Chapter 71 Getting Caught in the Crossfire [VIP]

Chapter Summary: A huge black pot fell from the sky.

More than a week later.

That evening.

Mu Zhi was going to film a scene where one of the female lead's suitors came to the backstage of the nightclub, offering her a necklace, gemstones, and flowers, showering her with attention, but she politely declined.

You Zhou, the actor playing the fourth male lead, rushed to the set.

The agent next to me looks familiar.

Mu Zhi remembered that it was Chai Wu, the agent of 1Malaysia Media.

Back then, through Liu Cai's introduction, she had a meal with this agent, Chai, and almost got a free meal from him.

The circle is a bit narrow.

When Chai Wu saw Mu Zhi, he didn't show much surprise on his face.

In fact, when the artist he managed landed the fourth male lead role in the spy drama "The Edge of the Blade," he already knew that the female lead was played by Mu Zhi.

Because the dinner with Mu Zhi didn't end very well, I had some concerns: if Mu Zhi found out that the fourth male lead was an artist he managed, would she try to sabotage the production team and get him replaced?

Fortunately, I joined the group smoothly.

I was mentally prepared to say goodbye before I even joined the crew.

However, when Chai Wu saw Mu Zhi again, he pretended to be calm, but his eyes still revealed his amazement.

It was the first time they had met, and the person sitting in front of him was a little girl he could easily manipulate.

The woman before me, Mu Zhi, was wearing a magnolia-white cheongsam today. The smooth, fine silk shimmered with an elegant luster, clear and lustrous. Her figure was graceful, fair and beautiful, and she seemed to be glowing.

She was holding a script and looking down at it, with three staff members standing beside her.

After becoming famous, it seems that fame really does have a positive effect on one's appearance; they look quite like big stars.

In just one year, she went from being an unknown nobody to becoming one of the most popular young actresses.

The red one is moving at a speed like a rocket.

While Chai Wu regretted not signing Mu Zhi back then, he was also worried that Mu Zhi might hold a grudge or make things difficult for the actors he was working with on set.

Mu Zhi glanced at Chai Wu and then looked away.

The fourth male actor, You Zhou, came over to greet her and show his goodwill.

Mu Zhi smiled warmly and greeted the other person with "Hello."

As for Chai Wu, since the other party didn't greet her, she pretended not to see him.

That incident about eating is long gone.

Chai Wu: ...Seeing that Mu Zhi didn't seem to care about him.

He thought to himself: Maybe this important person has a bad memory and might not even remember me? So he decided not to approach them and risk reminding them instead.

Xu Min, the living encyclopedia of the industry, gave Mu Zhi a brief introduction to Youzhou.

"He was the top student in the acting department of Sichuan Film Academy and just graduated last year."

"It turns out they signed with 1MDB."

So he's a newly trained actor; his acting skills must be pretty good?

Before filming began.

When Mu Zhi was acting with You Zhou, she noticed that You Zhou was not in good condition. He had obvious dark circles under his eyes, and his face looked tired even with makeup.

He plays a smug and arrogant playboy who comes to present gifts to the female lead with a smug look on his face, hoping to win the beauty's favor.

However, You Zhou looked like he had kidney deficiency, like a weak scholar who had just escaped from the clutches of a female ghost.

"You don't seem to be in very good spirits. Should you talk to Director Pan and ask us to postpone the scene so you can rest before filming?"

You Zhou patted his face, trying to clear his somewhat sluggish mind, and quickly said that he was fine: "I'm okay, the makeup artist can touch up my makeup in a bit."

Director Pan Yan came over to give the actors instructions and also asked You Zhou about the scene.

"Didn't you get enough rest?"

"Will the performance be alright in a little while?"

You Zhou hurriedly assured him, "Director Pan, don't worry, I'm fine. I'll rest for a while and then we'll start filming again, there won't be any problems."

Pan Yan thought that You Zhou's performance during the audition was quite good, so he nodded and told him to adjust his mindset.

After rehearsing the scene for a while, we were told to take a 10-minute break before filming began.

When the actual filming begins.

Youzhou's condition was much better than when he was acting.

If it were a typical director, they would probably have let the actors' performances pass.

However, Pan Yan has high standards and has stated that the post-production of "The Edge of the Blade" will not use heavy filters on the actors, meaning that the actors' facial appearance will be clearly visible to the audience, such as pimples, dark circles, eye bags, and especially the tiredness in their eyes.

The character is in a very excited and agitated emotional state, while the actor himself looks tired and sleepy.

"Card."

"Cut, one more."

"Cut, 10-minute break."

The director kept calling out "NG" for You Zhou.

He quickly apologized, "Director Pan, I'm so sorry, please give me another chance. I'll definitely do better next time..."

Pan Yan patted You Zhou on the shoulder: "Don't push yourself, go back and get some sleep."

After saying that, he instructed the crew members around him to film the scenes listed on the call sheet first.

Originally, after filming the scene between Mu Zhi and You Zhou, which was also in this backstage scene, we were going to film the scene between Mu Zhi and the third female lead.

There's no need to rearrange the scene.

