Actresses

Chapter 89 New Friends

To everyone's surprise, after the WeChat message was sent, Zhuang Pan, who had been out of contact for many days, unexpectedly took the initiative and called. "Sister Ran, long time no see, what have you been up to? I was just about to look for you."

"Nothing much, I just miss you a bit. If you're in Beijing, let's grab a bite to eat together," He Yuran said casually.

"Sure! We're having a girls' get-together at home tonight, do you want to come?"

He Yuran thought to herself, "What a coincidence! This is exactly what I wanted." But then she immediately realized it definitely wouldn't be a place she liked, yet she still had to go. So, feigning excitement, she asked, "Sure, who's coming?"

"These are all my girlfriends I worked with before. If you come over, I'll introduce them to you! They might bring their managers or best friends too. If you don't mind, you can bring your managers along."

"You really know how to rub salt in the wound," He Yuran said calmly. "I'll go there myself. Just tell me the address."

"Okay, okay, you can come to my house after nine o'clock tonight."

He Yuran was puzzled for a moment. Why was she being asked to come over so late? But maybe this was normal gathering time for young people? Anyway, she didn't understand how young celebrities these days kill time; they just go wherever they want. She went home, ate dinner, and dozed off for a while. At eight o'clock, she started washing up and putting on makeup. At nine o'clock, she got into Xiao Zhao's car and drove to Zhuang Pan's house.

Zhuang Pan lives in a relatively private upscale apartment in the east. There are quite a few celebrities in the area, but they are all young people who have become famous in recent years—after all, most of the veteran artists have moved to Shunyi. Xiao Zhao spent ages looking for a parking space on his first visit.

He Yuran was getting impatient and was about to pull open the door and get out halfway through the journey. "It's okay, I'll get in myself."

Xiao Zhao turned to look at the boss, nodded, and although he didn't say anything, his eyes revealed a hint of sorrow.

He Yuran keenly sensed something was amiss, stopped getting out of the car, and said, "...Are you trying to talk about your sister Jiahe?"

Xiao Zhao panicked for a moment. "Um..."

He Yuran sighed, "Your sister Jiahe has already made it clear that she's moved on from me, so let's not mention it anymore. If you have any complaints about me, you can say so directly, but not today. I have something to do and need to go upstairs first."

"How could that be! That's not what I meant, boss!" Xiao Zhao panicked even more.

"Okay, I'll call later."

Xiao Zhao nodded vigorously.

He Yuran checked the address again and went straight there. When she knocked on the door, she had no expectations. Just thinking about Zhuang Pan and her fellow celebrity friends gave her a headache. It was nothing more than talking about relationships, what other meaningful topics could they have?

He Yuran often browses the social media pages of young celebrities, but she can't tell them apart. Even when watching historical dramas, she can't remember every face. She wonders if she's getting old. But she doesn't dare show this emotion, otherwise she'll be seen as an old celebrity being jealous of young people.

Entering the room with ulterior motives, I was immediately struck by what I found: a room full of young actresses! Each one more beautiful and youthful than the last. Even Zhuang Pan was considered an older sister there. The room's furnishings were unremarkable, a picture of exquisite clutter at first glance.

He Yuran sighed, realizing she'd essentially come here to be a casualty, to help these girls find some balance in life. But she was at peace with it now. After all, the celebrities didn't really care about each other; did Zhuang Pan truly have a close relationship with these people? Not necessarily.

After exchanging greetings, He Yuran found a seat. Zhuang Pan gave her a long introduction but couldn't remember a single name or face, but He Yuran didn't care; everyone recognized her anyway. Then she started listening to the group of young artists chatter away. He Yuran was occasionally asked strange questions, and while she would give a few "uh-huhs," she was actually observing Zhuang Pan discreetly.

Zhuang Pan seemed unusually absent-minded today, constantly checking her phone. It was unclear whether she was waiting for a WeChat message or checking the time. Her manager, Sister Shi, wasn't there, but Zhuang Pan wasn't behaving as frivolously or exaggeratedly as she had on previous occasions. This made He Yuran quite uncomfortable.

It seems that while she's the younger sister in front of me, she has to act like the older sister in front of other younger sisters. He Yuran thought.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Zhuang Pan immediately stood up excitedly, skipping ahead without greeting anyone, and shot towards the door like an arrow. Clearly, this was the person she was most looking forward to seeing tonight. He Yuran couldn't help but crane her neck to watch, thinking, "I'll see who's more important to me as a guest."

The door opened, followed by a brief conversation, including a deep, young male voice. Zhuang Pan then exclaimed in surprise, before silence returned. A remarkably elegant woman then gracefully entered through the foyer. Her face was unfamiliar, but her poise, looks, and figure were on par with any entertainer. Zhuang Pan, standing beside her, looked like a complete newcomer to the industry.

