It’s only nine in the evening now.
The drama "Heart Inquiry" has many night scenes, so they generally don’t wrap up this early in the evening.
Sure enough, Song Chi’s warm voice came through: "No, I’m on set, waiting for my turn to shoot."
Zhou Yun raised the corners of her mouth and said, "What made you think of calling me all of a sudden?"
"I saw the Weibo post you made. Are you drinking in the hotel alone?"
"Yes, when I got off the plane and saw the snow, I felt like having some drinks, but it’s a pity I have no one to drink with." Zhou Yun said, "It’s better on set, where I could find you to join me for a drink."
Song Chi said, "Don’t drink too much."
"Just one glass, I’m fine." Zhou Yun sat on the sofa, looking at the falling snow outside the window. The city’s night view was dazzling, unlike when she was on set; remote and shrouded in the night, the set’s lights flickered like candles. She held her phone, smiled quietly, imagining Song Chi waiting on set, and asked, "When will you wrap up filming?"
"Probably after the New Year." Song Chi said, "I hope I can wrap it up before the New Year."
Zhou Yun asked, "Are you planning to go home for the New Year?"
"I don’t know if I’ll have time, what about you?"
"Me? I’ll stay in Shanghai for the New Year."
"I heard you want to act in movies?" Song Chi asked.
"How do you get your information so quickly? It’s barely a thing yet, and you’ve already heard about it?" Zhou Yun shook her head in surprise, "The showbiz really has no secrets."
Song Chi: "President Tong from New Shield and I have known each other for a long time. He called me to ask about you, whether you’re a good fit to work with."
"Hope you said something nice, or else, hmm hmm." Zhou Yun threatened, "I’ll give you a good beating."
"Being so violent and fierce will leave you with no boyfriend in the future." Song Chi teased.
"What’s it to you." Zhou Yun pursed her lips playfully.
Song Chi laughed and said, "Shen Yao’s new movie has attracted a lot of interest. You’re up against many competitors, don’t approach it with that temper."
"Of course not, I’m not stupid."
"So you’re only bad-tempered with me."
"Got a problem with that?"
"No complaints, wouldn’t dare have any." Song Chi said with a laugh.
He might not have noticed, but his voice carried a hint of unconscious, gentle indulgence.
Zhou Yun suddenly felt a wave of tingling embarrassment. A bit at a loss. Song Chi’s end also fell silent, no longer making a sound. The quiet breathing was interspersed with background noises of the film crew working.
"I need to go shoot now." Suddenly Song Chi said.
"Alright, go ahead." Zhou Yun felt relieved.
Song Chi hung up the call.
Zhou Yun felt her cheeks burning, raised her right hand and covered her cheeks.
"What are you doing? Why the shyness? Stop overthinking!" Zhou Yun talked to herself.
But the self-admonition was just self-deception, thoughts running wild beyond control. Zhou Yun helplessly heard herself let out an embarrassingly foolish giggle.
She wanted to cover her face with a pillow.
Is this what it means to fall deeper?
As the New Year approached, it was time for celebrities and artists to run around everywhere, with all sorts of award ceremonies, end-of-year galas, various business celebrations, and face-to-face meetings. Zhou Yun, who rose to fame this year, was a staple name on the invitation lists. As a newly popular artist, she didn’t only have to consider whether to accept the invitations but also think about subsequent collaborations and the impact of refusals.
As every suddenly famous artist must experience, Zhou Yun had no choice but to squeeze every last minute out of her schedule, trying to cram as many events as possible into a single day, taking videos for events she couldn’t physically attend, shouting out on Weibo for those that didn’t require videos, trying her best to handle every significant invitation well. If things really couldn’t be managed, she would personally make calls to explain, striving to leave a good impression.
Being too popular can be a hassle, especially for newcomers without a solid foundation.
Your refusals can be remembered by others; they may not contact you first for suitable opportunities in the future.
You may be popular, but you’re not a top star.
Fame and being a top star are two different things.
Many celebrities and artists don’t understand this, leading to scandals of acting like divas.
This was when Zhou Lan’s professionalism and capability were fully displayed.
As Zhou Yun became increasingly popular, and Zheng Xiaoju matured, Zhou Lan was mostly absent from Zhou Yun’s side. Most of the time, she was either at the company planning for Zhou Yun or flying around the country meeting producers, film company bosses, directors, and current and potential business partners to manage various relationships.
Zhou Yun had no time, and it was impossible for her to do this herself.
It was up to Zhou Lan to manage.
Zhou Lan kept everything in order. When there were schedule conflicts or things she couldn’t manage, Zhou Lan would even personally buy a gift and fly to the city where the party was located to explain in person.
In many cases, going the extra mile and striving for the best possible outcome could leave a favorable impression. No one knows what opportunities such good will could eventually blossom into.
On New Year’s Eve, Zhou Yun was present at the Hongcheng TV Station’s New Year’s Eve gala.
All the stations hosting New Year’s Eve galas had invited Zhou Yun. She had accepted to record for Yuehai Network’s gala in advance, and for live broadcast, she only attended Hongcheng TV Station’s.
The choice to go with Hongcheng TV Station was based on the failed collaboration with "Letter to You," but Zhou Lan had established contact with Wei Zhili, the director team of the station. Wei Zhili personally reached out to Zhou Lan to invite Zhou Yun to participate in the New Year’s Eve gala. Among all the invitations, Zhou Lan chose Hongcheng TV Station.
Hongcheng TV Station was good at networking. After the New Year’s Eve gala, they organized a banquet to invite friends who participated in the gala.
All the artists who hadn’t flown away on the same night attended this banquet.
After all, the leaders of Hongcheng TV Station would also attend.
As a major platform, Hongcheng TV Station is one many artists want to be on good terms with.
This year’s New Year’s Eve gala was run by Wei Zhili’s director team, and the live audience ratings were consistently number one in the nation.
Zhou Yun sang a song, the theme song of "Eighth Heartbeat," which promoted the drama, was a debut performance, and gave plenty of topics to discuss.
Hongcheng TV Station got her a trending search spot, nestled among other New Year’s Eve celebrity hot topics, which didn’t stand out.
After changing outfits back at the hotel, Zhou Yun, accompanied by Zhou Lan, went to the banquet hosted by Hongcheng TV Station.
It was already past midnight, but everyone was as energetic as if it were daytime.
Under the gleaming starlight, Zhou Yun was busy making acquaintances and adding people as WeChat friends.
After this round at the end of the year, Zhou Yun’s WeChat friends list had grown by several hundreds.
When you’re popular... friends abound.