After returning to work, Zhang Yun's aloof director persona returned.
He was strict and had a sharp tongue. When he reprimanded people, he seamlessly switched between American and Chinese, making the group of foreign artists experience the fear of being dominated by Director Zhang.
During the filming of the movie, Gu Shenzhi visited the set several times, but Zhang Yun chased him away on the grounds that he was disturbing his work, and strictly ordered him not to come back before the movie was finished.
This guy is already incredibly busy, yet he's constantly flying around.
Three months later, filming was almost complete, with only a dozen or so scenes left for the male leads.
The actor playing the male lead is Cheng Ye, a former Best Actor at Huayu Entertainment. After all, Huayu Entertainment has now become her husband's company instead of a competitor, and artists from both companies should be given equal attention.
Zhang Yun wasn't actually very satisfied with Master Cheng. Although he had a good attitude and decent acting skills, he was too pretentious.
They use stunt doubles for even the slightest action scenes.
This is a science fiction movie with lots of fight scenes, and using stunt doubles all the time would really affect the effect.
The dozen or so shots that weren't filmed were from shots that had been reshot many times before, so we had no choice but to move them to the later shoots.
Today's scene is the protagonist throwing his shield into the background, with an exploding battlefield behind him.
This action will be the male lead's signature move, and it must be filmed by him personally.
Once the scene was set up, everything was ready.
An explosive device detonated behind the male protagonist, who then threw his shield.
The movement was very fluid. Just as Zhang Yun was about to shout, he suddenly noticed that the firelight from the explosion behind him was not quite right.
"Danger! Get down!" Zhang Yun lunged forward, pulling Cheng Ye to the side and knocking him down.
With a loud "boom!", the explosion, which was completely different from the expected sound of the props, set off the fire alarms in a frenzy.
"Director Zhang!" "Cheng Ye!"
"..."
Before Zhang Yun fainted, all he could hear was a cacophony of noise.
...
I woke up again in a hospital room.
Before I even opened my eyes, I heard Gu Shenzhi answering the phone in the room.
His voice was very soft, but you could feel the suppressed anger inside.
“Brother…” Zhang Yun began, but Gu Shenzhi paused, hung up the phone, and rushed to his bedside.
"Ah Yun, you're awake? How are you? Is anything bothering you?" Gu Shenzhi's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at him.
"I'm fine." Zhang Yun shook his head. He remembered that he had only been knocked unconscious by something falling and hitting his head, and it was nothing serious.
"How is Cheng Ye?"
“He’s perfectly fine!” Gu Shenzhi said, frowning unhappily.
Zhang Yun laughed. "Are you angry?"
"Shouldn't I be angry? You risked your life for him! Why? You're clearly my..."
Gu Shenzhi stopped there, realizing that his words were a bit like treating Zhang Yun as his possession, which would displease Zhang Yun.
He changed to a wronged tone, "Do you know, when I heard you were injured, my heart almost stopped beating, I..."
Zhang Yun leaned her head closer and kissed him.
Gu Shenzhi felt as if he were dying of thirst and had tasted sweet rain, embracing him and drawing strength from it that could bring him peace of mind.
In a moment of passion and confusion, Gu Shenzhi pinned him down on the hospital bed.
"You still have injuries..." Gu Shenzhi said, forcing himself to speak.
"It's just a minor injury, on the back of the head, nothing serious, maybe we shouldn't..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
...
(You all know the positions that won't hit the back of the head)
...
After calming Gu Shenzhi down, Zhang Yun leaned against him and asked, "What was the cause of that explosion? Have you investigated it?"
"While you were unconscious, I had someone investigate. They said that a staff member accidentally took the wrong explosive device and used a more powerful one. But the private investigator I sent said that the outer packaging of the device had been switched. This was definitely premeditated."
"And..." Gu Shenzhi hugged him tightly, feeling guilty.
He suspected that the other party was actually targeting him, and that Zhang Yun was just suffering an undeserved misfortune.
"Don't overthink it." Zhang Yun held his hand and said, "If they're after you, then it's only right that they target me, after all..."
"We've been one for a long time, haven't we?"
The worry and fear in Gu Shenzhi's heart were dispelled by the warm words of the person in his arms. He couldn't help but kiss him and said with a smile, "Yes, we are one."
...
After Zhang Yun fell asleep, Gu Shenzhi kissed him on the forehead and got up from the bed.
His eyes were dark and frightening.
Stepping out of the ward, he turned on his phone, dialed a number, and said in a chilling voice, "Don't hold back. Within three days, eliminate all those who slipped through the net."
After Gu Shenzhi left, Zhang Yun, in the hospital room, mentally said to the system, "You've been neglecting your duties lately..."
System: "These people seem to know that there are hackers helping you. Everything is done offline, avoiding surveillance, and transactions are all done in cash. I haven't detected any problems!"
