Chapter 5: It's Normal to Brag During an Interview

In the following days, the production went quite smoothly, and there were no further emotional outbursts from the actors.

Zhang Yuan, meanwhile, had completely integrated himself with the rest of the cast.

In the entertainment industry, connections are often more important than acting skills; having lived two lifetimes, he understood this principle well.

By eating and living with the leads every day, their relationships naturally deepened significantly.

"Sigh, people really are at the mercy of fate," Sun Honglei sighed one day while they were eating and drinking together, his face filled with resentment.

"Brother Honglei, what's wrong?" Zhang Yuan asked, puzzled.

The director had gone out on business that day, so the leads hadn't gathered in the hotel's private dining room. Instead, a few of them had found a barbecue stall to eat skewers and drink beer.

After the incident where he "settled" Ma Xiaoming, everyone knew he had a good tolerance for alcohol, so they would invite him along to their private gatherings.

Because these private meals were more casual, Sun Honglei felt comfortable enough to pour out his grievances.

"You guys don't know this, but Director Gao actually invited me to join the crew once before, and I turned him down because my schedule was already full."

Sun Honglei had started out in the real world very early. Relying on his superb dancing skills, he was already earning over ten thousand a month back in the 90s.

But his ambitions didn't stop there. After venturing into the film and television industry, he had appeared in big productions like *Love in the Rain*, but unfortunately, he only had a minor supporting role.

However, at the end of last year, he received an offer for the TV series *Dust Settles*, to play the male lead.

The budget for *Dust Settles* was over 20 million, and the salary offered was ten times that of *Conquer*.

Moreover, besides Liu Wei, who had appeared in *Tang Ming Huang*, the cast included Song Jia, who had become famous in the 80s for her Qiong Yao dramas and had played Empress Wu Zetian.

More importantly, the female lead of that show was Fan Bingbing!

Whether in terms of funding or cast configuration, that show was leagues ahead of *Conquer*. At the time, any fool would have chosen *Dust Settles*.

Sun Honglei had made that choice, too, and signed the contract quickly.

Since the show was adapted from a novel by a Tibetan author and told the story of the rise and fall of a Tibetan chieftain family, the crew planned to film on location. All cast and crew, including Sun Honglei, traveled to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau before filming began.

And then... there was no "then."

Sun Honglei never expected that despite being strong and having years of dance experience with excellent cardiovascular health, he would suffer from severe altitude sickness. Once he arrived at the set, let alone acting, he could only lie in bed all day, shivering while hooked up to an oxygen tank.

Fortunately, the production team was decent; seeing that he truly couldn't perform, they mutually agreed to terminate the contract without asking him to pay for the losses.

The actor who replaced him was Li Jie, who played Lin Pingzhi in the bearded version of *Laughing in the Wind* and Ouyang Ke in the Hu Ge version of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*.

Sun Honglei was devastated. He felt he had lost his chance to become an overnight sensation!

Gao Qunshu, upon learning of this, didn't abandon him; he invited him again, calling him to star in *Conquer*.

Sun Honglei was, of course, grateful for Gao Qunshu's appreciation, but having been to both sets, the contrast was just too stark!

Hearing him finish, Zhang Yuan chuckled inwardly.

Yes, this is fate!

Sun Honglei thought his life was bitter and that he had missed a heaven-sent opportunity.

But Zhang Yuan knew that heaven was practically shoving the opportunity into his arms!

Twenty years later, how many people would know *Dust Settles*?

Twenty years later, how many people wouldn't know *Conquer*?

What is lost in the east is gained in the west.

The man who replaced him became a shining star, while Li Jie, who took his place, never reached the same heights. Isn't that just fate?

"Brother Honglei, it's all for the best. Who knows, you might become famous because of this role, Liu Huaqiang," Zhang Yuan said with a smile, trying to comfort him.

"Brother, the director isn't here today, so I'll be honest with you," Sun Honglei said, his cheeks slightly flushed from the alcohol. "I don't know if this show is good or what the final product will look like."

"But I really doubt this show can be sold, let alone broadcast."

Sun Honglei looked around to make sure no one he knew was nearby before continuing, "Do you know why the director isn't here tonight?"

Zhang Yuan had already guessed, but he still shook his head.

"I heard from the cameraman that the director took some rough cuts to find a buyer."

As he suspected.

"Usually, TV dramas have investors; why would the director need to worry about selling the show? And if it were a big production, the broadcast schedule would have been set with a TV station long ago."

