Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: My Childhood Sweetheart is Boss Yang

"Attention all departments, Baoqiang, find your positions."

Gu Heng stared at the monitor, the walkie-talkie in his hand pressed to his lips.

In front of the camera, Wang Baoqiang squatted on a bare tree branch like a soulless puppet.

He held a cigarette between his hands. His gaze was completely lost in the sky, as if the whole world was being distorted and reassembled within his bloodshot eyes.

"Good! Perfect! Click—"

Gu Heng stood up, grabbed the megaphone, and shouted, "I hereby announce that filming for 'Mr. Tree' has wrapped!"

The entire set immediately erupted in cheers.

These guys have been working themselves to the bone for this play for the past month.

Gu Heng walked over, grabbed Wang Baoqiang who was still standing there in a daze, and ruthlessly extinguished the cigarette he had just pulled out.

"Hey Baoqiang, filming's over! You should get your mind back on track. Go back and wash off that sour smell. And you absolutely have to quit smoking!"

Gu Heng glared at him and laughed, "You've smoked at least a few dozen cigarettes in the last two months. If you keep going, your lungs will turn completely black! Don't take any more jobs. I'm giving you a long vacation to rest and recover."

Wang Baoqiang scratched his greasy hair sheepishly, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Okay! Director Gu, I'll do whatever you say."

According to industry custom, after filming is finished, you always have to treat yourself to a good meal.

The assistant director was considering whether to book a large hotel in the city for a couple of tables, but Gu Heng directly called his uncle Liu Jun over.

"Why go to the city? It'll just be a hassle. Let's just find the village's wedding and funeral troupe and have them put on a huge feast at the village chief's threshing ground! Invite everyone in the village, young and old, a continuous banquet!"

Liu Jun was delighted when he heard this; this deal was a great bargain!

A few tens of thousands of yuan can feed hundreds of people to the point of being greasy and delicious. If this were in a five-star hotel in Beijing, you wouldn't even hear a sound.

That evening, more than a dozen large iron pots were set up at the east end of the village, and the firewood crackled and popped as it burned.

Braised pork knuckle, chicken stew with mushrooms, and sauerkraut with boiled pork belly were served in bowls.

This kind of down-to-earth wrap party was something that not only the lower-level staff of the crew, but even the stars who were used to acting had never seen before.

Duan Yihong and Wang Shuangbao, disregarding their appearance, each carrying an enamel mug and drinking locally brewed liquor, ran over to toast Gu Heng with flushed faces.

"Director Gu, this film was absolutely thrilling! Next time I have a job, no matter how much you pay, just say the word and I'll be there!" Duan Yihong let out a burp and patted his chest to make his promise.

Wang Shuangbao's ruthless face was also beaming with smiles: "That's right! Director Gu is a straightforward man, we brothers admire him!"

"No problem, no problem, there's plenty of time!" Gu Heng raised his wine glass, clinked it with the two of them, and downed it in one gulp.

Looking at the two people in front of him, Gu Heng felt secretly delighted.

We welcome anyone who comes!

Needless to say, Wang Shuangbao's ruthless gangster aura will definitely be useful for future crime films.

As for Duan Yihong...

Gu Heng recently received a message from Kang Honglei that he was about to finish writing the script for "My Chief and My Regiment".

Isn't this just a ready-made article about a prodigy?

When easy money is offered to you, why not take a bite?

The next morning, Gu Heng dumped the mess of the crew's final accounting on his uncle Liu Jun, and then flew straight to Beijing with the precious master tapes of the footage.

Back at the courtyard house, Yang Mi, the little fox whom they hadn't seen for two whole months, was already bathed and waiting in bed.

Like rain after a long drought, or firewood meeting a raging fire, a brutal battle to pull up the radishes was inevitable.

Just when Yang Mi thought her man would spend a few days with her, Gu Heng only stayed in the courtyard for one day. The next morning, he pulled up his pants and ruthlessly stormed into the editing room of Vision Entertainment.

Women will only slow him down the speed at which he draws his sword!

cough……

The main reason is that the deadline for submitting applications to the Venice Film Festival is fast approaching, and if we dawdle any longer, we'll really miss this last chance to get our hands on the gilded ticket.

The editing logic of art films is completely different from that of commercial films.

Commercial films emphasize fast pacing and sensory stimulation, while art films prioritize the use of negative space, long takes, and emotional extension.

But this was no problem for Gu Heng at all.

