Chapter 31: The Film Crew

Li Mu was clearly caught off guard. He stared blankly at the bear waving on his phone and then looked up at Yu Xiaozhe, both of them speechless. Zhang He watched them, big eyes staring at little eyes, and with some exasperation, offered a reminder. "Hurry up and go. Don’t get too far from the rest of the crew, or it’ll look like we’re not fitting in, and then the haters will start badmouthing you again." Seeing Li Mu utterly clueless, Yu Xiaozhe casually slipped his phone back into his pocket, as if nothing had happened, but couldn’t help but grumble internally. Is Li Mu always this clueless? Is he really worth that high salary? Li Mu didn’t expect that because of a single emoji, his professional competence was questioned, and even his salary seemed at risk. The three of them followed the main crew into the arranged hotel. The crew members were all assigned to the lower floors; the higher the floor, the higher the status in the industry. This was an unwritten rule. Zhang He was Yu Xiaozhe’s agent and didn’t always need to accompany him. This time, Director Wang’s crew was rather complex, with various forces at play, so she was worried Yu Xiaozhe and Li Mu might not handle it well. She decided to attend today’s opening ceremony too. As Yu Xiaozhe’s assistant, Li Mu naturally had to follow the crew. He was responsible for Yu Xiaozhe’s day-to-day needs and had to keep watch when Yu Xiaozhe was filming. The crew’s information had long been entered into the hotel system by the staff, so after entering the hotel, Wang Zicheng and his group headed straight for the elevator. Seeing them waiting for the elevator, Yu Xiaozhe walked up to Wang Zicheng respectfully and greeted him. "Director Wang." At nearly seventy, Wang Zicheng was almost a grandfather to Yu Xiaozhe. Aside from the respect an actor shows a director, Yu Xiaozhe had the respect one shows an elder, and Wang Zicheng had also been gracious to Yu Xiaozhe. Back when the documentary-style film "War" was considered niche, everyone doubted its success. For the actors involved, it could tarnish their image, as war films, especially documentaries, don’t portray glamorous characters. Yu Xiaozhe unhesitatingly took on the film, enduring harsh environments to present the viewers with the real agony of war. You could say Yu Xiaozhe made "War" and "War" also made Yu Xiaozhe, helping Wang Zicheng earn Best Director, and Yu Xiaozhe became a double winner of the Golden Gui Award and the Golden Bear Award. This success made the previously skeptical financiers and actors regretful and envious, including the current crew’s deputy director. Wang Zicheng was quite fond of Yu Xiaozhe. A hardworking and competent person is always liked, not to mention his age was close to his grandchildren’s. Seeing the comparison with his unambitious own, he adored Yu Xiaozhe even more. Consequently, he joked with Yu Xiaozhe, patting his shoulder. "Xiao Ze, you’ve really made a name for yourself. You’re no longer that reckless kid who knew nothing back then. Now, if you make a mistake while filming, I’d have to think twice before speaking up!" "What are you talking about? I’ve always regarded you as a grandfather. If I have any issues, just tell me directly; I’ll seriously correct them." Yu Xiaozhe responded solemnly. The surrounding people sensed the sudden serious atmosphere, dared not to speak, and stayed silent fixtures, except the deputy director, who scoffed softly in a corner. Wang Zicheng laughed heartily and reused an old joke. "Hahaha, you’re still the same. I was just joking; young and serious face, can’t even take a joke. Even though you’re handsome, with that ’ice block face,’ other young guys might be scared away." People in the industry all knew Yu Xiaozhe was male and was attracted to men. Yu Xiaozhe was a bit helpless but couldn’t do anything about the old man, So he simply stayed quiet on the side, listening to the grandfatherly jest that seemed more like a lesson. Those around noticed Wang Zicheng’s cheerful demeanor and realized the mighty director and the emperor were indeed close, chiming in until the elevator arrived, breaking up the chatter. Wang Zicheng walked in first, noticed Yu Xiaozhe standing still, invited him in, others persuaded. "Mr. Yu, why don’t you and Director Wang go up first? We’ll wait for the next one." "Exactly, we’re not in a hurry, you go ahead." Yu Xiaozhe declined. "Thank you, but you go first, I have something to take care of." Seeing his genuine unwillingness, the crowd stopped urging, and part of the group entered the elevator. There were about twenty people in this group, so they could only split into two batches to ride. Those with Wang Zicheng were clearly his trusted circle, familiar from multiple collaborations. The others aligned around the deputy director. During the brief journey from the ceremony to the hotel, some tried to cozy up to Wang Zicheng but found it impossible to insert themselves, making their attempts somewhat comical. Finally, understanding their position, they backed off and sided with the deputy director, who smugly felt superior and increasingly disdainful of Wang Zicheng. "Hmph, if not for everyone praising you, you’d be nothing, Wang Zicheng." He seemed mistakenly confident, believing despite his lack of notable works, he was superior to the award-laden Wang Zicheng... After seeing Wang Zicheng’s elevator doors close, Yu Xiaozhe nodded at the deputy director’s group before turning to join Zhang He and Li Mu waiting at the front desk, ignoring their advances. Yu Xiaozhe didn’t foresee that what was normal to him would upset the self-important deputy director. Despite greeting Wang Zicheng, when he reached the deputy director, he merely nodded then left? The deputy director was displeased and spoke irritably. "No manners, really impudent." The people surrounding the deputy director exchanged looks and subtly distanced themselves. They were unhappy not fitting in with Director Wang’s circle but weren’t foolish. They knew who shouldn’t be offended, realizing this deputy director wasn’t too bright, best keep away to avoid trouble. Thinking this, they entered the elevator without replying, headed to their rooms to rest for tomorrow’s filming starting officially. Yu Xiaozhe approached Zhang He and Li Mu. Zhang He eagerly spoke. "I noticed your group’s deputy director seemed hostile to you. Did you upset him?" "..." Yu Xiaozhe didn’t answer, he was quiet but not foolish. After the ceremony, he sensed issues with the deputy director, and hearing Zhang He mention he was planted by Mingsheng, he wasn’t interested in engaging, greatly disdaining such tactics. He told her to leave. "You go back first, everything’s fine here. Have you recently found a promising talent?"