Chapter 7: Wrapping Up

"Brother Honglei, let's talk this over." Zhang Yuan raised both hands in a French military salute.

"Director Gao told me you designed this scene. You made me soak in the rain for hours?" Sun Honglei’s current state was practically Liu Huaqiang possessed.

"It’s all for the sake of art... I’ll punish myself with three drinks later," Zhang Yuan pleaded for mercy immediately.

"Three isn't enough, at least nine!"

Zhang Yuan knew the other man was just joking with him.

As the saying goes, "familiarity breeds a lack of reason." If the relationship weren't close, people would certainly be very polite in their words and actions.

But once they become close, like brothers, their behavior inevitably becomes more uninhibited.

"The idea is good, but it’s hard on the people," Sun Honglei quipped.

After lunch, Director Gao arranged to film another scene that Zhang Yuan had suggested adding, and they finished the work smoothly by the afternoon.

Li Jingxiang hadn't appeared all day. It wasn't until 8:00 PM that he returned to the hotel, limping.

"Did you fall?"

"Yeah, and I had to pay the guy 200 for repairs." Li Jingxiang’s face didn't look as distressed as it had the night before. "But I’ve basically learned the gist of it; I should be able to pull it off."

Zhang Yuan felt relieved. Fortunately, he had practiced all day; if he had fallen during the actual shoot, he wouldn't have been the only one getting hurt.

With his level of skill, he would basically be saying goodbye to motorcycles after this shoot.

"Zhang Yuan, thank you. From now on, if there’s anything you need me for, just say the word. I won't hesitate," Li Jingxiang said to him with a serious expression.

Originally, when he asked Zhang Yuan for help, he thought he’d get some trick to fake the performance.

He never expected Zhang Yuan to mobilize the entire crew to clear the way for him. This level of capability and boldness was something he hadn't anticipated.

He was completely won over!

He had definitely made a friend for life.

"Alright, I’ll hold you to that. Don't ignore my calls when I need something later," a hint of craftiness flashed in Zhang Yuan's eyes.

"How could I..."

What Li Jingxiang didn't know was that Zhang Yuan had intentionally done him a huge favor—partly to farm attribute points, and partly because... hehe.

When he would go on to film *Blind Shaft* in the future, Zhang Yuan would indeed need his help.

Early the next morning was the motorcycle scene.

Zhang Yuan watched from the side, his fingers tightly gripping his pants, sweating nervously.

Fortunately, it was a one-take success, and nothing went wrong.

Li Jingxiang was a decent guy after the scene; he gave him another wave of attribute points.

During lunch, Li Jingxiang even raised a glass specifically to thank him for his help.

"Damn, so that’s why you made me stand in the rain for hours!" Sun Honglei was almost stunned.

The key was, you couldn't say what he did was unreasonable—the scene worked perfectly.

From the director to the actors, everyone thought it was great, and they even got a free rainstorm from Mother Nature.

But you couldn't say it was reasonable either; this kid was just too good at stirring things up, spinning the whole crew around and changing the shooting schedule with a flick of his hand.

"Punishment, you must be punished with drinks!"

Sun Honglei, annoyed, forced him to drink.

However, over the past few weeks, he had farmed hundreds of points in alcohol tolerance at the dinner table, and his capacity had increased significantly.

Sun Honglei used to be able to easily outdrink him, but now the two were evenly matched.

The following days continued with filming: acting during the day, eating and drinking with the actors at night to build rapport, and farming attributes on the side. Zhang Yuan was perfectly content.

A few nights later.

Bang!

"Brother Biao, Brother Biao!"

Beside a taxi, Wang Debao, who played Feng Biao, clutched the bloody hole in his thigh, his face twisted in agony.

Just moments ago, Liu Huaqiang’s men had intentionally caused a car accident and ambushed Feng Biao, who was out with his lackeys, with a gun.

Zhang Yuan, playing the lead henchman Gao Erlin, was the first to shield his boss.

But the attackers ran as soon as they fired, giving him no chance for revenge.

"Stop right there, damn you, don't run!" Zhang Yuan pulled a machete from his waist, waving it at the fleeing attackers. He wanted to chase them, but didn't dare.

"This kid has improved a lot. His acting is even more refined than when he first arrived."

"Improvement isn't rare, but such rapid progress is very uncommon," Director Gao Qunshu said in front of the monitor, and Sun Honglei nodded in agreement.

Indeed, the speed of Zhang Yuan's progress left the lead actor stunned.

