Artists under the Rebirth of the Coal Boss

Chapter 251 Is Ah Jiao getting addicted?

Hong Kong, Tsim Sha Tsui, back alley of Kimberley Road, the film crew of "Love in a Puff".

This is a gathering place for smokers to "smoke around the stove," and it is also the filming location where Zhiming and Chunjiao first met and lit cigarettes.

Once the production team had sufficient funds, they used the Kowloon Royal Hotel, located next to a back alley on Kimberley Road, as their permanent accommodation, renting several rooms long-term as dressing rooms, equipment rooms, and changing rooms.

…………

Lin Xingzhuo entered the dressing room and saw Ah Jiao, one of the most talked-about female celebrities in the entertainment industry last year.

When Ajiao saw Lin Xingzhuo, she quickly greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Lin."

Facing the big investor of this film, Ah Jiao had long lost her former confidence and charm. She subconsciously bit her lip, put her legs together, and shifted back and forth in the chair, appearing restless.

"Hello, this is a bag of fragrant preserved plums from Meifeng Store. Would you like some?" Lin Xingzhuo asked, handing a bag of Meifeng Store preserved plums to Ajiao.

Ah Jiao paused for a moment and said, "No, I'm on a diet recently. I'm going to participate in 'Just Want to Be a Beauty' later. My agent went to great lengths to get me this gig."

…………

"Just Want to Be a Beauty" is a weight loss program on Balala TV, a subsidiary of Taibei Ku6.com.

This course teaches quick beauty transformation techniques, covering topics such as body shaping, breast enhancement, and buttock enhancement, including themes like "ugly duckling to swan" and "A to D cup upgrade."
In 2010, the participants in this program were mostly minor celebrities from Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as some ordinary people who had just been discovered by talent scouts and had not yet made their debut.

Ah Jiao, who was once a sensation across mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and a star throughout Southeast Asia, and even appeared on CCTV's Spring Festival Gala, has now been reduced to participating in programs of this caliber.

It's heartbreaking!

To make matters worse, iQiyi had previously imported this program, and according to the review report written by Lin Xingzhuo, Ah Jiao did not appear on the show...

Therefore, Ah Jiao's appearance on this program was ultimately cancelled.

…………

"Huh? Where's the makeup artist?"

Lin Xingzhuo sat down at the makeup station next to Ajiao and realized that there were only the two of them in the backstage dressing room.

"Art director Sister Zhong went to find someone."

"The original makeup artist took sick leave, and the temporary makeup artist hired by the crew is stuck in traffic in Central..."

Ah Jiao sat next to Lin Xingzhuo, fiddling with her fingers, looking a little uneasy. When she heard Lin Xingzhuo's question, she quickly explained.

Lin Xingzhu ate a preserved plum and said, "It's okay, I'm not in a hurry. By the way, didn't your company provide you with a makeup artist?"

Ah Jiao lowered her head and said, "It was there originally, but later..."

Lin Xingzhuo understood. The money tree had turned into a money-losing product, so the cost had to be reduced again and again.

In fact, it was through Lin Xingzhuo's connections that Asa managed to get this acting opportunity.

Ah Jiao knew she had to seize this opportunity, but back when she was the "Jade Girl Leader," everyone fawned over her; she was the kind of person who was treated like a precious treasure...

Now she's being asked to curry favor with people, but she's not used to it and doesn't know where to start.

The two sat awkwardly for a while, and Ah Jiao silently finished her makeup.

Then, a thought struck her, and she offered, "Brother Zhuo, shall I do your makeup? I brought an eyebrow pencil and a matte foundation that matches your skin tone..."

Lin Xingzhuo said, "Hmm?"

Ajiao was a little nervous. Her trembling fingertips supported Lin Xingzhuo's chin, and her thumb rubbed against his temple.

She drew extremely slowly and meticulously, her brush tip moving freely...

As the eyebrow pencil touched the skin, its gentle touch felt like breathing.

Lin Xingzhuo could see Ajiao's trembling eyelashes and his own reflection in her pupils.

…………

A few minutes later, Yang Qianhua, who was late, hurriedly arrived at the dressing room.

I pushed open the door and was completely stunned!

Right now! Just like that moment! She witnessed a scene in the Yawang recording studio, only the female lead had changed!

Holy crap! That's incredibly audacious!

He was just seen touching Asa in the recording studio! And then he was kissing Ah Jiao in the dressing room?!

…………

Uh, wait, maybe we can't really blame Lin Xingzhuo...

From Yang Qianhua's perspective, Ah Jiao, who was applying makeup to Lin Xingzhuo, appeared to be the one who initiated the kiss, while Lin Xingzhuo passively sat and enjoyed it.

Ah Jiao, you're so silly! You've fallen back into your old habits again!!
Didn't we agree to change it?!

For a moment, Yang Qianhua didn't know whether she should leave or stay at the door to keep watch.

…………

Yang Qianhua, as if possessed by a ghost, silently stood guard at the door...

Ah Jiao is so proactive! And this is only the first time she's joined the crew!

She herself found this whole thing absurd.

However, recalling the scandals I witnessed in the European and American entertainment industry during my studies in the UK...

That year, Charlie Sheen, star of "Two and a Half Men" and "Hot Shots! Eagles", made headlines along with Naomi Campbell, one of the "Supermodel Trio".

