noveldepot Chapter 79: Divorce and raising a child, isn't that a plus?
Chapter 79: Divorce and raising a child, isn't that a plus?
Chapter 79: Divorce and Raising a Child, Isn't that a plus? (Please Subscribe and Vote)
Gu Luojin ran into Li when she went out.
"Xiao Gu, what are you doing so late?"
"Sis, I have some personal matters to attend to, I'll be going now."
Li did not let him leave, but continued to press him for answers.
Are you meeting your girlfriend?
Gu Luojin could sense that she intended to befriend him, but she was being a bit too direct.
But he had nothing to hide; a gentleman is open and honest.
"At my age, how can I sleep at night if I want to find a girlfriend? I'll definitely focus on my career first."
Being busy with your career is good, being busy with your career is great.
"Then you can go ahead and get busy." After receiving a clear answer from Gu Luojin, Li put her worries to rest.
She didn't want to be branded as a mistress.
Yang Mi waited and waited, but Gu Luojin didn't open the door. The tea in front of her had gone cold by then.
It's not that Gu Luojin arrived too slowly; it's that she was too anxious, eager to find a male artist to represent Jiahang.
Gu Luojin arrived at the private room that Yang Mi had reserved, knocked on the door three times, and Yang Mi's signature sweet voice came from inside: "Please come in."
At night, the door to the private room was pushed open.
Gu Luojin walked out the door, and under the chandelier, his face became clear.
His eyebrows and eyes were as dark as ink, and his nose was as sharp as a peak. His cold and handsome appearance caught Yang Mi's eye.
Comparing Gu Luojin's appearance with that of the male artists under her company, she was secretly shocked; none of the male artists under her company could compare to him.
She was glad she had foresight; she had to acquire this artist, as he would fill the last gap in Jiahang's business.
As soon as Gu Luojin entered, she said, "Sister Mi, I'm your fan."
This surprised Yang Mi, as the person she wanted to recruit was actually one of her own fans.
With this relationship in place, there's no need for other topics to start a conversation, so it seems like signing him today will go much more smoothly.
"I never expected that someone would actually say they were my fan! This is the first time someone has said that to my face."
Of course, he has many idols; who says idols have to be unique?
"I spent my youth watching movies and TV series starring Sister Mi. To me, Sister Mi is the authority."
""
Gu Luojin can lie without blushing or skipping a beat.
He didn't like Yang Mi's acting skills, but rather her figure and appearance.
Who says you can only be a fan of an idol's career? Aren't fans of their looks and physique still fans?
We can't just blindly pursue fans; we don't have enough fans.
Actually, fair skin is not bad either, as long as it's not too dark, it's acceptable.
Of course, the main reason for this dark complexion is not due to experiencing too much.
Debunking the rumors here.
The black color is caused by hormone deposition. It shouldn't have a seafood smell. If it does, then it's clean, tidy, and there's nothing bad in it, so it's safe to eat.
Don't misunderstand, he was talking about lipstick.
"Then it seems you know me very well."
Gu Luojin is very familiar with Yang Mi's representative roles.
Characters include Xuejian, Xiyao, Qingchuan, Mo Xueyuan, Yang Zixi, Xia Wanqing, Wang Zhaojun, and others.
He even watched the entire series he played in 04, "The Story of a Noble Family."
Listening to Gu Luojin's list of characters, she admitted that Gu Luojin was indeed her fan, and a loyal fan at that.
"You mentioned many characters that I had forgotten, but you remembered them for me. That touched me a little."
Once the words were out, Gu Luojin couldn't stop herself.
"Actually, I know more about Sister Honey's life than just this. I also know that Sister Honey once said, 'Wildflowers smell sweeter than garden flowers,' and also—"
Yang Mi couldn't listen anymore when Gu Luojin got to this point.
This is where they start revealing her dark past. It's only interesting when they talk about her dark past in front of her, like a meme.
He didn't even have time to say anything about making a phone call.
There's an awkward feeling of having one's secret exposed, and the two might even become colleagues afterward.
More importantly, Gu Luojin dares to speak her mind, something other newcomers wouldn't dare to do in front of her.
"Okay, actually you don't need to know all of this. Just look at my work and like me quietly."
From the moment she became famous until now, her life has been like being monitored, with someone constantly replaying her most infamous moments. It's terrifying.
Your knife is not sharp, your horse is too thin, what can you use to fight me?
