The filming of ‘Thriller Circus’ had been underway for half a month, and the progress was remarkable.
The reason was simple. The male lead, Xu Fei1Previous chapter says his name is Xu Tian, and it is still used in this chapter. I’m confused with this since it’s like Xu Tian and Xu Fei are used alternately. It’s unlikely to be a typo because the characters are not similar nor do they share the same pronunciation. Anyways, the only explanation I could think of is that Xu Fei is a nickname. Fei used here is 飞 (fēi) – to fly. So his nickname would mean “Xu the Flyer,” which could be an ironic nickname commenting on his lack of progress or achievement, as if to say he’s the opposite of someone who “soars” or “excels.” But take that with a grain of salt. It could be not as complicated as that., had a handsome face but virtually zero acting skills. Sometimes, even reciting slightly longer lines would make him stumble.
Not only was he a terrible actor, but he also had an extremely laid-back attitude. No matter what Ye Zhou said or demanded, he would accept it with a Buddha-like calmness. However, when it came to actual practice, he would revert to his usual self – maintaining a stiff expression, forgetting lines, and acting as he pleased, completely at ease.
Others could be as anxious as they wanted, but he remained unmoved.
Although ‘Thriller Circus’ was a purely commercial film with no high demands for acting skills, he should at least perform within acceptable standards. Even if his acting was subpar and his movements stiff, he should at least memorize his lines fluently.
Ye Zhou had seen many talentless actors before, but someone like Xu Tian, who had no talent and no willingness to put in effort and required a body double to complete 60% of his scenes, was indeed a rare sight.
This was no longer about acting skills but an attitude problem.
Moreover, this young idol was quite interesting. Unlike Liu Yunlan, who was constantly waiting for opportunities to cause trouble, or Xi Yang, who would steal scenes wherever he could, Xu Fei simply didn’t seem interested in making movies. He was simply… not interested in making movies, plain and simple.
He would rather sit on the bench playing games than glance at the script, or space out for an entire morning instead of interacting with other actors.
He might as well have the words ‘salted fish2咸鱼 (xiányú) – salted fish, someone who is lacking ambition‘ plastered on his face.
Ye Zhou was truly perplexed. He obviously performed reasonably well during the audition and had always been quite humble, appearing eager and enthusiastic. How had he managed to display such a wide array of disruptive behaviors in just half a month?
If he truly disliked acting in movies, he could have simply declined to audition in the first place or directly refused when his agent worked hard to secure the role for him. If Xu Tian had spoken up, Ye Zhou would have dropped him without a second thought and swiftly found a replacement, saving both parties’ time.
But what did Xu Tian do? He didn’t say a word, joined the crew, and then refused to cooperate properly. Forget professionalism, he lacked even the most basic work ethic.
Although Xu Tian’s agent had voluntarily offered to lower his fee when he joined the crew, a reduced fee was still a fee. To pay millions for such a person, those in the know understood they hired a fresh-faced actor, while those unaware might think they had hired the Buddha himself.
Ye Zhou was a director, not a philanthropist. This month, Xu Tian had infuriated him to the point of daily rage. The frustration was indescribable.
For instance, right now, watching Xu Fei’s performance on the monitor, not only Ye Zhou but even his assistant directors and crew members had expressions that spoke volumes.
Ye Zhou shouted impatiently, “Cut!”
However, before the director could say anything, the errant actor, Xu Fei, spoke up first.
“I’m sorry, I’m not in a good state today. Let the body double take over.” Xu Tian smiled at Ye Zhou, his tone showing no hint of displeasure at being reprimanded, but rather an air of indifference.
As if the success or failure of this movie had nothing to do with him.
Ye Zhou was about to lash out at him, but he swallowed his words. After a month of ridiculous filming, he had come to realize that reasoning with Xu Tian was futile. No matter what Ye Zhou said, he would remain calm, accept everything, and stubbornly refuse to change.
Rising from his chair, Ye Zhou took out his phone and called Xu Tian’s agent directly.
“I’m just asking you if Xu Tian can act or not. If he can’t, then take him away immediately. What’s the point of him staying here day after day? I’m paying him to act, not to play the role of a deity!”
As soon as the call connected, Ye Zhou’s tone was extremely irritated. He showed no regard for propriety in front of the entire crew and made no effort to hide his exasperation with Xu Tian.
If anyone else had been spoken to like that, they would undoubtedly be furious, or at the very least, their expression would be unpleasant, even for those with good tempers. But Xu Tian? He didn’t even furrow his brow, maintaining a peaceful, benevolent smile, his eyes filled with compassion.
It was clear this wasn’t the first time Xu Tian’s agent had received a call from Ye Zhou. He was well aware of his artist’s nature. After Ye Zhou finished speaking, he didn’t offer any explanations, only repeatedly apologizing with a very polite attitude.
But Ye Zhou had heard similar apologies for a month, and if he could still accept them, he would be the fool.
“You need to come to the set immediately, preferably within half an hour. Because if it takes longer, I’m afraid I won’t be able to stop myself from kicking him out of my crew.”
