Chapter 35: Omen

Today is another sunny day, and the sun tirelessly spreads heat waves, causing the actors in prop costumes at the film base to complain endlessly. "Different Paths" Film Crew "Cut! This scene is done!" Director Wang’s voice came from behind the camera, with a tone of praise for Yu Xiaozhe, "Very good, Mr. Yu, you nailed it on the first take, and it was all in one shot. A great start, well done!" Director Wang then turned and joked with the other actors waiting on the side, "You all should learn from Mr. Yu. We could save a lot of film in our crew." At this time, the award-winning actress Su Xiaoya, who’s on friendly terms with Director Wang, chimed in with a smile, "It’s all right to learn, but we still can’t compare to Mr. Yu; after all, he not only acts well but is also handsome." She finished with a light gesture covering her mouth, and a fairy-like laugh came out. All the others who were already in makeup laughed too. Whether they meant it or not, everyone laughed; if you didn’t, you’d be the odd one out. Zeng Xu was just forcing a smile. Yesterday, Yu Xiaozhe rejected him twice, which he found hard to accept. In other crews, everyone flocked to flatter him. Even if Yu Xiaozhe is an award-winning actor, so what? The little assistant behind him saw the resentment in Zeng Xu’s eyes and followed his line of sight to Mr. Yu. He cautiously tugged at Zeng Xu’s school uniform sleeve. "Different Paths" is about two brothers who rely on each other from a young age. As adults, they face various temptations and take completely different paths. The elder brother, Yang Shu, becomes a police officer dedicated to serving the people, while the younger brother, Yang Xiaotu, takes the path of drug trafficking and ultimately loses his life at the hands of his brother. Today’s first scene depicts the younger brother Yang Xiaotu being bullied by thugs at school during his high school years. When he returns home, his brother Yang Shu finds out and goes to school to beat up the thugs for him. This scene wasn’t difficult. Yu Xiaozhe just filmed the part where the brother, who is about to leave for police duty in the morning, hurriedly makes breakfast for his younger brother before leaving home. The next scene that should be filmed is Zeng Xu playing the younger brother Yang Xiaotu. This part is simpler, requiring him only to finish eating breakfast quietly and ride a bike to school. However, Yang Xiaotu, during his high school years, is bullied at school, causing a psychological change. He is no longer the timid and weak little boy he once was. Zeng Xu just needs to capture this emotional change in his performance. Now Zeng Xu is waiting on the side for the director to call him into the scene. The assistant, who has been with Zeng Xu for more than a year, understands his temperament. Seeing him glare at Yu Xiaozhe, the assistant knew he was about to stir trouble again. But this film crew was not like those small productions. Even if he was placed here by Mingsheng, he couldn’t offend Yu Xiaozhe! The assistant gently tugged Zeng Xu’s school uniform sleeve and quietly reminded him, "Brother Zeng, Brother Wang specifically told me to tell you to be careful lately. It seems President Zhang’s side also has some troubles, so we should..." Zeng Xu instantly turned his gaze to him, and the malice in his eyes made the assistant shiver, swallowing down his unspoken advice. Before Zeng Xu could say anything, the stage manager announced through a loudspeaker, "Scene one, take two positions, actors in place!" So all he could do was glare at the assistant in warning, leaving a hurried remark, "Don’t tell Brother Wang, or I’ll deal with you," and then turned to enter the set as directed. Zeng Xu originally had some acting skills. Otherwise, the director at the audition wouldn’t have dared to send a vase into Director Wang’s crew. Everyone knew that Director Wang Zicheng only recognized acting skills. No matter how an actor got into the crew, as long as they had good acting skills, Director Wang could accept them. All the props and cameras were ready, just waiting for Zeng Xu to come into the scene. But today, he seemed out of sorts, never meeting Director Wang’s standards. Moreover, the excellent performance from his counterpart actor, Yu Xiaozhe, didn’t help, and the set was filled with Director Wang’s angry yelling, "Zeng Xu, you’re playing his brother, not his enemy. What’s with that look?" "Zeng Xu, you’re supposed to be eating. Even if the prop food isn’t tasty, you don’t need to show such disgust so vividly, right?!" "Can’t you act properly? I’m looking for a mental shift. Where’s Yang Xiaotu’s previous timidity? You’ve indeed changed; it’s like you’re going to kill someone, isn’t it?!" After being scolded for nearly an hour, Zeng Xu was visibly irritated, and his unfriendly gaze turned to Director Wang. "What, what’s with that look? Is your performance poor, and I can’t comment on it? I’m telling you, if you can’t act, don’t waste everyone’s time, just get out!" As soon as Director Wang finished speaking, everyone on set was stunned to see Zeng Xu really walking off with a flick of his sleeves. They were a bit startled, was he serious or just too high on himself, ignorant of the world’s realities? Su Xiaoya sneered mockingly, "Idiot." Her agent quickly grabbed her arm and quietly warned, "Darling, don’t get involved in this mess. Just finish filming calmly. Zeng Xu has some backing." Su Xiaoya, who has managed to get to her current position, naturally isn’t someone who knows nothing. Looking at the bad films Zeng Xu had previously shot, yet he still had decent resources and even got into Director Wang’s crew, it proved he had some capital backing him. So, she nodded, "I know, he’s foolish, but I’m not. Look at Director Wang. He’s probably ready to use his anger to burn Zeng Xu away. And look at actor Yu, left alone in front of the camera... Tsk tsk tsk, Zeng Xu is either deeply poisoned or foolishly spoiled." "He’s not foolishly spoiled; he simply isn’t smart." The sudden voice from behind startled Su Xiaoya and her agent, making them whirl around. It turned out that Xu Yang, who had already changed into his costume, was standing behind them. Seeing Xu Yang, who was already handsome, now dressed in a police uniform and standing upright, Su Xiaoya blushed slightly. Thinking of Xu Yang’s previous words, she agreed, "Indeed." Xu Yang didn’t say more to her and went straight to the angry Director Wang at the camera, speaking calmly, "Director Wang, why not shoot the next scene first? It’s precisely my and Yang Shu’s mission, starting with the departure from his home." Director Wang Zicheng indeed wanted to shoot this scene, but Xu Yang wasn’t someone he could order around easily. Now, Xu Yang himself offered, which suited his desires. Although Director Wang didn’t care about actor’s capital, he had been in the industry for decades and had encountered many things and people. Naturally, he knew some actors’ backgrounds, and Xu Yang had some connections. Director Wang picked up his loudspeaker and instructed the props team, "All right, set up the props, scene three ready!" The props team was also quite disgruntled with Zeng Xu. They had previously heard Zeng Xu was difficult to deal with, but they hadn’t expected him to actually dare show attitude right in front of Director Wang, let alone with big names like actor Yu and actress Su. Resigned, they set the scene, and a young girl on the props team took out her phone to vent to her friend, [Little Cutie Moving Bricks: I tell you, don’t be a fan of Zeng Xu anymore. I told you before, and you didn’t believe it. Today, I saw it with my own eyes. It was obviously his own problem, but he dared to leave the crew and just walked off!]