Therefore, Pan Yan made a decisive decision and stopped wasting time.

Seeing Youzhou's dejected and frustrated look, Mu Zhi could understand that being constantly called out for NG by the director on the first day of filming would definitely lead to self-doubt.

He offered a word of comfort: "President Pan has very high standards for actors' performances. Taking a NG (no take) is not shameful; the key is to find the problems in your performance. If you're not in good form today, don't force yourself."

"Come back and take the photos tomorrow."

As soon as filming began, You Zhou's agent, Chai Wu, went away to answer a phone call. When he returned, he sensed that something was off about the atmosphere on set.

Having overheard Mu Zhi's conversation with You Zhou, he subjectively concluded that Mu Zhi was deliberately making things difficult for You Zhou.

Chai Wu stepped forward to defend his artist, saying to Mu Zhi, "We rushed straight to the film set as soon as we got off the plane, like horses that dared not stop, for fear of delaying filming..."

Upon hearing this, the assistant director rolled his eyes inwardly, wanting to curse him as an idiot.

We didn't arrive in Shanghai a day in advance to prepare for today's filming.

Instead, they rushed to Shanghai today and still have the nerve to talk?

No wonder the actor looked exhausted.

The production team of "The Edge of the Blade" required all actors to attend the opening ceremony and remain on set. You Zhou attended the ceremony but claimed to be unwell and took sick leave.

Since his scenes were scheduled for a week later, and the actor was not feeling well, he was granted leave.

As a result of this invitation, he was away from the film crew for more than a week.

The so-called "illness" was actually a guest appearance on a film set in Hengcheng.

The assistant director didn't hold back with Chai Wu, directly criticizing him in a harsh tone: "If an actor is not in good condition, it will affect not only his co-stars, but also the entire crew's filming schedule."

You Zhou turned to signal his agent to stop talking.

He apologized again to the director and others, saying that he would definitely come to the set in the best condition tomorrow.

Director Pan Yan gently reminded You Zhou to take a rest.

The actress playing the third female lead has arrived at the scene.

Filming continues...

When Chai Wu and You Zhou left the film set, they ran into Ji Binghe.

Based on the direction behind Ji Binghe, Chai Wu deduced that she had come from Mu Zhi's RV.

He must have gone to take care of something.

They were unaware of what had just happened on set.

Chai Wu was still clear-headed and dared not offend the director.

However, he subconsciously believed that Mu Zhi had a personal grudge against You Zhou during the filming of their scenes together, so he wanted to give Mu Zhi a warning.

Or perhaps he didn't want to admit that he was still holding a grudge about splitting the bill at the last meal and wanted to get revenge.

He manages a third-tier artist who is more famous than Mu Zhi.

What makes Mu Zhi so arrogant?

Ji Binghe was walking when You Zhou suddenly stopped her and said he wanted to talk about something.

She didn't know this person at all.

Let's talk about something related to Teacher Mu.

What about Muzhi?

Ji Binghe listened to Chai Wu's long and rambling preamble until her patience ran out, and finally he got to the point.

"Teacher Mu initially intended to leave Xinghe Culture and contacted several talent agencies, including Yima Media. I met with Teacher Mu privately and had dinner together. Unexpectedly, she ended up signing with Lanxing Media, with Director Ji managing her..."

"You said you wanted to talk to me about Mu Zhi, is that all?"

Ji Binghe didn't take it seriously. Isn't it normal for artists to contact several companies when they want to re-sign with them? You have to compare prices before buying something.

"Are you done talking?"

Chai Wu nodded blankly.

Ji Binghe said she had other things to do and left.

When Mu Zhi finished filming and was taking a break...

Ji Binghe told Mu Zhi about it directly, asking Mu Zhi if there was any personal grudge between her and Chai Wu.

Mu Zhi thought about it seriously for a moment, then looked puzzled: "I was very poor back then."

He ordered a ton of food and wanted me to pay, but I insisted on splitting the bill. Does that count?

Ji Binghe: "......" I want to dedicate a song to Chai Wu: What Kind of Man Is He?

Remind Mu Zhi to be careful of this petty and narrow-minded man.

"I'm going back to Beicheng tomorrow."

Filming for "The Edge of the Blade" has been underway for over a week.

Yin Xiuran and Mu Zhi don't need managers around to take care of them, such as waking them up, helping them negotiate with the production team when there are problems during filming, or reminding them to prepare for tomorrow's filming.

They handled everything themselves.

She also has a team to take care of her.

If there's anything we need to discuss with the production team later, just contact us by phone.

Ji Binghe's trip back to Beicheng was for two reasons. First, the premiere of Liu Rui's movie was the day after tomorrow, and she needed to go back to Beicheng to help keep an eye on things. Second, she had to take care of the promotional matters after the movie's release.

Secondly, there's Xia Xinyan's side. This year, Owl held a talent show called "Chasing the Light Girl 2" and invited Xia Xinyan to be a mentor.

Recording will begin in a couple of days.

The next morning.

No sooner had Ji Binghe left the film crew than negative news about Mu Zhi surfaced online.

Is it because something happened on set yesterday that it went viral, or is it because the truth has been distorted?

