Huayu Entertainment: Starting with Exorcising Evil from a Film Queen

Chapter 80 An Unexpected Duet (Fifth Update, 10,000 words)

"But today, I must especially thank one person."

"That's our assistant director, Zhang Ze."

All eyes were on Zhang Ze.

Li Huizhu continued, "From script readings to location scouting and then to the actual filming, Zhang Ze gave me and our entire crew so many surprises."

"It was his accurate grasp of the core of the script that unified our creative direction. It was also his efficient work in Group B and his control over the dialogue scenes in Group A that allowed us to proceed in an orderly manner and even complete the filming plan ahead of schedule."

She raised her glass towards Zhang Ze.

"If it weren't for Zhang Ze, we might still be filming a night scene on set today."

This statement, though straightforward, resonated deeply with everyone.

"Therefore, I propose that we all raise a glass to Zhang Ze!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room stood up.

The lead actors, including Zheng Jiaying and Liu Shishi, along with the younger actors such as Lin Gengxing and Yuan Hong, and the heads of various departments of the production team, all stood up, holding their wine glasses, and looked sincerely at Zhang Ze.

"Thanks, Brother Ze!" Lin Gengxing was the first to shout.

"Director Zhang, thank you! This is the photography crew."

"Assistant Director Zhang, let's work together again in the future!" This was from the art department.

What surprised Zhang Ze the most were the Hong Kong photographers and lighting technicians who had always been prejudiced against mainland staff.

One of the oldest lighting directors, carrying a full glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor), approached Zhang Ze and said in somewhat broken Mandarin, "Director Zhang, my hometown is in Hong Kong Island. I thought I wouldn't be able to go back this year. Thank you so much for letting me go back to see my grandson. I'll drink this one, you can drink as you like!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and downed the entire glass of wine in one gulp.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood.

No matter how many barriers and prejudices existed before, they all seemed insignificant in the face of the most basic emotion of going home for the Chinese New Year.

Zhang Ze became the focus of the entire event.

People kept coming over to toast him, and he had no chance to refuse.

Baijiu, red wine, and beer are mixed together and poured down the drain.

Zhang Ze was frequently toasted, and even with his extraordinary physique, he couldn't withstand such a massive influx of drinks.

In the end, he himself didn't know how much he had drunk.

When the banquet ended, Zhang Ze was still conscious, but his body was somewhat out of control. He walked unsteadily and saw double.

Lin Gengxing and Yuan Hong tried to help him up, one on each side.

Zhang Ze stopped him, but he insisted on walking back to his hotel room by himself.

Zhang Ze swiped the door open and fumbled to turn on the light; the glaring light made him squint.

He kicked off his shoes and threw himself heavily onto the soft bed, sinking into the mattress.

As the alcohol took effect, he felt as if the ceiling was spinning.

He closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he vaguely felt a slight noise at the door, followed by light footsteps.

Immediately afterwards, he felt the other side of the mattress sink in, and a warm, soft body pressed against him.

The familiar scent of perfume filled my nostrils.

It's a blend of lavender and a subtle milky scent.

Zhang Ze's mind wasn't working properly anymore; he recognized who it was entirely by instinct.

He instinctively rolled over, reached out his arms, and pulled that warm, soft body into his embrace, holding her tightly.

The person in his arms was very obedient, letting him hold them, and even adjusted their position to get closer together.

Alcohol is the best catalyst, amplifying the body's most primal desires.

Zhang Ze's hands started to wander, slipping under the hem of his pajamas.

Just as his palm touched that warm skin.

Another pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, embracing him tightly as well.

Zhang Ze froze instantly.

He was holding one in his arms.

Is there someone else behind this?

Zhang Ze, who was initially a little tipsy, immediately sobered up.

He could even clearly hear his own heartbeat and the heartbeats of the two people behind him.

One, two, three.

This is not an illusion.

Zhang Ze stiffly turned his head, and by the dim light of the bedside lamp, he could see the face behind him.

Liu Shishi had a slightly shy expression on her face.

He looked down again at the sly and smug face in his arms.

A few minutes later, a duet began to play in the room.

He sat up; there was a hotel note on the bedside table.

The handwriting is beautiful; it belongs to Liu Shishi.

The poem consists of only two short lines.

"If life were only as beautiful as our first meeting, why would the autumn wind bring sorrow to the painted fan?"

The poem ends with three small characters: Forget-me-not.

Zhang Ze picked up the note and ran his fingertips along the paper.

Before he could think much about it, his phone vibrated; it was a new text message.

The sender was Zhao Liying.

The content is simple and direct.

"I've already spoken to Sister Sun. I've taken my assistant and gone home first. Don't worry about me."

Zhang Ze looked at his phone screen, then at the note in his hand, and suddenly found it somewhat amusing.

The three of them had already been completely honest with each other last night, but now they were all incredibly shy. One pretended to be artistic, while the other simply ran away.

Women are indeed sometimes unpredictable creatures.

But that's what makes it interesting.

He folded the note in half, put it in his pocket, and then got out of bed.

The hotel was empty; most of the film crew left overnight after the banquet yesterday, rushing home for the Chinese New Year.

The entire floor was so quiet that only the sound of his own footsteps could be heard.

Zhang Ze did not linger; after checking out, he drove directly to the studio.

Before the wrap party yesterday, he called Sister Sun and arranged to meet at the studio today to summarize this year's work and plan for next year.

Pushing open the glass door of the studio, a wave of warmth washes over you.

Sister Sun was sitting on the sofa in the reception area, with a stack of documents on the coffee table in front of her.

She stood up when she saw Zhang Ze come in.

"Awake? You looked pretty drunk last night."

"It's alright." Zhang Ze took off his coat and hung it on the hanger. "It's just a little bit of alcohol, it's not enough to knock me out."

He sat down opposite Sister Sun without exchanging any further pleasantries.

"Sister Sun, are there any noteworthy acting opportunities next year?"

Sister Sun pushed a document in front of her towards her.

"Take a look for yourself; these are all the notices that have come to us so far."

Zhang Ze took it and flipped through it page by page.

At the top are a bunch of GG (Girls' Love) photos, magazine covers, commercial endorsements, and invitations to talk shows.

He skipped the earlier business announcements and went straight to the section on film and television offers.

There were quite a few scripts, but most of them were low-budget productions or poorly made idol dramas. Zhang Ze only glanced at the title and synopsis before flipping through them.

His goal is clear: he won't accept any project other than a big production, and he won't touch any script other than a good one.

His commercial value is rapidly increasing thanks to the popularity he gained from "Chinese Paladin 3".

If he were to go back to taking on those terrible dramas, it would be beneath his dignity and detrimental to his future career.

Soon, his finger stopped on three of the invitations.

The first one is the TV series "The Myth".

The second is the TV series "Zhong Kui: The Celestial Master".

The third is the new version of "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" produced by Zhang Jizhong.

Each of these three projects is a highly anticipated big-budget production.

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