Internet moguls are being held hostage by the entertainment system!

Chapter 114 Arrangements for the Hot Bar
Midnight, film set at the seaside pier.

Chen Xiu, along with the "Detective Chinatown" crew, returned to the dock where Tang Ren and Qin Feng faced their fateful choices and began preparations for filming.

Previously, Chen Sicheng revised this scene, changing the original scene where Qin Feng persuaded Tang Ren to stay and find out the truth to Tang Ren asking Qin Feng to stay...

The change in the order of importance, coupled with his alteration of the characters' positions, turned this scene into a highlight moment for the male lead, Wang Baoqiang, while Peng Yuchang, the second male lead, became a mere background character.

If it's a normal character design, it's reasonable for the male lead to have more highlight moments.

However, Tang Ren's character was initially designed to be comedic, and Chen Sicheng didn't lay any groundwork before making him react in a way that didn't fit the character's persona. This forced him to act out of character for the sake of being a highlight, which felt very disjointed.

The day after Chen Xiu returned to the film crew, while reviewing and proofreading the footage shot over the past few days, she discovered this serious filming accident.

Then he made a decision: abandon it and reshoot immediately!
After the decision was announced, Chen Xiu arrived at the location with his team at midnight the following day.

Once the set was set up and the two actors were ready, a new problem arose: who would take the photos?

Sitting behind the monitor, Chen Xiu glanced at Chen Sicheng beside her.

The daytime filming has been handed back to him, the No. 1 director, and for the reshoot, Chen Xiu politely asked Chen Sicheng for his opinion first.

"Director Chen, do you want to reshoot this scene?"

Upon hearing this question, Chen Sicheng's face instantly darkened, and his tightly pursed lips revealed his extreme reluctance.

As soon as Chen Xiu returned to the film crew, he scrapped all the footage he had shot.

In Chen Sicheng's view, this behavior was a slap in the face.

Making him reshoot now is no different from forcing him to tear his own face off, throw it on the ground, and stomp on it.
It is tolerable and unbearable.

"Mr. Chen, I'm not feeling well and can't film."

"Are you feeling unwell physically or emotionally? Why don't you rest for a few more days?"

Chen Xiu's tone remained gentle, yet it made Chen Sicheng, who had already made up his mind to refuse, shudder.

"No, no, I'm really not feeling well..."

"Never mind then, Lao Xiao, come here for a second!"

Chen Xiu waved to Xiao Yang, who was giving Peng Yuchang acting instructions, and then ignored Chen Sicheng, leaving him standing there.

After giving Peng Yuchang some instructions, Xiao Yang rushed over to the monitor and greeted him as soon as he arrived.

"Mr. Chen, what's wrong?"

"Director Chen isn't feeling well for this scene and can't film it. Can you film it?"

"Forehead……"

Xiao Yang stopped and glanced at Chen Sicheng standing next to him.

He also realized that if he accepted the task given to him by Chen Xiu and completed it, it would be like publicly humiliating Chen Sicheng, and the two would never have any chance of reconciliation again.

But if you don't answer...

Xiao Yang turned his gaze to Chen Xiu and immediately felt that the consequences of not answering would be even more frightening.

“I can film it! I’ve already seen the sketches for this scene, and it’s fine.”

"Very good, then you can do it. Find those three clips that were filmed a few days ago, and reshoot each one!"

"Okay, no problem! I guarantee I'll complete the task."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sicheng's face darkened even more, though it wasn't very noticeable in the darkness...

Although he already knew that Xiao Yang had completely sided with Chen Xiu, he did not expect that his former "friend" would show no mercy and directly slap him in the face!

Thinking of this, Chen Sicheng glared fiercely at Xiao Yang.

However, this visual attack had less impact on Xiao Yang than the sea breeze.

"Clap clap clap!"

Chen Xiu clapped his hands, his voice standing out clearly against the dark dock.

"Ready? Let's start filming! Let's finish filming as soon as possible and try to get it done tonight, otherwise we'll have to come back to enjoy the sea breeze tomorrow night."

"Baoqiang, Pengpeng, you two come over here and take your positions. Cameraman and lighting crew, get ready!"

Xiao Yang picked up the conversation, completely treating himself as the director's tool, and called on the staff to make final preparations for filming.

Seeing how delicate Xiao Yang's figure was, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Chen Xiu's eyes.

