Tang Yan's reaction caught Qiu Ze completely off guard. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
When he realized she'd rejected him, he felt both angry and relieved.
He was angry because Tang Yan had snubbed him. He was relieved because he'd seen through the mainland woman and recognized how ungrateful she was.
He was also relieved that, aside from Tang Yan's personal makeup artist, no one else had seen him make a fool of himself.
But when he turned around and spotted Qi Wei standing not far away, his expression stiffened even more.
In any case, none of that had anything to do with Tang Yan anymore.
She went over her lines with Zhang Yang and Hu Ge for a while. Then Zhang Yang suddenly said, "Old Hu, what if I added a line here? Do you think it'd make the scene funnier?"
With that, Zhang Yang said the line he had in mind.
He didn't spring a last-minute addition on everyone while they were acting.
That would certainly make him look like a big shot, but to outsiders, it would seem immature—unless he was a major star.
Acting was a team effort. Unless inspiration truly struck, it was better to discuss changes in advance.
Hu Ge furrowed his brow as he thought it over. Tang Yan rested her chin on her knee and offered her opinion. "I think we can try it the way A'Yang suggested."
Hu Ge's brow relaxed. "I think that added line's pretty funny. Let's try it your way first."
This scene had been added as a last-minute cameo anyway. And unlike a movie, shooting a TV drama didn't burn through film, so at worst, they'd just waste a little time.
A cameo this brief needed to stand out.
Maybe this cliché, webnovel-style villain would end up giving them an iconic scene.
Before long, the three of them had finished going over their lines and taken their places in front of the camera.
"Akesheng!"
Clap!
At the assistant director's cue, Hu Ge and Tang Yan slipped into character.
They exchanged a few lines and looked into each other's eyes, each hiding their feelings.
Zhang Yang entered the scene just then. "Well, if it isn't Tang Qiqi. I heard you got fired. Looking for a man to support you now?"
When Tang Yan saw Zhang Yang, she gave him a look of disgust. "Zhang Dahai, I can earn my own money. I'm not shameless like you, living off women while chasing after one woman after another."
The camera cut to Zhang Yang. He was handsome, but his outfit made him look flashy and over the top.
After trading barbs, Zhang Yang, fuming, warned her, "Believe me, I can make sure you never work in Jinling's advertising business again."
Hu Ge, who'd stayed quiet until then, reached out to stop Tang Yan. "Friend, I've never met anyone as full of himself as you in Jinling."
"Well, you have now." Zhang Yang pointed at Hu Ge. "My name is Zhang Dahai. Zhang as in 'swagger.' And I'm swaggering."
Nazha: "..."
Jiang Jinfu: "..."
Good grief, those lines made their toes curl.
How could Zhang Yang say them with such conviction?
Wasn't he embarrassed?
Zhang Yang: "..."
Don't ask. The answer was an actor's conviction!
"Zhang Dahai!" Tang Qiqi stepped forward and said coldly, "You were dating three women at once and still tried to court me. What's wrong with telling your three girlfriends? They went to your company and made a scene, and you got fired. I think I did a great job."
"You're finished!" Zhang Yang's face flushed red as he snapped, "You got fired and you're still acting so high and mighty? I'm a department manager at XX Advertising Company now. I can get every relevant company in Jinling to blacklist you. Think I won't?"
Tang Yan was about to fire back, but Hu Ge beat her to it. He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and, after a moment, said, "Director Feng, does your company have a manager named Zhang Dahai?"
"He was fired from his previous company after his affair with three women came to light. If your company is hiring people like that, I have to wonder whether you're capable of working with V Company."
"You want a chance to make this right? That depends on how quickly you deal with this creep, Director Feng."
With that, Hu Ge ended the call and looked at Zhang Yang with an impassive expression.
Zhang Yang looked flustered. "Sir, who are you?"
"You don't need to know who I am." Hu Ge made it clear he had no intention of answering.
"Um, Miss Tang..." Zhang Yang turned to Tang Yan with a pleading look, but she turned her head away.
