Xi Yang was stunned for a few seconds after hearing his words, then suddenly burst into laughter.
“It’s this time, and you’re still telling me such meaningless boasts?” Xi Yang laughed exaggeratedly, holding his stomach and unable to straighten his waist.
Ye Zhou was not annoyed, only looking at him expressionlessly, with even a hint of lingering laughter in his eyes.
Xi Yang stopped his hearty laughter, stretched out his hand to wipe away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes, coughed a few times, and then slowly said, “Director Ye, you act as if this movie is your own investment. Yes, you are the director of ‘Chasing the Light,’ but there are investors above you. And you, as the director, are essentially no different from me, an actor. We’re both just wage workers.”
“Now that you’ve spoken so boastfully, let me ask you a simple question.” Xi Yang looked at Ye Zhou with pity, his gaze like he was looking at a pitiful creature who didn’t understand the situation. “If you replace me, the lead actor, how will you explain it to the investors? Do you think the investors will spare you?”
While he was speaking, Ye Zhou didn’t interrupt him at all. After he finished and confirmed he had no more to say, under Xi Yang’s mocking gaze, Ye Zhou pretended to suddenly realize something. After a brief reflection, he nodded in affirmation. “I think you’re right.”
“You’re the director, and we’re going to continue working together. I don’t want to make things too embarrassing, either. As long as you sincerely apologize to me and fire that extra actor, this matter will be considered settled…”
Before Xi Yang could finish his words, he saw Ye Zhou gesture to him.
Then, Ye Zhou took his phone out of his pocket and skillfully entered a string of numbers. A few seconds later, the call connected, and Boss Jiang’s low, slightly lazy voice sounded in his ear.
“Why are you suddenly calling?”
Ye Zhou glanced at Xi Yang and spoke in a particularly serious tone, “Mr. Jiang, I’m Ye Zhou, the director of ‘Chasing the Light.’ There have been some issues in the crew recently that I’d like to report to you.”
Boss Jiang, who was processing documents, raised his eyebrows slightly when he heard Ye Zhou’s tone and stopped signing. “Go ahead.”
Afraid that Xi Yang couldn’t hear clearly, Ye Zhou took the phone away from his ear and turned on the speakerphone. He even thoughtfully turned his head and asked, “Can you hear this volume?”
Xi Yang thought he was just putting on airs since he had been in the industry for a while. Apart from a few exceptionally famous directors, which director would dare to speak like this to their investors?
At this moment, seeing Ye Zhou making a phone call, he sneered at his pretentious behavior and watched him act like it was a joke.
After confirming that he could hear, Ye Zhou didn’t waste any more words and went straight to the point, telling Boss Jiang, “The lead actor, Xi Yang, has been repeatedly late, leaving early, and skipping work, seriously affecting the film’s shooting progress. So I want to replace the lead actor. I’m just reporting this to you and asking for your opinion.”
Jiang Tingyuan thought it was something important, but after listening, he realized it was just a minor issue. He stopped his hand and continued signing the unfinished name on the document, calmly saying, “It’s your crew; do whatever you want. You don’t need to report to me.”
Afraid that Ye Zhou might not understand his meaning, Boss Jiang paused his voice and added another sentence.
“I support any decision you make.”
“Okay, thank you, Mr. Jiang.” After receiving an affirmative answer, Ye Zhou felt grateful, thinking that Boss Jiang was giving him too much face. Trying to conceal the laughter in his eyes, he coughed lightly and said, “With your words, I can rest assured.”
In response, there was a barely audible light laugh, and for some reason, Ye Zhou felt his ears getting a little hot. He hastily said goodbye and hung up the phone.
After composing himself, Ye Zhou looked at Xi Yang again and said, “Thanks for reminding me. I just called the investor, and they understand and agree.”
“So, Mr. Xi, our collaboration ends here. Goodbye.” After saying that, Ye Zhou didn’t even bother to give him another glance and turned to walk towards the studio.
As he walked away, he didn’t forget to call the extra actor along, leaving Xi Yang standing alone, watching the two figures’ backs and unable to describe his feelings at that moment with words.
