Chapter 72 World 2 [42]

Director Zhang hadn't been humiliated like this in many years, not to mention that the person who humiliated him was a junior whom he looked down upon. This was a double blow to his self-esteem.

"I'm the chief director, and I'm responsible for controlling the content of each unit drama. I think it's a good idea to add a character. It can enrich the creative content and make the final effect of the film more tense." Director Zhang said with a frown.

"On the contrary, you are not a member of our crew, so please don't arbitrarily interfere with our internal arrangements." Director Zhang emphasized, putting the emphasis on the word "internal".

Changing his initial statement in front of everyone was humiliating enough for Director Zhang. But if he couldn't even get someone to play a supporting role, what would his authority as a director be? Wouldn't that completely destroy his reputation within the industry?

Even if I were to take a step back, I'd only added a minor actor. Could it be that the General Administration was so overbearing that they were interfering in even a minor character's scenes?

Moreover, we don’t even know if the deputy director mentioned by the other party is real or not. We can’t even communicate directly with him on the phone. Can a young man who came out of nowhere really have such ability?

Director Zhang began to suspect that Jing Ke was trying to scare him. He had never heard of any legitimate descendant of a family giving up a good career in government to invest in the entertainment industry.

"I'm just stating a fact." Jing Ke understood what Director Zhang meant, but she didn't care.

"Director Hu, what do you think? Do you think it's necessary to hastily cram an unnecessary thing in there?" Jing Ke said, looking at Director Hu, wanting to see her attitude.

Director Hu's face showed a hint of embarrassment. After a brief moment of hesitation, she shook her head. "The script has already been finalized and approved by the higher-ups. I don't think it's necessary to add such a homogenous character. Forcing it in would be superfluous."

At the crucial moment, Director Hu was still very clear-headed. Jing Ke had just come to his aid, and even if he didn't want to fall out with Director Zhang, he couldn't hold back at this moment.

"Oh? So you think I, as the chief director, can't interfere with any of your filming?" Director Zhang's face was stern, looking extremely oppressive. "Director Hu, are you sure?"

"Director Zhang, post-production will also take several months. I think what we need to do now is to complete the filming as soon as possible, and then hurry up to produce the finished product." Director Hu said neither harshly nor softly.

Noticing that Director Zhang's expression was still grim, Director Hu reluctantly offered him a way out. "If Director Zhang has any opinions on my decision, we can discuss it later. I can share the main plot and character settings with you. I believe that after Director Zhang understands them, he will understand why I say this."

Jing Ke originally wanted to say something else, but when she found that Shao Qing, who was standing next to her, gently tugged at her clothes, she let Director Hu do his thing.

Jing Ke understood what Shao Qing meant. She didn't want the relationship between Director Hu and Director Zhang to become too strained. After all, the entertainment industry was still a place where seniority was the key. If Director Hu completely offended Director Zhang, she would be in a lot of trouble.

"It seems that you have your own ideas. If you encounter troubles in the future, find a way to solve them by yourself, and don't bother me again." Director Zhang reluctantly stepped on the step, said a harsh word as usual, and then turned and left.

Just when the people who were secretly watching thought that the farce was over, a cell phone suddenly rang, attracting their attention to the source of the ringtone - Director Zhang's cell phone was ringing.

Director Zhang had a bad feeling when he heard the ringtone. When he took out his phone and saw that it was a call from the deputy director of the office, his heart sank.

This deputy director was assigned by the higher authorities to be in charge of the review and production of tribute films. Generally, he would not call me unless there was an important arrangement.

Director Zhang felt a little uneasy, but he didn't dare to hang up the call from the deputy director, so he quickly pressed the answer button.

"Hello, Director, it's me." Director Zhang said, without any negative emotion in his tone.

"This... yes, yes, I'm here right now." Director Zhang couldn't help but glance at Jing Ke.

"Okay, I understand. I never interfere with filming on set. I just thought Director Hu hadn't found a suitable successor yet, so I wanted to recommend someone suitable to her so she wouldn't fall behind."

Director Zhang: "Okay, I understand. Don't worry, Director. We will definitely be able to complete filming before the end of May. Production will begin in June and July, and final review and adjustments will be made in August and September."

After talking on the phone for about three minutes, Director Zhang hung up the phone with a subtle expression, and his originally stern face forced a smile.

"It's Mr. Jing, I've heard a lot about you." Director Zhang said to Jing Ke, extending his hand proactively. "I'm so sorry for being so offensive just now. I thought you were just an ignorant outsider who wanted to criticize our work."

Jing Ke raised an eyebrow. Could Director Zhang's personality have changed with just one phone call? Could it be a call from the General Administration?

