Page 36

Before filming Beggar Prince, Ye Mingzhao had no interest in acting whatsoever. Even when he came to audition for Fu Shen's role, it had only been so he could "run into" Chu Qingyi naturally.

But during filming, Ye Mingzhao gradually began to sense a different kind of charm.

The professionally trained veteran actors who acted opposite Ye Mingzhao had once explained to him what it meant to "liberate one's nature" during a performance. Through all kinds of training, an actor had to strip away, from the depths of their heart, the shackles that bound their acting, cast aside the judgments of the world and the restraints of morality, society, and culture, and devote themselves to the role more naturally, more truthfully, more selflessly, and with greater conviction—free of distracting thoughts—so as to create a classic character.

Simply put, an actor had to use superb acting skills and powerful conviction to create a character who might be utterly opposed to the actor's own personality and values. Under this theory, actors were like chameleons, capable of creating all sorts of characters according to their surroundings and the needs of the script.

Yet Ye Mingzhao experienced the exact opposite. Through his interpretation of fictional characters, he vented the negative emotions he had suppressed in real life for far too long. In this case, the characters Ye Mingzhao played were more like containers, carrying all the joys, anger, sorrows, and pleasures he could not reveal to the public.

The process was like blowing up balloons. One flat paper figure after another became round, full, and three-dimensional through Ye Mingzhao's careful filling. And in the process of filling those paper figures, the dark emotions he had forcibly buried deep within his soul were also released and poured out.

Better still, this form of release not only did not damage his original image, it even earned him more praise and recognition because he had blown the balloons so round and so large.

If more and more inflated balloons accumulated, would there come a day when they could carry him away from that muddy swamp formed by dark emotions and negative thoughts?

Ye Mingzhao did not hold out much hope, but he was still willing to give this newly discovered outlet a try.

Not to mention that Realm Strategy had performed fairly well when it aired in the original novel. If a certain actor had not been exposed in a scandal during its run, dragging the whole drama down with him and getting it pulled from streaming, Starjoy Film Company, as the production company, would not have ended up bankrupt and shut down.

Now, the ticking bomb buried in Realm Strategy had been happily dug away by Zhou Yueze. Ye Mingzhao only needed to make a small investment to fill the production's gap. That kind of return on investment was well worth looking forward to.

"That woman Yuan Jing really is shrewd. In order to compete with Beggar Prince, Zhou Yueze took the lead in investing in The Prince's Transformation and poached Zhu Junjie, the most popular villain actor in Realm Strategy. Now Yuan Jing is inviting you to play Little Zhuge. Without spending a cent, she can tie Realm Strategy to those two dramas. At Realm Strategy's current filming pace, there's no way it can make the winter break release window. She'll definitely release it after The Prince's Transformation and Beggar Prince. I'd say it'll probably be next summer break... By then, our two sides will be fighting like a snipe and a clam. No matter who wins, she gets free publicity. What a profit without investment!"

Yu Mingze clicked his tongue and shook his head. Sure enough, no woman could be underestimated!

After sourly rambling on for a while, Yu Mingze turned to look at Ye Mingzhao. "No, what exactly are you doing?"

Before Ye Mingzhao lay all kinds of materials, including but not limited to information on the Realm Strategy game and original novel, as well as information on everyone at Star-Moon Media, from its founder to its directors and shareholders. There was also every film and television project the company had developed since its establishment, its profits and losses, publicly available financial information and news reports, and more...

"It's just filming a drama. Do you really need to be this cautious?" Yu Mingze whistled, genuinely unable to understand Ye Mingzhao's way of thinking.

Without even lifting his eyelids, Ye Mingzhao flipped through the documents in his hands and casually recited, "Those who win before battle in the temple calculations have many calculations; those who cannot win before battle in the temple calculations have few. Many calculations bring victory, few do not—how much less so none at all!" [Note 1]

"I know you like The Art of War, but do you have to think about applying every military principle you know to actual combat at every moment?" Yu Mingze sprawled on the sofa, exhausted on Ye Mingzhao's behalf. Unable to take it anymore, he rolled his eyes. "Young man, worrying too much will make your hair turn white early!"

