novelraw Chapter 669 The shell company needs to become legitimate.
Chapter 669 The shell company needs to become legitimate.
As the lights in the studio slowly dimmed, the noisy scene quieted down.
Only a few faint background lights remained, barely outlining the contours of the venue.
The atmosphere is fantastic.
A beam of light precisely pierced the darkness, striking the center of the field and locking the focus firmly.
The stage crew had arrived early and neatly arranged a set of office supplies, setting the stage for the upcoming performance.
A simple office desk, an open desktop computer standing quietly, the screen lit up with a simulated office document interface, densely packed with text.
The feeling of being busy at work.
The keyboard and mouse are neatly arranged on one side of the desktop, and a cup of hot coffee is placed next to the computer.
Steam rose from the cup.
A metal file rack leans against the corner of the table, neatly stacked with several folders and printed papers, exuding the meticulousness and attention to detail of an office worker.
An open notebook and pen were on the table, and the phone screen was lit up, clearly displaying the messages that kept popping up in the work group.
Jiang Yang sat at his desk, wearing an exaggerated and greasy black wig.
Her messy hair clung to her forehead, revealing the exhaustion from working overtime late into the night.
She was wearing a plaid shirt that she had changed into temporarily, and the slightly loose fit made her look even more haggard.
The coffee on the table was steaming, and with all the office props around him, it was clear to the audience without any further explanation that he was playing an office worker who was caught up in work and busy with overtime.
This performance was planned in advance with Zhao Jinmai.
Jiang Yang lowered his head, his fingers tapping rapidly and stiffly on the keyboard without any pauses. His focused expression concealed an undeniable weariness, his eyes were empty and lifeless, and he remained expressionless throughout. Only the mechanical movements of his fingertips revealed the numbness worn down by life, indicating that he was completely immersed in working overtime.
Immersed in working overtime.
It was as if he truly was that office worker overwhelmed by tasks at that moment.
Wang Han slowly emerged from the shadows on one side of the venue, a conspicuous name tag with the words "General Manager Wang" prominently displayed on his chest. His brows were furrowed, his expression stern. As soon as he reached Jiang Yang, he launched into a tirade: "Jiang Yang! What kind of work efficiency is this? You can't even do such a small thing right! The report I asked you to compile is due tomorrow, and you've only done half of it! What are you dawdling about? Are you slacking off during work hours? Do you want to quit?"
Jiang Yang stopped typing, slowly raised his head, his eyes still vacant, and said in a low voice, "Boss, I really tried my best. I've been working overtime until midnight every day lately. I have a mountain of work to do, and I've been trying my best to catch up. I just can't keep up."
"You did your best?"
Wang sneered, "I don't care if you tried your best or not, you have to finish this report today! If you don't finish it, you'll have to stay and work overtime all night, even if it's until dawn! If you can't hand it in by tomorrow, I'll deduct your full attendance bonus for this month, and then I'll deduct your performance bonus. You'll have to bear the consequences yourself!"
Endless overtime.
Indiscriminate accusations.
Despite giving it your all, you are not recognized.
The threat of having money deducted.
Wang Han was reciting lines that Jiang Yang had given him beforehand, and the hundreds of junior agents present were completely absorbed in watching.
Every word struck a chord, as if I were seeing myself struggling with work.
After Wang Han finished speaking, he didn't look at Jiang Yang again and turned to leave.
His face remained stern, leaving Jiang Yang alone on the spot.
Jiang Yang watched his retreating figure, slowly raised his hand, and weakly rubbed his sore eyes with his fingertips.
He then lowered his head again, his fingers landing on the keyboard once more, continuing to type away.
It was as if the reprimand had never affected him, with only the occasional slight pause in his fingertips.
The movements were mechanical and numb.
Just then, Zhao Jinmai, wearing the same flamboyant wig as Jiang Yang, walked briskly from the other side.
His face was full of childlike innocence and liveliness.
