Chapter 48: Using Unconventional Remedies to Treat Major Illnesses

“Do you have a way?” Hearing Zhang Yuan’s words, Yang Tao raised his head and looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Zhang Yuan, I know you mean well.”

“Among young people, your ability is strong, but this matter isn't as simple as you think.”

“I’ve thought of every method possible, and I’ve begged everyone I could.”

“But most of them just don't want to offend either side. Even after I swallowed my pride, I still had no way out.”

Compared to Yang Tao and Lai Shuiqing, the old lady and the capital behind her were clearly more powerful.

Old Man Yang waved his hand at Zhang Yuan, thinking to himself, *Kid, don't joke with me right now; I'm not in the mood.*

“Director Yang, what we're lacking right now is extras, right?” Zhang Yuan continued relentlessly.

“There are no requirements for acting; they're mostly just human backdrops, am I right?”

“Yes. What are you trying to say?”

“If that's the case, I might actually have a way.” Zhang Yuan’s tone was very calm. Yang Tao observed him closely for a moment and felt that his expression didn't look like he was joking.

“You really can?”

“Not necessarily, but we can try.”

Yang Tao thought back to what Li Dawei had told him before.

*This kid is different from ordinary people; he has ideas.*

Only then did he become somewhat skeptical yet willing to believe.

“Fine, give it a try.”

Yang Tao said this, but he still didn't hold much hope. After resting for a while, he began calling his friends again to look for people.

Zhang Yuan did the same, picking up his phone and dialing a number.

An hour later, the atmosphere in the film crew grew increasingly tense.

The main actors were hiding under the shade of trees, grumbling. Many had already begun to doubt the production, even considering looking for an opportunity to slip away.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong and Beijing staff were in a state of confrontation, occasionally trading insults.

Just as people were becoming restless and the situation was looking dire, a series of roars attracted everyone's attention.

Not far from the filming site was a dirt road, and at that moment, dust was swirling into the sky as if some ferocious beast were about to charge toward the crew.

Yang Tao and Lai Shuiqing walked forward, only to realize after a while that it appeared to be a convoy.

A convoy of dump trucks!

*Whoosh... Screech!*

The convoy approached and came to a steady halt. As the dust settled, the two directors realized that the lead vehicle was a black Mercedes-Benz.

The door opened, and a stout middle-aged man climbed out of the car.

The newcomer was none other than Zhao Decai.

Zhang Yuan waited until the dump trucks had stopped firmly before running out from behind a large boulder.

He feared nothing in the world except dump trucks...

“President Zhao, you're here!” Zhang Yuan went to greet him and simultaneously introduced him to the two directors.

“Film and television investor, President Zhao Decai, my friend.”

Yang Tao and Lai Shuiqing nodded blankly, still unable to process the situation.

“Director Yang, Director Lai, the extras are here. We can start filming.”

It wasn't until Zhang Yuan pointed his finger that the two looked in that direction and realized that the beds of those dump trucks were packed full with hundreds of young men!

These men had dark skin and thick limbs, most wearing wear-resistant, dirt-resistant green camouflage uniforms, their bodies covered in dust and mud.

“These people are...” Yang Tao could hardly believe his eyes.

Where on earth did this kid conjure up so many people?

“These are workers from construction sites in Beijing. I picked out the younger and better-looking ones.”

Workers!

Yang Tao and Lai Shuiqing exchanged a glance.

*Why didn't the two of us think of that!*

【Received thanks from Yang Tao: Film Theory +3, Cinematography Skills +5, Ethnology +3!】

【Received thanks from Lai Shuiqing: Cantonese +6, Storyboarding Skills +2, Alcohol Tolerance +3, Dramatic Theory +3!】

It was currently summer vacation, and film schools were on break, so even if the two of them searched everywhere, they couldn't find hundreds of young people to act as extras.

Zhang Yuan, however, remembered a phone call with Fatty Zhao a while ago, where the man mentioned having a developer friend with many construction projects in Beijing and even offered to give him a discount.

So, he contacted Zhao Decai. Without a second thought, the man hurriedly contacted his friends. They hadn't even prepared transport vehicles, so they simply loaded them up using the construction site's dump trucks.

Zhang Yuan waved his hand: “Unload!”

Although these young migrant workers couldn't act, if they just stood there in uniform without speaking, the audience wouldn't be able to tell.

However, the prerequisite was that the pay had to be sufficient; the daily wage for these able-bodied workers was higher than that of standard extras.

Of course, Zhang Yuan understood that in an emergency, money was a secondary concern.