Ye Mingzhao chuckled. "Wouldn't that be even cooler?"

Although he had his own plans, Ye Mingzhao did not keep Yuan Jing waiting for long. When it came to work, Ye Mingzhao had never been one to procrastinate.

On the afternoon of the third day after receiving the script, the anxiously waiting Yuan Jing received a call from Ye Mingzhao. "Let's talk in person."

The two met at a café near the set.

This time, Yuan Jing had not brought her little assistant and had come alone. Before she even sat down, Yuan Jing took out a check for five million from her bag, placed it on the table, and respectfully pushed it toward Ye Mingzhao with both hands.

Sitting across from her, Ye Mingzhao calmly raised his eyes and asked with a smile, "What is this for?"

Yuan Jing gave a hearty laugh, her bright smile carrying a hint of smugness. "Since Young Master Ye called and asked me out, you must have agreed to take the role. Otherwise, why would you waste your time on me?"

Ye Mingzhao smiled faintly without confirming or denying it.

Only after Yuan Jing happily sat down did he say, "I am indeed interested in taking the role of Little Zhuge. But the condition I'm offering may not be one you can accept."

The smile on Yuan Jing's face froze slightly before she said, "Please, go ahead."

Ye Mingzhao folded his hands and leaned leisurely against the sofa. The gesture instantly made his previously restrained presence turn sharp and imposing.

Yuan Jing's breathing caught as Ye Mingzhao said unhurriedly, "Xingyue Film and Television and Zhou Film and Television are competitors. Although Xingyue does not have the same strong backing as Zhou Film and Television, it is still an old hand in this industry. This time, Zhou Yueze directly poached someone from the Realm Strategy production for The Prince's Transformation, causing Xingyue considerable losses. Don't you want to get revenge?"

Yuan Jing looked at Ye Mingzhao in confusion and cautiously asked, "What does Young Master Ye think... we should do to get revenge?"

Ye Mingzhao curled his lips. "Xingyue Film and Television has been active in the entertainment industry for so many years. You must know quite a few friends in the media, right?"

Yuan Jing immediately understood Ye Mingzhao's intentions and said bitterly, "You know that Zhou Film and Television is backed by Zhou Group. That isn't something a small film company like ours can afford to offend."

"I investigated Xingyue Film and Television's financial situation," Ye Mingzhao said with a faint smile. "Once Realm Strategy fails to generate the expected returns, your company will very likely enter bankruptcy liquidation."

Yuan Jing wanted to speak but held herself back.

Ye Mingzhao glanced at Yuan Jing and said with a smile, "I recall Producer Yuan saying that no one but me could play Little Zhuge. If I don't take the role, who else would be willing to?"

Yuan Jing's expression instantly stiffened.

The Hengzhou Film and Television City portion of Beggar Prince wrapped up quickly. Next, the crew would move to several other cities to shoot on location. To save time, after discussing it with Director Li, Yu Mingze made the unprecedented decision to split the upcoming filming into separate groups.

The entire crew was thus divided into Groups A and B. Group A, centered around Xinhai, would mainly film the storyline of Fu Shen, after taking on Gu Mingchao's identity, maneuvering within Gu Corporation to fight for power and profit. Most of these scenes and sets took place at Gu Corporation headquarters and the Gu family home. Madam Ye, who had been following the production's progress, took the initiative to offer Ye Group's properties as filming locations—the Ye Group headquarters building, as well as an unused manor villa belonging to the Ye family in the eastern suburbs of Xinhai.

Director Li Zhengzheng, Yu Mingze, and every member of the crew were deeply grateful. They solemnly declared that they would definitely put Ye Group's name on a separate page in the special thanks list at the end of the drama. Within the limits of their ability, they would do everything possible to promote Ye Group! After all, office buildings and villas in locations and of such scale were not something money alone could rent.