“Oh Heaven, who is right and wrong in joy and sorrow? Better to raise a glass with you tonight and forget our worries.” The ringing of a phone alarm forced the person on the bed to slowly open his eyes.
He suddenly sat up, looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no one else. He wasn't familiar with the ringtone, so he looked towards its source.
He discovered it was his own phone, and he immediately froze. "No, when did I change my ringtone?" Memories from last night suddenly flooded his mind.
It turned out that after he learned Ju Jingyi had filmed a short film, he specifically searched for related information online, appreciated her acting, and then listened to the song she sang, "Fate Ends in the World." He felt it suited his taste, so he specifically set it as his ringtone.
Since he had only changed it less than half a day ago, he needed some time to adapt to the new ringtone. That's why he didn't immediately realize it was his phone ringing. Just as the caller was about to hang up, he quickly answered.
“Oh my god, you finally answered! Are you up yet? Don’t forget, you’re coming back to Xing City with me this afternoon. Do you still want to participate in the new project?” Xu Ke on the other end of the phone almost roared.
He had been sending messages to Yi Xing since eight o'clock. He waited calmly for an hour, received no reply, and his patience wore thin. After making several consecutive calls, he finally established communication with him.
“I’m sorry, Director Xu, I went to bed a bit late last night. Where are you now? Send me your location, and I’ll come find you right away.”
“No need, I’m downstairs. Hurry up and get ready. I’ve already bought the plane tickets.”
When signing the contract, Xu Ke already knew his ID number. It was a very simple matter to have his assistant buy him a ticket. He was currently holding a cup of coffee and sipping it slowly, showing no signs of urgency whatsoever.
“Alright, I’ll be as quick as possible. Oh, how much were the tickets? I’ll transfer the money to you later.”
Yi Xing especially disliked owing favors to others. If it was someone he was close to, that was fine. But he already owed Xu Ke a favor because the other party had actively helped him find work. Now, with another one, he was completely unwilling.
“No, no, it’s just a small amount. Never mind that for now, just hurry up and get ready.”
“Wait…” He still wanted to say something more, but only heard a dial tone from the other end; the call had been disconnected. He helplessly put down his phone. Since he didn't want it, he couldn't force it, as that would only cause him to be annoyed.
He then quickly rushed into the bathroom and began his morning routine. Half an hour later, Yi Xing, dressed neatly, went downstairs, pulling his suitcase with his left hand. He took the elevator to the hotel lobby and immediately spotted Xu Ke waiting on the sofa.
“You’re here!”
“I’m here.”
“Xiao Zhao, has the car arrived?” Xu Ke turned his head and asked his assistant, who was sitting on another sofa. All his travel arrangements, whether by plane or road, were handled by him.
“It’s here, waiting at the entrance now.” The young man called Xiao Zhao stood up and replied respectfully, clearly an intern arranged by Mango.
“Alright, let’s go then.”
...Time always flies by quickly when traveling. In no time, two hours had quietly slipped away. Yi Xing remained awake the entire time; there was no way around it, as he had only recently woken up.
In contrast, the director beside him, despite having coffee, still couldn't resist the onset of sleepiness. Not long after the plane took off, he comfortably drifted into dreamland, and if one listened closely, a faint snore could be heard.
This left him with no opportunity to talk to anyone. He put on his headphones, opened a downloaded movie, and started watching. By the time the movie was almost over, the plane was about to land.
After exiting the airport, the three immediately got into the car Xiao Zhao had arranged in advance and headed to the agreed-upon location with the director. In the car, Yi Xing asked for some basic information about the director and learned that his surname was Liao and he had served as the producer for "Super Girl."
Soon, the car stopped next to a coffee shop. Indeed, when discussing business or signing contracts, people generally choose to do so in a coffee shop. It's unclear if this is an unwritten rule in the industry.
“Old Xu!”
“Old Liao!”
The two men, whose combined age was nearly eighty, embraced tightly.
“Hey, Old Liao, do you want a guest?”
“That person must be the one you want to introduce to me, right?”
“Smart!”
Seeing both of them looking at him, Yi Xing stepped forward, nodded, and greeted the person sitting opposite him.
“Director Liao, hello, I’m Yi Xing.”
“Hello, young man. Old Xu thinks highly of you; he’s recommended you to me several times. Have you looked into what variety show I’m launching?” Director Liao also nodded, acknowledging the greeting, then began his assessment. Even if introduced by a good friend, there would be no leniency.
“Not much. I heard it’s currently in preparation, a travel variety show, and it requires overseas travel.”
“Then what do you think your competitive advantage is compared to others?”
“I have three years of experience studying abroad, so I have some understanding of foreign affairs. There won't be any language barrier issues when communicating with others. If the team needs a communication person, I think I can handle it very well.”
“Then why wouldn’t I just hire a translator directly?”
“Translators find it difficult to integrate into the team. Besides, the show probably needs artists with a certain level of fame. And most importantly, my appearance fee is low, so you can allocate more funds to other areas.”
Yi Xing used his trump card. At this stage, with a million followers, probably no one could offer a lower price than him.
As soon as he said this, Director Liao's smile became uncontrollable, and he burst out laughing: “You, young man, are really honest! Alright, you're set as the last candidate.”
“So, when will we roughly start filming?”
“If nothing unexpected happens, in late November, at the latest in December.”
“Okay, thank you, Director Liao. I won’t disturb your conversation with Director Xu any further.” Yi Xing bowed slightly and left through the main door. He glanced at Xiao Zhao, who was waiting nearby, without showing his inner excitement.
After walking to a small alley, he clenched his fists and said, “Yes! Successfully secured it. Now I just need to wait for news from Xiao Ming Ge.”
It is now mid-August, and there are still more than three months until the filming time Director Liao mentioned. If he can successfully join the crew, this free period will be perfectly utilized.