My Artist Is Reborn

Chapter 73 – I’m an actress

The restaurant upstairs was a high-end western restaurant, which was also the place Hua Rong had intentionally chosen.

For these little girls who have never been out in the society, an elegant and luxurious environment is not only a deterrent, but also a temptation. If they have really seen the wonderful life that money can bring, will they refuse?

At this thought Hua Rong’s expression finally returned to normal.

The waiter opened the door for them, and Hua Rong looked at Chu Mei Bo, but found her attitude very calm, as if to her, there was no difference between this restaurant and the chain coffee shop downstairs.

Hua Rong’s heart sank and suddenly felt that today it may not go as smooth as she imagined.

When they sat down, no one spoke for a while.

Hua Rong, on one hand, wanted to adjust her own mood, and on the other hand she wanted to put pressure on Chu Mei Bo. She blamed her previous failure on Chu Mei Bo’s ignorance of the merits, so she adjusted her strategy.

Hua Rong comforted herself that following was the power of competition. Can a strong woman like her not be better than a little girl who hasn’t been out of school yet? As long as Chu Mei Bo didn’t hold her breath, she could take the initiative in this whole negotiation.

However, as the atmosphere between the two became more and more dignified, Chu Mei Bo seemed to have no awareness of it. From the beginning to the end, she was calm and confident. She even took out the paper from her bag and began to write. Hua Rong, on the other hand, began to grow a bit restless from the very beginning.

Just then, the sound of the waiter delivering food broke the stagnation.

Hua Rong breathed a sigh of relief and immediately thought that she had lost this battle.

Hua Rong was about to speak, when Chu Mei Bo asked the waiter, “Can I pack this?”

Waiter: “Ah... Huh?”

Hua Rong didn’t expect that she would really want to pack food. She felt very ashamed at that moment, but unfortunately, she had agreed to it. So she could only keep a straight face and say to the waiter with a strange expression, “Go and get the menu.”

The waiter suddenly came to his senses, “OK, just a moment.”

The menu was all in English, and Chu Mei Bo’s English was not enough for her to fully understand the menu, so she didn’t order one by one. She quite simply and roughly pointed at the menu, “Pack this position and this position for me.”

Waiter: “...”

Hua Rong’s heart was dripping blood. This restaurant was not cheap. Moreover, she came to find Chu Mei Bo in her private time, this meal would be paid by her own bank card.

The waiter took a careful look at Hua Rong. “Lady, this, look...”

Chu Mei Bo also followed the waiter’s words and looked at Hua Rong. She supported herself with one hand and said with a smile, “Ms. Hua, if you don’t have enough money, I can pay for it myself.”

Hua Rong smiled reluctantly. “Since I have invited you to dinner, how can I let you pay for it?” She looked at the waiter and gritted her teeth. “Put it all on my account.”

Waiter: “Alright, alright.”

It was only after the waiter went away, that Hua Rong’s pain eased slowly.

Since she became an agent, she has always been invincible. This was the first time she encountered such a setback. Hua Rong thought angrily that this Chu Mei Bo was just as stupid as Cheng Mengjiao, otherwise how could they play together!

However, a hotheaded youth also had the advantages of a hotheaded youth, at least they were considerably less thoughtful.

Hua Rong finally felt a bit more comfortable when she thought so. She set her eyes on Chu Mei Bo again and looked at her carefully.

In terms of facial features, although Chu Mei Bo was beautiful, she couldn’t help having thin and pitiful eyebrows, which was very much in line with the aesthetic appearance of the public. But if it’s just the face alone there were dozens of pretty faces in the entertainment circle and it was not worth Hua Rong’s special visit.

What really stands out about her was the sharp edge in her frail beauty, which was the core of her competitiveness.

Hua Rong looked at Chu Mei Bo, who was already eating the western food. Although her movements were a little rusty, her dining etiquette was correct. She was dressed in cheap clothes, but she didn’t feel inferior to the famous elites dressed in brand clothes around her.

Just this calm was already far better than many others.

This aura is what a star needs the most.

Hua Rong was more and more satisfied with her, and her little grievance against Chu Mei Bo gradually disappeared. As long as Chu Mei Bo signed with her, she would surely be able to become popular with her skills. At that time she would naturally earn a lot of money, so why bother with this meager meal money now.

Thinking like ths Hua Rong finally regained her usual appearance and the shrewdness in her mind returned amplified.

She put down her knife and fork, took a napkin and gently wiped the corner of her mouth. She smiled before saying, “Miss Chu, please forgive me for taking the liberty of finding you today.”

Chu Mei Bo raised her eyebrows, it seemed that the main dish was finally served. She also put down her knife and fork and raised her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

Hua Rong: “Don’t be too nervous. Think of today as having dinner with a new friend. I’m only a few years older than you. You can call me Big Sister Hua. Can I call you Mei Bo?”

Chu Mei Bo smiled and said, “Yes.”

Hua Rong added, “Actually, since I saw your acting clip for the first time, I have admired you very much and have been looking for a chance to get to know you. Last time, at the awards ceremony, it was a bit inconvenient and I didn’t have a chance to have a few words with you. Today can be regarded as the fulfillment of a long cherished wish.”

Her opening speech gave Chu Mei Bo a small compliment, but it didn’t seem deliberate.

“Mei Bo, you are very talented. I’ve seen so many actresses, not to mention the new generation of flowers, even the famous movie queens, and you are not inferior to any of them, especially your temperament, which is precisely the scarce resource in today’s circle. That clip of Kwai Ji which was released and immediately became popular is the proof.”

Chu Mei Bo raised her eyebrows and said, “So?”