The plan is to promote this second director, let him compete with Chen Sicheng, and give Xiao Yang the feeling that he has a chance to replace Chen Sicheng. Then, make Chen Sicheng hate Xiao Yang so much that there is no possibility for them to make peace.

This way, both sides can check and balance each other, and with him as the supervisor acting as the referee, it can be ensured that both sides will obey.

As it turned out, Chen Xiu's prediction was absolutely correct.

For the reshoots, Xiao Yang filmed everything according to his storyboard sketches. He adjusted the lighting and distance exactly as Chen Xiu instructed.

Standing by as an observer, witnessing all of this, Chen Sicheng felt no relief whatsoever; instead, a sense of crisis arose within him.

He suddenly realized a long-standing fact: in the film crew led by Chen Xiu, the director really wasn't that important!

The director only needed to shoot according to the storyboard, and Chen Xiu would control the details such as lighting and distance.

This level of filming task could be easily completed by anyone, let alone a veteran like Xiao Yang who has directed several films, or even a fresh graduate from a directing program.

A director who doesn't need to create anything is really just a tool.

Realizing this, he instantly understood Chen Xiu's intention in elevating Xiao Yang to the position of No. 2 director to maintain balance. However, faced with this overt scheme, Chen Sicheng only felt a sense of powerless crisis.

He began to worry that he would really be replaced by Xiao Yang.

Seeing the fat man who was shamelessly fawning over Chen Xiu, Chen Sicheng felt he needed to take action.

"Ahem, Mr. Chen."

After coughing twice, Chen Sicheng walked to the monitor and said to Chen Xiu, "Xiao Yang has already filmed two takes. The last one needs to be filmed at sunrise. I feel a bit better now, so how about I do the last one?"

"Could you personally overturn the content you filmed?"

"I can!"

Chen Sicheng nodded obediently, his face no longer showing any trace of arrogance.

Seeing that Chen Sicheng had guessed her thoughts and chose to back down, Chen Xiu silently curled the corners of her mouth and did not refuse his request to show weakness.

"OK, Lao Xiao, take a break. Let Director Chen handle the last one!"

"Okay, Mr. Chen."

Xiao Yang pursed his lips, showing no interest in Chen Sicheng, who had come to steal his food.

However, Chen Sicheng, who had already come to terms with it, didn't care at all about Xiao Yang's attitude towards him.

It's just shooting according to the storyboard!

He's just sucking up to Chen Xiu!
Chen Sicheng said that this was no big deal.

For the last scene, he practically filmed the entire sequence from the storyboard using a cutout technique. During the process, if Chen Xiu felt something wasn't right, Chen Sicheng immediately made the corresponding adjustments, completely shedding his previous reluctance.

It turns out that his flexibility was on par with Xiao Yang's.

Having witnessed Chen Sicheng's performance, Chen Xiu felt that she had achieved initial success in taming him!

As the sun gradually rose into the sky, the last scene was successfully filmed. When the crew returned to the hotel, Chen Sicheng and Xiao Yang, who were following closely behind Chen Xiu, smiled more and more attentively and said more and more sweet things.

What directorial autonomy?

This didn't happen in the "Detective Chinatown" production team controlled by Chen Xiu!

With Chen Sicheng successfully trained and Xiao Yang, the second director, assisting him, the filming of "Detective Chinatown" accelerated.

By the end of July, filming in Bangkok had finally been completed.

The remaining scene is the opening sequence of the movie, where Qin Feng is interviewing at the police academy. The crew will return to China and then go to Dalian to film on location.

Chen Xiu handed over the finishing touches to Wei Feng, while he himself took Reba back to the capital ahead of schedule.

Another reason for returning early is that "Diamond Lover" has started airing, and Dilraba needs to cooperate with the production team for promotion. As for Chen Xiu, the second male lead, due to his special status, the production team did not have any such requirements for him.

……

Wanliu Academy, Haidian District.

After passing through layers of security checks, Reba, who had followed Chen Xiu from the basement to the elevator, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Brother Xiu, why are we here?"

"You'll find out later."

Chen Xiu smiled mysteriously, took out the prepared key, tapped open the first electronic door, then opened the inner security door, and gestured for Reba to come in.

Dilraba walked in with doubts, passed through the entrance hall, and arrived at the living room.

She discovered that the hard furnishings in the house were already completed. The wood flooring was perfectly matched, the walls were beige, creating a warm and relaxing atmosphere, and the chandelier on the ceiling was luxurious enough even when it wasn't turned on.

Other major soft furnishings, such as sofas and curtains, were also provided.

