Entertainment: The Path to Best Actor for Talented Actors

"Those two won't join the crew until midway through the season, they're not here right now," Wu Jing explained.

"Alright, let's not linger any longer. Let's hurry and leave before it gets dark."

So the three of them got into a car and drove towards the base camp.

In the car, Wu Jing suddenly said, "Here, give me a piece of paper and a pen. I need to write down a prayer."

Zhang Ze was sitting in the back row with two oxygen tubes inserted into his nose; he was feeling a bit short of breath.

It's said that people with better physical fitness are more prone to altitude sickness, but I don't know if that's true.

After about five minutes of driving, the three of them arrived at a pile of rubble.

There are many stone towers here, made of stacked stones.

This is a tradition in Tibet, where small stupas are built by stacking stones to commemorate ancestors. These stupas are called "Mani piles".

Strenuous exercise at high altitudes is very uncomfortable. The three of them endured the discomfort and, huffing and puffing, bent over and carried many large rocks.

Two mani stones, each about half a person's height, were piled up, with stones serving as monuments, and the names of two predecessors written on them with markers.

Zhang Yi placed the stone tablet on top, clapped his hands, and said, "Let's begin!"

The two nodded.

The three men knelt down and solemnly said, "...Paying tribute to the pioneers who climbed Mount Everest, may their names be remembered forever!"

"Memorials: The cast and crew of the film 'The Climbers', including Wu Jing, Zhang Yi, and Zhang Ze."

Towards the end, Wu Jing was already breathing heavily.

Finally, the three of them stood up and bowed three times to complete the ritual.

It was already past 4 p.m. when they got back. To entertain Zhang Ze, Wu Jing arranged for a lavish dinner that night – a beef hot pot.

"How can this cook? The air pressure is so low," Zhang Ze said, expressing some doubt.

Wu Jing laughed and said, "Just wait to eat, you don't need to worry about anything else."

A dozen minutes later, Zhang Ze finally understood.

In the end, hot pot still can't do without a pressure cooker.

The beef is cooked in a pressure cooker and then eaten with hot pot.

This way of eating was quite novel to him!

Inside the tent, seven or eight people sat together and began eating hot pot.

Besides the three of them, there was also the production team's producer and assistant director, as well as the person in charge of the Mount Everest Base Camp.

"This is the first time I've ever eaten it this way! Another strange experience has been added to my list." Zhang Ze laughed as he dipped a piece of beef into the hot pot.

Zhang Yi said, "Actually, filming here is quite fun. Apart from the hardships, I'm happy every day."

"You think it's fun because you don't have altitude sickness! I suffered!" Wu Jing said, dissatisfied with Zhang Yi's Versailles-like performance.

As they chatted, the conversation turned to the incident where Wu Jing forced Zhang Yi to use oxygen.

He pointed at Wu Jing and said to Zhang Ze with dissatisfaction, "Have you ever seen anything like this? The guy isn't lacking oxygen, but he's forcing him to use it!"

"In the end, I couldn't stand his harassment anymore, so I thought I'd just give in!"

Who knew that after inhaling oxygen, I wouldn't be able to sleep?

We sleep together on the floor at night, don't we?

That night, I just sat there watching him get up to go to the bathroom, then get up to get a drink of water.

"He got up more than 30 times in one night. Do you think that's something a human being would do?"

He told Zhang Ze about Wu Jing's crimes with a wry smile!

"Ha ha!"

"Ha ha……"

The people at the table couldn't help but burst into laughter, already picturing Zhang Yi sitting on the floor, frowning and speechless as he watched Wu Jing constantly going in and out.

The base camp of Gangshika Snow Mountain is at an altitude of 4300 meters and is only 19 kilometers away from Mount Everest in a straight line.

It consists of a ring of tented hotels, and the temperature here is very low at night.

After dinner, Wu Jing brought Zhang Ze a sleeping bag.

"The three of us brothers will sleep in one tent tonight!"

The three quickly crawled into their sleeping bags to keep warm.

After chatting for a while while lying on the ground, Wu Jing suddenly asked, "Zhang Ze, have you ever climbed mountains?"

"No, there was a rock climbing scene when we were filming the Jingjue Ancient City, but that was only in the studio."

"Why don't you stay tomorrow? You can also play a cameo role. Zhang Yi and I have a mountain climbing training session tomorrow, let's go hiking together!"

"Mount Everest?" he asked.

