Chapter 4

“What is the director doing?”

Zhou Zhi, the male protagonist of “The Road of Life”, sat next to the female protagonist Lin Aike, holding a small mirror to touch up his makeup, while curiously peeking ahead.

Only seeing in front, the director of their crew, Wan Bao, changed his usual worried look, with a completely suppressed joy on his face, lifting his head every now and then as if waiting for someone.

This script was originally a modest investment, and there wasn’t enough money to hire big names. The most accomplished actor in the crew was the female lead, Lin Aike. Her previous work was as “Female No. 10” in a minor hit drama, which earned her some fans, making her somewhat known in the competitive entertainment industry.

Although she wasn’t anything special in the industry, everyone in this small crew held her in high regard. However, she wasn’t the type to get carried away. With the crew being financially tight and having only one makeup artist, she, like Zhou Zhi, sat on a small stool and did her own makeup.

Upon hearing Zhou Zhi’s words, Lin Aike also looked up and glanced over. The charming expression on her face also showed some curiosity. “It seems like Director Wan has been there since four o’clock. It’s been an hour, right?”

Glancing around, Zhou Zhi lowered his voice and whispered, “Do you know that the director went out yesterday?”

Although she didn’t know what had happened, Zhou Zhi acted as if he was sharing a secret. Lin Aike couldn’t help but follow suit and whispered, “I didn’t know. Who told you?”

“Sister Wang said it.” Sister Wang was their only makeup artist in the crew. In fact, her original job wasn’t a makeup artist but a sound engineer. However, since the crew couldn’t afford to pay for a makeup artist, the makeup department only existed in name, and Sister Wang, who loved makeup, took on the role.

Zhou Zhi shared the gossip quietly, “Sister Wang said that the director went out urgently last night to attract investment. They thought he would be gone for several days and had prepared work arrangements accordingly, but he came back today.”

There was a hint of anticipation in his eyes. “Do you think the director came back so quickly and is so happy because he secured investment?”

Hearing this, Lin Aike also felt hopeful. She couldn’t help but glance at the director who was strolling around in front. Her tone also became expectant. “It should be, right? I think the director looks quite happy.”

Since the investor withdrew, the director hadn’t smiled.

The actors in the crew all hoped that the director could attract investment again. After all, they weren’t big stars, and every opportunity to act was precious to them. After working hard for so many days, they were just waiting for the show to air and achieve results.

Lin Aike naturally had the same thoughts. After her previous drama aired, she gained some minor fame, but she was still just a supporting character. She was only approached for roles like the fourth or fifth female lead, and she hadn’t even gotten any significant roles.

“Life Road” was the only drama willing to cast her as the female lead, and after reading the script, she was very satisfied. After coming to the crew, she became even more pleased. Although Director Wan’s demanding standards made filming quite torturous, the chances of success after airing would also increase significantly.

So when the crew encountered financial problems this time, Lin Aike’s selfish desire was to wait for the director to suspend work and raise funds, even if it meant delaying the start of a new drama.

Unfortunately, while she was willing, her company wouldn’t agree. Seeing that the crew was struggling to raise funds, her agent had already started looking for her next role. They were just waiting for Director Wan to give up on the crew’s suspension and send her over.

Lin Aike didn’t want to, but her company wouldn’t care about her opinion, and because she tried to persuade her agent, the company’s attitude towards her had soured.

Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but sigh, and her hopeful anticipation was overshadowed by pessimism. “But our crew doesn’t look outstanding. Can we really attract larger investments?”

“It’s okay if it’s not big. We can save a bit.” Zhou Zhi also cherished this rare opportunity as the male lead. “As long as we can finish filming and air it.”

As the two secretly harbored their worries and hopes, the figure of a vehicle suddenly appeared ahead.

Zhou Zhi widened his eyes in an instant. “A car! A car is coming!”

Lin Aike didn’t understand. “So what if a car is coming?”

Their shooting location was a mountain valley with eighteen bends, and occasionally, a few cars would pass by.

What was so unusual about a car on the mountain road?

“No! Look at those cars!”

Lin Aike imitated Zhou Zhi’s actions and stood up to look down. Then her beautiful eyes widened, and even she, who wasn’t interested in cars and couldn’t recognize the brand, could tell that these cars were imposing, and their prices were definitely not cheap.

