MMH Chapter 8

When He Jing entered the lounge, Director Lu was rubbing his bald head in distress.

Yesterday, after being questioned by Young Master Gu, Director Lu was terrified, fearing that the Ye family would vent their anger on him. He couldn’t sleep well all night. This morning, he woke up to the news that Hao Yunlong had been suppressed by his major financial backer, and the CEO of Jin Xin Technology was also in a precarious situation, desperately seeking help from the Ye family.

He worried for himself. Although he was a relatively famous director, how could he contend with the Ye family?

Deep in thought and with a furrowed brow, he looked up and saw a very handsome man walking in. Director Lu was somewhat surprised and also a bit amazed.

He didn’t know He Jing and assumed it was some small actor from the film and television city coming to self-promote.

From the perspective of his director’s eye, the young man before him had handsome features and an imposing aura befitting an elite. If placed in front of the camera, illuminated by lights, he would undoubtedly shine. Maybe not an instant sensation, but certainly enough to attract a group of fans.

Although troubled, as a director, he was delighted to see a promising talent. Director Lu smiled and greeted, “Do you want to act in a role in my drama?”

The young man glanced at him indifferently, “Hello, I am He Jing.”

Director Lu was stunned.

He Jing, the second-in-command of the Zhou family, known for his ruthless methods. It was said that in just ten years, he had swallowed at least twenty domestic and international mall giants controlled by the Zhou family.

Global giants…

He hadn’t expected He Jing to be so young.

Was He Jing sent by Zhou Nianyuan to stand up for the young master of the Ye family?

The central air conditioning in the lounge kept blowing cold air, but Director Lu’s forehead was sweating. He Jing came over in person, indicating that Zhou Nianyuan must be angry. Perhaps He Jing was sent to vent his anger for the young cousin. Director Lu immediately stood up and respectfully called, “Mr. He.”

He Jing’s attitude was warm, saying, “I’ve already handled yesterday’s matter.”

This sentence made Director Lu even more nervous. He kept apologizing, expressing that he genuinely didn’t know that Hao Yunlong was so audacious, daring to flirt around in his crew.

In reality, Director Lu had heard about Hao Yunlong’s extramarital affairs, especially considering he had a financial backer. However, he had reminded Hao Yunlong at the start of the shoot that his crew didn’t tolerate any nonsense. Hao Yunlong promised to behave, but who would have thought he’d act foolish so quickly?

This time, he kicked the iron plate directly, offending the young master of the Ye family.

He Jing silently listened to his apologies. Until Director Lu finished his rambling, his forehead sweating even more, He Jing spoke slowly, “Don’t let there be a next time.”

Director Lu immediately promised to discipline the crew.

He Jing didn’t linger much. He had conveyed his message, and Director Lu was tactful enough. That was sufficient.

He believed that Director Lu would pay close attention to Ye Ting’s safety in the future. Besides, he had left the Ye family’s driver and bodyguards behind to protect Ye Ting.

As he turned to leave, Director Lu suddenly stopped him, saying, “Mr. He, I will certainly take good care of Young Master Ye. Please convey my apologies to Mr. Zhou.”

He Jing raised an eyebrow.

Director Lu had misunderstood, thinking he was sent by Zhou Nianyuan.

He smiled faintly, saying, “Hmm, I will convey it, but today, I came to see the director on my own initiative.”

Director Lu was slightly stunned.

He Jing spoke slowly, “I am Ye Ting’s boyfriend.”

Boyfriend?

Director Lu felt like he just heard something extraordinary.

He hadn’t added Ye Ting as a friend, nor did he have He Jing on WeChat, so he naturally didn’t know about the shameless display of affection the two had put on their social media circles last night.

But he was well-versed in social etiquette. He immediately congratulated them and, remembering Gu Jingchen’s instructions, hesitated before saying, “Young Master Gu wants to cast the male second role to Young Master Ye. The male second and Young Master Ye look very alike, both born with a silver spoon in their mouths. I believe Young Master Ye can perform well… What do you think?”

