Chapter 42

The makeup assistant hesitated for a moment and said, "Brother Feng, this guy Ye Ming is no ordinary newcomer. He was personally chosen by Aunt Qiongyao. If he wants to take revenge, what should we do?"

Feng gave him a fierce look and said, "What are you afraid of? Can he reach into Zhongjie Company? Forget about him being a newcomer; even a top-tier artist like Su Youpeng can't influence Zhongjie's decisions. Only the truly top-tier stars can do that. Brother Liu has already said that as long as we do well, he will recommend us to Zhongjie Company. When that happens, we'll be on top of the world."

"This time he got lucky, but next time, there might not be such a good opportunity."

The influence of top-tier stars is unimaginable; they are like emperors in the entertainment industry.

Because of the incident with the extras during the day, the evening shoot was indoors. Today, everything went smoothly, seemingly because the director's anger had some effect; no one dared to cause trouble at this time.

Two scenes were actually shot in just five takes, which was almost unbelievable for the production team.

But the key was not here; the key was after the wrap.

In the meeting room, the atmosphere was heavy. He Xiujun, who had received the news, also rushed over and appeared in the meeting room.

He Xiujun said with a dark face, "Old Liu, you've been with the company for a long time. Don't you know what this film means to the company? Why did the company still produce this film despite the difficulties? You, on the other hand, still have the nerve to cause trouble. I warn you, from now on, if you don't start to be more restrained, you'll be out of the company immediately. Zhongjie can't afford to have a big-name cameraman like you."

If he were kicked out of Zhongjie Company, he would almost have no future in the entertainment industry in Taiwan, given Qiongyao's influence.

His success in the entertainment industry was largely due to his affiliation with Zhongjie Company.

At this moment, Liu Jiajun was sweating profusely and stammered, "Manager He, this is a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. I didn't expect this to happen. If I had known the result, I would never have argued with those extras."

He Xiujun, furious, threw the purple clay teacup in her hand, "Misunderstanding? You tell me it's a misunderstanding. Do you know how much trouble you've caused? A camera costs over 500,000. If Ye Ming hadn't rushed in, you would have to pay 500,000. How much do we invest in a TV series?"

Liu Jiajun was silent, not daring to make a sound. The entire TV series had an investment of about 1.5 million, and the cameras were rented. The main camera cost over 500,000, and even the tripod alone cost over 30,000.

He Xiujun looked at everyone expressionlessly and said, "Now I have an announcement. Ye Ming, due to his outstanding performance, will be rewarded 10,000 yuan, which will be deducted from Liu Jiajun's pay. Now, let's discuss how to handle the extras tomorrow. After this incident, it will be even harder to find extras, let alone special extras."

Those who could become special extras were usually organized and would take the warning from Bai Yulan's son seriously.

Every day the production is delayed, the expenses increase, which is something the already tight-budgeted production team cannot afford.

At this moment, Ye Ming finally showed his fangs, "I have a way to solve the current problem, but I have a small request."

He Xiujun looked at Ye Ming, realizing that this newcomer was different from the others she had encountered. He was sharp and bold.

In the industry, he showed no signs of being a newcomer.

But He Xiujun still said, "What is your request?"

Ye Ming then said calmly, "During the shoot today, it was Feng from the makeup team who did my makeup. However, he used the French April Fool's Day Special Dream Series. This makeup looks fine for the first 20 minutes, but after that, it will definitely smudge. I don't know if someone is targeting me, but I think Feng should be punished. As a professional makeup artist, he should know what the Dream Series represents."

Feng was stunned, his face showing disbelief. He didn't expect Ye Ming to be waiting for him.

Seeing He Xiujun's gaze shift to him, Feng knew what his fate would be.

Firing, that was certain.

He Xiujun gave Sun Shupeng a cold look, indicating that not everything should be handled by her as the producer. Liu Jiajun was from Zhongjie Company, so the director had no choice but to ask her to handle it.

