Chapter 481 267: Chairman Qi, I Want to Make Progress

When Gu Pan and the others came out of the dressing room, they saw Zhang Xiaobo fawning over Qi Sheng.

Jiang Shuying, who had already learned to behave, felt a wave of relief.

'Good thing I saw the error of my ways and smoothed things over with Gu Pan. Otherwise, if I'd offended a rising starlet with such a powerful sponsor... my life would have been absolute hell.'

"Chairman Qi."

Gu Pan walked over and winked at Qi Sheng.

'She knew he was in for a workout tonight.'

"Director Zhang, we can discuss other matters later. For now, just finish shooting the final scene."

Qi Sheng said with a smile and a wave, seeing Zhang Xiaobo still hovering around him.

"Of course, Chairman Qi. Please wait a moment, we'll be done very soon."

Zhang Xiaobo nodded eagerly, not caring in the slightest that people might laugh at him for groveling.

'Once I've latched onto Universal Entertainment, I'll be making over ten million a year, easy. So what if I have to suck up a little?'

"Everyone to your positions! We're shooting the final scene now!"

Zhang Xiaobo slipped back into director mode, commanding the set with methodical precision.

He didn't just want to shoot the last scene well; he also wanted to show off his directing skills to his new boss.

The final scene wasn't difficult, and both Gu Pan and Mao Xiaotong were excellent actresses.

Even Jiang Shuying, the relatively weaker link, performed her part perfectly.

Zhang Xiaobo filmed one more take before standing up, satisfied.

"I hereby declare that *Thirty Years Old* has officially wrapped!"

The crew, who had been working tirelessly for nearly four months, let out a cheer of relief.

Gu Pan wanted to throw herself into Qi Sheng's arms.

But a death glare from Lin Meishan made her sheepishly retreat.

"Chairman Qi, the crew is having a wrap party tonight. Would you grace us with your presence?"

Zhang Xiaobo completely ignored the producer sent by Lemon Film and Television, hurrying over to eagerly ask for Qi Sheng's decision.

"I happen to be free, so I'll join the fun."

Qi Sheng had come mainly to spend time with Gu Pan and the others, so naturally, he wouldn't refuse.

"Your presence is an honor for all of us! I'll be sure to have a few drinks with you then."

Zhang Xiaobo was practically an employee of Universal Entertainment now, so of course he wanted to get closer to the big boss.

"You go on and get busy. I'm going to chat with Panpan for a bit."

Seeing many people staring their way with hopeful eyes, Qi Sheng gave a dismissive wave.

"You got it. I'll leave it to Panpan, then. Make sure to take good care of Chairman Qi."

Zhang Xiaobo couldn't possibly be unaware of Gu Pan and Qi Sheng's relationship, and his tone was teasing.

"Honey, why is Director Zhang acting so weird?"

Gu Pan whispered once she saw no one was around.

"Weird how?"

Qi Sheng asked with a knowing smile.

"He's never been this eager to please, not even with the producer from Lemon Film and Television."

Having been on set for months, Gu Pan knew perfectly well how proud Zhang Xiaobo could be.

Seeing him waiting on Qi Sheng hand and foot was a stark contrast to his usual demeanor on set.

"It's all because of you."

Qi Sheng noticed many people sneaking glances at them, so he refrained from any overly intimate gestures.

'There would be plenty of opportunities later tonight.'

"Because of me?"

Gu Pan was baffled, looking at Qi Sheng in confusion.

"I want this show to air before March, so of course, I had to find a way to sign Director Zhang."

"Otherwise, the editing rights wouldn't end up in our company's hands."

"Honey, you signed Director Zhang?"

Gu Pan was both surprised and delighted. "I heard he was also in talks to sign with Lemon Film and Television," she said curiously, "but it didn't seem to be going well."

"That's because their offer was too low."

Qi Sheng said nonchalantly, "I offered him ten million per project. Can Lemon Film and Television match that?"

"Ten million per project?"

Gu Pan gulped. Now she finally understood why Zhang Xiaobo was sucking up to Qi Sheng so much.

In the entertainment industry, a director's status was indeed higher than an actor's.

But when it came to income, the gap was huge.

A top-tier TV director might get paid around 200,000 per episode for a series.

As for a second-tier director like Zhang Xiaobo, his per-episode fee was only about 100,000.

Even with *Thirty Years Old* having over 40 episodes, his total pre-tax income would only be about 5 million.

Faced with the temptation of a ten-million annual salary from Qi Sheng...

...it would have been strange if Zhang Xiaobo had remained calm.

"Don't act like you've never seen real money before. Once you become a top-tier actress, earning a few hundred million a year won't be a problem."

Qi Sheng couldn't help but laugh at the cute way Gu Pan gulped.

"But that'll take forever! Even after this show wraps, I'll be a second-tier actress at best."

Gu Pan's big, bright eyes darted around before she pulled Qi Sheng into a dressing room and locked the door behind them.

"Don't mess around. There are so many people outside."

Qi Sheng hadn't expected Gu Pan to be so bold.

But as she pushed him down into a chair, he found he had no strength to resist.

"Hmph. You're not as honest as 'it' is."

Gu Pan rolled her eyes at Qi Sheng and reached out with her two slender, pale hands.

She took hold of the great serpent and parted her soft lips.

"HISS~"

Seeing Gu Pan kneeling uncomfortably...

...he tenderly took a cushion from a nearby chair and placed it under her knees.

When it comes to being considerate, who could possibly compare to our Chairman Qi?

"Mmph… I guess you have a conscience."

Gu Pan mumbled indistinctly, looking up to rush Qi Sheng.

"Hurry up! Someone's going to knock soon. This is a public dressing room."

"I'm trying to hurry!"

Qi Sheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but his stamina simply wouldn't allow it.

A 95 in the special attribute, with a full runtime of 100 minutes, was no joke.

No matter how stimulating it was, finishing in under 50 minutes would be a real struggle.

...

Meanwhile, Jiang Shuying and Mao Xiaotong stood awkwardly outside the dressing room door.

They chatted distractedly, but their eyes couldn't stop straying toward the room.