Jing Ke's guess was absolutely correct. Her weight in the hearts of some departments was much heavier than she expected.

The deputy director, who had been given special instructions, told the deputy director of the office directly responsible for the tribute film about this matter after finishing his call with Jing Ke, and asked her to make arrangements with them and make sure to meet Jing Ke's needs.

After receiving the task, the deputy director of the office called the chief director Zhang without thinking too much, and repeatedly emphasized that Jing Ke, who came to visit the set, should be treated well.

He said very directly that if Jing Ke had any opinions, he would try to adopt them all within a reasonable range and not to confront the other party.

Director Zhang is indeed a representative of the conservative school, but after the iron fist from above came down, he still knew what to do.

When you are in a circle, face is very important, but if you don’t want to lose your substance, you have to learn to be thick-skinned occasionally.

"Really? Director Zhang, do you think it's necessary to add more roles?" Jing Ke smiled with a playful expression on her face, but did not reach out her hand.

"There's no need to add roles. Mr. Jing is right. Director Hu's arrangements are excellent. There are no problems with either the script or the casting." Director Zhang tried to maintain a smile on his face. "Director Hu, if you have any questions later, you can come to me and we can discuss and solve them together."

"It's getting late, I won't delay you from continuing the filming." After trying to save himself with a forced smile and saying a few words, Director Zhang left, looking a little dejected from behind.

Xiao Yao, who followed over, also realized from the phone call just now that Jing Ke in front of her was not someone to be trifled with. As someone from the upper class, she knew very well the importance of the deputy director and the deputy director of the office.

If Jing Ke didn't know someone at a higher level, she would never be able to order them around with just a phone call.

A farce ended after two phone calls. Others who also realized that Shao Qing and Jing Ke were not pushovers also started to play coward.

Especially those who had deliberately spoken to Jing Ke before, each one was quieter than the other, wishing they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. To avoid being recognized by Jing Ke, which would result in them being banned from the circle one day for stepping out with their right foot first.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't handle the role well before, causing you to suffer unnecessary misfortune." Director Hu let out a breath and said with a hint of apology.

"It's okay. I'm already very happy that Director Hu thought of me at this time. As for some accidents, just treat them as small accidents." Shao Qing said with a smile.

Shao Qing knew that Director Hu gave him the opportunity under great pressure, so he would not vent his anger on people who were truly kind to him.

"Director Hu, I'll think over the script carefully today. How about we start work at nine o'clock tomorrow morning?" Shao Qing said, taking the initiative to offer a way out.

"Okay, I'll coordinate with the other actors and try to finish filming your scenes within five days." Director Hu nodded in agreement.

-

"Confess and I'll give you some leniency. How did you get to know the deputy director of the General Administration? Did you do something secretly without telling me?" After returning to the hotel they had booked in Beijing, Shao Qing couldn't help but ask the question he had been hiding all the way.

"No, it's just that after our last cooperation with the authorities, we have kept in touch, and I occasionally help them find some information." Jing Ke touched his nose.

Her behavior shouldn't be considered concealment, right? She didn't deliberately hide it from Shao Qing when she was tinkering with the computer on the set or in the hotel room.

"Some information? For example, what information?" Shao Qing grasped the key point in an instant.

Being able to talk directly to someone like the deputy director, the information Jing Ke mentioned was definitely not something that ordinary people could see.

"They are probably some confidential foreign documents. My hacking skills are pretty good. As long as the device is connected to the Internet, I can read the data stored in it." Jing Ke blinked, with an innocent look written all over his face.

"But this is not an easy task, so I will probably complete two small tasks assigned by them every week," Jing Ke added.

Having watched foreign spy war dramas, Shao Qing instantly imagined a lot of content, and the expression on his face became strange.

"Jing Ke, you are not some hacker king, are you? Can you paralyze foreign networks with just a flick of your finger?" Shao Qing asked with wide eyes.

"It's not that exaggerated. It's not easy to fully invade the other party's network. I might need a computer room of several hundred square meters filled with relevant institutions to try to temporarily shut down the other party's network."

Jing Ke thought carefully about the feasibility. "But that would have a huge impact on the world and would cause me to lose a lot of energy. It's not a cost-effective deal for me."

"What about the information you are looking for now? Won't it cause you to lose energy?" Shao Qing asked blankly, with a dull expression on his face.

Jing Ke shook his head and explained, "I copied the data without them noticing. Relatively few people knew about it, so the energy loss was negligible, far less than what I could gain from it."

"Okay, I get it. I have a very amazing girlfriend." Shao Qing murmured, trying to digest this news that almost reshaped his worldview.