“I’m very happy today. After nearly three months, our production has finally wrapped. Thank you all for your hard work during this time. I have a bad temper, so if I said anything unpleasant, please don’t take it to heart. Eat and drink well tonight. I won’t disturb everyone any further.”
Wrapped.
Naturally, there had to be a wrap banquet.
Although Wang Zhaojun was not exactly a major production, quite a few reporters were invited to the wrap banquet.
Chen Cheng, the script supervisor, along with the other behind-the-scenes personnel, stayed behind to eat the wrap banquet meal.
Unfortunately, though...
Unlike the important roles, Chen Cheng and the others were behind-the-scenes personnel—and, among them, low-level workers. They had merely come to join in the festivities, and not many people cared about them. In fact, no one cared about them at all. Thus, it was easy to see that the liveliest tables were undoubtedly those of the Director and the main cast. Laughter and chatter rang out as they toasted one another, while the reporters at the tables repeatedly pressed their camera shutters.
As for Chen Cheng and the others, they simply sat in a corner, silently eating their food.
However, having chosen to work behind the scenes, Chen Cheng had long since prepared himself mentally.
So even in these circumstances, Chen Cheng did not feel anything was wrong.
At the very least, this summer had proven that his career behind the scenes had begun.
“Come on, Xiao Wu. Let’s have a drink.”
“Sure.”
Xiao Wu raised his cup as well, and the two drained them in one gulp.
Chen Cheng then asked, “Now that this production is finished, where are you going for the next one?”
“Still in Hengdian.”
Xiao Wu took a bite of food and said, “There’s a major production starting here in a few days. I’m planning to apply and see if I can get in.”
“Which one?”
“The Return of the Condor Heroes.”
Chen Cheng was stunned. “Wasn’t The Return of the Condor Heroes already finished filming?”
Chen Cheng remembered that The Return of the Condor Heroes seemed to have finished filming in 2004.
“It’s a remake. The Major director is Zhang the Bearded.”
“Uh...”
Chen Cheng did not dwell on it any further.
If he could be reborn, then it was perfectly normal for the timeline of this world to be slightly different. Thus, he said, “Wow, what an impressive production.”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m not confident either. I don’t even know if they’ll want me.”
“How could they not? You’re a top student who graduated from the Fine Arts Department of Chongqing University, and your makeup skills are so good. If they don’t want you, they’re disrespecting talent.”
“Hahaha, hopefully.”
The two clinked cups.
..
Early the next morning, Chen Cheng packed his luggage and said goodbye to the other film crew members.
There were still a few days before school started.
Chen Cheng returned to his hometown in Ganzhou.
At the same time, he used the money he had earned during his two months with the film crew to buy each of his parents a 1,000-yuan Nokia color-screen Cell Phone.
Then, when school began on September 1, Chen Cheng successfully returned to the Beijing Film Academy to register.
However, as soon as he arrived at school, Chen Cheng heard some unpleasant remarks.
“Well, Chen Cheng, you’re back.”
“I’m back.”
“I heard you went to Hengdian to work as a Stagehand during the summer vacation?”
The speaker was his classmate Lin Zihua, who did not get along with Chen Cheng.
As soon as he received the news, he hurried to mock Chen Cheng in front of the class.
Having lived a second life, Chen Cheng did not care and said, “Yeah. What could I do? No one wanted me, so I had to work as a Stagehand.”
“You should have told me. Why didn’t you call? If you had, I couldn’t have arranged an important role for you, but I could have found you a special-role actor position.”
“Thanks.”
Chen Cheng gave an awkward smile.
Just then, someone patted him on the shoulder. Zhang Wei, Brother Gouzi, sat down beside Chen Cheng. “Chen Cheng, Lin Zihua is disgusting. From what I hear, he only got a special-role actor position, yet he still has the nerve to mock you.”
“Of course he can mock me. He’s a special-role actor, while I’m a Stagehand. Besides, you’re an extra.”
“Damn, now you’re mocking me too? I don’t want to be an extra either.”
“Hahaha. Actually, I think it’s pretty good. Stephen Chow started out as an extra too.”