He smugly moved closer to Jiang Yang, patted him on the shoulder, and said in a lighthearted tone, "Jiang Yang, got paid? Let's go to an internet cafe and stay up all night. I'm so tired of classes, it's a good time to relax!"
Jiang Yang didn't even lift his eyelids, keeping his head down and mechanically typing on the keyboard: "I'm not going. Rent, food expenses, down payment on a house, and car loan, I need money everywhere. I don't have enough money at all. I have to be careful with my spending."
Zhao Jinmai refused to give up.
She moved closer to Jiang Yang and said, "How about we skip the internet cafe and go to the supermarket to buy a laser gun? I love buying these to play with during Chinese New Year. Don't you remember? I buy one every year. Let's play together!"
"I'm not going, it's too childish."
Jiang Yang's tone remained completely calm.
There was not a trace of interest in his eyes.
All that remains is the numbness worn down by life.
"Let's go buy some snacks. I want potato chips and chocolate. It's on me!" Zhao Jinmai suggested again, her tone still full of energy.
"I have no appetite."
"This won't work, that won't work!"
Zhao Jinmai frowned and pushed Jiang Yang, saying, "Jiang Yang, why have you become so boring? You have no expression on your face and you look lifeless. I get annoyed just looking at you!"
A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.
Jiang Yang stopped what he was doing, slowly raised his head, and turned to look at Zhao Jinmai: "Perhaps, this is the price of growing up."
After a pause, Jiang Yang added, "Also, you should leave now."
"I?"
Zhao Jinmai was taken aback.
After a few seconds of stunned silence, it dawned on me.
Sadness gradually crept onto his face.
I understood the deeper meaning in Jiangyang's words.
As Zhao Jinmai slowly turned around, the laughter gradually subsided, and the atmosphere became heavy again.
It was only then that everyone noticed that Zhao Jinmai also had a small tag on her chest, with three words clearly written on it: Xiao Jiangyang.
There was a gasp of surprise from the crowd.
The spotlight shining on Zhao Jinmai gradually dimmed, and the lighting technician slowly lowered the brightness of the spotlight, transitioning from warm and bright light to a weak, cool light.
The spotlight gradually narrowed its range until it completely faded, enveloping Zhao Jinmai's figure in a dim shadow.
Zhao Jinmai's figure and face gradually became blurred.
With a faint smile on her face, she said reluctantly, "So, I was you when I was little."
She paused, then murmured softly, her tone tinged with regret: "It seems my time is running out."
"Goodbye, to the grown-up me." After saying this, Zhao Jinmai's figure completely disappeared into the shadows.
All that remained in the studio was Jiang Yang's last words to her during rehearsals: "No matter how busy you are, don't make yourself suffer."
Jiang Yang remained seated at the table, his back slightly hunched.
His gaze remained fixed on the computer screen as he continued typing with a blank expression. The clattering of his keyboard was exceptionally clear in the quiet studio.
He turned his head and looked in the direction where Zhao Jinmai had disappeared.
There was reluctance in her eyes.
He slowly picked up the coffee on the table, his movements slow and stiff, his fingertips applying slight pressure as he took a small sip, the bitterness of the coffee spreading across his tongue.
The corners of the mouth droop down.
Put down the cup.
Continue typing mechanically.
His face remained expressionless.
Her eyes welled up with moisture, and tears welled up but didn't fall.
The bright spotlight shining on Jiang Yang gradually dimmed until only the faint light from the computer screen remained, gently illuminating his face and outlining his cold profile.
Jiang Yang's narration slowly began to play from the speaker: "Farewell, little me."
The director at the control room kept his eyes glued to the monitor.
He watched Jiang Yang's performance very carefully.
Throughout the entire process, Jiang Yang remained expressionless, his eyes vacant and lifeless, his typing motions mechanical and repetitive, devoid of any extra emotion.
But I could feel it.
Subtle details can conceal profound complexities.
When he turned to look in the direction where Zhao Jinmai had disappeared, a fleeting look of loneliness crossed his eyes.
The subtle downward curve of the corners of the mouth when drinking coffee.