“At least three million for this car, right?” Zhou Zhi, who knew about cars, couldn’t help but calculate. “These cars obviously came together. With so many cars, damn, that’s over thirty million.”

Not only were they shocked, but even the director standing in front showed obvious surprise on his face. But after the surprise, he seemed to remember something and quickly became joyful.

The vehicles quickly drove up, and fortunately, the mountaintop was spacious enough. The cars parked on both sides, and the driver of the central car got out and opened the rear door.

A young, beautiful woman got out of the car.

Sheng Quan took off her sunglasses (actually, it wasn’t necessary to wear sunglasses on this day, but she wanted to show off), indicating for everyone in the car to get out.

It had to be said that although the system didn’t provide money, it had never been lazy in other aspects. Just the benefits from the first task included these twelve off-road vehicles, which were very considerately purchased in Wuzhou. Sheng Quan just needed to pick them up.

Individually, a three-million-dollar off-road vehicle wouldn’t be as eye-catching as her car, which cost over twenty million. However, when a dozen or so menacing black off-road vehicles were lined up together, it was a different story. Along the way, they attracted a lot of attention.

For Sheng Quan, this meant not only showing off but also giving her more confidence to make a grand appearance. First, she respected her own clothing and then respected others.

The crew members indeed had a bit more awe for this young lady who suddenly appeared. They were curious about what was happening. They saw Director Wan, who was usually stern and rarely smiled, eagerly welcoming her with a smile.

“You’re here, you’re shining, you’re shining!”

Sheng Quan smiled as she shook hands with him, introducing the person next to her, “This is Yu Xiangwan, whom I told you about on the phone. He will be the producer of our crew from now on.”

Yu Xiangwan smiled and extended his hand, “Director Wan, please take care of me in the future.”

Director Wan immediately shook hands with Yu Xiangwan, “Hello, hello! Oh, none of this ‘take care of me’ stuff. From now on, we’re all colleagues working together.”

As the largest investor in the crew, Sheng Quan needed to appoint a reliable and steady producer to oversee the progress of the crew. In other words, Yu Xiangwan was her eyes here, ‘her person.’

Of course, Wan Bao would cooperate. The producer in the crew was like the steward of the gold master, and every fund flow needed to be approved by Yu Xiangwan before reporting to Sheng Quan.

In other words, if the crew needed money, it had to be approved by the producer.

But he had never heard of Yu Xiangwan before, and he didn’t know if Miss Sheng had “transferred” him from elsewhere.

An investor who could invest ten million in a TV drama and also bring a dozen million-dollar luxury cars in one go would certainly be matched with a reliable producer she sent over.

Sheng Quan smiled as she watched the two shake hands. She wouldn’t just find anyone casually. With the excellent advantage of transmigration, she naturally had to make use of it.

Yu Xiangwan had also appeared in the novel. He had more appearances than Wan Bao. The novel had mentioned several times that as a producer, he had coordinated countless crews to successfully complete filming. Even when facing various problems, he could resolve them smoothly.

Many people only paid attention to directors and actors when watching a TV series, often overlooking the contributions of other staff behind the scenes. Sheng Quan, however, knew after a deep understanding that a good producer could greatly help the crew work smoothly.

And Yu Xiangwan was naturally born for this role. The novel mentioned that he entered the industry at the age of eighteen and struggled for over ten years, accumulating rich experience. At the age of thirty-two, he finally seized the opportunity and steadily rose from there.

He was intelligent and had a strong ability to learn. Just after coming to Sheng Quan’s side, he noticed that she wanted to learn various things about the entertainment industry. He had been using his deep and pleasant voice and witty humor to educate and enlighten her along the way.

So, this was indeed a paradise for those fond of good looks. Even Yu Xiangwan, whose profession was a producer, was quite handsome.

Of course, he couldn’t reach the level of a celebrity, but he was still refined and elegant, with a refreshing appearance. He also wore a pair of glasses. When he smiled slightly, Sheng Quan thought of elite professionals who looked gentle on the surface but were cunning inside.

Of course, Yu Xiangwan was indeed such a person.

But compared to his abilities and appearance, he had a bigger advantage that made Sheng Quan choose him, and that was his willingness to reciprocate kindness. His adoptive mother raised him, and he was willing to ‘sell himself’ to treat his adoptive mother’s illness.

