Kofi bonus chapter
Ye Zhou immediately lowered his hand, raising it over his head in a surrendering gesture, still muttering softly, “Danger! Danger! Danger!”
Zhu Ning’s eyes were red, but he didn’t understand what was going on. “Huh?”
However, soon, he noticed Jiang Tingyuan at the door under Ye Zhou’s frowning and winking. Even though Zhu Ning had seen Mr. Jiang several times because of Ye Zhou, he still felt an instinctive fear every time he saw him.
Especially when Zhu Ning thought about the embrace he and Ye Zhou had shared earlier, he trembled immediately.
Ye Zhou coughed lightly and greeted Mr. Jiang with a beaming smile, “Jiang-ge, you’re here. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I still have one last scene to shoot, and then we can go for dinner after I’m done.”
Afraid that Mr. Jiang might say something, Ye Zhou immediately signaled the assistant director after finishing his words. The assistant director instantly understood and grabbed the loudspeaker, shouting, “Alright, everyone, no more resting. Let’s give it our all for the last scene so we can wrap up early today. Hurry up!”
Seeing this, Ye Zhou immediately slipped into character, shrugging apologetically at Jiang Tingyuan, “You see, Jiang-ge, we’re starting now. Why don’t you go and rest over there for a bit? This scene isn’t difficult, so it should be done quickly.”
Jiang Tingyuan knew Ye Zhou too well to miss his little scheme, but he was aware that Ye Zhou and Zhu Ning were friends, so he wouldn’t misunderstand the situation. Even if they were strangers, Jiang Tingyuan would still listen to Ye Zhou’s explanation first. His age, experience, and temperament prevented him from losing his composure or embarrassing Ye Zhou over this matter.
As for being jealous, it was merely Mr. Jiang’s mischievous tendencies without an outlet. Most of the time, he was just teasing Ye Zhou because Ye Zhou’s expressions were genuinely entertaining.
Upon hearing Ye Zhou’s words, Jiang Tingyuan nodded and went to the resting area with Zhu Ning, sitting down to watch Ye Zhou shoot the scene.
This scene wasn’t particularly challenging, and after several months of working together, Ye Zhou thought that even if they didn’t nail it in one take, it shouldn’t be too difficult.
However, who would have thought that despite the simplicity of the scene, someone kept dropping the ball, causing numerous NG takes, and it had already been over two hours without a successful take.
Initially, Ye Zhou was in a good mood, but no matter how patient a director might be, it’s difficult to control one’s temper when faced with actors’ sloppy and clearly out-of-focus performances.
“Fear, do you understand fear? You’re about to die, and you still have the nerve to space out? Do you even know what you’re doing? You’re supposed to be running for your life, not standing like a statue. What are you doing?”
Ye Zhou forcefully suppressed his anger as he watched the monitor. Even though he rarely lost his temper on set and appeared easygoing when interacting harmoniously with the crew, this didn’t mean Ye Zhou had no temper.
In fact, the more even-tempered a person is, the more frightening they become when they finally lose their cool.
Seeing Ye Zhou visibly restraining his fury, the entire set fell deathly silent, and his assistant and the other actors nearby were too scared to even breathe, fearing they might become the next target.
Ironically, while everyone else sensed Ye Zhou’s anger, the actress on set remained obliviously lost in her own thoughts.
Ye Zhou laughed bitterly and threw the script at her feet, making a dull thud that startled her, causing her to jump aside and finally snap out of her daze.
“If you don’t want to act, just say so. I’ll replace you. What skill is it to waste everyone’s time? Accounting, settle her payment and let her go.”
An ordinary director wouldn’t have the confidence to replace an actor so casually, but Ye Zhou didn’t hesitate. Not only was he the director of ‘Thriller Circus,’ but also an investor in the film.
He wasn’t just threatening to fire the actress; he meant it.
The actress pleaded, trying to get Ye Zhou to change his mind, but seeing his unwavering resolve, she panicked.
Tears streamed down her face, and logically, she should have apologized to the director, but instead, she ran towards the resting area where Jiang Tingyuan was seated.
After realizing the reason for her distracted state that afternoon, Ye Zhou curled his lip but didn’t spare her another glance. He casually pointed to a familiar extra, saying curtly, “You, replace her.”
The chosen extra froze for a moment before quickly responding, “Yes, Director Ye.”
Everything happened so fast that many people were still focused on the previous actress and hadn’t caught up.
Ye Zhou massaged his brow and said nonchalantly, “Where’s the makeup artist? Take her for touch-ups. Props, reset everything. Everyone else, take a ten-minute break.”
He glanced at the woman being held back by Mr. Jiang’s bodyguards and sneered, “Miss Gu, I advise you to focus on your job before trying to lure rich men next time. We’re in a different era now; successful men aren’t falling for the fragile damsel act anymore.”
“Do you know what’s popular these days?” Ye Zhou asked.
The actress was so ridiculed that she couldn’t even cry properly, her pearly teeth nearly bitten through. If she didn’t need to maintain her image in front of Mr. Jiang, she would have lashed out at Ye Zhou in anger.
The entertainment industry’s hierarchy was brutally divided, and the treatment of actors at the bottom was extremely poor. Was it wrong for her to want to climb up? Even if she was mocked for clinging to someone now, this era laughed at the poor, not the promiscuous. If she could use this opportunity to hook up with Jiang Tingyuan, her future would be smooth sailing. Who would dare laugh at her then?
