40: It's almost Chinese New Year, and here's a call from my mom!

After attending Zhang Jie's concert, Chen Le stayed with the "Palace" Film Crew for a week.

On this day, Chen Le felt it was about time to head back.

He had already toured all of film studio location over the past few days, and it was honestly quite boring.

More importantly, after these few days, he felt a bit physically drained.

If he stayed any longer, he might not be able to leave at all.

So, Chen Le went to the Film Crew and found Yang Mi.

He told Yang Mi that he was heading back.

“Old Chen, are you really leaving? I’m a bit reluctant to let you go.”

Yang Mi looked at Chen Le, her face showing a hint of reluctance.

Chen Le noticed Yang Mi's gaze seemed to linger on his waist; he immediately felt a jolt and spoke up quickly:

“Yes, I've been here for a week, it's time to get back to work.”

“Sigh, alright then. I wanted you to stay and keep me company for longer.”

Seeing how determined Chen Le was, Yang Mi could only agree.

It was just a pity that after this parting, it would likely be a long time before they could meet again.

“How about I see you off?”

“Oh, no need, I don't want to delay your filming.” Hearing that Yang Mi wanted to see him off, Chen Le waved his hands frantically.

After saying that, Chen Le fled in a panic.

Yang Mi watched Chen Le leave and rolled her eyes.

“You rascal, Old Chen, running away so fast!”

At the same time, she felt speechless; Old Chen's stamina wasn't great, running away after only a week... On the way back to Yanjing.

Chen Le checked the cumulative box office for "lost on journey" over these days.

Before he came to film studio location, the movie had already been out for half a month, and now after a week in film studio location, it had been out for over twenty days.

At this point, the cumulative box office had reached 61 million.

During this period, although several blockbusters had been released, dealing a certain blow to the box office of "lost on journey."

However, they couldn't stop the popularity of "lost on journey" from being high enough; the movie was a hit, and even with fewer screenings, there were still many viewers who wanted to see it in theaters.

Moreover, because of the release of Feng Xiaogang's "Aftershock," most viewers felt a bit heavy-hearted after watching it and leaving the theater.

They urgently needed to watch an optimistic and funny movie to soothe their mood.

It just so happened that "lost on journey" was a comedy film that was hilarious from start to finish.

Thus, the movie's box office not only stopped declining but suddenly surged back up.

This was something Chen Le hadn't expected.

Soon, he arrived in Yanjing.

Chen Le made a call and summoned Wang Baoqiang and Zhang Songwen to the company.

At this time, Wang Baoqiang and Zhang Songwen didn't know why Chen Le had called them to the office.

So, they speculated,

Could it be that a new project is about to start filming?

It wasn't their fault for thinking so; after all, the transition between Chen Le's previous film "nightclub" and "lost on journey" was so fast that they subconsciously assumed he had another new film to shoot.

Just as they were wondering, the door to the office lounge opened.

Chen Le walked in.

Then, a woman walked in behind him.

Seeing this woman, both of them were stunned.

Who is she?

Just as the two were puzzled, Chen Le spoke up.

“Baoqiang, Teacher Songwen, this is Zhang Li, Manager Zhang. In the future, she will be responsible for your itinerary arrangements and event notifications. Please get to know each other.”

Chen Le introduced Zhang Li to the two of them.

Zhang Li looked at the two and nodded.

She had already learned about them beforehand.

Upon hearing Chen Le's words, Wang Baoqiang and Zhang Songwen both stood up and greeted Zhang Li.

“Good, you guys can have a chat.”

Chen Le nodded, then continued:

“Baoqiang, Teacher Songwen, your assistants and Agents will also be arranged by Manager Zhang. If you have any needs or questions, you can talk to her.”

Wang Baoqiang and Zhang Songwen looked at each other, then both shook their heads.

Indicating they had no questions or requirements.

“President Chen, since they have no questions or requirements, I'll go get busy then.”

After saying that, Zhang Li left the lounge to get to work.

Seeing this, Chen Le looked at Wang Baoqiang and Zhang Songwen and said, “Since neither of you has any questions or requirements, let me tell you about some work arrangements after the New Year.”

“Baoqiang, you have a certain level of fame now, but it's not enough. After the New Year, I'll have you appear more on variety shows to increase your popularity. You need to be prepared by then.”

Hearing Chen Le's arrangement, Wang Baoqiang nodded with a serious expression: “Understood, President Chen.”

Then, Chen Le looked at Zhang Songwen.

“Teacher Songwen, you already have a certain level of fame, so I won't arrange any variety shows for you.

Of course, Teacher Songwen, if you also want to go on variety shows, just tell me.

As for your arrangements, Teacher Songwen, I have no specific plan. You can just do what you usually do—act when there's a role, and if not, that's fine too.”

For Zhang Songwen, Chen Le indeed didn't have a specific place to send him.

After all, he wasn't a rookie actor anymore.

He had the buzz, the fame, and the acting skills; the only thing he lacked was people seeking him out for roles.

Or rather, he lacked good scripts to act in.

So, making no arrangement was the best arrangement.

He would just call him when his own new project was ready later.

After finishing his piece, Chen Le left the office lounge.

Wang Baoqiang and Zhang Songwen also left the company together.

Chen Le looked around the company's office area; there were now over a dozen employees.

When he first returned to the company, he was quite surprised.

Zhang Li's efficiency was actually so high; it hadn't been long, and she had already recruited a group of employees for him.

Currently, a dozen or so employees was neither too many nor too few.

For the current Morning Star Entertainment Media Co., Ltd., it was just right.

Any more would be a waste, and the company couldn't afford too many expenses.

Chen Le was just about to head back to his rental apartment when his phone rang.

He took out his phone and saw that it was actually a call from his mom.

He quickly returned to his office and answered the call.

“Little Le? Why did it take you so long to answer?” A very familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

“Mom, I was busy just now and only just saw it,” Chen Le explained with a smile.

“I see. So, when are you coming back for New Year this year? I see it’s not far off now,” his mom's voice continued.

“Mom, I'll have to come back a bit later this year. I haven't finished my work here yet,” Chen Le told his mom the truth.

The theatrical run of "lost on journey" wasn't over yet, and it would take some time for the box office profit shares to arrive later.

And the company was also gradually being perfected; he did need to be busy for a while.

“That busy? You kid, don't tell me you didn't make any money and are afraid to come back.” Suddenly, a loud voice rang out.

Chen Le knew as soon as he heard it that it was his old man.

“Dad, do you have that little faith in your son? I've made big money this year,” Chen Le said, somewhat speechless.

His old man was good in every other way, but he just loved to tease his son.

“Real or fake? Don't be bragging again. Before, you said you saved a million, but I didn't see you show off your bank balance.”

“Hey, Dad, don't you disbelieve me. I'll show it to you when I come back for New Year this year.”

“Fine, then I'll be waiting.” After his dad shouted that, the phone was taken back by Chen Le's mom.

“Little Le, don't mind your dad. It doesn't matter how much money you make, just come back for New Year.”

Hearing his mom's words, Chen Le felt a warmth in his heart.

“Yeah, I'll definitely be back for New Year!”