weddingnovel Chapter 2 Meeting a Benefactor Here
Chapter 2 Meeting a Benefactor Here
The morning in Hengdian was already bustling with activity, as actors and staff rushed to the film set everywhere.
The aroma of breakfast wafted from roadside stalls, and many people hurriedly bought breakfast before continuing their journey.
Xu Lang and Bai Lu walked out of the hotel, following the aroma.
"This is it!" Xu Lang pointed to a small stall in front of him:
"Soy milk with fried dough sticks, absolutely delicious!"
Bai Lu frowned slightly, lost in thought:
"I just saw actress Liu Yuxin in the hotel lobby. She seemed to be in a hurry, as if she was looking for something."
The two sat down and ordered two dishes.
A knowing smile appeared on Xu Lang's lips:
"Liu Yuxin? Mao Xiaotong's best friend..."
According to her memories from her previous life, Liu Yuxin later changed her name to Liu Yuefei. She came to catch her husband cheating. Her marriage had been in crisis for some time, and some news about it started to surface that year, which was confirmed a few years later.
However, Xu Lang had no time to concern himself with such matters. He glanced at his phone: 7:30.
The timing was perfect.
Just then!
Yu Zheng, the producer of "The Return of the Condor Heroes", arrived at the stall on an electric scooter, grumbling and looking very unhappy.
He adjusted his glasses and hurriedly called out to the boss:
"Boss, one order of soy milk and fried dough sticks to go, quick!"
The boss was quick and efficient, and in the blink of an eye, he handed over the breakfast.
Yu Zheng touched his pockets, then suddenly froze—he had no money.
His face darkened further, and he muttered a curse under his breath:
"What a fucking bad luck, nothing's gone right this morning..."
Forcing a smile, I gave the boss an awkward one:
"Boss, um... I'm filming in Hengdian, and I forgot my money. Tomorrow..."
"Boss, I'll pay for him!" Xu Lang quickly got up, took out five yuan from his pocket, went to Yu Zheng's side, and handed the money to the boss.
In September 2013, although WeChat red envelopes became an instant hit after being featured on the Spring Festival Gala, cash still reigned supreme in the streets and alleys.
Just like how mainstream communication methods are still telephone and SMS, but they will soon be replaced by WeChat.
The promotion of online payment takes time, and these small stalls do not yet have WeChat and Alipay payment codes.
The shopkeeper didn't dare take his money immediately and looked at Yu Zheng.
Yu Zheng turned his head and looked at the young man in front of him. Sunlight fell on his well-defined profile, making him handsome and upright, with a clean and youthful air about him.
"Boss, he'll pay for me!"
Only then did the stall owner accept Xu Lang's money.
Yu Zheng, peering at Xu Lang through his thick glasses, asked:
"What's your name? Are you an extra?"
"Xu Lang, the Xu from Tsui Hark, the Lang from 'the prodigal son returns'!" Xu Lang smiled brightly and said:
Currently working as a model!
Without hesitation, Yu Zheng said, "My name is Yu Zheng. Have you seen my dramas?"
Although Yu Zheng is not an actor in the entertainment industry, his fame is no less than that of actors. He has produced many hit dramas, such as "Beauty's Rival in Palace", "Palace", "Palace 2", "Legend of Lu Zhen", etc., which have made many popular stars famous.
Anyone with even a slight understanding of the entertainment industry has heard of him.
Xu Lang, as an actor who has been reborn, is naturally familiar with him, and the reason he came to this stall for breakfast is to serve as proof.
In his previous life, he had overheard the conversation clearly from the stall next door, including Yu Zheng's constant cursing as he walked over.
Zhang Zhehan, a newcomer whom Yu Zheng Studio plans to promote, went for a massage last night after drinking and insisted that the masseuse wear a nurse's uniform.
After that, I still had to go through medical insurance. I made a scene at the front desk, and in the end, they actually let me go through medical insurance.
That wasn't the end of it. Back at the hotel, he immediately reported the person for practicing medicine illegally.
This is a big deal—
Yu Zheng had to go to the police station early in the morning to bail out the person.
This infuriated him; he was given a severe scolding, which was the least of his worries, and he even considered replacing the person in charge.
The machine is about to be turned on, but there's no one available to contact immediately.
Xu Lang later studied the character Yelü Qi played by Zhang Zhehan. He described him as elegant, slightly aristocratic, calm and reserved, handsome and sunny, with a noble air and a chivalrous spirit.
He wasn't sure if Yu Zheng would take a liking to him at first glance, after all, Zhang Zhehan was a newcomer he had just signed and intended to promote.
But if you don't take the initiative, you'll never have a chance; only by taking the initiative can you create opportunities.
"Boss Yu is a celebrity in the entertainment industry, of course I've seen your dramas." Xu Lang said with a hint of admiration:
"My favorites are 'Beauty's Rival in Palace' and 'Palace'..."
