Beijing, HD District, near Jimen Bridge, Beijing Film Academy Campus.
April 21st.
A new week.
Jiang Anqi, who had just returned to campus, finished her morning classes and was chatting with two classmates in the classroom when her phone rang.
She pulled out her phone from an inconspicuous yet Hermès orange bag and walked to a corner of the classroom. After a brief conversation, she turned to the two girls beside her, who, despite their plain attire, couldn't hide their natural beauty. "Qing Tai, Xiao Xiang, something's come up. Let's do lunch next time."
Without waiting for a response, Jiang Anqi hurried out of the classroom.
Though her voice wasn't loud, the other students in the classroom, who had been paying close attention to her lately, heard her clearly. After she left, there was a brief silence before someone quipped, "International stars are just different, huh?"
The tone was lighthearted, but the envy was palpable.
Recently, as news of Taken's box office success in North America spread, Jet Li was the one in the spotlight. However, even as a supporting actress, Jiang Anqi had become a celebrity on campus. The film's projected $80 million domestic box office, equivalent to over 660 million RMB, was more than half of China's total box office revenue in 1996.
Moreover, the experience of starring in a Hollywood film was invaluable.
Within the 1994 acting class at Beijing Film Academy, inquiries about Jiang Anqi had been pouring in from all sides, leaving her classmates, who had all appeared in various TV dramas and films, both overwhelmed and green with envy.
As others whispered among themselves, the two girls who had been talking to Jiang Anqi exchanged a glance and quickly followed her out of the classroom. They soon spotted her in a parking lot near the campus's west gate, talking to a woman in black who had just gotten out of a car.
Speeding up, the two girls ignored Jiang Anqi's slight frown upon seeing them and approached with feigned surprise, greeting her enthusiastically.
The woman in black, hearing their greetings, quickly understood who they were and smiled. "You're Anqi's classmates?"
"Anqi?" One of the girls paused, then realized, "Oh, right, that's her English name. Qing Tai and I will call you Anqi from now on," she said, turning to the woman in black and extending her hand. "I'm Wei Xiang, and this is Xie Qing Tai. And you are?"
The woman shook Wei Xiang's hand. "Guan Yinan," she said, also shaking hands with Xie Qing Tai. She handed them her business cards and added, "Since you're Anqi's classmates, you can call me Sister Guan."
Xie Qing Tai, who was more reserved than the outgoing Wei Xiang, glanced at the card and her eyes widened slightly at the title: President of Jinshu Talent Agency.
She looked up at the woman again.
Around 35 years old, with an oval face and a wide mouth, her appearance wasn't particularly striking. However, her black suit and neatly tied hair gave her a professional air.
Of course, the most important thing was her position.
President of Jinshu Talent Agency.
As third-year students at Beijing Film Academy, Wei Xiang and Xie Qing Tai were already familiar with the entertainment industry. They had heard of Jinshu Media, which had risen rapidly over the past two years. Given Jiang Anqi's connection and the woman's title, this was undoubtedly the real deal.
Jiang Anqi glanced at her classmates' expressions and turned back to Guan Yinan. "Sister Guan, let's go."
"Sure."
Guan Yinan agreed, smiling at the two girls one last time before heading to the Santana sedan. She opened the passenger door for Jiang Anqi, a small gesture that slightly eased Jiang Anqi's irritation at Guan Yinan's friendliness toward her classmates. Jiang Anqi got into the car and nodded at the two girls standing outside the window.
Guan Yinan got into the driver's seat, handed a script to Jiang Anqi in the back seat, and started the car, leaving the campus. "This is a script from Golden Harvest in Hong Kong. You know, the company Jackie Chan is with. Take a look."
Jiang Anqi didn't open the script immediately. Instead, she said, "Sister Guan, you shouldn't have handed out your business card so casually. They're just casual friends."
Guan Yinan glanced at the girl beside her and smiled slightly. "Anqi, you know our company has been expanding over the past two years. Since they're your classmates, they're definitely within our recruitment scope. However, even if they join Jinshu, they'll start from the bottom. The company will focus on nurturing you and a few others like You Hu."
Though Guan Yinan didn't spell it out, Jiang Anqi understood the underlying message: Don't be petty. Her classmates wouldn't threaten her position.
This made Jiang Anqi blush slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she turned to Guan Yinan and said, "What if I don't want them to join Jinshu?"
Guan Yinan, sensing Jiang Anqi's slight annoyance, stopped smiling and nodded. "Alright, I'll follow your lead."
Jinshu Talent Agency, unlike the Jinshu Artist Agency registered in Suzhou, which was more of a human resources intermediary for extras, similar to Hengdian's actors' guild, was a professional agency for high-end film and television talent, akin to WMA in Hollywood.
Guan Yinan, 35, had been selected as the agency's head after several candidates were sent to intern at Hollywood's top three talent agencies last year. Jinshu Talent Agency aimed to become China's WMA.