Not long after the two left, Xi Yang’s manager hurriedly came out from the studio and ran over to him, his expression barely concealing his anxiety. “What happened? What did you say to Director Ye? Why did he ask us to pack up and leave?”
Xi Yang could not describe his current feelings, nor could he discern whether Ye Zhou’s phone call earlier was real or fake. With a wooden face, he recounted what had happened in a couple of sentences.
“Replace you?!” The manager’s voice changed pitch from being too agitated. He lost his composure and grabbed Xi Yang’s arm. “How dare he? So much money has been invested. Can that little director afford the compensation?”
Xi Yang felt extremely annoyed. He shook off the manager’s hand and patted his clothes impatiently. “He made the call to the investor right in front of me. I don’t know if it was real or fake.”
The manager fell silent for a moment, then shook his head and forced out a smile. “Don’t worry for now. Maybe he was just trying to scare you. Let’s go back first, and I’ll contact the investors later. At worst, we’ll apologize and grovel. If we’re sincere, this matter will pass.”
Hearing the manager suggest apologizing and groveling to Ye Zhou, Xi Yang’s face darkened instantly. However, he remained silent, given the earlier incident.
For the next two days, both of them remained optimistic, thinking Ye Zhou was just trying to scare them. It wasn’t until they received a lawyer’s letter from Jingzhe Pictures that Xi Yang realized the situation had become serious.
According to the lawyer, Ye Zhou had submitted evidence of Xi Yang’s unexcused absences, tardiness, and early departures, violating the contract. Not only was he kicked out of the crew, but he also had to pay a substantial breach of contract penalty.
Of course, Xi Yang was unwilling to go to court. Being caught repeatedly skipping work was not a glorious thing, and if it escalated, it could greatly impact his career.
However, the penalty demanded by the other party was no small sum. The company would not help pay, and it would have to come out of his own pocket, which Xi Yang was naturally unwilling to do.
He had his manager approach Ye Zhou several times, hoping to have a proper discussion and see if there was room for compromise. However, no matter if it was Xi Yang’s manager or himself, it seemed they had been blacklisted by Ye Zhou, and they could not contact him at all.
Xi Yang changed his phone number and called Ye Zhou, and this time he got through. But as soon as Ye Zhou heard his voice, he hung up cleanly and decisively.
Later, after much effort, Xi Yang asked a friend in the industry with whom he had a good relationship to help him secure an opportunity to talk with Ye Zhou.
But this opportunity was useless. No matter how elaborately Xi Yang spoke, Ye Zhou remained unmoved throughout. He listened to whatever Xi Yang said, but did not respond with a single word, giving him no room for negotiation.
After his former role of Cheng Ling in ‘Chasing the Light’ was replaced by that minor extra, Xi Yang finally saw through Ye Zhou’s attitude and realized reconciliation was impossible. Xi Yang was dejected for two days but never approached Ye Zhou again.
If this matter was destined not to have a good resolution, then instead of continuing to plead with Ye Zhou, it would be better to take the initiative and seize control of public opinion.
…
Ever since Ye Zhou resolutely replaced Xi Yang with Duan Jingyuan against everyone’s advice, this extra whom no one had high expectations for, completely surprised everyone.
It wasn’t that he was exceptionally gifted, but Duan Jingyuan truly worked hard. He cherished this hard-earned opportunity and, to avoid delaying the crew’s progress because of himself, Duan Jingyuan slept no more than five hours a day from the day Ye Zhou assigned him the role.
Duan Jingyuan was always the first to arrive on set and the last to leave, undeterred by wind or rain. He was exceptionally humble, took notes while Ye Zhou directed him, and repeatedly studied and practiced after returning home.
His chemistry with the other lead, Geng Bochuan, was seamless. The two often huddled together to discuss and study acting. Duan Jingyuan was two years younger than Geng Bochuan, with a softer personality. Unexpectedly, Geng Bochuan set aside his usual abrasive demeanor, and they got along harmoniously.
Their acting collaboration also became increasingly in sync. Even if Duan Jingyuan occasionally made mistakes, Director Ye Zhou never looked down on him but patiently guided him.
Helplessly, Ye Zhou had no resistance against diligent, hardworking actors like Duan Jingyuan. As long as Duan Jingyuan asked, Ye Zhou never refused.
