Actresses

Chapter 52 Heart Knot

Shi Jiahe was slightly surprised. She covered one ear with her hand to block out external noise, then focused intently on the microphone and said, "Um, what's wrong?"

Stone's voice was very anxious, and she wasn't joking at all. "Do you have plans for tonight? Would it be convenient for you to meet me?"

Shi Jiahe glanced at the PPT on Xuanxuan's computer screen and saw that it had only been revised to the first few pages. She thought to herself that the time spent on this could vary greatly. If it was done well, it could be dragged out until the evening.

She cleared her throat and said into the phone, "I might have to work overtime. What's up?"

"Jiahe, if it's convenient, could you please ask if Panpan has contacted Sister Ran yet?"

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "The boss isn't even in the office, how am I supposed to ask him? Besides, sending him a WeChat message now would be like walking into a trap. My boss is most interested in other people's PPTs right now."

"Uh, let me ask for you." She paused for a moment, then got up and walked to the conference room, closed the door, and said into the phone, "My sister said she hasn't contacted her at all."

Shi Jiahe wasn't worried about being exposed at all, because the matter was now entirely based on her version of events. Besides, Zhuang Pan must have been unreachable for Sister Shi to be searching for her everywhere. But if Zhuang Pan had gone to He Yuran's house again, Sister Ran would definitely have told her.

Stone sighed. "Okay..."

"What exactly happened?" Shi Jiahe asked.

"Well, Panpan went to that dinner party," Sister Stone said with difficulty. "Panpan's boyfriend had been talking about this dinner party for a long time, which was originally put on hold because I didn't agree. But after our dinner yesterday, she became unstable. She had a big fight with me after returning to the studio, and then she kept crying, and nothing I did could comfort her. I barely slept last night, staying with her the whole time. I couldn't take it anymore this day, so I went home and took a nap. Then this afternoon, my colleagues told me they couldn't contact her. I didn't think much of it at first, but I was a little worried because Panpan kept crying and not eating. When I went to her house, no one was there, and that's when I realized something was wrong. Then I asked her boyfriend's team, and I found out that she went to see that guy, and she's going to meet that 'big brother' tonight."

"If she insists on seeing him, can't you stop her? You already explained the consequences of Cheng Po to her yesterday. She's an adult, doesn't she have that much judgment? Knowing that this is wrong, she still insists on doing it, that's her own problem," Shi Jiahe said.

"But I'm her manager, and she's a girl. How can I just stand by and watch her jump into a fire pit?"

"Okay, okay! You're right. As agents, we do have to think more carefully when managing female artists, especially about their personal safety. What if someone in the bureau has bad intentions and films something else? That would be even worse." Shi Jiahe sighed, forced to change her tune, and she herself was getting more and more uneasy as she spoke. "But she hasn't contacted you. What are you going to do?"

"I was thinking, since Panpan isn't replying to my WeChat messages, I'll have to search one by one, but I definitely can't do it alone. I've already sent the younger members of my team to split up and search. I don't know if you'd be willing to come with me." Sister Stone's tone was hesitant. "Jiahe, I know you're actually very enthusiastic, but I was afraid you'd be too busy with Sister Ran's affairs to find the time, so I called to ask you. Because it'll probably take all night to search, and Beijing is so big with so many nightclubs, I'm not sure where they might be."

Has her boyfriend's team given any indication of anything?

"That's all. I only found out because he let it slip. He refused to say another word after that."

"Damn, what if something really happens? Can they take responsibility?" Shi Jiahe was getting a little anxious.

"I've already said that, but the other party said, 'Don't worry, we're artists too, we're aware of these risks, you don't need to worry about it,' which was quite unpleasant."

"Wait a moment while I sort out what I'm doing, then I'll come to your company to find you, okay?"

"Okay, okay, thank you so much."

"Thank me after I've actually helped you."

After hanging up the phone, Shi Jiahe sighed and leaned back in her chair. Ding Yi asked what was wrong. Looking at Ding Yi's curious face, Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "I really want to drag you guys along to experience all this, but then I thought better of it. Ding Yi is quite gossipy; I shouldn't tell him everything." Besides, it wouldn't be good if Ding Yi found out she was getting too close to Sister Stone, so she made an excuse, saying it was just some trivial stuff.

"Are you planning to leave?" Ding asked.

"Okay, the PPT is yours now."

"Alright, I knew it was going to be my problem again. Head agent, you go ahead and get busy."

Shi Jiahe said with a smile, "Thank you, thank you. I'll treat Sister Ding to dinner tomorrow."

Shi Jiahe then explained some important details about the documents to the two children before quickly packing up and leaving the studio.

She had originally wanted to go back and see Zhao Cai one last time, but now she couldn't care less; finding him was more important. Although she didn't like Zhuang Pan, she couldn't bear to see her suffer any harm. Even though her boyfriend had taken her there, something just didn't feel right.

Stone's concerns are not entirely unfounded.

Over the years, Shi Jiahe has frequented some of these so-called "big shots" drinking parties and nightclubs in the industry. Most of the time, nothing too outrageous happened, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Judging from Sister Stone's description, the so-called "big brother" who calls himself that way is definitely a rather old-fashioned person, and he might indeed do something.

