Actor: Thank you.

The filming location, in front of the main gate.

Zhang Yuan put on Hu Wan's silk opera costume.

Don't underestimate them just because they're Master Huang's men; they can still wear fine silks and satins.

This is why many people are willing to "act as accomplices to evil."

From the perspective of personal desires and self-realization, following the "evil forces" and taking shortcuts does indeed make it easier to achieve one's goals.

After all, not everyone has grand goals and lofty ideals.

Upon arriving at the already erected city gate of the Russian city, a woman dressed in a sky-blue jacket was already ready.

A shallow pool of water had already accumulated on the open ground outside the city gate.

Zhang Mazi and his group rode white horses, wading through shallow water as they made their way forward.

A white horse is not a horse, and stagnant water is not water.

On the wall next to the city gate, there was a portrait of Zhang Mazi.

When Zhang Yuan took a closer look, he strongly suspected that the props and art department had drawn the image based on Liao Fan's face.

Zhu Qianlong, huh?

The portrait adopts the Japanese "Ukiyo-e" style.

The group of women who greeted the county magistrate, apart from Zhou Yun, were all played by Japanese actresses.

Their faces were painted snow-white, very Japanese, a very cult aesthetic.

But the entire place is in a Japanese style, which not only fits Huang Shilang's background of having been to an island country, but also fits the era described in the story, and the metaphors... they can't even be called metaphors anymore, they are explicit references to the Japanese.

Zhang Yuan and Jiang Wu stood together, rehearsing their lines.

We need to speak in unison soon, so we need to prepare.

Jiang Wu looked at the scene and turned to him.

“If my brother plays, you should play with him too.”

"It's all only right." Zhang Yuan didn't care about the expenses.

Filmmaking always costs money; being stingy will only make you fall behind the times.

For example, Mr. Cai, the owner of the sugar factory, has this problem.

"Besides, this isn't playing around. After all, doing big things isn't about treating people to dinner," Zhang Yuan replied casually.

“My brother is always hiding jokes, and you’re a traditional Chinese performing artist, so you’re good at designing jokes. No wonder you two can talk to each other.”

Jiang Wu chuckled and muttered to himself.

As the younger brother, he greatly admired his older brother.

Because Jiang Wen has always been a prominent figure in her small circle.

Actually, in terms of acting skills, Jiang Wu is better because Jiang Wen's performance has a very strong personal style.

As Jiang Wu said, this city gate was quite expensive.

But as he watched, Zhang Yuan burst out laughing.

Why are you laughing?

"Nothing?" He waved his hand, leaving Jiang Wu bewildered.

Because he remembered the future, that is, 2021.

Tencent is building a brand new global headquarters in Dachang Bay, Shenzhen, at an investment of over 400 billion yuan.

This place is commonly known as "Penguin Island".

However, when the group held a naming contest, the most popular name was "Goose City"!
In the movie, Goose Town has a Mr. Huang who makes money off poor people along with successive county magistrates.

In the real-life "Goose City," there is a Mr. Ma, who is known as "Ma Bangde," who is most adept at using games to swindle money from the poor.

Because when it comes to making money, you have to come up with clever pretexts.

Tell me, with this (game) and this (social media app), can you make money while lying down?

Huang Silang's three-step approach to dealing with the county magistrate was to invite him to a banquet, behead him, and then take him in as a dog.

Mr. Ma's tactics towards game developers are to invest, copy, acquire, and treat them like dogs.

Ma Bangde initially said on the train, "I, Ma, have traveled all over the country because I am both literate and martial, and I am different from others."

But later he changed his story and told the truth in front of Master Huang.

"Ma traveled all over the country, relying on the method of passing off fakes as genuine and deceiving others into believing they were the real thing."

The so-called method of passing off fakes as genuine and deceiving others by passing off inferior goods as superior ones.

It's like when a small business comes up with a good solution, Mr. Ma will create a "stand-in".

Then, after killing the original owner, the substitute became the "county magistrate".

That way you can make money while lying down.

Goose City is not Goose City, and the Master is not the Master.

But the methods for making money are still the same old methods.

Moreover, "Master Ma" is no less capable than Master Huang.

Little Ma is relatively low-key, partly due to his personality, but also as a result of being disciplined and challenged.

We mustn't forget about the Q coins used to pay salaries and the 3Q War.

He's much more ruthless than Master Huang.

These two incidents reveal that "he is not someone who can be easily appeased."

His overbearing arrogance was a death wish, which attracted the lightning tribulation, and he has been well-behaved ever since.

Reality is always more absurd than anything depicted in movies and TV shows.

"Master Huang is extremely busy and has specially ordered my steward, Hu Wan, to take charge."

