Chapter 613 Actor's Diary [Zhao Qian] (Part 2) (7600-word long chapter) Of course, we knew he was referring to Su Ge. Su Ge works for Meta Pictures. Shortly after she met Ye Chu, Meta Pictures went on a rampage and ruined the Xinghan Awards... Now that you mention it, it seems...
I couldn't help but ask, "Isn't it because the 'Tian' and 'Guan' generations monopolize the Xinghan Awards? Myta's dramas and artists haven't won any awards in a long time."
The film industry looks down on the television industry; the Xinghan Awards are a television awards. It's understandable that Tang Song, who has been making films for so many years, wouldn't be aware of the shady dealings at the Xinghan Awards.
"Tch," Tang Song scoffed, "Can't you use your brain? How many years has it been since Mita won an award? Why didn't you make a move before, but only this time?"
This deadpan look is truly disgusting. I couldn't help but say, "You think you're so smart, so smart, but you're half water and half oil. The water is drool pouring in, and the oil is factory gutter oil..."
"Stop joking, Lao Zhao," Lu Hongyi tried to smooth things over again. "You can make up that rhyme again tomorrow and hear what Lao Tang has to say."
Tang Song hiccuped: "You guys really think Ye Chu would be interested in Su Ge? My daughter is a fan of Ye Chu. She said that Ye Chu likes older, mature women, I think it's some kind of fetish. Su Ge fits that description in terms of both physical and mental age?"
Lu Hongyi asked suspiciously, "Does Ye Chu have this kind of illness? She seems quite healthy to me."
"Who knows, these days all sorts of problems exist." Tang Song took a sip of water. "You think Ye Chu is just trying to coax the young lady? She's putting on a show for us! On the surface, she's all smiles and friendly, but behind the scenes, she's probably plotting something, trying to persuade Meta Pictures, and scheming against those old zombies at the Star Han Awards."
Was Ye Chu and Su Ge being so intimate just for our benefit?
For some reason, I, Lao Zhao, feel that Tang Song's statement is a bit presumptuous. Although Ye Chu is very respectful to us, he doesn't seem to care about us as much as he claims...
"Alright," Shao Guangji suddenly said, "You're getting off-topic. I'm full."
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The diary has several pages long, but why is it all about Ye Chu?
You just don't understand! What's so interesting about writing about your own affairs? Just keep your own problems to yourself; it's other people's business that's worth writing about. I, Old Zhao, only have the energy to write about other people's gossip and trivial matters. I don't have the leisure to write about my own mundane, everyday squabbles.
But what is there to gossip about Ye Chu?
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The filming of "The Heavenly Emperor" is finally coming to an end.
My scenes are finished. Ye Chu's scenes will also end tomorrow.
To be honest, I'm a little reluctant to part ways. This kind of separation is normal for actors; time heals all wounds, and I believe I'll get better eventually.
Ye Chu was also in a bad mood. I knew she was reluctant to leave the production crew, just like me, Lao Zhao. "The Heavenly Emperor" is a good show, and actors can sense whether a show is good or not.
Before leaving, I chatted with her for a long time. We talked about movies and our journeys from being extras to where we are today.
We talked for a long time. I think the reason Ye Chu could tolerate (yes, I, Lao Zhao, know she's been tolerating me all along, hehe, I, Lao Zhao, am still a bit better than others. Some people are annoying without realizing it, but I, Lao Zhao, know perfectly well that others are annoyed by me, yet I still continue to annoy them. Ding-dong-dong-dong-dong-dong~) my endless stream of nonsense is because we're on the same path.
We all despise this rotten, chaotic circle, and deeply resent all the old guard, aristocrats, influential figures, and countless other unclassifiable scoundrels. Ye Chu, however, never voices these grievances or shows them on her face; and I, Old Zhao, am even more pathetic, only able to concoct some harmless jokes to poke at people's faces, and dare not do anything more than that.
From Ye Chu's conversation, I vaguely sensed that she wanted to change this circle. She didn't say it explicitly; it was me, Lao Zhao, who figured it out myself.
This is quite a sight. I, Old Zhao, dare to say anything, but dare not do anything. Ye Chu says nothing, but dares to do anything.
Perhaps this is one of the advantages of being young.