Of course, there were significant differences.
Since China didn't yet have laws separating talent representation, production, and distribution, Jinshu was pursuing a vertically integrated studio model similar to Hollywood's pre-Paramount Decree era, involving all aspects of the industry.
Currently, like other Jinshu subsidiaries, Jinshu Talent Agency was in the recruitment phase, which was why Guan Yinan had handed out her business card to Jiang Anqi's classmates. Both Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama were rich sources of talent for Jinshu.
Inside the Santana sedan, Jiang Anqi, seeing how readily Guan Yinan agreed, felt a sense of superiority as the "boss's woman." At the same time, she realized she might have overreacted but didn't retract her statement. Instead, she looked down at the script in her hands.
It was a sci-fi script titled Phantom Agents.
After skimming the synopsis, which revolved around three childhood friends who undergo subconscious training to become top agents, leading to a web of love and betrayal, Guan Yinan spoke up. "This is similar to last year's Black Mask. Golden Harvest's intention is clear: they want to sell it to Hollywood. That's why they're inviting you to star in it. They've offered 1 million HKD and hinted it's negotiable. They're quite sincere."
Jiang Anqi, flipping through the script with interest, felt her heart skip a beat at the mention of 1 million HKD. However, she quickly suppressed her emotions. After all, she was Simon West's woman now. Why should she care about 1 million HKD, which was just over $100,000?
"But, Sister Guan, Simon wants me to star in My Fair Princess. Won't the schedules clash?"
"Phantom Agents will start filming soon, and Hong Kong productions are known for their speed. My Fair Princess is scheduled for the second half of the year," Guan Yinan paused, then added, "Besides, Anqi, do you really want to do this TV drama?"
Jiang Anqi was puzzled. "What's wrong with it?"
"Well, Ren Jingxi, whom we'll meet later," Guan Yinan hesitated before continuing, "Actually, she's like you."
Jiang Anqi was momentarily stunned before realizing what Guan Yinan meant by "like you."
However, after thinking about Li Youhu and Zhu Momo, she was mentally prepared for this. Though she feigned a bit of awkwardness, she said, "I've seen some materials about this project. It seems pretty good. As long as the story is solid, it should be fine."
"Well, we'll see her soon," Guan Yinan didn't elaborate further and changed the subject. "By the way, I heard at the headquarters meeting this morning that Taken might be released in China."
Jiang Anqi perked up. "Really?"
Though news of Taken's success in the U.S. had been widely reported in China, the fact that the film hadn't been released domestically made it feel somewhat distant. For Jiang Anqi, the film's release would mean instant fame, much like Zhu Momo, who had starred in Keep Cool.
Guan Yinan nodded with a smile, pointing upward with her index finger. "However, it will definitely be edited to some extent, but it shouldn't be a big issue. You know, Simon West has good connections with the higher-ups."
Jiang Anqi understood this well, recalling the fanfare during Simon's public visit to China last year.
As they talked, they soon arrived at a restaurant near the Old Summer Palace, not far from the Beijing Film Academy campus. This area could be considered Beijing's first university town, with Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Renmin University nearby.
After getting out of the car and entering the restaurant, Guan Yinan explained, "Ren Jingxi has been auditing classes at Beijing Film Academy recently and lives nearby."
Jiang Anqi wasn't too surprised, but Guan Yinan couldn't help but recall some gossip.
Being in this line of work, Guan Yinan was well-informed. She knew that Ren Jingxi had recently been Zhu Momo's assistant but had somehow caught Simon West's eye and returned with a TV drama project. Since Simon had personally recommended her, despite some grumbling among Jinshu's top brass, My Fair Princess had been prioritized as a key project, receiving various resources.
Privately, Guan Yinan hoped the project would fail, which was why she didn't want Jiang Anqi, who had just gained fame with Taken, to star in the TV drama.
Movies were better.
Like the Phantom Agents project from Hong Kong, which had a short production cycle and high pay, aligning more with her interests as an agent. Jinshu Talent Agency's commission model wasn't the same as Hollywood's, but as the head, her salary was tied to her performance, which naturally depended on her clients' earnings.
They had agreed to meet at 12:30 PM. When they entered the restaurant, it wasn't yet time, and Ren Jingxi hadn't arrived. They ordered tea and snacks while they waited.
Unexpectedly, they waited until nearly 1 PM.
Just as Jiang Anqi was growing impatient and Guan Yinan was about to call to check, they saw a woman hurriedly enter the restaurant, accompanied by two attendants. After asking the waiter, she headed straight for them.
Jiang Anqi stood up with Guan Yinan and observed the approaching woman.