"Wu Zhichong, instructor of the Huang family militia."

"Politeness, politeness, welcome County Head!"

Zhang Yuan and Jiang Wu stood on either side, their words and actions synchronized, their eyes filled with malice and disdain.

"They've come with ill intentions."

"You are the one here."

For the corrupt Republic of China, it is obvious who the newcomer is.

"very good!"

"Received."

It only took two takes to get it right.

Just as he thought, this character is not difficult to play as long as his personality is grasped; he is a very typical villain.

Jiang Wen is very thoughtful when filming, so filming has been very slow.

The "Feast at Hongmen" scene, which was only ten minutes long, took a whole week to film!
It was also equipped with a circular track, allowing all three machines to film simultaneously.

And Jiang Wen used a film camera; he specifically requested that it have this particular feel.

One machine can load 1,000 feet of film at a time.

Three machines, each carrying three thousand feet at a time.

This scene alone used 180,000 feet of film in just one week!

In other words, the film cost hundreds of thousands of yuan just for this 10-minute scene.

Would an average investor dare to put him through this kind of ordeal?
Jiang Wen himself is very proud, believing that he has created a unique drinking scene in the history of Chinese cinema.

It is indeed unique, and truly spectacular.

But making something wonderful requires time.

Jiang Wen prepares for filming ten times before shooting one scene.

After only a few shots were taken, the sun had already set.

He still had things to do that night; he had to film a scene of a masked street fight in the rain.

Everything was ready. After Zhang Yuan finished his makeup, he even rolled in the mud to create a special effect.

Because Hu Wan is a "dead man" in this scene.

As a result, Jiang Wen looked up at the sky.

"Tsk, why is the moon so big today?"

"Rainy nights should be overcast, not have a big moon, the light is not right."

"Forget it, let's not film it anymore, let's do it another day."

Zhang Yuan: …

He could understand the torment that director Xie Jin and director Zhang Yimou had endured in their earlier years.

"Here, you wipe it off."

At this moment, Ms. F stepped forward and handed him a towel, water, and wet wipes.

Zhang Yuan felt even worse.

"My assistant will handle this."

This woman is clinging to me, what should I do?

The key issue is that the other party also exploited his "weakness".

As soon as she got in front of him, she deliberately pulled down her collar to show off her long cleavage.

How do I do this?

Seeing his pained expression after taking the towel, Jiang Wen laughed while smoking, almost choking on her own breath.

He laughed so hard it sounded like a kettle boiling water.

"Didn't they say there's nothing you can't get?"

"It seems that getting too much is not necessarily a good thing."

"Stop making sarcastic remarks."

"Hehe, let's see what you do then."

Yes, Zhang Yuan was also thinking about what to do.

"Take your time to think it over. I'm going to film another movie."

"Everyone, change the scene."

The higher-ups raise their hands, and the lower-ups start walking their dogs.

Dozens of people then followed him.

Zhang Yuan also wanted to go and take a look, but was stopped.

"Hey, don't go."

"what happened?"

"The set needs to be cleared for that scene in a bit."

"Oh?" Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, then asked, "What play?"

"Tsk, you're an actor, just mind your own business."

"I'm still an investor, so I can't interfere with anything in this production crew!" Zhang Yuan put on airs.

“That woman…” Jiang Wen pointed helplessly at Miss F: “We might as well film her scenes, the indoor scenes.”

"The visuals are rather... well, given your relationship, it's okay for you to watch them, since you've seen plenty of them yourself."

"Then I won't watch it." Zhang Yuan's eyebrows twitched slightly, and a plan came to mind.

"I'm leaving now, I don't know anything." After giving these instructions, he went to remove his makeup and return to his room to rest.

A few hours later, there was a knock on the door.

After finishing her scenes, Ms. F appeared at her door with a smile.

"Welcome! We've been waiting for you." Zhang Yuan warmly welcomed her into the room.

"I'll take a shower first."

"Stop washing, I can't wait!"

Now let's get to the main point.

Ms. F could sense these past few days that the male celebrity was distancing himself from her.

She was also a little anxious.

But when I opened the door today, the other party not only returned to their initial enthusiasm, but was even more enthusiastic.

This surprised her, and she wondered if they had developed feelings for each other over time.
I'm done!
They were excited and more cooperative.

Nothing was said that night, because there was no time to talk.

Zhang Yuan arrived at the film set early, claiming to be an investor, and requested to see the results of yesterday's filming and to watch the playback.

"Let's see," Jiang Wen said, not stopping him, considering it a reasonable request.

And she knew he wasn't the type to cause trouble, and he had never had any major disagreements with her about filming; he had always been supportive.