Gu Jingchen had given him strict orders to persuade Ye Ting to take on the male second role. Since Mr. He was Young Master Ye’s boyfriend, Director Lu thought it was necessary to inform him first. In case Ye Ting agreed but He Jing opposed, that would be troublesome.

After all, neither He Jing nor Ye Ting needed to earn hard-earned money from the film set.

He Jing lowered his gaze and said, “Ask him. See what he thinks.”

Though the tone was plain, Director Lu felt like he had just taken a bite of dog food. “Alright, I’ll ask Young Master Ye’s opinion first.”

***

Ye Ting had finished his corpse makeup and was waiting for the director to call him.

The makeup room was a shared space for extras. Despite the air conditioning being on, the room was still filled with various sweaty odors due to the summer heat.

When Director Lu entered the makeup room, he wrinkled his nose at the suffocating air.

He spotted Young Master Ye sitting in the corner chatting with someone, laughing freely but sitting very upright. In reality, he was a quite well-behaved kid.

Moreover, Ye Ting’s appearance was outstandingly beautiful, and playing the male second role would be more than suitable for him.

According to Director Lu’s judgment, compared to that fool Hao Yunlong, this kid was more delicate and photogenic.

Xu Xin and a group of classmates were chatting and laughing with Ye Ting. When Director Lu entered, they immediately sat up straight, eagerly looking at the director.

Who wouldn’t want to make an impression in front of the director? If the director took notice, even playing a minor role would be a gain. After all, this film was considered a group performance, and there were many opportunities for smaller roles.

Director Lu was very friendly, nodding and smiling at the extras, finally stopping in front of Ye Ting.

All eyes turned to Ye Ting.

Ye Ting remembered that the director had helped his cousin set him up, and he was a bit annoyed. However, thinking about the director’s gift of the presidential suite, his anger dissipated instantly.

The presidential suite held sweet memories for him and Jing-ge, so he thought the director’s gift was thoughtful and gave the director a smile.

Director Lu knew that Ye Ting didn’t want to reveal his identity, so he spoke in a casual tone, saying, “Come here, I have something to tell you.”

The eyes of the extras became even more intense, looking at Ye Ting with surprise and suspicion.

Ye Ting was oblivious, got up, and followed Director Lu.

However, Xu Xin grabbed him, “Did you offend the director?”

Seeing her worried about him, Ye Ting was touched, “Don’t worry, nothing will happen!”

If Director Lu caused trouble for him, he would complain to He Jing!

With He Jing’s capabilities, he didn’t believe the director would dare to act recklessly.

Inside the director’s lounge, Director Lu’s attitude immediately changed. With a very gentle and somewhat ingratiating tone, he said, “Young Master, regarding the incident with Hao Yunlong last night, the crew also bears a significant responsibility, and I apologize to you.”

So, it turned out he came to apologize.

Ye Ting didn’t blame the crew or Director Lu. Every kind of person could be found in a film crew, and the director couldn’t possibly take care of everything. Moreover, it was Hao Yunlong’s fault, unrelated to others. He waved his hand casually, “I’m not angry, it has nothing to do with you.”

Seeing him being straightforward, Director Lu actually had a higher opinion of him.

Although this young master from the Ye family was a bit spoiled, he was a reasonable and good kid. Director Lu carefully examined Ye Ting, finding him more and more suitable for the male second role.

This was a martial arts and fantasy drama. The male second role silently protected the female lead with deep affection, although somewhat cliché, it was a likable character. Otherwise, Hao Yunlong wouldn’t have invested money to join the cast and compete for the role.

Initially, Director Lu thought Hao Yunlong looked good, and his acting skills were acceptable, coupled with the backing of Jin Xin Technology, so he decided to cast Hao Yunlong as the male second.

However, upon closer inspection, he felt that Ye Ting naturally exuded an aristocratic aura, with every move and gesture displaying the demeanor of a young master.

In the script, the male second was also from a prestigious family, described as ‘a young master as peerless as jade on the street, a long sword on his back, wandering the world as a chivalrous hero.’

Ye Ting’s straightforward personality also had a touch of free and easy charm.

Director Lu was even more satisfied. He tentatively said, “Since Hao Yunlong has been expelled from the crew, and there is currently no male second in the script, I think you are very suitable… I wonder if you’re interested in giving it a try?”