Not only was his acting improving rapidly, but his alcohol tolerance was also astonishing... Sun Honglei thought to himself, then felt a bit insecure.

It wouldn't be long before he couldn't outdrink this kid.

The performance continued.

"Big Brother, Brother Biao, are you okay? Brother Biao."

Zhang Yuan was full of emotion, hesitating between chasing the attackers and worrying about his boss's injury, bringing the reckless thug to life.

"Damn you... don't run, who did this!"

The dialogue in those days was punchy, and profanity was used freely. The most typical example was *Yongzheng Dynasty*; even that grand production had lines like "Tian Wenjing, I [expletive]..."

"Hey, what are you guys doing!" Just as the performance was in full swing, several loud shouts came from nearby.

Everyone turned around to see several men in police uniforms approaching quickly, their expressions stern: "Nobody move!"

They held batons and, as they spoke, pulled out shiny "silver bracelets" from their waists.

Small crews didn't clear the streets when filming; they had just found a deserted alley at night to shoot, never expecting to attract real police.

He Tielong, who played Zhou Guoquan, was the production manager responsible for order on set, so he hurried forward with a smile to explain.

"Officers, sorry, we're just filming."

"Filming?" The two police officers looked at the murderous-looking Zhang Yuan and the prop knife in his hand, shaking their heads firmly: "Doesn't look like it."

"Look over there." Following He Tielong’s gesture, the police finally noticed the camera crew in the corner and realized what was happening.

"You acted so realistically..." The two officers still looked at Zhang Yuan with disbelief, scanning him up and down as if interrogating a criminal.

After explaining for a while and handing out some cigarettes, the officers finally left, looking disgruntled.

"Zhang Yuan, look at that, they took you for a real thug," Sun Honglei said with a mischievous grin.

"Isn't that what I learned from you?" Zhang Yuan was telling the truth.

"Get lost..."

The shoot had been interrupted, so they had to do it again.

This time, there were no accidents.

"Cut, perfect!" Director Gao Qunshu gave the order, and the crew wrapped up.

"You're something else, brother. If I didn't know better, I would've really thought you were going to hack someone."

Wang Debao, who played Feng Biao, stood up. Just now, Zhang Yuan’s eyes had been bloodshot, the veins on his temples bulging, his muscles tense, and his grip on him had been like a pair of pliers, causing him real pain.

Never mind the police who didn't know the situation; even he, as a fellow actor, had been a bit scared.

"Everyone, attention." The director clapped his hands, drawing everyone's focus: "This was Zhang Yuan's last scene. Congratulations to him on officially wrapping up!"

Applause broke out, and many crew members looked reluctant to see him go.

Especially the guys; they would be missing a drinking buddy, and a brother who could offer advice when things got tough.

"Let's go, we've booked a table for your farewell dinner. We aren't leaving until we're drunk tonight." Sun Honglei, Li Jingxiang, and the other "big brothers" hooked their arms around his shoulders, dragging him straight to the restaurant.

It was the same familiar private room, the one where they had filmed Song Laohu’s banquet; it had basically become the crew's dedicated spot.

"Come on, everyone, let's have a toast. Wishing Zhang Yuan a bright future!" After everyone was seated, Director Gao took the lead.

The sound of clinking glasses filled the air.

Zhang Yuan was the guest of honor, so he couldn't avoid drinking, and the others were excited, so they all drank quite a bit.

By the time everyone was red-faced, humming little tunes, and bragging, Zhang Yuan brought his glass over to Director Gao Qunshu.

"Director Gao, I heard you've been busy trying to sell our film lately?"

"Hmm?" Gao Qunshu had been about seventy percent drunk, but he sobered up by twenty percent upon hearing this.

That was a sore spot for him!

In truth, Gao Qunshu had plenty of connections both inside and outside the industry. He had taken the rough cut to many people, but the results had left him in despair.

"What kind of trash is this?"

"The visuals don't look like a TV series, nor a documentary?"

"This film is just too crude."

These were the kinds of evaluations he received, and naturally, no one was willing to put up the money.

"Director Gao, since I've wrapped up anyway, how about I go pull some strings and look for a buyer?"

"You?" Gao Qunshu shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Fine, go ahead and try."

He didn't deny the young man's ability; after all, Gao Qunshu admitted that Zhang Yuan had exceptional insight into the plot and characters.

But making a film was one thing, and selling it was another!

How many good films had been buried because they lacked connections or backing?

Gao Qunshu said he could try, but it was really just a joke; he didn't hold any hope at all...