Chapter 459: Chapter 362: Falling Leaves
(Anti-piracy, to be replaced)
Zhou Yun’s response clearly didn’t satisfy Yao Yuanfeng.
But Yao Yuanfeng couldn’t force Zhou Yun— at such a time, Yao Yuanfeng was already too busy trying to please Zhou Yun, so how could he do such a thing.
But Zhou Yun clearly felt Yao Yuanfeng’s dissatisfaction.
She thought she hadn’t flatly refused, which was quite considerate to Yao Yuanfeng’s feelings. It wasn’t until she talked about this with Song Chi and expressed her confusion that Song Chi explained to her the reasons behind Yao Yuanfeng’s dissatisfaction.
"If you directly said you didn’t want to act in the sequel, it might have been better, taking issue with the matter and not the person. If you refuse to act, at most he’ll just think you’re too choosy or acting like a diva, which isn’t a big deal for you. But you repeatedly emphasized that you’d only act if Wen Bing continued to direct, otherwise you wouldn’t, which sounded to him like, from the beginning to the end, you only recognized Wen Bing’s authority, and as for him, the owner and producer of the film company, you didn’t regard him at all. So, whether you act in ’Life 2’ is a minor issue. In his view, you don’t see his position as very important, which is a serious matter."
Song Chi’s enlightenment made Zhou Yun suddenly see the light.
So that was the reason.
Zhou Yun came to her senses.
Without Song Chi mentioning it, she wouldn’t have been aware of this issue at all.
Does this need to be rectified?
To be honest, in Zhou Yun’s heart, Wen Bing is indeed much more important than Yao Yuanfeng. Zhou Yun was clearly aware of how much power Yao Yuanfeng, as New Shield’s boss, held and how abundant his resources were, but—
Right now, Zhou Yun wasn’t lacking resources.
But, who knows whether there will be a time in the future when she will need to ask for favors?
Sometimes, it’s necessary to take precautions.
Zhou Yun thought about it and felt that she still needed to improve her relationship with Yao Yuanfeng to avoid misunderstandings. She indeed valued Wen Bing more, but that didn’t mean she didn’t take Yao Yuanfeng seriously. She wasn’t arrogant enough yet, and she certainly wasn’t the type to look down on others just because she had become popular. Zhou Yun simply thought that if ’Life 2’ wasn’t directed by Wen Bing, the movie wouldn’t turn out well and might even become a complete disaster.
She still cherished her hard-earned reputation.
Just think about after ’Eighth Heartbeat’ was broadcasted, she was criticized for a good half a year.
A disastrous film was like a tattoo on an actor’s face, and the actor might want to erase that tattoo for the rest of their career, especially the more successful they are, the more ashamed they are to show this tattoo to others.
In the evening, Zhou Yun thought of a strategy, deciding to outflank Wei to save Zhao.
She made a phone call to Mrs. Yao.
Mrs. Yao clearly didn’t know why Zhou Yun was calling her, and even the tone of Mrs. Yao sounded a bit surprised.
Zhou Yun directly spoke, with a voice sweeter than honey: "Sister."
Mrs. Yao: "...Xiao Yun, why are you suddenly calling me? Do you need something from me? Can’t you reach Yuanfeng?"
"No, it’s to you I’m calling," said Zhou Yun. "I think I might have offended President Yao today."
Her tone became pitiful and cutesy again.
Mrs. Yao had met Zhou Yun before, during that time in Venice, Zhou Yun had stayed with Mrs. Yao for several days. Mrs. Yao had seen Zhou Yun’s true colors and knew her real self was not this kind of coquettish, tragic soft girl. Suddenly faced with Zhou Yun’s performance, she was stupefied for a few seconds, but didn’t fall for it that easily, smiled and asked, "What’s this about offending or not offending? Yuanfeng isn’t someone who is easily offended. Although he has many flaws, he has one good quality—broad-mindedness. Don’t worry, what could possibly happen?"
Then Zhou Yun recounted what had happened to Mrs. Yao.
After she finished, with a sigh and a lament, she continued, "I’ve been reflecting, feeling that I shouldn’t have said that. It could easily lead to misunderstandings by President Yao. He really won’t get angry, will he?"
Mrs. Yao assured her with a smile, "Such a trivial matter, why would he get angry over that? You can relax."
Zhou Yun said with a smile, "That’s great. With your words, I’m relieved. When I’m free, I’ll come to visit you again."
Mrs. Yao hung up the phone, contemplated for a while, and after Yao Yuanfeng returned, she took his hand, sat down with him and told him about Zhou Yun’s call.
"Do you think this girl specifically called me to ask me to coax you? Or what?" she said.
Yao Yuanfeng chuckled when he heard this.
"What are you laughing at?" Mrs. Yao pretended to shove Yao Yuanfeng lightly and said, "I tell you, I actually quite like this girl Zhou Yun. She can genuinely act and doesn’t play political games or make fusses or act pretentious, far better than the actresses you used before."
Yao Yuanfeng replied, "Ah, you just don’t understand. She’s got bigger plans."
"What’s wrong with her having bigger ambitions? She has the talent for it. Isn’t that better than someone who lacks talent yet insists on causing trouble?" Mrs. Yao rolled her eyes as she spoke.
Yao Yuanfeng looked at his wife, speechless, and said, "What kind of enchantment has Zhou Yun cast on you? You used to guard against her like she was a thief, but now you’ve started to speak in her favor."
Mrs. Yao laughed and asked, "Would she take a second glance at your old cucumber when she has found Song Chi?"
Yao Yuanfeng immediately bristled, "Who are you calling an old cucumber?"
Mrs. Yao looked askance, "Is it not so?"
Yao Yuanfeng dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "I can’t be bothered to argue with you."
"But I’m serious. That girl is clever and she even knows to call me," said Mrs. Yao. "I rarely get calls from your actresses. They all pay lip service, calling me ’sister’ but in truth they don’t see me at all, just treat me as your wife, giving me token respect. When did she even save my number? It surprised me."
Yao Yuanfeng, seeing his wife growing ever fonder of Zhou Yun as she talked, couldn’t listen anymore and said, "I’m off to take a shower."
He didn’t respond directly.
But the displeasure in his heart indeed dissipated.
...
Yao Yuanfeng wanted to shoot "Life 2" purely for business reasons. The first movie had such a high box office, not making a sequel would be a waste. Besides, with such a theme, even for a sequel, the budget wouldn’t be too high—it was practically a guaranteed profit.
But he also knew Wen Bing definitely did not want to make a sequel. The matter wasn’t like he told Zhou Yun; he hadn’t discussed it with Wen Bing at all. He brought it up, and Wen Bing flatly refused. So Yao Yuanfeng thought, if Wen Bing didn’t want to direct, then maybe bring in another director; as long as Zhou Yun starred in it, the attraction to the audience would still be there.
Yao Yuanfeng pondered whether to press Zhou Yun again. But he also knew Zhou Yun had a stubborn streak. She could take the initiative to call his wife to curry favor, but she was tough. He had long heard about the battles Zhou Yun had fought in New Shield. The autonomy Zhou Yun had over choosing her roles was something she had fought for even before she won any awards. From this alone, one could guess that Zhou Yun wasn’t so easy to wear down.