This actor has something

Chapter 359 They all came together

The cell phone on the table was buzzing and vibrating.

Just as the phone was about to veer off course and land on the edge of the table due to its irregular vibrations, a large hand grabbed it, picked it up, and held it to its ear.

"Hello, who is this?" Ning Hao asked expressionlessly.

Across from him, He Daqi was playing a single-player game on his laptop, completely engrossed in it, unaware that the film crew had just finished shooting one scene and was preparing for the next.

"Oh! Hello, teacher. Yes, yes, I'm on set." Ning Hao's tone became much more humble, but his facial expression didn't change much.

He Daqi couldn't quite make out what the other person was saying to Ning Hao, but after more than a minute, Ning Hao finally responded:
"I really don't know. I'm still filming right now, and no one has told me the specifics. I've only heard that there's such a project."

"...Daqi? Daqi isn't on set. He's always disappearing without a trace; I haven't seen him much lately."

When He Daqi heard Ning Hao mention his name, he looked up at Ning Hao with a questioning gaze, only to see Ning Hao wave his hand to indicate that nothing was wrong and continue making the call.

"...Oh, okay, okay, I'll definitely call you back if I find out... Hahaha, no trouble at all, not at all."

After Ning Hao hung up the phone, He Daqi asked, "Whose call was that?"

"A professor from Beijing Film Academy asked me about the new project," Ning Hao replied casually, tossing his phone back on the table.

"Wow! Senior, you're really awesome now, even the teachers are calling you." He Daqi winked and gave a thumbs up.

Ning Hao glanced at him sideways but didn't respond.

He Daqi didn't care, his face beaming with sunshine as he continued to bury himself in his single-player game.

These past few days have been better; at least fewer people are calling Ning Hao.

When the news of the new project was first announced a couple of days ago, Ning Hao's phone was constantly ringing. Later, because it was delaying the filming process and Ning Hao seemed a bit annoyed, He Daqi had his assistant answer the phone for Ning Hao for two days, and only then did it gradually calm down.

It's also Zhou Huimin's fault.

She was so smug and eager to show off to people in Hong Kong, as if she was afraid others wouldn't know how well she was doing in Beijing. She had this air of wanting to flaunt her success to her hometown folks.

As a result, He Daqi's phone was bombarded with calls and is still with Yan Jiu. Ning Hao's phone was also bombarded with calls, and even the relatively unknown Lu Yang had many people trying to contact him in roundabout ways.

The resources are limited, let alone something that can both make money and bring fame.

To be honest, all the films and TV series that He Daqi has starred in so far have been excellent.

Accidental success is called luck, but consistent success cannot be described as luck.

Everyone wants to get on the G-Class convoy, but that's the problem. No matter what, you have to squeeze on first.

At this moment, Lu Yang walked over happily, glanced at He Daqi who was engrossed in the game, did not disturb him, and turned to Ning Hao and said, "Senior brother, everything is set up, we can start filming."

Ning Hao hummed in agreement, then got up and returned to the back of the camera with Lu Yang.

It was quite a coincidence; just after Ning Hao called "action," a car pulled up at the set entrance, indicating that someone had come to visit.

The two people who arrived probably saw that the film crew was busy, so they went straight to He Daqi after getting out of the car.

As they got closer, Feng Kuzi bared his teeth and poked his head over, glancing at He Daqi's Red Alert game before asking with a grin:

"Daqi, is this a game? Oh my, why are you commanding a whole bunch of tanks?"

He Daqi turned his head and glanced at him, then immediately stood up warmly to shake hands and greet him.

"Director Feng, Mr. Wang, what brings you two here? Have you finished post-production for The Banquet?"

"I'm done with work." Feng Kuzi nodded, then took a script out of his bag and placed it on the table, saying, "I just happened to be passing by today, so I came in to see you and brought you this script."

He Daqi glanced at the script, on which were written three large characters: Assembly Call.

Instead of eagerly flipping through the pages, he smiled and dragged over two chairs to chat with Feng Kuzi and Little Wang.

"Director Feng, when is The Banquet scheduled for release?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, it should be mid-September."

