Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years
Chapter 115 - 114: But I Am an Uncle (Requesting Monthly Ticket)

Chapter 115: Chapter 114: But I Am an Uncle (Requesting Monthly Ticket)

An Feng finished filming and left.

However, whether she returned to the capital after leaving the crew or stayed in Jiangcheng is unknown.

She had invited Qi Hao to visit her at home, but Qi Hao politely declined.

Up next were the main scenes between Qi Hao and Wang Baoqiang.

When filming with Wang Baoqiang, Qi Hao really hit a stride, making the filming progress astonishingly fast.

Ye Weimin also had to admit that Qi Hao’s recommendation was spot on.

Wang Baoqiang harbors a comedic spirit within, going deeper into the hearts than his portrayal of Shagen.

One might even say that Wang Baoqiang’s performance in this film is likely to overshadow Qi Hao’s spotlight.

Qi Hao’s performance wasn’t bad.

It’s just that compared to Wang Baoqiang, it wasn’t quite a breakthrough.

Unless the fans particularly like his image as a cool guy with a shaved head.

During the train scenes, Li Jin and Yang Zimo, who were met at a previous party, came to cameo as college students.

Gao Yuanyuan and Li Xiaoran were invited by Qi Hao through personal connections.

The cameos by Li Jin and Yang Zimo didn’t involve any personal favors; it’s more about them expanding their network in their own way.

Alongside them was a girl named Zhao Liying.

She was also a companion from their "New Red Chamber" crew.

When Zhao Liying heard Li Jin mention going to Jiangcheng for a cameo in Qi Hao’s new movie "Lost on Journey," she asked if she could come along for a few days of fun.

Seeing her, Ye Weimin simply invited her for a cameo too.

Actually, Zhao Liying is different from Li Jin and Yang Zimo, she’s not a newbie, and even a contracted artist with Mrs. Hua.

It’s just that in terms of resources, she’s not lacking, but not notably good either.

Debuted in 2006 through the "Yahoo Star Search" competition, she has acted in "Golden Wedding Anniversary," "King of Nanyue," "Locking Autumn," among many other works.

This time, in "New Red Chamber," she played the role of the gentle and courteous Xing Xiuyan, a somewhat corner-esque character.

Following the invitation during this outing, she agreed without hesitation.

Whether there were two female students, or actually three, didn’t really matter.

After all, on the train, there are both rows of two seats as well as three seats.

Even with two seats, three girls could squeeze together, maybe looking even cozier.

Such scenarios are quite common during the Spring Festival travel rush.

Besides squeezing together, some even stacked upon each other.

Li Qin and the others took this cameo seriously, asking detailed questions about attire and dressing from the crew.

By the time they arrived at the filming location for "Lost on Journey," they were already dressed like typical college students.

Youth is the most perfect ornament, and the three girls also made a pretty scene.

The New Red Chamber crew was quite chaotic.

The favor from Li Shaohong couldn’t be assured to last, and if Li Jin didn’t come up with something soon, she might just end up being tossed aside one day.

There are hardly any young girls willing, given even a slight opportunity, to devote themselves to old men older than their fathers.

They prefer handsome guys.

And Qi Hao, with his impressive wardrobe, seemed particularly appealing to them thanks to his mature charm as a man with a shaved head.

There was originally a handsome character in the script.

In this portion of the plot, the female college students prefer the handsome guy, leaving a supposedly successful Li Chenggong rejected, further highlighting his confusion after achieving success.

Extremely confused.

However, after Qi Hao was cast in the role of Li Chenggong, the handsome stranger became somewhat superfluous.

Even bald, Qi Hao is a good-looking bald guy.

What kind of good-looking young man could you possibly find that would make Qi Hao look unimpressive in terms of looks.

You might even end up with audiences joking about the college students.

Are you blind, that’s Qi Hao!

So, after some discussion, the writers decided to eliminate this character.

It was changed to show the college students being very interested in Qi Hao.

Additionally, since Qi Hao was particularly good at flirting, their train conversation was relatively pleasant.

"I’m really not good at flirting,"

Qi Hao thought the lines written by the writers were too cheesy, making it overly complicated to pick up girls.

If a girl asks you if you have a house,

you just tell her you’ve already booked one.

Wouldn’t that work?

"Take a look at this entertainment circle, is there a beauty who hasn’t been messed around by you?" Ye Weimin scoffed at Qi Hao.

"Don’t say that lightly, I’m not messing with anyone,"

Qi Hao retorted.

I can’t even sleep well myself, how could I think of sleeping with someone else.

Ye Weimin chuckled and said nothing.

Look at Huang Xiaoming’s "The Deer and the Cauldron," which is said to feature many beauties.

If Qi Hao were cast, he could organize a reunion with his former rumored girlfriends, and the crew wouldn’t even need to look for actresses externally.

"I think with Li Chenggong picking up girls, there shouldn’t be a need to be so explicit, and if the intent is too strong, the constantly interrupting Niu Geng would seem annoying—how about I come up with a line?"

Qi Hao plans to be a director in the future, so he naturally involves himself more in various aspects of filming, having previously looked at films from an actor’s perspective, now viewing from a coordinator’s angle.

Ye Weimin, as the current coordinator,

heard Qi Hao’s suggestion and didn’t oppose it, nodding and saying, "Then think about it quickly."

Many classic movie moments have been contributed by the actors themselves.

Collective input brings collective benefit.

"All beauties here, it’s rare for three to gather together,"

This slightly over-the-top compliment wasn’t much better than the original opening.

