Chapter 24

### Chapter 24: Director Sun Shupeng Sets the Tone

Only when it was time to eat did Ye Ming start to check Fan Bin's attributes.

The system displayed: **Name: Fan Binbin, Age: 16, Acting: 210, Fame: 180, Martial Power: 120, Insight: Four Stars. Has the potential to become a superstar.**

At such a young age, her acting skills still needed polishing, and her fame and martial power were typical of a newcomer. However, Fan Binbin's insight was terrifying, with five stars and an evaluation of having superstar potential.

But everything was within Ye Ming's expectations. If the future formidable Fan Ye didn't have these abilities, how could she stand out in the entertainment industry's fierce competition?

Zhao Wei's standards were a bit higher.

**Name: Zhao Wei, Age: 21, Acting: 420, Fame: 400, Martial Power: 180, Insight: Four Stars, Evaluation: Near-second-tier actress, successor to the superstar.**

With a solid foundation from "Sisters in Beijing," it was unexpected that she was still considered a near-second-tier actress.

During the meal, Zhao Wei and Fan Binbin were anything but ladylike, devouring their food as quickly as Ye Ming, as if they hadn't eaten for days.

Finally, Fan Binbin, holding a bun and patting her bulging stomach, looked regretful. She sighed deeply, as if making a significant decision, and threw the bun back without eating it.

Stretching lazily, Fan Binbin said contentedly, "I'm full, I'm full. After a week, I finally had a full meal. Brother Ming, if you provide meals every day, I and Sister Wei will follow you."

While Ye Ming found the boss to settle the bill, he said, "We are all following Director Sun. Let's go to the set quickly; I think everyone should be there by now."

Fan Binbin packed up the leftover buns and walked out without a care.

Zhao Wei, who was quite shrewd, deliberately lagged behind and said, "Ye Ming, did you hear any rumors? I feel like you didn't tell the whole truth just now."

Ye Ming looked at the bright sunlight outside the window. As he walked, he waved his hand and said, "You're overthinking it. However, I think the set might not be too peaceful. We three need to be careful and avoid getting involved in internal conflicts. If the generals and ministers don't get along, it's the unknown newcomers like us who suffer."

Zhao Wei followed thoughtfully, lost in her thoughts.

The production team's gathering was still at the Home Inn, this time in a meeting room on the second floor. The room wasn't large, but it could accommodate more than twenty people.

The person receiving the actors was a man in his forties with a small mustache, looking very lean and energetic, but with a cunning glint in his eyes.

Liu Yuebing, the production manager, was a middle-level manager in the production team.

He was considered high-ranking, but above him were the director and assistant director. Generally, the production manager was like a steward of the production team.

However, he wasn't considered low-ranking either, as the production manager was the director's confidant, and only the director's confidant could become a production manager.

When Liu Yuebing saw Ye Ming and the others, he said impatiently, "How did you three take so long to arrive? What time is it? Do you have any sense of discipline?"

Ye Ming quickly walked over, took the opportunity to shake hands, and slipped a red envelope into Liu Yuebing's vest, explaining with a respectful attitude, "Brother Liu, I'm sorry. The bus was delayed today. Please bear with us, Brother Liu. The director didn't call us out, right?"

Liu Yuebing, seeing that Ye Ming was very considerate, knew that he was an actor chosen by producer He Xiujun and the director, and was even said to be personally selected by Qiong Yao to play Er Kang.

It seemed that the original choice for Er Kang was Liu Hanmin, but Qiong Yao was dissatisfied and replaced him.

Clearly, Ye Ming had caught Qiong Yao's eye. Therefore, Liu Yuebing handed him a document and said, "Be more careful in the future. It won't be good if the director catches you."

Then, Liu Yuebing looked around to make sure no one was around and lowered his voice, "Su Youpeng hasn't arrived yet. The director is in a bad mood, and I'm waiting for people. The meeting is in the second-floor conference room. Go in and keep a low profile. Observe the meeting materials and speak less."

Opening the meeting room, producer He Xiujun and director Sun Shupeng were sitting in the leadership positions, neither of them speaking, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere in the room.

Inside the meeting room, Liu Hanmin sat in the position below the director, his face openly hostile, staring intently at Ye Ming.

Er Kang's role was originally supposed to be his, but Qiong Yao favored Ye Ming and personally selected him for the role. There was nothing he or his investors could do about it.

Qiong Yao was like an insurmountable mountain.

Everyone in the production team knew that Qiong Yao was the true emperor.