Having taken in all of this, Reba turned to Chen Xiu, who had just entered, and asked, "Is this the house you bought?"

"then!"

Chen Xiu gently tossed the key to the bar and explained, "The hard furnishings here and the major soft furnishings in the living room are complete. The soft furnishings in the rooms haven't been touched. You can buy a large bed and a bathtub according to your own ideas and add them gradually."

"Huh? Can I stay here?"

Reba held the key, pointing blankly at herself.

Although she had briefly considered this possibility, when it actually happened, Reba still felt a little unreal.

Chen Xiu nodded at Reba and walked over to her: "That's right! This place is over 200 square meters, which is enough for now. You can stay here until you want to buy a bigger house!"

"No, Brother Xiu, why are you buying me a house?"

Reba nervously bit her lower lip, wanting to return the key she was holding to Chen Xiu, but her hand froze halfway out in mid-air, filled with hesitation.
Seeing her actions, Chen Xiu deliberately asked, "You don't like it here?"

"No, no, I like it very much, but..."

"but what?"

“I feel that the fact that you gave me a house is a bit strange and a bit scary.”

A look of fear and disbelief crossed Reba's eyes. The house's luxury made her feel a deep-seated sense of insecurity.

When Chen Xiu suddenly presented this generous gift, her first thought was that it was a "breakup fee." But then she realized that they weren't really in a romantic relationship, so it could only be a "severance payment."

Regardless of the outcome, in Reba's view, the result is the same, and neither is what she wants.

Seeing the emotions that Reba was displaying, Chen Xiu knew that her unexpected and grand gift had taken her by surprise.

He took a deep breath, walked up to Reba, and took her hand.

"I'll put it this way, and you might find it easier to accept! I bought this place for you to live in, so when I come to see you again, we won't need to go to a hotel."

"Oh, I see!"

Upon hearing this, Reba's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, slowly relaxed with that exhaled breath.

This shift from worry to relaxation made her forget all about feeling embarrassed about Chen Xiu's open and aboveboard driving.

"Otherwise, what did you think it was?"

"I thought……"

Reba opened her mouth, then suddenly stopped, and changed her words, saying, "Nothing..."

"You thought I wanted to end this?"

Chen Xiu said the missing second half of the sentence for her, then took Reba's hand, led her to sit down on the sofa.

Looking at the bar waiting for her to speak, Chen Xiu didn't beat around the bush and directly explained her plans regarding work and life.

"Diamond Lover has already premiered, and Yang Ming has bought you the trending topics. Currently, the number of topics about Gao Wen on Weibo has surpassed that of the drama itself. Judging from the reactions from all sides, you've officially entered the ranks of second-tier celebrities."

"However, there are also many trending topics on Weibo that criticize me."

"Don't worry too much about it. The company is already doing public relations for you. Yang Ming is helping you get variety show opportunities. You should be able to get a guest spot on 'Keep Running' next year. And I've also found you a leading role."

Reba's eyes gradually brightened, and when she heard that Chen Xiu was personally helping her find resources, the corners of her eyes turned upwards.

"Brother Xiu, what did you find for me?"

Chen Xiu stopped and thought for a moment about the origin of this resource.

"Tencent Pictures announced the web series plan for 'Candle in the Tomb' last month! They have reached a cooperation agreement with Daylight Entertainment to prepare for the filming of 'Candle in the Tomb.' I invested in it and then tried to get the project to start filming in October."

At this point, Chen Xiu raised her hand and began to slowly trace between Reba's nose and eyes.

"The female lead, Shirley Yang, has a high nose, light-colored eyes, and striking features. Her appearance is quite similar to the description in the novel. After 'Diamond Lover' is released, this role will be yours."

"You got me the lead role?!"

Reba covered her mouth, looking at Chen Xiu with a surprised expression.

She knew that she was able to get the lead role not just by increasing her status, but also because Chen Xiu played a role that accounted for more than 5% of the success!
Do you think I'm some kind of low-class person?

Chen Xiu glanced at Dilraba with feigned dissatisfaction: "For roles like the second or third female lead, why would I need to personally take on such a role... mua~"

Reba's sudden attack successfully blocked Chen Xiu's ability to speak.

After restoring her voice function, she held Chen Xiu's head in her hands, her eyes sparkling, and said, "Brother Xiu, how about we try out the new house now?"

Do you have an umbrella in your bag?

"Not a single box has been opened..."

(End of this chapter)