I won't laugh at her wishful thinking. Acting is a profession that loves to dream. Creating dreams for the audience, creating dreams for the actors she acts with, and even for herself—it's a series of grand dreams. A person who doesn't dream can't make others believe in their dreams.
Unfortunately, the most terrifying aspect of this circle lies not in the circle itself, but in its ability to change people. It's a place that can cause rapid decay; it corrupts people faster than a coffin lid.
I, Lao Zhao, woke up from my dream a long time ago. I wonder how long her dream will last?
I couldn't help but complain to Ye Chu: Actually, it doesn't matter who comes. The entertainment industry is a small feudal society. In the end, it all comes down to connections and capital.
But Ye Chu countered: Even in feudal society, the reign of a wise ruler is different from that of a foolish one. It's said that "when a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer." If you ask the people on both sides of a rise and fall, would they prefer prosperity or ruin? The entertainment industry is the same. It's also controlled by entertainment companies and platforms. If you ask the audience, would they prefer to be controlled by platforms that provide good works, or by platforms like Meta Pictures that have suffered fourteen consecutive failures?
Ye Chu believes that the problems in the industry are deeply entrenched and difficult to change. Before finding a fundamental solution, taking some reforms as an attempt is better than doing nothing and failing.
My heart was pounding like a little devil's popping candy; of course, I, Old Zhao, had absolutely no intention of having any feelings for Ye Chu, a kid who hadn't even grown his hair yet, I was just scared.
In the end, I, Old Zhao, could only ask with a smile: So you mean to first find someone to be a wise ruler to manage this little feudal society; and then, after finding a fundamental solution, have someone overthrow you?
Ye Chu was taken aback, then smiled and replied, "Haha, maybe it's a self-revolution."
She didn't refute it.
What a born traitor!
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Of course, this is only a small part of our conversation.
After the traitor made that shocking and outrageous statement, I, Old Zhao, partly to calm myself down and partly out of a little concern, changed the subject and started talking about the reshoots for "The Heavenly Emperor".
Wrapping up filming doesn't mean liberation; there are still many potential reshoots that need to be arranged. The larger the production, the more reshoots are likely to be required.
Talking about work-related topics went much more smoothly. Ye Chu changed her previous roundabout style and talked to me about her troubles: Shao Guangji still hadn't told her about the reshoot arrangements, and there were other matters after filming wrapped up that she also needed to ask the director.
Ye Chu's schedule is very busy. The Sky Awards ceremony is approaching, and she needs to attend. In addition, she needs to be a guest on the spin-off variety show of "The Legend of Happiness Street," called "Happiness Street Detective," for a reshoot. There's also Qingping Entertainment's "Raging Speed Project," and a collaboration with someone... Ye Chu didn't go into details. The reshoot arrangements need to be discussed and adjusted beforehand. Ye Chu's team has already sent her September and October schedule to Shao Guangji, but for some reason, Shao Guangji hasn't responded yet.
Shao Guangji is always busy, and this kind of situation happens occasionally. But Ye Chu's life is really fulfilling. I, Lao Zhao, don't have to mediate so much. After filming "The Heavenly Emperor," I have no schedule at all, and I can reshoot whenever I want. Ye Chu is not as good as me in this respect.
I said, "Then why don't you just go ask Lao Shao? Is he going to eat you?"
Ye Chu said that the entire crew was busy during the day, and the director seemed to have no time. He could not even be seen during mealtimes.
I, Lao Zhao, understand. Shao Guangji is busy during the day, so Ye Chu can only visit him at night. But when an actress visits a director at night, rumors always spread, even if she brings a bunch of bodyguards and assistants; people can still accuse her of acting as a lookout. Besides, Shao Guangji and Ye Chu's relationship isn't particularly close, so meeting alone would inevitably be awkward. Nina and Yang Huanyi have left, so no one can accompany Ye Chu to ease the awkwardness.
In the world of martial arts, loyalty comes first, so I, Dao Ye, patted my chest without hesitation: "I haven't received my reshoot arrangements either! Let's go ask Lao Shao together tonight!"
Ah, benevolent Old Zhao. Ah, clever Old Zhao. Ah, meddlesome Old Zhao.
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That evening, Ye Chu and I visited Shao Guangji's humble abode.
Old Zhao knew it was a grammatically incorrect sentence. But without a few words, he couldn't shake off his shock.