Under such circumstances, the crew’s shooting progress was like a rocket. One day’s filming covered almost three days’ worth of scenes compared to before.
Ye Zhou looked at the monitor and said, “Cut, that’s a wrap.”
During the break, just as Ye Zhou was about to open his water bottle to drink, he heard an exclamation from beside him. Ye Zhou turned his head to find that the one who had shouted was his little assistant.
After exclaiming, the assistant immediately regretted it. Meeting Ye Zhou’s gaze, she hurriedly covered her mouth, waved her phone at him, and said in a low voice, “Director Ye, something happened. Look at this quickly.”
Ye Zhou looked at the assistant’s phone to find it was a news video. The person being interviewed was a familiar face. It was none other than Xi Yang.
The title, written in large bold letters, read: “Actor Xi Yang Forced to Film While Ill, Director Claims Leave as Unexcused Absence.”
In the video, Xi Yang looked haggard, with disheveled hair, a pale complexion, and prominent dark circles under his eyes accentuated by his pallid face. His condition seemed poor, as if he had just recovered from a serious illness.
Xi Yang’s manager stood in front of him, shielding him while telling the media, “Sorry, we really can’t say much. Xi Yang has just recovered from a severe illness, so his health is not good. Please understand and excuse us. Thank you.”
The video was only two minutes long, and from start to finish, Xi Yang, the person involved, did not say a single word. However, his pale complexion and poor condition solidified the rumor of his illness.
Ye Zhou finished watching the news video and noticed that although the specific crew and director’s names were not mentioned, they were replaced with abbreviations.
The ‘Chasing the Light’ crew was simply referred to as ‘a certain crew,’ without mentioning the film’s name. But the director was not described so obliquely, using ‘a certain Director Y’ to refer to him, and even pointing out that this director was the one behind a popular film released recently.
Of course, with such obvious hints, netizens did not disappoint, quickly locking their target on Ye Zhou.
Previously, there was little attention and some negative rumors, but the recent film he directed became a hit, and with the surname ‘Y’ – all the clues matched.
The comments below were almost entirely one-sided, either sympathizing with Xi Yang or accusing Director Y of being inhumane. Some more extreme Xi Yang fans even began launching personal attacks against Ye Zhou.
Those comments were so dirty that the assistant could not bear to look at them, but Ye Zhou remained very calm as he read them. After finishing, he returned the phone to the assistant, picked up his cup, and continued drinking water as if nothing had happened.
The assistant waited anxiously for Ye Zhou to get angry, but even after ten minutes passed and the break ended, with filming resuming, Ye Zhou remained calm and showed not a hint of annoyance.
Even after the day’s scenes were completed, Ye Zhou did not get angry or suggest any solutions. As they were about to leave for the day, when the assistant cautiously inquired, Ye Zhou only said calmly, “Don’t bother with him,” and then left the crew directly.
It turned out Ye Zhou was indeed quite calm, as this was entirely within his expectations. A cornered dog will jump the wall – it’s normal.
The situation had just begun to brew. If Ye Zhou was not mistaken, since Xi Yang had set up the stage, he was bound to put on a good show.
Since Xi Yang was determined to perform this act, Ye Zhou would not ruin his stage. In fact, he was even looking forward to what antics Xi Yang would come up with next.
Once Xi Yang finished his performance, it would not be too late to settle the score.
Ye Zhou did not take this as a big deal at all. Work finished early today, so after leaving the crew, thinking that the new year was approaching, Ye Zhou was in a great mood and persuaded Boss Jiang to go to the market with him to stock up on some New Year’s goods at home.
Although their household did not actually need to buy such things, with dedicated staff taking care of all their food, drinks, and clothing needs, since Ye Zhou had suggested it, Boss Jiang did not dampen his enthusiasm and agreed.
At around six o’clock in the evening, as the night lights came on, the largest fresh market in City A was exceptionally lively, with crowds everywhere. People surrounded every stall, squeezing past each other, with the sounds of customers loudly bargaining with vendors all around.
