Huayu: Serious director, who's eavesdropping on your thoughts?

Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

These five days were spent under intense work conditions for the crew of "Escape from the Eagle Museum".

On the filming location of World Park, those high-powered blowers almost never stopped.

In order to catch the first light of day, the crew has been starting work at 5 a.m. these past few days and working until 2 or 3 a.m.

It was undoubtedly hard work.

As a new handyman at the very bottom of the logistics team, Zhao Liying was so busy every day that she felt like her legs didn't belong to her anymore.

Her main task every day is to prepare three boxed meals a day, and sometimes she also has to prepare extra meals in the middle of the night.

The rest of the time, he was either carrying water tanks around the set or helping to move props.

Although she was tired, she had good eyesight and was quick and efficient. After a few days, most of the logistics staff got to know this young girl.

sometimes.

In her spare time, her favorite thing to do was to hide in a corner and secretly watch the young director directing a film.

He's so young.

Judging from his appearance, he wasn't much older than me, yet he's already such a big director.

She noticed that the young director named Zhao Huaiyuan had visibly aged and become haggard.

Why is he so worried?

Zhao Liying had heard people in the crew talking about it privately, because the role of the female lead, Xiao Yuhu, had definitely not been decided yet.

During these five days.

She saw the assistant director who had led her to the logistics department that day bringing in batches of girls.

But that petite, adorable figure, like a fairy, has not been seen in the past few days.

These girls are so pretty.

Zhao Liying always thought about it silently in her heart.

"Hey, you there, Zhao Liying, what are you daydreaming about?"

Old An shouted, telling her to go and distribute boxed lunches to a bunch of extras.

"Okay, coming right away."

Zhao Liying gave a crisp reply and quickly ran over to distribute the boxed lunches.

She had been wondering about it before.

Although she was doing odd jobs on the film set, she had heard from others that the film crew was going to shoot was called "Escape from the British Museum".

Judging from the name, it sounds like a foreign play, and these days she has seen groups of foreign extras.

But what puzzled her was that there were also a bunch of extras with Chinese faces.

She later learned from others that although the play was to be filmed abroad, the latter half of the play would also involve some scenes set in China.

Zhao Liying handed out the boxed lunches one by one, watching everyone wolf down their food, but in her heart she was thinking:

"What kind of appearance does a female lead have to look to warrant such a picky selection from the director?"

..

Late at night.

An old building.

This is the dormitory rented by the outsourcing company responsible for the film crew's logistics for temporary workers and extras.

On the large communal bed, seven or eight exhausted girls were huddled together, their snores and teeth grinding rising and falling.

too tired!

Many people are too lazy to even remove their makeup, and they fall asleep without even washing their face.

In the water room.

Wow~

Zhao Liying squatted in front of a cement platform, vigorously scrubbing a piece of clothing.

It's too cold, and there's no hot water in the water room.

Every few strokes, she would stop, breathe hot air into her hands, and then continue rubbing.

"...Who is it that's doing this in the middle of the night?" came a complaint from behind.

My roommate, Xia, was wearing a coat and looked sleepy as she came out to use the restroom with toilet paper in her hand.

Xia Jie is in her early thirties and has spent years working on various film and television crews; she's a veteran of the Beijing film and television industry.

She leaned against the doorframe and yawned.

"It's Liying! Look at the time! You have a ton of work to do tomorrow. Aren't you afraid of getting rheumatism when you're old with this cold water?"

Zhao Liying wrung out her clothes, revealing her round face, and smiled shyly:

"Sister Xia, did I wake you up? I'm so sorry, my clothes are really dirty, I'm afraid they won't come out clean if I leave them for too long."

Xia Jie originally wanted to scold her, but seeing her like that, she felt inexplicably reluctant.

This young woman is truly hardworking. She does the dirtiest and most tiring jobs on set, which everyone else avoids, but she does them silently without complaining.

