Actresses

Chapter 81 Restoration

As the meeting room door closed, He Yuran, alone, remained sullen and resentful. However, after sitting in the room for a while and seeing no further movement outside, her temper, having lost its anchor, quickly cooled down.

She listened intently; the outer room was unusually quiet as well. Then she thought, "Where did that damn Jiahe go? She just cursed a few times and ran off? I'm getting angrier and angrier!"

Putting everything else aside, the most humiliating thing was that she had lost face in front of Song Lin. On one hand, in the eyes of young media professionals, it would be a laughing stock to see a top-tier female celebrity being treated like a fool by her agent. Moreover, what bothered He Yuran more and more was that she felt Song Lin's first thing to do upon returning was to tell Li Luo'an, which particularly annoyed her. Thus, the anger that had almost subsided reignited.

Just then, the phone in front of me suddenly rang.

He Yuran instinctively thought it was Shi Jiahe, but when she opened it, it was a new WeChat message from Wei Ning. This was quite unusual, as Wei Ning rarely messaged He Yuran first.

"Sister Ran, sorry to bother you! I originally wanted to ask Jiahe, but I couldn't reach her, so I'm taking the liberty of asking. Our company's 'National Drama Light Pioneers Forum' ended today, and there's an industry after-party tonight. It's mostly celebrities and drama producers there; no reporters, so there's no need to worry about being photographed. I was thinking, Sister Ran, if you have time, would you like to come over? Zhou Chun has mentioned a few times that he'd like to meet and chat with you sometime, but he's really busy and has to go on a business trip tomorrow. So I thought I'd ask you right away. Let me know if you're coming, and I'll make the arrangements!"

He Yuran glanced at it and then flew into a rage again.

She thought to herself, "You damn Jiahe, we can argue all we want, but at least return my work calls and WeChat messages! Why do all these social obligations have to come to me? What after-party? It's just a bunch of actors and people from the production company drinking and bragging with those clueless, self-important bosses from the platform. Who does she think they want to go? If you, Zhou Chun, are really interested in me, you should ask me out yourself. Why should I rush to fit into your schedule?"

She angrily picked up her phone, ignoring the previous question, and said directly, "I need to find another producer. Wei Ning, recommend one."

Wei Ning took a while to reply.

"...Sister Ran, what do you mean by this? Please advise."

"Ask Shi Jiahe yourself!"

After finishing her sentence, He Yuran angrily threw her phone aside.

But when she glanced at the time, she became even angrier. She'd been waiting for almost half an hour, and where was Shi Jiahe? Had she really run away?

No way? I have to go out and drag him back, then give him a good beating. This is outrageous! What kind of business is this where employees hide from their boss?

He Yuqi stormed out of the office and stood in the center of the studio. Just as he was about to shout, he suddenly realized that Shi Jiahe's workstation was indeed empty. Because she walked out very quietly, none of her colleagues noticed her at first. It was Danzi who accidentally looked up and exclaimed in surprise, which alerted the other three people, including Xiao Zhao.

Ding turned around abruptly, then stood up abruptly, seemingly prepared to face the storm.

He Yuran clicked her tongue for a while, then frowned and asked Ding Yi, "...Where is Jiahe?"

"Jiahe has gone out," Ding said hesitantly.

"Check if she has her things."

"I just saw her leave with her bag." But to confirm, Ding Yi turned around and glanced around again. "...She probably took it all."

He Yuran's heart skipped a beat, and her voice suddenly rose. "What do you mean 'took it all away'? What did they take away?"

After saying that, she quickly walked around to Shi Jiahe's workstation to take a look. Oh, only the bag and computer were missing; the water cup, books, documents, and other office supplies were all still there, perfectly fine. She suddenly felt much more at ease.

He Yuran stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

She's the boss, and the way she just stands there without saying a word is creepy. The three office workers look at each other, each one looking more terrified than the last.

Ding Yi asked, "Sister, is there any instruction?"

He Yuran rubbed his chin intently for a while before tapping on his desk and smiling at everyone. "Could you hear what we were saying in the inner room just now?"

Ding Yi blinked.

"I can't hear you. The company's soundproofing is pretty good."

"I can hear a little bit..."

Goodness, Xuanxuan gave her answer almost simultaneously. Hearing the completely different answers, the group looked at each other, their expressions even more awkward.

He Yuran clicked her tongue. "Hey, I just scolded her a few times, what's the rush? Jiahe and I bicker every single day!"

Ding Yi exclaimed, his expression instantly relaxing from tense. "I knew it! It sounded like they were talking about something serious, all very passionate. But boss, Jiahe didn't say anything to us, she just left." He winked at Xiao Zhao, meaning it was his turn to report.

He Yuran keenly caught that look in his eyes and thought, "Oh dear, what secrets does my driver know?" So, hands on his hips, he asked directly from the spot, "Xiao Zhao, did she say anything to you?"

Xiao Zhao looked troubled.

He Yuran was getting impatient. "There are only a few people in the company, stop making me guess what you're saying! Hurry up!"

"Sister Jiahe... isn't feeling particularly well..."

He Yuran's smile gradually froze.

