Against the Light - Chapter 57
Chapter 57: Defending Her Own
Early in the morning, Gu Xinran got up and checked Bai Yilan's Weibo on her phone.
When she scanned the comment section, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Netizens were frantically tagging Teacher Yu!?
Not only that, but even though Teacher Yu hadn't done a thing, she was trending again!!
A topic titled 【Is Teacher Yu feeling shy?】 was high on the trending list. Clicking on it, she saw it was because Teacher Yu hadn't commented on Yilan's Weibo this time. Netizens were teasing her, wondering if she had gotten shy after her "Ahhhhh" comment went viral overnight. They called her a cute old lady who was now too embarrassed to pop up!
Gu Xinran laughed out loud. She could even picture the old woman indignantly throwing her phone down.
Sigh, if I'd known this would happen, I should have just used her phone to comment yesterday. Then she wouldn't have ended up trending again, right?
Just as Gu Xinran finished getting ready, Fang Jinghai arrived to pick her up.
This was Gu Xinran's first time appearing at the studio. She had been focused on filming, so Qu Qi and Fang Jinghai had been managing everything.
The studio occupied the entire top floor of an office building. It was one hundred and twenty square meters and currently had eight full-time staff members, including Qu Qi.
The rent for the top floor was a third more expensive than the floors below, but it had its advantages. There was a dedicated elevator that went straight to the top, saving a lot of unnecessary trouble. This was the feature Gu Xinran appreciated most.
As she stepped out of the elevator, she was directly facing her studio. A receptionist at the front desk saw her and quickly stood up to greet her.
"Good morning, Sister Ran!"
Gu Xinran nodded. She took a quick look and recognized the woman from Light & Shadow. She had seen her at the company before; she always had a smile for everyone and was quite popular and well-liked.
Gu Xinran entered the company and glanced around. The large sign for Heart Entertainment Studio hung on the background wall, and various posters of her were displayed on the other walls.
When the staff saw her, they all stood up to greet her. Gu Xinran smiled and nodded in response. They were all familiar faces, every single one from Light & Shadow. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she went into the office to find Qu Qi.
"You're here." Qu Qi was busy typing. She glanced at Gu Xinran, gestured for her to sit, and then went back to her work.
Gu Xinran waited quietly for a moment.
"Take a look at those scripts first. Youyou said Guo'er has an audition today. I've looked at her competition; it shouldn't be a problem. As for Huo Jie, she hasn't done much acting and has always focused on variety shows. Her team is familiar with managing her career, so I haven't interfered much."
"Huo Jie has a great image. Her features are striking, and she has a standard model's figure. If she could break into the fashion world, she would definitely have a promising future."
"Don't be ridiculous. Have you forgotten you have enemies in the fashion world? If they found out Huo Jie was from Heart Ent., they'd probably have her completely blacklisted."
Gu Xinran smiled faintly. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"What do you mean? Oh, are you talking about the Ming Family? That's right, the Ming Family and Ye Ting are mortal enemies. In that case… I'll give it a try." Qu Qi's eyes lit up, but then she looked a little puzzled.
"Tsk, hey, how did you even think of sending Huo Jie into the fashion world? Did you already have this path planned out when you signed her?"
Gu Xinran just smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.
"By the way, I have some good news."
"Hm?"
"A little birdie told me that Ye Qihan's contract is up in a month. I hear she doesn't want to renew with her old company. As for whether she'll start her own studio like you or retire from the industry, nobody knows yet. Do you want to try and sign her?"
Gu Xinran considered it, then nodded. "We must try to get her."
"Okay. And what about you? Are you planning to take on another role, or take a break? I'm drowning in all the scripts that have been sent over these past few days. You're in high demand. I suggest you pick another project and don't waste this incredible momentum."
Gu Xinran's mind raced. "I can do that. Are there any good scripts worth investing in recently?"
"Take a look, they're all here. But let me warn you, you don't have much spare cash. If your first investment fails, this studio can hang up a sign and declare bankruptcy."
"…" Gu Xinran pouted. Can't you wish me well for once?
"Oh, right, web novel adaptations are a pretty good investment direction lately. I have a few popular IPs here. You can take a look and see if any of them catch your eye." Qu Qi handed her a stack of documents.
Gu Xinran was gratified. Qu Qi really understood her.
After flipping through them for a while, a novel called The Ode to Mountains and Rivers caught her attention. It was a story centered on a strong female protagonist. She quickly scanned the summary: it was about a kind-hearted heroine who, after being used and betrayed time and again, turns to the dark side for revenge and ultimately becomes an empress.
Stories with strong female leads were very popular right now.
Gu Xinran quickly skimmed a few classic excerpts and was deeply moved by the author's writing.
"What, you've taken a liking to this one?" Qu Qi leaned over and asked.
"Yeah, it looks pretty interesting. The plot development is very compelling. The female lead is strong and independent. After being used by a scumbag a few times, she just kills him with her own hands. It sounds so satisfying, not at all like the typical silly and sweet type."