The occasional pauses in his typing silently hinted at his inner turmoil.
I didn't deliberately shed tears; I just let them well up in my eyes but never let them fall.
His eyes were filled with weariness, helplessness, and regret.
The performance depicts a life after growing up that is different from what one imagined as a child. There is no happiness as one might have imagined, yet one feels powerless to change it.
That deep-seated numbness and sense of helplessness was felt by everyone present.
"No wonder he was able to become the acting coach for Zhong Shujia's crew. He acted very well. He brought out that numb feeling. It would have been perfect with some subtitles and special effects in post-production. Mai Mai was also very good. She switched between childishness and sadness naturally and smoothly, without any stiffness!"
Then, the director asked the assistant director to keep an eye on the footage that had just been shot.
Check carefully.
When filming Jiang Yang, the focus was on close-ups of his face, capturing subtle movements in his eyes and the corners of his mouth, accurately capturing Jiang Yang's numb and lonely emotions.
A close-up of hands typing on a keyboard.
When filming Zhao Jinmai, the spotlight was dim, so a full-body shot was given to clearly show her gradually disappearing.
There's also a close-up of the name tag on his chest, allowing the audience to clearly see the three characters "Xiao Jiangyang".
When the emotion is right, it's a close-up of the face.
The video captured Zhao Jinmai's performance, conveying reluctance and regret.
This scene might be just okay when performed in a movie or TV series, but it becomes particularly eye-catching when it's shown on a variety show.
Not a single second can be cut.
The director held the walkie-talkie and gave instructions.
This scene is still being filmed; the crew is changing props. The remaining scenes are Zhao Jinmai's solo scenes, so we must film them well.
Liu Wei sat in the guest seat, staring blankly into space.
He turned to Xue Zhiqian beside him and said with emotion, "Jiang Yang is indeed a good actor. I had never seen Jiang Yang act before, but I knew he was very good at creating. Now I completely believe that he has real talent and is definitely a skilled actor. I couldn't help but cry while watching that performance just now."
Xue Zhiqian gently wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes and nodded.
He asked in confusion, "Who designed the lines for Mai Mai and Jiang Yang's performance? Was it also Jiang Yang? The word 'Lao Ji' in it is quite interesting."
Meng Ziyi sat to one side, gazing at the center of the field.
She pursed her lips and remained silent.
Tian Xi sat upright, trying to put on a smile, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned down.
Every time I watch Jiang Yang perform, I get completely absorbed in his performance.
This simple performance actually has no complicated plot, just a few short lines of dialogue.
But it reminded her of many things from the past.
Judging from the reactions of the entire audience, it was clear that Jiang Yang's words of comfort to her earlier were true.
This is indeed a variety show that focuses on comedy, but good program effects are not only achieved by creating laughs.
Jiang Yang and Zhao Jinmai's performance wasn't particularly funny, and even carried a somewhat heavy tone, yet it captivated the entire audience.
Perhaps everyone can see a reflection of their own growth in this performance.
Just as Tian Xiwei was about to raise her hand to applaud, she noticed that the lights in the studio came on again.
The stagehands have already changed the props.
The computer desk in the center was quickly replaced with a middle school desk.
The computers and keyboards were removed one by one and replaced with stacks of thick textbooks, workbooks and test papers.
There was also a pencil case with a cartoon pattern on the table.
The scene shifts from the workplace back to the innocent days of high school. Sitting at the table is no longer Jiang Yang, but Zhao Jinmai.
She had already changed her clothes, wearing a simple blue school uniform, and was fast asleep, her head buried in her arms, lying on her desk.
Suddenly, a piece of chalk hit Zhao Jinmai squarely on the head.
A soft slap woke her from her sleep.
Wang Han stood in the shadows of the field, playing the role of a middle school teacher to match the scene before him, and said sternly, "Zhao Jinmai, sleeping in class, how many times has this happened? You did so badly on the last monthly exam, and you still don't pay attention in class. Come to my office after class!"
