Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

After the makeup was done, today's photoshoot officially began.

As soon as filming began, Zhang Ze's performance secretly shocked everyone on set.

He had already thoroughly mastered the role of Uncle Fu, and after the deep nourishment of the yin and yang harmony last night, his energy and spirit had reached an unprecedented peak.

The control of emotions and the portrayal of details have taken a big step forward compared to before. Every gesture and movement is completely natural and lifelike, without any trace of acting.

A scene depicts a steward comforting a down-on-his-luck young master in front of the ancestral hall. He simply stands quietly behind Chen Kun, his back slightly hunched, yet exuding a tenacious strength that supports the entire family.

His eyes were lowered, looking at the ground, but when Chen Kun's lines were trembling with despair, he slightly lifted his eyelids, his gaze intertwined with heartache, helplessness, and an unquestionable loyalty.

Without any exaggerated movements, just a glance was enough to fully dissect the inner world of an old servant.

After a scene was filmed, Director Dong, behind the monitor, even forgot to yell "Cut!" until the script supervisor reminded him. He then snapped out of his daze and shouted "OK!" from his seat.

Pointing to the playback on the screen, he praised the assistant director beside him, "Zhang Ze, that kid, he's got talent! It's only been a few days, and he's already acting flawlessly, not a single hair out of place! He's a natural-born actor!"

Director Dong's praise was undisguised, and his voice echoed throughout the entire studio.

The staff and extras around them looked on with envy and admiration.

When Zhang Ze heard the praise, he simply smiled modestly in the direction of the director and nodded in acknowledgment.

He never imagined that he would be an actor for the rest of his life.

Once he has accumulated enough fame and capital, he also wants to try being a director or a singer.

His mind is filled with decades of accumulated film scripts and hit songs from another world; that is his true treasure trove.

During the break, Li Xiaoran brought over a glass of warm water and moved gracefully over.

She had been watching from the sidelines, and Zhang Ze was in an astonishingly good state today. The relaxed feeling and emotional outburst he exuded while playing Uncle Fu made even a non-professional actress like herself feel a bit of pressure.

When she first entered the industry, she certainly didn't have the skills Zhang Ze has now.

"You seem to be in such good spirits today?"

She looked Zhang Ze up and down, her tone full of pure curiosity. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes were unblinking, as if she were investigating some secret. "Found money?"

Zhang Ze took the water glass, the warmth of her fingertips still lingering on the glass. He took a big gulp to moisten his dry throat and said with a half-serious smile, "People are in high spirits when they have a happy occasion."

"happy event?"

"What good news? Tell me! Did some girl get blind and fall for you?"

Li Xiaoran's interest grew even stronger. She naturally sat down on the chair next to him, leaning forward slightly, and a delicate fragrance wafted into Zhang Ze's nose.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be revealed." Zhang Ze shook his finger mysteriously.

Li Xiaoran rolled her eyes at him, knowing she wouldn't get any truth out of him, so she changed the subject.

She stretched out her slender fingers, fiddling with the buttons on her costume, and asked seemingly casually, "The filming of 'The Dream of the Past' is almost halfway done, and your scenes are almost finished, right? What are your plans after that?"

The question came as a surprise, yet it made perfect sense.

The profession of actor is like that of a migratory bird that follows the water and grass, constantly moving around with the film crew.

After a film is finished, everyone goes their separate ways, scattered across the country. Many people may not see each other for several years, and may never cross paths again.

Zhang Ze's role is indeed small; judging by the days, filming should wrap up in a few more.

Once the two separate, it will be really difficult for them to meet again.

After this period of contact and probing, Li Xiaoran had roughly figured out Zhang Ze's "neither proactive nor rejecting" attitude. This ambiguous stance made her feel somewhat resentful, but mostly relieved.

No matter what, as long as he doesn't explicitly reject me, I still have a chance.

She also realized that she was not at a disadvantage in this matter.

Putting aside the mysterious purpose of resolving romantic entanglements, just looking at Zhang Ze as a person, he is handsome, has a good physique, excellent acting skills, and also knows some Taoist arts. From any perspective, he is a high-potential stock.

"I'm not a famous actor or a big star, just an extra in Hengdian. How can I have any long-term plans?" Zhang Ze shrugged, looking quite nonchalant. "I'll go wherever there's work, and take it one step at a time."

He was telling the truth. According to the rules of the entertainment industry, you can't be considered to have officially debuted unless you've played a leading role.

Zhang Ze is only just starting out, even playing a supporting role with a name. In principle, he is not yet a formal member of this circle.

When Li Xiaoran heard him say that, she gently bit her rosy lower lip with her pearly teeth, as if she had made up her mind.

"If you haven't found another job yet, I can ask around for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ze raised an eyebrow in surprise.

He leaned closer to her, the distance between them instantly shrinking to the point where they could hear each other's breath. He lowered his voice and said, "What, is it that the big star Li can't stand my pathetic state as a nobody and is planning to take care of me?"

A warm breath brushed past her ear, and a beautiful blush instantly rose on Li Xiaoran's cheeks. She glared at Zhang Ze with a hint of annoyance, her eyes filled with both reproach and charm, making her incredibly alluring.

After finishing work on set in the evening, Zhang Ze took a detour to the food street outside the film and television city.

Instead of going straight back to his rented apartment, he stopped in front of a familiar Sichuan restaurant and bought two servings of stir-fried dishes and rice to go.

Returning to that familiar tenement building, the dark and damp smell in the stairwell was just as strong as ever.

He took out the key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently.

He opened the door, but the scene inside made him pause.

There are people inside.

Zhao Liying had already returned. She hadn't turned on the light and was just sitting on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. Hearing the door open, she was startled and sat up abruptly.

Her gaze met Zhang Ze's at the doorway for a fleeting moment, then, as if burned, she quickly looked down, unable to bear looking at him any longer.

The scenes from last night kept replaying in my mind. She actually... she actually took the initiative and said so many embarrassing things.

She was so embarrassed that she just wanted to disappear into the ground.

A subtle awkwardness hung in the air; it was so quiet you could hear each other breathing.

Zhang Ze didn't say much, but calmly closed the door, waved the lunchbox in his hand, and broke the suffocating silence with the aroma of the food.

"Perfect timing, haven't you eaten yet? Let's grab something to eat together."