Chapter 39 2/2

Although Starlight Entertainment had been established for less than a year, its artists were at least somewhat famous. The number of artists was significantly lower compared to other companies. In other words, as long as you entered Starlight, there was a high chance of receiving special training.

Without exaggeration, in the eyes of the extras, Yuan He had achieved a sky-high status.

What was most irritating was that Yuan didn’t know how to please people. He knew that Shengquan was his benefactor, and his clumsy attempts to please her were nothing more than more dedicated practice.

Then he was praised, and he knew how to blush in embarrassment while feeling a bit happy. Then he worked even harder, not knowing how to say a flattering word.

Other extras were anxiously watching.

You kid, if you can’t please people, step aside! Let us give it a try!

With the mentality of “as long as I work hard, maybe I can catch Shengquan’s attention one day,” regardless of their status in other crews, in “The Cultivator,” every extra was practicing as if their lives depended on it.

Especially when Shengquan came over to watch, their status instantly soared to 150%.

Their eyes were determined during fight scenes, and when handed a demon-slaying staff, they could soar to the sky to eliminate demons in a matter of minutes.

Xu Man called this the “Shengquan Effect.”

She was quite curious: “When you promoted Yuan He, did you already expect this?”

Shengquan: “I really just thought he did well in fight scenes and helped him casually.”

Seeing Xu Man’s expression of disbelief, Shengquan sighed: “Do you think I have to calculate everything ten steps ahead?”

Xu Man nodded.

Shengquan: “…”

Okay, she did have that habit.

Before, when she was just a laborer, it was for the salary. Now… It’s her own business. Shouldn’t she be more dedicated?

006 had released the mission a few days ago, but Shengquan still hadn’t decided on the sponsored person for this reason.

“The Cultivator” was destined to be a big hit. If she could place the next sponsored person on this big ship, wouldn’t it be a win-win situation?

However, “The Cultivator” was too special, and finding someone who met all the criteria wasn’t easy.

While Shengquan was thinking, her gaze unconsciously fell on Yuan He, who was gracefully descending from a height, tied with a wire.

Then her eyes slowly lit up.

After Yuan He finished shooting, Shengquan casually walked over as if to chat.

“Yuan He, you did well in that segment just now.”

Yuan He, who just landed, heard the praise, and as a young man who couldn’t resist flattery, his eyes brightened, shy yet excited: “Thank you, Director Sheng.”

Shengquan patted his shoulder with satisfaction.

Don’t misunderstand; she didn’t plan on selecting Yuan He.

Although Yuan He was outstanding, achieving a hundred percent dedication to his career was a bit difficult.

What she wanted to ask was, “You seem to have a foundation. Did you learn by yourself?”

The naive young man, without any guard, replied, “When I just started in the industry, there was a martial arts instructor who saw that I didn’t know anything and taught me a few moves.”

He thought for a moment and said, “He also taught me how to protect myself when filming. But I hadn’t learned much yet before moving to another crew.”

Shengquan smiled warmly: “Oh, a martial arts instructor. If he taught you, his martial arts skills must be good. What’s his name? Do you know how to contact him?”

****

On the set of “A Flower’s Transmission,” accompanied by a miserable scream, a person in black fell to the ground, shivered a few times, and acted as if they had lost their breath.

“Cut!”

The director clapped his hands. “Good, this scene is done. Let’s go eat, everyone.”

The person in black, holding his abdomen, slowly sat up. Just as he was adjusting, an ice pack was thrown into his arms.

He picked it up and placed it on the injury. Looking up at the approaching person, he smiled and said, “Thanks, Teacher Jiang.”

Jiang Zhen, seeing him struggling to get up, furrowed his brows slightly. He handed the lollipop to his mouth, extended his hand to help, and effortlessly lifted the person with his strong arm.

“Didn’t I teach you? Distribute the force.”

The person in black winced in pain, but his expression didn’t show much concern. “It’s okay. Shooting like this looks good. If I perform well, maybe I’ll get more scenes.”

“Your body is your own. Don’t act recklessly just because you’re young.”

While scolding, Jiang Zhen supported the person and walked away. “Come on, let me apply some medicinal alcohol for you.”

“I can do it myself. Teacher Jiang, you go get your meal quickly; it’ll get cold if you’re late.”

The person in black didn’t want to trouble others and tried to move on his own, but Jiang Zhen easily pressed him back down.

Holding the lollipop, maybe because of his short buzz cut or the tough aura he exuded, although he was doing a good deed, his words sounded like those of a thug:

“Behave yourself. With this injury, if you don’t apply medicine to reduce the swelling, you’ll be in pain tonight, kid.”

“But it’s mealtime…”

“I had instant noodles for lunch today.”

After applying the medicine, the person in black thanked him repeatedly. Seeing the young man’s grateful yet embarrassed expression, Jiang Zhen clicked his tongue, looking somewhat disdainful. Before leaving, he took out a sausage from his pocket and threw it to the person:

“Eat this for recovery.”

Before leaving, he looked back and added:

“Remember, for next time, distribute the force.”

Although one sausage didn’t seem like much, the cost was that in Jiang Zhen’s lunch, the braised beef instant noodles lost their best instant noodle companion.

The set environment was average, and Jiang Zhen found a random spot. Time was tight, so he sat on a piece of wood, buried his head, and ate.

Two extras watched from a distance and couldn’t help gossiping quietly:

“Teacher Jiang has broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and such long, good-looking legs. He’s quite handsome. Why doesn’t he become a fight choreographer for films?”

The older extra whispered, “Don’t you know? When he was young, he was a martial artist. It seems like he had some fame. He took on special assignments, but then there was an issue with the wirework in a film, and he fell from a height.

He was disabled for several years, but the crew denied responsibility, refusing to compensate, saying he spent years lying in bed. He even sued them, but it was an old case. Anyway, Jiang Zhen seemed to have spent five or six years lying in bed, undergoing rehabilitation and exercise to recover to his current state.”

“Then, when he recovered, there were no more roles for martial arts actors. Nowadays, who needs martial arts? Those doing martial arts are either stunt doubles or extras. Even if someone needs them, they look for young ones. Who would choose someone almost forty? He grew up training in this, and changing careers isn’t easy. So, he can only be like this now.”

While they whispered behind his back, Jiang Zhen had already devoured the instant noodles without sausage. He stood up, found a spot to dispose of the noodles, and walked into the set without looking back.

The younger extra hesitated and said in a low voice, “Uncle, it seems like Teacher Jiang glanced at us. I heard that Teacher Jiang has trained in martial arts since he was young. His ears are quite sharp. Did he hear us?”

The older extra shook his head. “It can’t be that sharp, right? We’re quite far away.”

Indeed, Jiang Zhen did hear them, but he didn’t care. After all, he had heard such comments many times before.

Just as he was about to do some work, the assistant director suddenly ran over with a delighted expression, holding a phone.

Even though the road was wide, Jiang Zhen instinctively stepped aside slightly.

In the film industry, one has to be able to read the atmosphere. Everyone was busy on the set; blocking someone’s way and delaying their work, resulting in scolding, wasn’t something unusual.

However, when the assistant director saw him, his eyes lit up, and his affectionate tone became a bit creepy as he ran towards Jiang Zhen.

“Jiang Zhen! There you are. Come, come, come over quickly. Someone is looking for you.”