"Okay, then I'll listen to Sister Mi." Gu Luojin agreed with a smile.
Yang Mi, in any case, wouldn't believe him. Having such a loyal fan, it's hard to say whether it's her luck or her nightmare.
"I wonder what exactly Sister Honey wanted to talk to me about?"
"Would you like to join Jiahang?"
It's a familiar story: Nazha and Meng Ziyi invited him to join because of their own selfish desires—they wanted to be with him.
Yang Mi invited him to join, but it was out of consideration for their interests.
The golden age of joining Jiahang is over, and he can no longer benefit from the biggest IP of "Three Lives Three Worlds".
This drama is arguably the only bright spot that Jaywalk Studio can offer. Apart from that, Jaywalk has very few other high-quality resources to offer.
It didn't interest him at all.
"Oh, Honey, I'd like to hear what conditions Jiahang has offered me."
"If you come to Jiahang, the contract will be a 40/60 split, and you'll get at least two leading roles in dramas every year for eight years."
This offer is indeed very generous and attractive for newcomers to the industry.
But having already secured top-tier productions like "Better Days" and "Joy of Life," he no longer values the paltry sums offered by Jiahang.
As an independent production company, Jiahang's development model is destined to be short-lived in the era of online dramas because it does not lean towards any of the three major platforms.
Although his current contract share is not high, he has Tencent backing him. Once "Joy of Life" becomes a huge hit, he will become Tencent's number one streamer.
Signing a revenue-sharing contract and becoming a top performer will naturally force the company to back down and renegotiate the agreement.
Moreover, the performance-based agreement that Jiahang worked so hard for over three years was achieved at the cost of sacrificing the reputation of its actors, and the decline in reputation and public opinion will take a long time to recover.
Similarly, if a celebrity suddenly becomes highly productive, takes on a lot of work, accepts a variety of endorsements, and works on both good and bad scripts, it is highly likely that they have signed a performance-based agreement.
Moreover, Jiahang's so-called listing is on the New Third Board.
The New Third Board market has almost no liquidity; a stock may not be traded for up to six months.
Even if you offer a 10% discount or even lower on bulk orders, you still won't be able to sell them because nobody will buy them.
The reason why no one is buying is simple: even if someone buys it, they can't sell it, and the price won't rise.
The New Third Board has high entry requirements for individual investors, making it difficult for retail investors to enter. Without the opportunity to profit from retail investors, the market is naturally unpopular.
In addition, this market is full of all sorts of shady companies, and their asset quality is relatively poor.
So from another perspective, the New Third Board market is more like an antique market, only fooling those who want to find bargains.
Yang Mi's net worth exceeds 50 billion yuan, but that's just an estimated value, and that's based on the New Third Board stock market.
In short, it's completely useless.
On May 29, 2018, Jiaxing Media chose to terminate its listing on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (NEEQ), officially stating that it was to further accelerate its financing pace.
The real reason is something everyone understands.
They subsequently made efforts to list in Hong Kong, but listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is not easy. A Hong Kong IPO must first meet various regulatory requirements and basically requires the introduction of Cornerstone.
These cornerstone investors are well-known investment institutions or industry leaders who sign subscription agreements with the issuer in advance; they are the opinion leaders of this IPO.
To put it simply, it means you can follow the venture capital lead of a company that has invested in other companies.
There are some unconfirmed reports, but it can be generally assumed that they encountered difficulties in acquiring Cornerstone, and the investment community is still taking a wait-and-see approach to film and television assets.
At this point, it seems that Yang Mi and Jaywalk Studio are in an awkward situation.
The valuation of the New Third Board was useless, and the Hong Kong stock market couldn't go up. Later, there was also the boycott of Jiahang.
It's not as good as Lemon Pictures, which is at least a film and television company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Joining Jiahang now would mean replacing Da Sha Chun with someone who wouldn't know how to do it.
"Sister Honey, if this is the only condition, I don't think I would join Jiahang."
Yang Mi was stunned; the newcomer in front of her seemed to have a rather large appetite.
No matter which film and television company you look at, the 40/60 revenue split she offered and two leading roles in two films a year would be top-tier treatment for a newcomer like Gu Luojin.
"You get six and I get four?"
Gu Luojin continued to shake her head.
Seeing that this didn't work, Yang Mi pulled out her secret weapon.