Sun Honglei still looked troubled. In truth, he had great confidence in this role and his own performance.

But if no one bought the show and it couldn't be aired, all their efforts would be in vain, and his dream of becoming a superstar would remain a distant prospect.

"True gold doesn't fear the fire. I believe our show will definitely find its patron. Just wait to become famous across the country."

"Heh, I hope your words come true." Sun Honglei squeezed out a smile and continued to drown his sorrows in alcohol.

Zhang Yuan, however, set down his beer bottle and began to calculate.

From the very beginning, he had several motives for choosing to join this crew.

Building relationships with future superstars was one thing, but beyond that, he had long known that the show would face difficulties in finding a buyer.

According to his memory, *Conquer* was eventually sold to a female restaurant owner in Shaanxi province who was desperate to enter the film and television market. She picked up a massive bargain for only 4.5 million!

Gao Qunshu had spent 4.2 million just to film it. After all that hard work, he only made a measly 300,000 from his masterpiece.

Zhang Yuan had long had ideas about the sale of this show, and he would implement them as soon as his scenes were finished.

The skewers sizzled as they were grilled, and after the actors finished eating and drinking, they returned to their hotel rooms to rest.

Zhang Yuan had joined the crew late and was sharing a double room with Li Jingxiang, who had also arrived late—the same man who would later star in *Blind Shaft*.

Aside from the director and Sun Honglei, Zhang Yuan was closest to him, as they were roommates.

When they returned to the room, Zhang Yuan flopped onto his bed, lying spread-eagled to release the fatigue of the day's filming. Turning his head, he saw Li Jingxiang sitting on the edge of his bed, smoking restlessly, clearly troubled.

"Brother Jingxiang, what's wrong? Are you worried about the show not selling, too?" Zhang Yuan wondered if all these actors were this dedicated.

"No, I... I'm fine." Li Jingxiang let out a sharp "hiss" of pain and flicked his hand.

"Forget it, you didn't even notice the cigarette butt burning your hand, and you say you're not troubled?" Zhang Yuan sat up and habitually handed him a bottle of water.

Li Jingxiang gritted his teeth and confessed.

"Brother, I have scenes tomorrow, you know that, right?"

"The plot for tomorrow's scene is that my character takes the female lead out to find her niece."

"And then?"

"I have to ride a motorcycle to get out of there." As he said this, Li Jingxiang's face twisted.

"What's the problem with that?"

"The problem is, I... I'm a bit... rusty with motorcycles..."

If you can't ride, just say you can't ride! Why use fancy words like "rusty"?

"That's not right. Didn't the director ask if you could ride before you joined the crew?" Zhang Yuan didn't know what to say.

"He asked, and I said I could ride a two-wheeler."

"And the truth is?"

"I can ride a bicycle." Li Jingxiang took a deep drag of his cigarette.

Zhang Yuan:...

Although motorcycles and bicycles both have two wheels, motorcycles have a clutch and require coordination between the throttle and the clutch. If you haven't learned, you really can't do it.

Seeing the look of disdain on Zhang Yuan's face, Li Jingxiang coughed a few times and explained, "It's normal to brag during an audition; everyone does it."

That was true. You secure the role first, then worry later. Many people claim they can ride horses for period dramas, but when it comes time to film, they have to have people carry them or use camera angles to pretend they're on horseback.

Compared to horse riding, a motorcycle was clearly much simpler.

However, this low-budget production had no money to hire a stunt double.

"I'd be fine, but I'm afraid of carrying Liu Weiwei and causing an accident, which would delay filming."

You only look for the path after you hit the wall; you only look for milk after the child is dead. Tomorrow is the shoot, and now you realize you can't do it.

"Don't look at me, I can't ride a motorcycle either." Zhang Yuan spread his hands.

"Brother, you're quick-witted, help me think of a way."

Li Jingxiang had seen Zhang Yuan's performance on set these past few days. The director went to him for everything, and even someone as difficult as Ma Xiaoming had been handled by Zhang Yuan with a single bottle of liquor.

Seeing the other man clasp his hands in a pious gesture, Zhang Yuan sucked his teeth, unable to think of a good solution for a moment.

Just then, after they had returned to the room, they turned on the color TV. TVs in those days were still "big-bottomed" CRT sets; the LCD era was still years away.

The *News Broadcast* had just ended, and the weather forecast was on.

Zhang Yuan stared at the TV for a while, then turned his head with a smile.

"Brother Jingxiang, I've got an idea!"