Opportunity

Jiang Se went to the library during the weekend and borrowed some books.

Aside from the weekends, the only time she had for reading was the time outside of classes when she was in her dorm, so she did not manage to finish a single book over the course of a few days.

Her other roommates found her slightly odd. The campus forum was practically boiling over with discussion about her. Male students from the other programs could also be seen frequently around their dormitory building. They pretended as if they had something to do in the area. However, she acted as if she did not see them every time.

The girls had just started their freshman year, yet some of the boys had begun showing signs of interest.

Whenever they talked about such matters, they would skip in excitement. Jiang Se was the only one who showed little to no interest in this topic.

The girls put more effort into their outward appearance since they started college. They were always excited to talk about cosmetics, clothes, or accessories. They would even go shopping after classes. However, Jiang Se rarely bought anything. Most of the time, she would remain in the dorm and be absorbed in her books.

Jiang Se had an appointment with Director Lin Xiwen's company on Thursday. When she returned to the dorm after her morning classes on Thursday, she found that Yu Xiaozhou and Chen Yuwei were both at home. The moment they saw she had come back, they began a discussion with her with excitement written on their faces.

"There's a new Western restaurant on West Street. You'll see it if you head out from Dorm No. 3. Their food is cheap. Some of our classmates went and said that it's nice as well. They spent $100 a person on average. Yu Xiaozhou and I were just about to ask if the two of you were coming back for lunch. Shall we go and try it out together?"

If Jiang Se was free when her roommates invited her to go somewhere, she would actually agree to it. However, today was different.

When Chen Yuwei finished, she shook her head. "I'll pass. I don't have any classes in the afternoon, but I have an appointment with someone else." Lin Xiwen's company was located in the western circle of the imperial capital. It was a 30-minute commute via subway from the academy.

It was already 11 a.m. when she returned to the dorm from her classes. The meeting was set at 2 p.m., so she did not have much time on her hands. With that in mind, Jiang Se planned to grab a bite in the western circle, have some rest after her lunch, and head over to Lin Xiwen's company to wait until the agreed meeting time.

When Chen Yuwei heard her rejection, she had no choice but to let Jiang Se go.

The two girls were curious about the identity of this person with whom Jiang Se had an appointment with. However, the two of them merely exchanged glances. None of them voiced the question out loud.

Unlike the outer circle, which was surrounded by commercial streets, the western circle was full of big and tall buildings. It was a much quieter environment.

Many companies set up their headquarters here. Men and women with briefcases could be seen walking about on the streets.

Lin Xiwen's company was on the third floor of Building No. 3. After the receptionist in the building confirmed that she had an appointment with Lin Xiwen, Jiang Se was led to the dedicated elevator which would bring her to the third floor.

Compared to Gu Jiaer's studio in the outer circle of the imperial capital, Lin Xiwen's company operated on a larger scale and he had rented the entire floor of the office building.

Jiang Se was greeted by the sight of the information counter the moment she stepped out of the elevator.

The name of Lin Xiwen's company, Shangjia Entertainment Media, was displayed behind the counter. Two female staff stood up behind the counter when they saw the elevator doors sliding open.

Since the receptionist had given them a call beforehand, when they saw Jiang Se, one of the staff walked up to her and greeted with a smile, "You must be Miss Jiang."

Jiang Se nodded. The staff led her to a reception lounge at the side. "Sister Li has informed us about your arrival. I believe that you have an appointment with her at 2 p.m."

When she said this, she instinctively glanced at the electronic clock on the wall of the reception lounge. It was only 1:40 p.m. Jiang Se had 20 minutes before her appointment.

"Sister Li is still attending to something else. Will you wait for her in here?"

Jiang Se expected to wait since she came here 20 minutes ahead of schedule anyway. When she heard the question, she nodded.

The front desk staff inquired about her choice of drink. Soon after that, she gave Jiang Se a bottle of mineral water.

Lin Xiwen had established Shangjia Entertainment Media seven years ago, and the company was doing well at the moment.

The reception lounge had glass panels for its walls and door, forming a small independent space. Potted plants decorated the room. While the reception lounge ensured sufficient room for independent conversations, the plants added a dash of greenery to the otherwise pale tone of the lounge.

Several magazines were placed on the coffee table before the couch. Jiang Se glanced at their covers, guessing that they were about the company. She had researched the background of Lin Xiwen's company before she came here.

In the entertainment industry, Lin Xiwen's reputation was different from that of Gu Jiaer, Zhao Rang, and the others. The media dubbed him as a businessman instead of a director who had his own unique mark.

Neither were his films like Gu Jiaer's, which catered to the young viewers with their aesthetic portrayal of romance nor were they like Zhao Rang's which bore his unique style. Compared to these two directors, Lin Xiwen had directed more films before. However, many of his films had totally different styles. His works had a mixture of good and bad reviews as well.

The reviews he got from the netizens were also extreme. However, most of the netizens agreed that his films were definitely profitable.

He had a knack for determining the signs in the market. Regardless of the quality of his works, he always found a way to hype it up and raise box office sales.

In the company's introductory pamphlet, there was a booklet containing the films produced by Shangjia Entertainment Media over the years. Jiang Se found that she could not stand the sight of some of the posters. She did not even have to read the descriptions.

After flipping through the magazines for some time, she heard the crisp footsteps of a person wearing high heels coming toward the reception lounge. The person seemed to have intentionally increased the volume of her footsteps to inform Jiang Se of her arrival.

Jiang Se put down the magazine in her hands and glanced at the clock on the wall. Shortly after that, she turned and saw a middle-aged woman with maroon hair in a black sweater dress walking into the room with a pile of materials in her hand.

"You must be Miss Jiang, the one Director Gu introduced." The woman entered the room with a smile on her face. She gave Jiang Se an appraising look.

Jiang Se stood up and shook her hand. Then, the woman placed the materials onto the table and sat down on her right.

"Director Gu has talked to Director Lin before this. He says that you're a talented actress." She began with some pleasantries. Soon, she glanced at the magazines on the coffee table and could see that Jiang Se had been browsing through them. She said with a smile, "I see that you've read up about our company's background. I trust that you have a rough understanding of Director Lin's style?"

When she finished, she opened one of the folders she brought in and produced two stacks of documents from within.

"Director Gu has briefed us about the circumstances. At the moment, Director Gu has two films to shoot. Have a look." She pushed the documents toward Jiang Se and motioned for her to go through them. "You've been recommended by Director Gu, hence I've had my people prepare the information on the available roles in both films for you."

The front desk staff came in with another cup of tea. Assistant Li took a sip of the tea and saw that Jiang Se had taken one of the stacks, so she took the opportunity to observe her silently.