Zhao Jinmai immediately sat up straight and rubbed her sleepy eyes.
The sleepiness on his face vanished without a trace.
He quickly picked up the textbook on the table and pretended to listen attentively.
But she had barely sat up straight when she couldn't help but sneeze loudly. Then she quietly turned her head to the side and muttered, "I sneezed because someone must be thinking about me."
She muttered to herself, "Who's thinking about me?"
He paused, then pursed his lips and muttered under his breath, "Who knows?"
After saying that, he picked up a pen and pretended to write the question seriously.
The light gradually dimmed.
Zhao Jinmai's narration slowly began to play from the speaker:
“When I was little, whenever I sneezed, my mom would say it was someone thinking about me. I guessed many people, including classmates and neighbors, but I never guessed that the person thinking about me was my future self.”
After a while.
All the lights in the studio came on.
The entire room fell silent for several seconds; no one spoke.
Everyone was still immersed in the atmosphere of the performance when Wang Han slowly walked forward, smiled and asked, "How was Jiang Yang and Mai Mai's performance? To be honest, I was deeply moved, and Mai Mai should have been moved too, since I was the one who threw the chalk at Mai Mai's head just now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the whole room burst into laughter.
Tian Xiwei was the first to clap enthusiastically.
The applause was crisp and loud.
Immediately afterwards, applause and table-clapping echoed throughout the studio.
After the applause subsided, the guests chatted for a while.
Wang Han picked up the microphone and summarized Jiang Yang's proposal: "Jiang Yang's proposal really hits home. I believe that everyone who enters society can resonate with it to some extent. It seems that each of us, without realizing it, grows up to be the kind of person we hated the most when we were young."
"Jiang Yang's proposal is that we have all killed our childhood selves, but in this performance, Jiang Yang drove away his childhood self."
"When we were young, we hated the sophistication, apathy, and exhaustion of adults, and vowed never to become like them. But as we grow up, we drive away our childhood selves, forcing ourselves to become mature, sophisticated, and sensible, forcing ourselves to lose the childishness and innocence in our bones. We also repeatedly tell ourselves not to be as willful as we were when we were young, and not to have unrealistic dreams. We think this is what growing up is, but we don't know that in the process, we have already lost our original selves."
Ning Jing nodded gently, a hint of emotion on her face, and said with a smile, "That's true. When we grow up and have enough money to buy the things we longed for as children, we find that the joy and meaning are gone. We always lose because of waiting. We wait until we grow up, until we have money, until we have time, but those childhood expectations and joys have long been diluted by time and can never be found again."
As she spoke, Ning Jing turned to look at Jiang Yang and Zhao Jinmai.
She praised, "Jiang Yang, Mai Mai, your performance was excellent. You captured the emotions, the lines, and the movements perfectly. You would be more than qualified to perform in a stage play."
Among the guests and junior agents present, Wang Han was the host, Xue Zhiqian and Liu Wei were both singers, and there were very few who were actually actors. Most of them were laymen who could only see the surface of the performance and thought it was good-looking and touching.
She could see through the essence of Jiang Yang and Zhao Jinmai's performance.
The two performed flawlessly throughout, memorizing their lines perfectly and executing their movements smoothly and naturally, completing the entire performance in one take.
There were no glitches or errors.
The dialogue is clear and powerful.
Every sentence accurately conveys the character's emotions.
Jiang Yang's numbness and exhaustion, and Zhao Jinmai's childlike reluctance, allowed the audience to quickly empathize with the characters and feel a strong sense of connection.
In this scene, to be honest, Jiang Yang's performance was better than Zhao Jinmai's because his role was more challenging.
Zhao Jinmai's portrayal of Xiao Jiangyang is full of emotions and has obvious ups and downs, making it easier to showcase her acting skills.
Jiang Yang, who plays his grown-up self, has a numb expression on his face throughout the entire performance.
Without much emotional fluctuation, the helplessness and loneliness in their hearts can only be conveyed through their eyes and subtle finger movements.
