Chapter 19: The Poorest Crew in History!

The last wisp of sunset faded from the horizon, and darkness gradually surged over the land.

Yanjing City remained bustling.

But by the roadside, where no one paid attention,

several youths, in groups of three or five, clutching hope, followed Zhou Yang toward the crew of "Sun Wukong Battles Superman 2".

No one was willing to be swept out the door in disgrace, for no reason at all.

So, everyone held back a breath deep in their hearts, all longing to prove their worth in the new crew!

Of course...

they were well aware that this so-called crew of "Sun Wukong Battles Superman 2" was extremely poor.

He had even mentally prepared himself to endure hard times for a long time to come.

But...

when they truly followed Zhou Yang to the crew's rental house and saw the few beds inside, all their boiling passion and unwillingness seemed to be doused by a bucket of ice water, chilling them to the bone.

This crew had reached a level of poverty that was hair-raising!

Professional cameras?

None!

Not even unprofessional ones!

Audio equipment, microphones, filters?

None!

Except for a loudspeaker, the kind seen everywhere on the streets, looking like one used by a street vendor selling Chinese cabbage...

Professional lighting props?

None!

Monitors, dollies, lenses...

None!

Absolutely none of it!

Night fell.

The evening breeze blew through the alley entrance.

The unlucky ones abandoned by the "Love Ferris Wheel" crew were now squatting in the cramped rental house, staring at each other with wide eyes.

"President Zhou, you... you don't mean to tell me this is our crew!"

Silence.

After a long silence, the prop master Liu Fang swallowed hard, looking at the rental house with barely a few chairs, his eyes holding a final glimmer of hope as he gazed at Zhou Yang.

He wished this was a joke.

After he finished speaking, the others instinctively turned to look at Zhou Yang, who sat on a chair with refined manners.

"Strictly speaking, this is just a small branch of our crew, our temporary rest area."

They saw Zhou Yang nod calmly.

Zhou Yang's words made everyone's spirits tremble slightly; immediately, someone cleared his throat: "President Zhou, we... sorry to be so bold, but may we ask, are we really making a movie?"

"Making a proper movie!" Zhou Yang nodded.

Inside the rental house, silence fell again.

Liu Fang opened his mouth, but found his vocal cords seemed to have been ripped away, unable to produce any sound.

Zhou Yang silently stood up, smiling as he looked at everyone.

Under the light, everyone seemed to be shining...

Director Shen Long squatted aside, awkwardly lowering his head; his skin simply wasn't thick enough.

Chen Jianfeng was slightly better, wearing a serious expression.

Cinematographer Zhang Yunyi was dazed, constantly glancing around, then gradually feeling his scalp tingle.

This crew...

how could it look like this?

"Everyone, from now on, you are all part of the crew."

"Today, we have gathered to plan with you the movie shooting for the next fifteen days!"

"..."

Under the dim light, Zhou Yang briefly scanned the few people present and finally broke the long silence.

Cinematographer Zhang Yunyi's eyes widened upon hearing these words: "President Zhou, what do you mean by the next fifteen days?"

"Director Shen previously made a movie plan for us, stating that 'Sun Wukong Battles Superman 2' would take thirty days to complete, but I felt the time was too long, so I compressed it to fifteen days..."

Zhang Yunyi watched as Zhou Yang took a plan document from the nearby table, glanced at it briefly, then fixed his gaze on Zhang Yunyi.

"What! Fifteen days? To make a movie? I..." Zhang Yunyi's spirits surged, his body standing up uncontrollably, his eyes widening as if seeing a ghost.

"Yes, fifteen days. So, time is tight, the task is heavy; we must release it before 'Superman 2' comes out!"

Silence fell over the rental house once more.

Except for Shen Long and Chen Jianfeng, everyone's worldview shattered.

Fifteen days!

Damn it, what concept is a movie made in fifteen days?

In the entire entertainment industry, no, not even the entire entertainment industry, in the entire history of cinema, there has never been such a movie.

Even during the 1990s, when Hong Kong films were most popular and production was highest, many great directors still spent nearly thirty days just to finish a movie sample!

And what is this Director Zhou talking about?

Did they hear wrong?

Fifteen days!

Damn it!

He said fifteen days!

What lousy film can be shot in fifteen days?

"In this world, there were originally no roads; it only became a road because many people walked it."

"But, but, I, we..."

Zhang Yunyi stammered, his face grim: "We have nothing, how can we... in fifteen days..."

"No, we have everything!"

Zhou Yang suddenly stared at Zhang Yunyi.

Zhang Yunyi shivered all over.

After meeting Zhou Yang's gaze, he even felt as if the clothes on his body had been stripped off by Zhou Yang's eyes.

In the air, an atmosphere of unease suddenly lingered.

This atmosphere made one feel somewhat creepy.