She knew Xiao Zhao quite well. Xiao Zhao was usually quiet and reserved, but once she said "something might be wrong," it was probably something serious. She thought for a moment, then turned and walked towards the meeting room, casually calling out, "I just remembered where I'm going in a few days. Zhao'er, come with me, I'll tell you in detail what we need to prepare."

Everyone knew what the boss was going to ask, but He Yuran insisted on giving himself a way out so that everyone else would just pretend nothing had happened and continue working on their computers. Only Xiao Zhao quickly followed suit.

He Yuran plopped back into her seat, arms crossed, and looked at Xiao Zhao. She felt exceptionally clear-headed now, capable of upholding justice in the world, including her own.

"What exactly is wrong with Jiahe?"

Xiao Zhao closed the door, not daring to sit down. He stood beside the table, arms crossed, back slightly hunched, head down, looking at the ground as he spoke. "Boss, haven't you and Sister Jiahe been in contact since?"

"We were all in the same room, talking face-to-face, and she just left me! Am I supposed to call her and ask her to come back? She's so shameless!"

"she……"

"Ugh, I get annoyed when you guys dawdle. Just tell me what's wrong! And why did she only talk to you? I'm curious too. Is there something she didn't tell Ding Yi, couldn't tell me, but is now best friends with you?" He Yuran felt her confusion and frustration mixed together, but had nowhere to vent. So she started firing at Xiao Zhao like a machine gun, making no attempt to hide her barbed and sarcastic tone.

She said she was leaving.

He Yuran stared at Xiao Zhao with wide eyes. "...I don't understand."

"Sister Jiahe said... she resigned, and she's already talked things out with you, Boss. She didn't mean anything by contacting me; she just wanted me to remind you to pay attention to your sleep schedule and healthy eating habits. She also told me not to forget to read more books when I have free time."

He Yuran listened attentively.

The content wasn't complicated to understand, but she felt like her brain was a beat slow to process it. It sounded like she was making her final arrangements. How could that be? They had just had an argument. How could Shi Jiahe interpret that as resigning?

"Didn't she tell you I was the one who drove her?!" He Yuran said angrily, surprised at himself for blurting out such a sarcastic remark.

"Well……"

Xiao Zhao's hesitation was like adding fuel to the fire for He Yuran.

"Hey, stop stuttering, I'm fucking anxious!"

"That's not what she said exactly, but Jiahe's clear meaning is that she's leaving the company. She said she'd be back in a few days to handle the handover, and she has important things to take care of today."

"She's not joking with you?!" He Yuran was a little confused this time.

"Yes, boss." Xiao Zhao's voice was barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz. "I didn't think Sister Jiahe was joking. Besides, she cried when she left..."

Upon hearing this, He Yuran suddenly burst into laughter that bordered on maniacal. "She opened up, she cried. I really laughed. How did she come to that conclusion? What did I say? I was just throwing a tantrum. I haven't even settled the score with her yet! And she's still putting on an act!"

Xiao Zhao was at a loss, and besides picking at his hands, he didn't dare to say another word.

He Yuran shook her head. "Never mind, you can leave."

In absolute silence, she began to ruminate in her mind the conversation she had just had with Shi Jiahe in the conference room. Some things take time to have an aftereffect, and He Yuran realized now that some of her words might have been too harsh, and rather, the kind of harsh words she had never said to Shi Jiahe before.

She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "You know me, don't you? Who speaks perfectly every day? Who doesn't have a bad temper sometimes? Why can't I even get scolded a few times? How can you be so sensitive as my manager? Isn't your job to soothe my emotions? Seriously... I haven't even mentioned the private messages the studio receives to you! And you're already taking it personally!"

Thinking of this, she stood up and shouted outside again, "Ding Yi! Get in here!"

Ding Yi ran over as soon as he heard the call, then closed the door and sat down opposite him with a beaming smile. "The boss called me."

He Yuran tapped rapidly on the table with his fingertips, sounding somewhat agitated. "I'm asking you, am I a good boss?"

Ding Yi was like an expressive robot; her blinking gesture showed she was processing and understanding this information, which probably required a lot of computing power. She paused for several seconds before answering, "My boss is of course a good boss. Why do you suddenly have such a question?"

"It's not that I can't listen to advice; I know my shortcomings. I might have a short temper sometimes, and I might speak a little harshly, but do you think that's a big problem?"

Ding Yi blinked rapidly again, then shook his head. "Of course it's not a big problem."

He Yuran clapped her hands suddenly, then pointed at Ding Yi. "That's it! You're my longest-serving employee, we have this unspoken understanding, right? My occasional scolding of you guys doesn't affect my kindness to you!"

He Yuran rambled on for a long time, and although Ding Yi responded with "uh-huhs," a growing unease began to creep into her heart. Shi Jiahe hadn't sent any messages yet, but He Yuran felt as if a huge rift had formed between them.

The feeling of being torn apart at this moment is more tangible than the embarrassment and anger felt during the argument earlier.

"Could it be... that I really spoke too harshly?" He hesitated for a moment before his tone finally softened.

"Boss, Jiahe isn't a petty person; she won't make decisions based on emotions. I think..."

"What do you think?" He Yuran asked anxiously.

"...She must have figured something out," Ding said cautiously.