Ye Ting’s eyes rolled, “Did Chen-ge ask you to come and talk to me?”

Last night, when Gu Jingchen apologized to him, he had also asked him to play the male second role and even allowed him to set his own pay.

He didn’t need the money, but he liked acting. Now that such a good opportunity had presented itself, he was quite interested.

Director Lu saw his interest and tried to convince him, “I think you are very suitable. Your acting skills are excellent. When you played the corpse yesterday, it was different from others, more soulful and profound…”

Complimenting someone costs nothing, and Director Lu believed he could send compliments to the sky!

Ye Ting is very confident in his acting skills. He has been a drama enthusiast since childhood, always able to deceive his cousins at home.

He patted his chest and said, “Of course, my acting skills are definitely better than that silly idiot Hao Yunlong!”

Director Lu: “…”

Alright, Young Master Ye’s confidence doesn’t need his rainbow farts at all.

He asked with a smile, “So, is that a yes from you?”

Ye Ting didn’t answer immediately but asked, “How long will it take?”

He and the older man had just started dating… No, the older man had only agreed to let him pursue him; they hadn’t officially become a couple yet. He didn’t want to be apart from the older man for too long.

Director Lu, being an experienced person, naturally understood. He said, “The role of the male second is quite substantial, at least two and a half months.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Ting pouted.

Two months! What if the older man forgets about him during this time? What if he changes his mind and doesn’t let him pursue him anymore?

Director Lu pretended not to see his disappointment and continued with a smile, “But we don’t need to shoot every day. Sometimes it’s only half a day of work. If you ever miss home, you can go back anytime. The crew can arrange leave, and the film city is not far from Haicheng.”

Ye Ting, upon hearing this, felt instantly revived.

As long as it doesn’t delay him in pursuing He Jing, it’s fine.

He was about to nod when he suddenly thought of something and said, “I need to ask my boyfriend.”

Director Lu, aware that he was referring to He Jing, feigned curiosity, “Young Master already has a boyfriend?”

Ye Ting sweetly smiled, not hiding anything, “Yes.”

Actually, he felt a bit guilty because He Jing hadn’t officially agreed to his pursuit yet.

He lowered his head to send a message to He Jing: [Jing-ge, what do you think of me playing the male second?]

In just a few seconds, he received He Jing’s reply: [Good.]

While most people would be happy with such a quick response, Ye Ting felt a bit sad. Although He Jing didn’t show any reluctance to him playing the male second, he also didn’t express any reluctance to him being away for two and a half months, which made Ye Ting a bit unhappy.

Ye Ting (thinking): [If I play the male second, I’ll have to stay in the crew for two and a half months! What if I miss you?]

He Jing’s reply came quickly again: [I’ll come see you.]

Simple words, yet they felt like the sweetest honey.

Ye Ting smiled foolishly, staring at those four words over and over again.

This older man could be dangerously romantic.

After a moment of foolish laughter, he replied with a row of kissing emojis, put away his phone, and said to the director, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

Director Lu looked at him with satisfaction, feeling a bit envious; young love always seemed so sweet and beautiful.

Thinking that he had fulfilled the task for Young Master Gu, he was quite pleased, “I’ve already prepared the contract; you can have your family review it first.”

The contract was given to him by Gu Jingchen, and the remuneration amount could be filled in as desired.

Ye Ting nodded, paused for a moment, and suddenly asked, “If I’m not playing the corpse anymore, what should we do about the missing person for the corpse role?”

Director Lu was puzzled, not understanding his point. Film cities always had an abundance of extras; they could easily find someone to replace him.

He said, “I’ll have someone find a replacement.”

But Ye Ting said, “Can I invite my classmate to take the role?”

Director Lu had no reason to refuse the young master’s request to bring in a classmate. He readily agreed, “Of course, you can bring in as many classmates as you want.”

Ye Ting added, “…just one.”

He was extremely delighted and warmly called his classmate, the first words being: [Xiao Yanzi, come make some money!]

 

Author’s note:

Xiao Yanzi is making an appearance~ Second CP, celebrate~

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