Hua Rong saw that her attitude was still indifferent, as if she had not been touched at all, so she had to increase her pressure and said, “You are just entering this circle, so you may not know the reality. This circle is high and low. You are not popular, no matter how good your acting skills are, you are still just a newcomer, and you can only wait for an opportunity passively. Even if you are lucky, it is a pity that you can only play the second or third female lead in some online drama.”

“But for actresses, youth is capital. How many talented actresses have spent their time waiting, and missed the best opportunity? There is only a little space at the top of the pyramid, and everyone wants to stand at the top. A little more capital means a few more possibilities, don’t you think?”

Chu Mei Bo supported her chin with her hand. “That, what does Big Sister Hua mean?”

Seeing her take the bait, Hua Rong’s mouth slightly hooked as she said, “As I said before, I really appreciate you and I really don’t want to see your talent go to waste so I want to work with you to achieve a win-win situation.”

“As long as you listen to me and do what I say, in only a year, I can make your popularity rise rapidly and make you the most popular female star in this country. You won’t need to audition for roles and a large number of scripts will be offered to you, begging you to play the female lead, as well as all kinds of endorsements and resources. You will have lots of money, the crazy pursuit of fans, you will get whatever you want... “

Hua Rong’s words ware fanatical and provocative.

“Sounds tempting.” Chu Mei Bo leaned back and folded her arms, asking lightly, “But I know that there is no free lunch in this world. Sister Hua, I don’t think you are such a philanthropist, are you?”

Chu Mei Bo’s response was too calm, just like a basin of cold water pouring on Hua Rong’s head.

Hua Rong could not help but sit up straighter and say eagerly, “What are you worried about? The hidden rules? Or don’t you believe I can do it?”

Chu Mei Bo didn’t say anything.

Hua Rong spoke hurriedly, “You can ask the entertainment circle to inquire about my reputation. Since I say it, I naturally can do it. As for the hidden rules, I dare not guarantee it to you, but I am not that kind of short-sighted agent who pimps her own artists casually...”

She looked at Chu Mei Bo with determination. “The first time I saw you, I knew that you and I are the same kind of people. You are ambitious and not willing to be ordinary. You can give up everything for your goal. Those false titles are just used to trap some incompetent people, and the really strong ones do not care about them at all.”

Hearing her words, Chu Mei Bo’s expression finally changed a little.

She burst out laughing.

Hua Rong frowned. “What are you laughing at?”

Chu Mei Bo said lightly, “You are right. I am ambitious and unwilling to be ordinary. I can give up everything to archive my goal. I don’t care about fame, but...”

“But what?” Hua Rong asked.

“I’m an actress.” Chu Mei Bo’s voice was plain, but the firmness beyond it was indisputable. “My ambition is only about acting.”

“Ha?” Hua Rong looked at her in disbelief, then smiled briefly before hurriedly saying, “Actress? What are you talking about? Are you reciting some lines?”

Chu Mei Bo was not angry, she just chuckled, “Different roads have different paths.”

Hua Rong reluctantly suppressed her anger, and then said, “Even so, our goals are not conflicting, and becoming the most popular...”

“Not the same.” Chu Mei Bo shook her head. “What you need is a star, a person who is completely different from the mainstream silly white lotus. She would need a lot of exposure and appearance in public, that as long as people think of her, they would think of her as a person and not about the role she played.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Hua Rong asked reluctantly.

“There’s nothing wrong with it.” Chu Mei Bo didn’t care. “It’s just not for me.”

“I’m an actress, and my work should be the character that appears in every play, not myself. I need more space to practice and enter my role. I’m not willing to play only two girls or three girls. I want to challenge more outstanding and complex characters and participate in many interesting stories. But my ambition doesn’t need to be fulfilled by these non mainstream methods.”

“With my strength, one year will be enough.”

She said this impolitely, like a slap to Hua Rong’s face.

With a green and red face Hua Rong suddenly stood up and said, “You are too naive, you will regret it sooner or later!”

Chu Mei Bo: “Oh, then let’s wait and see.”

Hua Rong lost the battle so bad that she angrily called the waiter to pay the bill regardless of her manners.

The waiter came over with a bag of packed food. “Here are the dishes you ordered.”

Hua Rong took a breath.

Chu Mei Bo calmly took it and smiled at Hua Rong. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Hua Rong: “...”

Hua Rong trembled with anger, paid the bill angrily and left the restaurant on her high-heels.

Chu Mei Bo then slowly walked out of the restaurant with her packed food.

Soon after they left, an old man with thin white hair on his head said with a smile, “This little girl is rare.”

The man opposite him also said with a smile, “What Director Xie said is that there are not many pure actors in today’s society.”

Director Xie touched his chin. “Say, how about letting her play Cheng Yanxin?”

The man on the other side was startled. “Are you kidding?”

Director Xie looked unhappy. “Am I a joker to you?”

“But... But... “

The other side was about to cry. He was the producer of the movie “Red Actor”. Director Xie, who sat opposite of him was the director of this movie and one of the most famous directors in China.

“Red Actor” is a novel of the same name written by Xu Hanzhang, a great literary master from the period of the Republic of China. Xu Hanzhang has made great achievements in literature and “Red Actor” was his most famous novel. The heroine, Cheng Yanxin was based on the legendary movie queen Gu Mei.

Since it was known that Director Xie was going to direct the movie, no one knew how many actresses have taken a fancy to the role of Cheng Yanxin. The movie was still in a stage of preparation but many people have already inquired about it through various channels.

It’s just that Director Xie was famous for his big temper and stubbornness, and he was not satisfied with any of them.

So he made the decision directly like a clap of the clapboard. “Go find out which company she is from and then ask her to come over for an audition.”