How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 484 Good things come in hard times
Time passed by in a flurry of activity, and finally the day arrived for the start of filming for "A Love So Beautiful".

As dawn broke, the filming locations at the Beijing Century Film and Television Base became bustling with activity.

A red banner announcing the start of filming hung on the set frame, and fruit and incense were placed in front of the offering table. The lead actors and crew members were dressed in matching clothes, waiting for producer Liu Haiyang to preside over the opening ceremony.

For Liu Haiyang, hosting the ceremony was secondary; his main goal was to hold a mobilization meeting for the actors and staff so that everyone could take filming seriously and not slack off.

Not long after, Liu Haiyang appeared on set wearing a custom-made dark suit. Today, his leather shoes were polished to a shine, his hair was combed meticulously, and his face was full of excitement and anticipation.

In order to start filming as soon as possible, he didn't even have a proper Spring Festival. He was busy preparing for the new drama, looking for directors, actors, staff, sponsors, venues, and so on.

According to his wife, even the things he talks about in his sleep at night are related to the new drama.

Now that filming has finally started, as long as it can be completed smoothly, it will definitely be broadcast before Chen Mingyuan's drama. He wants to show those directors what real work efficiency is.

If the ratings crush Chen Mingyuan's again, the film and television production department will still be his.

Good morning, Mr. Liu!

At the usher's call, everyone looked toward the door.

Liu Haiyang smiled and nodded to the actors and staff, then strode to the altar, took the microphone handed to him by the stagehand, and said loudly, "Good morning, everyone. Today is the start of filming for 'A Love So Beautiful.' Everyone has been working overtime to prepare for this day. I know you are all very tired, but I want to tell you that our hard work will not be in vain!"

He paused, raised his voice a few decibels, and continued, "Many people are watching us now. Some think that because we have a short preparation time, the film we produce will be of poor quality. But I'm determined to prove that we can not only be fast, but also fast and of high quality, and give those doubters a good slap in the face, okay?"

"it is good!"

Everyone present spoke in unison.

These words were like a shot in the arm, instantly energizing those who had been listless, making them incredibly excited.

Liu Haiyang was pleased with everyone's reaction and shouted, "I promise you here that if the TV series' ratings can crush the company's other series, I will give each of you a big bonus. But let me make this clear: if anyone slacks off during filming and affects the normal filming schedule, don't blame me for being impolite."

"..."

The scene fell silent. Everyone thought to themselves: "President Liu is really good at using both soft and hard tactics."

Seeing everyone's reaction, Liu Haiyang was very satisfied with the effect of his mobilization. Just as he was about to lead everyone to offer incense, a scream suddenly rang out from behind the crowd.

"Ah, rat!"

A commotion broke out at the scene, with people scrambling to get out of the way and screams erupting everywhere.

"Wow, it's huge!"

"There it is, stomp it to death!"

"I can not!"

"Quick, quick, use a broom!"

Dozens of people were surrounding a rat. Some were shouting, some were yelling, and some were offering advice, but no one stepped forward.

Liu Haiyang frowned as he looked at the chaotic scene.

The ceremony is still going on, can't we just be quiet?
It's just a mouse, why make such a fuss?
Waste, a bunch of waste!
The mouse circled the crowd once, and finally disappeared into the sewer.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and returned to their previous positions.

Several people were still discussing how big and fat the rat had been, but after seeing Mr. Liu's gloomy face, they immediately shut their mouths.

The scene returned to silence.

Liu Haiyang took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He repeatedly told himself that the opening ceremony was still going on and he must not get angry, otherwise it would be bad luck.

After a while, he finally composed himself, turned around, picked up three incense sticks from the side, bowed to the offering table, and silently prayed: The filming must go smoothly, the ratings must be high, and that Chen Mingyuan should go back to where he came from.

Just as he was about to insert the incense stick into the incense burner, a scream suddenly came from behind him again.

"Oh, that mouse is back again!"

"Holy crap, there are two this time. It's brought its mate back."

"..."

Wherever the rats went, people scattered in all directions. Several timid staff members were so frightened that they ran into a nearby house to hide. One of them was about to close the door when he grabbed the doorknob, and the entire glass door shattered into pieces with a "crack".

