Chapter 55
When Fang Chen returned to the crew, he also brought a script to He Tong and Ye Yuze.
"Director Yan contacted me. Remember he said a friend wanted to cast you guys? It's this script. The director is Liu Yuci, a winner of the Hongmei Award for New Director. She specializes in quirky genres, known for her ability to perfectly blend bizarre plots with beautiful visuals. Her previous three films, though all short series of just over 20 episodes, received excellent reviews and received high online ratings."
He Tong glanced through the script. It was a supernatural drama with two male protagonists.
A third-rate online mystery writer was suddenly visited one day by a young man who claimed to be a cat demon, seeking to repay the writer for saving him as a child. The writer jokingly asked him to help him write a brilliant novel. Instead, the young man summoned the wrath of a wrongfully deceased person and took the writer inside that wrath to personally experience the victim's murder. The writer later redressed the victim's innocence, and indeed, this led to the creation of a remarkable novel.
The whole drama has a total of thirty episodes, which are in the form of unit dramas, with five episodes in each unit, and the rhythm is very tight.
Fang Chen continued, "I think this drama is quite interesting. If the market response is good, we can continue to shoot a second and third series. But I guess this subject matter can only be broadcast online."
"It's quite interesting." He Tong looked up at Ye Yuze. "Let's take it. It's okay if it can only be broadcast online. Online dramas have become increasingly popular in recent years. As long as the series is good, the profits from online broadcasting are also very high."
They have Zhilei Video Network, so they don’t have to worry about the most difficult platform issues.
Ye Yuze asked Fang Chen: "Where are the other actors?"
Fang Chen spread his hands. "Director Liu said she wants to see if you can settle first. She definitely wants us to invest, and then we'll see what we can do. That's what I'm worried about. Web dramas are still looked down upon in the industry, so finding people might be difficult. If the other actors are too bad, it will also drag you two down."
Ye Yuze pointed at the script and asked He Tong, "What do you think of the other actors?"
He Tong rubbed his chin, pondering. "Aside from the two male leads, the Special Affairs Division police officer who interacts with the protagonist has the heaviest role. I think we could ask Brother Chen; he's quite suitable. For the other roles, I'll let Director Liu audition; acting is paramount."
Fang Chen was stunned: "Chen Zheng? He seems to have not acted in a TV series for two or three years. I wonder if he will agree to act in a web series."
He Tong: "If he has time, he'll probably agree to it, just for our sake. Brother Ye has two Best Actor trophies, but he can still star in a leading role. It wouldn't be a loss of face for him to just be a friendly guest appearance."
Fang Chen nodded: "Okay, I'll talk to Director Liu."
Ye Yuze: "It's nothing more than a question of pay. If we spend more money, we can always find good actors who are willing to act. This way, Xingchen and Zhilei will calculate the cost and contribute normally. In addition, all the actors' salaries will be considered as our studio's investment."
With the recent boom in online dramas, Xingchen and Zhilei have collaborated numerous times and have developed a set process. All that's left is to pay more and find the actors.
Fang Chen gave Ye Yuze a thumbs up: He is indeed a domineering CEO, he is so rich and powerful!
◆◇◆
The filming of "Stripping" went smoothly.
However, as the filming progressed, He Tong gradually became more and more immersed in the role. Even when he left the set, he still looked depressed, and his previous smile on his face was completely gone.
Later, even the most slow-witted Fang Chen noticed something was wrong, and worriedly he went to find Ye Yuze and ask him about the situation.
"What's wrong with He Xiaotong? I've never seen him unable to act after leaving the camera before."
As Fang Chen spoke, he looked towards the door of the room He Tong and Ye Yuze were in. In the past, if he had called Ye Yuze out alone, He Tong would have followed in less than a minute, but now there was no movement at the door.
Ye Yuze didn't really care. He leaned against the wall and looked at the tablet while saying, "It's okay. I can eat and sleep."
Fang Chen looked at him helplessly: "Aren't you worried at all?"
"He's in his best form right now. To win the Best Actor award, you have to make some sacrifices."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Fang Chen was puzzled. "I didn't see you acting like this when you were filming 'The Painter'."
"He's different from me." Ye Yuze raised his eyes. "I can get out of the role quickly because I'm not emotionally inclined and can always clearly grasp myself. He Tong, on the other hand, usually tends to be more expressionistic in his acting. He doesn't need to get too involved in the role to be able to perform well."
"Uh...what does this have to do with his current condition?"
"As a non-main character, that is, a supporting role, there is no problem. Of course, as an ordinary protagonist, it is also successful. But to strive for Best Actor, for most actors, they still have to immerse themselves in the role wholeheartedly and convey that sense of soul resonance to the audience."
"..." Fang Chen surrendered, "I don't understand your artistic genius. Anyway, you should keep an eye on him. Alas, it's like he's been possessed by the character."
Ye Yuze didn't say anything more, waved his hand, and turned back to his room.
He walked into the bedroom and saw He Tong in pajamas sitting on the bed in a daze.
After several seconds, He Tong finally realized that Ye Yuze had returned and asked softly, "What did Second Brother want to talk to you about?"
"Nothing much, just some small investment details for the next drama."
Ye Yuze sat on the bed and reached out to gently touch He Tong's face: "Why aren't you sleeping yet? Didn't you just wash up?"
He Tong rubbed his hand and smiled faintly: "Waiting for you. By the way, think about tomorrow's play."