#Muzhi exposed for acting like a diva on set#, a huge accusation has fallen from the sky.

An insider on set revealed that last night, Mu Zhi was dissatisfied with the performance of her co-star You Zhou and told him to come back tomorrow, refusing to film anymore and demanding that the crew change the scene to one with another actor.

Mu Zhi has been accused of becoming arrogant and acting like a diva on set after her new drama became a hit.

A blurry picture was attached.

The video was taken when Mu Zhi and You Zhou were talking, and it was misinterpreted as Mu Zhi scolding the actor.

Actually, the shooting distance was a bit far, so you couldn't see people's expressions at all.

Minmin was furious when she saw this!

"Who is it! To blatantly spread rumors and call black white! So despicable!"

Ji Binghe saw the trending topic at the airport and immediately changed her flight to the next one.

I plan to resolve this matter at the airport before flying.

The first thing to do is to reduce the negative trending topics.

They then contacted the production team and immediately issued a statement to clarify the situation.

Statement issued by the production team of "The Edge of the Blade":

An actor's performance was not in good form, so after discussing it with him, the director told him to go home and rest and to film again the next day. Instead, they filmed the scenes that were part of the announcement.

Yesterday's call sheet has been posted to prove that the filming took place backstage that night, and was later changed to filming later scenes.

Furthermore, in the statement, Mu Zhi solemnly explained that it was Mu Zhi who patiently accompanied the other actor through more than 10 takes, constantly comforting him. The accusation that the actor was being arrogant was nonsense and a malicious fabrication.

Sometimes, even after clarification, casual observers may still remain skeptical.

They believed the production team was trying to protect the lead actor.

Two extras, unable to stand by and watch, stepped forward and posted on Weibo to recount what happened, claiming that Mu Zhi was indeed maliciously smeared and that this was an undeserved misfortune that had nothing to do with her from beginning to end.

This matter cannot be resolved simply by the production team clarifying the rumors online.

Malicious rumors not only damage Mu Zhi's image but also affect the reputation of the production team, proving the lax internal management of the production team.

Someone actually took photos without permission and dared to leak them, openly smearing the lead actor.

This is no small matter; it is extremely serious.

The production team stated that they were determined to find out who did it, and they quickly found out the answer.

The production crew installed multiple cameras at the filming location. Based on the angle of the picture that was leaked online, after checking the surveillance footage, it was discovered that You Zhou's agent raised his phone, which was very suspicious.

In particular, the exposure of this incident directly implicated You Zhou's name.

While achieving its goal of smearing Mu Zhi, it also made many people curious and search for who You Zhou is. It can be said that it played the victim for You Zhou and used Mu Zhi to create hype.

You Zhou went to bed early last night as soon as he got back to his hotel room, in order to be in good condition for filming today and not hold Mu Zhi back or affect the filming schedule.

When I woke up, my phone was bombarded with messages.

After reading the message, Tara hurriedly knocked on the door of her agent, Chai Wu, while still wearing her slippers.

Ask the agent: "Why did you do this?"

Chai Wu glanced at You Zhou's phone screen. "It's none of my business."

They refuse to admit it.

You Zhou said he would post a Weibo post to explain.

"It was my problem to begin with, and I can't let innocent people get caught in the crossfire."

Chai Wu reached out to try and snatch You Zhou's phone to stop him.

She said with exasperation, "She's deliberately targeting you, trying to step on you, a newcomer, to establish the leading lady's authority. It's no wonder she got criticized after this was exposed online! She needs to be taught a lesson so she won't make things difficult for you again."

"Brother Wu, so you really did this?"

So disappointing!

Youzhou: "Why do you think it's someone else's problem? The reason I had to do so many takes yesterday and couldn't finish filming was because your schedule was too tight."

As soon as filming wrapped on my last cameo role, I flew directly to Shanghai, and rushed to the set immediately after landing. My schedule has been non-stop, and I haven't had a proper rest. I'm so tired that my eyelids are almost closing. My poor condition has delayed the filming.

"It's my problem, not that anyone wants to harm me."

"The director and Teacher Mu both advised me to come back and rest yesterday, and not to push myself. They were very concerned about me, so why did they do that?"

This was a role he had worked hard to audition for.

Is it about to fail?

Isn't an agent's job to help him? Why are they harming him instead?

When had Chai Wu ever been yelled at like that by the artist he managed? He was so angry that he glared at You Zhou and started criticizing him.

You Zhou ignored him and posted a Weibo post explaining that someone was deliberately trying to smear Mu Zhi, and that the rumors of her being arrogant were fabricated. He explained that Mu Zhi in the photo was showing concern for him, repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Mu Zhi, and praised her excellent acting skills, professional performance, and considerate treatment of the actors, etc.

He even went to apologize to Mu Zhi in person.

You Zhou had just apologized and left.

Mu Zhi received a call from her agent, who said that the production team was discussing how to deal with You Zhou. The production team naturally had a lot of opinions about such a troublesome actor team and was worried that it would happen again.

"Zhizhi, you are a victim of this incident. The production crew asked us for our opinion on how to handle it. What are your thoughts?"