Sheng Quan helped him, and he was willing to give his full loyalty in return.

Of course, he also had his shortcomings, such as not having clear boundaries between right and wrong, and in the novel, he was a controversial character. But after weighing it, Sheng Quan still decided to use him.

Just after meeting Wan Bao for the first time, Yu Xiangwan quietly grasped the general situation of the crew through casual conversation, and when Wan Bao suggested treating everyone to a meal, he smiled and said:

“Miss Sheng said that for her first visit, she brought some food and drinks for everyone. Since it’s mealtime, why don’t we distribute it first?”

This was a way to win the hearts of the people for Sheng Quan, and it also confirmed Sheng Quan’s highest position as the major investor in the crew.

Unfortunately, Wan Bao completely failed to notice this.

He was still happy. Food?! The big boss’s visit brought food, and it must be better than boxed meals.

Thinking like this, Wan Bao nodded repeatedly, “Okay, okay, thank you, Miss Sheng. You guys, come over and take out the food from the car. This is our investor, Miss Sheng. Miss Sheng, this food was brought by Miss Sheng for her visit…”

Sheng Quan chuckled inwardly, while Yu Xiangwan remained calm. He just needed to ensure that Sheng Quan’s position in the crew was unshakable. If Wan Bao didn’t cooperate, he didn’t mind being a ferocious watchdog, just to fight for the maximum benefits for his master.

If Wan Bao was willing to cooperate, that would be the best.

The entire crew was called over to distribute the food, and naturally, they learned the news that their crew had found a major investor.

Although the specific amount of investment wasn’t mentioned, just by looking at these dozen off-road vehicles used to transport food, and the completely unmasked flattering smile on the director’s face, everyone knew that it must be a large amount.

Filming could continue!

And even the funding would become more abundant!

And all of this was because of Miss Sheng, who still looked quite young.

Several lead actors were brought over by the director to greet Miss Sheng. Some of the relatively inexperienced actors were a bit restrained, but they all showed varying degrees of flattery.

Sheng Quan felt quite pleased to be flattered. Who wouldn’t be happy to be surrounded by a group of people? Especially these actors, who were all quite good-looking. Just looking at them made the ‘beauty enthusiasts’ happy.

Unfortunately, she could only enjoy this for a short while.

Yu Xiangwan smiled and chatted with the assistant director on the side, naturally inquiring about more information about the crew while glancing over at Sheng Quan’s side.

He noticed that Sheng Quan’s gaze always lingered on the most attractive faces, sometimes showing a hint of pleasure in her eyes.

Yu Xiangwan smiled faintly. Although he hadn’t spent much time with Miss Sheng, he could tell that she liked to look at handsome men and beautiful women.

He said to the assistant director, “Invite the leads to have dinner together tonight. I’ll arrange it.”

The assistant director naturally agreed readily.

So, at dinner that night, Sheng Quan found herself sitting between Lin Aike, the most beautiful actress in the crew, and Wang Zheng, the most handsome actor in the crew.

What a feast for the eyes.

These actors, who could be considered good-looking in the entertainment industry, accompanied her throughout the meal. Seeing their flawless skin up close was simply delightful. Just chatting with them made Sheng Quan feel more than a little happy.

After dinner, on the way to the hotel to rest, Sheng Quan was still admiring the photos of herself with several lead actors on her phone.

She was in a very good mood today, enjoying the scenery, eating and drinking, and even meeting several good-looking actors. Now she was here, happily looking at the photos, with her loyal assistant working diligently by her side.

No wonder her boss in her previous life was always so energetic, with a loyal subordinate who anticipated her needs and shared her concerns. Anyone would be happy with that.

Just as she was thinking, Sheng Quan heard her loyal assistant, Yu Xiangwan, who had been silently working on his laptop beside her, closing his computer and adjusting his glasses. His slender eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses looked at her.

His voice was magnetic, indicating that he was a steady person, and his tone was calm as he said, “If you like them, I’ll talk to them. I can arrange for your favorite actors to accompany you tonight.”

Of course, this “accompany” was not limited to just having a meal together.

Yu Xiangwan’s gaze was serious, showing that he wasn’t joking. He was sincerely suggesting this and was already thinking about how to implement it.

Sheng Quan: “…”

Isn’t this a bit too loyal of you?