"Furthermore, if you want me to monitor you, you have to give me a scope. Otherwise, I will only report on things related to you and the protagonist. Other information will be automatically filtered out by me because there is too much information. Even if I don't filter it, with your current mental strength, you can't hear it all."
Zhang Yun thought for a moment before saying, "That's right, I misunderstood you. How is Cheng Ye?"
"He's fine, just minor injuries to his back and legs, but you know that guy... I'm afraid you'll have to replace the male lead in your movie."
Zhang Yun put her hand to her forehead. With Cheng Ye's dramatic temper—he'd be hospitalized for three days for even the slightest scratch—he wouldn't be able to leave the hospital for at least six months this time!
The film was almost finished shooting, and then this happened all of a sudden. It's really a headache.
Fortunately, all the scenes without the male lead had already been filmed, and most of the remaining unfilmed scenes were of the male lead, so the loss from replacing him wasn't significant.
"By the way! Didn't Gu Chen's second uncle, Gu Zhentao, go missing? Have you found out where he is?"
"No, but I followed your advice and checked all the bank accounts associated with him. I found that an account four levels related to him had a lot of spending. The person's name is Mair, and he is an arms smuggler."
Zhang Yun's pupils contracted. "What did he buy?"
"I don't know, it was an offline transaction, so we avoided monitoring," the system replied.
"A large quantity of weaponry certainly couldn't be firearms. He doesn't have a private army, so even if he had guns, there would be no one to use them..."
Zhang Yun suddenly thought of a word—dynamite.
Gu Zhentao's plot to murder Gu Chen's father, Gu Zhenyue, was exposed, and he was stripped of his authority and expelled from the Gu family by Gu Jianyun.
It is highly likely that someone who has gone from a position of great power to having nothing would be prone to extreme emotions and engage in retaliatory acts.
"System, check all the surveillance footage in this area and see if there are any extra, tightly sealed boxes that look like they contain explosives."
"Okay!" The system quickly responded, "A total of 785 suspected scenes and items have been uploaded to your phone."
Zhang Yun took out her phone and began filtering through the photos one by one.
He had just woken up from a coma, and the intense mental work still left him feeling exhausted. He couldn't handle it after screening just over a hundred images.
I can only turn off my phone and rest for now, and continue the next day.
Three days later, he was discharged from the hospital, and of the more than 700 suspicious scenes, only about 20 remained.
Gu Shenzhi came to keep him company whenever he had time over the past three days, but seeing that he was always sleeping, he assumed that his injury had not healed and he was too tired, so he did not bother him.
While Zhang Yun was still hospitalized, Cheng Ye's agent informed her that Cheng Ye had withdrawn from the performance due to physical discomfort.
Left with no other choice, Zhang Yun had to agree.
Gu Chen was right next to her when she answered the phone. After listening, he was about to call the president of Huayu Entertainment to put pressure on her, but Zhang Yun stopped him.
Forced relationships are never sweet, and making actors film with resentment will not produce a good movie.
Moreover, Zhang Yun is an actor himself, and he knows that even the most famous movie stars have their own difficulties. Why should he become the kind of person he used to hate the most?
"So who do you plan to cast as the male lead? Just name your name, and I can get anyone you want," Gu Chen said, hugging him.
Looking at her man's handsome and mature face, Zhang Yun tentatively asked, "How about... you give it a try?"
He swore he was just momentarily blinded by Gu Chen's handsomeness and asked the question casually.
To my surprise, Gu Chenzhen agreed immediately!
Now the director and the male lead have truly become someone with an impure relationship.
...
Two months later, filming wrapped up, and it was just waiting for approval before it could be released in theaters.
This movie, thanks to Huanxing's distribution channels, will be released simultaneously in theaters worldwide, without having to wait for it to be shown in China after a period of time in the United States.
That day, Zhang Yun received a reply that the film had passed the review and that promotion could be arranged next.
Zhang Yun didn't need to worry about Huanxing's publicity in the US. After explaining the situation to the person in charge at Huanxing, they had one last meal together before preparing to return to China.
The hotel was booked at a Michelin three-star restaurant, and no one else was invited except for Zhang Yun.
"Director Zhang, you are truly the most outstanding young man I have ever met," said Hastings, the head of Huanxing, raising his glass.
"You flatter me. I'm just a messenger of civilization," Zhang Yun said sincerely.
"Haha, you're so funny. I'm sure your movie will be a success."
Hastings smiled knowingly.
"Oh? Why?" Zhang Yun asked with a smile.
"Because this is the last film of the legendary director Zhang Yun!" Hasting suddenly laughed. "A film promoted with the life of Xia Guo's most talented director, do you think it won't be a hit?"
Zhang Yun's smile remained unchanged as he said, "Is that so... But I don't want to die yet. I'm filming a series of movies, and there are still more than ten movies to be filmed."
“You won’t have a chance,” Hastings said.
How do you know?
