Chapter 71: World Two [41]

The filming location for the tribute film wasn’t in the Film and Television City. Instead, it emphasized real-scene shooting, set within a well-preserved old hutong.

So, after finishing the final fight scene, Shao Qing brought Jing Ke and her Little Assistant onto a plane, flying directly to Capital City, arriving at the filming location.

Upon seeing Shao Qing arrive, Director Hu, who had previously worn a hint of gloom, quickly broke into a smile and gave Shao Qing a big hug.

“This must be President Jing?” Director Hu had also heard a bit about Jing Ke and recognized her at first glance.

“Director Hu, I’m Jing Ke,” Jing Ke introduced herself concisely. “I’m accompanying Shao Qing on this shoot, and also acting as Director Li’s overseer, striving to ensure Shao Qing finishes filming within the allotted time.”

“Haha, alright, very welcome, overseer,” Director Hu chuckled. Her attitude towards Jing Ke was neither overly warm nor too cold.

After briefly exchanging pleasantries with Jing Ke, Director Hu pulled Shao Qing aside to discuss the scenes, breaking down the character setting and plot points so thoroughly it was as if she was feeding them directly into Shao Qing’s mind.

Seeing the two discussing the script, Jing Ke, just as she had with the “Jianghu Road” crew, found a temporary spot with Shao Qing’s Little Assistant in the rest area.

There was a significant difference between being on set as an artist’s friend and being on set as an investor.

After Jing Ke sat down, no staff member came over to proactively greet her, nor was the afternoon tea the crew was distributing offered to her.

But Jing Ke didn’t particularly care about that. Their visit was inherently temporary; they just needed to finish filming the third female lead’s scenes. There was no need to force integration into the crew.

However, Jing Ke’s indifference was interpreted by others as being a pushover, and some hushed discussions gradually increased in volume.

The voices might not carry very far, but they were loud enough for Jing Ke to hear clearly.

“I wondered who would come. I didn’t expect it to be Shao Qing. Shao Qing hasn’t had any notable works in recent years, has she? Director Hu really does like reminiscing about old acquaintances.”

“It’s only because someone is backing her. I heard there’s a financial backer throwing money at her, and they even plan to take her away from Zongheng Entertainment to develop at a new company.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. The entertainment industry isn’t something you can understand just by having money. Which popular star doesn’t have a company backing them? Even if the person interested in her is the company boss, they’d probably just offer some third-rate scripts.”

“True. When it comes to fashion resources, Zongheng Entertainment should be much stronger than the new company. Some endorsements can’t be secured just by throwing money; they depend on status and standing.”

“In my opinion, Shao Qing is about to run into trouble. Director Hu going against all objections to give her the role directly has made someone with a background very unhappy. I heard they’ve already gone looking for a backer for support.”

“Sometimes, throwing money can solve certain problems in this circle, but there’s also a saying: ‘Commoners don’t fight with officials.’ If you offend certain people, you might go from being rich to being penniless.”

“Who knows how many entertainment companies declare bankruptcy or reorganize each year? They’re not like industries that impact the local economy. They can’t compete against those kinds of people at all.”

Initially, Jing Ke thought these people were just jealous that Shao Qing had gotten this opportunity and were making sarcastic remarks to vent their dissatisfaction.

But as she listened, Jing Ke sensed something was wrong. Were they using the discussion about Jing Ke to hint at something towards her?

Did they all seem to know she was the boss of New Life Entertainment, and that she had been pouring a lot of money into the industry?

Jing Ke narrowed her eyes slightly, glanced inconspicuously at her assistant beside her—who looked as if they hadn’t heard a thing—then averted her gaze.

It seemed those who spoke had quite powerful backers themselves, hence looking down on her, a mere entertainment industry investor.

Just as Jing Ke was pondering the reason for their confidence, the individual with connections they had been discussing appeared on set, followed by the tribute film’s Chief Director, Director Zhang.

“Director Zhang, what brings you here?” Upon recognizing who it was, Director Hu quickly put on a smile and went to greet him.

Director Hu’s achievements in the industry weren’t low, but she still fell short in front of a veteran Senior like Director Zhang, if only in terms of seniority.

“Nothing much. I just heard that your previous third female lead had a problem, so I wanted to see if you’d found a suitable replacement,” Director Zhang said with a smile.

“If not, I can recommend someone. I think Little Yao is quite suitable; she’d just need to play herself,” Director Zhang certainly knew Director Hu’s intended choice was Shao Qing.

But so what? An old friend had come asking for a favor; he couldn’t just ignore it. As for this Shao Qing, at worst, he’d help her out later by introducing her to a second female lead role in a major production as compensation.

“Thank you for your concern, Director Zhang, but I’ve already chosen someone. Shao Qing is the Young Mistress I envisioned,” Director Hu said, countering the pressure without being overly confrontational. “As for Little Yao, it seems we’ll have to look for a collaboration opportunity another time.”