The sharp crack of shattering glass was like a thunderclap, instantly drowning out the screams from the crowd.

All eyes were on the shattered glass scattered on the ground.

The staff member stood motionless, as if she had been struck by lightning. She looked at the doorknob in her hand, then at the broken glass on the ground, completely stunned.

This door is so flimsy! How could it break with just a touch?

However, the others present thought differently. They believed that the person must have used too much force, which caused the glass door to shatter.

A person who is frightened will definitely not be gentle when they strike.

Liu Haiyang's hand froze above the incense burner. One of the three incense sticks he had just inserted fell over due to his trembling hand and broke in two.

This is not a good sign!

Liu Haiyang's face, which had just begun to improve, instantly darkened, and his eyes burned with raging anger. The dissatisfaction and anger that he had managed to suppress finally erupted at this moment.

"What do you want to do? Rebel?" Liu Haiyang roared at the staff member, his voice echoing throughout the entire film set.

The staff member's hand trembled in fright, and the doorknob fell to the ground with a clatter. Looking at the angry General Manager Liu, she hurriedly explained, "General Manager Liu, I didn't use any force. It broke with just a gentle pull. It's not my fault!"

"Bullshit!" Liu Haiyang cursed. "You only gave it a light pull? If you had used any more force, you would have pulled the whole door off."

"I..." The staff member felt wronged, but the facts were right in front of her, leaving her no room for explanation. In the end, she could only lower her head in grievance, tears streaming down her face.

"What are you crying for? Do you think you're right? The door is broken now, how are we supposed to film the first scene?" Liu Haiyang shouted angrily.

The purpose of holding a ceremony to start filming is to ensure that the filming goes smoothly. But now, before filming has even started, the props have been damaged. This is not only unlucky, but it also affects today's filming. How could he not be angry?
"Mr. Liu, calm down." Director Xu Baoping walked over, looked at the broken glass on the ground, forced a smile and comforted him, "Everything will go smoothly and you will get what you want. This is a good omen."

“Yes, yes, yes.” Screenwriter Jiang Ke chimed in, “President Liu, since it has already happened, there’s no use in you getting angry here. You should hurry up and arrange for someone to replace the door so as not to delay today’s filming.”

Liu Haiyang glared at the staff member, but ultimately decided to let him go out of respect for Director Xu and screenwriter Jiang.

However, death penalty can be avoided, but living crime cannot be avoided.

"What are you standing there for? Go find someone from the base to fix the door, and then clean up all the broken glass on the floor. If I see even a single piece of glass, you can hand in your resignation and get out of the company," Liu Haiyang said irritably. The incense had broken, the door was shattered—it was just too unlucky!
The staff member trembled and hurriedly left the set.

The production crew wasn't idle either, arranging for people to clean up the broken glass on the ground. If an actor got hurt, it would be a real problem, and filming wouldn't be stopped for just a day or two.

The others stood quietly, no one daring to speak. The atmosphere was terribly oppressive; they didn't even dare to cough, for fear of becoming Liu's punching bag.

After waiting for more than twenty minutes, just as Liu Haiyang was getting a little impatient, Wu Guangye, the general manager of the base, walked into the film set with two maintenance workers.

"Mr. Wu, why have you come in person?" Liu Haiyang greeted Wu Guangye as he stepped forward.

"I heard that General Manager Liu was here, so I came over," Wu Guangye said with a smile. Then he turned to look around and asked in confusion, "Your crew said the glass door was broken? Where is it?"

Liu Haiyang pointed to a house not far away and said apologetically, "That's the one. Maybe the staff used too much force and it broke when they pulled it. But don't worry, our crew will cover all the costs of materials, labor, and everything else. I hope you can fix the door quickly, otherwise I won't be able to continue."

"Mr. Liu, you're being too polite. But we don't have a spare door here, so it needs to be made to order. It might take two or three hours. I hope that won't delay your filming?" Wu Guangye asked with concern.

"So long?" Liu Haiyang frowned.

It's already past 9 o'clock, and it will be noon in two or three hours, which means the entire crew has done nothing all morning.

“Mr. Liu, this is fast enough. Think about it, the store needs to make the food according to the size, and then it needs to be transported here. It’s more than 40 kilometers one way, and it takes at least an hour, so do you think two or three hours is too much? If there is traffic on the way, it may take even longer,” Wu Guangye explained.

