Actresses

Chapter 21 Team Building

For those working in the entertainment industry, Gubei Water Town is a must-visit destination if they've been in the business for a while. It hosts various press conferences and cultural events every year, and attending meetings there is commonplace.

But no matter how many times she came, Shi Jiahe had never truly enjoyed Gubei Water Town like a real tourist. When she announced that the entire studio would have a two-day team-building activity in Gubei Water Town followed by a day off, everyone was initially confused and started chattering in the group chat.

The studio is full of girls—this is the norm for talent agencies in the entertainment industry.

Danzi, the usually talkative publicity enthusiast, spoke first in the small group chat when no artists were present: "Wow, that's so sudden! Has the boss taken on any new business lately? Or is he coming back to lay us off?"

Shi Jiahe almost spat out her drink, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting? Take it back!"

This group doesn't include driver Xiao Zhao or He Yuran's assistant, Sister Jun; it only has a few colleagues from the office and Shi Jiahe, so people usually speak without restraint.

Ding Yi, the studio's longest-serving executive agent for He Yuran, said, "Why don't we just wander around the alleyways? Why go so far and spend money on accommodation?"

Ding Yi's situation is rather unique. Although she's over forty, she's the only Beijing native in the studio. She's never lacked for anything growing up, and doesn't have grand ambitions at work. She just wants a stable job that isn't too demanding and doesn't interfere with raising her child. Therefore, regardless of He Yuran's career ups and downs, she's remained the most stable, witnessing every major agent He Yuran has had over the years—a true veteran of three eras. Ding Yi also conveniently handles all the daily administrative and financial tasks.

Danzi joined the company in the last few years. He is very energetic, talkative, and usually very active.

Then, Shi Jiahe received a private message. It was from Xuanxuan asking, "Jiahe, are there any material KPIs this time? I want to be able to catch the boss anytime."

Xuanxuan is the child in charge of materials. She can take photos and edit videos. She's a bit introverted and usually likes to carry her phone or camera around, figuring out the best shots. She's observant and detail-oriented, and very reliable.

"There aren't any tasks at the moment. But if there are any suitable ones, I can capture a few sets of pictures and save them to post later," Shi Jiahe replied.

"Okay!" Xuanxuan replied.

"Hey, stop chattering and go to bed early. Anyone who's late in the morning can take a taxi." Shi Jiahe hastily ended the message in the group chat.

Junjie also came along this time, making a total of seven people. On Friday morning, Xiao Zhao picked up He Yuran and Junjie from their home, and Shi Jiahe led everyone to meet at the studio. After both groups had gathered, they drove onto the Jingcheng Expressway and headed straight for Gubei Water Town. Since they were only staying for one night, they didn't bring much luggage. Everyone chatted away like they were on a spring outing, and the two hours flew by. They first arrived at the water town parking lot, and then went to the Yushe office to check in.

Ding Yi booked two duplex suites this time. He Yuran, Jun Jie, and Xiao Zhao stayed there, while the other four people stayed there. This way, the artists wouldn't be delayed if they needed to do something at the last minute.

It was almost noon by the time they checked in. He Yuran has always had trouble going out, so to accommodate her, they ate teppanyaki at the hotel. Although it was convenient, the young people were incredibly excited. During this time, Shi Jiahe secretly observed Xiao Zhao, but couldn't detect anything unusual from his appearance.

He Yuran was as sleepy as ever, and went back to her room shortly after eating, without saying much.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, "Never mind, I'll let her have a proper chat with everyone at dinner."

In the afternoon, everyone had free time. Sister Jun stayed in the room with the boss, while Xiao Zhao came out with them. There wasn't anything particularly exciting; it was just visiting the must-see tourist spots during the day, such as Qianshan Tea House, Zhenyuan Escort Agency, Yongshun Dyehouse, Eight Banners Guild Hall, and Yinghua Academy, and eating some Qiaotou cake and radish pancakes, to be a tourist who didn't disappoint.

Ding Yi, the only one in the studio who was married with children, said, "Those who aren't single should go to the Matchmaker Temple; I heard it's very effective." Seeing Xiao Zhao's displeasure, Shi Jiahe quickly changed the subject, saying, "His parents don't worry about this; let's not say anything more." Ding Yi replied, "Hey, I was just saying."

Danzai said he wanted to go to the church on the mountaintop. Xuanxuan thought for a moment and said, "Let's go at night. I want to take some photos, and the effect will be better at night." Danzai was quick-witted and immediately changed his mind and said, "Then I'll go with you."

Shi Jiahe and Ding Yi followed at the back of the group, looking like two mothers with children.

Shi Jiahe sighed, "It's so good to be young. I'm already exhausted after walking just this little bit."

