Superstar's Development Diary-Chapter 819 - 821: Asking for Too Much

When not in acting mode on set, Angus could wander around and play, but once in acting mode, he became fully focused and gave it his all.

The man’s pride was at play; he felt that as a man, he didn’t want to look too bad under He Jinxia’s direction. In this state, his acting quality and attitude gradually improved.

The consequence of this was that both the crew and the actors could relax a bit, at least they didn’t have to worry about Angus constantly laughing and causing retakes that delayed the progress.

After all, this was a common problem for new actors.

On the other side, in Huaxia.

When the news that "He Jinxia was cast as the female lead Flais in Devil’s Sea 4: Misty Jungle" came out, Deng Zhaoyan was dining and socializing with a certain producer in a restaurant.

This dinner was arranged by Deng Zhaoyan’s agent.

The agent set up the dinner after having specifically asked for Deng Zhaoyan’s opinion and receiving her consent.

The reason for meeting this producer was because he had a good eye; the movies he selected for production often became hits, providing a sort of guarantee.

But on the other hand, this producer was morally questionable, having had transactions with some actresses in the circle, something not a secret in the industry.

It hasn’t been exposed because no actresses were threatened into silence, but because the producer never forced anyone—

You follow me, and I’ll give you resources; you don’t, and I won’t. It’s that simple.

Deng Zhaoyan, having climbed out of that mire before, was familiar with such transactions. She herself didn’t hate socializing, but she hated having to do it to maintain her fame.

Previously, she socialized to climb up, full of ambition and drive, but this time it was to maintain her status, which left her feeling rather frustrated, so she participated in this social event without much enthusiasm.

The producer noticed this, felt contemptuous inside, and deliberately sat very close to her, drinking and forcing her to drink. If Deng Zhaoyan didn’t want to drink, he would pat her thigh and take advantage, only stopping when she pulled his hand away.

To be fair, this producer wasn’t bad-looking. Being quite well-known, he often appeared on camera, so he kept himself presentable. He couldn’t be compared to male celebrities in the entertainment industry, but he was much more handsome than ordinary people.

It’s just that Deng Zhaoyan was simply upset.

When she once again faced the producer’s advances, she feigned a smile and said, "Producer Zhang, you must be joking. My drinking capacity isn’t that great; it’s all from drinking with Brother Huang Ru. Speaking of which, Brother Huang Ru doesn’t seem to hold his liquor as well as you do!"

Producer Zhang’s expression froze slightly, with a pondering look in his eyes, and he tentatively asked, "Brother Huang Ru... you have a good relationship with him?"

Deng Zhaoyan smiled indifferently and said, "I have a pretty good relationship with him."

This attitude actually made Producer Zhang uncertain.

Huang Ru was also a star in the circle, an old-line top star, recently divorced and currently single. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

His status in the industry was quite comparable, possibly even better, because Huang Ru himself was an artist with good relations with many top artists, and he was well-regarded in the industry.

For someone like Huang Ru, who had many connections and a suave personality, Producer Zhang definitely wouldn’t want to offend him.

Hearing Deng Zhaoyan’s implication now, could there be something going on between them?

With this thought, Producer Zhang gently probed further with a few more questions.

Deng Zhaoyan responded evasively, never revealing much, only confirming that they did have a good relationship.

The dinner ended sooner than expected; Producer Zhang didn’t confirm a role for Deng Zhaoyan, and Deng Zhaoyan, on her part, maintained an indifferent attitude, even revealing a bit of information.

After Producer Zhang left the private room, Deng Chaoyan’s agent’s expression immediately turned stern as he looked at her seriously, saying:

"You were the one who asked me to arrange this meeting with Producer Zhang. You had your eye on a role in one of his films, but what was that about today? You set up the meeting only to behave like that?"

The attitude when seeking a favor shouldn’t be the same as with a regular friend. At least today, he couldn’t see any sign of Deng Zhaoyan seeking help; instead, she seemed to not give Producer Zhang any face.

The agent was serious because he worried that Producer Zhang might hold a grudge and quietly sabotage them.

Deng Zhaoyan’s popularity was steadily declining, urgently needing a good variety show or film to stabilize her standing; she couldn’t afford to be so willful anymore, or she’d fall back to being a second-tier star by the year’s end.

Falling back to a second-tier star was easy, but climbing back to the first tier was very difficult, even with Deng Zhaoyan’s past experience as a top star.

Facing her agent’s scolding, Deng Zhaoyan withdrew some of her nonchalant demeanor and said flatly, "Suddenly I don’t want to align myself with Producer Zhang."

"If not him, then you want to align with Huang Ru? You clearly rejected Huang Ru last week, which is why you had me find Producer Zhang. Why bring him up today?"

The agent frowned, perplexed, asking.

Sometimes he really couldn’t understand Deng Zhaoyan; her moods were unpredictable, and decisions could change at a moment’s notice. You never knew what craziness she might pull next.

This was especially apparent last year.

Deng Zhaoyan originally thrived on fashion resources, but after being blocked by a major magazine, she almost lost all means of exposure.

The films she shot the year before were too poor, making it difficult to secure roles last year, forcing her to take on supporting roles, just a pretty face.

It was a stroke of luck that Producer Zhang had a suitable role for her, one that could be released this year. The agent felt frustrated, as if a cooked duck was flying away!

He had managed Deng Zhaoyan for so long, knowing what she was willing to do for resources; she was beautiful and ambitious.

If it weren’t for her initial determination, Deng Zhaoyan might not have climbed from second-tier to top-tier. Just yesterday, everything seemed fine, didn’t expect to see a stiff face today.

"I’ll assume you were in a bad mood today. Producer Zhang still gives me some face. Once you’ve sorted your feelings, I’ll arrange another meeting." The agent decided, unable to figure it out, and made a resolution.

Deng Zhaoyan frowned and said, "No need to arrange, I don’t want to."

The agent reiterated, "So you’re thinking of reaching out to Huang Ru?"

Deng Zhaoyan hesitated, her face uncertain. Huang Ru wanted too much; she was unwilling.

Seeing her like this, the agent chose not to discuss further, instead saying, "Let’s go, I’ll drive you home. Just hope you haven’t offended Producer Zhang this time."