Chapter 0782: The Hardest Part Is the Beginning

Filming is a craft that requires patience and precision. Unlike movies, which can be shot in a month or even a week—Hong Kong had seen such cases back in the day—

TV series, on the other hand, absolutely demand time.

Why do many American and Korean dramas that start brilliantly often decline later? The reason is simple: most of them are produced by writing scripts while shooting.

While this allows adjustments based on audience feedback, it has a major drawback: the script quality is never guaranteed. How can actors adjust their performance when they don't even know what they'll be shooting next week?

In China, TV series scripts are usually written in advance, like the script for *Conquest*.

But no one expected that the supposedly foolproof first day of shooting would run into trouble.

Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing came to watch this scene in person for a reason: it was Sun Honglei's first scene. Zhao Fusheng admired Yan Wang's acting skills, so he wanted to see it.

As for Ye Jing, the reason was simpler: he had recommended Sun Honglei to the crew. As an old friend of Zhao Baogang, he naturally wanted to check in.

But neither of them expected that this very scene would go wrong.

Although film stock costs were no longer a concern, repeated NGs were still far from pleasant.

“Cut!”

Gao Qun's voice rang out, almost through gritted teeth: “Take it again! Everyone, snap out of it! Didn't you bastards eat?”

The set fell silent, only Gao Qun's loud voice echoing. Everyone could see the director was in a foul mood.

Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing exchanged a glance. Even as outsiders, they could tell the problem lay with the lead actor, Sun Honglei.

“Um, Honglei, do you want to take a break?” Gao Qun looked at Sun Honglei and said.

A break?

Sun Honglei's face flushed red. Ye Jing felt awkward too, while Zhao Fusheng nearly laughed out loud.

The entire scene's weight rested on Sun Honglei. Gao Qun hadn't cursed him out only because of Sun Honglei's backing from Xinbao and out of respect for Ye Jing. In short, Gao Qun didn't want rumors of a rift between the lead actor and director to break out right at the start of filming.

Zhao Fusheng could tell that Sun Honglei's current state wasn't so much exhaustion as stiffness.

Indeed, the Sun Honglei of today was not yet the Yan Wang who could effortlessly handle any role. After formal training, he had performed in stage plays, then acted in a few supporting roles under Zhao Baogang, becoming a proper actor.

In other words, a formally trained actor lacked that raw, wild edge.

“Half-hour break.” Seeing that Sun Honglei couldn't get into character, Gao Qun shook his head helplessly and waved his hand: “Everyone, get ready.”

If the actor couldn't get into character, there was little he could do. At this point, he couldn't exactly replace him.

Seeing the crew take a break, Zhao Fusheng and Ye Jing exchanged a glance. After a moment's thought, Zhao Fusheng whispered, “Brother Ye, why don't you go chat with Director Gao? I'll have a word with Brother Honglei. How about that?”

Ye Jing paused, then nodded: “Okay.”

He wasn't stupid. He understood that Zhao Fusheng wanted to ease the tension on set. As an investor and Sun Honglei's recommender, he could talk to Gao Qun, lower his posture, and help the director cool down. Meanwhile, Zhao Fusheng would talk to Sun Honglei, likely to guide him into the role sooner. After all, the lead actor—especially the character Liu Huaqiang—was the soul of the entire series.

Walking to a corner of the set, Zhao Fusheng saw Sun Honglei sitting there, frowning at the script.

Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but smile.

“Producer Zhao, you're here.” The assistant director saw Zhao Fusheng and quickly greeted him respectfully.

Although Zhao Fusheng was a young producer, everyone on set knew he represented the investor, Future Advertising. In other words, he was the money—someone absolutely not to be messed with. So there was none of that snobbery; everyone treated Zhao Fusheng politely, afraid of offending him and getting kicked out.

This industry was brutally realistic: money equals power, and that was an undeniable truth.

“Mm, go ahead. I'll chat with Brother Honglei for a bit.” Zhao Fusheng smiled and nodded, waving the assistant director away.

Though a bit puzzled, the assistant director obediently agreed. With Zhao Fusheng stepping in, even if Director Gao had objections, he could explain clearly. After all, even Gao Qun would have to listen to Zhao Fusheng when it came down to it.

“Brother Honglei, you're from the Northeast too, right?” Zhao Fusheng pulled up a chair and sat down across from Sun Honglei.

Sun Honglei was taken aback, then looked at Zhao Fusheng: “You too?”

“Yeah, I'm from Ninghai.” Zhao Fusheng smiled. “From your accent, you seem to be from Heilongjiang.”

“That's right, I'm from Binzhou.” Sun Honglei's eyes lit up, and he put down the script.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: “I didn't expect us to be fellow townsmen.”

As they say, fellow townsmen meeting brings tears to the eyes. Sun Honglei's earlier awkwardness eased considerably. Both being from the Northeast, and from the same province, created a natural regional affinity that was hard to ignore.

“I really didn't know you were from Heilongjiang too,” Sun Honglei said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng smiled: “Last time we met, you didn't say much. I thought the accent sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure…”

With the bond of being fellow townsmen, their conversation became much more relaxed.

“Ah, what a shame. I've let our hometown down in front of you.” Sun Honglei sighed, clearly feeling guilty about his earlier performance.

Zhao Fusheng laughed: “What's the big deal? Just a gang boss. Can a boss from Hebei be tougher than one from Heilongjiang? Brother Honglei, do you know Big Bridge Lao Si?”

“Of course I do. I've even met him.” At the mention of Big Bridge Lao Si, a notorious figure across the Northeast and even the whole country, Sun Honglei blinked and said to Zhao Fusheng: “Back when I was a host at a nightclub, he came with his gang. Man, he was something else.”

“Then just act like him,” Zhao Fusheng suddenly said to Sun Honglei. “No matter how ruthless Liu Huaqiang is, can he be tougher than those gang bosses back home?”

Hearing this, Sun Honglei's eyes suddenly lit up, as if struck by a revelation, and he immediately understood.