Ding Yi said, "If you have kids, you'll realize this is nothing. Taking care of kids is much more tiring than this. I want to take the batteries out of her bag every day."

"I think you are really good at balancing family and career; I've never seen you overwhelmed."

"I can maintain this balance because I don't have a career; I'm just doing a job," Ding Yi said calmly.

Shi Jiahe sighed inwardly, wondering how she should respond to those words.

Xiao Zhao didn't seem to be interested in having fun. After staying for a while, he said he was going back to check if the boss needed to go out, and then he went back to the hotel.

Shi Jiahe called Xiao Zhao back and said, "Are you planning to drive a shuttle bus or something? Let's take the cable car up to the Simatai Great Wall around four or five o'clock. The sunset there is especially beautiful."

At this moment, Danzi called Ding Yi over to see that the fish in the water next to them were particularly fat, leaving only Shi Jiahe and Xiao Zhao.

Xiao Zhao whispered, "Sis, you didn't tell the boss about this team-building event because I mentioned quitting last time, did you?"

Shih Chia-ho thought to herself, "You're quick-witted, but not entirely." "I think everyone's in a bad mood right now, kind of down, including myself. So I'm taking this opportunity to relax."

"Sister Jiahe, you're not thinking about quitting your job either, are you?" Xiao Zhao asked cautiously.

No, not at all.

"Oh! That's good. I think this studio can do without anyone. To be honest, even if Sister Ding leaves one day, you can't leave. The person Sister Ran can't live without is actually you."

"Sigh, who can't live without whom? Especially actors. What everyone needs is the actor themselves; we agents don't see ourselves as having any value."

"Sis, you have this problem too?"

"Of course. Everyone encounters problems when they work. Especially in our industry, the worst thing is that the longer you stay, the closer you get to the circle, the more empty you feel. Because what our industry believes in is fame. Only by becoming famous can you get what you want. But what determines fame? It's too random, too much of a matter of fate. And soon, new people will come up, and after becoming famous, the next thing is not becoming famous, which is even more terrifying for artists. Many artists don't understand why they suddenly gained everything, nor do they understand why they suddenly lost everything. If the artists don't understand, do their agents understand? Of course, there must be some patterns here, but I don't think that all artists who suddenly appear are cultivated according to a plan. Absolutely not." There are too many unexpected events. There are countless artists who are meticulously groomed but then disappear without a trace; it's just that outsiders don't see it. No one can explain these things clearly, which is why so many celebrities consult gurus, making several trips to Bhutan every year, asking the master for advice on everything they do. Back when the White Dragon King was alive, mainland celebrities and bosses lined up every year to see him—because they themselves couldn't understand things and needed someone to tell them what to do. Over time, this will cause mental problems. But artists at least don't lack money. What have we managers left behind? A sense of accomplishment, nothing. Money, it's a matter of fate. That's why people need to find some inner order, or truly recognized value—it's to maintain mental saneness.

"Sister Jiahe, I've never heard you say these things before. I've always thought that people who can become agents are all very remarkable, and someone as senior as you must think you're omnipotent."

Shi Jiahe shook her head. "How could that be? I often feel like I'm a complete idiot; without you, sister, who would even know me?"

"Jiahe, please don't say that. The boss—"

Xiao Zhao was only halfway through his sentence when Danzi ran over and interrupted their conversation.

"Jiahe! Let's go take the cable car. Sister Ding said they're clearing people out of the mountains."

Shi Jiahe said they would listen to Sister Ding. Because when it comes to these things, no one is as good at planning time as Ding. Ding always takes care of everything, from what tickets to how to book them and what time to go to where.

Fortunately, they reached the top of the Simatai Great Wall just as dusk was falling, offering a panoramic view of the town at night. Seeing the lights come on, gazing at the distant, shimmering lights, only amplified the beauty of their ascent. Danzi kept talking to Doubao, trying to get him to compose some more sophisticated poems, while Xuanxuan snapped photos incessantly, taking pictures of everyone.

"It's really great to bring a photographer along on trips," Ding Yi said with a smile. "Xuanxuan is much more useful than my husband; he always makes me look like a ghost in his photos."

"Sigh, I never expected that the time I would feel most like a vacation this year would be in Gubei Water Town, and that I would have such a relaxing time while still in Beijing." Shi Jiahe sighed as she looked into the distance.

"Isn't it all thanks to you? You managed to get this team building event with my sister."

"I only have to say a few words; it's you who has to put in the effort to arrange the itinerary."

Ding Yi's presence and loyalty in the studio are undeniable, so Shi Jiahe didn't intend to talk to her about her innermost thoughts and changed the subject.

