Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

The two found a secluded corner, and Zhao Liying sat cross-legged on the ground, completely unconcerned that her costume was covered in dust.

She opened the lunchbox, and the food was still steaming hot. It was her favorite twice-cooked pork and Mapo tofu, with a golden-brown fried egg on top of the rice.

"How did you know I wanted tofu today?" She picked up a large piece of tofu and stuffed it into her mouth, panting from the spiciness, but her eyes squinted happily.

"I've done a fortune telling for you." Zhang Ze sat down next to her and handed her a bottle of water.

"Tch, another lie." Zhao Liying said, not believing it, but secretly she was delighted.

While wolfing down her food, she mumbled to him about the funny things that happened on set that day—which actor forgot their lines, which prop master made a fool of himself.

Zhang Ze listened quietly, occasionally chiming in with a few words, and helping her remove the grains of rice stuck to the corners of her mouth.

Under the dim yellow light, her profile was illuminated with exceptional softness. The fierce energy she displayed on set had vanished, replaced by a pampered languor.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Ze packed up his lunchbox, and Zhao Liying followed behind him, seeing him off at the entrance of the film set.

"I'm going back now, you should get some rest too." Zhang Ze ruffled her hair.

"Um."

Zhao Liying nodded, but stood still, her big eyes shining brightly in the night as she looked at him, hesitant to speak.

"What's wrong?"

"N-nothing...it's nothing." She lowered her head, her voice barely audible, "You...you be careful on the road."

Looking at her innocent expression, Zhang Ze immediately understood.

He looked around and, seeing that no one was around, quickly stepped forward, pulled her behind the shade of a large tree, and lowered his head to kiss her.

This kiss was devoid of any lust; it was simply a comfort and solace.

For a long time, the lips are divided.

Zhao Liying leaned against him, her cheeks burning, and she breathed softly.

"Go back now." Zhang Ze patted her back.

"Um!"

This time, she turned around decisively and ran back to the crew's rest area with light steps.

Zhang Ze watched her figure disappear around the corner before turning and leaving.

These days are ordinary, yet they carry a sense of grounded warmth.

That day, Zhang Ze finished work on "Old Dreams" as usual and went to that familiar Sichuan restaurant.

It was getting late, and the restaurant was bustling with people, filled with film crew members and extras who had finished their day's work.

"Boss, one serving of shredded pork with garlic sauce, one serving of twice-cooked pork, and two servings of rice, to go," he called out familiarly.

"Okay!"

He found an empty seat by the window and sat down, waiting for the owner to serve the food.

Just as he was idly watching the crowds coming and going outside the window, a clear and somewhat familiar female voice rang out from the table next to him. The voice wasn't loud, but it was very penetrating.

"Boss, add a smashed cucumber salad! Extra garlic!"

This requirement... is quite unusual.

Zhang Ze subconsciously turned his head to look.

I saw a girl sitting at the next table, wearing a baseball cap pulled low over her head, which almost covered most of her face.

She was wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, and was looking down, enthusiastically poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks.

Seemingly sensing his gaze, the girl looked up.

Beneath the shadow of the baseball cap, a lively and mischievous little face peeked out, with a pair of large, watery eyes that were slightly upturned at the corners, like a talking fox.

It was Yang Mi.

Yang Mi clearly recognized him as well; her large, fox-like eyes instantly curved into beautiful crescent moons, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth appeared and disappeared.

"It's you!"

She exclaimed with delight, her voice carrying a crisp, distinctive Beijing accent, "A handsome fortune teller!"

Zhang Ze was stunned for a moment, then recognized the other person.

It's Yang Mi!

The nickname "handsome fortune teller" given to Yang Mi left him somewhat speechless, both amused and exasperated.

"Stop calling me 'handsome guy,' it sounds awkward. My name is Zhang Ze."

Yang Mi was clearly much more excited than him. She rushed over in a few steps, pulled out the chair opposite Zhang Ze as if they were old friends, and sat down as quickly as if she were seizing a good position.

"Zhang Ze? Not a bad name. I don't need to introduce my name, do I? You could figure it out with a simple calculation!"

Zhang Ze chuckled upon hearing this, "What are you doing here?"

More than half a month ago, Yang Mi's film crew finished filming. Although ordinary people may not know this, Zhang Ze and other extras in Hengdian knew it very well.

Logically speaking, Yang Mi should be in Beijing right now.

"I came back to reshoot a few scenes for 'Dark Fragrance,' and the crew's boxed lunches were so awful that I sneaked out to find something to eat on my own." She took off her baseball cap and casually placed it on the table, revealing a bright and beautiful face. Then, she lowered her voice slightly and leaned closer mysteriously.

"Zhang Ze, I really have to thank you! Your predictions were incredibly accurate!"

Her series of actions and words carried a unique sense of boldness and efficiency characteristic of girls from Beijing.

Zhang Ze remained expressionless, but he already understood.

Sure enough, the seed that I had casually planted back then has sprouted.

"Just the other day, you were absolutely right, two acting offers came knocking on my door at the same time." Yang Mi still looked both scared and relieved when she talked about it. "One was the production team of the new version of 'Dream of the Red Chamber,' who asked me to audition for the role of Lin Daiyu. The other was 'Chinese Paladin 3,' who wanted me to play Tang Xuejian."

"Dream of the Red Chamber! That's one of the Four Great Classical Novels! Lin Daiyu! Which actress wouldn't want to play her? Everyone would be confused just hearing about it!" She gestured with the name, her emotions running high. "In comparison, Chinese Paladin 3 is just a game adaptation, it doesn't sound as reliable."

Zhang Ze listened quietly, but in his heart he was thinking, "It's more than just unreliable."

In 2008, adapting video games into TV series was a huge pitfall.

Because the subject matter was somewhat sensitive, many TV stations were simply unwilling to pay for it. Apart from the wildly popular "Chinese Paladin 1", almost all the subsequent attempts to imitate it flopped without a trace.

Therefore, Yang Mi's hesitation at that time was completely reasonable.

"I almost rejected 'Chinese Paladin 3' in a moment of impulsiveness."

Yang Mi patted her chest, "But I suddenly remembered what you said that day, that I would face a hurdle within half a month."

"I was cautious and didn't say anything definitively, so I went to the interview for 'Dream of the Red Chamber' first."

At this point, she curled her lip, her face full of disdain, "And guess what? Forget Lin Daiyu, I didn't even get a role among the Twelve Beauties. In the end, they said they'd let me play Qingwen, a maid!"

She shrugged, her expression a mix of exasperation and amusement. "What a mess! I was so glad I hadn't completely offended the 'Chinese Paladin 3' team. I called them back immediately, and that's how I landed the role of Tang Xuejian."

After she finished speaking, she picked up the tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp, her big, bright eyes looking at Zhang Ze with sparkling eyes.

"You're truly my savior! If it weren't for you, I would have been in serious trouble this time!"