But this didn't stop him from being hostile towards Ye Ming.

When He Xiujun saw Ye Ming, Zhao Wei, and Fan Binbin, she invited them to sit down.

From their seating arrangements, it was clear that the actors were treated differently.

Lin Xinru sat on the producer's side with the staff from Taiwan, including assistant director Chao Guoli and cameraman Liu Jiajun, while on the other side sat Emperor Kangxi Zhang Tielin, Empress Dai Chunrong, and other actors.

Seeing that all the mainland actors were present, Liu Hanmin said sarcastically, "Isn't Su Youpeng a bit too big of a star? Does he even care about what the director says? He should have arrived early, not be late."

It was almost eight o'clock, and it seemed unlikely that Su Youpeng would arrive on time.

At this moment, Liu Yuebing hurriedly came out and said, "Director, Su Youpeng called. Due to heavy rain in Taiwan, the flight was delayed and he can't arrive on time. He's expected to arrive no earlier than three o'clock in the afternoon."

Hearing that it was due to weather, the director's frown slightly eased. Seeing that Su Youpeng couldn't arrive on time, he said impatiently, "Forget it. I'll talk to him later about the meeting. For now, let's gather and have a meeting. I want to emphasize that this shoot is tight on time, heavy on tasks, and full of difficulties. Therefore, we need to overcome these challenges. I don't want any actor's issues to delay the shoot. So, you'd better understand the script thoroughly. If anyone drags the schedule, don't blame me for being harsh."

His words were filled with a sense of urgency. The director had no choice; the funding wasn't fully in place yet. If the production had to stop due to a lack of funds, it would be a significant loss.

But not starting the production would also incur substantial costs.

At this moment, Liu Hanmin suddenly raised his hand and said, "Director, I have a question. When are we starting the shoot? Is today just a meeting?"

Director Sun Shupeng's face darkened, and he didn't say anything.

Producer He Xiujun took over and said, "This is decided by Aunt Qiong Yao. Our show is different from previous Qiong Yao dramas. You've seen the script; it's a comedy. Therefore, Aunt Qiong Yao believes it's necessary to set the tone beforehand. Otherwise, if you approach the script with the style of previous Qiong Yao dramas, it will be hard to get into the right mindset, which will affect the schedule."

Hearing that it was decided by Qiong Yao, Liu Hanmin closed his mouth, not wanting to cause trouble.

He Xiujun continued, looking at everyone, "This is not the first co-production Aunt Qiong Yao has done. Therefore, I hope everyone can work together to make this show a success. Today, we're here for two reasons: first, to set the tone, and second, to get to know each other. Since we'll be working together in the same production team, we are colleagues and friends. Let's introduce ourselves to make future collaboration smoother. Now, please let the director speak."

After a round of applause, Director Sun Shupeng cleared his throat and said, "Manager He has already mentioned it. This show is a period comedy. Therefore, I don't want anyone to be influenced by the style of other Qiong Yao dramas. This is very important. There will be emotional scenes, but the overall style should be a period comedy. Let me introduce the cast: Su Youpeng as Fifth Prince Yongqi, Ye Ming as Er Kang, Zhao Wei as Xiao Yanzi, Lin Xinru as Zhiwei, and Fan Binbin as Jin Suo."

Each time he mentioned a name, the corresponding actor stood up to acknowledge the introduction.

After the introductions, Director Sun Shupeng became very serious and said, "Since we are a production team, we must follow the discipline of a production team. I don't care how other mainland or Hong Kong production teams operate. In my team, you must follow my rules. The first rule is to follow orders, not be late or leave early. If you have any issues, you must take leave in advance from Manager He and me. Only if it doesn't affect the shoot will we consider granting leave."

At this point, Liu Hanmin seemed unhappy and said, "Director, are you addressing everyone? Today, one of our actors was absent and late. How do you explain that? Is there a special privilege for some people?"

This was clearly directed at Su Youpeng's tardiness. Liu Hanmin, backed by the investors, was not being polite.

Director Sun Shupeng glared at Liu Hanmin but finally held his breath and said, "Su Youpeng was delayed due to weather, which is not a human factor. The production team hasn't officially started. I'm talking about after the official start, which is scheduled for July 18th, one week from now. At that time, if anyone doesn't follow the rules, no matter how big a star they are or what background they have, I will not tolerate it."

These words were directed at Liu Hanmin, but Liu Hanmin seemed to ignore them, not taking the matter seriously.