The crew here backed down and apologized to Wáng Bózhāo.
Zhāng Wèijiàn and Xiè Tíngfēng went to the hospital ward together to "cry and beg" for forgiveness. Of course, Wáng Bózhāo expressed that he couldn't easily accept it, and the matter was not over.
But after all, the public pressure did subside, and it seemed the two circles reached an agreement. They had found their scapegoat.
The choice for this scapegoat was naturally Zhāng Wèijiàn, as it couldn't be Xiè Tíngfēng, right?
And he himself seemed to realize this. After all, when the public outcry was at its peak, quite a few people had expressed their stance, calling for him to be banned.
As a Hong Kong artist whose career was basically based in mainland China, it was almost as good as being canceled if he wasn't declared finished. So, after returning to the set, his expression was extremely gloomy and unpleasant. Apart from filming, he basically hid in his trailer all day and didn't show his face. However, Wáng Jīng seemed to have promised him something, which made his expression slightly better.
And Wáng Bózhāo also declared that he was very "dedicated." After staying in the hospital for a period, he actually wanted to return to finish his remaining scenes.
He genuinely had scenes left to film. Filming a TV series doesn't always follow the plot sequence. So, even though they had already filmed his "dead body" scenes, there were still some scenes where he was alive that needed to be reshot. Of course, it would only take a day or two at most.
However, even if he truly had many scenes left, Wáng Jīng would likely find a way to cut them.
What Bái Ānliáng didn't expect was that Wáng Bózhāo wasn't returning alone.
With him was a man with a large beard.
The director Wáng Jīng and the producer from Cíwén Film and Television personally went out to greet him upon his arrival.
Zhāng Jizhong, the renowned TV drama producer in mainland China.
His reason for visiting the set of "The Little Fish and His Superior" was quite simple: he had previously agreed to make a cameo appearance.
Speaking of which, the current set of "The Little Fish and His Superior" should, in all likelihood, not be well-received by the mainland entertainment circle, given how many big stars had spoken out before.
To come and make a cameo appearance at this time, one must say, it's a bit like inviting trouble.
Even though Zhāng Jizhong was a big shot in the industry, the media wouldn't care about that.
But his arrival with Wáng Bózhāo made sense. No matter how you look at it.
In fact, Tí Fó, the famous producer in the circle, and Mǎ Zhōngjùn, the founder of Cíwén Media, who are the two producers of "The Little Fish and His Superior," were also producers of Zhāng Jizhong's next TV drama, "The Return of the Condor Heroes."
Therefore, Zhāng Jizhong's appearance on set was perfectly logical. He even deliberately chose a peculiar timing to avoid certain troubles.
Speaking of which, he was originally credited as a producer for "The Little Fish and His Superior," but it seems that credit has been removed now.
With the arrival of a major figure in the industry, it at least added some vitality to the set, which had gradually become stagnant.
It slightly stimulated the actors' desire for performance; who knows, if they were lucky, they might be noticed by the big bearded man and be cast in his drama.
Even Bái Ānliáng, who had gradually become a hands-off manager, delegating all the work of guiding the actors' movements to his junior brother, made a rare move and fulfilled his duties as the martial arts director.
There was no choice. Zhāng Jizhong and Cíwén Film and Television's Mǎ Zhōngjùn were standing right there watching. Bái Ānliáng couldn't slack off even if he wanted to.
They were here specifically for him.
It's unclear if it was the incident in the crew that caught Zhāng Jizhong's eye, or if Cíwén Film and Television recommended him to Zhāng Jizhong as "good value for money."
Their cooperation with the crew was different from that of the actors; they calculated a package deal.
They took on the work of martial arts direction, stunt performers, and fight doubles, all for a total price, somewhat like general contracting for construction sites.
Bái Ānliáng's own acting roles were practically thrown in, with the main focus being full of sincerity, cheap, and easy to use.
Therefore, hiring him was very "cost-effective," which was also one of the reasons why other Hong Kong martial arts troupes hated him to the bone.
This bastard doesn't play by the rules, slashing prices indiscriminately, and grabbing work with such unprofessional behavior.
"Young man, your skills are truly impressive!" Zhāng Jizhong didn't hold back his praise after watching the series of martial arts moves Bái Ānliáng designed and demonstrated for Xiè Tíngfēng.
"Producer Zhāng is too kind."
"I've heard of you before. You've made quite a name for yourself in the Hong Kong martial arts community at such a young age. Are you interested in working with me?" Zhāng Jizhong didn't beat around the bush. His time on set was limited, and after witnessing the skills of the "Bai Family Stunt Team," he directly extended his invitation.
This straightforward and blunt?
"I'm honored that Producer Zhāng thinks so highly of me."
After such a simple exchange, they exchanged contact information and that was it. No further developments.
"That's it?" After Zhāng Jizhong left, Fàn Bīngbīng, who had been eavesdropping for a long time, walked up to Bái Ānliáng with a puzzled look.
"Otherwise? Are we discussing prices now? Whether we'll actually cooperate is another matter," Bái Ānliáng said as if he were used to it.
"What if he stands you up then?" Fàn Bīngbīng worried for him.
This made her seem even more passive, anxious.
"We haven't discussed any cooperation, so there's no such thing as standing me up. Whether he finds me or not is his choice, but if he discusses it with me and then stands me up..."
"You'll beat him up?"
"That's popular in mainland China too?"
That word "too" was well-chosen! Fàn Bīngbīng was convinced and gave Bái Ānliáng a thumbs-up, having a premonition that she might have to visit him in prison in a couple of years.
In the past two days, after discovering that Bái Ānliáng was no longer actively "attacking," she was genuinely a little anxious.
From early in the morning, she started buzzing around Bái Ānliáng like a busy bee.
"Let's go grab some late-night snacks tonight. There's a restaurant that's pretty good, I haven't been there before."
"No, I have to practice martial arts with my junior brothers tonight."
"It's okay to skip practice occasionally, right?"
"That won't do. My skills will deteriorate. We rely on this to make a living."
"I think you can make a living with your looks too. Why not just be an actor? You'll definitely be famous."
"First, introduce me to a rich woman willing to support me."
"You have to rely on yourself!" Fàn Bīngbīng was at a loss for words.
Bái Ānliáng looked at her with a surprised gaze, "Are you serious?"
Honestly, he had also entertained similar dreams of "being appreciated, soaring to the top effortlessly, and reaching the pinnacle of life with a few simple moves." Back then, he thought his conditions were so exceptional, he was so handsome, and his skills were so good; wasn't he the chosen one?
As it turned out, indeed someone appreciated him, but it was a nightclub that wanted to introduce him to be a gigolo.
There were also legitimate talent scouts, but they usually came with a fifteen-year contract.
And given the extent to which artists are exploited by those film and television companies in Hong Kong, without a powerful father backing them up, it's not as easy as imagined.
As for mainland China? It's even harder for mainland artists these days; they eat leftovers from Hong Kong artists.
Fàn Bīngbīng was rendered somewhat speechless. If relying on oneself was useful, why would she go looking for a backer?
After a long silence, she decided to bypass the topic and switched to a cutesy, sing-song voice, whining, "So, are you coming with me for late-night snacks or not?"
See, things got simple.