He had the original footage in his mind, and his extremely strict requirements on camera positions and scheduling during the early stages of filming resulted in very little unusable footage.

I locked myself in a dark room and edited day and night for half a month, managing to finish editing this film that should have taken two or three months!

As soon as the finished product was released, Gu Heng immediately picked up the phone and started calling for backup.

Two days later, in the internal screening room of Vision Entertainment.

Han Sanping, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Cui Xinqin, and the main creators were all seated.

As the projector's light and shadow flickered on the screen, not a single cough was heard in the theater for a full ninety minutes.

This is so damn depressing!

Until the lights come on.

Tian Zhuangzhuang took a deep breath, looking at Gu Heng as if he were an unparalleled prodigy. "Little Gu, with this film alone, you'll be able to walk with impunity in the directing department. Anyone who dares to utter a sound will be personally beaten to a pulp!"

Han Sanping was also quite excited: "Damn, this cinematography, this narrative... I thought only Jia Zhangke's group could produce something like this. Xiao Gu, what's wrong with your brain?"

"Third Uncle, you flatter me."

Gu Heng chuckled and casually shoved the application materials in his hand into Han Sanping's hands. "Since you think it's alright, then I'll trouble you, Uncle San, to keep a close eye on this submission and approval process. We're in a hurry to get it to Venice!"

Han Sanping's lips twitched. So this was what they were waiting for him all along!

However, having taken a 15% stake in the investment, he couldn't really refuse this hard work, so he could only accept the materials with a smile and a scolding.

After handing over all the matters concerning "Mr. Tree," Gu Heng stretched lazily and was about to go back to his courtyard house to catch up on some sleep.

As soon as I got to the garage, my phone started vibrating incessantly in my pocket.

He took it out and saw it was a Hong Kong number, belonging to director Chen Musheng.

"Hello, Director Chen?"

"Ah Heng! Great news! After a whole year of waiting, 'Men's True Colors' has finally received its approval and is scheduled for release next month during the summer season!"

Gu Heng rubbed his throbbing temples.

Working non-stop like this for a while, even an iron body can't take it.

"Director Chen, I just finished filming one movie and I'm really too busy. How about this, I'll definitely be there for the Beijing promotional event, but I can skip the ones in other cities."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, clearly with some regret, but then the voice asked, "What about Chengdu? The distributor said there's a very strong market demand there, and they're planning to add a large-scale roadshow there. Ah Heng, would you consider going to Chengdu for a visit?"

Chengdu?!

Upon hearing those two words, Gu Heng's hand, which was pulling on the car door, suddenly froze in mid-air.

Sichuan.

Mianyang and Wenchuan!

It was already the summer of 2007.

Less than a year has passed since that devastating disaster that shocked the world and plunged the nation into deep sorrow!

For the past few months, his mind has been preoccupied with building his career, making money at the box office, and winning awards. But when the name Chengdu suddenly came to mind, a suffocating feeling that had been hidden deep in his memory surged up.

He is a reincarnated being, but he is not a god.

He can't just run out into the street and hold up a sign predicting an earthquake; that would only get him thrown into a mental hospital and wouldn't change a single thing.

But... he now has money, resources, and status!

Capital can be used not only to fleece the entertainment industry, but also to save lives in critical moments!

"Ah Heng? Why aren't you saying anything? If your schedule is too tight, then forget it..." Chen Musheng thought Gu Heng was unhappy because he had been silent for too long on the other end of the phone.

"No, I'll go." Gu Heng suddenly came to his senses. "Director Chen, I'll attend the premiere in Beijing, and I'll also go to the roadshow in Chengdu. Send me the dates as soon as they're set."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Heng got into the car but didn't rush to have Wang Gang start the engine.

In the dark carriage, he lit a cigarette, the flame flickering.

Going on the roadshow was just a pretext.

He has to go to Sichuan in person.

Since God gave him a second chance at life and he even made so much money, he should do something worthwhile!

For example, under the guise of charity, they could donate and build several Hope Primary Schools with the highest earthquake resistance ratings there.

Or, under the guise of foresight capital, stockpile a batch of relief supplies and large excavation equipment in the surrounding area in advance?

We'll save as many as we can.

This is exactly what a time traveler should do!

……

Thank you all for the gifts and your support.

I was in Mianyang when the disaster struck.

It's been 18 years; the children born back then are almost adults now.

I was too young to do anything back then.

It can only be realized in novels, if possible.