Unlike us, Shao Guangji didn't stay in a hotel; instead, he stayed in the dormitory provided by the Yinzhou Film and Television Base. As a director, he needed to live closer to the film set.
The dormitories at the film studio are really subpar. The corridor lights are dim and yellowish, extremely dark, like a scene from an old horror movie. Hey! Where are you going, you monster! Let this Taoist priest quickly subdue you—!
Following the room number, we found Shao Guangji's room. Shao Guangji's assistant said that the director's room contains a lot of documents that cannot be leaked or messed up, so outsiders are never allowed to enter. Even the cleaning lady has to ask Shao Guangji for permission before entering.
With that in mind, we messaged Shao Guangji before we arrived, and he replied that he would be waiting for us in the room. Ye Chu stood in front of the door and hesitantly knocked.
With two knocks and a creak, Shao Guangji's door opened. He stood there, his face weary as if he'd been carrying bricks on a construction site for three days. As filming neared its end, his workload hadn't decreased; in fact, it had increased.
"You've arrived." Shao Guangji nodded and stepped aside to let us in. His room was very tidy, without any personal touches. If you put away the piles of documents on the table and coffee table, the room could be rented to the next director immediately, saving you the trouble of cleaning.
Against the wall in the living room stood a huge whiteboard. It was one of those freestanding, movable whiteboards: a standing iron frame with a large whiteboard mounted on it; four small wheels at the bottom allowed the board to be moved easily. Detectives in crime dramas often use these whiteboards to write and draw during brainstorming sessions.
Of course, there were no suspects or cases on Shao Guangji's whiteboard. His whiteboard was neatly covered with scripts, character concept art, all sorts of materials that I couldn't understand, countless straight lines and curves, and a bunch of incomprehensible scribbles written in flamboyant cursive.
I leaned closer to the whiteboard, wanting to take a closer look, when Shao Guangji urged, "Zhao Qian, don't mess up my things. Tell me what you need to say quickly."
Old man, if you don't want people to see this, just say so.
Ye Chu and I sat down and discussed the reshoot schedule with Shao Guangji. It turned out that Shao Guangji had been busy lately and hadn't seen the schedule sent by Ye Chu's team, which was why it had been delayed for so long.
The film crew was busy with many tasks, and besides the reshoots, Ye Chu had many questions for Shao Guangji. I saw her take out her phone, open Notes, and cross off each question as she finished asking it.
Goodness gracious, this is really taking advantage of me, Old Zhao!
Shao Guangji looked impatient, but still answered all the trivial questions one by one. I squinted at the whiteboard, trying to decipher the words on it, feeling utterly bored.
Halfway through his question, there was a knock at the door. Shao Guangji went to open it; it was the director of photography who wanted to speak with him. Shao Guangji closed the door slightly, stood in the hallway, and chatted with the director of photography for a few moments.
It's normal for the director and staff not to want the actors to hear their conversations. Ye Chu picked up her phone again and scrolled through her questions and schedule.
Feeling bored, Old Zhao stood up and walked around the room to stretch his muscles.
After walking a few steps, I found myself back in front of the whiteboard (this was definitely an accident!), and started looking at the things on it.
Shao Guangji, that arrogant fellow, actually has quite a bit of insight into film. Aside from a few characters in cursive script that I don't recognize, I can understand most of it.
I moved closer to the whiteboard, trying to get a better look. Just then, I suddenly noticed two button-like objects inlaid on the left and right edges of the whiteboard. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be two knobs. It turned out to be a flexible, double-sided, flip-up whiteboard.
It's not my fault, Old Zhao, for being so impulsive. What did I do wrong? If a normal person sees a whiteboard that can be flipped, wouldn't they try flipping it? If they see a blackboard that can be pushed and pulled, wouldn't they push it? If they see a wall covered with words, wouldn't they go over and read them?
Purely out of curiosity, I, Old Zhao, pushed it twice and flipped the whiteboard over.
The Taoist priest was stunned.
Ye Chu, who was looking down at her phone, heard the noise and looked up, saying, "Uncle Zhao, please don't—"
Ye Chu's words caught in her throat.
The other side of the whiteboard was actually a blackboard.
This is actually a board that can switch between black and white.
No, no, no, I, Old Zhao, am not that surprised, not stunned by the colors of the blackboard and whiteboard. What truly astonished me was—
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