Finally, adhering to the principle of not wasting anything, the three of them finished dividing the remaining fermented mung bean juice.
It was fortunate Xiao Chen had only bought one cup, otherwise Xiao He would have seriously considered calling an ambulance today.
And he didn't know if it was because his taste buds had already been numbed, but by the end, Xiao He even detected a hint of sweetness in the aftertaste.
Ugh, anyway, he didn't want to experience that a second time.
After they finished drinking, Liu Rulan finally brought up the serious matter: "Director Zhuang already contacted me earlier. We can contact that Director Yan anytime these next few days."
"Surname Yan?"
It was a relatively rare surname. Xiao He mentally ran through the possibilities but actually couldn't recall who that person was.
"Yan Shaohan. It's normal you don't know him, because I don't know him either."
"Oh... Huh?"
Xiao He stared at Liu Rulan in shock.
Wait, did that make sense?
Sister Liu was someone who could even dig up Lin Yipeng's background, knew so many inside secrets of the domestic entertainment industry—calling her the industry's "know-it-all" wouldn't be an exaggeration. And now there was actually someone even she didn't know?
Liu Rulan shrugged: "Don't be so surprised. The domestic entertainment industry changes so fast now, new people keep popping up one batch after another. I can't possibly know everyone."
Anyway, what they valued was Zhuang Hongyi serving as producer, and besides, Zhuang Hongyi had invested a large sum of his own money. Liu Rulan believed he wouldn't let himself lose money.
As for this Yan Shaohan...
"I've already asked people within the circle to inquire," Liu Rulan continued. "Don't you worry either. Even if his directing skills aren't great, Zhuang Hongyi is backing this series—it definitely won't turn out bad—"
Right at that moment, Liu Rulan's phone rang.
It was probably the result of the favor Liu Rulan had asked for.
Sure enough, Liu Rulan answered the phone, then her expression showed some surprise: "It's actually him?"
"I really didn't expect that, mainly the name is very unfamiliar..."
"Mm, I understand, thanks."
"Okay, I'll treat you to a meal later."
After Liu Rulan hung up, Xiao He looked at her with an expectant expression: "Is it someone really surprising?"
Liu Rulan put away her phone, her expression somewhat complicated: "This person, you actually know."
Xiao He: "I know him too?"
He began carefully thinking back: "I haven't met anyone new recently... Could it be another big shot like Lin Yipeng, lying low and lurking around me?"
Liu Rulan laughed: "That's probably not likely. I'll just tell you directly—this Yan Shaohan is actually the comic author of 'Corner Also,' Jiao Dai."
"What?"
Xiao He's voice instantly rose sharply.
"Doesn't that old thief Jiao Dai know we're all waiting for him to update? Instead of properly locking himself in a dark room to update his comic, what's he doing coming to film a comic adaptation? If he's bored out of his mind, he should go draw a few strokes! He absolutely must not stop, I'm going crazy waiting!"
Liu Rulan was startled by Xiao He's sudden loud voice, then tapped his head irritably: "Calm down! When you meet him later, don't be so exaggerated!"
Xiao He instantly retracted his expression: "So that means I can urge him to update in person? I might even get to know the upcoming plot first? That's great! That would be amazing!"
The joy of immersive update-pressuring.
Liu Rulan: ...
"But speaking of this, a comic author running off to personally film his own work is probably a first in the industry, right?" Xiao He thought carefully. "I know about original authors becoming screenwriters, but directly becoming the director... that's rare."
After all, being a director sometimes requires more than just clearly telling a story. Controlling the entire production crew, guiding the acting of different performers, even grasping and understanding the plot content... all severely test a director's abilities.
"Because this person apparently originally graduated with a directing major," Liu Rulan stated the situation she had learned. "If you carefully finished reading 'Corner Also,' you'll notice the storyboarding and plot transitions he draws are particularly smooth. Even in intense fight scenes, the thinking is clear, and the actions are complete and fluid. This is related to his background studying directing."
"Reportedly, 'Corner Also' was originally something he used to practice storyboarding, but unexpectedly it became explosively popular online. So he simply kept drawing while studying during university, and only just graduated this year."
"Graduated this year... then he's in the same year as me?" Xiao He was shocked.
"Right." Liu Rulan sighed. "The newcomers these days are really something else. One computer science major crosses over to become an actor, one directing major crosses over to become a comic artist. It really is 'every industry is struggling, only cross-industry moves create miracles.'"
Xiao He: "..."
Sister Liu's words... ahem, inexplicably make some sense.
Liu Rulan checked the time and finally said: "The production crew is probably still in the preparation stage right now. Official filming won't start until December. We'll go meet this Director Yan tomorrow. After confirming your role, we'll go back so you can take the certification exams you want. The entire month of November, aside from occasionally cooperating with Hidden Star Shine's promotional activities, is basically free—oh, right, there are quite a lot of year-end events. If you're interested, I can arrange them for you."
"Events? What kind of events?" Xiao He asked curiously.
"Mainly annual galas and similar events," Liu Rulan explained. "They're basically promotional conventions where platforms summarize various data and achievements from the past year, then reward and recognize related artists. Of course, this segment is also jokingly called the 'pork distribution' segment by netizens. Everyone who attends is guaranteed to get a corresponding award."
"Huh? There are events like that?"
Xiao He, who previously paid zero attention to the entertainment industry, felt like he'd gained more insight.
"Mainly because your 'Thief Catcher' this year is a huge hit on Penguin Video. If you go, you'll definitely get key spotlight," Liu Rulan reminded. "And there's last year's 'Heart of Embers' too. Even though you weren't a main cast member, you did help boost it."
Xiao He: "I see... but it sounds pretty meaningless."
Everyone knows what the deal is with these awards—completely worthless, purely for show. Everyone understands the situation but still has to pretend to be surprised and grateful. Xiao He found it quite pointless.
Besides, some things aren't yours just because they're given to you.
Real strength is demonstrated through your work, not through awards. When you possess enough ability and skill, respected authorities will naturally defend your merits.
"Then we won't go." Clearly, Liu Rulan didn't take this matter seriously either and directly deleted it from her phone's notes. "Then your upcoming schedule is basically finalized. Put more effort into your own studies. Once this period passes, next year will probably be even busier."
Xiao He was already mentally prepared: "The busier I am, the more popular I am. That's fine, I can handle it."
Let the storm rage even more fiercely!