Just those few scenes, watch the replay.

Besides watching his own footage, he also watched the scenes that were filmed on set after he returned to his room yesterday.

"It's not fully healed yet!"

"through!"

"through!"

"through!"

Shouts could be heard from the monitor. As the shouts continued, Zhang Yuan's expression grew increasingly serious, and his face slowly turned pale.

"Hmm?" Jiang Wen, who was standing to the side, was still smoking. He smoked at least two or three packs a day when he started working.

Seeing this, he found it strange.

You kid... you still care about this?

No way.

Don't you want to get rid of this woman?

If you want to get rid of it, why do you still care about this kind of drama?

And it wasn't too exaggerated, it just passed by in a flash.

Actually, this was Jiang Wen's personal preference; her older brother had a taste for it.

When you see a woman with big breasts, you have to let her show them off.

Ning Jing was like that back then too.

Moreover, at that time, Ning Jing and he were still in an ambiguous relationship, but he still took the photos.

Of course, Ning Jing herself is also a formidable person.

Jiang Wen wondered if she had made a mistake.

Is Zhang Yuan really that petty?

At this moment, Zhang Yuan raised his hand and pointed into the distance.

"Zhao Ming, come here for a second!"

He addressed the woman by her full name and summoned her.

"How is this going?"

"What does it mean?"

He pulled over Ms. F, who was overjoyed by yesterday's passion and his own enthusiasm, and she walked quickly towards him.

Following his finger to the screen, I saw a frame frozen in the "through" scene, showing the bellyband being torn off.

"Ah, I'm... filming a movie."

"Translate this for me, what do you mean by 'filming'?"

"It's just filming, filming according to Director Jiang's requirements."

"You give me a damn translation, what the hell do you mean by 'filming'!" Zhang Yuan raised his voice.

"Everything is prepared on site, there are no outsiders, everyone is wearing masks, so you can't see us," the woman hurriedly explained.

"I'm asking you, translating this, what the hell is this? It's called filming a movie!"

"What man could accept a woman filming this kind of movie!"

Zhang Yuan's eyes widened like copper bells, and his hair stood on end in anger.

Jiang Wen, who was standing to the side, even noticed that the hairs on his arms stood up.

His forehead had turned gray.

"I'm really angry!"

“That’s not right. I told him yesterday, and he knew, but he didn’t stop me…” Jiang Wen thought for a moment and then realized what was going on.

"Fuck!"

"So you're the real master of playing dumb!"

"No, I just..."

"Stop talking!" Zhang Yuan said angrily.

"What is my status now? If the media finds out that my woman is making this kind of film, how am I supposed to live?"

"Don't I have any pride?"

"I originally wanted to get along well with you... You've disappointed me so much!" Zhang Yuan, knowing that acting involves a progression of emotions from anger to sorrow, choked up as he spoke.

"Director Jiang, how about we delete this part?"

Would deleting it even help?

"Does deleting it mean you never filmed it?" Zhang Yuan cut off her path.

"Hmph!" He flung his arm and stormed off.

"What a great actor!" Jiang Wen gave a thumbs up.

"Wow, is that even a trick?"

"I learned it, I learned it."

"What have you learned?" Jiang Wen was just marveling when Zhou Yun's voice came from beside her.

"No, it's nothing..."

Zhang Yuan turned the corner and came to the corner.

Secretly observe the reactions of the others, especially Ms. F.

The other party didn't chase after her, probably because they knew she was doomed.

According to traditional Chinese thought, men cannot accept their women filming explicit scenes.

How did Deng Chao and Hao Lei, and Teacher Wang and Tang Wei break up?
So let alone traditional thinking, even in the relatively "open" entertainment industry, most men cannot accept it.

When Zhang Yuan heard yesterday that Jiang Wen was filming this scene, he suddenly remembered the deeds of the two "seniors".

Not only these two, but he also remembered a big boss he had met in his previous life.

Big bosses, secretaries, and mistresses are plentiful; they change them all the time.

He basically gets married every night.

People usually get tired of it after a few months at most.

So what should we do next?
There are generally a few methods, such as giving someone a sum of money to send them back to their hometown.

They also sponsor the other party's overseas studies.

Many overseas Chinese women are beautiful, but their family backgrounds are very ordinary, or even very poor.

Yet they have the money to study abroad, and their study abroad life is quite luxurious.

Do you think they got their money from somewhere?

Besides the fact that the family is wealthy, the source of that wealth is not necessarily something that can be publicly disclosed.

In addition, many women have... what is called a "sugar daddy" in Europe and America.