With that, Ye Zhou hung up.
About twenty minutes later, Xu Tian’s agent rushed in, sweating profusely and panting. Without a word, he pulled his artist before Ye Zhou and bowed deeply, pressing Xu Tian’s head down in a bow as well.
“I’m sorry, Director Ye. I really apologize.” After bowing to Ye Zhou, the agent led Xu Tian to face the rest of the crew and bowed again, his voice full of remorse, “I’m truly sorry to everyone. Xu Fei has wasted your time, my apologies.”
“How about this, let Xu Tian treat everyone to afternoon tea and dinner today. If you have any preferences, let me know, and I’ll…”
As he was speaking enthusiastically, Ye Zhou cut him off with a solemn question, “Is that enough?”
“If the issue can’t be resolved today, have Xu Tian pack up and leave immediately!”
The agent fell silent, wiping the sweat from his brow. Putting on a smile, he approached Ye Zhou and said in a low voice, “Director Ye, I’m really sorry for the trouble. Why don’t we talk over there?”
The pleading in his eyes annoyed Ye Zhou, but he still didn’t say anything and followed him out of the studio to a quiet, secluded corner.
The agent took out a cigarette case and offered one to Ye Zhou, who declined. Feeling awkward, he put one in his own mouth, took a puff, and slowly spoke.
“Director Ye, I’m really sorry.” The agent gave a wry smile. “I understand your dissatisfaction with my previous concealment, but I really had no other choice.”
Ye Zhou was seething with anger but held back. “It has come to this, and apologies are no longer necessary. The problem that needs to be solved can’t be resolved with apologies.”
“Given Xu Tian’s current state, I’m not even asking for any acting skills, but he can’t even manage the most basic performance. It’s been a month since filming started, and we’ve only shot thirty-four scenes.”
“That’s an average of one scene per day and, at best, two scenes on a good day. Does that progress seem remarkable to you?” Ye Zhou let out a long sigh and looked at the agent. “It’s not that I’m not giving Xu Fei a chance, but…”
“He doesn’t like movies, and his mind isn’t on them at all. Even if I can truly wait for him to gradually film, his lack of effort means the end product won’t be something the audience can accept, no matter how slowly we go.”
The agent knew that what Ye Zhou was saying was the truth, and it was precisely because it was the truth that he felt even more helpless.
After a long silence, the agent finally spoke, “How about this? We can make concessions on our end. You can bring in another capable actor to co-lead and turn it into a dual-male-lead storyline.”
Ye Zhou was so infuriated that he laughed out loud. Looking at the agent, he said, “Let’s not even talk about how difficult it would be to implement your proposal. Just tell me this, do you think Xu Fei deserves the entire crew to change the script and adjust the schedule for him?”
“This…” The agent tried to plead, but any further words would be meaningless in the face of reality.
Rubbing his brow, Ye Zhou was too tired to continue the pointless conversation. He said directly, “I’ll take care of the breach of contract fees. Take Xu Fei and pack up today.”
Temporarily replacing the lead actor was becoming a familiar experience. With the precedent of Xi Yang, Ye Zhou found himself surprisingly adept at handling what would be a disastrous event for ordinary directors and crews.
Upon hearing this, the agent was immediately shocked, shaking his head repeatedly, “No, no, no, you can’t do that. Xu Fei isn’t short on breach of contract fees.”
Seeing that Ye Zhou had made up his mind to let Xu Fei go, the agent was truly panicked. After some thought, as if finally resolving himself, he gritted his teeth and said with difficulty, “Xu Fei can return the previous remuneration from the crew, consider it as an apology to you!”
Ye Zhou: “I’d rather pay extra to get rid of him. Can’t you see my determination? Don’t bother, just go back quickly. After you return, take him away immediately. Don’t delay the subsequent work.”
“No, you can’t kick Xu Fei out, he…” At this point, the agent’s voice trailed off. Lowering his voice, he leaned closer to Ye Zhou’s ear, “He is the only son of Xu Long, the head of Qianlong Entertainment, the legitimate heir of Qianlong.”
Ah, that’s a big name. Qianlong’s domestic theater chain is second only to Jiangshui Media. All the previous doubts now made sense.
No wonder Xu Fei was so unmotivated, yet his agent was extremely capable. He always treated Xu Fei with utmost respect and spared no effort to secure resources for him, even deciding to forgo his fee without the artist’s consent.
As the prince of Qianlong Entertainment, how could Xu Fei care about such a meager fee? If he rejected it, so be it. Such a paltry sum was mere pocket change to him, of course Xu Fei wouldn’t bat an eye.
But what did that have to do with Ye Zhou? No matter how capable or influential Xu Fei was, it could not excuse his lack of professionalism and dedication in the acting industry.
And Ye Zhou despised unprofessional actors the most.
Seeing that Ye Zhou remained unfazed after learning of Xu Fei’s identity, the agent wiped the sweat from his face and pursed his lips, “Mr. Xu said that as long as you let Xu Fei be the lead actor, when the movie is released, Qianlong will definitely show enough sincerity. No matter what, you won’t be at a loss.”
