Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

The intense pleasure of last night left him feeling languid and comfortable, and even his gaze towards her held a hint of aggression.

When he frankly stated why he wanted a formal title, Zhao Liying completely let go of her burden.

This man was more insightful than she had imagined, and also more...bad than she had imagined.

But it was precisely this kind of wickedness that made her feel incredibly at ease.

"I...I have a scene to film today, I have to go early." Zhao Liying felt uncomfortable under his gaze, grabbed her small bag, and tried to slip away.

Zhang Ze reached out and grabbed her wrist.

Zhao Liying's heart skipped a beat, and she nervously turned to look at him.

He didn't say anything, but with a little force, he pulled her so hard that she stumbled and leaned forward.

He sat up and, before she could react, leaned forward and pecked her on the lips.

"I'll come see you tonight." His voice was deep and resonant, carrying the warmth of the early morning air, and his breath brushed against her face.

Zhao Liying's face flushed instantly. She nodded haphazardly, broke free from his hand, and ran out the door as if fleeing, forgetting even to say goodbye.

As he listened to the hurried footsteps receding into the hallway, Zhang Ze's smile grew even wider.

This girl may seem carefree, but deep down she's still a pure and innocent young woman.

He pulled back the covers, looked at the sheets that were now disheveled again, shook his head helplessly, and resignedly began to clean up the mess.

With Zhang Ze's promise, "I'll make you a big star," Zhao Liying was injected with boundless motivation.

She was completely fired up, working even harder than before when filming.

In the cast and crew of "Locking Up Spring", she was still that inconspicuous maid.

But everyone noticed that this little girl named Zhao Liying seemed to have suddenly become enlightened.

In the past, she would act simply to complete a task. If the director told her to go east, she would never go west. If he told her to cry, she would try her best to squeeze out tears.

Now, however, she is no longer satisfied with simply fulfilling the director's requirements, but has begun to explore more possibilities for the role.

In one scene, the young lady she serves is being scolded by the madam, while she, as a maid, stands aside.

According to the script, all she had to do was lower her head and show fear.

During the actual filming, when the actress playing the wife reprimanded her sternly, Zhao Liying subconsciously took half a step forward, her clenched fist hidden in her sleeve, her nails almost digging into her flesh.

Her shoulders trembled slightly, a mixture of fear of the mistress and an urge to stand up for her young mistress.

When the lady's gaze swept over her, she shrank back half a step in alarm, burying her head even lower, as if trying to shrink herself into the ground.

The entire process was seamless, without a single line of dialogue, yet the actress vividly portrayed a loyal maidservant struggling with inner turmoil.

"Click! Okay!"

The assistant director behind the monitor couldn't help but shout, looking at the small figure in the playback with some surprise.

This extra is quite interesting.

He even gave Zhao Liying an extra close-up shot.

During a break, several extras from the same film crew huddled together and whispered among themselves.

"Hey, don't you guys think Liying's like a completely different person these past few days?"

"Yeah, the energy he puts into acting, wow, he's like a workaholic."

"Yesterday there was a scene where she was being slapped. The director said it was good enough, but she wasn't satisfied and insisted on doing another take. As a result, the slap went 'smack,' and half of her face swelled up. It looked painful."

Zhao Liying ignored these comments.

She was like a dry sponge, greedily absorbing everything on set.

She no longer just plays her own role well, but also studies the performances of the main characters, observes how the lighting technician sets up the lighting, and listens to how the director explains the scenes to the actors.

She spent every day on set, sometimes filming until 11 or 12 at night, before dragging her tired body back to her small rented room on the last bus.

Although her body was exhausted, her eyes grew brighter day by day.

Zhang Ze saw this and felt a pang of heartache.

This girl is working too hard.

He knew she had no way out but to keep pushing forward, but such intense exertion would eventually cause her health problems.

The next day, after finishing work on the set of "The Dream of the Past," he didn't go straight home, but instead went to a nearby vegetable market.

He spent several tens of yuan to buy a double-layered stainless steel insulated lunch box.

From that day on, Zhang Ze's life had a new schedule.

After finishing work each day, he would first go to that familiar Sichuan restaurant and pack up a steaming hot meal.

Sometimes he would finish work early, while Zhao Liying's work was still ongoing. He would first eat his own meal at a restaurant, then carry his insulated lunchbox across most of the film and television city to deliver the meal to the "Locking Up Spring" crew without fail.

The nights in Hengdian are always bizarre and wonderful.

Here stands a magnificent palace, and there lies a dilapidated urban village.

An emperor in a dragon robe and a beggar in tattered clothes squat at the same roadside stall, eating fried noodles.

Here, dreams and reality are distorted into a bizarre spectacle.

Zhang Ze carried his lunchbox as he walked among the crowd of dream chasers, yet his heart remained unusually calm.

Looking at the extras who, like himself in the past, had tired faces but bright eyes, he suddenly understood where his heartache for Zhao Liying came from.

He saw his own reflection in her, and also saw the cruelty of the lowest level of this industry.

Therefore, he was willing to lend her a hand.

This stems from a man's compassion for women, a support for his fellow human beings, and a shrewd investment with a focus on the future.

"Bringing food to your girlfriend again, huh, young man?"

The owner of the Sichuan restaurant had become quite familiar with him, and every time he saw him carrying that iconic stainless steel lunchbox, he would make a good-natured joke about it.

Zhang Ze didn't explain, he just smiled.

When Zhao Liying arrived at the set of "Locking Up the Autumn", she was still filming her last night scene.

Zhang Ze didn't disturb them, so he found a quiet corner, sat on a prop box, and waited quietly.

People from the film crew came and went, and soon noticed the handsome food delivery guy who appeared on time every day.

"Hey, who's that guy? He brings Zhao Liying food every day."

"I don't know, but he's quite handsome. Look at his build and his demeanor, he doesn't seem like someone who's just an extra."

"Zhao Liying, wow, she's got something! When did she snag such a handsome boyfriend?"

When the gossip reached Zhao Liying's ears, she blushed and pretended not to hear it, but her heart was filled with sweetness.

"Cut! That's a wrap!"

As soon as the director gave the order, Zhao Liying breathed a sigh of relief, rubbed her sore shoulders, and immediately looked in Zhang Ze's direction.

Zhang Zechong waved the lunchbox in her hand.