Chapter 5
He Tong walked forward quickly and saw two groups of people confronting each other in the venue.
There were five people on each side, but the four bodyguards behind Ye Yuze were tall and strong, and with the crew members also vaguely surrounding him, the thin little star opposite with four assistants seemed a little weak.
However, the little star was small but quite arrogant, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Why?! This drama is funded by our company, so we have to film it according to my instructions! Change this scene right away!"
At this time, Assistant Lingling, who had already seen He Tong and Xiao Zheng coming, had already run up to them.
"What's going on?" He Tong asked as he walked.
Lingling pouted and spoke rapidly, "He's acting like a big shot. There was a scene where he was being kicked and beaten by extras, and he refused to film it. We'd just used a body double to shoot a medium to long shot, and Director Yu asked him to do a few shots showing his face, but he refused. He's just an 18th-tier star who's been faked out by online data, and his idol baggage is even bigger than even the best actor. Then he said he wanted to change the script to have him heroically knock over some extras, but Director Yu refused and froze. And then, the boss was furious. And it just so happened that Xiao Fang wasn't here today, ugh."
"Heh." He Tong sneered, "A nameless person like this really thinks he's something."
As they were talking, the three of them had already walked into the shooting scene.
He Tong stood directly in front of Ye Yuze, half blocking him. He didn't even glance at the starlet across from him. He just said to Yu Zheng, "Director Yu, terminate the contract and replace him. There aren't many scenes to shoot anyway, so the sooner you change, the easier it will be."
Yu Zheng was also worried. Terminating the contract wasn't difficult, but the trouble was that if this person changed, the other party would probably withdraw their investment.
The little star stepped forward, pointed at He Tong and cursed, "Where did you come from? You said you'd change? Do you know how much my penalty is? Do you know how much our company has invested?"
He Tong slapped the other person's fingers away without hesitation and snorted, "You disobeyed the director's instructions and deliberately delayed the filming progress, and you still want liquidated damages? We have plenty of lawyers to fight you. If you want to withdraw your investment, that's fine. We'll make up the difference."
The little star had never expected He Tong to be so tough. He was unable to respond with any harsh words for a moment. His mouth opened and closed several times, and he could only utter the word "you".
Instead, the producer quietly came over and whispered to He Tong, "He's from Yuehua Films. Yuehua invested 30 million."
This film was a relatively low-budget production, with a total investment of 80 million yuan, of which Xingchen contributed 50 million. The producer knew that He Tong and Ye Yuze must have some connection to the Fang brothers, and while 30 million yuan wasn't a huge sum, procedurally speaking, every investment in the company had to undergo a risk assessment before being allocated.
He Tong nodded slightly and added with a chutzpah, "It's my personal investment."
After the Ye family incident, the Ye Group fell into the hands of Ye Yuze. Ye Yuze didn't want to have anything to do with the Ye Group anymore, so he split it up and sold it. The money he got is still rotting in He Tong's account.
Whoever pays has the upper hand, so the producer quietly stepped aside.
The little star over there was almost crying with anger, and he had no words to say to He Tong. In the end, he could only leave angrily, "Just wait for me," and left quickly with his four assistants.
He Tong then said to Yu Zheng, "Director Yu, our Xingchen Xiaofang will assist you with the contract matter. You can ask him for anything else. Just take a rest today."
Yu Zheng nodded and sighed, "The contract is secondary. It will probably take a few days to find someone new."
Ye Yuze had been sitting next to him without saying a word since a while ago, but now he suddenly said, "No need to look for him, just let him go."
He Tong also smiled and said, "Do you want to audition? I've read the script."
Yu Zheng looked at He Tong in surprise for a moment, then lowered his head to think for a moment before saying, "Actually, I have another version of the script..."
After dinner, Yu Zheng pulled He Tong and Ye Yuze together to discuss the new script.
"Actually, this is the script I want to film. The previous one was modified according to their requirements. Han Xingya... the one you guys kicked out last evening. He originally wanted to be the lead, but after the audition, I didn't agree, so I took a step back and made him a likable second male lead."
Yu Zheng scratched his head, smiled sheepishly, and added, "If you have no objection, I'd still like to stick to the original script. This is the complete story I want to tell."
In the original script, the town was transformed from the protagonist Bai Ruyun's final destination to a place he passed through along the way. The second male lead, Yu Chu, wasn't a kind brother searching for his sister alone, but a small-time hoodlum raised by his gangster father, who made a living by helping his older brother watch the village casino and occasionally getting into gang fights.
The only thing Yu Chu had over his father was that he'd attended elementary school for a few years, could recognize a few words and numbers, and stayed away from drugs. Ever since his father died from drug addiction, he'd been trying to find a way out of this small town. But he had no money, so he set his sights on the obviously wealthy Bai Ruyun.
The town was very poor, mostly populated by left-behind elderly people and children. Few could afford or use smartphones. Yu Chu had someone steal Bai Ruyun's money, then came to his aid when he was struggling with cash shortages, offering to be his tour guide. This was how he hooked up with Bai Ruyun by pretending to be a good kid.
One night, Bai Ruyun had a high fever, and it was Yu Chu who borrowed a tricycle and rode ten miles of mountain road to take Bai Ruyun to the county hospital. Afterwards, he became Bai Ruyun's assistant as he wished, and was taken out of the small town by Bai Ruyun.
