Chapter 18: A fan manager.
Translator: Aafkee
Proofreader: ChaiTea
Shen Yu had a dream. In his dream, he was in an unknown space with a crowd of people around him. It felt as if there was a bright light flashing continuously. He struggled to distinguish everything around him but could only feel a deep sense of powerlessness.
Suddenly, the world started spinning, and the space began to collapse. Shen Yu kept falling and falling. The feeling of freefalling hit his nerves, and darkness and panic spread in his heart. Shen Yu wanted to shout, but he could not make a sound. Just as he shut his eyes in defeat, he felt a pair of hands supporting him from his back sturdily.
Ring.
The default alarm of the handphone sounded and brought him back into reality.
Shen Yu, wearing loose white pyjamas, crawled out from under his duvet. He supported himself with both hands against his bed as he sat motionless on his knees. His slightly long black hair was slightly curled, and his bedhead hair was sticking up stubbornly. Accompanied by his half-asleep clueless face, he looked ten years younger.
Ring.
The alarm continued to ring relentlessly. Shen Yu heaved a sigh, feeling resigned, and crawled over to turn off the alarm. When he looked at his phone, the screen showed that it was seven in the morning and that he had an unread message.
"Brother Shen, my father's diagnosis is out. It's stomach cancer. My sister is still young, so I must stay to care for him. I'm afraid you'll have to look for another assistant. I'm sorry."
His assistant, Da Chuan, sent the message at three in the morning. Shen Yu read the message twice before letting out a sigh. Da Chuan had worked with him for almost three years. This young man from the northeast was a warm and cheerful person. He did his job well, but unfortunately, things were unpredictable and could always go wrong. There was nothing they could have done with the unforeseeable circumstances.
Shen Yu looked for Da Chuan’s number and paused. He decided not to make the call yet. Since they just got the diagnosis that morning, the family must be busy at the moment. It's not too late for him to contact Da Chuan again in a few days.
"You don't have to worry about work. This is your bonus. Take good care of your father and your family. Contact me if you need help."
Shen Yu replied to Da Chuan's message and transferred 30,000 RMB to him before getting out of bed to wash up.
With that, the recruitment of an assistant was the priority. Shen Yu felt better after thinking about the assistant's profile that Mary had sent over last night and about Zhong Simo. Not all things had turned out bad after all.
Since he had to settle the matter regarding the contract and assistant, Shen Yu took another day off from filming. He washed up and dressed himself before putting on a hat and a mask and went straight to his company.
Mei Fei's influence within Hua Long's management was much more than Shen Yu had expected. The matter with his contract was all settled within the morning without many complications. Shen Yu still felt as if it was unreal when he stepped out of his company with his contract in hand. He was only a 20-year-old immature brat when he entered the company. At that time, Shen Yu knew nothing besides acting skills. It had already been six years since then, but it seemed he had barely improved. Since Shen Yu was no longer contracted to the company, he could start afresh.
Shen Yu took a deep breath. Although he felt uncertain about his future, he felt mostly relief. From that point on, Shen Yu would truly belong to himself. But before anything, he had to recruit an assistant as soon as possible and complete the filming for the Pursuit of the Wind with the best of his efforts.
Shen Yu went to a cafe and dug up the profile Mary sent him via WeChat. Since he could no longer seek help from his company or his assistant, it would be tough for Shen Yu to recruit an assistant on his own, so he might as well hire someone recommended by Zhong Simo. The person must be capable if Zhong Simo appreciates their abilities.
To show his sincerity, Shen Yu called the number directly.
"Hello." It was a young female voice on the other side of the line.
Shen Yu started by asking politely, "Hello, I'm Shen Yu. Did Sister Mary tell you about me wanting to recruit an assistant?"
"B-b-b-brother Yu!"
"Is something wrong?" Shen Yu heard her tone change instantly. She was seemingly very excited, which made him even more confused.
"Cough," the young lady probably realised her outburst and immediately adjusted, "Hello, Mr. Shen. I'm An Wei, but you can call me Xiao-An. I didn't expect to receive a call directly from you. I apologise. I was a bit excited just now. To be honest with you, I'm a fan of yours."
The image of He Caicai came to mind. He seemed to have a good affinity with his fans lately. But that would explain why someone as capable as An Wei would be willing to work for a third-tier actor like him.
"I've terminated my contract with the company. I don't have a manager now, so I can only make the call myself," Shen Yu laughed, resignedly, as he responded.
"Terminated?" An Wei was astonished, and her thoughts started to run wild. If she remembered correctly, Shen Yu should have another year with the company. She wondered if she should report this back to her boss.