No matter how beautiful the scenery at the mountaintop is, you still have to come down for dinner eventually. However, dinner turned out to be a bit of a miscalculation; every restaurant they went to had a queue. Ding Yi was also a little stunned. Knowing He Yuran's personality, there was no way she would come out and queue with them. What were they going to do? And even if they did get in line, all the private rooms were booked.

Ding looked troubled. "How about we find a place with no line?"

Shi Jiahe was a little embarrassed. "It's easy for us, but sister—"

"She might not even come out yet, let's focus on us first," Ding Yi said casually.

Shi Jiahe thought to herself, what's the point of dinner tonight if she doesn't come out? It's true what they say, what you worry about is what happens.

To make matters worse, Junjie sent Shi Jiahe a WeChat message saying that they didn't need to worry about Ranjie anymore, as they had already ordered food in the room.

Now that was it, Shi Jiahe was completely heartbroken. But Ding Yi had no more scruples, and the children perked up. They went back to the escort agency and found an inn nearby for a simple home-cooked meal.

On the way back, Shi Jiahe didn't even bother to look at the Kongming lanterns. She kept thinking about how to get He Yuran and the others to spend some time chatting. Just then, the others started discussing going back to soak in the hot springs, which startled Shi Jiahe.

Huh? Soaking in a hot spring?

"Hey, how about I give you guys a task tonight?" Shi Jiahe shouted.

The people in front stopped.

Ding Yi asked, "What's wrong?"

"How about we get you both drunk tonight? Let's play Truth or Dare," Shi Jiahe said.

Ding Yi realized what was going on, "Ordering drinks at the hotel costs extra."

Shi Jiahe sighed helplessly; Sister Ding was always thinking about how to fill out expense reports. "Oh dear! It's my treat. Let's go to the supermarket now and buy some liquor, too."

Ding Yi's face lit up with a smile. "Then what are you waiting for? Let's go buy it!"

"Can you let me play?" Xuanxuan asked cautiously. "...If I'm drinking, I can't film any content, right?"

"No filming, no filming. The drinking is to help her relax." Shi Jiahe turned to everyone and said, "Whether she agrees or not is entirely up to you, isn't it? If you can get her to reveal anything I don't know tonight, I'll give you a separate red envelope as a thank you, how about that? For every piece of gossip you get, I'll give you a thousand."

Sure enough, Danzi Xuanxuan and Xiao Zhao's eyes started to gleam. Even Ding Yi's eyes lit up.

Back at the hotel, He Yuran, as expected, hadn't even left her room. She hadn't been in the mood for any fun on this trip; she was simply spending money to catch up on sleep.

Shi Jiahe asked Sister Jun if the boss wanted to get up and soak in the hot spring.

Sister Jun said gently, "I've already soaked in it twice today. If I soak it again, my skin will probably peel."

Shi Jiahe was in a dilemma. What should she do if the atmosphere wasn't right? She took the wine into the room and decided to go and chat with He Yuran to warm up the atmosphere. However, when she entered the room, she found that the boss was video chatting with another actress.

"Really? That's outrageous!" He Yuran gestured for Shi Jiahe to be quiet when she came in.

Shi Jiahe nodded and sat quietly on the corner of the bed, waiting.

Then the actress in the video said, "Yeah! Whenever he was off-set, he would keep sending me WeChat messages. I had no choice but to tell him, 'Stop sending them! My boyfriend will be angry if he sees them.' But he didn't care at all and kept sending them whenever he had time. I thought to myself, 'Dude, it's obviously a mass text message, okay?' Then today I saw on the trending topics that he's already with an internet celebrity and he's still bothering me every day. Let me tell you, you really can't date people in the industry these days. They don't care if they have filming or not, they don't let it interfere. You know, now I have to check the male lead's reputation before I join any project. I'm so scared that every time I work with a male lead, he pursues me. The worst part is that in the end, I'm the one who gets criticized by the fans."

"Then what can you do if you don't look for someone in the industry? You don't know anyone outside the industry." He Yuran's tone suddenly became excited. "Besides, you have to focus on acting. Let me tell you, I'm going to start a new film with all female actors. You can come to our crew. There will be absolutely no messy stuff. You won't even have any male actors pursuing you, hahahahaha."

The actress in the video suddenly changed the subject, "Haha, yes, but I don't have the final say on joining the crew. I have a last-minute meeting call, I'll call you back later, sis."

"Okay, okay, you go ahead and get busy."

With that, the person on the other end hung up the phone.

"Can you talk now?" Shi Jiahe asked cautiously.

"She always nags me when we try to get down to business, it's so annoying!" He Yuran said abruptly.

Shi Jiahe then realized that He Yuran hadn't left the house at all; he had been locking himself in his room calling actresses one by one, apparently to discuss a new film.

She suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie, like that of comrades-in-arms.

I thought I was the only one worrying about it, but it turns out that the two of us were actually thinking about the same thing.