"Very good!" Yu Zheng didn't have time to waste words with him, looked at him seriously, and said:
"I happen to be short of an actor. Are you interested?"
Xu Lang glanced at Bai Lu, who was reading a novel while munching on a fried dough stick, and said:
"Thank you, Mr. Yu, I'm interested!"
Yu Zheng noticed his gaze, looked over, and was slightly taken aback; the girl's profile was beautiful.
But there's no time to get to know her right now. Anyway, we'll take the guy away, and it'll be easy to find the girl later.
"Then come with me now, we have to film today!"
He took a script from under the electric scooter seat, handed it to him, and said:
"Hurry up and familiarize yourself with the process; you have a performance scheduled for noon..."
Suddenly realizing something, he slowed down his speech:
"Can you understand the script?"
"Yes, I can understand it!" Xu Lang took the script and nodded hurriedly, saying:
"Then I'll go say hello to my friend."
Yu Zheng took out his phone and said, "Leave me your phone number, and come find me on set later."
"good!"
After exchanging contact information, Yu Zheng hopped on his electric scooter and quickly disappeared around the street corner.
Xu Lang returned to his seat and put the script on the table.
"Wow, I actually got it!" Bai Lu was a little surprised. She picked up the script and quickly flipped through it, forgetting to suck on the soy milk straw in her mouth. She said:
"Xu Lang, why do I have the feeling that you came prepared, specifically to stake out this place?"
Xu Lang placed one hand on the table, his thumb alternating with the other four fingers, then quickly separating them, striking a pose resembling a charlatan:
"I've calculated that I'll definitely meet a distinguished person here at Chen Shi (7-9 AM) today."
"Get out of here, you're just spouting nonsense!" Bai Lu slapped his hand, interrupting his "divine calculations," and said:
"You'd better act well. If you really become a star, I'll have to come back and beg for your coattails!"
"Hehe, I clung to your coattails last night, so it's only fair that it's your turn to reciprocate..."
"Xu Lang!" Bai Lu blushed instantly, glancing around out of the corner of her eye, and said coquettishly:
"There are so many people here, can't you be serious for once...?"
"Remember this, we've broken up, we've broken up..."
Xu Lang took the soy milk from her hand, took a sip, and said:
"Yours tastes better, hehe!"
"You...you don't have any! If you want mine, take it back!" Bai Lu snatched it away.
The two didn't look like they had broken up at all; they were just flirting like a couple.
The stall owner looked at them and smiled.
In Hengdian, this scene is commonplace. Unknown extras stick together for warmth and fall in love. Once one of them suddenly becomes famous, the ending is strikingly similar - they break up!
"Why don't you come with me? Maybe the crew will suddenly need more people, and you'll have a chance."
Xu Lang got up, preparing to go find Yu Zheng.
Following the trajectory of her previous life, Bai Lu was eventually signed by Yu Zheng. However, by then, she had already become a top model and had a certain degree of fame online.
In this life, with my intervention, I might have been able to sign the contract a few years earlier, which would have saved her from taking a few detours.
Bai Lu waved her hand and said, "I have a filming appointment, and my schedule is tight today. Maybe next time, I'll come visit you on set!"
"Okay, stay in touch!"
……
Upon arriving at the set of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," one finds the place bustling with activity.
Xu Lang spotted Mao Xiaotong sitting under a parasol, reciting her lines, at first glance.
At that time, she had just debuted and still had a bit of baby fat on her face. She was a newcomer who was just beginning to show her talent, and her fame was far from being established.
She was completely unaware when Xu Lang walked up to her.
"Yang Guo, you... no, no..."
Mao Xiaotong always felt that something was wrong, and he kept repeating the same thing: either he forgot his lines or his emotions were off.
Xu Lang didn't disturb her, standing quietly to the side, watching the sweet girl's self-competitive expression—
They're quite cute.
"Yang Guo... ah..."
A dozen minutes later, Mao Xiaotong finally noticed that there was someone next to her. She was startled, her face tightened, and she took two steps back.
"Yang Guo, it's your fault, I'm not at fault..." Xu Lang said with a bright smile:
"I could recite it from memory right here next to you, and you're still getting stuck. How about this, I'll prompt you later?"
Mao Xiaotong stared at him warily. He was handsome and dashing, the sunlight falling on his face, highlighting his sharp features.
"Who are you? Why are you acting so suspiciously..."
"My name is Xu Lang!" Xu Lang said, maintaining his smile.
"Professor Yu Zheng asked me to come find him. I'd like to ask where he is?"
The words had barely left his mouth!
The phone rang; it was Yu Zheng calling.
Xu Lang answered the phone amidst her surprise and noticed Liu Yuxin running towards them, panting heavily.
He turned and walked away while listening to the phone call.