"It's not Mount Everest, it's the nearby Gangshika Snow Mountain! Which one is relatively easier for beginner climbers," Wu Jing replied.

"Sure! I've got nothing else to do anyway, so I'll stay here for a couple of days and go hiking with you guys tomorrow."

Somewhat excited, Wu Jing and Zhang Yi shared a lot of their experience with him, point by point.

They didn't know what time it was, but the three of them finally got sleepy and gradually closed their eyes and fell asleep.

The next day, Zhang Ze faintly heard voices outside the tent.

After he put on his cotton-padded coat and went outside, he saw that many of the crew members had already gotten up.

"Good morning, Ze! How did you sleep last night?" Wu Jing walked over carrying a yellow washbasin with a set of toiletries inside.

"Aside from being a bit windy and cold, it's fine!"

He shivered, stamping his feet and complaining, "It's fucking cold! I suddenly regret it. I'm leaving after I finish eating! I don't want to stay any longer!"

Wu Jing laughed and handed him the washbasin, saying, "Too late! I'm not letting you leave today no matter what. You're definitely going to climb this mountain."

After breakfast, the three of them prepared to go hiking.

Wu Jing ordered, "Someone get my brother a set of hiking clothes!"

Soon, staff delivered a set of mountaineering equipment.

With Wu Jing's help, he was fully armed.

Wear a professional windproof jacket, a woolen hat, and thick gloves;

He carried a backpack with an assembled aluminum ladder inside.

He also had crampons, a safety harness, and equipment such as an ascender and oxygen cylinders hanging from his waist.

All of this equipment weighs at least 30 kilograms.

The three followed the film crew toward Gangshika Snow Mountain.

By this time, the sun had risen, and the snow-capped peaks in front of us shimmered with silver light, making them exceptionally magnificent and majestic.

"Gangshika Snow Mountain is only 5200 meters high, making it one of the seven beginner-friendly snow mountains."

"But don't let its height fool you, it's not a place anyone can climb. Every year, many explorers try to reach the summit, but only a handful manage to reach the top."

Wu Jing, carrying a pile of equipment and panting heavily, explained it to Zhang Ze.

"It's so cold!" This was Zhang Ze's true feeling.

Even during vigorous exercise, I couldn't feel any warmth in my body, and my face felt slightly painful from the cold.

As they walked, no one spoke; everyone fell silent.

Because speaking takes too much energy.

Besides the three climbers, there were other people accompanying them for safety.

Zhang Ze held a walking stick in his hand and forcefully stuck it into the snow in front of him.

Climbing upwards step by step with great difficulty!

Six or seven people climbed up in silence, with a sled dog following behind them.

After climbing for about 30 minutes, everyone was exhausted and bent over, panting heavily, to rest.

After resting for 10 minutes, we climbed up again, and the snow became deeper as we went higher.

By this time, the snow was already knee-deep, and with each step forward, the snow sank up to the thighs.

After three hours of climbing, they finally reached the 5200-meter summit.

The moment Zhang Ze stood atop the peak, he experienced the feeling of reaching the highest point.

Standing atop the snow-capped mountain! He shouted loudly, "Ah... I've made it to the top... cough cough, give me oxygen..."

He was showing off for less than five seconds before the environment taught him a lesson!

Zhang Ze obediently inhaled oxygen, which made everyone burst into laughter.

We took some videos and photos at the top of the mountain, and rested for a while before reluctantly heading down.

Zhang Ze also learned many ways to tie knots here.

Two hours later, the group finally returned to the cabin at their base camp.

They unzipped their thick cotton-padded coats, letting out a wave of heat; they were all exhausted.

After drinking a bottle of Coke to relieve his discomfort, Zhang Ze played a small role at 3 pm and finished filming in just 2 hours.

Before leaving, Wu Jing and Zhang Yi hugged him reluctantly.

"Take good photos! Be careful, we'll meet again when we get back to Beijing!" He said solemnly, putting his arm around the two of them.

He waved and then got into his car and left.

Sitting in the back seat of the car, looking at the somewhat limp Dong Zhiqiang, he laughed and said, "You brat, your body's not doing well! How can you be so weak at such a young age!"

"You make it sound so easy! I weigh so much! And you still want me to climb mountains with you!" Dong Zhiqiang looked utterly hopeless.

Ever since this kid became Zhang Ze's assistant, his weight has been increasing rapidly.

