Chapter 163 Almost a Disaster

Naihui didn't let Maomao get tanned by the sun, so Maomao pushed the trash can herself.
Before she even returned, Lin Lanxin also ran out to help push another trash can.
The biggest selling point of Maomao's videos was her fair skin, which meant she couldn't afford to get tanned.
"Are you tired?" Naihui asked Maomao under the sun umbrella.
Maomao shook her head. "I actually find it quite fun. Seeing a movie being made with my own eyes feels like learning something."
Naihui pulled out a few tissues and handed them to Maomao, as well as to Lin Lanxin.
They were for wiping away sweat; the weather was very hot.
"Hey, how about we do a video together tonight?" Naihui suddenly suggested.
Maomao's eyes lit up. "Really?"
Lin Lanxin asked, "C-can I do it too?"
Maomao pulled Lin Lanxin into a side hug, laughing as she said, "Of course you can, Xinbao! You need to be more confident. I was completely charmed by your videos."
"But I still feel a bit fat."
"You call that fat? That's called voluptuous, with a nice meaty feel. Perverted viewers eat that up."
"What about my height? I'm short."
"You call that short? That's the loli style! Why don't you be my wife? Let's stop playing with men!"
Lin Lanxin was amused, giggling heartily and feeling inexplicably a bit shy.
Naihui glanced inside, a smile also playing on her lips.
The dirty work was something Naihui had volunteered for. Maomao wasn't one to stand on ceremony and just followed her lead. As for Lin Lanxin, she probably thought she had grown distant from the others and was thus leaning toward her and Maomao.
Although everyone maintained a pleasant facade, there were undercurrents.
Wang Xiaoyan and Gu Yisha both kept to their own circles, meaning those cliques wouldn't break the ice anytime soon.
And so, somehow, she and Maomao had passively formed a team, now joined by Lin Lanxin.
Naihui had done a little digging. Wang Xiaoyan's circle was from Sister Yunyun's gym itself, while Gu Yisha's circle was brought in from the outside by Sister Yunyun.
Before Lin Lanxin joined, Naihui had wondered if it wasn't awkward to form cliques before even achieving success.
Yet, Lin Lanxin had genuinely been pushed into the spotlight. If one looked at Lin Lanxin's follower interface, it changed with every refresh.
That made things different. This was completely at odds with the concepts Naihui had understood about internet celebrity agencies.
Very few people truly became popular because an agency pushed them; most made it big on their own first and then cooperated with major companies.
Refraction Media was indeed quite different.
Since she had accepted the company, Naihui felt it was better to keep her guard up.
She wasn't talking about competing for anything, but at the very least, she needed to solidify her own camp first.
With herself, Maomao, and Lin Lanxin, their follower bases could cross-pollinate and grow even further.

On the twenty-sixth, the final interior scene was shot.
The scene where the protagonist breaks through the mud and debris to crawl upward.
Trapped in the car for a long time, the moisture in the mud and rocks had seeped out, and the surrounding structure had grown somewhat stable.
If he didn't take a risk, the male lead would be trapped in the car forever and kick the bucket.
Therefore, he prepared thoroughly, using tires to store oxygen, holding a tube in his mouth, and then releasing the steering wheel lock that was propping up the sunroof.
The sunroof shattered, and mud and debris poured down, leaving a small cavity right above him.
Taking advantage of this small cavity, the male lead crawled upward. Fearing a collapse, he had to keep the tube in his mouth with one hand while using the removed dashboard panel to prop up the ceiling above him, slowly digging his way up.
In front of the display screens, everyone held their breath.
The most crucial part was about to arrive.
Several monitors displayed Zhu Yiyang from different angles.
Let alone acting, Zhu Yiyang was actually enduring a terrible ordeal right now. They were using a practical set—a square glass structure over two meters high, filled entirely with mud and stones, with Zhu Yiyang digging his way up inside.
Of course, there were small mechanical triggers built into the glass structure.