Spending a few months with a big boss can bring you a lot of wealth and opportunities for further education. After returning to China, you can find a respectable job, marry a well-paid and honest man, and your life will be a breeze, easily achieving upward social mobility.

But there are also those who are "unreceptive" or have great ambitions.

They wouldn't even go abroad to study if offered money; they insisted on going down this dark path and refused to leave.

How to do?
The trick Zhang Yuan encountered from that nouveau riche boss is technically called "self-greening".

Find an opportunity to matchmake your secretary with one of your capable assistants.

The so-called "capable assistant" must be someone with a relatively weak background but strong abilities; this is crucial.

Once these two get together, there will be a scene of the thief crying "stop thief!" and the heartbroken thief rushing to catch them in the act of adultery!

Now the woman can't cling to him anymore, because she has no grounds to stand on.

You've already cheated on me, and you still want to take my place?
Forget about getting a promotion, you won't even get a breakup fee!
As for "capable assistants".

Those whose achievements overshadow their superiors are directly "eliminated" or dismissed on this basis.

If someone is useful and honest, they will be "generous" enough to forgive them, and the other party will be extremely grateful and devoted to them.

This is called killing two birds with one stone!
Therefore, one should not be greedy, especially when it comes to office romances.

Overstepping one's bounds is a dangerous thing; it's easy to get caught up in the situation.

It's not just nouveau riche who do this kind of thing.

In the end, the two women each achieved their goals. Although Michelle Reis seemed to have married into a wealthy family, she was never recognized by the Hui family.

A trust of 200 million a month is a lot for ordinary people, but a Hermes bag costs hundreds of thousands, which is hardly enough.

Zhang Yuan solved a "big" problem by simply imitating it slightly.

By doing this, the other party will not complain to the media.

"Brother, it's you!"

A short while later, Jiang Wen found him.

I'm almost worshipping him.

He's so ruthless to himself, no wonder even many veterans in the industry can't outmaneuver this kid.

"I have two things to tell you," Director Jiang said seriously.

"First of all, my daughter heard that you were on set and wanted to come visit."

"You can't use this trick on Ichiro."

"Or I'll kill you!"

"Come on, my daughter and I are from different generations." Zhang Yuan had no such idea at all.

"Forget it, I'll tell her not to come." Jiang Wen thought for a moment, then felt uneasy.

Zhang Yuan: …

"What else is it? Hurry up and say it," he replied impatiently.

What kind of person do you take me for?

Could I possibly lay a hand on your daughter?
Unless she takes the initiative...

"Oh, there's one more thing."

"You'd better talk to that woman again, so you don't cause any trouble."

"Because someone is coming to visit the set in a couple of days, we can't afford to cause any trouble."

"Who is it?" Zhang Yuan suddenly became excited.

"A fairly important person."

"Big man?"

"Correct."

"How big?"

"How big do you want it to be?" Jiang Wen said solemnly. "So don't cause me any trouble."

"Understood!"

Zhang Yuan raised his hand and assured him, "I'll go talk to Zhao Ming again in a bit."

"We will definitely resolve this."

"Damn!" Jiang Wen laughed and shook her head.

You little rascal... you really have that skill.

He had no doubt about Zhang Yuan's ability to handle the other party.

Zhang Yuan had already decided that he would simply offer some benefits.

Buy some expensive gifts, say nice things, and thank the other person for their company these past few days, but carefully tell them that you really can't accept this.

But before he could get the woman, he called Brother Long over first.

"Shall I give you a task?"

"you say?"

"Let's give those guys a little push."

"Which gang?"

“It’s those guys who’re watching me.” Zhang Yuan pointed to the area outside the film crew’s location.

"Wouldn't that be bad? What if they make a move?"

"Don't escalate to the point of violence, just act like you're fearless, understand?"

"I don't fully understand," Brother Long replied bluntly.

Zhang Yuan thought it was alright; at least they said what they meant, which was much better than pretending to know what they didn't.

He likes to be surrounded by these "honest people".

"Years ago, before you came to my place, although we already knew each other back then."

"But have you heard that at the beginning of that year, I had a falling out with my old boss at CCTV?"

“I’ve heard that it’s not because of this that you never appear on the Spring Festival Gala.”

"Yes, that's it."

"Do you know how I managed to escape from a giant crocodile that was far stronger than me back then?"

Brother Long shook his head.

"Did you hear Jiang Wen's lines during yesterday's filming?"

Sometimes, the dead are more useful than the living.

This was how he handled it back then.

The death of an important figure gave him an opportunity to increase his leverage.

"It's similar this time, but there are some differences."

Zhang Yuan's gaze extends into the distance.

"Because living people are actually more useful than dead people." (End of Chapter)