Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

The production team of "The Dream of the Past" had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If he can establish himself in this production crew with a certain level of acting skills, even if it's just to become a familiar face, it would be a million times better than playing a corpse before.

This might bring him one step closer to becoming a true star.

It's simply unrealistic to think you can make a living in the entertainment industry just by telling fortunes and solving metaphysical problems.

That's not a long-term solution.

Once or twice, people might think you're a wise person, but if it happens too often, it will inevitably attract unnecessary trouble.

To have a long career in the entertainment industry, professional competence is the true foundation.

It was pure luck that the crew happened to be in trouble this time; it was a stroke of good fortune.

Zhang Ze had been wandering around Hengdian for more than a month and only encountered this one film crew.

After all, it's been so many years since liberation, in this age of scientific enlightenment, where are all these demons and monsters waiting for him to exorcise them?

Just as he was pondering his future plans, he heard a rustling sound of a door opening next door.

Zhao Liying is back.

He heard the key being inserted into the lock, followed by the familiar, teeth-grinding creak of the iron gate being pulled open.

Immediately following was Zhao Liying's deliberately suppressed cough.

Zhang Ze opened his door and peeked out.

In the dim light of the corridor, Zhao Liying was facing away from him, bent over, seemingly brushing the dust off her body.

Her scene today should include a scene where she rolls on the ground.

"You're back?"

Zhang Ze leaned against the door frame and casually asked a question.

Zhao Liying was startled by the sudden greeting, her shoulders jerked, and she almost dropped the keychain in her hand.

She turned around and saw that it was Zhang Ze. She breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest a little embarrassedly.

"You scared me to death! How come you walk so quietly?"

She looked exceptionally tired today, still in her costume, her face showing signs of travel fatigue, but her big eyes still lit up when she saw Zhang Ze.

"Did you find work?" she asked softly, with a hint of barely perceptible concern.

"Yes, I found it." Zhang Ze smiled and didn't say anything more.

Zhao Liying scrutinized him closely, seemingly trying to discern something from his face.

"What kind of job? A freelance project? Or is it good for career prospects?"

In her opinion, the best job Zhang Ze could find was this kind of role, which was slightly better than that of an ordinary extra.

After all, there are too many extras in Hengdian, some of whom have been in the industry for more than ten years. There is no way it would be Zhang Ze's turn, a newcomer to Hengdian.

"It'll be a secret for now," Zhang Ze said, keeping everyone in suspense. "You'll find out in a couple of days."

Zhao Liying pursed her lips and muttered under her breath, "So mysterious," but didn't press the matter further.

"Today... my director praised me."

She seemed to recall something happy and couldn't help but share, "They said I acted well and even added a line for me!"

Although it was just a trivial line, it was a huge affirmation for her.

That chubby little face radiated pure joy and anticipation for the future.

Zhang Ze could tell that she was genuinely happy about every bit of progress she made.

"Then you have to treat us."

"Dream on!"

Zhao Liying made a face at him, then rummaged in her pocket for a while before pulling out two fruit candies wrapped in transparent candy wrappers and stuffing them into his hand.

"Hey, this is for you."

After she finished speaking, before Zhang Ze could react, she quickly turned around, opened her bedroom door, and went inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

The movements were so fast they seemed unnatural.

Zhang Ze opened his hand, looked at the two cheap fruit candies in his palm, and chuckled to himself.

In my past life, I could only see her on TV. Back then, she was a dazzling star, glamorous and radiant.

Zhang Ze never expected that the real Zhao Liying would have such a side.

This girl is kind of cute.

He peeled a piece of candy and popped it into his mouth; an industrial sweetness melted on his tongue.

It's a little sweet.

……

The next day, Zhang Ze arrived at the "Old Dream" film crew at the agreed time.

As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the film set, the assistant director surnamed Wang, who had spotted him yesterday, spotted him with sharp eyes and ran up to greet him.

"Master! You've finally arrived!"

The assistant director was even more enthusiastic than he had been on the phone yesterday; his face was beaming with smiles, he was practically calling him "ancestor."

Immediately afterwards, a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap, who looked more substantial, strode over and grabbed Zhang Ze's hand.

"I'm director Dong Jianguo, young man. Yesterday, we really owe you a lot! You were our crew's savior!"

Director Dong was very enthusiastic. He looked Zhang Ze up and down and became more and more satisfied with him.

This young man is handsome and has a good temperament; he stands out from the crowd.

"Director Dong, you're too kind," Zhang Ze replied, but in his heart he was making plans.

It seems that yesterday's move really stunned these people.

Director Dong grabbed Zhang Ze, as if afraid he would run away, and led him directly into the film crew, saying as they walked, "Assistant Director Wang told me that you want a role."

"Absolutely no problem! I've picked a great role for you!"

"In my play, there's a butler named Uncle Fu."

"Although it's a supporting role, you have a significant amount of screen time, appearing throughout the entire series. You get a lot of screen time, and your lines are simple, making it perfect for a newcomer like you!"

Director Dong patted his chest and guaranteed it.

Zhang Ze's heart skipped a beat.

housekeeper?

This is much better than he imagined.

He originally thought he would be lucky to get a minor role with a few lines, but he ended up getting a small supporting role with a name.

"We won't treat you unfairly regarding your salary."

Assistant Director Wang added from the side, "How about six thousand yuan for now?"

"If there are additional scenes later, we'll calculate it separately."

Six thousand yuan.

For Zhang Ze now, this is a considerable amount of income.

He nodded readily. "No problem, thank you, Director Dong, Assistant Director Wang."

"Alright! It's settled then!" Director Dong slapped his thigh and immediately called over a production assistant, "Xiao Liu, take Zhang Ze to change clothes and get his makeup done! Pick the best outfit!"

The production assistant, a man in his thirties, noticed how polite the director and assistant director were to a young man. Being a shrewd person, he immediately smiled broadly and agreed, "Okay, director, don't worry!"

After Zhang Ze and the production assistant Xiao Liu had walked away, Assistant Director Wang approached Director Dong, lowered his voice, and looked puzzled.

"Director Dong, wasn't the role of Uncle Fu... reserved for Mr. Wang from Huitong Investment? This is a great opportunity to shine, and we're just giving it to an outsider?"

Director Dong glanced at him, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and then spoke earnestly.

"Old Wang, don't you understand?"

"That Mr. Wang is nobody! We had to beg his dad to pull strings to get him a role."

"But now, we're the ones begging this young man to keep us safe!"

He exhaled a smoke ring and continued, "Revising the script is troublesome, and offending the investors is troublesome too, but it's better than not being able to film it at all, right?"

"How much have we lost in the past two weeks? If this continues, not only will President Wang be affected, but the entire crew will have to break up!"

"As long as this young man is here, and we can finish filming smoothly, that's the greatest achievement!"

"Let alone Uncle Fu, even if he had absolutely no acting skills and just spent all his time on set, I'd still treat him like a god!"