Suddenly, a group of armed men burst into the restaurant. The customers panicked and several were shot and wounded by the assailants.
Everyone fell silent, covered their heads, and squatted on the ground.
The door to Zhang Yun's room was kicked open.
"Don't move! Stand up." The other party pointed a gun at Zhang Yun.
Zhang Yun got up and cooperated with the other party to tie his hands behind his back, then put on a hood and was led into the car.
The car drove for more than an hour before stopping. Zhang Yun was pushed out of the car, and the hood was removed.
Zhang Yun looked around and realized that it was an abandoned old factory.
The hooded kidnappers had something strapped to his body. Zhang Yun looked down and saw it was a timer.
After the items were tied up, Zhang Yun was pushed into a warehouse-like room with a dim incandescent light and a person inside.
Zhang Yun looked at the man, and the man looked at him too. Their eyes met, and they were both stunned.
"Hey! Grandpa!" Zhang Yun suddenly exclaimed, "What are you doing here?"
Then he suddenly realized and laughed, "What a coincidence! You've been kidnapped too!"
Having been here for half an hour, Gu Jianyun, whose mood was complicated, had his attention successfully diverted, and his blood pressure was rising.
"Host..." the system weakly spoke in Zhang Yun's mind, "There are cameras in all four corners of this warehouse, and you are being broadcast live to viewers from both Xia and Mi..."
"..."
Holy crap!
Is it too late for him to take back what he just said?
At this moment, the internet in the United States and China was in an uproar!
As soon as the live streams from both countries started, they attracted countless viewers, including Gu Jianyun, the richest man in Xia Country, and Zhang Yun, a legendary figure known internationally!
Zhang Yun's initial address of Gu Jianyun as "Grandpa" wasted the water that hundreds of millions of people had just drunk.
Knowing he was being live-streamed, Zhang Yun stopped being provocative and obediently went to Gu Jianyun's side, sitting down on the ground next to him.
Gu Jianyun had a countdown timer strapped to his body, just like Zhang Yun's. He glanced at Zhang Yun, who remained silent, and asked, "What's wrong? Scared?"
“What’s there to be afraid of?” Zhang Yun laughed. “I just didn’t expect that our first meeting would be under these circumstances.”
Gu Jianyun was taken aback, then chuckled.
Suddenly, the microphone started rolling, followed by Gu Zhentao's frantic voice coming from the speakers hanging on the wall—
"Gu Shenzhi, aren't you smug? Weren't you going to eliminate me completely? Hahaha, I'm desperate, but you won't have it easy either!"
"Just watch closely. Your greatest asset and the man you've been hiding are locked up in this warehouse. Below them, there's a basement full of explosives that will detonate in half an hour. You'll both be blown to ashes!"
"If I die, and I can take those two down with me, it'll be worth it! Hahahaha..."
"It will explode here in half an hour. However, if either of you can kill the other, I can tell the survivor how to stop the explosion and let him leave. Gu Jianyun, Zhang Yun, let me see your ugly, twisted struggles before you die!"
After the sound faded, the warehouse fell silent.
Neither Zhang Yun nor Gu Jianyun made a move.
After a moment, Zhang Yun said, "Grandpa, aren't you going to do it?"
Gu Jianyun said, "Can we really believe what he says? He's just trying to trick us into putting on one more show before we die, to disgust Shenzhi. As for you, why aren't you moving?"
“You are Gu Chen’s grandfather, so you are my grandfather. How could I possibly lay a hand on you?” Zhang Yun also smiled. Gu Zhentao had just made his relationship with Gu Chen public, so there was no need for him to hide it anymore.
"You are truly sincere towards him."
"Actually, I'm quite curious, and I hope the old man can answer my questions before he dies," Zhang Yun said.
"What?"
"Weren't you against me being with my brother at first? Why didn't you stop us later?"
Gu Jianyun laughed, "I never intended to stop you. All I did before was to coax Shenzhi home to inherit the family business. As long as he's willing to come back, it's his freedom to be with whomever he wants. You younger generation have just watched too many TV dramas and read too many novels, and you're just making things up."
"If he has the ability to shoulder the burden of the Gu family, he can do whatever he wants after I pass away. What use is it for me to break you up now?"
“If he is not capable, I will let him leave the Gu family and become a wealthy man who can live a leisurely and comfortable life. It is his freedom to be with whomever he wants.”
Of course, the key point is that Zhang Yun, as Gu Jianyun's lover, is outstanding enough and loyal enough to Gu Shenzhi, thus gaining Gu Jianyun's approval.
If someone were someone who coveted power and wanted to get close to Gu Shenzhi, then Gu Jianyun would have a different attitude.
Zhang Yun suddenly realized.
No wonder Gu Jianyun didn't make any moves after Gu Chen returned to China and tried to contact him; it turns out that Gu Jianyun never stopped the two of them at all.
It turns out I was just worrying unnecessarily!
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