Chapter 245: Chapter 68: Torrential Rain, Inside the Car, Ding Muchen_2
As she bent over to pour Sun Dasheng a drink, a pair of full, round globes appeared right before his eyes.
Large yet firm—truly exceptional.
After finishing their meal, it was time for post-dinner tea and casual conversation.
Tian Xiwei asked a question, "Mr. Sun, will your company enter the traditional film and television industry in the future?"
"Perhaps. To be honest, I haven’t really considered it," Sun Dasheng replied with a smile as he took a sip of tea.
Ding Muchen chimed in from the side, "His Xingdian Media is doing quite well. Most of the employees are from our alma mater, the Shanghai Theatre Academy, and their short dramas are already showing promise. The two they tested the waters with had decent traffic."
"Short dramas... What do you think about me filming short dramas?" Tian Xiwei asked.
"No way!" Ding Muchen shot down the idea without a second thought. "You’ve finally established a foothold in traditional television dramas; your fan base and traffic are pretty good. Filming short dramas would be like using a cannon to swat a fly, wouldn’t it?"
"Muchen, I was just making a suggestion. I definitely won’t be filming short dramas," Tian Xiwei said, propping her chin on her hands with a dejected look on her face. "I still want to act in those major, serious dramas, but there’s just no opportunity. All of the company’s resources are in web dramas now, and the web drama market isn’t as strong as it used to be. Everyone says our post-95 generation is the least distinctive. Is that our fault? TV drama ratings today are nothing compared to what they used to be."
Ding Muchen sighed. "That’s just the state of the TV industry. What can you do? All the good resources are controlled by a few small circles. If you can’t get in, you can’t get good scripts. Without good scripts, you can only shoot those brain-dead dramas that get slammed by netizens.
"What’s even sadder is that not just anyone is qualified to shoot these brain-dead dramas. Look at the recent graduates from the academy. Forget becoming famous, how many are even still acting? Most have either changed careers or lowered their standards to shoot short dramas.
"Of course, short dramas are fine too. At least you can make a living. You have to fill your own stomach before you can think about future development."
She then turned to Sun Dasheng. "Brother Sun, are all the projects your company has started recently short dramas?"
"I think so? I haven’t specifically asked. The managers handle it. Leave it to the professionals, you know? I don’t know much about this industry, so I don’t meddle."
Sun Dasheng took out a cigarette and asked, "Do you mind if I smoke?"
"Not at all, go ahead," Tian Xiwei said with a laugh. "In our entertainment industry, many of the male and female stars are heavy smokers. The pressure from filming is immense, so you have to do something to relieve stress. Smoking and drinking are probably the least harmful ways to cope."
Her smile revealed a lot.
There are probably quite a few people in her circle who dabble in illegal substances. A number of cases have been exposed in recent years, which means there are likely even more that haven’t come to light.
Before long, Tian Xiwei’s phone started ringing repeatedly. She impatiently hung up several times until Ding Muchen urged her to answer. With a pained expression, she finally took the call. It was her agent, asking where she was. He said he was coming to pick her up and that she had more schmoozing to do later.
"Alright, you should get going. Don’t make your team worry," Ding Muchen advised.
If you want to live a glamorous life in the public eye, you have to endure hardships that ordinary people can’t. That’s just how it is, a law of the universe, especially when you can earn more in a single day than an ordinary person makes in a lifetime.
In fact, Tian Xiwei was long used to it. She just occasionally needed to vent to a friend outside the industry to let off some steam. Otherwise, she was afraid she might have a mental breakdown one day.
She put her mask and cap back on, stood up, and said, "Thanks for taking the time to keep me company today, Muchen. My treat next time."
Then, she turned to Sun Dasheng. "And Mr. Sun, it was a pleasure chatting with you. May I add you on WeChat?"
"Of course, no problem."
Not long after Tian Xiwei left, Ding Muchen also got up to leave.
"Well, I’ll be taking off too. I have some things to take care of at the university. I specially took half the day off to come and keep Wei Wei company."
"Okay! Drive safely."
It wasn’t long after he said this that he received her call for help.
"My car broke down on the road, in the middle of nowhere! There aren’t any repair shops nearby. Can you come and pick me up?"
"Put out your hazard triangles in the front and back, then lock your doors and wait for me," Sun Dasheng instructed. His driver, Da Yong, was on a day off having fun, so he didn’t bother calling him and decided to drive over himself.
Her car hadn’t even made it onto the highway; it had broken down on the national road. By the time he got close, the sky was already covered in dark clouds. Then, a light drizzle began to fall. The light rain soon intensified into a heavy downpour, then a torrential rainstorm. The windshield wipers were nearly useless against the deluge, which came down as if someone were pouring buckets of water from the sky.
With his vision obstructed, he had to slow down. Fortunately, he wasn’t far from her now.
As he struggled to locate her car, his phone rang. He put on his Bluetooth headset and answered.
"Hello!"
"Brother Sun, the rain is so heavy! If you haven’t left yet, please don’t come. It’s easy to get into an accident in a storm like this."
Her concern was evident in her voice, but Sun Dasheng just chuckled reassuringly. "Don’t worry, I’m almost there."
Just then, he spotted a red car parked by the roadside. "Is your car red, with a big tree next to it?"
"Yes, Brother Sun! Have you arrived? I can’t see your car."
"Don’t panic. You’re looking backward from the driver’s seat, and without a rear wiper, your visibility is naturally worse. I’ll pull up on your right. Get out through the passenger-side door."