He Daqi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

Mid-September? By the time the promotional tour is over, it won't be until October, right? When will filming for this "Assembly" series, which airs in the second half of the year, begin?
Seemingly noticing the doubt in He Daqi's eyes, Xiao Wang explained with a smile, "We didn't originally want to drag it out this late, but the key is that the summer schedule is full. July is Superman and Mission: Impossible 3, and August is Garfield and Pirates of the Caribbean 2. It's already good that we can get to the end of this summer season."

Is it still a lack of confidence?

However, even if He Daqi were in the position of CEO Wang, he wouldn't be confident.

Feng Xiaogang's period drama! Who knows if the audience will accept it? What if it's a flop? Even if the audience accepts it, there's no need to compete with four Hollywood blockbusters.

He Daqi stroked his chin and began to estimate the time. Before he could figure it out, Feng Kuzi said, "The crew has already started preparations. They plan to have the actors go for military training for a while. Of course, Daqi, you don't need to go. I know you have a tight schedule."

Feng Kuzi is quite good at making excuses, saying he's busy. He knows that even if he asked He Daqi to go to military training, He Daqi wouldn't go. By saying it in advance, he makes it seem like the arrangements are well-thought-out.

"Director Feng, I have another problem. I promised Brother Cheng Long that I would make a cameo appearance for a while in the second half of the year. I really didn't expect our crew to start filming so late. Especially since the movie I'm currently filming, 'After the Flowers Bloom, All Flowers Kill,' is scheduled to be released in December. I'll definitely have to do promotional tours then. All things considered, it seems like there's not enough time."

He Daqi spoke hesitantly, but his meaning was practically blunt: if you guys really start filming in October, I won't be available then.

"This..." Feng Kuzi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't bear to give up He Daqi's popularity. He patted his chest and assured him, "Don't worry, Daqi, if we're really that busy then, we can film until 07 without any problems."

"Yes, Daqi, how the filming is done is still up to you, right? It will definitely be based on your schedule," Little Wang chimed in, offering his advice.

The problem is, I don't want to be that tired...

He Daqi sighed inwardly. There was nothing he could do; he had promised someone, and he couldn't go back on his word. So he nodded and smiled, saying, "Alright, Director Feng, I've informed you in advance. Don't complain about this when filming starts."

"Impossible! We've known each other for so long, Daqi, you know what kind of person your Uncle Feng is. He's a man of his word!"

At this moment, as if suddenly remembering something, Xiao Wang turned his head to look at the film crew shooting, and then asked, "Daqi, I remember you said that the movie you're making now has a similar plot to The Banquet, right? How's the plot been changed now, and how many similarities are there?"

"Half and half."

"I see..." Mr. Wang muttered, then lowered his voice and asked, "Daqi, I've also had someone look into the plot of 'Curse of the Golden Flower.' You just said that your film is scheduled for release in December. Could it be that 'Curse of the Golden Flower' is also scheduled for release in December?"

After asking the question, he raised an eyebrow at He Daqi, as if everyone knew what was going on.

It would be strange if He Daqi could understand him without saying a word. He pretended not to understand what Xiao Wang meant, and scratched his head with a silly smile: "How would I know that 'Curse of the Golden Flower' was scheduled to be released? I'll have to ask the news outlet about this." "Haha, never mind then. I hope they're not really that unlucky. They released 'The Banquet' first, which has a similar plot to 'Curse of the Golden Flower,' and now your movie is being released at the same time, with some similar plots. I guess Zhang Yimou's fans can only support him with nostalgia."

As if amused by Mr. Wang's guess, He Daqi also laughed twice.

The three chatted until Ning Hao's filming ended. During this time, Xiao Wang casually mentioned He Daqi's new project a few times, but He Daqi brushed it off noncommittally. After the crew yelled "Cut!", Xiao Wang got up, apologized, and walked over to Deng Chao, who had finished filming.

He Daqi looked at Deng Chao, who was chatting and laughing with Xiao Wang, and instantly understood what was going on. This wasn't someone coming to give him a script; they were clearly here for Deng Chao.

It seems that Deng Chao chose Huayi over Wang Jinghua.

"Huayi signed a contract with Deng Chao?" He Daqi asked Feng Kuzi directly.

"We are interested in this."

"Then Director Feng, you'll have to take care of my brother. I have a good relationship with Deng Chao."

"Daqi, you can take care of yourself. If nothing unexpected happens, Deng Chao will also be in Assembly, and he will also be one of the male leads."

So that's what the bargaining chip was! He Daqi instantly understood.

