After Ning Ziqiang departed the snooker bar in high spirits, Ning Ran walked behind the partition.
Nan Chen was bent over at the waist as he lined up his shot.
Admiring the curves of his bottom, she was tempted to say, “Nice ass.” Thankfully, she caught herself in time and mentally berated herself for being so uncouth.
“Why did you take over that mess of a company?” she asked instead.
“Because of you.”
His reply was simple and straight to the point. There was no room for misunderstanding his meaning.
Taken aback, she had to admit that sounded rather reasonable. Yet she could not help feeling like there was something wrong.
“You’re a brilliant businessman. Why would you do something that doesn’t profit you? You’re not trying to add this onto my debt, are you?”
“Thanks for the compliment.” He hit another ball and it flew into the pocket.
“When did I compliment you?” she questioned, flabbergasted.
“You said I was a brilliant businessman.”
“Err, okay… I guess that counts as praise?”
“It does.”
“Then could you tell me why you did it?”
“Because of you,” he repeated.
Ning Ran was beginning to get exasperated. Can’t he just talk like a normal person?
“But you’ve always made sure to keep your private matters separate from your official business. So why…”
“There’s no ‘why’ to it.”
Setting down his cut stick, he suggested, “Let’s eat.”
She checked her watch and saw that it was indeed time for lunch. “As thanks for all that you’ve done for me, It’ll be my treat.”
Surprise shone in his eyes. “Sure. What are we eating?”
“McDonald’s.”
The surprised look vanished and Nan Chen refused, “I’m not eating that.”
“Why not? McDonald’s isn’t exactly cheap. Don’t forget I have a huge debt to pay off now. This is the best I can do,” Ning Ran said with a sigh.
“Mr. Chen doesn’t like to eat fast food,” Jiang Zhe piped up from nearby.
A wicked smirk curled Ning Ran’s lips. “Oh, how could I have forgotten! There’s probably nobody else in the world who knows what Mr. Chen likes best other than you, Assistant Jiang. Maybe you should be the one to treat this meal? Since you know what Mr. Chen wants to eat, it would be easy for you to arrange, no?”
“I…” Jiang Zhe had obviously not expected to receive such a snarky reply from his helpful comment earlier.
“Great idea,” Nan Chen added.
“But… One of you is a CEO while the other is a celebrity. I’m just a lowly employee…”
Nan Chen interrupted the other man, “That’s what you get for talking too much. It’s settled. You’re paying for the meal.”
“Wait, no! I- “
“Are you going to book the restaurant or shall I?” Nan Chen raised an eyebrow at Jiang Zhe.
“I’ll do it!” Jiang Zhe hastily replied. I shudder to imagine what high-end restaurant Sir Chen will pick if I let him decide. Since there’s no way out of this, I better choose the restaurant so I don’t go broke!
In the end, he selected a restaurant that specialized in Hunanese dishes.
The reason for this was because Nan Chen had been training himself to eat spicy food recently.
This particular restaurant had some mildly spicy dishes that were quite delicious, such as their specialty pickled pepper fish head.
It takes skill to save money while pleasing the boss and Young Mistress at the same time.
Nan Chen was clearly satisfied with Jiang Zhe’s decision, especially the pickled pepper fish head.
He was pleased not because he liked it personally but because he discovered that Ning Ran loved it. She could not seem to stop eating it.
“Mr. Chen, about Ning Ziqiang’s company…”
“Don’t talk about work,” Nan Chen stopped his assistant from speaking.
Jiang Zhe was astonished. This had never happened before.
Nan Chen was a workaholic, a man who could work no matter the time or place. He had never refused to talk about work during his free time before.
What’s wrong with the boss today? Is it because he wants to enjoy his time with Young Mistress and doesn’t want the mention of work to ruin the mood? If that’s the case, that means I’m being a third wheel right now! Should I walk away quietly and leave them alone? But I’m paying for this meal! It doesn’t make sense for me to leave without eating what I paid for! Forget it, I’m not leaving!
After lunch was over, Nan Chen headed back to his company while Jiang Zhe sent Ning Ran to Star Entertainment.
Wang Xiaoou was already waiting for her. “Cheng Xiangyun has been sent to Korea for training. Do you need a temporary assistant for the time being?”
Ning Ran rushed to reply, “There’s no need for that. It’s not like I’m a superstar and have a lot of matters to see to. I can handle everything myself.”
“You might not be that busy previously but you’ll get progressively busier. For now, cooperate with the advertising team for the new drama series. By the way, we’ve also selected the new movie project. The budget is tentatively set at three hundred million. However, keep in mind that investing in a movie is very risky. That’s why some other companies will be investing as well. In other words, with all these other investors, this new movie of yours will have a total budget of one billion at least. This is only the upfront investment. More funds will be added later on if this proves to be insufficient. Since this will be such a huge production, you’ll need to give it your all. You’re definitely going to be incredibly busy very soon,” Wang Xiaoou informed.
The numbers stunned Ning Ran and she muttered in a daze, “One billion? That much?”
Focusing a stern look on Ning Ran, Wang Xiaoou reminded, “It is a bit much. But I’m just your manager so getting investors isn’t really my job. The one who started up this campaign is Mr. Chen. With his influence, rallying more investors would be easy so money isn’t the issue here. The main problem would be whether we’ll be able to produce a spectacular film. As you well know, a lot of high-budget films end up as epic failures. Naturally, I don’t want your film debut to be a flop. Our goal is to be a box office success and to make your name known.”
At that moment, Ning Ran felt like there was a mountain pressing down on her. The pressure that came from her manager’s words was overwhelming.
Technically, she was still just a newcomer. It was no surprise that she would feel extremely pressured at having to act in such a high-budget film.
If she messed things up, the investors would suffer huge losses.
As the lead investor, Nan Chen would be severely affected if the film was a failure. She would be in deep trouble then.
Put off by the idea, she suggested timidly, “Maybe… Maybe I shouldn’t act in this movie…”
“What did you say?” Wang Xiaoou jumped to her feet.
Ning Ran grimaced. “I’m worried I won’t be able to hold up to expectations.”
Wang Xiaoou laughed harshly. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”
Smiling bitterly, Ning Ran answered, “I know.”
“Acting in a blockbuster movie is every actors’ dream! For a greenhorn like you to be able to act in one is indicative of how very blessed you are. Yet you’re refusing this opportunity?” Wang Xiaoou stared at her in disbelief.
“I know that. But that’s precisely the reason why I’m scared. I’m not that confident in my own skills. I don’t want to make a mess of things and cause the investors to suffer losses.”
“You’re an actress and acting is your job! As for the investors, deciding to invest in this is their business! They have their own team of professionals that will evaluate whether a film is worth investing in. You don’t have to worry about whether they profit or not. Even if they earn a lot, you won’t be getting anything other than your own commission. If they suffer losses, you won’t need to bear any responsibility for that. Do you understand me?” Wang Xiaoou berated.
“I understand but I’m still feeling very pressured and stressed.”