“Shao Qing?” Director Zhang lifted his eyelids, casually shifting his gaze over to glance at Shao Qing.

“Hello, Director Zhang. I’m Shao Qing, an actress,” out of respect for a veteran Senior in the industry, Shao Qing stepped forward to introduce herself.

Director Zhang merely nodded, quickly looking away. “Director Hu, I still think Little Yao is more suited for this role. She’s a Capital City local, and her parents happen to fit the character profile of the third female lead quite well, don’t you think?”

Director Zhang’s words sounded like a question, but the authoritative tone leaving no room for refusal was already very heavy.

“I’m sorry, but I trust my personal judgment more,” Director Hu’s expression also turned serious. She had already let Shao Qing down once; how could she possibly do it again after Shao Qing had taken leave and specifically rushed over?

“Director Zhang, Shao Qing is an artist who’s been publicly praised by the state media. I believe she’s the more suitable person,” Director Hu stated, indirectly showing her resolve.

Director Hu was indeed aware of Little Yao’s background. She was a junior from a major family in Capital City, in the entertainment industry purely for fun.

Little Yao’s background was certainly solid, but completely opposite to that was her acting skill. What ‘playing herself’? Wasn’t that just a polite way of saying her acting was terrible?

If she really let this Little Yao into the production, the final quality of this unit drama would at least drop by thirty percent, and might even drag down the standard of the entire tribute film.

“Is that so?” Director Zhang’s smile faded considerably. He changed his form of address. “Xiao Hu, if I recall correctly, weren’t you once my student? Do you think you’re better at picking talent than I, as your teacher?”

As a representative of the conservative faction, Director Zhang placed extreme importance on hierarchy and rules.

In Director Zhang’s view, a junior like Director Hu should choose obedience when he, a Senior, made a clear request, not stubbornly resist and even oppose him.

Furthermore, Director Zhang actually somewhat looked down on female directors in his heart, always feeling they could only produce lovey-dovey things and weren’t qualified to be responsible for a unit drama in a tribute film.

He was now openly using seniority to suppress her. If Director Hu talked back again, she would be one hundred percent saddled with the blame of disrespecting a Senior.

“Xiao Hu, I remember the Chief Director has the right to recommend actors, correct?” Seeing Director Hu fall silent, the smile returned to Director Zhang’s face.

“Shao Qing, is it? I’m very sorry, but we haven’t reached a consensus internally, so it seems you’ve made a trip for nothing. Leave your contact details with me later, and if a suitable script comes up, I’ll let you know.”

Director Zhang said this, seemingly offering Shao Qing compensation, but his attitude was truly unpleasant, as if giving this resource was charity.

“Director Zhang, the Chief Director indeed has the right to recommend actors, but the final decision still rests with me, the director in charge of this unit drama. I’m sorry, but I believe Shao Qing is more suitable,” Director Hu wasn’t made of clay, to be kneaded and flattened at will. She had a temper too.

“If Director Zhang is dissatisfied with my decision, you can consider changing the director and the script,” Director Hu said, her tone carrying a hint of finality.

It was now early April, and the tribute film was scheduled for a National Day release. If they changed the unit drama director now, it might directly cause the tribute film to be aborted.

Director Hu was gambling, betting that Director Zhang wouldn’t dare to replace her.

Hearing Director Hu’s words, Director Zhang’s face completely darkened.

What was the meaning of this? Was this female director threatening him? Implicitly saying she’d quit if he didn’t let Shao Qing act?

“Shao Qing, are you sure you want this role? If you’re willing to give it up, I won’t let you leave empty-handed either,” Director Zhang, however proud, couldn’t bear the responsibility of delaying the tribute film’s release.

So, Director Zhang chose to use threats and inducements on Shao Qing. “Think carefully before you answer. Give up the third female lead role to someone more important, and I can look into a second female lead role in a major production for you.”

Director Zhang’s influence in the industry was comparable to Director Hua’s before his imprisonment. Calling over Best Actors or Best Actresses was basically a matter of a single call from him.

So, after Director Zhang said this, Director Hu couldn’t help but feel nervous and conflicted. She was worried Shao Qing might yield to the pressure and give up, but also worried that if Shao Qing persisted, Director Zhang would hold a grudge and blacklist her in the industry.

“Director Zhang, I have some confidence in my acting skills. Playing a Young Mistress isn’t difficult for me, so I want to give it a try,” Shao Qing phrased it as tactfully as possible, but the meaning she conveyed was clear.

She wanted this role, and she was confident she could play it well.

“Uncle Zhang,” Little Yao, with her powerful background, couldn’t help tugging at Director Zhang’s sleeve. “Does this mean I can’t act in this role? The director doesn’t seem to welcome me at all.”

