Chapter 640: Chapter 640: Experiencing Heatiness
A journey that should have taken just over two hours ended up lasting until evening, when the group finally arrived at the film set’s camp. The muddy roads were not only slow but also exhausting to traverse. To make matters worse, Li Ran, Tajiguli, Zong Rui, and the bodyguards carrying them kept falling over. This devolved into a miserable cycle: they would walk for a while and then rest; Li Ran, Tajiguli, and Zong Rui would switch to new bodyguards to carry them, only to fall again, forcing another rest and another switch.
By the time they reached the camp, Li Ran, Tajiguli, Zong Rui, and their bodyguards were all on the verge of a mental breakdown. Why was it always them falling when so many people were traveling together, while the others never stumbled once? It was completely illogical!
"You want us to stay in tents?"
Upon arriving at the camp, Li Ran, Tajiguli, and Zong Rui were absolutely livid. Even Su Mu and Shi Hexuan frowned, clearly not expecting the filming conditions to be so abysmal. Ye Lin’er, however, seemed completely unbothered.
Ye Xiu surveyed the film set camp. A vast expanse of military tents was spread out in an orderly fashion. While each tent was sizable, they were a far cry from a hotel. For celebrities, these living conditions were indeed poor.
"Ye Lin’er, go talk to the director. We’re all stars, how can we be expected to stay in a place like this?" Li Ran goaded.
Tajiguli added with a gentle expression, "Ling’er, on the bus, you promised that once we got to the set, you’d talk to the producers and the director to fight for better conditions for all of us."
Ye Xiu’s brow furrowed. These two are malicious. They’re trying to set Ling’er up. He immediately gave Chen Yang a knowing look.
Chen Yang stepped forward. "Ladies, Ling’er is young and new to the entertainment industry. She doesn’t know any better, but I, her agent, am not a fool."
Li Ran and Tajiguli frowned, not expecting Chen Yang to thwart their plan.
"Why are you all just now arriving? And what happened to you?" the director asked, frowning as he approached and saw the disheveled state of Li Ran and her group.
Other crew members began to gather around to watch the spectacle, as they had never seen these celebrities looking so pathetic. Someone even secretly snapped a photo.
"The bus got stuck in a mud pit, and then we ran into a landslide," the driver explained. "We had to walk the whole way, and Li Ran and the others kept falling..."
The director and the rest of the crew sucked in a sharp breath. It was as if the group had been cursed with bad luck the moment they entered the mountains; their situation was just too miserable.
Li Ran, Tajiguli, and Zong Rui were seething. Normally, they would have already thrown a tantrum. However, considering the director held the casting authority for the major film invested in by Zhulu Group, they forced themselves to endure it.
"Alright, alright. Someone take them to their tents and let them get some rest," the director said, trying hard to suppress a laugh.
An assistant came over to lead Ye Lin’er’s group away, but Li Ran and the others didn’t move.
Li Ran spoke up, "Director, just now Ye Lin’er was complaining about the crude conditions on set. She even said you were stingy and don’t treat the crew like human beings."
Tajiguli immediately chided Ye Lin’er. "Ye Lin’er, you’ve gone too far! We veterans of the industry haven’t said a word, yet you, a newcomer, dare to slander and complain about the director."
Ye Lin’er was stunned. When had she ever said such things?
Ye Xiu sighed to himself. Ling’er is lucky to have a brother like me. With her personality, the wolves of the entertainment industry would otherwise eat her alive, leaving not even a bone behind.
"Ye Lin’er..." the director said, looking at her with displeasure. "If you think the conditions are so bad, you can quit the production. No one is forcing you to stay."
"Director, I..." Ye Lin’er was on the verge of tears. Just as she was about to explain, Ye Xiu stopped her with a look and gave Chen Yang a meaningful glance.
"Director, you’ve misunderstood Ling’er on this," Chen Yang said, taking out his phone and playing a recording. "Please, listen!"
The director took the phone, looking puzzled. The next moment, the voices of Li Ran and Tajiguli egging Ye Lin’er on filled the air.
After listening, Li Ran and Tajiguli stood frozen in shock. They never imagined Chen Yang would have secretly recorded them. They had truly lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet.
The director’s face turned dark. The recording was a slap in the face not only to Li Ran and Tajiguli but to him as well. After all, he had readily believed their story and unfairly reprimanded Ye Lin’er. He was furious but had no one to lash out at, his breathing growing ragged with anger. He wanted to scold Li Ran and Tajiguli, but he didn’t dare; their celebrity status was too high.
"Since it was a misunderstanding, let’s just drop it!" the director said, handing the phone back to Chen Yang.
Ye Xiu frowned. This director can’t tell right from wrong. He just bullies the weak and fears the strong.
"Director!" Zong Rui said, pointing at Ye Xiu. "This man is a local villager we met on the road. Chen Yang rashly hired him as Ye Lin’er’s bodyguard. I believe that’s highly inappropriate."
He wanted to use the director to get rid of Ye Xiu. That way, no one would stop him from making a move on Ye Lin’er!
"Is that so?" The director, still simmering with unvented anger, immediately turned on Ye Lin’er. "Savage lands breed savage people. The people of Nanjing are crude and reckless. What if something happens with him as your bodyguard?"
Ye Xiu’s frown deepened. That one sentence was enough to reveal the director’s poor character and his disdain for people from the mountains.
"I’m sorry, Director, but I think he’s perfectly suited to be my bodyguard," Ye Lin’er stated. "If anything happens because of him, I’ll take full responsibility."
The director, already holding back his temper, was now even more enraged. A mere rookie who had just entered the entertainment industry dared to talk back to him. "This isn’t something you can take responsibility for just because you say you will," he said coldly. "What if his presence causes a problem for the crew? How am I supposed to answer to everyone?"
Tajiguli chimed in sarcastically, "Ye Lin’er, you say you’ll take responsibility? You’re a newcomer with nothing to your name. If something really happens, what will you take responsibility with?"
Ye Lin’er ignored Tajiguli and addressed the director seriously. "Who I hire as my bodyguard is my own choice."
The implication was clear: the director had no right to interfere.
"You..." The director was fuming. He hadn’t expected this quiet, unassuming girl to be such a firebrand. "Ye Lin’er," he said coldly, "if you insist on disregarding the safety of the entire crew to hire this mountain man as your bodyguard, my only choice is to contact your agency and have them deal with you."
Ye Lin’er replied stubbornly, "I still believe no one is more suitable to be my bodyguard than him."
She knew that if the director contacted her agency, they would certainly forbid her from hiring her big brother. But he had come all this way out of the kindness of his heart to protect her; she couldn’t abandon him.
If worse comes to worst, I’ll just quit the entertainment industry!
