Chapter 14: Real Actor
Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Many years later, when this girl, who possessed such a surreal beauty, relied on her own ability and charm to conquer everybody’s heart to eventually stand atop the acting industry, Han Jing would reminisce the words that Yun Xiangxiang had told her: I want to be a real actor.
Right now, as she stood amidst the snowstorm with the cold winds blasting across her face to the point that she couldn’t even keep her eyes open, only Yun Xiangxiang remained clear.
The sky was dark; the world was white; she was like the light between black and white. The darkness was illuminated by her, and the whiteness was infiltrated by her. She looked so dazzling like the shining moon in the skies. Nobody could compete with her brightness.
“Alright, I finally found the Xia Hong I wanted.” Han Jing was very pleased. “Before seeing you again, I only wanted to film this movie for the sole purpose of promoting public welfare. You should be able to see that this film’s script is thin. I have never thought about making money with it. This is a real experience which was experienced by a real person. This film is also for the sake of those poverty-stricken areas that I have been committed to change over the years. However, my energy and ability are limited. I actually planned to use this film more as a promotional film. But you’ve change my thoughts. I believe that you can give this film a soul.”
If a film had a soul, it could influence more people.
“To be honest, Teacher Han, I did not accept this movie because of any noble thoughts. I only wanted this film because it’s my only stage.” Yes, the thing that attracted Yun Xiangxiang was the fact that she would be the one and only protagonist. This film barely even had any side characters, even the cousin who had more screen time was just a negligible character.
Even if it were a film where there was only one female lead, it also would not be so clean till the point where all the screen time would be occupied by the female lead. Because of this, this film was more challenging.
“Hahahaha, I like your honesty.” Han Jing patted Yun Xiangxiang’s shoulder. “You can rest assured that Teacher does not lack money. This film only has a protagonist, and no other investors would give their damn opinions on anything. The thing that can determine the final outcome of this film will just be you and me!”
Han Jing really didn’t lack money. Without accounting the net worth she possessed before she quit acting, she also married into one of the richest families from Hong Kong. According to Hong Kong Media’s reports, although she did not acquire the custody of her son when she divorced, she got one billion Hong Kong dollars, which was equivalent to eight hundred million yuan. Regardless of the rumors, it was without doubt that Han Jing was very well off.
Since Han Jing had such confidence, Yun Xiangxiang naturally felt more at ease.
She liked one more thing about Han Jing, and that was the fact that Han Jing was a female actor who had been engaged in public welfare for more than twenty years. Han Jing was once also under Huan Yu Century Entertainment. However, when she went in, Han Jing just coincidentally quit the entertainment circle to marry someone. However, Huan Yu Century Entertainment still had lots of rumors about her.
After seeing Han Jing herself, Yun Xiangxiang thought that she was much better than what she expected.
Moreover, Han Jing calling herself a teacher and Yun Xiangxiang referring to Han Jing as “teacher” were two different concepts. “Please take care of me in the future.”
The two talked a lot. Han Jing even started liking Yun Xiangxiang from the bottom of her heart. Their manner of speech was also not as formal as before. Han Jing had no daughter. She only gave birth to a son at the age of thirty-four and since then, she had not been pregnant. She thought to herself that if it weren’t for this job, she might have also had a daughter around Yun Xiangxiang’s age.
Yun Zhibin saw his daughter happily chatting with Han Jing as if she was her mother, and his face became fraught with worry.
At first, when Yun Zhibin heard that the script was about a student from the impoverished mountain areas striving to study hard, he was very happy. After Yun Xiangxiang agreed that she would not allow her grades to drop, Yun Zhibin naturally allowed her to go. However, after seeing the harshness of the shooting environment, and thinking of the difficulties that she might encounter during the shooting process, Yun Zhibin was only left with trepidation.
He was also selfish. His smart and well-mannered daughter had never suffered such bitterness or anything of the sort. If it were Yun Lin, he wouldn’t have minded as much. However, it was her daughter whom he cherished so much.
“Xiangxiang, about this film…”
Back at the hotel, Yun Zhibin deliberately took his son to his daughter’s room, wanting to persuade his daughter to give up.
“Dad, I know that you are worried about me, but I really like this script.” Yun Xiangxiang said with a firm look. “Dad, did you know? Today, I saw the shooting venue and got to know the conditions of the locals. I am really grateful. I am grateful that God made me born in our house, allowing me to become your and mother’s child. However, there are still many children living in such a tough environment in the world. We can’t change much on our own. We can only let more people know about this, and let the others care for them. I also want more children to grow up in a comfortable environment which will allow them to learn to be grateful and cherish what they have. Dad, this film means a lot to me.”
Yun Zhibin’s eyes turned red after hearing his daughter’s words. He patted his son who was usually so lively but appeared to be in sombre straits today. He knew that today’s experiences would certainly color their perspective. Yun Zhibin also knew that there were more children who needed such changes.
However, this film was really much scarier than any war or adventure film, especially since Han Jing wanted everything to be shot in a real scenario. When Yun Zhibin just closed his eyes, his mind would either pop up the scene of the misty cliff or the rugged stones small path which could only be walked against the rock wall with one foot. If his daughter really wanted to shoot this film, he would not be able to get a calm sleep.
“Dad, don’t worry about me.” Yun Xiangxiang knew about the worry in Yun Zhibin’s heart. She held Yun Zhibin’s hands. “Dad, whenever I’m climbing mountains or walking on the mountain roads, I will be attached to a wire. How can the crew make such amateur mistakes without making any preparations? Who would want a death to occur? Dad, trust me a little.”
“You can’t let your mother know about it.” Yun Zhibin finally compromised.
Yun Xiangxiang was also glad that Su Xiuling could not follow because of her pregnancy. Otherwise, lif Su Xiuling saw this, she would definitely go crazy. She would rather have her daughter hate her than let Yun Xiangxiang participate in the film. Yun Zhibin was still a man after; he was more resolute. However, Yun Xiangxiang dared not to tell Yun Zhibin about Han Jing’s request to be malnourished until her body was out of shape.
After successfully convincing Yun Zhibin, she immediately signed a contract with Han Jing. Yun Xiangxiang felt as if Yun Zhibin was her agent.
Han Jing was very generous. She directly gave Yun Xiangxiang a pre-tax salary of ten million Hong Kong dollars dollars, causing Yun Zhibin to be shocked.
It was ten million Hong Kong dollars! Even if it were in the entertainment circle, only those that were super famous could receive such a sum. Yun Xiangxiang originally thought that the pre-tax amount would be around two to three million Hong Kong dollars. Having one to two million Hong Kong dollars after tax would still be good enough. Now, it was six million eight hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars after tax!
“Teacher Yun, you already know how difficult the filming will be, and it also has a long shooting cycle. Xiangxiang has to go through a lot of hardships. Although she is a newcomer, this film only has her as the main character. My total investment will definitely exceed twenty million Hong Kong dollars.” Han Jing explained to Yun Zhibin.
This reason was used to convince Yun Zhibin. Han Jing then turned her head to Yun Xiangxiang. “After you finish signing the contract with the agency, your net worth will definitely be different. Since you want to walk down this path, I hope that you can walk down much further. You are worth it.”