Then the beauties giggled, thanking him, "Thanks, brother!"

"Don’t call me brother, I’m an uncle, see my hair, already retired,"

Using self-deprecating humor instead of being mocked can make one appear mature.

"Hey bro, you’re the most handsome bald guy I’ve ever met, really even hotter than the sun."

...

A few people rehearsed their lines for a while.

Then Ye Weimin officially let them start filming.

The resulting effect was very good. Ye Weimin didn’t think Qi Hao’s changes made any improvements, but he also didn’t let Qi Hao’s efforts go to waste.

After all, the original lines were indeed a bit awkward, not fitting Li Chenggong’s character that Qi Hao was playing.

He also knew Qi Hao was interested in becoming a director.

To say he wasn’t envious would be a lie. Ye Weimin had been an assistant director for many years before getting the chance to direct, while Qi Hao clearly planned to learn from the crew and then handle things himself later.

It’s frustrating to compare, especially since Qi Hao has a Coal Boss backing him.

But Ye Weimin didn’t need to stand in the way; he couldn’t stop him anyway. If Qi Hao wanted to learn something, he’d teach if he could.

Besides, Qi Hao said he’d support shooting the sequel to "Lost on Journey."

No matter how well "Lost on Journey" performed at the box office, he’d help pull investments for another round.

"OK, that’s a wrap, very nice, thanks for your hard work, guys!"

Ye Weimin knew Li Jin, Yang Zimo, and Zhao Liying were guest stars, not regular extras, so he arranged a few additional shots for them and sincerely thanked them after filming.

"Thank you, Director!"

A director of Ye Weimin’s caliber already had a significant standing in the entertainment industry.

Li Jin and the others could barely reach him, so naturally, they were polite.

"It’s still early, let’s have dinner together tonight. You can find somewhere to hang out in the meantime, or go watch a movie."

Qi Hao gave them the evening plan.

They came all the way here without any pay; the crew just covered airfare and accommodations, so treating them to dinner was a must.

Besides, Qi Hao wasn’t spending his own money for dinner.

Isn’t the crew’s funding there for this?

Qi Hao not only invited the three ladies but also invited the behind-the-scenes art director, photographer, and others from the crew.

Using the crew’s money to manage his own connections—this is the right way to fleece the sheep.

The three ladies naturally had no objections.

That’s the downside of being three.

If there was only one person, maybe she could act coy and ask the bald brother to tag along to a movie.

If snapped, she’d rise to fame instantly.

If bold enough, she could even contact the media for a candid shot.

But now that they’re three, they can only entertain themselves.

In the evening, Qi Hao represented the crew and invited everyone to dinner.

Meals with the crew are usually plain affairs.

Everyone eats and chats politely, listening to the older professionals share their struggle stories.

Qi Hao, who debuted in 1997, was already a veteran.

The actors especially enjoyed listening to his stories.

Wang Baoqiang debuted a bit later, around 1998 when he left Shaolin Temple and went to the capital alone. Under his senior’s introduction, he started working as a martial arts stand-in with various productions.

Though they came from different backgrounds, they faced similar situations at the time.

Both wanted to rise to prominence.

They became familiar through their exchanges.

"Qi Hao was so handsome at that time, had this big sister who was a crew leader..."

After a bit of alcohol, under the girls’ questions, Wang Baoqiang started recalling his tough days with Qi Hao.

"Don’t talk nonsense."

This guy might dig a hole for himself again, considering he fanned the flames around the gossip with Gao Yuanyuan.

"I’m not!" Wang Baoqiang looked innocent.

"Go on, go on, what about the big sister crew leader?"

Among the three girls, only Zhao Liying had brief experience dealing with crew leaders.

But she signed with Mrs. Hua early on; even if not as the lead, she could get various supporting roles from the company. Her debut started from a high point, without needing to do many extras.

"That big sister really liked Qi Hao and introduced us to several jobs. But Qi Hao is particularly principled; once he realized she fancied him, he didn’t accept any more jobs from her."

For once, Wang Baoqiang didn’t say anything misleading this time.

"With Qi Hao ignoring her, you could seize the opportunity yourself." Ye Weimin teased with a smile.

"Sigh, with Qi Hao ignoring the big sister, she naturally ignored me too."

Wang Baoqiang felt a bit melancholic; he thought he’d made a friend.

Turns out he was just incidental, like a freebie with sign-up.

"Mr. Qi Hao, I’ve heard there are rich ladies who want to..." Li Jin blurted out, then stammered.

"There are so many of those. Which one are you talking about?"

Qi Hao humorously replied, keeping the cool male demeanor for the outside.

In gatherings among friends, Qi Hao was quite open to joking.

"It’s about last time you did a bar gig; it said a friend saved you."

The media all blamed Ziwen for the mess at the time. Even Qi Hao publicly stated he was just being polite to his friend, no one cared about the real truth.

"Oh, that incident, it’s a long story..."

Back then, Qi Hao was forced to drink bridal toast by a rich lady; he wasn’t even twenty, couldn’t handle it.

The rich lady, rejected, was disgraced and threatened to blacklist him.

It was Gao Yang who intervened to resolve the issue.

Years later, Gao Yang became a Coal Boss with several billion in floating assets and a strong backer for Qi Hao.

Life’s encounters are so unpredictable.

After satisfying the girls’ curiosity, Qi Hao scored more points in their eyes.

Having a successful career and capital, acting as a pillar.

Though young, he showed resilience and wisdom after going through life’s trials, appearing mature and composed.

Unfortunately, they’re on different levels, no chance even for gossip.