A performance without expression is more challenging to an actor than one with emotion.
Everyone already knew that Jiang Yang was very creative. She had also heard privately that the president of Beijing Film Academy highly approved of a new script Jiang Yang had written and offered to be the producer of the film, fully supporting his production.
Although he knew that this was a condition for Jiang Yang to be admitted to Beijing Film Academy.
However, this also demonstrates Jiang Yang's creative level.
Jiang Yang might be a dark horse in the entertainment industry, with his outstanding creative talent and superb acting skills; his future is limitless.
Ning Jing had a plan in mind.
After the show is finished recording, I'll take the initiative to contact Jiang Yang, take a look at his script, and see if there's a suitable role for me.
Let's try this project in Jiangyang and see if we can connect with it.
Wang Han's gaze fell on Tian Xiwei, noticing the moisture in her eyes. He smiled and asked, "Xiwei, I see you're crying. Is there something you thought you could achieve when you were young, but now finds difficult to achieve?"
Tian Xi forced a smile and sniffed: "No, I'm actually doing quite well. I've basically accomplished everything I wanted to do when I was a child. I just thought of a friend of mine. If she were here and saw Jiang Yang and Mai Mai's performance, she would definitely be very upset. I really feel sorry for her. She's an actress too."
"Oh? Who is it?" Wang Han asked curiously.
The guests and junior agents present all showed expressions of curiosity.
"She used to be a factory worker named Chaoyue, Yang Chaoyue."
Tian Xi paused for a moment, her voice filled with even more heartache: "She used to really want to study and go to university, but her family wasn't well-off back then, so she couldn't fulfill that wish. Last year, she studied very hard on her own and mustered up the courage to take the adult college entrance examination. She was full of confidence and said she would get into Tsinghua University, but in the end, she didn't even get into a junior college. Now, when I think about how disappointed she was back then, I feel so sorry for her."
Xue Zhiqian laughed and teased, "Xiwei, when Chaoyue scored so high, why didn't you feel sorry for her? Why are you only feeling sorry for her now?"
"Because I was so busy laughing at her, I deserve to die."
Tian Xi pouted and burst into tears: "Don't ask me anymore. I feel so bad right now. I feel so sorry for her. I shouldn't have laughed at her back then."
The audience burst into laughter.
Meng Ziyi, who was standing next to him, laughed the loudest.
Meng Ziyi, who was standing next to him, was laughing the loudest, which drew Jiang Yang's attention: "Ziyi, is it that funny? Chaoyue didn't even take the college entrance exam, and you're laughing like that. Chaoyue said that she will continue to take the college entrance exam next year, and her goal is still Tsinghua and Peking University."
"Oh right, right, right. Whether you believe it or not, I believe Chaoyue will definitely get into Tsinghua or Peking University. Go Chaoyue!" Meng Ziyi said with a smile.
These were clearly words of encouragement for Yang Chaoyue.
Jiang Yang felt something was off when he heard Sister Meng say it.
It's as if it's mocking transcendence.
Grass!
Ziyi mocked Chaoyue, so he went to the supermarket to find Ziyi.
Next time I unlock the stamina attribute, I won't feel so weak.
Wang Han's gaze fell on Meng Ziyi: "Ziyi, can you summarize Jiang Yang's proposal?"
Mencius paused, taken aback.
I stopped laughing.
Knowing that Wang Han was giving her more screen time because of Jiang Yang, she stood up and said seriously, "I think a line of ancient poetry can summarize Jiang Yang's proposal, it's that line..."
After pausing for several seconds, Mencius seemed to be pondering something.
Jiang Yang urged, "Speak quickly."
"Oh dear, I can't remember right now. It's that line: A young boy went out to buy osmanthus flowers and drink wine, and came back to learn how to swim freestyle."
Upon hearing this...
Jiang Yang paused, then understood what Meng Ziyi meant, and impatiently corrected him: "Oh my god, that means wanting to buy osmanthus flowers and share wine, but it's not like the carefree days of youth!"
