CHAPTER 484: CHAPTER 379: ANOTHER MENTION_2

Zhou Yun smiled from ear to ear, "How about I treat you to this meal today?"

"That won’t do, I’m the one who called today, so of course I should treat you," Liu Yuqian said heartily, "Next time you can treat me, I won’t fight with you over the bill."

The good thing about Liu Yuqian is that she’s straightforward and upfront about worldly matters, nothing is hidden or held back, everything in the open.

"Right, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you," Liu Yuqian suddenly changed the subject, "The male lead in your upcoming play, isn’t his name Yu Zhiyang?"

Zhou Yun looked at her with some puzzlement and nodded, saying, "Yes, what about him?"

"I attended a private dinner party a couple of days ago, where all the participants were wives of influential families, and they happened to talk about this guy, and I overheard it," Liu Yuqian said, "They said this guy was kept as a kept man by a female boss, but you took a fancy to him and picked him to play the male lead."

Zhou Yun’s brows immediately furrowed.

To be honest, those words weren’t very pleasant to hear.

"What did they say?"

"They’re just talking nonsense as usual, but, you know about this matter with Yu Zhiyang, right?" Liu Yuqian chuckled, "It seems I’ve spoken out of turn; I thought you were being kept in the dark, so I wanted to give you a heads up."

"Yu Zhiyang’s boss, I’ve met her twice in person, and only after seeing her myself twice was I able to sign Yu Zhiyang, at first his boss wasn’t willing to let him act."

"Ah? Which boss doesn’t see reason, refusing to let their own artist act alongside you? Isn’t that deliberately trying to sabotage his chance to become famous?"

"You’re right, she really didn’t want him to become famous." Zhou Yun sighed, "Yu Zhiyang’s situation wasn’t as bad as they described, he also got trapped and ended up signing an unfair contract."

"Ah, that I’ve heard; they told me he got tricked by that female boss." Liu Yuqian said, "Sigh, speaking of which, I don’t even know what to say, having been in the industry for so many years, to be honest, some are willing, some are not, some relent somewhat willingly, and some just leave the industry altogether. I’ve seen too much of this kind of thing, and at the end of the day, those without power or backing can’t win against those with influence. Someone like you, who has reached where you are today on your own merits, is a rare find."

"Lew Qingqing, she recently made headlines for being pregnant, didn’t she?" Liu Yuqian said, "How did she have such a smooth career before that? Wasn’t it because someone was backing her up, providing resources, and pushing her to stardom? Just look at these past two years, ever since she split up with Chen Wenjun, it’s clear to see her career is on the decline."

"Lew Qingqing’s rise to fame was because of Chen Wenjun?" Zhou Yun asked in surprise.

Liu Yuqian said, "I heard initially it was someone else, but then that person lost interest in Lew Qingqing, and she ended up with Chen Wenjun. Anyway, in previous years, Lew Qingqing’s big projects just kept rolling in, even Su Yan never won against her in TV and movie resources."

Zhou Yun was aware of Lew Qingqing’s relationship with Chen Wenjun, but she didn’t know about anything before Chen Wenjun.

"Making it in the entertainment industry, without several people backing you, is truly difficult," Liu Yuqian said, "Especially for women."

Zhou Yun: "Is it somewhat better now?"

"It’s the same," Liu Yuqian said, "Look at Meng Ran, emerged from a talent show, popular, supported by a company, with investors liking her, fans paying for her, but if she can’t establish a foothold in the next few years, build her own network, keep a place in the industry, once her popularity and buzz wear off, her market value drops, she’ll quickly be phased out. Every year there are many newcomers who rise overnight and fade quickly."

"There are many talented actresses who can still shoot films steadily, right?"

"Those are the ones who’ve already secured their footing, who have solid investors and their own circles." Liu Yuqian said, "Going from audition to audition based on acting skills alone, I’ve hardly seen it happening."

At that moment, a knock on the door sounded.

The owner personally came with the waiter to serve their dish.

Liu Yuqian immediately took the initiative to introduce both parties.

After the people left, Liu Yuqian told Zhou Yun: "My friend I mentioned just now, he also started as an actor, but after persisting for five years without breaking through, unable to land even a decent supporting role, he eventually left the industry. It’s not that he didn’t have opportunities, but it was made clear to him: sleep with someone for one night, and the role would be his. He refused to bow down, and in the end, the role went to someone else. Those days weren’t like now. There were only so many dramas produced every year, too many monks and not enough porridge, to the extent that small roles were fiercely contested."