"…?" Killed him with her own hands? Seriously?
"I'll look into it some more."
"Alright."
The two chatted for a while longer before Qu Qi's phone rang.
"It's Youyou. It's probably about Guo'er's audition results." Qu Qi smiled as she answered, putting the call on speaker.
"Youyou, what's up?"
"Sister Qi, Guo'er didn't pass the audition."
"She didn't pass!?" Qu Qi and Gu Xinran froze, exchanging a look.
"How could that be? I looked at her competition; they weren't that strong."
"Le Tao sabotaged it. They invested in the show, so the female lead was decided internally. Not only that, but they openly mocked Guo'er during the audition, saying her acting was terrible and that she has no future now that she's left Le Tao."
Gu Xinran frowned. "Is Guo'er okay?"
"She's fine. She stayed relatively calm and didn't start a big conflict, but she's been crying out of anger. After all, it's her former company. They were supposed to part on good terms, but she never expected them to pull a stunt like this behind her back."
"Understood. Wait for me there," Gu Xinran said, standing up and calling for Fang Jinghai to go.
Fortunately, the studio was close to the film base, only a twenty-minute drive away.
Gu Xinran went straight to the production set and waved when she saw Jiang Youyou.
"Guo'er is in the car, still upset. I have an assistant with her."
"Okay."
As soon as she entered the soundstage, she saw four or five glamorously dressed girls gathered together, talking and laughing. Jiang Youyou pointed toward the group and glanced at Gu Xinran.
Gu Xinran nodded. She caught a snippet of their conversation; the girls were indeed discussing Lin Guo, their laughter unabashedly arrogant.
Gu Xinran gave a cold smile and walked up behind them. When the girls saw her, they all stood up. "Well, if it isn't Sister Ran!" they greeted her with beaming smiles.
But when they saw Jiang Youyou beside her, they sensed something was off. Why were those two together?
"Who laughed at Lin Guo during her audition?" Gu Xinran asked.
The girls exchanged glances.
"You don't even understand basic respect. Do you deserve to be actors?" Gu Xinran's words were merciless, a direct confrontation.
"What do you mean by that? We didn't offend you, did we?"
Gu Xinran shot her a look. "Youyou, go get the director."
The girls looked at each other, confused.
A short while later, Jiang Youyou returned with the director. From a distance, the director saw Gu Xinran and smiled so widely his eyes nearly disappeared into slits. He reached out to shake her hand. This was the hottest star of the moment! If he could get her to join his show, it would be a hit before it even aired!
Gu Xinran glanced at the outstretched hand, unmoved.
"Director Liu?"
"Hello, hello, Xinran. I've heard so much about you. I've always hoped to work with you."
Gu Xinran smiled. "Congratulations. You've become the first director to be blacklisted by Heart Entertainment."
"What?"
"Lin Guo is a signed artist of Heart Entertainment," Gu Xinran stated calmly.
"Heart Ent.?" The director looked completely bewildered. "I've—I've never heard of it!"
"You have now."
"My artist was treated unfairly on your set. Heart Entertainment has no interest in a production crew that plays favorites like this. Heart Entertainment will never cooperate with you or your crew." After saying her piece, Gu Xinran turned and left with a flourish.
"Damn, she's so arrogant! What's she so full of herself for? Just because she has a little fame!" The girls were all indignant.
"Exactly, throwing her weight around like that. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was some huge star."
Gu Xinran had already reached the doorway when she heard them. She turned back, her sharp gaze sweeping over each of the girls. They instantly fell silent, as if a viper had fixed its eyes on them. They didn't even dare to meet her gaze and collectively lowered their heads.
It was a long time after Gu Xinran had left that the girls finally dared to look up. They exchanged glances and let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, their faces pale.
Jiang Youyou couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up. "Sister Ran, that was awesome!"
She had truly never seen a boss who would rush to the scene the moment an artist was in trouble, stand up for them so forcefully, and even publicly declare that they would never work with the production crew again!
Jiang Youyou had initially wondered if jumping ship had been too rash, but now she knew—following a boss like this felt truly secure!
"You all… Sigh!" Back in the studio, the director let out a heavy sigh.
Those rookies didn't know how formidable Gu Xinran was, but he did. Not to mention her personality of responding to kindness, not coercion, she had just finished filming a movie with Director Yu Hua. Once that film was released, her fame would absolutely skyrocket to new heights! And now, not only had he failed to curry favor, but he had also made an enemy!
Back in the car, Lin Guo was still sniffling, her eyes red and pitiful.
Gu Xinran took a tissue and gently wiped the tear stains from her face. "Alright, my little cash cow, stop crying."
"I just—I really didn't expect Le Tao to… do this to me. They even hired people to deliberately humiliate me. I made them a lot of money when I was at Le Tao!" Lin Guo was furious, pounding the back of the seat with her small fists.
Gu Xinran patted her on the back. "Okay, don't be angry anymore."
Suddenly, she frowned and turned to look out the car window.
"Sister Ran? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Let's go."
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