The following day, the plane slowly landed at Yancheng International Airport.
Jiang Yang leaned against the porthole; he hadn't slept during the entire trip.
Because Zhao Jinmai was sitting next to him, she bothered him the whole way and wouldn't let him sleep at all.
Zhao Jinmai watched Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf on her tablet and laughed happily.
Turning my head to look out the window, I saw vast stretches of lush green rice paddies in the distance, growing vigorously.
You can see farmhouses scattered in the fields, with white walls and black tiles.
The rustic charm of rural northern Jiangsu.
I glanced in the direction of Chaoyue's home in Wanggang Village, but couldn't find the exact location of Chaoyue's home. I only remembered that it was very close to the sea.
Nearby is the airport tarmac.
Several planes from different airlines were parked neatly.
Ground staff, dressed in orange uniforms, pushed luggage carts and inspected equipment, their steps hurried but steady.
After the plane came to a complete stop, the cabin door slowly opened.
Jiang Yang got up with the crowd. As soon as he stepped out of the cabin, he could feel the refreshing breeze of Yancheng. Zhao Jinmai next to him took out her phone, lit up the screen, and her eyes lit up: "Oh my god, finally we have a signal!"
The familiar Shenyang accent.
As soon as the recording of the show ended yesterday, back in private, Mai Mai's voice reverted to its thick Northeastern accent. Jiang Yang said, "I came to Yancheng to recruit people for my company, not to play around. Why did you come along? It's the first time I've brought a kid on a plane."
“You’re not here to play around, but I am. Look, I’m here to hire people for your company.”
Zhao Jinmai glared at Jiang Yang: "Say it again, Xiao Jiang, I'm all developed now, I'm not a kid anymore, I get my period every month, I'm a proper woman now!"
Jiang Yang's lips twitched.
I understand what Zhao Jinmai means.
Every time Chaoyue gets her period, the first day is so painful that she doesn't dare to walk fast. She envies older women who have gone through menopause, because at least they don't experience pain.
Mai Mai is different: "I'm proud to have my period! It means I'm going to grow taller and bigger."
"It doesn't hurt?"
"It hurts, of course it hurts, but it's a bittersweet experience. You men are all so immature, you don't understand women's hearts, you definitely wouldn't understand."
Jiang Yang was taken aback.
Mai Mai called him childish?!
Reversing the Heavenly Gang is utterly absurd.
"Sister Meng and Xiwei have both gone home, why aren't you going home?"
"You dislike me?"
"Of course, the noise kept me awake the whole way."
Jiang Yang was very impatient.
He slept very well both when he flew with Chaoyue and Xiwei.
He fell asleep as soon as the plane took off.
Mai Mai was the only one sitting next to him. As soon as the plane took off, Mai Mai took out her tablet and insisted on putting the earphones in his ears, wanting him to watch "Digimon" and "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" with her.
If he doesn't look, she makes a scene.
You can't hit them, and you can't argue with them.
Zhao Jinmai said seriously, "I'm here to visit Chaoyue. I'll go to Chaoyue's hometown for a stroll. Let me tell you, I've been looking forward to a summer vacation without homework. If I go back now, my mom will definitely sign me up for tutoring classes. It's so annoying."
"Then you promise to stay by my side and not talk back to me, understand?"
"I don't know."
Jiang Yang was too lazy to argue with Zhao Jin and Mai Duo.
Anyway, Chaoyue will be here soon, and then we'll have him bring MaiMai.
Leave the childcare to Chaoyue.
The company is located in Tinghu New District, which is the core area of Yancheng's government and business district.
The office building cluster is taking shape, with convenient transportation and low rents and prices.
I specifically bought the third and fourth floors of an office building facing the street. I discussed the renovation with the real estate agent beforehand, and it's already completed.
As the actresses we signed gradually gained fame and exposure, the previously fragmented collaboration model would definitely not be able to keep up with the pace.
A complete team needs to be assembled.
Simply put, shell companies need to become legitimate. (End of Chapter)