"Actually, there's another advantage to joining Jiahang. As everyone knows, there are many beautiful women at Jiahang. Maybe you can even win the heart of a beauty!"
What kind of condition is that?
We live in a society governed by the rule of law, not a society of slavery.
He was interested in Dilraba, who worked year-round, and the woman in front of him, but the rest were just so-so.
As a major source of revenue for Jiahang, if he were to actually date Dilraba...
If Dilraba gets carried away with love and he steals her away, Jiahang will probably be devastated.
Yang Mi deliberately showed him her stunning figure, but he could only catch a glimpse of her curves.
"So who do you have feelings for? First of all, Dilraba is out of the question, but the others are okay."
"Is Sister Mi okay?"
"You've got some nerve, even eyeing me."
If we're going to talk about something, let's talk about the best. Yang Mi is top-tier in the hospital, both in terms of figure and looks.
More importantly, he was definitely not eyeing a wardrobe full of all kinds of stockings.
He also wanted to have a top celebrity personally prepare a stocking-themed buffet for him, but he really wanted to.
People will eventually be trapped for their entire lives by things they cannot obtain in their youth. Gu Luojin only wants to generously host a banquet for her younger self someday after she grows up.
Now that he has this opportunity, how could he possibly miss it?
"You have no hope. I already have a child, and I just got divorced."
Generally speaking, people would give up on the idea if they encountered this situation.
In the dating market, divorced women are not the first choice, let alone those with a child.
But she's Yang Mi, so we can make an exception.
I always thought I liked Ultraman Tiga, but now I realize I like D+.
"Isn't this a plus?"
Yang Mi was speechless for a moment. Everyone said that the style of Cao and Meng was popular, but she never expected to encounter one.
"I think you don't like me for who I am, but rather for something else."
"Sister Mi, I can have the rest myself."
Because he is still young, and there are endless possibilities for him.
Youth is your greatest asset.
"Cough cough." Yang Mi didn't expect him to be so bold, each time more direct and blunt than the last.
She, who always relied on her beauty and figure to tease others, was humiliated by Gu Luojin for the second time.
She dared not respond to Gu Luojin's words, fearing that she would lose her composure under his relentless attacks.
"I've already stated my conditions. What are your thoughts?"
Without even thinking, he refused.
"Sister Honey, I refuse to join."
"Which point do you object to? We can discuss it."
It seems that Jiahang is short of male artists who can stand on their own, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to negotiate the price with him, a newcomer.
"Sister Honey, it's not about the contract terms, it's that I can't live without Lemon."
Upon hearing this, Yang Mi assumed that Gu Luojin was being held back by the contract.
"Tell me, how much is the penalty for breach of contract?"
Is this to redeem him from his servitude?
If it were a few million, she could still afford it; but if it were tens of millions, she would need to consider whether Gu Luojin could earn that much money back.
If it's over a hundred million, then don't hesitate, just go.
The issue between the two is not about breach of contract penalties, but about future development prospects.
"Sister Honey, it's not about the amount of money."
Since the issue isn't about breach of contract penalties, what other problems are there?
With Jiahang's development booming and a bright future ahead, what reason is there to refuse?
"Then tell me what the problem is."
Of course, it's a problem with Jiahang Cuisine.
"Lemon Movies has been incredibly kind to me. I can't leave it when it's still weak, you understand, Sister Honey?"
Whether it's a company with a wolf-like culture or a company that prioritizes profit, they all appreciate employees like Gu Luojin who have a human touch.
Back when she first entered the workforce, she was the same; if Rong Xingda had treated her even slightly better and valued her more, she wouldn't have terminated her contract and left.
Gu Luojin's words evoked memories of her own experience entering the entertainment industry. She had only ever wanted to be a simple actress, not an ambitious businesswoman.
In the end, it was all scheming. When she became a top star, she was surrounded by good people.
Gu Luojin showed her goodwill from the start. The two were not in a relationship of HR and interviewee, but rather like a senior in the industry having a heartfelt conversation with a junior.
"Xiao Gu, one cannot only think of others; more often than not, one needs to think of oneself."
[Ding: Yang Mi's affection level towards you is 30.]
This is the conclusion she has drawn after so many years of working in the industry: she would rather let others suffer than let herself suffer.
Even friends.
Gu Luojin had no prejudice against Yang Mi's ambition; he only admired her.
In other words, this is called ambition.
