Chapter 458: Chapter 361: Soften Your Words
Zhou Yun’s answer clearly couldn’t satisfy Yao Yuanfeng.
But Yao Yuanfeng couldn’t force Zhou Yun—at such a time, Yao Yuanfeng was too busy trying to please Zhou Yun, let alone do that.
However, Zhou Yun clearly sensed Yao Yuanfeng’s dissatisfaction.
She felt that she had not outright rejected him, which was quite respectful to Yao Yuanfeng. It was only when she talked to Song Chi about this matter and mentioned her doubts that Song Chi explained to her the reason behind Yao Yuanfeng’s dissatisfaction.
"If you had simply said that you didn’t want to act in the sequel, it might have been better, focusing on the issue rather than the person. If you refuse to act, at most he might think you’re too proud or acting like a diva, which for you isn’t a big deal. But because you keep emphasizing that you would shoot only if Wen Bing continued as the director, otherwise you wouldn’t, to him it sounds like you have always only valued Wen Bing’s opinion. As for him, the owner and producer of the film production company, you don’t seem to care. So the fact that you might not act in ’Life 2’ is a minor issue, but in his view, you don’t consider his position important, which is a serious matter."
Song Chi enlightened Zhou Yun, and she suddenly saw the light.
So that was it.
Zhou Yun caught on.
Had Song Chi not mentioned it, she would not have realized the problem at all.
Did she need to rectify this situation?
To be honest, Wen Bing was indeed much more important to Zhou Yun than Yao Yuanfeng. Zhou Yun was of course well aware of how much power Yao Yuanfeng, as New Shield’s boss, had and how plentiful his resources were, but—
Right now, Zhou Yun wasn’t lacking in resources.
But who knew if there would come a time when she would need to ask for favors?
Sometimes, it was necessary to prevent problems before they occur.
Zhou Yun thought it over and felt that she should still improve her relationship with Yao Yuanfeng to avoid any misunderstandings. In her heart, she truly valued Wen Bing more, but that didn’t mean she didn’t take Yao Yuanfeng into account. She wasn’t yet so capable, neither was she the type to look down on others once she became famous. Zhou Yun simply believed that if "Life 2" wasn’t directed by Wen Bing, the movie wouldn’t turn out well and could possibly become a terrible flop.
She still cherished her hard-won feathers.
After "Eighth Heartbeat" was released, she had been criticized for a good half year.
A terrible movie was like a tattoo stamped on an actor’s face, and for their entire career, actors might want to erase it, especially the more successful they are, the more embarrassed to show this tattoo to the public.
In the evening, Zhou Yun thought of a plan and decided to create a diversion.
She made a call to Mrs. Yao.
It was obvious that Mrs. Yao didn’t know why Zhou Yun would call her, and even her tone sounded somewhat surprised.
Zhou Yun went straight to the point, her voice sweeter than honey: "Sister."
Mrs. Yao: "...Xiao Yun, why are you calling me all of a sudden? Can’t you get in touch with Yuanfeng?"
"It’s not that, I’m calling for you," Zhou Yun said. "I think I might have offended President Yao today."
Her tone then turned pitiable and soft.
Mrs. Yao had seen Zhou Yun before when, in Venice, Zhou Yun had spent several days with Mrs. Yao. Mrs. Yao knew what Zhou Yun was truly like and that she was not a girl who normally acted spoiled or pitiable. Suddenly faced with Zhou Yun’s act, Mrs. Yao was stunned for several seconds, not so easily influenced and laughing, she asked, "Why talk about offense? Yuanfeng isn’t easily offended. Although he has many faults, he is broad-minded. Don’t worry, what could go wrong?"
Zhou Yun told Mrs. Yao what had happened.
After finishing, she sighed and continued: "I’ve been reflecting and think I shouldn’t have spoken that way. It’s easy for President Yao to misunderstand. Surely President Yao won’t be angry, will he?"
Mrs. Yao said with a smile, "It’s such a trivial matter, why would he be angry? Don’t worry."
Zhou Yun responded with a smile: "That’s great to hear, I’m relieved with your words. When I get the chance, I’ll come to visit you."
After Mrs. Yao hung up the phone, she pondered for a while and, when Yao Yuanfeng came back, she took his hand and sat him down, telling him about Zhou Yun’s phone call.
"Do you think this girl called me specifically to have me coax you or what?"
Yao Yuanfeng chuckled upon hearing this.
"What are you laughing at?" Mrs. Yao gave a light shove against Yao Yuanfeng, saying, "I’m telling you, I really like this girl Zhou Yun. She’s a serious actress, doesn’t have ulterior motives, doesn’t create trouble, isn’t pretentious—she’s way better than those actresses you used before."
Yao Yuanfeng: "Oh dear, you just don’t get it. She’s got her sights set on big things."
"What if she aspires for something big? She has the talent for it, unlike those who have no skill but still insist on making unnecessary trouble," Mrs. Yao said, rolling her eyes.
Yao Yuanfeng looked at his wife speechlessly and said, "What have you been bewitched by Zhou Yun? A while ago, you were guarding against her like a thief, and now you’ve started to speak up for her."
Mrs. Yao laughed, saying, "She’s chosen Song Chi. Does she still have an eye for your dried cucumber looks?"
Yao Yuanfeng was immediately disgruntled, chagrined: "Who are you calling a dried cucumber?"
Mrs. Yao looked at him from the corner of her eye: "Is it not so?"
Yao Yuanfeng dismissed it with a wave of his hand, "I can’t be bothered to argue with you."
"I’m serious though. That girl is so clever, even knows to give me a call," Mrs. Yao said, "It’s rare for me to receive calls from your actors, all calling me sister to my face but actually not taking me seriously at all, just treating me as your wife, paying superficial respects. When did she even save my number? I was shocked."
Yao Yuanfeng watched as his wife seemed to grow more and more fond of Zhou Yun and couldn’t bear to listen anymore. "I’m off to shower."
Without a direct answer.
But indeed, his irritation dissipated.
...
Yao Yuanfeng’s desire to produce a "Life 2" was purely a business consideration. With the first movie’s box office so high, it would be a shame not to make a sequel. Besides, given the subject matter, even a sequel wouldn’t cost much to make; it was a guaranteed profit.
But he also knew that Wen Bing definitely didn’t want to direct a sequel. It wasn’t like what he told Zhou Yun, that he hadn’t discussed it with Wen Bing. He had brought it up, Wen Bing simply refused, outright rejecting the idea. Therefore, Yao Yuanfeng thought if Wen Bing didn’t direct the film, they could just switch directors, and as long as Zhou Yun starred, the attraction for the audience would still be there.
Yao Yuanfeng pondered whether to coax Zhou Yun some more. However, he also knew that Zhou Yun was stubborn. She could take the initiative to call his wife to curry favor, but she was also a tough nut to crack. He had long heard about the battles Zhou Yun had fought in Chengqian. Zhou Yun won the autonomy of selecting her scripts even before she won any awards. Just from this, one could guess that Zhou Yun wasn’t someone who was easily smoothed over.