Chinese entertainment industry has been booming since 2008.

When the wrap party for "Chinese Paladin 3" ended, it was nearly midnight. Tang Yan and Liu Shishi accompanied the slightly tipsy Yang Mi as they walked out, with Hu Ge and Huo Jianhua considerately following a few steps behind.

"Honey, you weren't telling the truth just now."

Tang Yan lowered her voice: "I noticed that President Cai's expression is off."

Liu Shishi also said softly, "Actually, going to Starry Sky Pictures is a good thing. Zhang Yang's resources are indeed much stronger than Sugar Man's, it's just..." She paused, "I heard that Mr. Zhang is quite the player!"

Yang Mi had some inexplicable images of blushing and burning in her mind, but because she had been drinking, she couldn't tell anything was wrong.

"I haven't had much contact with Zhang Yang, but I can sense that he respects me quite a bit. The female lead for 'The Heirs' was decided before I agreed to join his company."

Yang Mi's half-true, half-false answer made Tang Yan and Liu Shishi stop asking questions. The two weren't stupid; Yang Mi's explanation clearly indicated that she didn't want to continue discussing Zhang Yang.

At this moment, Hu Ge quickly stepped forward and handed over a bottle of mineral water: "Have some water, Mimi. No matter what you choose, we will support you."

...

Over the next few days of filming, Zhang Yang deliberately maintained a gentle yet clear sense of distance. His scenes with Jing Tian remained professional, and he was generous with his guidance and suggestions. However, their off-screen communication decreased significantly, and there was no more casual conversation outside of work.

This change is subtle yet clear, like an invisible film separating the two people.

Jing Tian clearly noticed this, and several times he hesitated before speaking. The hopeful light in his expressive eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by a hint of loss and confusion.

To maintain exposure, Zhang Yang released the first behind-the-scenes footage of "The Heirs" at the right time.

In the video, Jing Tian practiced until dawn for a fight scene, and insisted on not using a stunt double even though her thighs were chafed from being suspended by wires; her figure quietly memorizing lines on set is in stark contrast to her online image as a "resource-backed actress".

What was most touching was that one late night, she was squatting in a corner of the set, secretly wiping away tears. When the camera caught her doing this, she hurriedly wiped her face and forced a smile, saying, "It's nothing, I just miss home a little."

This video significantly improved JingTian's reputation.

Why do I suddenly feel a pang of sympathy?

"At least she tried her best."

Is Zhang Yang playing a long game?

At the same time, Zhang Yang received a call from his father, Zhang Dahai. Then, Zhang Yang found Liu Junjie and said, "Director Liu, I think we should add a solo dance scene for Lin Wan'er."

Why?

"This will better showcase another side of the female lead, Lin Wan'er."

Well, Liu Junjie thought the reason was pretty far-fetched, but who could blame him when Zhang Yang was the sugar daddy? Liu Junjie's principle as a director was to try his best to satisfy all the sugar daddy's demands.

On the day of filming the solo dance scene, the entire crew was stunned. Jing Tian danced under the moon in a flowing sleeve dance costume, and every glance she gave carried Lin Wan'er's pride and vulnerability. She completed this three-minute long take in one go.

After the dance, there was a few seconds of silence before erupting into enthusiastic applause. The stylist secretly wiped away tears: "This girl has had it so tough."

Zhang Yang watched the playback on the monitor and smiled with satisfaction.

.....

As filming progressed smoothly, Zhang Yang and Jing Tian's teamwork became increasingly seamless. Sometimes, after a scene was filmed, the entire crew would spontaneously applaud.

After finishing work that day, Zhang Yang did not immediately return to the hotel, but stayed on set to watch the scenes that had been filmed previously.

Liu Junjie appeared behind him unnoticed: "This performance was very good."

Zhang Yang turned around and smiled: "The more you experience, the more you'll understand."

Sometimes I think...

Liu Junjie sat down in the chair next to him: "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger."

Zhang Yang did not answer immediately. His gaze returned to himself in the image. His eyes showed pain and struggle, but even more so, defiance and determination.

"It's not about becoming stronger..." After a long silence, he said softly, "It's about becoming clearer about who we are and what we want."

At this moment, Zhang Yang's assistant, Sun Yu, quickly walked over and whispered, "Boss, Sister Hua called and said she has something to discuss with you."

Zhang Yang nodded, walked to the rest area, and dialed Wang Jinghua's number.

"Next Media in Hong Kong is making a move!"

Wang Jinghua's voice came through the receiver: "Liu, the top paparazzo from Next Media, has come to the Chinese entertainment industry. He's up to no good. You'd better be careful lately."

Zhang Yang chuckled lightly: "Still not giving up?"

"Don't let your guard down..." Wang Jinghua said seriously, "In the entertainment industry, even white can be portrayed as black. Have you forgotten the lesson of being secretly photographed at the last celebration party?"

Zhang Yang was silent for a moment, then asked, "So, Sister Hua, what do you mean?"

"Try to minimize contact with outsiders during this period, and it would be best to find Doghead Liu."

"I understand, thank you, Sister Hua."

Although Zhang Yang understood Wang Jinghua's unspoken meaning—that she should stop fooling around with female celebrities—he didn't really have a problem with it. His addiction wasn't that strong; he could endure not eating meat for a few days.

The most important thing is to find out what's going on with Next Media. Since he knows someone is spying on him, Zhang Yang will set up a sting operation.

The next day, Yang Mi came to visit the set.

Although Yang Mi is also a minor celebrity, her fame and income are far less than Fan Bingbing's. Therefore, the gifts she brought when visiting the set were not as good as Fan Bingbing's.

Because Zhang Yang had given prior notice, Yang Mi was taken to Zhang Yang's rest room by staff upon her arrival.

Seeing Zhang Yang sitting so formally, Yang Mi smiled mischievously: "Mr. Zhang, why were you in such a hurry to see me? Did the girls on set not satisfy you?"

Zhang Yang expressed strong dissatisfaction with Yang Mi's decision to drive straight onto the highway; he was practically ready to give her the middle finger, though his middle finger would be a bit inappropriate.

Seeing that Zhang Yang didn't speak, Yang Mi leaned closer and examined him carefully: "Mr. Zhang, look at those dark circles under your eyes, didn't you sleep well last night? Oh dear, could it be that you were burned by that young lady's burning gaze?"

Zhang Yang subconsciously rubbed his temples and said speechlessly, "Alright, stop joking. I asked you to come here because paparazzi are taking pictures of me, and I want you to lure them out."

Paparazzi?

Yang Mi was taken aback at first, then her eyes lit up with excitement: "Mr. Zhang, this isn't covered in my signed contract!"

Looking at the grinning Yang Mi, Zhang Yang raised an eyebrow: "What, you're not thinking of following in Brother Jiaqian's footsteps and asking me to give you a raise, are you?"

"A raise would be great, but if not, Mr. Zhang, you can treat me to some scrambled eggs with ham. I've been feeling a bit malnourished lately and need to eat some more."

If this weren't on a film set, Zhang Yang would have really wanted to sleep with Yang Mi. Sigh, at this moment, Zhang Yang was a little envious of his older brother, Long. When Long got into the mood during filming, he would clear the set and shoot scenes that you couldn't see even if you paid extra.