"You little girl, you look only fifteen or sixteen, right? Why aren't you at home? What are you doing here suffering like this?"

Zhao Liying hung the washed clothes on the heating pipes and said with a smile:

"Sister Xia, I don't feel like I'm suffering. I just want to save more money during the winter break."

You wouldn't believe how expensive the tuition is at our school; it costs several thousand yuan a year. My family isn't well-off, and I don't want to keep asking them for money.

Sister Xia was somewhat stunned. Suddenly, she thought of something, leaned closer, and asked:

"Hey, by the way, Liying, there's something I wanted to ask you a couple of days ago."

"What's wrong, Sister Xia?"

"I heard that the girl who led you into the film crew that day seemed to have a good relationship with our director."

A couple of days ago, I saw the director glance at you several times on set, and he even seemed to be thinking of calling you over.

"There are no outsiders here. Tell Sister Xia the truth: do you have some kind of clandestine relationship with our director?"

Xia Jie's eyes sparkled with gossip, and a hint of envy.

What's most important on a film set?

Connections!

If this young lady is really related to the director, wow, she'll definitely be someone we have to look up to in the future.

Zhao Liying was stunned for a moment, then shook her head like a rattle drum:

"Sister Xia, please stop talking nonsense. Sister Xiaohua is from the same village as me. She just took pity on me and helped me find a job. How could I know any big director?"

"As for why you see him looking this way..."

Zhao Liying was a little hungry. She took out a cold steamed bun from her pocket, took a bite with the tap water, and ate it to fill her stomach before saying indistinctly:

"That must be because I was moving things too slowly and blocking people's way. They're complaining about me."

I just want to finish this project peacefully, get paid, and go home for the New Year. I'm not capable of climbing the social ladder, and I don't even dare to think about it.

Sister Xia stared at her for a long time, then finally gave a self-deprecating laugh and said sullenly:

"Yeah, that's just our bad luck. I wish I could get a role with a single line someday, just enough screen time so my family could see me on TV. That would be so great."

Xia went back to her room to sleep while she was having a dream.

..

Yanjing has never had the superficial reputation of being a city that never sleeps.

After all, compared to the extravagance of the south, this imperial capital with its three thousand years of history has more of a profound sense of history and weight that comes from the foot of the imperial city.

But beneath the weight of history lies a vibrant prosperity.

But this prosperity has never been relevant to the lower classes; the so-called "sleepless nights" have always belonged only to a small group of people.

Night falls, and that's when life truly begins.

Inside a luxurious private room at a restaurant on Anchang Street.

They clinked glasses and exchanged toasts, their warmth palpable.

"Mr. Wang, this toast is for you."

Chen Feng raised his wine glass, exuding a heroic air, "Thank you for giving Qingrou this opportunity. Although she's just a villainous sidekick with few lines, it's still great to be in the same production crew as a big star like Michelle."

The man addressed as "General Manager Wang" was a middle-aged man with a Cantonese accent and slicked-back hair. He was an associate producer at Hong Kong's Tianying Entertainment.

He smiled and took a sip of his drink:

"Young Master Chen, you're too kind. Our film, 'The Legend of the Heavenly Vein,' is a blockbuster action film intended for global release."

"She has excellent qualities; as long as she performs well during the roadshow, she'll have plenty of opportunities to develop her career in Hong Kong."

That's just polite talk, of course.

The truth is, the movie was filmed a long time ago and is currently in its promotional period.

To please Li Qingrou, Chen Feng spent millions to sponsor the premieres and roadshows of "The Legend of the Sacred Stone" in some cities in mainland China.

In exchange, the production company agreed to include Li Qingrou in a cameo appearance to capitalize on the hype.

But for Li Qingrou, this was already a good start.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

The conversation naturally turned to the upcoming Chinese New Year film season.

"Mr. Wang, our film is scheduled for release during the Spring Festival, so it's definitely aiming for the box office champion, right?" another investor sitting at the table complimented.