When He Yuran listened carefully, he noticed that Zhuang Pan addressed this person in a completely different way than he addressed others; Zhuang Pan called him "General Manager".

"Oh, Mr. Ye! I didn't expect you to actually have time today! It's such an honor to have you here!" Zhuang Pan couldn't hide her excitement, clearly five degrees happier than when she greeted He Yuran earlier. This made He Yuran feel a little jealous.

Her gaze involuntarily followed the woman in front of her.

This person was tall and slender, with flowing hair and impeccable attire. She exuded an aura of dominance that obscured her skin, which appeared to be in her thirties, making it impossible to guess her actual age. This was likely due to her social status. While she didn't look like a celebrity, she was certainly no ordinary person.

Zhuang Pan gave up the head seat, then pulled up a chair and sat down. She clapped her hands and, like a teacher addressing a group of kindergarten children, said, "Let me introduce you all. This is my most important guest today, Ms. Ye Meng, the owner of the very famous tech company, Hun Tian Technology! I've invited her to dinner so many times, but she's always incredibly busy. You can't imagine how busy running a tech company is, how many people Ms. Ye manages, or how big a boss she is! But she actually had time to come to my house for a short visit and meet my friend today. I'm so incredibly happy!"

The little girls around them all cheered and exclaimed in surprise, and the woman who was called President Ye responded politely and appropriately.

He Yuran frowned and thought to herself, "Starting a company? Coming to the entertainment industry to join the fun, looks like he's going to debut."

However, after observing her closely, she was surprisingly impressed with this woman named Ye Meng. Without her saying a word, her every gesture and smile was captivating, and utterly non-irritating. The quality she possessed was such that she would stand out even among a group of actors.

Most importantly, this is the type of woman He Yuran would truly appreciate in real life.

Although she was quite reluctant to admit it, because it meant her limelight had been completely stolen.

He Yuran got up somewhat dejectedly, without saying goodbye to anyone, and went to the bathroom by herself. The house wasn't big, and Zhuang Pan probably lived there alone most of the time; she could tell where the bathroom was just by glancing at the layout. After going in, she spaced out for a while, then looked at her makeup in the mirror from side to side after tidying herself up. She felt that she looked vulgar, petty, and worthless today, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Why would a female boss from outside the entertainment industry show up? This caused the conversation to completely stray from people and events within the industry—and these young women probably sensed this too, no longer engaging in their usual petty squabbles, but instead starting to discuss respectable industry topics. Even so, Ye Meng rarely participated. She was solitary yet not aloof, possessing an inherent sense of distance, yet making it seem perfectly natural. She was someone you couldn't help but like, but also couldn't bring yourself to dislike.

He Yuran reluctantly opened the door and went out, only to find someone standing outside.

Zhuang Pan greeted her immediately, asking, "Sister Ran, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, what's wrong?"

"I saw you in the bathroom for a long time, and I thought you had eaten something bad, so I was thinking of getting you some medicine," Zhuang Pan said with a smile.

He Yuran forced a smile, "How could that be? It's just that your bathroom has such great details that I took a second look. Don't be angry, I was just checking out what cosmetics you young people use."

"Oh, why am I angry? Sis, you can take whatever you're interested in, no problem. But—" Zhuang Pan glanced outside, pulled He Yuran back into the bathroom, and closed the door behind her.

He Yuran was puzzled. What was going on? Did they have something to whisper to me?

"Sis, I'm really sorry. You must have seen that exposé, right? I was thinking the other day that you must be angry. But when you contacted me today, I felt really embarrassed! But I'm also super happy!"

He Yuran paused for a moment before remembering, oh, it must be about Zhuang Pan being revealed to have joined that serious drama. It didn't matter, she wasn't really concerned anyway, so she said, "Why are you angry? It's completely understandable. Everyone will definitely prioritize filming their more important projects. I congratulate you on your success."

"Sister Ran, the more you say that, the more embarrassed I get... I was thinking of bringing President Ye here today to introduce you two." Zhuang Pan's expression was unusually serious. "Her company has a film and television investment department, and sometimes they invest in some film and television dramas. A drama I acted in before was filmed at her company, and we met at a platform gathering. President Ye is very low-key, but she is interested in the film and television industry. Sometimes I introduce her to one or two friends, but don't worry, Sister! I only introduce people I think are really good, because President Ye is not the kind of person who easily makes friends with artists, but I think you two should get along well."

"Thank you, Panpan, but what was your specific purpose in introducing her to me today...?" He Yuran was still confused, so she simply asked directly.

"Hey, sis, I don't think the drama you're working on will go too smoothly... Don't be angry! It's based on my experience working with the platform on dramas. They might be quite strict about this type of drama. And I'm guessing that you might need someone like Mr. Ye for the investment. Anyway, we can chat sometime."

He Yuran then understood that Zhuang Pan felt guilty because she couldn't participate in the performance, so she introduced her to a client.