Yu Chu had been following Bai Ruyun like this, taking care of her tirelessly. However, his plan was to gain Bai Ruyun's trust and get as many of her valuable paintings as possible to exchange for money.
At the end of the script, Bai Ruyun did indeed entrust all of his paintings to Yu Chu before his death, and Yu Chu did indeed auction off the paintings for a high price, but he donated all the proceeds, half to a cancer fund and half to a Hope Primary School. In the end, Yu Chu only left behind a portrait that Bai Ruyun painted for him in the hospital.
It is obvious that the gangster Yu Chu in this version of the script has a much more important role than the good brother Yu Chu, and it is also more layered. It is worth exploring in depth and it is more challenging for the actor's acting skills.
The script doesn't explain the reason for his change of heart, nor does it hint at the specific circumstances of his transformation. Just like Bai Ruyun's transformation from despair to renewed passion for life, Yu Chu's transformation seems to have occurred naturally.
However, the more plain and natural the performance, the harder it is for the actor to portray it. If the acting is too much, it will seem contrived; if it is too little, it will lack persuasiveness.
After listening to the explanation, He Tong and Ye Yuze looked at each other.
He Tong nodded to Yu Zheng: "Director Yu, let's shoot it according to your ideas. I will try my best to play this role well."
Afterwards, He Tonglai continued to read the script in Ye Yuze's room.
He flipped through the pages and said, "Brother, this drama might actually win an award. Yuehua Film and Television have such rubbish! Not only did they change the script, but they also let this piece of garbage star in it."
The version He Tong watched in his previous life was a revised version. He had no impression of what the second male lead in the play looked like. He only vaguely remembered that there was a character who took care of the protagonist, but he was completely weakened into a symbol beside the protagonist.
Ye Yuze leaned against the headboard, also reading the script, and replied lazily, "Do you like this role very much?"
"I like it. It's complex and challenging." He Tong flipped through the pages. "Also, the scenes with the male lead are very tense. When the movie comes out, there will definitely be viewers who want us to be a couple."
"CP?" Ye Yuze looked over.
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door of the room.
He Tong stood up and went to open the door. Outside was Lingling who came to deliver milk.
He Tong took the milk and placed it on the bedside table next to Ye Yuze.
"After you drink the milk, take a shower and go to bed early. You'll be busy tomorrow. I'll be leaving first."
Ye Yuze watched He Tong leave, then put down the script, picked up his phone, opened the browser, typed "CP" in the search bar, and pressed Enter.
After He Tong left, Lingling outside the door did not leave, but followed He Tong into his room.
The two assistants Fang Chen had chosen complemented each other perfectly. Xiao Zheng, the man, was 23 years old and hardworking, steady, and meticulous. He had just joined Xingchen last year after graduating from college. Ling Ling, the woman, was younger, 22, but had been in the industry much longer than Xiao Zheng, a veteran with six years of experience.
She started working at the age of 16, first doing odd jobs in the crew with her acquaintances, and after she turned 18, she was officially hired as an assistant at Xingchen. She has worked with several artists and knows a lot about the ins and outs of the circle. She is well-informed and has even become a popular figure among fans.
As soon as she entered the room, she took out her tablet, opened a page and handed it to He Tong.
"That Han Xingya was a trainee at Yuehua. He debuted in a boy band four years ago, but the band disbanded earlier this year and everyone went solo. He starred in a BL web drama a few months ago, but it hasn't aired yet. This should be his second role."
He Tong casually swiped the screen a few times before putting the tablet down and looking up to ask, "Does he have any information on him?"
"The fans are a little crazy, after all, they are a boy band." Lingling gave her a look that said "you know what I mean."
Then she lowered her voice and said, "Also, there are rumors that he is following a director of Yuehua."
He Tong raised his eyebrows: "So this drama is the resource that the director gave to Xiaoqing? Thirty million is a bit stingy."
Lingling suppressed a laugh and said, "That web drama was specifically designed to promote him, but I heard that he and the other male lead went a little over the line during their work, which made the sponsor unhappy."
He Tong just listened to this and didn't take it to heart. He just said, "Keep an eye on his Weibo in the near future to see if he's causing any trouble."
Lingling nodded to show that she understood, and took out a USB drive: "I specially edited today's events."
He Tong took it and said, "Well done. I'll double your bonuses this month."
Lingling narrowed her eyes and smiled: "Thank you, boss."
After she left, He Tong plugged the USB drive into his tablet and opened the video to watch. The video clearly captured the entire process of Han Xingya being a big shot and insisting on changing the script, even the sound was clear.
This was recorded by He Tong's bodyguards. Whenever Ye Yuze was filming, they had to record it, and they also tried to record anything unusual they noticed. After all, they were the ones who invested in the film, so as long as it wasn't leaked, the director wouldn't say anything.
He Tong had been in the entertainment industry for many years in his previous life and had encountered everything, which meant he didn't care about the fans and haters out there.
But in this life, since he had brought Ye Yuze back into this circle, he naturally had to protect his brother Ye. Ye Yuze just had to act happily, and he would take care of the rest.
Thinking that Ye Yuze was rarely angry about filming today, He Tong couldn't help but smile gently.
It’s great to have some vitality.
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