"Yeah, we decided to terminate our contract due to some disagreements." Shen Yu did not elaborate and directed the conversation back to An Wei, "I don't belong to any companies now, and I don't have any concrete plans regarding contracting with another company. However, I can pay you according to the market price, and you'll get an additional bonus if I get any major income. Your main responsibilities revolve around organising information, managing offers, and managing my schedule. Are you agreeable?"
An Wei did not hesitate, "Of course." She would receive two salaries, and she could work alongside her idol. It was a perfect job for her.
"Then, let's decide on a place and meet up," Shen Yu smiled. Shen Yu had an excellent first impression of this young lady, who sounded sharp and competent in her speech.
While it was known that fans often look at their idols with filtered lenses, in Shen Yu's case, it seemed like idols do look at their fans with filtered lenses, too.
Half an hour, a young lady in short sleeves and a pant skirt walked into the cafe where Shen Yu was in. Her gaze swept across the room, eventually locked onto the corner where Shen Yu sat.
"Hello, Brother Yu."
"Hello."
Shen Yu sized up An Wei discreetly. The young lady was not tall, about 160cm or so. She looked very ordinary, but she looked distinctly fair and refreshing. She gave off an aura of a little sister next door.
After seating herself opposite Shen Yu, An Wei said, "Brother Yu, these are my CV and various certificates. Please have a look through them."
She took a thick folder from her bag and passed it to Shen Yu. An Wei was taking this job search very seriously.
Shen Yu accepted the folder and browsed through it. He didn't read it in detail as Mary had already sent him the documents the night before.
"I was really surprised to hear from Ms. Mary that you're very willing to become my assistant." Judging from the pile of certificates and various prizes, it was obvious that she was a top student.
An Wei initially stole glances at Shen Yu and lamented how much better Shen Yu looked in person than on the monitor. When she heard Shen Yu's words, she quickly answered with a reason that she and her boss had discussed and decided on.
"Practical experience is more important than written knowledge in this major. I was planning to find a job at the frontline after Director Zhong's studio rejected me, and it just so happens that I've been a hardcore fan of yours for three years, so I'm naturally more than willing to work for you when Sister Mary offered me this opportunity last night."
It was half truth and half lie. The feelings An Wei described were real, but she lied about the process of her job search. No matter, her boss would be there to cover for her, so there was nothing for her to be scared of.
Shen Yu rubbed his nose, slightly embarrassed. Excluding He Caicai, who became his fan recently halfway through their filming, it was the first time Shen Yu met his fans directly.
Shen Yu thought it was better for him to change the topic, "I'm still filming for the Pursuit Of The Wind. It should take another month or so. I have an audition for Director Zhong's film. I don't have any schedule other than those."
Although An Wei was fangirling hard, she began taking memos when Shen Yu started talking about work. After working on her phone for a while, she gave serious suggestions.
"Director Zhong's audition is next Thursday afternoon. Just in case, I'll book a plane ticket for Wednesday night. Brother Yu, please pass me the contact of the Pursuit Of The Wind filming team later. I'll be in charge of scheduling with them from now on. Do tell me if there's anyone or anything I need to be aware of. Rumour says that Director Zhong's film will begin filming about three months later. The one-month free time in between is not enough for you to accept another film, but you can attend some charity events or small variety shows to show your face."
Shen Yu had no objections to An Wei's suggestions, but he added, "I think it's best we make a plan B anyway. It's not guaranteed that I'll pass the audition for Director Zhong's film."
"Shit, I was nearly found out. Do you know who sent me to you? There's no way you won't pass the audition," An Wei thought. She felt stifled for having to keep a big secret and being unable to reveal it.
"I'll look for more scripts these few days and see if anyone is recruiting actors. We'll try those out if you do not pass Director Zhong's audition."
"Okay, thank you so much."
Although An Wei supposedly worked for Shen Yu as an assistant, she was worrying and planning for him as if she were his manager. Shen Yu felt a weird sense of pride and thought his fans were naturally all great.
"Oh, right. Brother Yu, let's take a picture together."
"Oh, sure."
An Wei jumped up and took out her phone. She first found a good angle and began taking solo pictures of Shen Yu non-stop before taking a picture together with him before she began editing the photos happily. Half an hour later, a newly registered Weibo account named "Shen Yu's Personal Assistant" posted its first post.
"From today onwards, I'll learn and aim to improve every day. I'll work hard to become a competent assistant ft. a picture of cute Mr. Yu drinking coffee. His goal is to not have ahoge. [Picture][Picture][Picture]"
Shen Yu liked the post and couldn't stop himself from laughing. He reposted and commented, "Goal: to not have ahoge."
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