Chapter 162 Old Zhang, Your Heart Is A Bit Filthy

On the set of "Detour," it was lunchtime as well.

Lin Lanxin sat on a crate of bottled water, scanning her surroundings as if looking for a stray fish to deliver a bottle to.

The older girls were busy with their respective tasks, occasionally slipping into the shooting studio to catch some air conditioning.

Throughout the entire abandoned factory building, only the shooting studio had air conditioning—not for the sake of comfort, but to keep the actors in optimal condition.

That morning, Sister Xiaoyan had chatted with the big boss for a long time, and Lin Lanxin felt a pang of envy.

She envied how Sister Xiaoyan wasn't nervous at all in front of the big boss.

At the same time, she also envied Gu Yisha. Sister Shasha probably had the best relationship with the crew among all of them.

Sister Shasha had been the first to help set up the lighting, and now she was already helping with the clapboard.

With a single shout of "action," the entire crew would spring into life—so cool and impressive.

Director Xiao Xu had a great temper and never yelled at anyone. When Brother Yang was free, he would ask her to help buy watermelon popsicles and the like.

He always paid for them himself, and whenever she tried to return the change, he wouldn't take it.

"Little Lanxin, could you help me grab a bottle of water?" someone called out.

Lin Lanxin immediately looked over. "Okay, coming right up!"

Fearing one bottle wouldn't be enough, she grabbed one in each hand and tucked another under her armpit.

"Uncle Zhang, here you go."

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

"Aren't you going to eat?" Zhang Hongwen asked out of curiosity.

Lin Lanxin shook her head and said she had already eaten.

It wasn't that she had truly eaten a proper meal; she had gone out to buy ice cream that morning and couldn't resist finishing one. In Lin Lanxin's eyes, an ice cream equaled a meal.

Zhang Hongwen shoved an apple into Lin Lanxin's hand.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

"Don't mention it."

With a dozen great beauties constantly hovering around the set, the progress was surprisingly fast.

Amidst the crisp and pretty calls of "Brother" and "Uncle," everyone's spirits were exceptionally high.

At first, Zhang Hongwen had been baffled. A group of young girls coming in to work as production assistants? Wasn't that a joke?

And yet, what was the reality? The effect was unexpectedly wonderful.

Not only were the staff members in high spirits, but Zhu Yiyang's state was also getting better and better.

These girls didn't hold anyone back and did a commendable job—and the crucial part was that they didn't cost a dime.

After finishing the water deliveries, Lin Lanxin scurried back and resumed her seat on the cardboard box of water.

Zhang Hongwen couldn't help smiling before continuing with his lunch.

***

Short little Lin Lanxin seemed to have a single-minded dedication; when told to hand out water, she handed out water faithfully, guarding her supply all day long.

"I've been filming for ten years, and this is the first time I've ever been served by a bunch of young girls," the cameraman laughed.

Zhang Hongwen gave him a kick. "Don't underestimate them. Every single one of them is an internet influencer, and their combined followers are well over ten million. President Tang seems to be experimenting with something entirely new; I bet the ticket sellers of the future will all be from this crowd."

The cameraman hadn't thought that deeply into it. At his age, suddenly being surrounded by a flock of chirping beauties made him eager to start work early every single day.

It wasn't a second spring of romance, but rather the vibe and atmosphere. Immersed in such an environment, he felt as though he had grown younger himself.

"Those aren't things I need to worry about, but honestly, I think this is pretty nice."

Zhang Hongwen glanced at him. Of course it was nice.

The story was simple, and the shooting locations were singular—who wouldn't want to work on a gig like this?

Seeing that Zhang Hongwen remained silent, the cameraman pressed on, "Tell me, is President Tang serious about making movies?"

"What? Bought over already?"

"President Tang has a quote that's pretty popular online: Dreams are important, but happiness is even more important. Working with someone like this, it's hard to be unhappy, right?"

Zhang Hongwen motioned with his eyes toward Xu Lai's direction.

The cameraman understood.

To make a move legitimately, they still had to look to Director Xiao Xu.

Jumping ship on his own would be an act of betrayal. Jumping ship along with Xiao Xu, however, would be honoring Old Xu's legacy and repaying a debt of gratitude, leaving Old Xu still owing everyone a favor.

"Hehe, Old Zhang, your mind is a bit dirty."

