Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Chapter 77 Leaving a Footprint at Work (Please read on, recommend, anything is appreciated!)

How lucky she will be.

As Gu Xiao finished singing the last line, the recording studio was silent for a moment, then erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Wang Fei clapped with a smile, walked over to Gu Xiao, and gently nudged him with her elbow.
"Not bad, not bad, quite good! Looks like you've got a lot of good stuff hidden away. Do you have anything else? Hurry up and show it off!"

While tidying up the sheet music, Gu Xiao changed the subject:
"The demo will be sent to your home tomorrow. I won't be involved in the recording and production afterwards."

Wang Fei glared and deliberately raised her voice:
"You ungrateful wretch! How can you be so ungrateful and discard someone after you've served your purpose!"

Tao Yu, Peng Yuan, and several other students from the Recording Department of Beijing Film Academy who had come to observe looked at each other in bewilderment.

Watching the way the two interacted, they felt like they had unknowingly stumbled upon some juicy gossip!
Gu Xiao zipped up her backpack, looking helpless: "The script reading for 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils' is in two days, I don't have time, and besides..."

He looked up at Wang Fei and asked, "Aren't you also going to participate in the recording of the theme song for 'Hero'?"

Wang Fei raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You're quite well-informed."

Transmigrators are naturally well-informed. Gu Xiao silently added in his mind, but his face remained expressionless:
"I overheard it by chance. So, we're both busy."

He slung his bag over his shoulder and nodded to everyone in the recording studio, especially Tao Yu and Peng Yuan:
"Thank you for your hard work, seniors. That's all for today. I'll be going now."

After saying that, he didn't wait for Wang Fei to make any further moves and walked straight towards the door with a nimble gait.

Wang Fei watched his decisive back view, slightly pursed her lips, but a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes.

She turned around, resuming her carefree demeanor, and snapped her fingers at the university students still standing there:

"Alright, the main character's gone, let's call it a day! You've all worked hard today, so I'll treat everyone to cake!"

Cheers erupted in the recording studio, instantly dispelling the delicate atmosphere from before.

……

……

The sun sets in the west.

Gu Xiao walked down the street, pondering the problems she was currently facing.

The "Tianlong" project has been secured, but today's commotion has completely offended Zhang Jizhong.

Fortunately, the opponent's abilities were only so-so, and with the double suppression of Jin Yong and Wang Fei, they couldn't cause any big waves.

What we really need to be wary of is whether the other party will resort to underhanded tactics on set.

Zhou Xiaowen's words made some sense, but Gu Xiao knew that humans were not such rational beings.

If Zhang Jizhong gets carried away by his anger and acts recklessly, he could cause him considerable trouble.

With this in mind, Gu Xiao dialed You Jianming's number.

"Mr. You, am I disturbing you?"

"Just finished a meeting, what's up?" You Jianming's voice sounded tired.

"I'd like to ask you something."

Gu Xiao organized her thoughts, "If, I mean if, someone on the set wanted to trip me up, what would they usually do?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by You Jianming's strange voice:

"You're such a patriarch, what have you done now?"

Gu Xiao didn't hide anything and briefly explained what had happened.

You Jianming broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

He put himself in Zhang Jizhong's shoes and thought that if he were Zhang Jizhong, he would probably be exploding by now. "You're really something!"

Yu Jianming complained, "Were you sent by God to punish us producers?"

Gu Xiao thought about it seriously and replied, "Perhaps."

Yu Jianming was quite taken aback, suppressing his urge to retort, and slowly analyzed:

"The executive producer has immense power, and if they really want to mess with you, they have plenty of ways to do it. For example, they can set up harsh contract terms and trap you in the wording; they can delay and find excuses to deduct your salary; they can use their authority to cut a lot of your scenes, making you, the lead actor, dispensable."

He paused, then continued listing: "Going a step further, they can directly modify the script, giving your highlight scenes and brilliant lines to others; add some unpopular or even controversial plots for you; arbitrarily edit during post-production to make your performance fragmented; and even more despicable, they can directly tamper with the costumes, props, and sets to make you look bad on camera or even create safety hazards."

Gu Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly, and she was about to speak when You Jianming changed the subject:
"However, just as Zhou Xiaowen judged, these methods are too crude and will directly affect the final quality of the work, thus offending the producers and Mr. Jin Yong. Zhang Jizhong would not dare to do this unless he leaves this industry."

Gu Xiao listened quietly, knowing that You Jianming had more to say.

Sure enough, You Jianming continued, "Aside from these methods that affect the final product, there are mainly two things he can do."

You Jianming paused deliberately for a while, and seeing that the other person had no intention of asking any further questions, he felt a tightness in his chest.

He composed himself and continued:
"First, they will arrange an extremely unreasonable filming schedule for you, putting pressure on you both physically and mentally."

"Secondly, through his control of the production team's management, such as the production manager and production supervisor, he will subtly or even explicitly instruct the staff to isolate you. Afterwards, they will turn around and label you as 'arrogant' or 'difficult to work with.' Once this reputation gets out, it will be a huge blow to your future development."

Gu Xiao nodded and asked, "How do we break this deadlock?"

"It's not difficult."

You Jianming spoke eloquently: "The first thing is naturally to get along well with the actors in the crew. As long as there is no direct conflict of interest, they will naturally stand on your side.

Gu Xiao nodded thoughtfully.

"Secondly, be careful with your words and actions, and keep a low profile on set," You Jianming said. "As long as you treat people with kindness and humility, they are unlikely to lie through their teeth."

He said meaningfully, "I know you're arrogant at heart, but you have to know when to bow your head."

Gu Xiao responded.

“By the way,” You Jianming said seriously, “you’d better hire one or two more personal assistants to stay with you closely.”

Gu Xiao frowned: "Why is that?" He was used to being alone, and it would feel awkward to have someone else by his side.

“Leave a record of your work, and it can serve as a witness in critical moments,” Yu Jianming gave an example. “For instance, if someone in the crew deliberately causes you trouble, having your assistant there as a witness will prevent you from having no way to defend yourself.”

"An assistant can do this too?" Gu Xiao felt as if a new world had opened up for him. He had originally thought that an assistant was just someone who helped carry things and run errands.

“Of course,” You Jianming said calmly, “Although it sounds a bit harsh, it’s actually the same principle as the servants following behind high-ranking officials and nobles in ancient times.”

Gu Xiao fell silent, her feelings somewhat complicated.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, You Jianming thought the boy was frightened and smiled to comfort him:
"Don't worry too much. On set, the real currency is your professional skills. As long as you film well and your acting is solid, these underhanded tricks will ultimately be ineffective."

Gu Xiao neither confirmed nor denied this.

He had witnessed the power of marketing accounts in his past life; they could truly turn black into white and had tricked him out of countless movie tickets.

The two chatted for a few more minutes before Gu Xiao hung up You Jianming's call, her fingers unconsciously stroking the phone case.

"Find an assistant." He rubbed his temples, feeling that this was a bit difficult.

Just then, his phone vibrated again, and the name on the screen surprised him.

He pressed the answer button, his tone teasing: "It's rare that you would call me first. What's up?"

(End of this chapter)