.
While everyone was still focused on the jokes of idol groups, Random Entertainment had already cornered the acting industry.
It could even be said that as long as Random Entertainment wanted, they could insert idols into movies, giving them small roles to ride the wave of film success and elevate their status.
However, Random Films, the film division of Random Entertainment, operated relatively independently, mostly managed by Cheng Yuan. Jiang Juyou occasionally dropped by to serve as a producer for some films, but otherwise, she didn’t interfere.
This created a somewhat split image of Random Films and Random Entertainment.
Only those who went to the cinema could notice the logo of Random Films.
Jiang Juyou’s next task was to integrate Random Films, which had been “raised” externally, with Random Entertainment, reshaping the public’s perception of Random Entertainment.
Everyone was quietly watching the movie, and Jiang Juyou managed to block out distractions and immerse herself in the story.
After watching the film, Jiang Juyou felt more confident in her plans.
Although she couldn’t guarantee the box office, the reputation should be solid. This unconventional plot with continuous twists and turns was what the public liked.
“Sister Cheng Yuan, let’s have dinner together later,” Jiang Juyou said, stopping Cheng Yuan as she was about to leave after chatting with others.
Cheng Yuan, who was already halfway out the door with her bag, turned back, “…Alright, but salad, I’m on a diet.”
“Sister, do you want to join us too?” Jiang Juyou called out to Jiang Tang, who was about to leave.
Jiang Tang froze, her eyes darting around, “…Me?”
The fact that they were sisters had not been publicly disclosed, and they rarely interacted at the company. Suddenly being called, Jiang Tang thought Jiang Juyou might have made a slip of the tongue.
“Yeah, Sister Chen Xi asked me to check if you have any interest in collaborating with her,” Jiang Juyou mentioned a work-related matter.
She picked up her phone and glanced at the message Chen Xi had sent her, who was already waiting in her office.
Jiang Juyou looked up and said to the two of them, “Let’s make it clear, we’re ordering takeout and eating in my office.”
“Jiang Juyou, you’re too stingy!” Cheng Yuan laughed.
Jiang Tang couldn’t help but nod, wondering what she did with the millions in dividends she received every year, living such a plain life.
She whispered, “Exactly!”
Jiang Tang: If you’re not going to spend it, give it to me.
-
There will be another update of six thousand words before twelve, making up for the last couple of days!
-