……

……

Days go by one by one, and people change day by day.

It feels like we barely caught the tail end of April before May arrived.

The filming progress was going quite well, so to celebrate the glorious work of the people, the crew was given a seven-day holiday.

This was a great time for travel, but with only seven days, He Daqi and his wife were too lazy to take their child too far and spent a few days wandering around the vicinity of Beijing.

Yesterday we went cherry picking in Jinpoluo until the afternoon. The two little ones were running and jumping around, having a wonderful time.

This morning, I brought them to the Jingdong Grand Canyon to admire the sea of ​​peach blossoms.

"Daddy, there are ponies over there!" The little girl had sharp eyes and spotted the children gathered around watching the ponies in the horse paddock.

After her reminder, her son also saw it, and he tugged at He Daqi's trouser leg longingly.

"Dad, can we go ride the ponies?"

He Daqi dared not let those two little ones get close to the horse; he figured they wouldn't even be enough to be kicked by one hoof.

“No, Daddy can hold you up close for a look, but you can’t ride the pony, it’s too dangerous.” He Daqi squatted down and picked up the two children, one on each side.

Seeing that He Daqi disagreed, the two children looked expectantly at Zhou Huimin.

Unfortunately, Vivian Chow also shook her head and refused, which made the two little ones pout in frustration.

They were already fair-skinned and cute, and now, with their pouting lips and humming, they looked even cuter. They quickly attracted the attention of a group of elderly ladies who were traveling, who came over and exclaimed "Oh my!"

"Oh my! These two kids are so adorable!"

An elderly woman with gray hair reached out and, without any sense of boundaries, tried to touch the two children's little faces.

He Daqi took a step without making a sound, and then said in a muffled voice through his mask, "Auntie, I'm sorry, my child has a cold and isn't feeling well, so he can't be near strangers."

The gray-haired old lady clicked her tongue in regret. Seeing the two children pouting and looking unhappy, she thought He Daqi was telling the truth. So she muttered with some pity, "These two poor little ones are so endearing."

However, he only talked about it and didn't actually intend to ask for anything more.

Zhou Huimin glanced around and noticed that there were more and more tourists, so she gave He Daqi a wink.

He Daqi nodded slightly.

The couple took their child to the horse farm for a couple of laps, letting the child get close enough to touch the horses, and then quietly left the scenic area with one child in each of their arms.

"Where to next?" Zhou Huimin asked softly after getting into the car.

"Let's go to Jinhai Lake. It's on the way. There are yachts and fishing boats there, as well as many restaurants where we can try some fresh river delicacies," He Daqi replied after a moment's thought.

He smiled outwardly but sighed inwardly.

As a celebrity, it's too inconvenient to take your kids out for fun; the two little ones clearly didn't have enough time.

If I have the chance, I'll take them around the country when they're older.

Jingle Bell.

The ringing of the cell phone interrupted He Daqi's thoughts and also shut down Zhou Huimin's enthusiastic attempt to discuss with He Daqi what river delicacies to eat.

He Daqi saw that it was Cheng Long calling, so he answered the call immediately.

"Hey, bro."

"Haha, Daqi, still busy on set?" Cheng Long's cheerful voice rang out.

"No, I've been resting these past few days. What about you, brother? Have you been filming?"

"Me? I haven't filmed yet. I'm just calling to let you know that the Hollywood movie has a set date, and it'll probably start filming around the end of September."

What I feared most came true—what a coincidence!

If it were just a one-week cameo in Hollywood, that would be negotiable, but that's clearly not the case now.

"Brother, my movie is also starting filming around this time in the second half of the year. How long will it take for your movie to shoot in total? Let me see which one to shoot first."

“It’s alright, it’s alright. I’m not in a rush. Filming will take at least seven months. If we really start filming at the end of September, you can come next March.” Cheng Long replied nonchalantly.

Seven months? That makes things easier. He Daqi had always heard people say that Hollywood operates on an industrial model with very precise timing, but now that Cheng Long's words were clearly different from his own, it seemed that this production team was quite humane.

"Then there's no problem. There's plenty of time. I'll be looking forward to going to Hollywood with you to drink foreign liquor," He Daqi said cheerfully.

Drinking foreign liquor?
Upon hearing this, Zhou Huimin narrowed her eyes and looked at He Daqi with a half-smile.

(End of this chapter)