Ye Zhou had guessed there would be many people, but he did not expect it to be this crowded. Recalling Boss Jiang’s mild mysophobia and looking at his impeccable suit, Ye Zhou felt like leaving.
He said with an embarrassed expression, “Um, there are too many people here. Why don’t we just go home, Jiang-ge?”
However, Jiang Tingyuan ruffled his hair and took the lead in getting out of the car.
Ye Zhou followed suit, and the two bodyguards behind Boss Jiang also immediately trailed after, forming an odd combination in the market.
This combination was primarily divided into three parts: the bodyguards, Ye Zhou, and Jiang Tingyuan.
In the crowded flow of people, the two bodyguards protected Ye Zhou and Jiang Tingyuan, while the protected Ye Zhou extended his arms to shield Boss Jiang, filling in the gaps the bodyguards missed, striving to prevent Boss Jiang from being touched by others.
Focused on protecting Boss Jiang, Ye Zhou was oblivious to the fact that Jiang Tingyuan would also reach out to block contact whenever Ye Zhou was about to be touched by someone else.
In this manner, the four of them struggled to survive amidst the crowd. Instead of browsing for New Year goods, Ye Zhou could not even catch a glimpse of them, surrounded only by people.
Rather than browsing the market, it was more like they were drift sailing, drifting along with the crowd the entire time, their stops determined not by their own will but by the flow of people.
Finally, with great difficulty, Ye Zhou was squeezed in front of a stall. Upon closer inspection, he excitedly told Boss Jiang, “Jiang-ge, look, it’s hairtail! I can buy some, and we can make braised hairtail!”
Naturally, Boss Jiang would not refuse and even handed Ye Zhou a card, indicating his support for Ye Zhou to buy whatever he wanted.
Ye Zhou asked for the price, preparing to pay, but hearing the bargaining voices around him, he couldn’t help but feel tempted and eagerly joined the haggling ranks.
“Boss, give me a better price. The stall earlier was only 90 for a box. Don’t charge 120. How about 100? If that works, give me a box.”
Although it had been a while since he last bargained, Ye Zhou’s skills were well-practiced, not a hint of unfamiliarity.
Who was Ye Zhou? He was the person capable of extracting money from the tight-fisted investors, a master of bargaining.
The boss was no pushover either. Dealing with so many customers daily at the market, he was seasoned. Upon hearing Ye Zhou’s counteroffer, he didn’t even raise an eyebrow and flatly refused, “No, not selling for less than 120.”
“Tsk, if the fish from the previous stall didn’t look worse than yours, I would have bought from them. After browsing around, yours seems the freshest. 110, take it or leave it.”
Ye Zhou feigned leaving, silently counting in his mind. As expected, when he reached three, the boss called him back.
“Come back, come back. 110 it is. We’re closing up soon, so I’ll give you a discount.” The boss grabbed a box of hairtail and was about to stuff it into a bag.
Seeing this, Ye Zhou immediately stopped him. “Boss, not that box. Let me pick from inside.”
After receiving a glare from the boss, Ye Zhou happily obtained a box of hairtail freshly taken from the cold storage. He waved it in front of Boss Jiang, smugly seeking praise. “Impressive, right?”
Boss Jiang fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “What were you doing just now?”
Ye Zhou froze, quickly realizing Boss Jiang’s status meant he rarely encountered such things. He explained, “Bargaining, buying something below the original price by offering a lower price.”
It wasn’t really about the small amount saved but more about the psychological satisfaction gained from bargaining.
Upon hearing this, Boss Jiang nodded thoughtfully.
The two continued browsing. While Ye Zhou bargained with the vendors, Boss Jiang silently observed from beside him. After going around once, they had bought large and small bags of New Year goods, so many that the two bodyguards could barely carry them all. Ye Zhou and Boss Jiang also carried several bags before finally preparing to leave.
As they reached the market entrance, Ye Zhou noticed a stall selling crispy pork that looked very fresh, making him crave it. He decided to buy some to eat after returning home that night.
Boss Jiang seemed to sense his thoughts first. As Ye Zhou was about to step forward, he placed a hand on his shoulder and said, “I’ll go.”
