Due to a double blow to the box office and reputation, this movie had to end its run prematurely. Compared to its investment amount, the box office of 133 million seems like a joke.
After deducting theater splits and specific taxes, the final amount that could be distributed to the investors was pitifully small.
For ordinary investors, losing money might not be a big deal, but with Peak’s aggressive stance, it’s easy to imagine how much money Jiang Yu, Yu Qiuze, and Liu Yunlan could get.
These days, Jiang Yu’s life was like walking on a tightrope. He wakes up to countless debt collection calls, some from Peak, but mostly from Yu Qiuze and Liu Yunlan.
Unlike the chaos on Jiang Yu’s side, after watching the premiere of “Battle City 2,” Ye Zhou and Jiang Tingyuan stopped paying attention to this matter.
During the initial period after transmigration, Ye Zhou was wary of the protagonist’s shining halo. However, after living in the world of the book for so many years, Ye Zhou’s concerns about the plot had diminished.
Although he still pays some attention, it is no longer as intense as when he first transmigrated. His thoughts have changed significantly.
Instead of worrying about uncertain future events, it’s better to cherish the present and make every day meaningful for himself and those around him.
Ye Zhou thought that maybe this was the true meaning of his transmigration into the book.
Although this body in the book may be a cannon fodder character, Ye Zhou was well aware that he could control his own life. He was neither a supporting role in someone else’s story, nor a pawn to serve anyone else.
He is Ye Zhou, just Ye Zhou.
As long as he lived his own life well, why should he care about the fortune of the protagonist Jiang Yu? It was none of Ye Zhou’s concern.
In this way, there was nothing to worry about.
After the special effects were completed, the filming progress of the “The Most Beautiful” crew finally started to pick up, but this did not mean they could relax. The challenges brought by this film had just begun.
This crew was different from any crew Ye Zhou had been in before. The sense of urgency about time seemed to be ingrained in every crew member. Each shooting day after the start was a race against time, and no one dared to slack off.
In other crews, such high-intensity work would have led to complaints long ago. But from the start of filming to now, it had been almost half a year for “The Most Beautiful” crew, and not a single crew member had complained about the work pressure.
The reason was simple yet cruel.
Director Sang’s health had been deteriorating. At the beginning of the movie, he could sit behind the monitor with Ye Zhou to discuss the shooting content. But now, although he was still on set, most of his time was spent in a semi-conscious state.
Ye Zhou couldn’t bear to see this. He once suggested that Director Sang should go back to the hospital for proper treatment, as he could take care of the crew’s work. However, as he met Director Sang’s smiling eyes, the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
When Director Sang was still in good spirits, he had a conversation with Ye Zhou.
After days of rain, the night sky finally cleared up. The sky was exceptionally clean, with sparse stars shining down. The air carried a damp earthy scent from the rain.
On that night, Director Sang and Ye Zhou talked about many things, from stars to life, from life to movies, and finally to some funny stories in life.
Through this conversation with Director Sang, Ye Zhou gained a lot, not just in terms of the movie but also about life.
He came to understand Director Sang’s philosophy behind the movie, his persistence, and his dedication.
After their conversation that day, a few days later, Director Sang collapsed during a shoot and was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. Although his life was saved, he remained in a coma and showed no signs of waking up.
Director Sang’s collapse increased the pressure on Ye Zhou and the entire crew. The already tense atmosphere became even more urgent with the news of Director Sang’s condition from the hospital.
Without Director Sang’s guidance, Ye Zhou had to be extremely cautious and meticulous for every shot, sometimes staying up all night to ponder over a single shot.
Jiang Tingyuan noticed that Ye Zhou had lost weight since their last meeting and looked exhausted and unkempt. It was impossible not to worry, but instead of asking Ye Zhou directly or offering casual advice, Jiang Tingyuan’s concern was always straightforward and direct.
That evening, after the crew wrapped up for the day, almost everyone left the set except for Ye Zhou, who remained seated in his position without moving.
As he focused on reviewing the footage just captured on the monitor, his arm was suddenly touched, and he looked up to see his assistant who had a hesitant expression on his face.
“Do you need something? If you do, you can go ahead, you don’t need to mind me.” Ye Zhou spoke quickly and then lowered his head, refocusing his attention on the monitor.
The assistant shook his head, quickly glanced towards the entrance, and whispered, “Director Ye, Mr. Jiang is here.”
Ye Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then raised his head again, following the assistant’s gaze towards the entrance, where he indeed saw the familiar tall and slender figure standing there.
Feeling a bit flustered, Ye Zhou whispered to his assistant, “Stand in front of me a bit, help me stall him.”
The assistant nodded, and under Jiang Tingyuan’s cold gaze, he shifted his position little by little, standing in front of his boss, skillfully handling the pressure, which was quite heartwrenching.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Zhou quickly opened his phone’s camera app. When he saw his exhausted, unkempt face on the screen, he felt overwhelmed.
Due to the urgency of the situation, he didn’t have time to tidy up much. He quickly brushed off a large patch of dust from his military-green director’s vest, pressed down the unruly strand of hair on his forehead, and then stood up, mustering up his spirits to walk towards Mr. Jiang as if nothing was amiss.