He subconsciously plopped down into a chair.

"Student Zhang, I remember, in the afternoon, you told me you had some photography equipment in your dorm?"

Zhang Yunyi's spirit jolted, and he subconsciously nodded.

Then, seeing Zhou Yang look at him with a smile: "It's a pity to waste them, how about you bring them over tomorrow?"

Zhang Yunyi's head buzzed loudly.

Then, watching Zhou Yang's gaze shift to the prop master Liu Fang, facing Zhou Yang's glaring eyes, Liu Fang couldn't help but step back: "Student Liu, I remember you said when you did your graduation design, you made a huge pile of fake blood and some simple foam props, is that right?"

"Th-those, those..."

"How about you bring them over together tomorrow too?"

Prop master Liu Fang opened his mouth.

Then, his vocal cords seemed to vanish again...

He couldn't make any sound.

He held it in for a long time, finally spitting out some sound, wanting to say something, but then he saw Zhou Yang seem to think of something, look down at the resume, and immediately speak with a smile again: "By the way, I looked at your resume; you previously made some small-scale, special-effects film prop molds, right?"

Liu Fang nodded.

"Bring them together?"

"..."

Immediately after, he saw Zhou Yang smile and look at the lighting technician Deng Caiyan.

Deng Caiyan's body trembled, then she hurriedly shook her head: "Director Zhou, I have nothing, I... I don't have any lighting props, I'm a poor student..."

"It's fine, I'm not asking about that; what I mean is, you... do part-time makeup work, and you're quite good at it, is that right?"

"Yes..."

"Good! Our film happens to need makeup..."

"..."

Zhou Yang nodded, and finally directed his gaze to Shen Long.

Shen Long shrank back as a whole, suddenly becoming nervous: "Director Zhou, you know me; besides my chastity and soul, I've already given you everything..."

Zhou Yang shook his head with a smile: "I know, I just want to ask you one thing, what is still missing..."

"Where is our filming location set? Also, the martial arts instructor... and actually, we still need some professional photography equipment."

"Solved immediately."

"Then the costumes..."

"Rest assured about the costumes; I'll arrange them for you by tomorrow."

"Our lunch, three meals a day..."

"I'll solve it tomorrow."

"And some tool issues..."

"I'll solve it tomorrow."

"Then the wages..."

"Whatever treatment 'Love Ferris Wheel' gets, we'll get that treatment; besides that, for all the brothers present today, all income after this film's release, I'll split it with you; you are all shareholders of this film..."

"..."

After Zhou Yang finished speaking this sentence, everyone looked at each other.

The cinematographer looked around, and finally his heart shivered.

At this very moment, he could no longer bear to look directly at this screwing-up, poor crew.

What the hell is this, shooting a movie? It's simply a company full of nonsense!

He exchanged a glance with prop master Liu Fang, and both saw a hint of the thought to run away in each other's eyes.

Just as he cleared his throat lightly, about to say something...

he saw Zhou Yang stand up and look at everyone.

A moment later...

he revealed a smile.

"Everyone thinks our film is a joke..."

"On this journey, I've heard quite a few jokes..."

"But..."

"Those who work earnestly, strive to shine, and make themselves extraordinary should not be mocked, nor should they fear mockery."

"..."

Under the dim light, he spoke these words lightly.

After finishing, he took out his phone and glanced at the time.

Immediately after, his gaze turned toward the window.

"The time is about right!"

Just as his words fell, he silently walked out of the rental room and opened the door.

A bright, glaring light shone in from outside, enveloping Zhou Yang's body.

Immediately...

Zhou Yang's phone rang.

He answered the call.

"Zhou Yang, the props you need have been sent to you by my people. Check the lights, the cameras... Also, I've brought a few people over, all just left 'Love Ferris Wheel'. I'm introducing them to your crew..."

"..."

Liu Fang and Zhang Yunyi were stunned.

Through the phone, they heard Director An Xiao Shi's voice.

Immediately...

They looked toward the distance.

In the distance, that car drove closer and closer.

It stopped only when it reached the mouth of the alley.

Immediately after, the car lights not far away gradually went out.

Then, under the dim streetlights.

Not long after, several young men carrying a series of brand-new camera equipment walked in.

Zhou Yang looked in that direction, then at everyone in the room.

After a moment, he smiled.

"I said, we have everything."

"Director Shen!"

"Check the camera equipment tonight..."

"Tomorrow..."

"Boxed lunches, costumes, tools, props, action director..."

"Whatever the crew lacks, tomorrow, I will get it all delivered to you!"

"..."

Just at this moment, Zhou Yang's phone rang again.

Zhou Yang walked out of the room.

The call was still from An Xiao Shi.

"What else is missing?"

"Missing an Audi A6... lend it to me to drive for a day tomorrow..."

"???"

On the phone, Zhou Yang said with a smile.