This “sincerity” obviously referred to the screening rate in theaters. As a commercial film made for profit, the release would naturally target peak periods with high foot traffic, such as National Day or Chinese New Year holidays.
Those peak periods are also when the domestic film industry faces the fiercest competition each year. The importance of screenings needs no further explanation – even the best films struggle to reach audiences without enough screenings.
However, during these short holidays, even mediocre films with adequate screenings and certain distinct advantages or specific themes can still perform well at the box office.
Take last year’s Chinese New Year release, Contemporary Youth Meme Appreciation Guide 2. The previous installment laid the foundation for this film, and investors were willing to spend money, so it achieved a high box office despite poor reviews.
No director would dare say they don’t care about screenings. Competition in the industry is fierce. While there are occasional low-screening films that stand out, compared to high-screening films, they are few and far between, extremely rare cases.
Ye Zhou was no exception. Undoubtedly, the condition proposed by Xu Fei’s agent was incredibly tempting.
If it had been any other actor, Ye Zhou might have reluctantly agreed, but considering Xu Fei’s astounding destructive power during this period, Ye Zhou ultimately stood his ground.
“No need, let’s just go with whatever screenings are scheduled. Take him away.”
Xu Fei’s agent was extremely confident in the offer he had presented. He never expected that Ye Zhou would still resolutely insist on dismissing Xu Fei despite such a generous incentive.
But facts proved that Ye Zhou was indeed that resolute. If someone didn’t meet his standards, he truly dared to kick them out.
At this point, Xu Fei’s agent was genuinely panicked. He said to Ye Zhou, “Why don’t you hold off on making a decision? I’ll make a quick call and be right back.”
True to his word, he returned with the phone in about five minutes.
Xu Fei’s agent sighed, “I just spoke with Mr. Xu on the phone. We’re willing to compromise further. If Xu Fei performs well, he can proceed as the lead actor according to the original plan. However, if Xu Fei’s performance is as subpar as before, we…”
“We won’t interfere with your decision anymore. No matter what you choose to do, we at Qianlong will support it. I hope you can see our sincerity.”
“Whatever I choose to do?” Ye Zhou asked doubtfully.
“Yes, as long as you can guarantee the integrity of his role and ensure that audiences will have a lasting impression after watching, even if his screen time is reduced, we won’t interfere excessively.”
“Qianlong is very optimistic about your movie.”
Seeing his determination, Ye Zhou considered it and said, “Deal!”
The three parties amended the contract terms. From then on, Ye Zhou became the person with the most authority in the crew.
With the contract signed, it was time to put it into practice.
Ye Zhou discussed with the screenwriter, Ren Zi’an, for an entire week before finalizing the revised script, which was then sent to Xu Fei.
After reading the script, Xu Fei had no objections to the adjusted plot. In fact, he was delighted, skipping and hopping as he walked for several consecutive days.
The reason was simple – although Xu Fei remained the male lead after the script changes, many of his character’s scenes had been significantly reduced.
Why “significantly”? Because…
The male lead was killed off right after his first appearance, before even grasping the game’s rules.
Yes, killed off in a spectacular, gruesome manner. Blood and viscera exploded everywhere in sight – it was an incredibly satisfying and thrilling scene!
As the first character to die in the entire movie, it perfectly fulfilled Xu Fei’s agent’s earlier request for a role that would leave a lasting impression.
“Camera 3, follow. Makeup team, quickly touch up Xiao Xu’s makeup. Prop team, pour on more blood. I want the effect to be gruesome and shocking, so don’t hold back, pour it on!”
“You don’t need too many expressions, just act normally with the other actors. I’ll give you a cue when it’s time for your death scene. When you see the cue, slowly walk a couple of steps first, then gradually fall down. Remember to add more blood, otherwise, the shot won’t look good.”
With Ye Zhou’s instructions, the various teams sprang into action. After about fifteen minutes of preparation, filming resumed.
Xu Fei and another actor were running fast, reciting lines as they exchanged information about the circus game clues they had just discovered.
As they rounded a corner, Xu Fei turned his head while running, exchanging information with his companion, completely unaware that his feet had been ensnared by something cold.
In the next second, Xu Fei was swiftly pulled upwards by a wire rig, soaring into the air. After a few seconds, accompanied by a muffled thud, he plummeted from the heights, landing first on his feet, which bent into an extremely bizarre shape. The momentum even caused him to stagger forward a couple of steps before collapsing limply onto the prepared green mat.
His eyes were wide open, the whites nearly three times larger than his pupils enhanced by contact lenses. Blood slowly oozed from his eye sockets, nose, and ears.
He convulsed a few times, biting down on a blood pack in his mouth, his lips moving as if trying to warn his companion. But before he could utter a word, prop blood gushed from his mouth instead. His body twisted and spasmed once more before falling silent.
“Excellent! Young man, congratulations on wrapping up!”
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