Reborn in the Hong Kong entertainment industry in the 1980s

Linda was already used to the admiring gazes of the two girls. "You smooth talkers, what are you doing here?"

"I've come to visit Athena on set," Hu Xiaoxiao said.

Zhu Wanwen said, "I'll do odd jobs."

Linda glanced at Zhu Wanwen and said, "I've heard Jiang Yu mention you. You'll be joining the crew next month, right? Study hard."

"Thank you, Sister Linda," Zhu Wanwen said respectfully.

Linda ignored Hu Xiaoxiao and walked in front of the camera, crossed her arms, and watched the actors perform.

Her gaze fell on Athena, carrying an oppressive air. During a break, she called Athena over and said, "To me, your acting hasn't improved at all. Xia Qing taught you step by step, but your performance was only passable."

Athena whispered, "Linda, I will try my best to learn."

"Hard work alone is not enough; you also need to have insight. You have to figure out the character, immerse yourself in the character, and when acting, don't always think of yourself as Athena, but rather think of yourself as the character in the play, and try to understand her behavior and her logic."

"Yes, I'll go back and think about it some more."

“You do need to think more about it. You can’t expect Xia Qing to teach you step by step from beginning to end for a whole production. I might as well let Xia Qing play the role herself. You can’t expect me to assign you a mentor for every single production, can you?”

Seeing Athena unable to lift her head after being scolded, Lu Xinghe came over to help, saying, "Sister Linda, Athena is a newcomer. Don't be so harsh on newcomers. Among the newcomers, Athena is already quite good. She's learning very well. You can ask everyone if you don't believe me."

"Being good isn't enough; you have to do better, be the best. New talents emerge every year, but if you don't seize the opportunity, it won't wait for you," Linda advised Athena before leaving the set.

Linda had been gone for quite a while, but Athena was still dejected and couldn't muster any energy.

Lu Xinghe comforted her, saying, "Linda has always been like this. Don't take it to heart. Linda only has very high standards for people she likes. She won't even bother talking to people she doesn't like. It's not just you; many artists who became famous under her guidance have gone through this process."

"I know, thank you." Athena felt a little better.

"Keep going. No pain, no gain." Lu Xinghe winked at her.

Athena finally smiled, revealing her teeth, "I will."

Hu Xiaoxiao spent a lot of time with the crew of "Family Harmony Brings Prosperity", learning a lot about acting. Whenever she had free time, she would come here and get to know everyone in the crew.

That day, as usual, Hu Xiaoxiao sat in an inconspicuous spot where she wouldn't bother anyone, watching the actors perform while eating a cookie in her hand.

Suddenly someone sat down next to her, their tall figure seemingly able to completely block her out, and then extended a long, beautiful hand with a warm palm in front of her.

She took a bite of the cookie, turned her head, and looked at the owner of the unfamiliar hand.

The first thing you notice is his pair of bright, piercing eyes. He's looking at her with a smile on his lips.

His lips were very beautiful, with well-defined lines, a suitable thickness, and a slight upturn when he smiled. When he pursed his lips, they also had a touch of firmness.

"You are Hu Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao?" He stretched out his hand again, gesturing to the biscuits in her hand.

Hu Xiaoxiao recognized him; he was Ming Xu, a leading man at the TV station, who was on par with Lu Xinghe.

Lu Xinghe and Mingxu were both promising young actors groomed as pillars of Baogang Television, with all resources poured into them. The only difference was that Lu Xinghe belonged to Linda's faction, while Mingxu belonged to Charlie's.

Hu Xiaoxiao immediately took a cookie, put it in Mingxu's hand, and said, "Mingxu, you are even more handsome than on TV."

In terms of looks, he's not much less handsome than Chen Tianwang. Seeing him up close, he's even more strikingly handsome.

His neat, parted hair was casual and natural, giving him a relaxed and elegant air.

Mingxu took the biscuit and ate it, but he ate it very gracefully. "I've heard Charlie mention you. He's always been very busy and hasn't had time to get to know you. Let's pretend we've met today."

Since we're both from Charlie's faction, we'll be interacting a lot in the future. Hu Xiaoxiao extended her hand, "Please take care of me in the future."

Mingxu extended his large and strong hand and shook Hu Xiaoxiao's hand, saying, "It's an honor. We might have a chance to collaborate on Charlie's new play next year."

"I have no idea what Charlie's play will be about next year."

Mingxu, quite naturally familiar with Hu Xiaoxiao, took the biscuit box, picked up a piece, and ate it. "It's a martial arts drama, to be filmed next year to compete with Baozhu TV. The production team is all the strongest people under Charlie."

TVB is very good at producing martial arts dramas. Several of its martial arts dramas have surpassed the ratings of TVB's dramas in the same period. TVB has long wanted to get revenge, but it has never been able to produce a martial arts drama that can crush TVB.

In the competition of martial arts dramas, Hong Kong and Taiwan TV stations are slightly inferior.

Martial arts dramas are a favorite genre among Hong Kong residents, making this a huge market. Hong Kong TV has always wanted to tap into this market, but has consistently lacked the resources to do so.

Hu Xiaoxiao had recently visited film sets that were all modern urban dramas; she hadn't yet seen a martial arts drama set. Taking this opportunity, she inquired with Mingxu about filming martial arts dramas.

Mingxu answered patiently and meticulously. However, by the time Hu Xiaoxiao finished asking her questions, he had eaten all the cookies in her box.

Lu Xinghe finished filming and came over to see what was happening. He exclaimed, "Mingxu, you're eating so much! Be careful Charlie finds out and comes looking for trouble!"

Mingxu smiled slyly, "Charlie won't be coming to Linda's film set."

"So, you used the excuse of visiting me on set to come here and freeload off me?"

“How can eating and drinking be considered a lie?” He turned to Hu Xiaoxiao and said, “Xiaoxiao, I’ll treat you to something delicious another day. What would you like to eat? I can bring it to you.”

After saying that, Mingxu stood up, and Hu Xiaoxiao then realized that he was very tall.

She was considered tall, but when she stood next to him, she was a head shorter than him.

When it comes to food, Hu Xiaoxiao is the most unreserved. She said, "The bakery to the left of the TV station has delicious freshly baked egg tarts."

Not only egg tarts, but all their bread is made fresh daily and is incredibly delicious.

Of course, the best is still the egg tart. The crust is crisp and delicious, crumbling with every bite. The custard filling is fragrant and tender, sweet but not cloying.

"No problem, I'll bring you some next time, I'll bring it over while it's still hot." Mingxu clearly knows how to eat well; the egg tarts are at their best when they're still hot, with a rich milky aroma, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.

After Mingxu agreed to Hu Xiaoxiao's request, he and Lu Xinghe left the film set arm in arm, chatting and laughing.

Although the two belong to opposite camps, they have a good relationship in private, often visiting each other on set and hanging out together after work.