"That's for sure. Although Zhang Yimou's 'Hero' is gaining momentum, it's a December film. For the Spring Festival season, we still need to see international action-treasure blockbusters like ours."

At this point, someone suddenly interjected, as if recalling a joke:

"Speaking of the Lunar New Year film season, what was that thing that caused such a stir a while ago... Oh right, that audition Zhao Huaiyuan organized, it was quite a big deal. I heard he also wants to squeeze into the Spring Festival film season?"

Upon hearing Zhao Huaiyuan's name, Chen Feng scoffed:

"Does he even deserve to be compared to 'The Legend of the Heavenly Vein'?"

"Hey, Young Master Chen, you can't say that." The one who interjected was also a seasoned veteran in the industry; he had a playful look on his face.

"Don't underestimate Director Zhao just because he's young. He's quite famous. He stood up to foreigners at the College Student Film Festival. He was so passionate and righteous. Now everyone online is praising him as the backbone of China and the conscience of Chinese cinema. Haha."

conscience?

Chen Feng sneered inwardly.

He is clearly a despicable, shameless, and hypocritical villain.

A few days ago, because Li Qingrou was wronged, Chen Feng, displaying his chivalrous spirit, prepared to help the weak and punish the strong.

He instructed his men to contact several reputable newspapers, intending to give this Zhao a good dressing down and ruin his reputation.

It seems the big gift from over there hasn't arrived yet, which is why this kid can still flaunt his conscience everywhere.

But it won't be long. When the wall falls, everyone will kick it while it's down. Let's see how arrogant he can be then.

Thinking of this, Chen Feng's disdain grew even stronger, and he was about to say something sarcastic.

Producer Wang shook his head first, a hint of world-weary mockery on his lips:

"Young people these days are too good at packaging themselves. I heard about that audition too. Just because China Film Group is supporting him, he thinks he's all that."

I also heard that China Film Group only invested a few million in his film. That amount of money is not even a fraction of Michelle's salary in our crew. How can he compete with us?

"Exactly." Li Qingrou peeled a shrimp, placed it on Chen Feng's plate, and said sarcastically.

"Listen to the title of his film, 'Escape from the British Museum,' it sounds so unserious."

"Escape?"

Someone at the table asked curiously, "What genre is this? A police thriller or an action movie?"

"Escape? What else can we escape from?"

With a budget of several million, they definitely can't afford special effects. It'll just be a bunch of pictures of illegal immigrants washing dishes in Britain, being chased by police, and facing discrimination.

"Or it's one of those low-budget heist movies where a few petty thieves steal from a museum, get chased all over the streets by foreign police, and end up with two people dying, with a forced attempt to elevate the tragedy," the old fox analyzed.

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng slammed his hand on the table and shouted:

"That's right! You see, this is the hypocrisy of this kid!"

He previously insulted foreigners at a film festival, portraying himself as a dragon-slaying hero, which earned him a good reputation. But what happened?

They turn around and make their own movies, but they start making films that tarnish the image of the Chinese people. They're all talk and no action, all they care about is business.

These insightful remarks immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

"Young Master Chen sees things very clearly!"

"Exactly, they say one thing to your face and another behind your back."

Chen Feng became more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, then turned to look at Producer Wang.

"Mr. Wang, your book, 'The Legend of the Heavenly Vein,' is about protecting the Dunhuang relics, right? That's genuinely protecting national treasures and promoting Chinese martial arts and chivalry. That's what you call vision, that's what you call positive energy!"

Producer Wang felt very comfortable being flattered and laughed heartily:

"Mr. Chen is right. The audience has discerning eyes. What they love to watch are blockbusters, positive energy, and genuine cultural exports like ours!"

"Come on, let's not talk about that hypocrite anymore. Cheers to the box office success of 'The Legend of the Sacred Stone' and to spreading the spirit of our national treasure throughout the world!"

"Cheers!"

The glasses clinked.

The private room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.