When he first arrived, he was a chubby little guy weighing 160 pounds; now he weighs 180 pounds.

Standing at only 174cm tall, he's practically a little chubby dumpling.

Even though he is Zhang Ze's cousin, he has failed at blind dates several times!

Zhang Ze is still single, and his aunt has been worried about him a lot.

"Didn't you have your eye on Li Qin's assistant a while ago? How's it going? Have you been pursuing her?"

"Don't even mention it, she likes guys like Zhang Ruoyun! Not someone like me!"

Dong Zhiqiang was somewhat disappointed!

"Don't be jealous. Zhang Ruoyun is just an idol; he's not your competitor!"

"There's something off about what you're saying!"

Zhang Ze teased his cousin as usual.

"Honestly, you should lose weight! If you lose at least 20 pounds, you'll have a much better chance of finding a partner."

Zhang Ze treats his cousin very well, offering him high salaries within the industry.

With 20 yuan a year, almost all of that money can be saved.

Because Zhang Ze reimbursed him for his daily expenses, including food, clothing, and accommodation.

He often receives gifts from business partners and fans, and they also give him some of those gifts.

Putting everything else aside, Dong Zhiqiang's salary and quality of life are among the best in his circle of classmates.

Not only can you enjoy a life of luxury with him, but you can also broaden your horizons with him.

Zhang Ze isn't a difficult artist to deal with; you could say he's doing this job as if it were a game.

Suddenly, Dong Zhiqiang sat up straight, startling Zhang Ze.

"I've made up my mind, I'm going to lose weight, and I'm going to pursue Li Qin's assistant!"

Dong Zhiqiang looked very serious, which made Zhang Ze laugh!

When I flew back to Yanjing from Lhasa, it was already 11 p.m.

It was already past midnight when I got home.

So as not to wake Zeng Lai and his mother, he took a nap in the guest room.

Zeng Lai was somewhat surprised when he saw him the next day.

"When did you get back?"

"Arrived in the early hours of last night!"

"Dad, Dad!" Zhang Zheli excitedly hugged his leg.

"Does your son miss his father?"

"Yes, I've thought about it!"

Zeng Lai asked, "How many days will you rest this time?"

"Three or four days! I have an interview program in a couple of days, and I need to go to Shanghai!" Zhang Ze sat down at the dining table with his child in his arms.

While eating breakfast, Zeng Lai told Zhang Ze something.

"There's something I'd like to discuss with you!"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"A few of my old classmates and I were thinking of creating a piece together, and they asked me if I wanted to participate."

"Is this participation for filming or investment?"

"All of them!" Zeng took a sip of milk and licked his lips with his tongue.

Zhang Ze: "Tell me more about it."

"Liu Ye, Bao Jianfeng, Mei Ting, Ma Yili, and Cheng Hao wanted to film an urban drama, mainly about the story of entrepreneurship."

"Yes, this kind of subject matter has become quite popular in recent years!" He nodded.

"What is the total planned investment amount?"

"The total investment is 2 million, with each family contributing 3 million!" Zeng Lai said calmly.

"Okay, let's go for it! Your classmates are all pretty reliable!"

The couple decided to spend 3000 million yuan in the time it takes to have breakfast.

"Okay, I'll let them know after I finish eating!" Zeng Lai said with a happy smile.

After so many years since graduation, I finally have the opportunity to collaborate on a project with some old classmates, and I feel very happy.

At noon, at a rather upscale restaurant.

The couple, along with Liu Ye, Bao Jianfeng, and Mei Ting, gathered together to discuss the project.

They were all old acquaintances, so there wasn't much formality between them. After the last person arrived, they started serving the food and eating right away.

Liu Ye asked, "I heard you also went to film a movie about a captain, and even studied how to fly a plane for three months?"

"Yes, I'm practicing on an Airbus C319. I'm almost a pro at it now, just like back in school, I can practice all day long!"

Mei Ting smiled and praised, "Wow, a big plane! That's awesome!"

"I find flying planes quite fun. I'll get a pilot's license when I have some free time! It's great to fly planes for fun in my spare time!" Zhang Ze said while eating.

Everyone present thought he was bragging, but they never expected that he really loved flying airplanes.

Over the course of a meal, the group finalized their plan to collaborate on a film project.

When Zhang Ze came out after taking a shower that evening, he saw Zeng Lai watching "Ode to Joy 2".