Rant Show: I Angrily Criticized a Million Parents

Chapter 216 Rejecting a Multi-Million Dollar Paycheck!

Ma Boyong pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Zhou Yang, have you read the script carefully?"

"I've already finished reading it," Zhou Yang replied calmly.

Ma Boyong nodded and said, "Alright, then you can perform the line where Zhang Xiaojing solemnly swears an oath in the name of the Eighth Regiment."

"it is good."

Zhou Yang nodded, slowly closed his eyes, and the next second, his eyes suddenly opened, staring straight at Ma Boyong.

Ma Boyong was immediately shocked; he felt an irresistible urge to resist.

The next moment, Zhou Yang frowned and declared with a firm gaze: "I swear in the name of the Eighth Legion to protect Wen Ran and ensure his safety!"

Every word revealed Zhou Yang's resolute determination.

“Alright, you can leave now. We’ll give you the results by tomorrow,” Cao Dun nodded and said.

"Okay, thank you very much, teachers." Zhou Yang immediately turned and left the room.

In the audition room, Ma Boyong was dumbfounded and speechless for a long time.

Cao Dun waved his hand in front of Ma Boyong: "Teacher Ma, I think Zhou Yang's performance was excellent. What's your opinion?"

Upon hearing Cao Dun's words, Ma Boyong's entire body trembled, and he came back to his senses.

The next moment, Ma Boyong's roar echoed from the audition room.

"He is Zhang Xiaojing, the character I created! I'll fight anyone who tries to stop him from playing the role!"

Before the next day even arrived, Zhou Yang received a call from Cao Dun, who told him to join the film crew in two days.

"Zhou Yang, this film has a limited budget but huge expenses. Every minute and second must be used wisely. So, could you lower your salary a little? If not, just pretend I didn't say anything."

Zhou Yang's salary was agreed upon with Chen Tianzhen. If he confirms his participation, he will receive 20 yuan per episode, and there will be a total of 48 episodes, for a total salary of 960 million yuan.

To ordinary people, this is a huge sum of money, but in the entertainment industry, it's just the salary of a second or third-tier celebrity.

"The Longest Day in Chang'an" features a dual-protagonist model, with the other lead actor, Yi Xi, earning a staggering 125 million yuan per episode, totaling 6 million yuan! That's six times what Zhou Yang earns!
If Zhou Yang hadn't had such a huge following and been a variety show star, his salary would probably have been even lower.

Zhou Yang considered it for a moment, and finally said:
"How about this, director? I won't take a single penny. I'll invest it all in publicity and production."

what? !

Cao Dun on the other end of the phone was instantly shocked. He didn't want a single penny. Was he trying to do charity?
“However, I have one condition,” Zhou Yang added.

"What are the conditions?" Cao Dun asked immediately.

"I'm treating this money as an investment. If it makes money, I'll take 10% of the net profit; if it loses money, I won't take any payment."

hiss!
Cao Dun was surprised by Zhou Yang's bet; it was no small bet.

To be honest, Cao Dun wasn't sure about the ratings of "The Longest Day in Chang'an," and he never expected Zhou Yang to dare to gamble all his salary on it.

"Well... I need to discuss this with the investors first."

Cao Dun hurriedly called the investors and told them about Zhou Yang's bet.

Zhou Yang also called Chen Tianzhen to explain the situation and assure her that he could earn more profit than his film salary.

After a professional evaluation, the investors believed that the final net profit was unlikely to exceed Zhou Yang's salary, so they agreed to Zhou Yang's request and immediately signed a contract with him.

After all, no one will unconditionally give up their own interests.

At the same time, Zhou Yang posted a message on Weibo.

"Let's wait and see #TheLongTimeInChangAn#"

Zhou Yang's fans have been eagerly awaiting her updates since watching "The Myth." Other young actors post several Weibo updates daily, seemingly unfazed.

But Zhou Yang is different. Apart from promoting his works, he rarely makes any public appearances. This time, his fans finally got excited.

"Brother Yang, you actually still remember your Weibo account. I thought you had forgotten it."

"My favorite novel, Zhou Yang, don't you dare ruin it, or I'll blackmail you!"

"Um... I have a small question. What is the 'Twelve Hours of Chang'an'? I've never heard of it before."

"It's a novel written by Prince Ma. You can check it out; the story is very creative."

"Are there still princes? Do such people still exist? Are they descendants of the royal family?"

"Uh, that's just a nickname given to me by netizens."

"I did a search, and it turns out it's a period suspense film. I think this type of movie is unlikely to become popular."

"Moreover, this film places great emphasis on the actors' acting skills, and we hope that Zhou Yang can bring us new surprises."

"..."

Early the next morning.

As soon as Zhou Yang entered the film crew, Cao Dun had the makeup artist and stylist take Zhou Yang into a small room.

It took a full hour before the door to the small room finally opened, and Zhou Yang slowly walked out.

At this moment, Zhou Yang's hair was messy and dirty, and his clothes were tattered. He was unrecognizable from his former self, except for a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes.

"Excellent! This is exactly the effect I wanted!" Cao Dun was very satisfied; he hadn't made a mistake in choosing this role.

Soon after, the props, lights, and sound equipment on stage were all ready, and the actors were in position, waiting for the director to give the order to start filming.

Cao Dun cleared his throat and picked up the microphone.

"The Longest Day in Chang'an", Scene 1, Act 1, filming begins!
The opening act.

Zhang Xiaojing, the former head of the Chang'an Bad Guys, was dragged out of the dungeon by two soldiers who strangled him with ropes.

Then Tanqi's people gave him a quick rinse and took him to see Li Bi, the Vice Director of the Jing'an Division.

Having been imprisoned for a long time, Zhang Xiaojing squinted his eyes in discomfort when he first saw the sunlight.

After getting used to it, he took a deep breath, enjoying the sunshine, and looked happy.

Standing in front of the camera, Cao Dun exclaimed in amazement, "The attention to detail is truly amazing!"
Every subtle expression perfectly captured Zhang Xiaojing's inner state.

To judge an actor's acting skills, you don't need grand scenes; rather, you should look at how they handle the small details, which truly tests their fundamental skills.

Assistant director Zhang Kun was also very surprised.

He didn't attend Zhou Yang's interview because he had other things to do, but he spoke highly of Lei Jiayin's performance.

He had seen many of Lei Jianyin's dramas and believed that his acting skills were unique among young actors, and that his age was also very similar to Zhang Xiaojing's.

He expressed his dissatisfaction after learning that Cao Dun and Ma Boyong had eliminated Lei Jianyin and chosen Zhou Yang.

A popular internet celebrity who started out on variety shows was lucky enough to get a role tailor-made for him. There's nothing to brag about, is there?

Seeing Zhang Kun's surprised expression, Cao Dun raised an eyebrow smugly.

"Old Zhang, do you know why I'm the director and you can only be the assistant director? This is the reason."

(End of this chapter)