Ye Yuze leaned over and kissed He Tong on the forehead: "Go to sleep."
He Tong moved down and lay down, naturally holding Ye Yuze who was also lying down in his arms.
Ye Yuze raised his lips silently.
What's the difference? He's still a big, clingy dog.
More than two months had passed in the blink of an eye. That afternoon, the filming at the castle location ushered in the final scene.
There were several headlights on at the edge of the forest and blowers were whirring.
He Tong stood in the field holding a bow, with uneven branches around him and a dilapidated castle behind him.
His back straightened up, no longer hunching slightly as usual.
His face no longer had the innocence it had at the beginning, but was now filled with the tranquility that came from experiencing the vicissitudes of life.
He stared at the camera intently, his dark eyes containing a dim light, his gaze distant and deep.
The blower made his hair flutter, as if he was uneasy, but also as if he was very excited.
After a long time, he seemed to feel something appearing behind him, but he did not look back.
"……Thanks."
The soft murmur quickly dissipated in the wind.
He took a step forward, slowly but firmly walking out of the woods.
"Ka! Perfect!"
Following Bei Jiaxiang's words, the atmosphere at the scene instantly became lively.
The outdoor shooting part was finally over, and the only things left were the studio shooting and some filming inside the studio. Everyone was in a good mood and chatting and laughing while packing up their things.
Seeing that He Tong and Ye Yuze were also waiting for the assistant bodyguard to pack up, Bei Jiaxiang walked over and patted He Tong on the shoulder: "Actors are allowed three days of rest. Are you going to move with the crew tomorrow or go on your own?"
He Tong smiled shyly: "We plan to rest for a day before leaving."
"Okay. But you still have to pay attention to your diet and don't get an upset stomach."
He Tong scratched his head: "Brother Ye will keep an eye on me."
He Tong's diet has started to recover in the past few days, and the nutritionist is gradually increasing his food intake.
Bei Jiaxiang laughed heartily and said to Ye Yuze, "There's no need to maintain this immersive state later on. Do you have any idea how to help him wake up?"
Ye Yuze nodded: "Don't worry."
As a good friend of their foreign "uncle", Bei Jiaxiang had some understanding of their affairs, so he left with peace of mind.
Fang Chen, who was listening in, was very curious. While He Tong wasn't paying attention, he quietly asked Ye Yuze, "Do you have any good ideas?"
Ye Yuze glanced at him and said, "Commercial secret."
Fang Chen felt a chill in his spine as he looked at him coldly. He rubbed his arm and muttered to himself, "Can this be a secret?"
That night, when He Tong was relaxing in the bathtub, he suddenly heard the bathroom door open. When he looked up, he saw Ye Yuze, wearing a yukata, walking in naturally.
He Tong was stunned and sat up straight: "Brother?"
Ye Yuze looked down at him for a while, then stepped into the bathtub and squatted down to face him.
The water level in the bathtub immediately rose, and a lot of water flowed out.
Ye Yuze's yukata was almost completely wet, sticking to his body in a semi-transparent manner.
He Tong wanted to get up in a panic, but the place was too narrow and he would bump into Ye Yuze if he moved. In the end, he had to hunch his shoulders and stick to the wall behind him, trying his best to keep his eyes on Ye Yuze's face.
"...Is...something?" He swallowed, his voice a little hoarse with nervousness.
Ye Yuze raised his hands, held He Tong's face, and slowly moved closer.
He stopped at the point where the tips of their noses were almost touching and looked into He Tong's eyes.
He Tong's gaze on the person gradually became obsessed.
After a long while, Ye Yuze suddenly asked in a low voice: "Who am I?"
He Tong instinctively answered: "...Yize."
Ye Yuze curled the corners of his mouth and leaned over to kiss him.
He Tong opened his mouth instinctively...
Gradually, his body relaxed, and his hands, which were supported on the bottom of the bathtub, climbed up the body of the person in front of him...
More than an hour later, He Tong came out of the almost empty bathtub, wiped himself casually, grabbed his shorts and put them on, then found a large bath towel, wrapped it around his brother Ye, carried him to the bed, wiped his body, dressed him, and blew his hair.
Ye Yuze lazily let him fiddle with her, teasing him, "You're really patient. Are you saving it for the wedding night after you register?"
He Tong couldn't help but blush. He turned off the hair dryer and came over to kiss Ye Yuze on the forehead.
"You're not in good health, let's take it slow."
Ye Yuze was puzzled: "I'm not feeling well?"
He Tong bit his tongue and quickly turned on the hair dryer to cover up the sound.
"No, I mean you're not very strong, and I'm easily impulsive at my age. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself all of a sudden and you'll be overwhelmed. Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time and you'll slowly adapt."
Seeing his nervous and blushing face, Ye Yuze smiled and stopped teasing him.
He Tong served the person and then went to fetch some water for Ye Yuze to drink. Then he covered the person with a quilt and lay down with his arms around him.
His mind had been subconsciously tense for a long time before, but today he was finally able to relax and his consciousness quickly became confused.
Half asleep and half awake, He Tong suddenly heard Ye Yuze's voice.
The sound seemed far and near, as if floating in the clouds, yet as if right next to the ear.
He half-opened his eyelids and mumbled, "What?"
Ye Yuze said again.
He Tong tried hard to concentrate his attention to catch his voice, and only then could he barely hear it clearly.
What Ye Yuze asked was - after the college entrance examination two years ago, why did you suddenly want to drag me to act?
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