He was about to say something else when his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
The moment he saw the caller ID, Zhang Yang's expression changed. He bowed his head over the phone and spoke humbly. "Director Liu, it's me. What?"
"Director Liu, I'll work without a salary. Please don't fire me. I can explain."
"Director Liu? Hello? Hello?!"
Zhang Yang's expression changed completely. He looked as if he'd been struck by lightning.
Then, fumbling, he put his phone away and turned to Hu Ge and Tang Yan. "Director Xu, Miss Tang, I was only joking. Please, have mercy and let me off."
"I'll give you a gift to make it up to you. How about it?"
Hu Ge only replied, "Aren't you Zhang as in 'swagger'?"
"Leave me alone, or I'll make sure you never work in Jinling's advertising business again."
Repeating Zhang Yang's threat back to him, Hu Ge took Tang Yan by the wrist and walked away.
Zhang Yang's face turned deathly pale.
"Cut!"
The assistant director's voice rang out from nearby. "That's a wrap on this take!"
The cast instantly shed their characters and returned to themselves.
"Impressive, A'Yang. One take!" Hu Ge praised him sincerely.
During the phone call scene, there hadn't actually been anyone speaking on the other end.
He had to handle the pauses, emphasis, pacing, and shifts in emotion all by himself.
He'd also nailed the character's swagger and his despair after getting fired.
"Just the basics. No big deal." Zhang Yang raised both hands and pressed them down in mock modesty.
"Careful. Your tail's practically in the air," Tang Yan teased.
Zhang Yang composed himself and turned to Nazha and Jiang Jinfu. "I did all right, didn't I?"
"You didn't embarrass Shanghai Theatre Academy," Jiang Jinfu said.
"Impressive," Nazha said with a nod.
She felt that Zhang Yang seemed like a completely different person when he was acting.
"It was only a cameo. They're making a big deal out of nothing," Qiu Ze thought scornfully.
He didn't think Zhang Yang's performance had been anything difficult. Even getting it in one take wasn't a big deal.
But he'd overlooked the fact that Nazha and Jiang Jinfu were still complete newcomers.
For rookies, simply holding their own in a scene with Hu Ge and Tang Yan was impressive, let alone putting on a good performance.
After that, everyone moved to the building's underground parking garage.
In this scene, Xu Ran, played by Hu Ge, walked with Ye Rou, played by Qi Wei, toward the elevators, chatting about work as they went.
Zhang Yang suddenly appeared, his face pale and bloodshot eyes visible beneath a baseball cap. He came out swinging a steel pipe.
His aim was off, and the blow landed on Qi Wei's shoulder.
That was when Xu Ran's friend Weixiao, played by Qiu Ze, appeared and subdued Zhang Yang.
This scene was much more complicated than the previous one, but they still got it in one take.
"You're still so at ease acting on set. Actually, I think you're even more natural than before," Hu Ge said, openly praising him.
"Look at you, little bro." Tang Yan and Qi Wei teased him.
"It's all thanks to you guys," Zhang Yang said, refusing to take the credit.
Watching how well everyone got along made Qiu Ze inexplicably uncomfortable.
Wasn't his performance much better than Zhang Yang's?
"I have to meet someone about a new drama tonight, so I won't be joining you for dinner," Qiu Ze told Hu Ge.
He was actually trying to put on airs, hoping Hu Ge would invite him again.
But Hu Ge merely glanced at him and nodded. "Then let's get together another time."
Qiu Ze: "..."
Fine. I'm leaving!
At dinner that evening, Zhang Yang repeated what he'd told Jiang Jinfu the night before, then lowered his voice. "What do you think? Should I suggest a bet to Old Hu? I'll mentor you, he'll mentor Nazha, and we'll see which of you does better while filming Xuanyuan Sword."
"Boring." Jiang Jinfu didn't say whether he was in or not, but he felt a strange sense of urgency.
He made an excuse to go to the bathroom, left the private room, and called Cai Yinong.
"Director Cai, could you have Senior Hu Ge mentor me and Zhang Yang mentor Nazha?"
Cai Yinong: ???
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