“Exactly, exactly. So, how was it spending these two months with the film crew? Wait, damn, you look like you’ve gotten quite a bit stronger...”
Zhang Wei looked Chen Cheng up and down, his eyes filled with envy. “Wow, you’ve gotten a lot more handsome too. Tell Gor Gor, how did you manage that?”
Chen Cheng said, “Go to the film crew with me and move equipment for two months. You can do it too.”
“Forget it. I really can’t do that kind of work. But I have to hand it to you—did you really work as a Stagehand for two whole months?”
“Of course.”
The two chatted.
Their classmates from the same class also arrived one after another.
After spending an entire summer apart, it was only natural for the classmates to catch up enthusiastically when they met again.
Among them, the most eye-catching was naturally Big Mimi.
When Yang Mi arrived, the classmates crowded around her. “Mimi, you’re seriously amazing. You actually played such an important role in the 《 Wang Zhaojun 》 film crew. When you posted in the group chat, I thought you were only playing a minor role.”
Zhang Xiaofei, standing nearby, said to Yuan Shanshan, “Shanshan, Stephen Chow noticed Mimi when she was six. You should know Mimi’s star ranking.”
“Yes, yes, I was wrong. I just wanted to say, Mimi, you absolutely have to take me along next time.”
That was right.
Chen Cheng’s classmates were not limited to Big Mimi.
There were also the two future stars, Zhang Xiaofei and Yuan Shanshan.
However, compared with Yang Mi, Zhang Xiaofei and Yuan Shanshan did not make much progress during their school years. It was only after graduation that they began to show themselves slightly within the industry.
This was also a true reflection of the students at the Beijing Film Academy.
Even being a Beijing Film Academy Student
did not mean you would have many roles.
Not to mention that everyone had yet to graduate.
In fact...
The future Zhang Xiaofei and Yuan Shanshan were still among the better ones.
But of the dozens of people in the class, Chen Cheng looked around and saw that, in the future, only three or four would become somewhat famous.
As for everyone else, many would become people nobody had ever heard of.
Just as everyone was chatting animatedly, Yang Mi came over to Chen Cheng. “Chen Cheng, when did you get to school? You didn’t even tell me. That’s not very nice.”
“Uh... Big sis, after your production wrapped, I was going to ask you to practice Cinematography with me, but you ran off. Aren’t you the one being inconsiderate?”
“I wanted to play for a few days too, but after Wang Zhaojun, another film crew asked me to play a minor role. I couldn’t do anything about it.”
“Are you rubbing salt in my wound? How am I supposed to get by as a Stagehand now?”
“Oh, stop it. You’re still calling yourself a Stagehand? Director Li asked me for your contact information a few days ago.”
“Uh, didn’t the film crew disband? What does he want my contact information for?”
“Because he values you. If you don’t want to deal with Director Li, I won’t give it to him.”
“Don’t! I never said that.”
“All right, I’ll send your Cell Phone number to Director Li later. By the way, if you become a Major director someday, remember to call your big sis for an audition.”
Yang Mi’s words undoubtedly made the entire class prick up their ears.
Yuan Shanshan quietly asked Yang Mi, “Mimi, wasn’t Chen Cheng working as a Stagehand with the film crew? How did he suddenly become a director?”
Zhang Xiaofei was also intensely interested. “Could Chen Cheng be a hidden second-generation rich kid who never told us?”
Yang Mi smiled. “Xiaofei, what are you thinking? But haven’t you noticed that Chen Cheng seems different from before?”
“Does he?”
The two turned around to look at Chen Cheng.
Now that they looked closely...
Zhang Xiaofei and Yuan Shanshan were both surprised. “He does seem quite a bit more handsome.”
Although Chen Cheng’s appearance had become considerably more handsome,
in a place like the Beijing Film Academy, where handsome men and beautiful women were everywhere, it was nothing extraordinary.
“You two only know how to look at his appearance. Why don’t you look at other aspects?”
“Other... other aspects? We can’t see those.”
“...”
Yang Mi pursed her lips.
Even Yang Mi did not know how to explain something like this.