A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier; a star who doesn't want to be a top celebrity isn't a good actor.
As a top-tier, evergreen female celebrity in the entertainment industry, her fans say she has been blacklisted four times, both major and minor.
The first time she was blacklisted was after she became a sensation with "Chinese Paladin". In 2009, she chose not to sign with Sugarman and was briefly blacklisted, with her roles being frequently replaced.
She became an exceptionally hardworking woman, taking on roles big and small.
When there was no choice, he seized every opportunity to let the audience see him, and later became popular again with "Palace".
The second time was when he tried to break into the Hong Kong film industry and made a few good movies, but he was blacklisted by the Hong Kong film industry in 2012 for supporting Zhao Wenzhuo.
The third time was in 2019 when Versace RH discussed terminating the contract, resulting in a complete halt to fashion resources.
For the fourth time, in order to change her acting style, she went on to film two movies directed by South Korean directors, "Reset" and "The Witness".
As a result of political issues, the film was banned in South Korea, and film resources were cut off.
Gu Luojin didn't know if it was true or not, but she was indeed blacklisted by Chen Shiren's wife because she was filming multiple projects at once.
"Thanks for the reminder, Honey."
Young people won't know to turn back until they experience the harsh realities of society.
"Let's add each other on WeChat. If you ever change your mind, just contact me. Jiahang welcomes you anytime."
"OK."
The two walked out of the room together and went downstairs to wait for her van.
"Do you need me to give you a ride?"
"sure."
She was just being polite, but Gu Luojin was anything but.
"Then I'll see you off."
As soon as Yang Mi got in the car, she took off her high heels, and Gu Luojin remembered the long-standing rumor about her smelly feet.
The car window was slightly ajar, and it was a bit cold. Gu Luojin turned to close it, but Yang Mi misunderstood that she was disgusted by Gu Luojin's smelly feet.
"Hey, Xiao Gu, my feet don't smell that bad, do I need to open the window?"
Yang Mi found his behavior both infuriating and despicable.
He hadn't even tasted it, how would he know? Besides, he was just closing a window, and he was misunderstood.
"Honey, you're my idol! How could a fan complain about their idol taking off their shoes and showing their feet?"
If he had been more sincere when he said those words, she would have believed him.
Gu Luojin doesn't like taking off his shoes in enclosed spaces; it's a bit unseemly. Since it's not his car, he has no say in the matter.
[Ding: Yang Mi's affection level towards you has decreased by 10 points.]
However, the reality of his life behind the scenes shattered his idealized image of him.
Yang Mi wouldn't believe his explanation.
How dare they make a veiled insult about the smell of her feet? Yang Mi remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, she added a clear and unmistakable entry to her book of grudges.
She gritted her teeth inwardly: "My feet smell wonderful. This feud is now officially on."
She really wanted to shove her feet into Gu Luojin's mouth and then question him about whether her feet smelled bad.
But he had a history of doing things that earned him points, so Yang Mi was worried about stuffing him in her mouth and instead said, "Why are you rewarding me?"
Gu Luojin reiterated that he is not a fan of "jade feet", but simply likes to add a touch of romance.
Gu Luojin was not surprised at all by the strange decrease in Yang Mi's favorability towards him.
As they spent more time together, he could see that Yang Mi's feelings for him would sometimes rise and sometimes fall.
"Sister Honey, you can just drop me off at the entrance of the film set."
3
"You still want me to take you inside? Dream on."
After Gu Luojin got out of the car, Yang Mi urged the driver to speed up and leave, getting away from this ambiguous newcomer.
Back on set, Gu Luojin took the initiative to call Wang Juan.
It was made clear that Yang Mi wanted to poach him, and his bold statements were filtered out.
Actively confessing and being discovered passively are two different concepts.
"Okay, I understand. I didn't spoil you for nothing."
"Sister, you know I'm absolutely loyal to you."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Juan hung up the phone.
Wang Juan worried that if she flattered Gu Luojin to her heart's content again, her secretary would suffer the consequences, being scolded for not flattering him to her liking.
"Xiaolu, Aunt Wang's work attitude is unacceptable. Remember to criticize her when you get back."
She wouldn't dare.
"Brother Gu, go ahead, I'll cheer you on from behind."
"I suspect you're CPU-ing me."
Wang Lu was completely speechless; she couldn't win an argument or a fight.