After hearing this, Liu Haiyang also felt that it would indeed take two or three hours, and considering that it was his people who broke the door, he immediately lost his temper.

"Mr. Wu, I'm sorry to have troubled you." Liu Haiyang sighed after saying this.

"It's nothing, I'm just here to serve you. I hope you'll continue to support my business in the future," Wu Guangye said with a smile.

"Definitely, definitely." Liu Haiyang nodded.

Wu Guangye stopped talking and quickly directed the maintenance workers behind him to measure the size of the glass door.

Liu Haiyang suddenly remembered that the opening ceremony was not over yet, and couldn't help but wonder if the reason for so many problems was related to not offering incense in time.

So he quickly returned to the offering table, took three more incense sticks, and said to the actors and staff present, "Pray with me!"

Upon hearing this, everyone picked up incense sticks, bowed repeatedly towards the offering table, and then stepped forward one by one to insert the incense sticks into the incense burner.

Liu Haiyang stood aside to supervise until he saw the last staff member finish offering incense. The breath that had been stuck in his chest finally came out, and even his breathing became smooth.

There shouldn't be any more problems now, right?

Although it would take another two or three hours to install the door, Liu Haiyang did not let the crew sit idle. He directed the director to take the lead actors to read through the script and go over the scenes to be filmed that day. Then he had the staff check the equipment and set up the scene so that they could start filming as soon as the door was installed.

After a long wait, the repairman finally installed the new glass door at noon.

Wu Guangye approached Liu Haiyang and said, "Mr. Liu, the door is installed. Go and see if you're satisfied. This time, I guarantee it's sturdy; it won't break no matter how you pull it."

Liu Haiyang went over to check it, not only pulling on the doorknob with his hand but also pushing it a few times with his arm. After confirming that it was secure, he nodded with satisfaction and said, "It's good. Thank you, Mr. Wu."

"You're too kind. Just call me if you need anything in the future," Wu Guangye said, before leaving the set with the repair crew.

Liu Haiyang clapped his hands, and when everyone looked over, he said loudly, "Everyone, get ready, we're about to start filming."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone sprang into action, afraid of displeasing the producer.

Everything was ready except for the glass door, but now that the glass door is in place, the crew quickly began filming.

Liu Haiyang looked on with satisfaction, and a smile finally appeared on his face.

However, this smile didn't last long. The lights in the lighting technician's hand suddenly went out, the cameras stopped working, and even the monitor in front of the director went completely black.

Although the power light came back on a few seconds later, the filming of that scene was completely delayed, and complaints rang out on set.

"I'll wipe it, what's going on?"

"Damn it, who touched the power source?"

"Damn, all that filming was for nothing!"

Liu Haiyang glared angrily at the stage manager, gritting his teeth as he asked, "Why did the power go out just now?"

The stagehand looked completely bewildered. How could he know why the power had gone out?
But he knew he couldn't answer like that, so he said, "Mr. Liu, I'll go check it out." Then he left in a hurry.

The maintenance crew checked everything related to electricity—power supply, wires, batteries—but everything was in good working order, and they couldn't find the cause.

If they reported this to General Manager Liu like this, they would definitely get a severe scolding. In the end, the stage manager could only make up a reason based on past experience.

"Mr. Liu, the equipment is using too much electricity, causing the circuit breaker to trip."

"..."

Liu Haiyang was speechless.

Who can blame this?

Nobody's to blame.

If we have to pinpoint the blame, it's his own fault for insisting on bringing so much equipment in order to improve shooting efficiency.

Thinking about the series of events that have happened since this morning, Liu Haiyang felt extremely heavy-hearted.

This wasn't his first time attending a launch ceremony, but it was the first time he'd encountered so many problems on the day of filming. It was truly bizarre.

He couldn't help but raise his head and look up at the sky.

Is Heaven going to forget me?

Meanwhile, Tianxi Media.

Chen Mingyuan sat in his office, looking at the message sent by his old classmate Wu Guangye, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

With rats, staged accidents, and power outages, I don't believe Liu Haiyang won't be angry.

"Good things come to those who wait, Lao Liu, you have to hang in there!"

……

(End of this chapter)