For small matters like makeup, she didn't need to get involved personally.

Sun Shupeng said with a stern face, "Feng, you were recommended to the production team. What do you have to say about Ye Ming's accusation?"

Feng glanced at Liu Jiajun discreetly but finally gritted his teeth and said, "This is a slander. It's impossible. I used the same cosmetics for every actor."

Ye Ming snorted, "The same cosmetics, the Dream Series, which costs over 5,000. Although it's a special April Fool's Day cosmetic, it's not cheap. I think you were reluctant to throw it away. If we search your makeup box now, everything will be clear. Do you have the courage?"

At this moment, Feng finally lowered his head. He didn't dare to accept the request. The Dream Series cosmetics were indeed very expensive, with 5,000 being the base price.

He had specially ordered a set for a costume party, spending over 8,000, and he was reluctant to throw it away. He thought that using a little on Ye Ming would at least embarrass him. If it led to a scolding from the director or even a replacement, it would be even better.

But he didn't expect Ye Ming to recognize the Dream Series and to have already guessed that he had this in his makeup box.

Sun Shupeng looked at him again and asked, "How do you explain this?"

Finally, Feng lowered his head and said, "I admit, it was my mistake. I just couldn't stand Ye Ming's showboating and wanted to teach him a lesson."

Sun Shupeng waved his hand, dismissing him like a piece of trash.

Everyone knew that Feng was finished and had to leave. Of course, they could guess that Liu Jiajun was behind him, but since Feng didn't say anything, no one else could comment.

This was Feng's smart move. By protecting Liu Jiajun, he would get some compensation in the future.

As for joining Zhongjie Company, that was out of the question.

The production team's prop, makeup, and costume staff, seeing Ye Ming's expression, no longer looked at him like a newcomer.

He was meticulous and cunning, traits that a newcomer shouldn't have.

This was the true nature of someone in the entertainment industry.

If you weren't ruthless, you couldn't survive in this circle.

Stepping on others to rise, that was the entertainment industry.

Ye Ming then said satisfactorily, "Actually, if we want to hire experienced extras, they're not just at the film studio entrance. We can also find them at universities. We can hire college students."

Zhao Wei shook his head, "No, since Bai Yulan's son has spoken, our film academy and drama academy students will be cautious about entering this circle. If we had more time, I could gather some people, but our time is too short. We can't find enough people. They don't need to risk it for the pay of an extra."

The actors from the film academy and drama academy were certainly more professional than extras. If we could hire them, it would solve the problem, but Zhao Wei's point was valid.

Ye Ming smiled and said, "I didn't mean the film academy. Those people are hard to persuade because they need to make a living in this industry after graduation. I meant other universities. You might not know, but in Beijing, many universities have student organizations where students who like acting come out to be extras during holidays. It enriches their free time and earns them some pocket money. If we find these student organizations, we won't have to worry about a lack of people."

These students come from various majors and are just looking to earn some pocket money, so they don't need to heed Bai Yulan's son's warning.

They don't plan to stay in the industry, so what can the film studio do to them?

He Xiujun's eyes lit up, "Do you have a connection? Contact them immediately."

Contacting Uncle Liang in the middle of the night was a bit impolite, but everyone in the industry was used to such things.

Uncle Liang frowned when he heard the request, "It's not impossible, but since you're pulling people in last minute, the price will double. If it works out, I'll send you enough people tomorrow."

Ye Ming hesitated for a moment, then covered the phone and said, "He agreed, but the price will double because of the urgency. If the price is right, he guarantees quality and quantity."

He Xiujun said decisively, "As long as they're here tomorrow, the price is not a problem. We must finish shooting at the film studio this week."

The matter was settled. They would start shooting the key scenes tomorrow, and the film studio's scenes would be almost complete.

The problem was solved, which lifted a weight off the director's mind, but thinking about the budget, Sun Shupeng frowned.

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