Chapter 2
Zhu Yu carefully studied all the members of the group.
While others were still struggling with a particular scene or line of dialogue in their graduation projects, their group already had everything, including a script and investors.
The title of "Director Zhang Tianhao's son Zhang Yuge's debut film" sounds quite impressive.
You can tell how much influence a good director has just by looking at the cast list.
Their group's membership list was almost equivalent to the school's academic ranking list, with all of the top twenty students in the group.
The reason it's "almost" is because Zhu Yu's grades were only average to above average; she got in purely because of her looks.
"Come on, everyone's here, let me take attendance!" Director Zhang Yuge naturally took on the role of team leader and was responsible for organizing the event.
"Everyone is here, so please take your seats in the first row. I have a few words to say."
Due to his family's scholarly background, Zhang Yuge's work attitude is very different from his usual self. Once he gets into work mode, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he is impartial and incorruptible.
This is a very complete drama, so a few students who came just to graduate definitely wouldn't be enough.
Everyone used their connections to invite many senior students, and even some teachers made guest appearances.
Even under such circumstances, Zhang Yuge was able to completely control the entire situation and was not afraid of anyone's seniority or speak lightly.
It wasn't that everyone was hesitant to support him because of his father; Zhu Yu could tell that Zhang Yuge was truly capable and possessed the fearless spirit of a newborn calf.
If at the beginning of filming, the senior students and teachers were just trying to help out.
By now, their mindset has shifted to befriending a good director and collaborating more in the future.
The crew has a group chat for the actors. Because everyone needs it for their papers, every day, each person's NG (no good) or one-take footage is sent to the group chat for everyone to take and use for their papers.
Zhu Yu only looked at her past records. She felt that she was like a rough piece of jade being carved.
With each call to stop, they made progress little by little, gradually gaining luster.
"This is Shi Ru, a finance major from the school next door. After our drama is filmed and produced, he will be responsible for communicating with major TV stations and broadcasting channels for promotion and airing. He will also make up the remaining funds needed."
"Isn't that the sugar daddy?!" one of the boys exclaimed.
"Thank you, our generous sponsor!" Following the first person's example, everyone else chimed in with their thanks.
"You're welcome. Yu Ge showed me the script, and I invested because I thought it was profitable. But whether we make a profit or a loss in the end depends on everyone's efforts."
"Wow! What a generous sponsor!!"
Everyone here has their sights set on the entertainment industry, so for them, this opportunity to gain exposure through a primetime TV drama is something they absolutely must seize.
Who wouldn't want to be famous?
After arranging for Shi Ru to sit in the center, Zhang Yuge stood up and organized everyone to get into the zone.
*
Zhu Yu's role is that of a major villain. Considering the needs of their graduation thesis, the main members were assigned roles with relatively large screen time.
Apart from the male and female leads, who are the mainstays of the ratings and are played by senior students who have already starred in hit dramas, almost all the other young roles are shared by them.
Zhang Yuge appears to be impartial and incorruptible on the surface, but Zhu Yu thinks that he is actually a bit of a looks-obsessed person.
There's no other reason than that the role Zhu Yu was assigned appears on the surface to be a villain that everyone hates and despises, but in reality, he has a very complex and heavy background.
In the early stages, they can attract a wave of traffic by being criticized, and later they can also make a lot of people cry.
Looking at the group chat, she saw that Zhang Yuge had the most NG videos. She didn't believe that Zhang Yuge didn't have some ulterior motives!
Although everyone else in the group felt sorry for her because of all the NGs, only Zhu Yu herself knew how much she had improved from each NG!
With funding as a boost, the filming was very efficient today. After rehearsals, the other students who had other commitments left first.
The remaining few were fine and had originally planned to analyze each other's roles in more detail.
"Alright, you all did a great job today. We should relax properly when it's time to relax!"
Zhang Yuge hooked his arm around a boy's neck and winked at everyone present.
What are they trying to do? What are they planning to do?!
Seeing the men in the room winking and grinning with ill intent, Zhu Yu froze.
No way, it can't be what she thinks, can it? They're all in the entertainment industry, they wouldn't dare leave themselves with such a huge scandal!
And Shi Ru! Wasn't he supposed to be such a virtuous, upright, and honorable person?
Zhu Yu was mentally rehearsing all the worst possible scenarios that would happen if a group of girls and a group of boys were together.
Then I saw a few people with smirks sitting down nearby with great interest, holding their phones horizontally in their hands.
"I'm from zone P, which zone are you from?"
"By the way, Zhang Meiyu, Liu Xiaoxiao, do you two play 'Apocalypse War'?"
As Zhang Yuge asked the question, the group of people who were focused on the startup animations on their phones turned to look at the only two girls present.
"Is it that game that was trending on social media a while ago? I downloaded it, but it's a bit scary, so I didn't dare play it."
Liu Xiaoxiao also took out her phone and sat down as the crowd did, and all eyes in the room turned to Zhu Yu.
The War of the End Times?
Under the gaze of everyone, Zhu Yu tried hard to recall, and finally managed to find a little bit of knowledge about the game in the corners of her memory.
"I don't usually play games..." Zhu Yu said, glancing at Shi Ru with feigned interest.
Then she looked at the group of people who had been waiting for her reply: "What kind of game is this? I'll play the next one now!"
Upon hearing this, the others turned their attention away, while Zhang Yuge replied in a spare moment while creating a room: "This game is quite big, let's play for now. Call me anytime when you're ready and I'll add you to the game."
