"If we want to recruit He Wenming, we still need to start with He Jinnian first."
Liu Rulan clearly knew more than Xiao He and Shu Han, these two artists, and began seriously analyzing the situation for them.
"He Jinnian and He Wenming aren't biological brothers, but over these years they've basically become as close as real brothers. Their relationship is extremely good. He Jinnian trusts He Wenming completely, and similarly, He Wenming also values He Jinnian greatly. As long as He Jinnian is willing to give his consent, He Wenming would definitely be willing to come with us."
"Previously there really was no opportunity, but now it's different. He Jinnian actively wants to step back from the spotlight, so He Wenming's future has actually become a problem. He definitely wouldn't make He Wenming follow him just because he's changing careers—that would be too unfair to He Wenming and a tremendous waste of talent. Given He Jinnian's character, he would certainly want He Wenming to continue working as an artist's agent."
It was even possible that He Jinnian felt some guilt in his heart, thinking that his career change had cost He Wenming the hard-earned award-winning actor-level artist he had cultivated. So He Jinnian would most likely arrange an excellent "home" for He Wenming before stepping back from the spotlight—and wasn't that exactly Shu Han's opportunity!
Among all the artists they might potentially contact currently, Shu Han was the most suitable candidate.
As long as they could meet this He Jinnian, the probability of success for this matter would definitely be very high!
"He Jinnian has been settled in Beijing these past years. This time he came to Shanghai for work commitments and will probably stay for over a week."
Liu Rulan took out her phone, carefully checked the calendar and memos, thought for a moment, then said to Xiao He and Shu Han: "Perfect timing, He Jinnian has a shooting schedule tomorrow and will return to the hotel in the afternoon. I'll contact them immediately to see if they're willing to meet with us."
The timing was just right—tomorrow was their last rest day, and the day after they would start promoting Law of the Jungle with preview screenings, when they would become busy again and might not have much time for negotiations.
When snatching talent, sooner was better than later—they needed to strike first!
"Alright."
Both Xiao He and Shu Han approved of Liu Rulan's arrangements.
...
The next day, around 1 PM, Xiao Chen drove the car to the hotel entrance.
He Jinnian's assistant, Xiao Lou, was already waiting downstairs in advance.
"Hello mr Shu, hello mr Xiao, hello Sister Liu."
Xiao Lou greeted each of the three respectively.
As the social lead, Liu Rulan smiled and nodded at him: "Xiao Lou, long time no see! How long are you staying in Shanghai this time? The last time we met seems like it was the year before last."
Xiao Lou replied somewhat awkwardly: "Y-yes, it has been quite a while—but when did Mr. Shu return? I thought..."
He thought Shu Han had no plans to return to China anymore.
Shu Han gave a helpless bitter smile but didn't offer much explanation.
"Does Mr He have any plans tonight?"
Liu Rulan changed the subject.
"Nothing scheduled at the moment."
Well, the evening invitation was secured then.
Liu Rulan immediately gave Xiao Chen a look, signaling him to book a restaurant later.
Xiao Chen immediately responded with a subtle "received" expression.
The group entered the hotel preparing to take the elevator.
Just as the elevator slowly descended and opened before them, the people inside and outside made eye contact, and everyone froze momentarily.
Inside the elevator, a slender, scholarly-looking man with profound yet obscure eyes lowered his head to adjust his face mask and greeted in a hoarse voice: "Sister Liu, long time no see."
When Liu Rulan saw the other person, the smile on her face faded somewhat. Although the corners of her mouth still curved upward slightly, the warmth in her eyes had cooled.
"Long time no see."
—The person in the elevator was none other than Liu Rulan's other former artist, Tong Junhui!
Although Tong Junhui had returned for over half a year, this was Liu Rulan's first formal encounter with him since his comeback.
Actually, when Xiao He auditioned for Silent Search last time, he had personally seen this Teacher Tong, but Liu Rulan wasn't with him at the time—she had been waiting in the outer area. Later they flew to Haishi for filming, so there were even fewer opportunities to meet. No one expected their next meeting would happen so suddenly in such a situation.
And—
Tong Junhui's gaze swept over Shu Han and Xiao He beside Liu Rulan, surprised to see the other two artists Liu Rulan had nurtured also here. He lowered his eyes to conceal his emotions, stepped out of the elevator, directly bypassed Liu Rulan's group, and walked toward the exit, as if he and Liu Rulan had become so estranged that they had nothing to say beyond a simple greeting.
Shu Han frowned slightly, finding Tong Junhui somewhat familiar, but after so many years, Tong Junhui had changed considerably. With the mask covering most of his face and only revealing those somewhat gloomy eyes, he didn't recognize him immediately. Meanwhile, Liu Rulan calmly entered the elevator, asked Xiao Lou which floor, and prepared to press the button as if nothing had happened.
Xiao He didn't have much reaction.
Since learning the truth about Tong Junhui and Liu Rulan's past retirement from the industry, he had developed no favorable impression of Tong Junhui, though he wasn't about to seek revenge either—he just treated him as an insignificant passerby.
However, Xiao He was the last to enter the elevator. He watched as Tong Junhui walked toward the hotel lobby, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
Last time at that audition venue, the mixed energies were particularly chaotic, especially the thick, nauseating bloodlust emanating from Feng Zhengyang and Dong Zeng. In contrast, while Tong Junhui also had that same kind of energy, it hadn't been stained with blood—just exceptionally murky.
The impact of that scene had been too overwhelming for Xiao He at the time, leaving him no opportunity to distinguish these differences. Now, with this close contact, Xiao He finally noticed something strange about Tong Junhui's similar energy.
Similar was similar, criminal was criminal—so why did Tong Junhui give him such a peculiar feeling? That energy was complex and impure, yet still fell within the category of criminal similarity... How peculiar.
Xiao He temporarily suppressed this doubt in his heart and followed the others into the elevator.
With Xiao Lou leading the way, they smoothly met He Jinnian shortly after.
Although Xiao He had heard He Jinnian's name many times online and seen his works, this was his first time meeting the real person offline.
He Jinnian was now forty-three years old, but judging purely by appearance, one couldn't tell his real age at all. Not only was he handsome with not a single wrinkle on his face, but his skin condition even appeared better than Shu Han's, who had just returned from "farming." His overall vitality was quite good, and his temperament was somewhat similar to Tong Junhui's whom they had just met—both leaning toward the scholarly, refined type.
Xiao He marveled inwardly.
Indeed, in the entertainment industry, actors' ages were always mysterious. If you only looked at their faces, it could be very misleading.
And almost the moment he saw Shu Han, He Jinnian guessed their true purpose for coming.
So immediately, He Jinnian showed great enthusiasm: "You're here? Please, make yourselves comfortable."