With this thought, the actress relaxed her expression and filled her eyes with tears again, looking at Ye Zhou as if greatly wronged, about to speak.
Ye Zhou laughed again and sighed, “Seeing your state, let me enlighten you out of kindness and accumulate some virtue.”
“Nowadays, the trend is the independent and self-reliant type. Don’t believe me? Ask him.” Ye Zhou smiled at Mr. Jiang, “Right, Mr. Jiang?”
A smile appeared on Jiang Tingyuan’s previously icy expression as he met Ye Zhou’s gaze and affirmed, “Right.”
“I like independent people.” After a thought, Jiang Tingyuan added, “Strong initiative, unique style, independent thinking, optimistic and positive attitude. It’s okay to have a bit of a naughty temper. That way life will be interesting.”
“Preferably someone in the entertainment industry.”
When Mr. Jiang finished that sentence, the light in her eyes that had dimmed after his previous affirmation suddenly rekindled, “I-I can be independent!”
As Jiang Tingyuan’s gaze fell on her, he flatly stated, “Not an actress.”
The newly sparked light in the actress’s eyes was immediately extinguished by his words, her heart turning ice-cold as she mentally cursed the president.
Right? Right, my ass! If she was truly independent, why would she need a sugar daddy? Wouldn’t that make her an independent, self-employed woman?
He didn’t want an actress? What did actresses ever do to him? What’s wrong with being an actress? Was there some professional discrimination against keeping a mistress? Was he insane?
Meanwhile, not far away, Ye Zhou: “……”
He originally intended to tease Mr. Jiang a little, but who could have anticipated that the usually reticent and introverted Jiang Tingyuan would turn the tables and tease him instead?
Listen! Listen to what he said!
This…this was too embarrassing.
Ye Zhou averted his gaze from Jiang Tingyuan’s unabashed stare and lowered his head to drink some water to conceal his embarrassment. However, the naive Ye Zhou should never have chosen to drink water at such a time.
The consequence of drinking water was that when he saw Mr. Jiang silently mouth a sentence to him, Ye Zhou was so startled that he choked on his water, coughing until his face turned red.
To prevent Mr. Jiang from saying anything else shocking, Ye Zhou turned and grabbed the loudspeaker: “Is makeup ready? If so, hurry out. If not, speed it up. It’s getting late, so let’s finish shooting quickly and go for dinner early.”
“And all the teams, don’t just stand around. Prepare what needs to be prepared. Ensure the equipment is set up properly. As soon as the actors are ready, we’ll start immediately.”
Jiang Tingyuan looked at him with a smile, his expression showing no displeasure, only an undisguised indulgence.
The actress shuddered involuntarily when she looked at him. She completely gave up on the idea of pursuing Mr. Jiang.
To be precise, although this actress lost some composure upon seeing Mr. Jiang, she was fundamentally quite rational. Realizing there was no hope on Jiang Tingyuan’s side, she immediately turned and hurried towards Ye Zhou.
She was about to kneel when Ye Zhou quickly pulled her up, just in time to prevent an unsightly scene.
This actress was quite shameless. As soon as she realized she couldn’t rely on Jiang Tingyuan, she immediately turned to beg Ye Zhou. If Ye Zhou had allowed her to kneel, it would undoubtedly have been a difficult situation to resolve.
With so many people on set, who could guarantee that no one would secretly take photos and spread them online? If the media maliciously twisted it, Ye Zhou’s reputation would be tarnished, but more importantly, it could negatively impact the film.
If the situation worsened and someone with ill intentions found this actress, based on her performance today, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t fabricate slanderous lies about the crew for publicity.
If Ye Zhou was merely angry at her distracted acting and her attempts to cling to Jiang Tingyuan earlier, her kneeling gesture had thoroughly infuriated him.
Is this an apology? Like hell, it is! This is an outright threat. Seeing that Ye Zhou usually had a good temper, she deliberately put him in a difficult position in front of all these people.
Whether Ye Zhou agreed to keep or fire her, it was a no-win situation. Keeping her meant Ye Zhou went back on his word, damaging his authority in the crew. If he insisted on firing her, his authority was preserved, but he would inevitably come across as heartless.
Ye Zhou grabbed her arm and pulled her up, smiling wryly as he looked straight into her eyes. “Miss Gu, what are you doing?”
“What do you think this set is? What do you think the crew members are? And what position have you placed me, the director, in?”
“From the studio to the equipment, technology, and labor, do you know how much it costs per day? It’s 150,000 yuan, and the time you wasted this afternoon alone would make firing you for 50,000 yuan a bargain.”
“The entire crew of over a hundred people had to accompany you in wasting three hours because of your distraction. Those who should have eaten couldn’t eat, and those who should have rested couldn’t rest. Everyone has to pay for your mistake.”
Fearing she might try something else, Ye Zhou firmly pushed her onto a chair, expressionless. “Ask yourself, did you treat the crew as colleagues this afternoon?”
“Let me answer for you. No, you didn’t. You only saw all of us as stepping stones for your attempts to lure a rich man. Our entire crew became a tool for you to pursue that.”
“Now that you know there’s no chance of that, you want forgiveness and to rejoin the crew. What right do you have to demand that forgiveness? You don’t deserve it from us.”
Ye Zhou paused and slowly said, “I’m not your parent; I have neither the right nor the obligation to lecture you. You have the right to pursue your desired life, and that’s your business. I should not interfere.”
“But please do your job properly the next time you try something like this.”
” Today’s incident won’t leave this set. Our working relationship ends here. You’re on your own from now on.”
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