Director Zhang’s face was dark, but after Director Hu threatened to quit, he couldn’t continue pressuring her directly. He could only choose to keep pressuring the seemingly easier target, Shao Qing.

“Think carefully. You want this role, and not the second female lead role in a major production?” Director Zhang raised his voice. “I usually only give one chance. If you miss it, there will be no future collaboration opportunities between us.”

“Then so be it. A director with such poor judgment in talent probably can’t produce anything good anyway,” Jing Ke, who had just finished a phone call, couldn’t help but stride over, placing herself between Director Zhang and Shao Qing.

“Who are you?” Director Zhang frowned. Noticing Jing Ke was taller than him and, moreover, mixed-race, his tone worsened. “How is our set managed? How can just anyone walk in here? We don’t welcome irrelevant personnel.”

“I’m just an ordinary nobody,” Jing Ke said. “Regarding the question of who decides the third female lead, I just called the relevant institution. The Deputy Director gave me a very clear answer: the directly responsible director has the greater authority.”

Jing Ke’s tone was very calm, but her words landed like a depth charge.

“What did you say?” Director Zhang doubted his own ears, simultaneously suspecting Jing Ke was bluffing.

The relevant institution capable of directly overseeing the entertainment industry—wasn’t that the General Administration of Radio and Television? And she directly called the Deputy Director? Was this person just bragging without caring?

He couldn’t claim to know all the second or third generation elites in Capital City circles, but he had at least heard of the juniors who could directly contact the Deputy Director.

“Do you need me to make another call right now?” Jing Ke asked. “The Deputy Director probably hasn’t left work yet. She shouldn’t mind picking up another call.”

The moment Jing Ke sensed something was off with the situation, she had started thinking about how to efficiently deal with this Director Zhang.

Those people were right in one sense: with only an entertainment company and some small investments, her authority and status indeed couldn’t compare to certain people with political backgrounds.

But Jing Ke wasn’t just a ‘Moneybags’ entertainment industry investor. She was also a person with super hacking skills, someone who had not only communicated many times with a provincial official but also helped them complete a major case.

Jing Ke could hack into a provincial official’s computer, and she could also hack into the databases and confidential websites of foreign entities with much higher defense levels.

While diligently acting as an assistant on set, Jing Ke indeed hadn’t handled much company business, but she had been earnestly completing the small tasks certain government agencies had entrusted to her.

As Jing Ke provided more and more top-secret level intelligence, the official stance towards her had also elevated significantly. It wasn’t just Jing Ke herself; Shao Qing’s and Grandma Shao’s security clearance levels had also been bumped up.

Jing Ke had no intention of entering politics, nor did she desire any overt commendations or rewards. She only requested that the authorities give a green light to the film and television works produced by her company.

To secure this talent, who absolutely could not be allowed to lean towards foreign entities, the officials had generously given her the contact information of a senior figure within the General Administration.

And so, a contact Jing Ke thought she’d never use came in very handy on this particular occasion.

Hearing Jing Ke’s words, Director Zhang’s expression turned even uglier. He looked down at Little Yao tugging at his sleeve, then glanced around at the surrounding people who were seemingly busy but secretly had their ears perked up.

Honestly, Director Zhang hadn’t expected Director Hu to reject his proposal so firmly, nor imagined that a mere actress like Shao Qing would dare offend him, and he was even more surprised that this seemingly unbacked Shao Qing might actually have a major figure behind her.

Director Zhang considered himself highly authoritative in the industry. With just one word from him, not only could he blacklist Shao Qing, but blacklisting Director Hu wouldn’t be an issue either.

But what kind of figure was the Deputy Director-General of NRTA? That was someone at the very top of the food chain. Not to mention anything else, just holding up your content review was enough to make you miserable for a long time.

So Director Zhang didn’t dare gamble. He couldn’t afford to lose. If he truly offended someone from above, all his influence in the industry would be useless.

“Forget it. Since you have your own opinion, Xiao Hu, do it your way,” after weighing the pros and cons, Director Zhang chose to take a step back. “A Young Mistress will have companions. Find a way to add a character and let Little Yao at least make an appearance.”

Director Zhang felt he was making a huge concession. A request like this, unless Director Hu wanted to completely tear off all pretenses, should be acceptable to her.

He guessed correctly. Director Hu, worried Shao Qing might get caught in the crossfire, also intended to take this way out and barely reach a compromise.

But before Director Hu could speak, Jing Ke laughed first.

“Was I not clear just now? The decisions regarding actors and the plot should rest with the directly responsible director, not you, the nominal Chief Director,” Jing Ke was not a generous person; she held grudges.

She had witnessed just how aggressive and bullying Director Zhang had been towards Shao Qing moments ago. Since she had already made the phone call, how could she possibly let him continue to bully Shao Qing now?

Add a role and squeeze someone in? Dream on. It was still uncertain whether he could even keep his nominal, do-nothing Chief Director position today!