Jiang Tingyuan’s voice was very soft. As light as a feather touching the ground, it made Ye Zhou’s heart skip a beat.
He opened and closed his mouth, wanting to say something, but found his mind suddenly blank, as if he had lost the ability to speak.
For some reason, Ye Zhou thought back to that night a few months ago, under the cold moonlight, and that fleeting kiss.
If there was someone next to Ye Zhou right now, they would clearly see that his originally fair earlobes were gradually turning red.
“Focus on filming, I’ll take care of this matter.” Jiang Tingyuan’s tone was gentle and reassuring.
And Ye Zhou was indeed reassured. His originally few grievances vanished instantly with these words.
After hanging up the phone, Ye Zhou realized that his mood was miraculously even better than before.
The assistant director looked at Ye Zhou apprehensively, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Seeing his expression, Ye Zhou curiously asked, “Lao1The prefix “老” (lao) carries a connotation of age, experience, and often endearment or respect. It is commonly used before a person’s surname or occupation to imply that they are seasoned or well-versed in their respective domain, or as a sign of familiarity and affection. Unlike “姐” (jie) or “哥” (ge), which indicate an older sister or brother respectively, “老” (lao) does not specify a family relationship but rather an acknowledgment of one’s stature often due to age or experience. Zhao, what’s wrong? Don’t tell me another actor is quitting?”
The assistant director reacted quickly, immediately shaking his head and tentatively saying, “No, no, I’m just worried about you. Director Ye, are you okay? If not, you should go back and rest first, leave things here to me.”
“No need, I’m fine.” Ye Zhou gave a big smile to indicate he should not worry.
This made the assistant director even more concerned. After all, he had seen many people being hacked since he joined the industry, but he had never seen anyone being hacked like this and still laughing.
While he was crestfallen, Ye Zhou had already sorted out his emotions and quickly got back to work.
Picking up a megaphone to his side, he shouted for a meeting. Not long after, almost all the actors and crew on site had gathered.
Ye Zhou’s gaze swept over everyone as he announced in a loud voice, “Has everyone seen the hot search on Weibo? If not, quickly check your phones.”
“After looking, if anyone wants to leave, you can go directly. Crew members who leave can go to the finance department to settle their previous wages. Actors who have signed a contract and want to leave will not be charged liquidated damages today.”
After he finished speaking, the set fell completely silent.
After about two minutes, a tall, thin man wearing a black cap suddenly stood up, apologized to Ye Zhou, and left the crew.
Following his lead, five or six more people also left, most of whom were actors contracted earlier.
Ye Zhou was a bit surprised, this number was far less than he had expected.
Worried that someone didn’t hear clearly, he reminded again, “Remember, if you want to leave, you will not be charged a penalty if you leave today. If you don’t go today and want to leave later, you’ll have to pay.”
‘Pfft.’ Amid the brief silence, a sudden laugh sounded.
Ye Zhou looked in the direction of the laughter and found that the one laughing was actually the veteran actor standing at the back.
Liu Ruihua held a glass in his hand, with a layer of floating red goji berries and unknown Chinese medicine. He blew on it and slowly took a sip before lazily saying, “Director Ye, I’ve been playing supporting roles for so many years, and it’s not easy for me to finally play the lead. Don’t chase me away now.”
Ye Zhou was clearly stunned for a moment before reacting. He quickly shook his head and denied, “No, I’d be thrilled if you stayed. How could I chase you away?”
He was just…well, he was just dumbfounded by this veteran’s style.
It is said that men have a second spring at forty, and Liu Ruihua was only in his early forties, still considered in his prime in the entertainment industry. Yet he had already started drinking goji berry health tea.
He was just too laidback.
Just then, another gentle voice sounded.
“Director Ye, let me stay too. I don’t eat much, so I won’t be a burden on the crew.”
Ye Zhou looked over to find Xie Gefei, the future Best Actor, looking at him pitifully, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
“Me too, Director Ye, let me stay. My appetite is very small!”
“If you have a big appetite, you can’t stay? Fine, I’ll try to eat less from now on.”
“I also have a small appetite, but Director Ye, I strongly recommend a balanced diet of meat and vegetables for health.”
“Director Ye, let me stay. I’ll bring my own meals to the set!”
“Don’t fight me for this. I grew up drinking dew. I don’t need to eat. Pick me, Director Ye, I’m the best!”
Before Ye Zhou could respond, the set suddenly became lively, with everyone chiming in sentences. He couldn’t find a chance to interrupt.
Hearing the content of their discussion, Ye Zhou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. While feeling warmth in his heart, he also started to feel melancholy.
How was he supposed to explain that appetite size wasn’t the issue here!
Just as the heated debate was turning into a brawl due to disagreements, Ye Zhou cleared his throat and picked up the megaphone. “Everyone be quiet! Quiet!”
Everyone stopped their actions at once and looked at Ye Zhou.
Ye Zhou grinned, showing a mouthful of small white teeth, and said breezily, “Go ahead and eat. It’s my treat!”
The current ignorant Ye Zhou did not yet know how much this sentence would cost him in the future.
Many years later, whenever someone mentioned Director Ye Zhou, the first thing that came to mind was not his works but that the food on his sets was amazing and super delicious!
Many actors and crew went through great difficulties to get into Ye Zhou’s crews, not because he was exceptionally brilliant, but because…the food on his sets was really delicious!
Amid the cheers, footsteps suddenly sounded outside. Ye Zhou looked and found that, at some point, a baby-faced youth had appeared behind them.
When their eyes met, the baby-faced young man also bared his teeth in a grin and asked cheerfully, “Can I eat together too?”
Ye Zhou: ……
Young man, who are you?
Country bumpkin Ye Zhou didn’t recognize him, but some of the crew did.
The girl who had just claimed to have grown up drinking dew jumped up with a scream when she saw the visitor clearly: “Zhu Ning!!”
Seeing her excitement, she was clearly Zhu Ning’s diehard fan.
Hearing this name, Ye Zhou finally matched the face to the name in the original book.
Zhu Ning, a future top celebrity who could cause Weibo’s servers to crash every time he posted something.
Of course, it wasn’t that exaggerated yet. According to the storyline, Zhu Ning debuted less than a year ago, didn’t have many works yet, but was already showing signs of becoming a top star.
He just needed one hugely successful work to propel him up.
While Ye Zhou was lost in thought, a pale hand suddenly appeared in front of him.
Ye Zhou looked up to see the youth beaming at him.
“Hello, I’m Zhu Ning. Jiang-ge asked me to help out. Nice to meet you. Please guide me.”
Author’s note:
Ye Zhou: Kneel down to the boss. The boss is awesome! ○|￣|_
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