Zhu Yan's plans proceeded smoothly, but Chong Yan encountered problems first.
Today, his agent brought him to a music MV shoot. Because it was under the banner of Yao Zhu's studio, the opportunity was proactively offered. Unexpectedly, someone at the shooting site directly intervened, bringing reporters and claiming the production team had broken their contract to curry favor with the great director Yao Chong.
Originally, this MV role was supposed to be his.
The agent had never encountered such a situation before and immediately looked displeased, taking Chong Yan away.
Upon returning, he discussed the matter with Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan was unconcerned, "Then don't film it. From now on, show me all the resources for him first."
She hadn't taken this role seriously in the first place.
The agent quickly agreed.
While she didn't care, Chong Yan seemed somewhat regretful.
After the agent left, she asked Chong Yan, "Do you really want to film this?"
Chong Yan shook his head, "No, it's just, will this have a bad influence?"
There would inevitably be an impact. The actor who claimed Chong Yan stole his job was not well-known. The deliberate commotion this time was less about being stood up by the production team and more likely an attempt to gain attention by targeting Chong Yan and, by extension, the father-daughter duo, the Yao family.
He had also intentionally brought reporters, escalating the incident.
Chong Yan himself was not well-known. When new celebrities first gain fame, they often don't care about such vague "scandals," which can even increase their popularity. So, why not?
However, involving the Yao father-daughter duo made even Zhou Lu, who was on vacation, restless.
She called Zhu Yan late at night, advising, "His current status makes such scandals harmless, but if they involve you, we still need to be prepared."
"I'm fine here," Zhu Yan replied. "I'm not planning to take on any acting roles recently, and I probably won't take on anything else. I'll be considered retired from now on."
The agent's voice immediately rose, "You want to retire from the industry!"
"What are you thinking? You're only twenty-two! You have a boundless future, and you want to retire!"
"Calm down," Zhu Yan said calmly. "I want to move behind the scenes. However, if there are good scripts in the future, you can still show them to me. I want to start a company and be my own boss."
There was a long silence on Zhou Lu's end before she finally sighed, "Director Yao was right. You really have your own way of thinking."
The original host was indeed like this, often having strange ideas due to being too immersed in roles, such as demanding script changes or suddenly refusing to act.
However, Zhu Yan was now very calm and clear-headed.
"I know what I'm doing. The production company negotiated the filming through you at the time. Agent Li might need to coordinate with you to handle this properly, especially that... Xi fellow. Don't let him cling to Chong Yan."
Zhou Lu sighed, "He wants to cling to you."
"It's all the same."
"Okay, I understand."
After hanging up, Chong Yan came closer.
"You want to start a company?"
Zhu Yan hadn't hidden her phone call from him; he had heard it all.
"Mm."
"Why?" Chong Yan was puzzled. "Isn't acting quite good for you?"
Zhu Yan smiled, hooked her arm around his neck, pulled him down, and gently kissed his lips. She laughed, "Before, I supported myself. Acting was enough. Now I want to support you, and if I don't do something on the side, I'm afraid I won't be able to afford you."
Chong Yan's face turned slightly red.
"You don't need to. I, I'll find work myself."
Zhu Yan hugged him and said seriously, "I believe you will. However, I don't want you to waste your time on unnecessary things. A'Yan, you have to listen to me, for us, understand?" Su Dan Novel Network
Chong Yan didn't quite understand.
But Zhu Yan's expression at the moment was not flirtatious or joking. He nodded seriously, "Mm, I'll listen to you."
Zhu Yan pulled him down onto herself.
When Yao Chong gifted this villa to the original host, a great deal of effort was put into the interior decoration, making it luxurious and grand. The furniture was all purchased by Madam Yao at a high price. The sofa set in the living room alone was worth a fortune outside.
Expensive things naturally had their benefits.
Everything was convenient.
And very comfortable.
***
Three days after that actor, Xi, attempted to provoke them, all his information was removed from the internet, making him untraceable.
Someone started a forum to discuss the matter.
Main Post: [After three days of overreaching provocation by a certain Xi, he's completely disappeared. Rumor has it he was completely banned from the internet by order of the CEO of Tianyue Media. What do you all think?]
[Tianyue? The second character seems to be an artist from Tianyue?]
[Second character? Chong Yan? His name can't be spoken? He used to be with Tianyue, but he terminated his contract earlier. Tianyue even issued a farewell statement; otherwise, I wouldn't even know about him.]
[If he terminated his contract, shouldn't Tianyue have attacked him? Why are they helping him deal with that Xi fellow?]
[Don't know.]
[Someone in the industry says he's from the Qin family's royal circle, and his time at Tianyue was just for fun. Tianyue pushed him for two years, but he made no impact. Even then, he signed a B-level contract. It's hard to believe he has no backing.]
[He was used as a stepping stone at Tianxuan. What kind of royal circle is this? It's just bragging. Tianyue helping him is at most out of respect for Grand Tutor Yao. Isn't he and Yao Zhu getting along well lately? He was even cast in the Grand Tutor's new movie, rumored to be a last-minute addition. Is the Grand Tutor choosing concubines for his daughter?]
[Is what you said above okay to say?]
[Speaking of which, he's quite good-looking. I'm so envious and jealous. I wish I had a father like an international director, then I could keep all the young, popular male stars.]
[The person above, your dream will come true faster, hahaha...]
[I want that too, but I only want Lu Ling.]
[...]
Because of the forum discussions posted by netizens and various speculations from marketing accounts, Chong Yan's popularity remained consistent, albeit not very high.
Towards the end of the month, Chong Yan finally joined a new project.
This time, it was still a movie. Yao Chong recommended him for the audition. It was a nostalgic remake of a police and gangster film. His role was not particularly important, but a henchman by the main villain's side.
When the director saw his photo, he initially wanted to refuse. However, after watching the fight scene between him and Zhu Yan in "Jade City's Sweetheart," he reluctantly agreed to let him audition.
This was because there were very few stars who could still fight these days.
They were all too delicate; a scratch on their finger would warrant an emergency call, regardless of gender.
Chong Yan's fighting skills were, of course, excellent. It was as if he had learned them instinctively. A few words from the martial arts instructor and he grasped it. He had a spar with the male lead on set and then successfully auditioned.
Zhu Yan sent him over.
The director and she... or rather, the original host, were quite familiar with each other. He was also roughly aware of Director Yao Chong and his wife's plans, treating Chong Yan with considerable importance.
While talking with her, the director frowned and lamented, "He's quite a good fighter, but his face is too handsome; he doesn't look like a henchman at all."
Zhu Yan smiled, "Uncle Chen, do you think I look like someone who can fight?"
Director Chen immediately remembered the videos he had seen where Chong Yan was at least on wires for the shot. This person, it was said, didn't use any.
His eyes darted, "I'm short of a female assassin here. Why don't you give it a try?"
"I'm busy lately." Zhu Yan was indeed very busy. The company wasn't formed yet, and there were too many things to oversee constantly.