Ye Zhou ran over quickly, but as he approached, Jiang Tingyuan managed to catch him in a firm embrace, not even retreating a step.
Since Director Sang’s collapse, Ye Zhou’s nerves had been on edge almost every day. Only when he saw Jiang Tingyuan could he find a moment of relaxation.
Ye Zhou had been extremely busy these days, and he didn’t want Jiang Tingyuan to see him in a disheveled state and worry about him. So, he told Jiang Tingyuan that he was busy lately and needed some time for closed shooting, feeling extremely guilty as he refused Jiang Tingyuan’s visit.
It had been almost a month since the last time the two had met, and to say that Ye Zhou didn’t miss him would be a lie. Ye Zhou almost greedily breathed in the faint woody scent emanating from Jiang Tingyuan’s body. Due to resting his head on Jiang Tingyuan’s chest, his voice sounded muffled.
“Why did you come, Jiang-ge?” Jiang Tingyuan let Ye Zhou hold him, stroking his slightly messy hair, and said unabashedly, “I wanted to see you.”
This simple statement made Ye Zhou’s nose tingle. He tightened his grip on Jiang Tingyuan’s narrow waist and rubbed his head against Jiang Tingyuan’s chest, resembling a pitiful little puppy trying to please its owner. Then, in a plaintive tone, he said, “I missed you too.”
This embrace lasted for what seemed like a few minutes until a slightly chaotic sound of footsteps from outside made Ye Zhou release Jiang Tingyuan and look toward the source of the noise.
At first, he didn’t pay attention, but when he did look, he was stunned by the scene in front of him.
A group of people appeared at the entrance of the set, at least twenty or thirty of them, each carrying various equipment. Due to the distance, Ye Zhou couldn’t make out exactly what they were carrying.
“This, this is…” Ye Zhou looked bewilderedly at Jiang Tingyuan and hesitantly asked, “Jiang-ge, do you know them?”
Jiang Tingyuan calmly nodded and said simply, “Yes, I do.”
“It was me who asked them to come.” With that said, Jiang Tingyuan held Ye Zhou’s hand and walked towards them.
As the distance between them decreased, Ye Zhou gradually saw clearly what these people were carrying. It looked familiar but he couldn’t recall the name. He vaguely remembered that he seemed to have seen it in the hospital. It should be a medical device?
His speculation was soon confirmed when the group finished moving all the equipment and assembling it. The man in a black shirt with glasses leading the group came up to them and said to Jiang Tingyuan, “Mr. Jiang, everything is ready.”
Jiang Tingyuan nodded and patted Ye Zhou’s shoulder, “Let’s go.”
Ye Zhou was completely puzzled, “Go where?”
Sensing Ye Zhou’s confusion, the man with glasses smiled gently and explained to him, “Mr. Jiang is concerned that the high-intensity work may harm your health, so he asked us to come and do a simple physical check-up for you.”
Ye Zhou: “???”
“Don’t worry, these are all very simple check-up items that won’t take up too much of your time.” With that, the man guided him to a table that had just been set up, skillfully put on gloves, and prepared a syringe.
He wasn’t lying indeed. The whole examination took just over half an hour. Ye Zhou’s emotions went from confusion to bewilderment to resignation.
Maybe rich people think in such peculiar ways.
After the group packed up and left, Ye Zhou looked at Jiang Tingyuan with a sense of despair and asked him, “Jiang-ge, don’t go through so much trouble next time, I can go to the hospital for a check-up by myself, really.”
Jiang Tingyuan remained unfazed, calmly stating, “It’s not troubling, it saves time.”
Ye Zhou: TAT
Are all you rich people so eccentric and inhumane!
Jiang Tingyuan’s arrival meant that Ye Zhou couldn’t continue working overtime on set. Knowing that overtime was futile, Ye Zhou obediently turned off the equipment and went to dinner with Jiang Tingyuan.
With Ye Zhou, a quirky character like a little bug, the crew’s meals were actually not bad. But fundamentally, there was a big difference between eating alone and eating with someone you like.
Jiang Tingyuan had always been cold and aloof to the outside world, but only Ye Zhou knew how caring he could be, and only Ye Zhou knew how lovable he could be.
After dinner, Jiang Tingyuan escorted Ye Zhou back to the hotel where the crew was staying.
Before parting ways, Jiang Tingyuan leaned against the car, watching Ye Zhou enter the hotel. He waited until Ye Zhou’s figure completely disappeared, and the light in his room turned on before driving away.
Seeing Ye Zhou’s haggard appearance today, did it not pain him? Of course, it did.
But because he knew clearly that it was something Ye Zhou liked and persevered in, Jiang Tingyuan wouldn’t interfere as long as Ye Zhou’s health wasn’t at risk. Even if it pained him, he wouldn’t try to stop Ye Zhou.
Loving Ye Zhou meant liking what he likes, loving what he loves, and respecting what he respects.
Love is like a gentle breeze, unrestrained, always by your side.
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