But even when busy, one must eat. Shi Jiahe found a decent restaurant near the company and sat down to eat slowly and deliberately. After all, it was just getting dark, and she wanted to eat her fill to save her energy before going out to do good deeds.

Around 7:00, Shi Jiahe and Sister Shi met up. Sure enough, Zhuang Pan's studio was empty; all the children had gone out to look for someone. Sister Shi looked anxious.

"Oh, Jiahe, you've finally arrived."

"How's the progress?" Shi Jiahe asked.

"It's too early now, they're probably still eating somewhere, not at a nightclub. I'm thinking we should head out after nine o'clock and go to the karaoke bars and bars I know."

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "I knew I was early." But then she thought, "Sister Shi told me to come quickly, could it be that we need to talk about something beforehand?" So she sat down and said, "Yesterday, Sister Ran spoke from your perspective, bringing up the unintentional banter between artists. I felt a mix of emotions when I heard it, it's hard to describe. But I think, just like Sister Ran must have complained about me to other artists, I won't take it seriously, because after all, she didn't fire me. But I'm afraid you'll take it too hard. I hope you won't be angry with Sister Ran, and that it won't affect your relationship with Panpan."

"What kind of talk is that? How could I be angry? I'm so grateful to Sister Ran. It's always artists who complain about their management teams. When have I ever heard Sister Ran defend us like this? So I think it's a very worthwhile choice for you to follow Sister Ran. If it were me, I would be willing to go through fire and water for her."

"You're exaggerating! It's not that serious. Actually, Panpan is quite nice too," Shi Jiahe said.

Stone shook her head. "Sigh, you don't know, even if she doesn't tell anyone about her dissatisfaction with me, I can still feel it. I even thought about just letting Panpan go, but realistically, I can't do that. I also have to support my family, and the monthly expenses are there. It's not easy for me to go out and talk to new artists. Every artist who makes money has a lot of clients around them, and there are so many people watching, wanting to sign their management contracts, including Panpan. Do you think no one is whispering in her ear, saying bad things about me? There have always been. I was aware of it before, but this time, I feel like we've really reached a turning point. It might also be related to the industry environment. We don't earn as much as we did a few years ago. When everyone is busy counting money, they can cover up a lot of problems. Now it's like the waves have receded, leaving a lot of coral, stones, seaweed, and broken glass on the beach. It's a complete mess. Now I have to seriously examine what kind of cooperation we should take in the future."

As Shi Jiahe listened, she thought to herself, "Whether you two work together or not is your business. Anyway, Zhuang Pan isn't acting in our show. So it's none of my concern. But I should at least offer some advice."

"Don't think that far ahead. Tonight, finding her and ensuring her safety is the most important thing."

"Jiahe, you're such a good person." Sister Stone was clearly moved. "Even though we have no conflict of interest, and I even turned down the role from you, you still came to help me. I feel really sorry for you, but I'm also very grateful. But I really couldn't think of anyone else I could ask for help from, someone I didn't need to explain so much to, and someone who could also keep my secret."

"Why are you being so long-winded today? It's nothing. I bet you haven't eaten yet, hurry up and order some takeout so you don't get hungry on the way."

Stone shook her head. "I can't eat."

"I wonder if Zhuang Pan ever imagined that you would be so worried about her now."

"I reckon Panpan hates me right now, and who knows what she'll say about me to her boyfriend."

"I'm getting angrier the more I think about it. Although some of the things you said yesterday made me angry too, I completely understand your perspective. If it were me, I might have said something even harsher."

Stone laughed, "Is today some kind of heart-to-heart talk between the two of us? It's like we're untangling yesterday's knots."

"I'd like to think about it. But what's the use of untying it? You still won't act in our play," Shi Jiahe said casually.

Stone ran her fingers through her hair and blinked rapidly. "Maybe not."

"Stop teasing me. I can't take this kind of teasing right now. How about I order takeout for you?"

"I'm not kidding." Stone's expression turned serious. "Once we find Panpan, the next thing I'll talk to her about is confirming the production she'll be joining. If she's still not filming, obsessed with dating, and letting her boyfriend lead her by the nose in everything, then I'll have to talk to her about the contract. And I'll talk to her to finalize your roles first."

"Really?" Shi Jiahe still found it hard to believe.

Do you think I'm the kind of person who makes jokes like that?

"You might not be, but I can't say for sure about your teacher, Mr. Zhuang. Besides, you have a serious drama series in your hands, how could you possibly not go? It's such a great opportunity."

Stone smiled. "Jiahe, you don't know the inside story because I haven't told you everything."

Shi Jiahe opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, she suddenly remembered what He Yuran had said.

"The conditions for that film were extremely demanding, and we had already completely ruled it out. When I told you about it, it was just an excuse, but after these past few days, I feel that for Panpan, what role she plays next is not important. What's important is to put her in a real working environment and let her see what it really means to be a real actor."

Shi Jiahe said half-jokingly, "Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up by our Sister Ran this time?"

"Being beaten by Sister Ran is also a blessing for her," said Sister Stone.