I am a Big Player
Chapter 531 - 525, Mysterious Student (First Update)_1

Chapter 531: 525, Mysterious Student (First Update)_1

Chen Da had been secretive all day and was harbouring this beggar role to surprise Zhang Ming, but the first person Zhang Ming asked about was Ren He.

It was only then that Chen Da realized that Zhang Ming had known Ren He all along.

What background does Ren He have? Chen Da originally thought he had no significant background...

Apart from his clothes being quite pleasing to the eye, there was nothing special about him, unlike some students from the Central Academy of Drama who would flaunt extravagant belt buckles as if to parade through the streets.

Moreover, Sun Yu had also mentioned it in passing – this was a new student with no connections.

But now it seemed the situation was not that simple; how could a student without connections warrant Zhang Ming’s attention? Zhang Ming’s status at the Central Academy of Drama might be significant or insignificant, but no one had ever disregarded him.

An honorary president, nonetheless!

Now, as Chen Da was chatting with Zhang Ming, to put it nicely, they enjoyed a good private relationship; to put it bluntly, he was someone selected by the school leaders to accompany him!

Despite Chen Da’s plays winning awards abroad, they meant nothing in front of Zhang Ming, whose influence in the entire circle was beyond Chen Da’s imagination.

Typically, directors tend to focus either on TV dramas or on movies, seldom crossing over, since despite falling under the big screen category, they differ significantly from one another.

But Zhang Ming was different; he directed both TV dramas and films, and each one turned out to be a hit, which is why so many students wanted to wedge themselves into Zhang Ming’s crew.

However, Chen Da was somewhat puzzled as to why Zhang Ming would have any connection with Ren He?

Zhang Ming didn’t explain much to Chen Da; what he knew, he kept to himself. In Chen Da’s eyes, he was the prestigious director, the steadying needle of the circle, but the point was, not all circles are the same.

The identity of Ren He was much more than just the original author of the script; the youth was also the sole lawful heir of the Luohe Group, with one-third of the domestic cinemas in his hands.

Zhang Ming certainly wasn’t about to grovel to Ren He over such a trifle matter, having long passed the age where he would bend his back for a pittance, and could live well regardless of box office returns.

Only that Ren He was a young man very much to his liking, so he was inclined to draw closer to him.

Now upon hearing Chen Da say that this young man was about to play the surprise beggar character he had prepared to impress with that evening, Zhang Ming felt a slight sense of anticipation.

Initially, he had thought Ren He looked suitable for the protagonist of "Kunlun", but he wasn’t clear about Ren He’s acting skills. Recommending Ren He to join the Central Academy of Drama was to see if he could be enticed onto this path, which seemed like an amusing matter in retrospect.

But now, according to Chen Da, was it that Ren He had great acting skills?

"Is his performance that good?" Zhang Ming asked with interest.

Chen Da pondered for a moment and then said, "At least no worse than mine."

"Then that’s indeed very good," Zhang Ming nodded, "He’s only a freshman for two months, how come he has such good acting skills? But what surprises me more is that he is willing to play such a role in your drama troupe."

Zhang Ming found this quite amusing when he thought about it; Ren He, with his background, playing a beggar was truly a world apart. As far as Zhang Ming was aware, no internet enterprise seemed able to rival Qinghe’s faction.

The reason its market valuation wasn’t higher was entirely due to the era’s limitations, with the overall internet scale still not large enough and user numbers still too low.

The fact was exactly so; Qinghe Group, owned by Ren He, was currently valued at just over ten billion on the outside, but it was not as Ren He envisioned.

However, this valuation had no issues as projects like Qinghe Payment and Qinghe Search were still in the starting phase, and although their development was promising, the profits they brought in now were not comparable to a Dota.

Zhang Ming spoke these words knowing the situation, but they sounded somewhat peculiar to Chen Da, who asked in wonder, "He is willing? Director Zhang, what do you mean by saying this...?"

"Haha, you don’t know, I originally offered him the male lead in ’Kunlun’, and he outright rejected me!" Zhang Ming laughed as he explained, without bringing up any other matters regarding Ren He.

Chen Da gasped in shock, had actually declined an invitation from Zhang Ming, and it was for the male lead?

Just how extraordinary was this student of his? Leaving aside how Zhang Ming got to know Ren He or under what circumstances he made his offer, the point was that Ren He had declined.

A shroud of mystery began to cover Ren He’s identity in Chen Da’s mind, seemingly explaining why Ren He didn’t appear particularly keen on acting.

The son of a billionaire? The progeny of some bigwig in the entertainment industry?

These were Chen Da’s speculations, and he didn’t dare to guess that Ren He might be a tycoon himself, given how young Ren He still was.

While Chen Da was lost in thought, Zhang Ming had already picked up his phone and dialed Ren He, teasing as soon as he started speaking, "Hey, I hear it’s your first performance on stage tonight, should I send you a bouquet of flowers?"

Ren He’s voice on the other end made Chen Da laugh, "Don’t joke with me, what am I? No need for flowers, lest you use that to tease me later. I performed seriously tonight, give me some pointers after you watch it."

"Haha, it’s rare to hear the word ’pointers’ from you, how about dinner after the show?" Zhang Ming laughed.

"Dinner, huh... How about this? I have to accompany my girlfriend after the show, why don’t you come directly to the Courtyard House? I’ll ask Uncle Fang and Mrs. Wang to make some pancakes you like," Ren He thought for a moment and then directly invited Zhang Ming to have dinner at the Courtyard House, which he used for entertaining guests and which was far from frugal compared to those restaurants that touted private family recipes but served unpalatable food.

Zhang Ming laughed and agreed, "Alright, now that you mention it, I really feel like eating that, I’ll come over then!"

Listening by the side, Chen Da felt a bit uncomfortable; how had the world come to this? A teacher has a certain psychological advantage when facing a student, but somehow, now this student seemed to be on an equal footing with Zhang Ming.

Throughout the call, Ren He had maintained a respectful tone, but it was clear to anyone but a fool that Zhang Ming was treating him as someone of equal status.

Who was Zhang Ming?

One was a renowned director and a major figure in the industry, and the other, a 17-year-old youth; this worldview was almost shattering, and Chen Da felt he was losing the ability to face his student without being awestruck!

Chen Da always believed in judging students without regard to their background and always acted with integrity, but now, could he continue to be indifferent when the student could sit at the same table with Zhang Ming?