Caught in Affairs with Superstar

Chapter 1558: Chapter 790: Bar_2

Zhou Yun hadn’t seen Chen Quanying for a long time too.

This song queen had been practically invisible to the public lately, and yet here she was today.

Zhou Yun said, ”Fortunately, the themes we collaborate on are always different, which keeps things fresh, and he’s not a director who sticks to one shooting style.”

Chen Quanying said, ”You’ve worked with Wen Bing so much, you’re practically his go-to leading lady.”

Yin Lin chimed in with a laugh, ”That’s not wrong. If I’m not mistaken, you’ve been the lead actress in every one of Wen Bing’s films since his first, right?”

”Actually, ’Two Tigers’ wasn’t like that. I was just there to help with a cameo.”

”But there wasn’t a female role with more screen time than yours; you were still the lead actress,” Yin Lin said. ”It’s great that an actor can find a director who appreciates you and brings out your best; that’s every actor’s dream.”

Zhou Yun smiled without speaking.

In the actress circle, Zhou Yun’s skills were undeniable, but her luck was equally undeniable, which everyone acknowledged.

By contrast, Yin Lin’s path to becoming a movie queen was much tougher.

She started off playing extras in various roles, a step above background actors, with a few speaking lines, but all in minor roles.

Slowly, she accumulated experience and connections, gaining roles with more screen time, clawing her way up through sheer persistence. She didn’t have the chance to become famous overnight, but then she found that one role that earned her the movie queen title, finally getting her noticed.

When Yin Lin spoke like that, it wasn’t out of jealousy but rather heartfelt reflection.

”Having a director who knows how to shoot you and highlight your strengths is indeed crucial,” Ning Yao commented, ”I once acted in a film where, by the time it premiered, I was dumbfounded. My performance seemed laughable, not at all how I imagined it would be, and the movie led to a lot of criticism. It took me a long time to get over it.”

”It’s something actors can’t avoid. There are so few things within our control,” Yin Lin stated.

Chen Quanying looked at them in surprise, saying, ”You three are all movie queens, and yet you still have so little control?”

Zhou Yun remained silent. She knew her voice now held great influence, almost to the point of determining the direction of a film, so she didn’t want to simply agree at this moment.

Because that’s not the whole truth.

Ning Yao explained, ”It’s not exactly being passive, though. It’s not like singers, whose performance quality depends solely on how they perform on stage. You don’t need to work with others to complete a song, but for us actors, how our performances are presented involves the director, editor, producer... so many people influence the final outcome.”

Chen Quanying: ”We singers also have to collaborate with bands.”

”Alright, that’s essentially it. If you work with a band that messes things up, the resulting music can end up completely at odds with what you wanted to express, no matter how well you sing. To the audience, it’ll sound mismatched.”

”Oh, that’s what you mean.”

Lew Yuan said, ”But no matter what, you’ve all done quite well in this industry.”

”Huh? Is Song Chi in Beijing?” Chen Quanying suddenly asked, ”It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. If he’s in Beijing, we should just invite him over.”

Zhou Yun explained, ”He’s shooting out of town.”

Lew Yuan said, ”Our Brother Chi has really had it tough these past couple of years, constantly shooting without a break. Thinking back, at least he had a stint where his leg was injured last year and had to rest; otherwise, he wouldn’t have caught a breath at all.”

Everyone laughed.

”Why is Song Chi still working so hard at this point?” Chen Quanying asked in confusion. ”He started out early, became popular early, doesn’t lack for money, awards, or status, and yet he’s still pushing so hard. Why can’t he just enjoy life?”

Lew Yuan glanced at Zhou Yun, seeing she wasn’t in a position to explain, so he spoke up, ”Well, he’s really demanding of himself. It’s not about the money or awards anymore. Think about it: he runs his own company with such a big team. If he didn’t take roles, how would he support all those people?”

Ning Yao nodded, ”I truly admire this about Song Chi. He’s been acting for so long without slacking off. There are times when I don’t even want to act and just want to be lazy, but he never does.”

Zhou Yun thought for a moment and felt it was time for her to say something.

”Back when he was with his former agency, Zuo Jing, he couldn’t choose his projects freely. During the making of ’Heart Inquiry’, it went back and forth for years. When it was finally about to start, his agency tried to convince him to use a director they were familiar with. Although they claimed they were trying to hire Director Kang Xin, when informed there was no agreement from the director, they merely sent one invitation without any follow-up. So when he finally started his own company, with no one to hold him back, he wanted to take on every role he ever wanted to play. He doesn’t know how to refuse, nor is he comfortable doing so.”

”Zuo Jing? His old boss was Luo Zhiqiu?” Chen Quanying suddenly realized, ”So it was that woman. She’s really something.”

Zhou Yun was surprised to hear Chen Quanying say that.

”Huh?”

Chen Quanying said, ”Before, when I was recording a talent show, her company sent over a few young guys. Wow, they were just all looks and no substance. When they opened their mouths, it was like their pitch plummeted into the abyss. Yet, she had the nerve to send them over. I eliminated them, and she called me late at night questioning why.”

Chen Quanying’s tone was as if she could spit on Luo Zhiqiu if she could.