Zhang Hongwen glared. "Are you fucking looking to spar with me?"

The cameraman grinned. "Still, I like your style!"

On the other side, Director Xiao Xu and Zhu Yiyang were discussing the plot while eating.

Progress was swift; the indoor scenes were more than half done. The upcoming sequences would be somewhat challenging—the scenes where the male lead smashes the sunroof to let mud pour into the car before making his escape.

"Tonight, I want to try it out first. No glass shield, just a face mask, and then you bury me for thirty seconds."

"Cough, cough..." Xu Lai choked, turning to look at Zhu Yiyang with a serious expression. "Are you for real?"

Zhu Yiyang nodded. "Damn it, I finally get it. Scenes like this are an absolute breeze for you guys, but for me, it's a living hell. There's no one to help me share the pressure; I have to shoulder all the visual impact myself."

Comparing the current Zhu Yiyang to the one from ten days ago, they were like two completely different people.

Disheveled, with a makeshift headband tied around his head and bloodstains smeared across his face.

This was the injured state required for the latter half of the film.

Finding daily makeup application troublesome, Zhu Yiyang had spent the last few days sleeping right in the studio, skipping touch-ups entirely so he could jump straight into character the next morning.

"To be honest, I've got a whole new level of respect for you. You've completely shattered my perception of wealthy second-generation heirs," Xu Lai said, running a hand through his own long hair with a sigh.

"Bullshit perception. If you ever work on projects with Brother Tang, you'll realize the most despair-inducing thing in this world isn't the gap in wealth, but the gap in IQ. When your experience falls short, you have to make up for it with raw immersion. Why do you think Brother Tang wanted to cooperate with us? Have you ever considered whether he could have just swapped us for someone else?"

Xu Lai fell silent.

Zhu Yiyang had observed Tang Zhichu for four episodes before slowly beginning to approach him.

Songwriting seemed as effortless as playing a game to Tang Zhichu.

Especially during that one episode where he openly suppressed Qiu Zhen—he essentially had Qiu Zhen by the neck while forcing him to yield to Sun Zhe.

That was also a display put on for everyone to see. To a certain extent, Tang Zhichu was also manipulating Yu Hua's mindset.

Zhu Yiyang knew quite a bit about Yu Hua; how many ordinary people would dare to play a game like that?

Zhu Yiyang considered himself well-traveled and broad-minded, yet this was his first time witnessing such a spectacle.

Tang Zhichu had told him that even a pig could become a Best Actor if it followed his blueprint.

Was that mere encouragement?

Anyone with half a brain knew the statement carried a secondary implication: if even a pig could do it, what would happen if he replaced him with someone else?

There was another reason Zhu Yiyang was so invested in Xu Lai: it bound Xu Lai and himself together.

Even if Tang Zhichu wanted to replace this combination, he would have to weigh the consequences.

Of course, once bound, could they strike out on their own?

Perhaps they could. But the moment they looked up, they would see those girls in sportswear.

Who knew what Tang Zhichu was plotting next?

Playing solo against Tang Zhichu was a game they were bound to lose.

Investing meant investing in projects, investing in people, and above all, investing in momentum.

Did they have the approval of the people? Yes. The project? Yes. What about momentum? Between Douyin and Yu Hua, was that not enough?

"Forget it, it's too early to talk about all that. The most important thing right now is to shoot this movie well. Don't worry about our friendship either; if there's anything I'm doing poorly, tell me straight to my face. You'll understand certain things as time goes on."

Xu Lai set down his lunch box and stood up.

He wasn't an overly complicated person—much like his hair, he kept it long simply because he wanted to.

Would there be any subsequent cooperation after this film? That would depend entirely on the film's reception.

At the end of the day, the one calling the shots in the Xu family was still Old Xu; he had to use hard data to convince him.

Everyone had finished eating. The girl named Naihui was pushing a trash bin around, starting to collect the lunch boxes.

Maomao followed right behind her, helping to sort the waste.

Others offered to help, but Naihui politely declined. When too many hands got involved, things looked unprofessional.

Operating smoothly required everyone to stick to their designated roles; Naihui and Maomao's duties were ordering the lunch boxes and handling the subsequent cleanup.

After clearing the entire area, they wheeled the two trash bins outside.

(End of this chapter)