Global Film Emperor

Chapter 6 Grievance
When the director yelled "cut," Lu Ze opened his eyes and looked at who the guy who had kicked him was. He was immediately dumbfounded. Leather jacket, jeans, big leather boots—wasn't that the male lead?!
The male lead himself is quite famous. He used to be an idol group in Hong Kong. Now that he's middle-aged, he comes to the mainland to film war dramas to make money.

However, this had nothing to do with Lu Ze. What he cared about now was how badly the male lead had fallen. If he was really disfigured, not to mention whether the male lead would hate him, the director would kill him.

Lu Ze had been working as an extra in Hengdian for two years, and this was the first time he had encountered something like this. He was still very nervous. Not to mention two years, some extras never encountered this in their entire lives!

"Brother Longlong, are you alright? Did you fall?"

Lu Ze was a little flustered. He was powerless against the other party. The other party was a big shot, so even if the other party kicked him, he had to apologize with a smile.

When they saw the male lead fall, the director and his assistants panicked and rushed over to help him up, offering all sorts of comforting words. They only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the male lead was alright and had just scraped his skin.

After the initial shock, the director immediately turned to anger and began to berate Lu Ze.

"Who told you to lie here? Who the hell told you to lie here! Do you even know how much a war scene costs?! Are you going to pay me back?! Huh?!"

Lu Ze is a boy from the mountains, and he's only twenty-four years old. How could he not be scared when he encountered this? In the past two years, he has never made a mistake on set and been scolded by the director alone, but this one time he was scolded has caused such a big mess.

"Director Me"

"What the hell are you talking about! You're lucky you didn't trip and hurt Brother Long! Otherwise, let's see if you can still survive in Hengdian! Get out! Pack your clothes and get out of here!"

The director's roar sprayed spittle all over Lu Ze's face, and he also kicked Lu Ze, sending him flying far away to change his clothes and leave.

Feeling helpless? Definitely. Feeling wronged? Of course.

But what can you do? Besides accepting the facts, the only thing you can do is endure the injustice, prepare for the next scene, and continue playing this dead-end extra.

"Brother Long, I'm so sorry, it was my fault, I'm so sorry."

Lu Ze had to go over and apologize to the person, even if he wasn't at fault, he had to take the blame himself, because he was afraid that if the person said anything, a lot of people would come after him. It wasn't unheard of for someone to offend the lead actor and end up half-dead.

But he didn't even glance at Lu Ze, let alone say anything like "it's nothing." He just sat on the stool, with his assistant holding a parasol for him, and leisurely sipped his iced coffee.

Even if Lu Ze was lying in the right spot, the mistake was that the male protagonist slipped and tripped over Lu Ze, so it was still Lu Ze's fault because he shouldn't have been lying there.

After changing into his own clothes and walking off the set, all the staff and extras stared at him with a hint of pity in their eyes? Perhaps, but no one was willing to speak up for Lu Ze.

After turning on the tap by the roadside and rubbing the mud and blood off his face, Lu Ze sat on the green belt, lifted his clothes, and glanced at his stomach.

My ribs are bruised from being kicked, and it hurts a bit when I rub it.

I put down my clothes, took out the last steamed bun that was already cold but hadn't been eaten yet, opened the plastic bag, and took a big bite.

"Clap."

Tears started falling without me even realizing it.

At 24, he dropped out of high school and spent six years in society, but this was the first time he had ever suffered such injustice.

Tears fell onto the steamed bun, seemingly adding a touch of saltiness. Lu Ze took another bite, and the tears flowed even more freely. In the end, he sat on the green belt among a group of extras, eating the bun while sobbing uncontrollably, covering his eyes with his arm and wiping away the tears little by little.

He hated it, he was indignant! He had thought about arguing with the director and then blasting the male lead to vent his frustration, but thankfully he didn't do it.

While he was eating steamed buns and crying, he vowed in his heart that one day when he became successful and stood up for himself, he would definitely make this director and male lead pay.

Kill them!

But he'll have to wait until he's more successful before thinking about this. Right now, even with a system by his side, he's useless except for playing old men.

After lighting a cigarette, he calmed down a lot and began to notice the stares of those around him, and he also felt as if he was being shameful.

