I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

But he never expected that his delay would throw the entire crew into chaos. They had clearly agreed at the restaurant to come to the set immediately, but more than two hours had passed and Cheng Sheng was nowhere to be seen. They couldn't even get through to him on his phone, and the crew members were all in a panic.

After all, this is abroad, in a foreign land. If something unexpected happens to Cheng Sheng, it will be difficult to handle.

"Director Cheng! You've finally arrived!" As soon as Cheng Sheng walked into the set, Liu Dehua was the first to greet him, his face full of anxiety and his tone tinged with lingering fear: "Where did you go just now? We've been looking for you for ages, and you couldn't answer your cell phone. We were so worried!"

Cheng Sheng quickly apologized, explaining with a smile, "Sorry, sorry, I just ran into an acquaintance and we got so caught up in chatting that I lost track of time. Plus, I just got off a plane and my phone was on silent, so I didn't hear your calls."

At this moment, the big-headed demon also walked over quickly, patted Cheng Sheng on the shoulder, and said with a mix of anger and helplessness: "My big boss, if you have something to do next time, you have to tell us in advance, otherwise the whole crew will worry about you and the filming schedule will be delayed."

"It's my fault, it's my fault." Cheng Sheng nodded repeatedly in apology: "I will definitely pay attention next time and this situation will never happen again."

After calming everyone down, Cheng Sheng put away his apology and became serious. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, that's enough about my business. Everyone, please do your jobs and get filming started as soon as possible. We can't delay the schedule any longer."

Upon hearing his concern, the crew members surrounding him nodded in agreement and immediately returned to their posts, quickly restoring the busy order to the set.

Cheng Sheng walked over to the bloated demon and asked in a low voice, "Which scene are we on now? How's the progress?"

Peng Da Mo hurriedly reported: "Director Cheng, today's schedule is a scene of seeing off the pirates at the dock. This scene will be divided into five parts. After that, there will only be one last scene left - the scene of annihilating the pirate leader Chen Zuyi."

"Is the set all set up?" Cheng Sheng asked again, his gaze sweeping over the set with a scrutinizing look in his eyes.

Speaking of Chen Zuyi, he is the main villain in this movie.

In real history, Chen Zuyi, in order to evade the pursuit of the Ming Dynasty and to acquire more wealth, took his whole family south to Sumatra to continue his pirate business.

In the Sumatra and Malacca areas, he gathered a group of outlaws who specialized in robbing passing merchant ships and committed all sorts of atrocities.

From the Hongwu era to the Yongle era, the Old Port pirate group led by Chen Zuyi gradually grew stronger, eventually possessing nearly a hundred warships and tens of thousands of members, becoming the most rampant pirate force in Southeast Asia.

Relying on his powerful military force, he not only plundered more than fifty towns in the vicinity, but also forced many small countries in Southeast Asia to pay tribute to him, thus becoming the hegemon of the region.

The Kingdom of Balin on the island of Sumatra, seeking to expand its wealth by leveraging Chen Zuyi's influence, proactively extended a cooperation invitation to him. King Manajawuri even granted him the position of general, giving him an official status, allowing him to "rob by imperial decree," making him increasingly unscrupulous.

Merchants who had previously been terrified of Chen Zuyi were forced to hand over money whenever they passed through the Malacca area. If they refused, Chen Zuyi would kill them, steal their goods, and take all the hostages and valuables for himself.

Over time, merchants and envoys from Japan, Ryukyu, Annam, Champa, Siam, Majapahit and other countries dared not approach Malacca anymore. The once prosperous maritime trade hub gradually became desolate and impoverished, and everyone avoided it.

With the tacit approval of the King of Balin, Chen Zuyi frequently led pirates to sea, plundering the coastlines of various Southeast Asian countries and committing countless crimes. Previously, the film crew had already shot a scene at sea depicting a fleet being robbed by pirates; that was also the first direct confrontation between Chen Zuyi and Zheng He in the film.

Historically, it was on his return voyage to the Ming Dynasty that Zheng He completely wiped out Chen Zuyi's pirate group in Sumatra, captured Chen Zuyi alive, and brought him back to the Ming Dynasty for trial—this is the highlight that the production team will be filming at the end.

"The set is all set up and meets all the requirements. Director Cheng, don't worry." The bloated demon nodded hurriedly.

"Okay, start!" Cheng Sheng shouted to the set without asking any more questions, and filming officially began.

At the same time, he silently activated the "immersive experience cheat".

With this external boost, the entire production crew seemed to have been put on "acceleration," or like a super machine operating with precision.

The actors were in top form, delivering fluent lines and natural movements, their performances were incredibly smooth and seamless. The cinematographers were also inspired, their shooting techniques were skillful, and several shots were completed in one take, saving a lot of editing work in post-production.

Cheng Sheng looked at the orderly and smooth progress on set and smiled with satisfaction. He found a chair, sat down, picked up the teacup next to him, took a sip, and kept his gaze gently on every corner of the set, paying close attention to the details of the filming.

"Cut! That was great! Perfect!" Not long after, the big demon shouted excitedly, "Everyone, you've worked hard. Take a ten-minute break, get ready, and we'll start filming the next scene right away!"

Upon hearing this, the actors breathed a sigh of relief and immediately sought out makeup artists to touch up their makeup and adjust their costumes; the remaining crew members quickly cleaned the set and methodically set up the scene for the next scene. The entire process was efficient and orderly, without any delays.

Once everything was ready, the giant demon shouted "Action!" again, and everyone instantly got into character, and filming continued.

There were no scenes for Tian Tian in this scene. After removing her makeup and changing into casual clothes, she quietly walked up to Cheng Sheng, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered in his ear, "Brother Sheng, did you go out alone with Sister Xiao Ran just now?"

Cheng Sheng didn't hide anything and nodded slightly: "Yes, I ran into her just now and we chatted for a while."

"Hmph! Liar!" Da Tiantian immediately pouted, looking aggrieved and dissatisfied: "Sister Xiaoran only knows how to hog food. Next time I want to be alone with you too. You're not allowed to sneak out with her alone again!"

Looking at her adorable appearance, Cheng Sheng couldn't help but smile. He reached out and ruffled her hair, saying softly, "No need to wait until next time. After we finish filming today, I'll take you shopping and buy you a gift, okay?"

He then suddenly realized that, despite spending so much time together, he had never given Da Tian Tian a gift.

Although Da Tiantian is a wealthy and beautiful young woman from a well-off family, and doesn't lack these things at all, nor would she care whether he gives her a gift or not, it doesn't mean he can ignore her—he has given gifts to Li Xiaoran, Zeng Li, and Zhang Meng, so naturally he can't let Da Tiantian suffer. (End of this chapter)