Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

Zhou Xun walked over at some point.

She had just finished rehearsing her lines and had obviously overheard the conversation.

She walked up to Wang Zhonglei, her face expressionless.

"Mr. Wang, do you mean we should sacrifice the quality of the film just to promote our own people?"

Wang Zhonglei's attitude softened somewhat when he saw Zhou Xun.

Huayi Brothers has had a tough time these past two years, with a large number of artists leaving, leaving the company extremely weak. Zhou Xun was someone they poached at a high price; she's a pillar of Huayi Brothers, so Wang Zhonglei still has to give her face.

"Xun, you've misunderstood. I was just offering a suggestion from a market perspective. After all, we are the investors and are responsible for the final box office results."

"I am the box office," Zhou Xun said firmly. "Audiences come to see a movie to hear a good story and to see a group of good actors perform. They don't come to see how your company allocates resources."

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word she spoke was firm and resounding.

"Zhang Ze's performance is a plus for the show. If you diminish his performance, you diminish the entire show. Mr. Wang, you surely understand this, right?"

Wang Zhonglei's face fell.

He never expected that Zhou Xun would directly oppose him because of this young actor.

This is truly a reversal of the natural order!

If this had happened in the past, Wang Zhonglei would have slapped him across the face long ago, but now, in order for Huayi Brothers to go public smoothly, he can only endure it!

Wang Zhonglei took a deep breath and slowly opened his mouth.

"Zhou Xun, this is the company's decision."

"Then you can replace me."

Zhou Xun looked directly at him and said, "This film, either it's filmed in the best way possible, or I won't film it at all."

The air seemed to freeze.

A vice president of Huayi Brothers and a leading actress of Huayi Brothers confronted each other in public on set.

The surrounding staff kept their distance and even held their breath.

In the end, Gao Shuqun stepped in to smooth things over.

"Oh, it's all for the good of the movie, Mr. Wang, Brother Xun, calm down and let's talk it out."

Wang Zhonglei gave Zhou Xun a cold look, then glanced at Zhang Ze not far away, and finally turned and left.

The storm has temporarily subsided.

But Zhang Ze knew that this matter was definitely not over.

Others may not know, but he knows it all perfectly well.

There's been a lot of gossip and revelations about this person surnamed Wang online.

He's unpredictable, a two-way person, and a master of unspoken rules—he's got it all.

Moreover, this guy surnamed Wang is petty and vindictive. He later used the company's resources to blacklist many artists, and he will definitely not let it go.

During a break in filming, Zhou Xun called Zhang Ze aside.

"See? They won't tolerate you." She handed Zhang Ze a bottle of water.

Zhang Ze nodded.

Zhou Xun's tone carried a hint of apology, "This is my fault. I didn't expect them to target you like this."

"If it doesn't work out, then leave. I'll arrange another film crew for you when the opportunity arises."

"No need, Sister Xun, this place is fine."

Zhang Ze unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water.

"Their exclusion of me is their problem, not yours. I am very grateful to you for giving me the opportunity to appear on the big screen."

Zhou Xun looked at him earnestly, "I'm just glad you don't blame me for dragging you into this trouble."

"If you don't want to leave the crew, then don't make mistakes. Don't give them an opportunity. They have huge resources in their hands, and it's too easy for them to ruin someone."

Zhang Ze comforted him, "Don't worry, I'm not helpless. Don't forget, I'm a master."

He looked at the film crew bustling about in the distance, his grip on the water bottle tightening slightly.

If these people know what's good for them, that's best, then everyone can live in peace. But if they really resort to underhanded tactics, then don't blame me for being uncivilized.

When the time comes, we'll see who has the stronger capital or who has the more powerful mystical abilities.

During the subsequent filming, the atmosphere on set became subtle.

The employees of Huayi Brothers became increasingly indifferent to Zhang Ze, deliberately ignoring and distancing themselves from him, creating an invisible web.

The props were always handed over a beat too late, and the assistant director was always distracted.

Zhang Ze saw through this perfectly, yet remained unmoved.

He simply poured all his energy into the role.

The afternoon's filming focused on a key scene inside Qiu Manor.

Li Ningyu (played by Li Bingbing) is ordered by Takeda to measure the body dimensions of all the trapped people in order to verify the possibility that "Old Ghost" is transmitting information through the cheongsam code.

This is an extremely intense ensemble piece.

In the cramped space, everyone harbored their own secrets, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

When it was Bai Xiaonian's (played by Zhang Ze) turn to be measured, Li Bingbing approached with a soft measuring tape and a professional indifference.

Her impression of Zhang Ze remained that he was too sharp and didn't know how to restrain himself; a purely technical actor was destined not to go far in the world of interpersonal relationships.

"Secretary Bai, please cooperate."

Li Bingbing's lines were delivered in a formulaic manner, without a trace of extra emotion.

Under the stage lights, Zhang Ze completely resembled Bai Xiaonian.

He sat in the chair with his back ramrod straight, his pinky finger habitually curled up, his face showing offended anger and a hint of undisguised panic.

When Li Bingbing's soft ruler touched his body, Zhang Ze felt as if he had been struck by an electric current, and he shuddered violently.

"What are you doing!"

He screamed in a shrill voice, the tune belonging to a famous Kunqu opera singer sounding particularly jarring in the closed room.

The intense reaction felt as if he were not being measured, but rather being controlled and violated.

Li Bingbing was startled by his sudden reaction and paused for a moment, but her professionalism allowed her to quickly regain her composure and continue with her work.

"Just a routine check," she replied coldly.

Zhang Ze's body was trembling violently, not in an exaggerated way, but in a kind of uncontrollable trembling stemming from physiological fear.

His jaw was chattering. He tried to maintain the dignity and pride of a commander's aide, but the cowardice that seeped into his bones was exposed through every subtle muscle movement.

He reached out, trying to push Li Bingbing away, but his well-maintained hand fell limply in mid-air, with only his fingertips twitching nervously.

At that moment, Li Bingbing felt that he was not facing an actor, but a real, pitiful wretch stripped of all pretense, on the verge of a mental breakdown.

That raw, unspoken fear penetrated her senses directly, through the air and through skin contact.

She even sensed the mournful cry of an animal on the verge of death in Zhang Ze's performance.

"Click! Excellent! Pass!"

Chen Fuguo's shout broke the deathly silence on the set.

The director team and Gao Shuqun behind the monitor were so engrossed in watching that they completely forgot about their surroundings.

In this scene, the interaction between Zhang Ze and Li Bingbing was perfect, with just the right amount of tension.

Li Bingbing remained standing there, unable to shake off the emotions she had just experienced.

She looked down at her hands, as if the trembling from Bai Xiaonian's body still lingered on them.

That's so true.

She suddenly looked up at Zhang Ze, who had already lost his role and was wiping his sweat with a towel handed to him by his assistant.

The person now appeared calm and composed, with relaxed features, showing no trace of the effeminate, timid, and on the verge of collapse they had just been.

This ability to switch control in an instant is simply astonishing.

She suddenly understood.

The theories about character layering that Zhang Ze mentioned at the reading session were not just theoretical.

He just used his performance to elevate the quality of that scene to a whole new level.

Acting alongside such an actor is both torture and a pleasure.

He will make you give your all in every scene, but he can also push you to your full potential.

Li Bingbing was unaware that her attitude towards Zhang Ze had undergone a subtle change.