Ye Zhou was dumbfounded. It took him a few seconds to realize that Jiang Tingyuan wanted to help him buy crispy pork. Seeing that he had already approached the stall, Ye Zhou hurried to follow him.
Initially, everything seemed normal. Ye Zhou heard Boss Jiang mimic his earlier tone and ask the vendor the price of the crispy pork.
“Twenty-five yuan per pound.”
The situation began to take a magical turn after the vendor quoted the price.
Ye Zhou heard Boss Jiang’s incredibly sexy voice say to the vendor, “Can you make it cheaper?”
Although bargaining, Boss Jiang’s words carried an unintentional threatening undertone.
The vendor was visibly startled, eyeing Jiang’s high-end suit and the two bodyguards behind him. After a moment’s hesitation, he weakly asked, “…How much cheaper do you want?”
Even the ever-composed Jiang Tingyuan, capable of solving any difficult problem, was stumped by the vendor’s question.
He glanced at Ye Zhou, seemingly considering the bargaining range Ye Zhou had used earlier. After careful calculation, Boss Jiang decided on an average and calmly stated, “Ten yuan, I’ll take it all.”
The vendor: “…?”
The original price was twenty-five, but he directly slashed it by more than half. Was he here to bargain or to cause a scene?
Truthfully, if not for the two intimidating bodyguards behind him, the vendor would have really wanted to slap him on the head.
He looked so well-dressed and respectable, but he haggled so cheaply?!
Caught off guard by Boss Jiang’s bizarre bargaining, Ye Zhou quickly pulled Boss Jiang behind him before the vendor exploded. Apologizing profusely to the vendor, Ye Zhou said, “Sorry, sorry. Twenty-five it is. Bag it all up. We’ll take everything.”
Boss Jiang furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled as to why Ye Zhou’s bargaining had gone so smoothly while his own attempt had failed miserably.
With one hand holding a large bag of crispy pork and the other gripping Boss Jiang’s wrist, Ye Zhou hurried them away from the market and safely back to the car.
Seeing Boss Jiang’s bewildered expression, Ye Zhou wanted to laugh but dared not. He held back his laughter the entire way home, but at the doorstep, he could no longer resist and offered an explanation.
“The bargaining range should be based on the total price. For transparent pricing with low-profit margins like this, the fluctuation is typically minimal, at most shaving off a few cents.”
Boss Jiang was highly intelligent, having simply been limited by unfamiliarity with the context earlier. With Ye Zhou’s explanation, he immediately understood.
Of course, the price of understanding was…
Ye Zhou gazed at the large bag of fried and unfried pork belly they had brought back, feeling somewhat desperate at the thought they would be accompanied by crispy pork for a long time to come.
Silently, he vowed never to let Boss Jiang bargain again! Absolutely not!
The next morning, as soon as Ye Zhou arrived on set, he noticed several unfamiliar vehicles with different license plates parked at the entrance. Raising an eyebrow, he realized the media must have caught wind of the situation and rushed over.
Ye Zhou entered the studio through the back door and found the crew huddled together, discussing something. As he approached, he overheard Geng Bochuan’s manager’s anguished voice.
“You’ve done it again, you’re really begging for death! My little ancestor1“小祖宗” (xiǎo zǔzōng), which translates to “my little ancestor,” is an affectionate yet exasperated way to refer to someone, typically a child, who is being particularly difficult or willful. Calling someone “my little ancestor” implies a familial, caring tone while simultaneously chastising their behavior as childish or ill-advised., can’t you stop being so impulsive? Even if you were really angry, could you at least give me a signal before doing something reckless? I’m begging you!”
“Can’t you just behave yourself? Do you think you don’t have enough haters already? I know you felt bad for Director Ye, but couldn’t you have used your brain before posting that Weibo post against Xi Yang?”
“Do you really think bashing Xi Yang on Weibo will solve anything? Aside from attracting more haters for yourself, can it actually resolve the issue? Not a damn thing!”
Geng Bochuan’s manager was so infuriated with him that he wished he could give him a couple of slaps to teach him a lesson.
In stark contrast to his manager’s outburst, Geng Bochuan remained leisurely, drawling, “Resolving the issue is Director Ye’s responsibility.”
“But bashing him is mine.”
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