"Uncle Zhang, release!" Xu Lai suddenly said into the walkie-talkie.
Over by the rig, Zhang Hongwen nodded at a few staff members and then pulled a lever.
The monitors began to shake. As Zhu Yiyang dug, the mud and stones suddenly caved in with a soft thud.
Behind Xu Lai, several women covered their eyes, not daring to look.
Tang Chuzhi stared intently at the scene.
Xu Lai bit his teeth down hard, remaining completely still. Only when the monitors stabilized and went completely pitch black did he shout loudly, "Uncle Zhang!"
Zhang Hongwen moved instantly, violently pulling open a glass door and removing the barrier below.
After a flurry of rattling sounds,
Zhu Yiyang was dragged out.
He was covered head-to-toe in mud, limp and completely drained of strength.
Experienced as he was, Zhang Hongwen immediately reached out, pried open Zhu Yiyang's mouth, and began to clear it out.
"Cough, cough..." With a fit of coughing, Zhu Yiyang spat out several mouthfuls of mud.
"Water!" Zhang Hongwen roared.
A staff member immediately handed over a bottle of water.
Zhu Yiyang seemed to finally snap back to his senses, hugging the bottle and immediately rinsing his mouth.
After spitting several times, he slowly stood up. Looking around at the concerned faces, Zhu Yiyang cracked a grin. "How was that? Pretty badass, right?"
Xu Lai took a deep breath and gave Zhu Yiyang a thumbs-up.
Tang Chuzhi didn't speak. He walked over and began wiping his face with a damp towel.
The others didn't notice, but Tang Chuzhi, having walked closer, did.
Zhu Yiyang's hands and feet were trembling.
Tang Chuzhi had verified the safety measures beforehand—a glass face shield had been installed inside to ensure Zhu Yiyang could breathe normally during a cave-in. However, the impact of the collapse was a bit too heavy, and the glass shield might not have fully cushioned the blow.
Looking at the monitors, Tang Chuzhi felt that this shot was far more shocking than the ending of the same film he had seen in his previous life.
It also meant the danger level was much higher.
"Brother Tang..." Zhu Yiyang called out, his eyes moistening.
For that single split second, Zhu Yiyang genuinely thought he was a goner.
Tang Chuzhi wiped his face clean and then pulled him into an embrace.
After a good while, Zhu Yiyang finally calmed down.
Only then did Tang Chuzhi look back. "Xu Lai, let's not have a next time."
Xu Lai buried his face in his hands without a word. Zhang Hongwen opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Zhu Yiyang tightened his grip around Tang Chuzhi for a moment before letting go. He then spoke loudly again, "It's fine, I asked for it myself. The story is yours, but I wrote my own script for this part. I knew this shot was crucial. It's no big deal—if you want to eat this bowl of rice, how can you do it without taking risks? Didn't the seniors back in the day break arms and legs too?"
Xu Lai also came over and lowered his voice. "I'm sorry. It's true that my preparation fell short."
Tang Chuzhi helped Zhu Yiyang over to sit down.
To be honest, Tang Chuzhi had been genuinely startled. Letting Zhu Yiyang and Xu Lai handle this on their own showed supreme audacity.
If something had gotten stuck even for a second, wouldn't someone have died here?
Was Zhu Yiyang an ordinary person? His old man had money and power—they really knew how to play with fire.
Tang Chuzhi pulled Zhang Hongwen aside. "Uncle Zhang, keep an eye on Xu Lai from now on."
Zhang Hongwen nodded, offering a bitter smile of his own.
Originally, Xu Lai hadn't planned to shoot it this way; Zhu Yiyang had insisted on using practical effects and had even brainwashed Xu Lai into agreeing.
"Can you even call it a movie if you don't add some thrills? Shots like this have real class."
With just those words, Xu Lai had immediately slammed his fist down: "Let's do it!"
Seeing that neither the director nor the lead actor had any objections, Zhang Hongwen could only do his utmost to prepare, never expecting it would almost end in disaster.