In less than half an hour, two to three hundred men had changed clothes and, under the foreman's direction, stood in several scattered rows.

Even now, seeing so many people, Yang Tao and Lai Shuiqing still felt a sense of unreality.

*The things we couldn't handle, this kid solved with a single phone call?*

The key was, who would have thought to look for people at a construction site?

In truth, the flaw in these two professionals was that they were *too* professional; when solving problems, their thinking was boxed within their professional fields.

Zhang Yuan was different; he excelled at these "unconventional methods."

But you couldn't deny it—sometimes unconventional remedies were needed for major ailments. When the straight path was blocked, one truly had to rely on these "crooked" tricks to settle things.

“Everyone, take your positions!”

Yang Tao personally picked up a megaphone and shouted at the top of his lungs.

At this moment, he felt a sense of exhilaration, as if he had broken through a storm.

“*The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, Scene 1, Shot 1, Take 1, ACTION!”

...

What followed was business as usual. A major scene was filmed smoothly. Zhang Yuan had no lines; he only needed to stand in his designated position.

Yang Tao observed from behind the monitor.

Although the protagonist of this scene was Su Youpeng, his attention occasionally drifted toward Zhang Yuan.

“He takes acting quite seriously. Very professional,” came Lai Shuiqing’s voice with a Hong Kong accent from behind Yang Tao.

Yang Tao looked back and nodded.

He automatically assumed the other man was praising Zhang Yuan rather than Su Youpeng.

“Indeed. He has no lines in this scene, so he only needs to stand in the crowd.”

“But even so, he reacts to the protagonist's performance, including small movements and his gaze.”

Actors have lazy moments too. In many major productions, actors without lines would zone out or even fall asleep.

Yet Zhang Yuan was able to maintain his performance state, which the two directors greatly appreciated.

“Cut!”

Director Yang called a halt, then waved his hand excitedly: “One take!”

He stood up and looked at Lai Shuiqing.

He had been directing just now, but the other man had approached, which was clearly an olive branch.

Being from a leadership background, Yang Tao was the first to smile and extend his hand.

“May the filming be a great success.”

Lai Shuiqing smiled back in tacit understanding: “May the filming be a great success.”

There is a saying about the "four iron bonds" in life

Carrying guns together, studying together, splitting loot together, and visiting brothels together.

Why are these four considered "iron"?

Because they share common negative memories.

That was the case for these two now—they both felt guilty.

If things had truly fallen apart on the first day of filming, not only would it be hard to explain to the investors, but their reputations in the industry would also be affected.

Thus, there was a desire for reconciliation.

Ultimately, the two didn't actually hate each other; it was all a struggle for interests.

However, while the leader showed a desire for peace, his subordinates, having gone through the recent incident, were even more polarized, appearing as if they were as incompatible as fire and water.

“Mr. Yang, for the sake of the crew's work, we need to make the relationship between our subordinates more harmonious.”

“Director Lai, everyone in film crews has a temper. Those with good tempers can't do this job at all. It's hard.”

It wasn't that they didn't want to, it was that they couldn't.

Right now, they feared that while the external enemy was being suppressed, internal chaos would erupt.

“How about we ask Zhang Yuan? Maybe he has a way?”

After thinking for a while, Yang Tao spoke first.

Whenever he encountered a difficult problem, his instinct was to think of Zhang Yuan.

“That makes sense...” Now, even Lai Shuiqing thought so.

On the other side, Zhang Yuan was resting under the shade of a tree, surrounded by several actors from the training camp with whom he had become familiar.

“Zhang Yuan, can you massage my legs? I've been standing for too long, and my calves are so sore,” Gao Yuanyuan said cautiously.

The training had been so hard these past few days that she had long craved Zhang Yuan's massage skills, but she had only just found the courage to ask.

Was Zhang Yuan the kind of person who would willingly act as a masseuse just to touch a girl's long legs?

Yes...

“Spread your legs—no, put them up here. Let me see.”

Zhang Yuan patted his own thigh, signaling her to rest them there.

“Zhang Yuan, I have something to ask you.”

Just then, Yang Tao and Lai Shuiqing arrived. Seeing the directors, Gao Yuanyuan immediately lowered her legs and assumed a very well-behaved sitting posture.

*You old fogies, ruining my fun...* Zhang Yuan stood up indignantly.

Moving aside, the two men laid out their difficulties in full.

Seeing that the two leaders were showing signs of reconciliation, Zhang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

Constant infighting in a film crew was never a good thing.

“I actually do have a way, and it's quite simple.” Zhang Yuan offered his suggestion: “It can be summed up in one word.”

“Alcohol!”