"Give me one, and I'll buy you some water." A voice came from beside him. Lu Ze looked up and saw Liu Le standing next to him. Liu Le then plopped down on the green belt and reached out to Lu Ze for a cigarette.

"Brother Le. Oh, here you go."

He took out a cigarette and lit it for Liu Le. Liu Le took a puff and handed Lu Ze a bottle of Sprite.

"Thank you, Brother Le."

After accepting the drink, Lu Ze thanked Liu Le and put it aside, but still didn't feel like saying anything.

"How old are you this year, brother?"

"Twenty-four."

"Twenty-four? Are you married yet?"

"No, it's the 24th. It's a bit early."

"Twenty-four isn't early. I got married at nineteen and had a son at twenty-one, haha."

Liu Le continued talking to himself, and seeing that Lu Ze was still silent, he took another puff of his cigarette and said, "You did the right thing today. You didn't get angry and you knew how to hold back. That's good. I know the fault wasn't yours, but I can't say anything, otherwise I would have to leave too. I see you've been in Hengdian for quite a while now, so you should know what's going on between us."

“I know Brother Le.”

What's the deal with them? They're just ordinary people! Extras, bit players, laborers, Liu Le is a little better off, but the labor foreman, who finds laborers for the crew, also relies on the crew for his livelihood. To put it bluntly, he's nothing. If they say they don't need you, you'll starve to death unless you change careers.

"Just know that. I have a wife and children to support, so I can't and wouldn't dare to get involved in this. Actually, I've been watching you for a while now. When I was recruiting people on short notice, I noticed that you were quick-witted on set and never made a mistake, so I liked to bring you along. That way, if something happens during filming, I won't get scolded too."

"Thank you, Brother Le. Let's have dinner together tonight. I have to treat you, otherwise I don't know how to thank you enough."

Lu Ze finally understood why Liu Le always picked him. He was very grateful. Although Liu Le wanted to find a sensible actor to avoid trouble, Liu Le was still helping him make money. The money was definitely going into his pocket.

"Haha, that's settled then. I'm inviting you to dinner tonight. Otherwise, my wife and kids eat early, and I'll have to eat cold food when I get home. I'll treat you to a nice meal tonight."

"That's no problem!"

After the joke, Liu Le became more serious again and said, "You know I'm in charge of special tasks. Although I quite like you, young man, do you know why I didn't recruit you into my team?"

Lu Ze thought for a while, but couldn't quite figure it out. He shook his head and said, "I don't know."

"You're tall, handsome, energetic, and quick-witted on set, which is all good. But there's one problem: you don't have any special features. There are plenty of people your height. If you were really that handsome, you would have been in the entertainment industry long ago. Hengdian isn't short of quick-witted people either, so you don't have any unique characteristics."

"Nothing special about it?"

"That's right. Look at the people in my troupe, like Fatty. If they need a fat guy for a role, they'll have to come to me, right? I also have a bunch of old men and women in my troupe, and a few foreigners. These are all special types, people who are essential for certain roles. And what about you? Are you fat? Are you old? Are you a foreigner? So you don't have an advantage in the world of extras! Am I right?"

Lu Ming thought about it and it really made sense. It was the same with the crew that Er Feizi led. He led a group of pretty girls, and some film crews shooting urban dramas had to ask Er Feizi for people, right?
Liu Le stubbed out his cigarette and continued, "So I've been thinking about what kind of roles you could get if I brought you into the team. It seems like you can act in quite a few, but it's the same if you just go out and recruit people from the street. So I hesitated. But, looking at how you handled the problem today, and your character, I want to give you a hand. Not for any other reason than that I also had some trouble when I first came to Hengdian. We're so alike."

Lu Ze was immediately excited. When someone is willing to lend a hand when you are in a low point, that is a kindness!
"Brother Le, would you be willing to recruit me into the team?"

"Damn, what's wrong with that? I just thought it was a bit of a hassle before. Taking you along won't hurt, and losing you won't hurt either. If you're willing to follow me, I'll take you along. But you have to live up to my expectations. If something like today happens again, I still can't pull you in, and I won't even dare to interfere with you. If you want to come, then come. It's up to you."

"Brother Le, I'll do it!"

Lu Ze finally smiled. He knew he had met a benefactor. Even if this benefactor was only so-so, he was still doing better than him and had the ability to help him do even better in Hengdian. He was grateful.

"."

(End of this chapter)