Superstar's Development Diary-Chapter 764 - 765: Settled! (Reward and Update)

Gong Hongyu tucked into some braised pork and mumbled, "I accidentally injured my hand while saving someone. My fingers became less sensitive and couldn’t handle heavy things, so I was discharged."

Seeing that he didn’t want to elaborate, Luo You didn’t pursue the topic further.

Under the influence of alcohol, Director Qian brought up the matter of renting weapons again, his once cheerful face suddenly turning gloomy.

He was somewhat drunk.

When he got drunk, he loved to ramble on and on, repeatedly talking about the same thing ten or eighteen times without finding it bothersome.

Gong Hongyu seemed to hold his liquor quite well and listened seriously to Director Qian, occasionally asking a question or two.

He Jinxia, skilled in observation, listened to their conversation and suddenly discerned some hidden meanings. It seemed that Gong Hongyu was curiously asking how the weapon rental was going, but he was actually investigating why Director Qian wanted to rent the weapons.

Could it be an occupational hazard left from his police days, needing to probe into the origin of a question once asked?

He Jinxia was somewhat distracted by the thought but soon put it out of her mind.

After three rounds of drinks, everyone was somewhat tipsy. He Jinxia became the only sober person present, responsible for calling a car to take them all back.

When it was Gong Hongyu’s turn, Luo You staggered as he helped him into the car, swaying more unsteadily than the person he was supporting.

He Jinxia watched from behind, touched her forehead, and was at a loss for words.

She remembered how before coming here, Brother Luo had confidently claimed he would handle the drinking, full of fervor, making people who didn’t know him think he had a high alcohol tolerance, never getting drunk no matter how much he drank!

Yet at the table, he turned out to be the least useful one, while others drank three or four bowls without a change in expression, Luo You was already tipsy after two bowls.

...

The next day, Luo You woke from his hangover and immediately received a message from Director Qian with good news on his phone. Without even brushing his teeth, he hurriedly called He Jinxia.

"Hello?"

"Good news, Director Qian sent me a message saying the higher-ups have approved the weapon rental. This movie can achieve even better effects than expected, and the rental cost is completely waived, with the military sponsoring us free of charge!"

He Jinxia paused, feeling somewhat surreal.

Director Qian had been running around for weeks over this, but hadn’t managed to secure it. Though everyone spoke as if there was still hope, deep down, they didn’t believe it could really happen. And now... it had?

He Jinxia furrowed her brows, reining in her wandering thoughts, and spoke softly, "Are they really that easygoing over there?"

Luo You said, "Clever! Of course, they are not that easygoing. One precondition for the free weapon rental is that they will send someone to stay with the film crew, constantly supervising the scenes Director Qian shoots.

If there is anything they deem not permissible in the shots, that person doesn’t need Director Qian’s consent to delete the footage. If there is a disagreement between them, it will certainly end in a deadlock."

He Jinxia commented faintly, "Even so, Director Qian doesn’t want to let go of this opportunity?"

Luo You said, "He probably won’t give up. From the text he sent me, it feels like he would sell himself if he had to."

He Jinxia smiled lightly, not passing further judgment, simply saying, "Director Qian is a good director. I trust his judgment. Since he thinks it’s okay, I, as an actor, certainly have no objections."

As the excitement of receiving the news gradually faded, Luo You’s drunken mind also began to clear, and he frowned as he spoke:

"I just thought, if there’s a fierce dispute between the two sides on the set, and the conflict escalates, wouldn’t that mean the show can’t go on?"

He Jinxia shook her head and said with certainty, "This drama is Director Qian’s passion project. To ensure sufficient funding to complete the filming, he even mortgaged his own house. He values this film more than anyone and is determined to finish it."

She spoke logically and methodically, "If there really were a quarrel, and the whole crew stopped working for a day, the cost of the location can’t be recovered—it’s like burning money alive. Director Qian wouldn’t likely have a big conflict with the person in charge there.

They can afford it, but Director Qian can’t. I believe he understands this, but still, he’s willing to take the plunge just to make the film even better.

He had already tried his best and didn’t mind someone entering the crew and giving orders."

Simply put, he is not afraid of wearing shoes if he is barefoot— as long as it can improve the quality of the film, Director Qian will welcome anyone."

Luo You thought about it and felt it was true.

"It’s just unknown what kind of person the military will send. If they send a young person with lively thoughts, that would be good and communication wouldn’t be difficult.

I’m just afraid they’ll send an old-school scholar who meddles in every scene. Then, Director Qian would rather not shoot at all," he added.

He Jinxia pondered for a moment and said, "Since they are willing to lend weapons, they must also want to promote their image. I think aside from matters related to the weapons, the person they send wouldn’t interfere with other aspects."

Everyone’s goal is to do good for the film, so any differences that arise should be easy to resolve.

If they actually want to send someone just to cause trouble, no matter how dedicated the crew and the director are, someone will always find a reason to scold them.

Luo You couldn’t help but sigh, "Although it’s great that we could borrow the weapons, it feels like the filming of ’Special Action’ is getting more and more precarious.

We didn’t take ’Fox Fairy Legend’ because we were afraid Director Zhang would be too demanding, dissatisfied with the first attempt at special effects, send it back for major revisions, and delay the release until the year after next, which we couldn’t afford to wait for."

So now you’ve finally picked a film you like, but there’s a ticking bomb hidden in the crew, ready to explode at any moment, harming everyone involved.

I’m just afraid that conflicts between the director and their person will persist in the crew during filming next month, and even if it’s tough to finish filming, its release will still be an unknown."

"Clearly you’re more popular than before, so why does filming have to encounter so many problems?"

He Jinxia listened to his mutterings and comforted, "The bigger the fame, the greater the popularity, the more worries one has.

Whether the director will argue with others, or the investors might withdraw funding halfway and stop production... these are all possible occurrences within a crew. No crew can guarantee flawlessness.

We had considered all these concerns before taking the job.

Now that we’ve taken it, even if we fear the film has a bad outlook and want to reconsider, it’s impossible to do so. Don’t think too much, just focus peacefully on managing other notices for me, while I will go into the crew and work hard on the filming."

Luo You admired He Jinxia’s calmness.

Just look, by the end of next year her bet contract with Tonghua Entertainment will expire, and if she doesn’t fulfill the agreement to become a top star, the debt she carries will be heavier than herself.

Since even the person involved is so indifferent, Luo You also came to terms with it.

He Jinxia was right about one thing—having already taken the job, it’s useless now to think of what difficulties might occur in the crew, whether the shooting can continue, whether the release will be postponed... it’s all pointless now.

Now, they need to focus on just one thing—that is—

Push forward vigorously!