Her first impression was that the woman was unkempt. Her hair, tied in a simple ponytail, was slightly messy, and her face, though delicate and pretty, was makeup-free and looked tired. Her oversized black jacket gave Jiang Anqi a completely different vibe compared to Guan Yinan's black suit. Jiang Anqi thought the woman probably wore black because it was easy to maintain.
Looking at the two attendants, Jiang Anqi couldn't help but feel a bit resentful. Her own two personal maids were already in place, along with a car and a house. However, to maintain a low profile, especially at school, she didn't bring them along.
Guan Yinan shook hands with the woman and introduced her. "Jingxi, this is Anqi. Anqi, this is Ren Jingxi."
"Hello."
Jiang Anqi shook hands with the woman, who immediately scrutinized her as if evaluating a product, which only added to her displeasure. She simply replied, "Hello."
They sat down, and the two attendants who had come with Ren Jingxi took seats nearby.
"Sorry, I was discussing the script and lost track of time," Ren Jingxi explained, then called the waiter and ordered the restaurant's signature beef noodles. She added apologetically, "I'm starving."
Guan Yinan and Jiang Anqi both silently rolled their eyes.
After ordering, Ren Jingxi looked at Jiang Anqi more seriously, studying her for a moment before nodding. "You'd look stunning in period costumes, and your temperament perfectly matches the character of Ziwei."
Jiang Anqi wasn't sure how to respond.
Guan Yinan stepped in. "Jingxi, how's the script coming along?"
"Not great, still a long way to go," Ren Jingxi admitted. "But if all goes well, it should be finished by the end of June. I hope to assemble the crew by then and start filming, which should take three to four months. I want the drama to air during the New Year."
Guan Yinan did a quick mental calculation. If the script was finished by the end of June, filming would start in July. With a four-month shooting schedule, it would wrap up by the end of October. That would be around the ninth month of the lunar calendar, leaving over three months before the Lunar New Year, which was doable.
But it was still incredibly tight.
Thinking this, Guan Yinan couldn't help but say, "Jingxi, since this is your first project, I think you should take your time. A year would be ideal."
Ren Jingxi shook her head. "I've made a timeline for… well, it'll be fine."
Ren Jingxi trailed off, but both Guan Yinan and Jiang Anqi knew she was referring to a certain man.
Since Guan Yinan wasn't particularly optimistic about My Fair Princess and Ren Jingxi seemed determined to rush, she didn't push further.
Ren Jingxi didn't waste time and turned to Jiang Anqi. "Let's talk about your salary. I know Taken was a huge hit in North America, but this project has a tight budget. I can only offer you 3,000 RMB per episode. What do you think?"
Before Jiang Anqi could respond, Guan Yinan interjected, "Jingxi, 3,000 is too low."
"I agree it's low," Ren Jingxi said earnestly. "But that's all I can afford. I've checked, and Anqi's highest pay for previous TV dramas was only 1,000 RMB per episode."
"But things are different now."
"That's why I'm offering 3,000."
"…"
Having just seen a movie script offering 1 million HKD, Jiang Anqi found it hard to accept 3,000 RMB per episode for a 20-episode TV drama, which would total 60,000 RMB. Even if she didn't care much about money now, this was far below her current market value.
With her newfound Hollywood光环, Jiang Anqi could easily command 30,000 RMB per episode for a TV drama.
After an awkward silence, it was clear the conversation wasn't going anywhere.
Finally, Ren Jingxi spoke up again, clearly unwilling to waste more time. "Honestly, if it weren't for him… well, I don't think this collaboration will work. It's too expensive. Anqi, Yinan, let's just treat this as a chance to get to know each other over a meal. Maybe we'll work together in the future."
Jiang Anqi had been thinking the same thing, but hearing Ren Jingxi's slip of the tongue with "him," she felt a competitive urge. "But Simon asked me to do this."
Ren Jingxi nodded, seemingly unfazed by Jiang Anqi's mention of "Simon," and said, "But I can only offer you 3,000. Unless you're willing."
I'm not willing!
Jiang Anqi thought to herself, glancing at Guan Yinan.
Guan Yinan felt that ending things here would be best for all three parties. However, considering the man both women had mentioned, she had to try. "Jingxi, 3,000 is really too low for Anqi now. How about 10,000? That's already a very reasonable price."
Ren Jingxi shook her head without hesitation. "I really can't afford it."
"…"
Guan Yinan almost blurted out, "If you can't afford it, your man can."
Ren Jingxi seemed to read her mind and said frankly, "He only gave me 6 million and told me to work within my budget. I think that's reasonable."
There was no room for negotiation.
Guan Yinan thought for a moment and asked tentatively, "Will you tell him about this?"
Ren Jingxi nodded. "I'll handle it. Don't worry."
Alright.
Everyone was happy.
Except, somehow, neither Guan Yinan nor Jiang Anqi felt particularly pleased.
Something felt off.
It was as if they had missed out on a huge opportunity.
______
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