Chapter 551: The Crew's Atmosphere, a Strange Friendliness

"Teacher Xiao, please have a seat."

Inside the break room, Zhan Min proactively pulled out a chair, inviting Xiao He to sit down.

Xiao He complied somewhat helplessly. Only after sitting down did he emphasize again, "Director Zhan, you really don't need to be so formal. The more you act like this, the more uneasy I feel."

Originally, coming here under the pressure of being a "foil" was already a headache. Now, with this person's attitude on top of that, Xiao He was truly under immense pressure.

"Heh heh, sorry about that. I've been under a lot of pressure lately. I'm really grateful that you're willing to come help me, for Teacher's sake."

Zhan Min also sat down, but this time his attitude finally normalized a bit, not as overly attentive as before.

Actually, on the way here, Xiao He had already learned more details from Liu Rulan.

When you thought about it, this whole situation was a combination of bad luck and foolishness on the part of Old Zhong's student.

The fact that Old Zhong could become one of the judges on the Golden Flower judging panel and possess a certain degree of influence meant he definitely held some status within the industry circle. And Zhan Min, as one of his proudest students, should, in theory, be doing quite well.

As everyone knows, that period was followed by a massive upheaval. Many companies went bankrupt one after another, and the film industry almost ground to a halt for an entire year. The small company Zhan Min started naturally couldn't escape the harsh winter either, ultimately going bankrupt in a hurry.

That alone would have been fine—just bankruptcy. Zhan Min had at least kept some capital for himself as a fallback. But his partner turned out to be a bad egg, who directly absconded with all the remaining money and intentionally left Zhan Min with a huge pile of debt, completely shattering Zhan Min's last shred of hope.

With no other choice, Zhan Min could only "sell himself" to an entertainment company in Beijing, beginning the miserable life of filming to repay debts.

As for this student of his, Old Zhong felt more pity than disappointment. After all, he knew the events back then couldn't be entirely blamed on Zhan Min. But when the wheels of a great era roll over you, fate plays its tricks. Zhan Min ended up in this situation, and there wasn't much Old Zhong could do to help.

Old Zhong's status within the circle was indeed quite high, but his era had long passed. The money he earned wasn't as much as people earn nowadays; it was more like a pension. He couldn't just help repay debts on a whim. Moreover, he had many students under his name, and not just Zhan Min was struggling. Old Zhong couldn't possibly clean up after everyone, so he generally helped where he could. For those he couldn't assist, it was truly a case of being powerless.

As for this matter with Zhan Min, it was actually Liu Rulan who, after making several inquiries, proactively considered offering help. Because this connection with Old Zhong was essentially borrowed from Ning Jiaqi's side, meaning they simultaneously owed favors to both Ning Jiaqi and Old Zhong. So, within this complex web of connections, Liu Rulan naturally had to consider proactively repaying Old Zhong's favor.

Even though everyone says "no need to repay" when helping, goodwill diminishes with each use. What needs to be repaid must be repaid. Especially since Xiao He's matter with them hadn't been completely settled yet. If they had already started repaying the favor upfront, and then their side failed, wouldn't that be hard to justify?

Alright, Liu Rulan admitted it—she had indeed put them in a bind.

Xiao He was already at the production team. Once his scenes were filmed, if Old Zhong's side didn't pull strings properly for the award, wouldn't they lose face in the industry?

As for the rest, Liu Rulan didn't care.

"It's fine, Director Zhan, please rest assured. Since I'm already here, I will definitely complete my task before leaving."

Xiao He explained seriously. "It's just that my time is quite precious. I'd appreciate it if you could arrange the shooting as soon as possible. I still have work to complete with another production team."

"Okay, no problem at all. You can rest assured about that."

Zhan Min nodded repeatedly.

Just as they were speaking, someone knocked on the break room door.

Then, a young man with a pair of handsome phoenix eyes and a dashing, handsome face walked in from outside.

"Director Zhan, I heard Brother Xiao has arrived—"

As soon as his words fell, he excitedly stepped forward, very happily shaking hands and greeting Xiao He. "Ah, Brother Xiao, you're finally here! Welcome, welcome! Congratulations on your recent award! You're my idol! I'm so thrilled to meet you in person!"

Xiao He recognized him. This was the rumored "royal favorite" of the entire production team, Ren Yibai.

Xiao He had originally thought Ren Yibai would be the type who liked to throw his weight around, had a bad personality, and acted arrogantly—the image of a spoiled young master. He never expected that upon meeting him, the other party would have such a respectful attitude, appearing exactly like a devoted fan.

"Hello, hello."

Xiao He discreetly sized up the person in front of him while standing up, his own smile equally perfect.

Thinking of the young assistant he encountered when arriving at the production team today, and the Prop Master's warning to them, Xiao He raised his guard internally. But he showed nothing on his face, instead saying warmly, "I'm very happy to be able to work with you! It's just that my time might be a bit tight this time, so I'll need your shooting schedule to accommodate me. I hope it won't affect your current work too much."

"Not at all, not at all! Brother Xiao, don't worry! Our production team will definitely fully cooperate with you! We're really very grateful that you could come to save the day."

Ren Yibai's reply was also flawless, his smile even appearing more sincere. "Ah, right, does Brother Xiao need to get ready for a makeup test? Use my break room! I'll have them clear it out right away. Please don't refuse."

Then, despite Xiao He's protests, they still ended up in Ren Yibai's break room.

"Quickly, quickly, everyone move briskly, clear out a space for my Brother Xiao."

Ren Yibai busily urged the other people in his break room.

His assistant, Xiao Gao, who had been standing by the sofa mopping the floor, immediately put down the mop upon hearing this order and started tidying up other things in the room. At the same time, he curiously looked up at Xiao He and his group.

Then, as if realizing the person he almost bumped into this morning was Xiao He, his face paled for an instant. His head dropped as if he wanted to bury it directly in his chest, clearly afraid Xiao He and the others would recognize him.

Xiao He glanced at Xiao Gao but didn't pursue the matter concerning this person. He calmly thanked Ren Yibai, "Then thank you, Teacher Ren."

"No problem, no problem! From now on, Brother Xiao, you can just use this break room! Please don't stand on ceremony."

Ren Yibai smiled with great friendliness.

Xiao He, however, felt there was something strange about the other party.

If the welcome was sincere, why wait until he had already arrived to clear out the break room, putting on this show only after he was here?

But for now, Ren Yibai had been consistently acting very friendly. Xiao He didn't show any extra emotion either, simply sitting down to let the makeup artist apply his makeup.

Thus, Xiao He officially entered the 'Let the Mistake Slide' production team and began participating in the subsequent filming tasks.

-

In the empty corridor, a man wearing patient pajamas, his figure thin and gaunt, stood under the dim light, a still-unlit cigarette held between his fingers.

Due to his prolonged bedridden coma, his hair had grown even longer, almost completely covering his eyes. His chin was now covered with a lot of stubble, making him appear not only aged and weathered but also somewhat decadent and dejected.

However, as soon as her words fell, the uncle standing in the shadows raised his head. The decadence surrounding him completely dissipated, replaced by a chilling coldness in his eyes.

The man merely revealed a sickly yet intrigued smile, his expression completely different from the timid man of the past. He raised a finger to his lips.

"Shh—"

—Don't speak.