Campbell sued Charlie Sheen.

This guy wanted to experience the feeling of his nostrils, but the fluid flowed back into his eyes, causing an infection and irreversible damage to the woman's vision.

Compared to that, Lin Xingzhuo's relationship with Twins is really just a typical teenage romance...

However, Yang Qianhua gave up the role in "All's Well, Ends Well 2010" and continued filming "Love in a Puff" despite pressure from her agent and company.

I'll chat with Ah Jiao again when I have some free time...

After Peng Haoxiang revised the script for "Love in a Puff," he added several scenes for the character of Zhang Zhiming's ex-girlfriend.

Yang Qianhua could rather not have this movie crew get into some kind of scandal...

Speaking of which, has Ah Jiao become addicted?!
…………

Yang Qianhua remembers that when she was in school, her favorite show was "Tonight No Taboos".

James Wong once put forward a viewpoint.

Doing bad things can be addictive!

In the past, thieves were afraid to steal at first, but later they thought about stealing every day.

Because if you don't steal, you feel uncomfortable; that's what addiction is!
The same applies to infidelity. From a psychological perspective, infidelity addiction is a loss of control experience, caused by factors such as the activation of the reward system, cognitive dissonance, and loneliness, all of which are relevant to neuroscience.

People addicted to infidelity often feel emotionally deprived, making addiction a real possibility!

…………

The first day of filming for "Love in a Puff" was chaotic.

Peng Haoxiang's films are mostly low- to medium-budget productions.

For example, there's "Summer Homework," which was self-funded with HK$10, and "You Shoot, I Shoot," which cost HK$300 million.

Other works, such as "Youth Dream Factory" and "Trivial Matters," are also low-budget productions with budgets of two to three million.

…………

Now that the "Love in a Puff" crew has received an injection of coal capital, Peng Haoxiang has never fought such a wealthy battle before!
It's obvious that it's difficult to adapt in a short time.

The department's payment process, financial auditing, and daily reporting system were a complete mess; a bunch of unnecessary lighting equipment and props were purchased; the script was blindly modified, adding redundant content;

Blindly renting the most advanced cameras while ignoring the costs of the accompanying lens sets, memory cards, post-production color grading processes, and a whole host of other expenses;

This is where the role of an excellent producer comes into play!

Liang Qiyuan slammed on the brakes in time, pulled Peng Haoxiang aside for a short meeting, and calmed the hot-headed director down!
…………

In his past life, Lin Xingzhuo had encountered many similar situations while working within the system...

The entire department seemed very busy and in a great hurry, but upon closer inspection, it was hard to tell what they were so busy with.

In short, Lin Xingzhuo, this entertainment industry hustler, spent another day on the film set...

………………

In the evening, Asa picked up her best friend from work in her Toyota Alphard.

Seeing that the two seemed to have something to talk about, Ah Jiao wisely took the initiative to get into the car first.

Asa lowered his head and said, "Brother Zhuo, I'm sorry."

Lin Xingzhuo looked utterly bewildered: ???

Asa continued, "The divorce settlement will take a long time because we need to gather evidence of his infidelity and domestic violence. Attorney Zeng Zhaoying will be filing lawsuits simultaneously in Hong Kong and the United States..."

Lin Xingzhu lit a Marlboro and asked, "Is the lawsuit not going well?"

Seeing how concerned Lin Xingzhuo was about her, Asa felt even more distressed and said, "Attorney Zeng has already secured the evidence; she's quite confident..."

"However, the secret marriage is always a sensitive topic, and now there are rumors of a romantic relationship between you two."

“If the negotiations with Prince Ji break down and this matter gets exposed, it will definitely implicate you… Your career is on the rise right now, so you need to make the most of it…”

Lin Xingzhuo comforted her, saying, "It's alright."

Suddenly, Asa leaned forward and lightly touched Lin Xingzhuo's dry lips...

Lin Xingzhu touched her warm lips and watched Asa get into the car and leave.

The "Kind Wife Experience Card" has been extended!!
It feels pretty good...

........................

Back on set, as they were preparing to go home, Xiao Ma told Lin Xingzhuo some news.

"Brother Zhuo, a man with a Taibei accent, leading a group of people with dragon and tiger tattoos, has invited us to have tea..."

Upon hearing this news, Lin Xingzhuo asked in confusion, "Tea? I don't like tea..."

Xiao Ma replied decisively, "Understood! Brother Zhuo, I was too naive!"

Lin Xingzhuo: "That..."

Xiao Ma continued, "I remember Brother Ye saying that if someone dares to set you up, it proves that they think they can handle things if something goes wrong. Otherwise, why would they dare to set you up?"

"We must go all out! Give them a proper response!!"

"I'll contact Master Zhou right away. His shipping company has a batch of frozen pig trotters that needs to be shipped to Fangcheng Port, but they haven't left yet..."

Ask the other person if it's okay to have milk tea?

Lin Xingzhuo originally had another half-sentence to say.

But looking at Xiao Ma, who was making phone calls with a kind of "if there's any doubt, kill" kind of certainty.

Uh… Lin Xingzhuo was suddenly caught off guard…

In the end, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

(End of this chapter)