"Okay, but I've never played this before, so I might not be good at it."
Zhang Yuge, who was creating a character, paused for a moment, about to speak...
"The Last Days of War is a survival game that focuses on building infrastructure. The game offers hundreds of different street scenes around the world, where players, as survivors in a post-apocalyptic world, need to survive."
Shi Ru didn't look up at Zhu Yu, as if he had just suddenly felt like giving a brief introduction to the game.
Zhu Yu had never seen this kind of game before. In her time, mobile phones were not yet common, and even if people wanted to play games, the only option was arcade machines, which are no longer seen on the streets today.
"This looks pretty fun?" Zhu Yu's eyes lit up, and she sat down in the seat directly behind Shi Ru.
Using the difference in elevation, she could see the game interface on Shi Ru's phone.
Noticing her gaze, Shi Ru sat up subtly, no longer leaning back in her chair, and casually placed her phone on the table.
This upright posture makes it easier for people in the back to see those in the front.
In a corner where no one paid attention, Shi Ru's ears turned red silently.
"I've downloaded it, how do I get into the room?"
Subconsciously, Zhu Yu leaned forward, trying to find some operating procedures to imitate from the phone of the person in front of her.
"..."
A delicate fragrance wafted past his nose, and Shi Ru felt as if steel bars had suddenly been injected into his spine, leaving him completely stiff except for his fingers, which could barely move.
As a result, Zhang Yuge actually stole the opportunity to answer the question.
“Uh…” Zhang Yuge scratched his head. “The new account should have a tutorial. Go through it first, our room isn’t finished yet.”
"War of the Apocalypse" is a game that requires players to create rooms, but due to the new game's release, it's unclear whether there are bugs or too many players online at the same time, causing server overload.
In short, by the time Zhu Yu finished downloading the game, Zhang Yuge had tried a total of 7 times, and still failed to create the room.
“It must be that your phone doesn’t have enough memory to be the homeowner, so I’ll build it for you,” Zhu Yu heard Shi Ru say.
The movement even revealed a hint of impatience.
Zhu Yu blinked in confusion. Was it just her imagination?
Looking down, she could see Shi Ru's fair and slender fingers half-holding a phone—a foldable phone with a screen much larger than a regular phone.
Even with the screen fully extended, it looked like a miniature toy in Shi Ru's hands.
It was just my imagination; it was probably just because this game is very demanding on phone specs.
"The invitation code is six ones."
"Let's divide the work first. We need characters with higher combat power for the early stages of exploration."
Shi Ru and Zhu Yu are the same age. Although Shi Ru is a big investor who has provided funding, he doesn't put on airs and fawn over them.
Shi Ru speaks in a gentle and unhurried manner, yet surprisingly, people can't help but follow his arrangements.
"I've played the closed beta and open beta versions of this game before, so I'm quite familiar with it. If you don't mind, I suggest choosing the following three attribute tags in the early stages: 'Carpenter,' 'Electrician,' and 'Firefighter.'"
Shi Ru said it was just a suggestion, but the next second he said, "Zhang Yuge, you should still play as a firefighter. I can switch from carpentry to electrician later."
"Didn't you say... how come all the suggested options are taken?" Zhu Yu frowned, looking at the dozens of different career options on her selection screen with some distress.
"Um, which one should we choose?" Compared to the restraint of the others present, Zhu Yu, who had always wanted to get closer to Shi Ru, was much more outgoing.
"You guys?" Shi Ru seemed a little surprised by the sudden question. He turned his head and glanced at Zhu Yu.
His eyes flickered for a moment when they met Zhu Yu's gaze, before finally settling on the strands of hair that had fallen to his shoulder as he leaned closer.
Shi Ru shifted his gaze somewhat stiffly, scanning the other people who also looked expectant.
"The characters in this game will get hungry and sick. In the early stages, resources are plentiful and doctors are not needed for the time being, but a cook is essential. Also, you need to drive to transport supplies, so a driver is indispensable."
"It sounds like the chef is in charge of logistical support, so I'll be the chef!"
During Chinese New Year, when dozens of people gather for a meal in an ordinary family, there is only one chef. Similarly, when playing games, only one person is needed.
As long as you occupy such a special and unique role, leaving an impression on your gaming partners is not an easy task!
Zhu Yu proudly chose the role of the chef.
There were no restrictions on the number of characters that could be repeated, and everyone else quickly decided on their roles as well.
Indeed, people tend to prefer a more open and free life to being confined to a small space and surrounded by cooking fumes.
The same applies to games.
Just as Zhu Yu had predicted, after she chose the chef, another boy who had acted opposite Zhu Yu in two scenes also planned to choose the chef.
Although they may appear to be just playing video games at this moment, a closer look at these people reveals that one is the son of a renowned director destined for great success, and the other is a future heir to a wealthy family.
Everyone would want to get closer to them.
"The chef's combat power is not high, but he can make a lot of food. One of this type of character is enough, otherwise we will easily be wiped out when fighting zombies."
Shi Ru approved their requests to enter the room one by one, speaking without looking up.
Zhu Yu's seat was a head higher than Shi Ru's, and he could almost see Shi Ru's phone screen just by looking up—the landlord could see the occupations of all applicants.
"Zhu Yu, after you are born, find a place where zombies can't see you and hide. I'll come to pick you up."
After everyone had entered the room, Shi Ru suddenly spoke.
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