Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 12 Insults without using profanity

Da Peng's legs were shaking, and he felt terrible!

He recognized the face; more accurately, any man who had ever used Kuaibo would have recognized it.

"My...life..."

He grabbed Ren Pingsheng and pulled him aside. "Are you crazy?"

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? You hired her to act in a movie? Do you even know what she does?"

"I know."

"You know?" Da Peng shouted halfway through, then swallowed his words back. "Then why are you still... We're Sohu! Not some...

Before he could finish speaking, Ren Pingsheng covered his mouth, saying, "Brother Peng, if you keep shouting, everyone in the entire terminal will be watching."

Dapeng slapped his hand away, his temples throbbing.

A few meters away, Ms. Cang tilted her head and looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression.

Beside her was a short-haired woman wearing black-rimmed glasses, Ms. Aso, the Japanese agent and translator.

Ren Pingsheng walked back and, with Aso's translation, exchanged a few words, the gist of which was, "My friend is too excited; he's a fan of yours."

Ms. Cang smiled and bowed politely to Da Peng, saying, "Hello, Da Peng."

Da Peng reflexively bowed as well, and immediately wanted to slap himself afterward.

After the brief incident, Ren Pingsheng and Da Peng walked ahead, leading the two towards the parking lot.

Throughout the journey, Dapeng clung tightly to Ren Pingsheng, gritting his teeth.

"Explain yourself clearly."

Ren Pingsheng glanced back to make sure he was close enough that the two people behind him wouldn't hear him.

"Brother Peng, do you know what her situation is right now?"

"Do I look like someone who cares about her life?"

"She is trying to change her image. It was just announced in Hong Kong that she will star in a movie called 'The Death of the Avengers,' which is invested in by Josie Ho."

Da Peng's brows remained furrowed.

"In other words, she is now a foreign female artist, not the one on your hard drive."

"Can you please stop mentioning the hard drive!"

Ren Pingsheng ignored him and continued, "You should know that the number of fans who call her 'teacher' on Tianya, Mop, and Tieba alone is higher than the popularity of most domestic female stars."

"If China had Facebook, she could easily gain millions of followers with just one account."

How did you know?

"Just a guess."

Dapeng glanced at him sideways; this kid's "guess" was a bit strange.

"So you're trying to ride her coattails?"

"right."

"this one?"

"That's it."

Da Peng's brow finally relaxed a little, but he was still uneasy. "Are you sure the audience won't think that way?"

"I definitely will."

"That's it!"

"It's good that you've thought about it. Thinking about it will get more people clicking to watch our videos," Ren Pingsheng said, turning his head to look at him. "There's another reason: guess how much she gets paid?"

"How many?"

"Round-trip airfare, accommodation, and three days of filming, all for a total of 200,000."

Da Peng stumbled and nearly fell. "Twenty? Are you kidding me! He's a well-known figure in Asia, for goodness' sake!"

"That's why we're looking for her. She's in the early stages of her career transition and hasn't yet connected with a domestic agency. This window of opportunity won't last long. Once she really breaks out of the industry, you can forget about getting this price."

Da Peng fell silent, and the two didn't exchange any more words on the way back.

Ms. Cang sat quietly in the back of the van, as well-behaved as a girl next door.

Only when passing by the distinctive red walls and green tiles of Yanjing did he point curiously out the window and whisper to Ms. Aso beside him.

"Aoi-chan, I still think taking this job is too risky," Aso said softly in Japanese, looking out the window. "You're about to star in a theatrical film, and now you're coming to the mainland to make these kinds of comedy shorts. Won't people think you can only take low-class jobs? Besides... the pay is too low. You might as well stay in Tokyo and take some gigs..."

"Even if it's mediocre, it's better than before," Ms. Cang said calmly in Japanese, withdrawing her gaze. "Didn't you say that the production company this time is a big corporation? This is an opportunity to break into the Chinese market, so please don't worry about the immediate situation."

Aso sighed and stopped talking.

What they didn't know was that Ren Pingsheng, who was sitting in the passenger seat with his eyes closed, could actually understand Japanese.

A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.

Everyone gets what they need, that's good.

……

Until the Huairou Film and Television Base.

This time, we didn't just randomly find some deserted wasteland to set up a green screen.

Since he had decided to go all out in the last three episodes, Ren Pingsheng poured all the money he had painstakingly saved in the first nine episodes into this one.

Not only did they rent a proper, real-life traditional courtyard, but they also upgraded their costumes, props, and sets.

Changyou now has complete trust in Ren Pingsheng, bringing over all the promotional materials used for "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and the cosplay outfits used when participating in ChinaJoy.

When Aso saw the film set, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a bit. Although the crew was small, it at least looked like a proper film crew.

Ms. Cang followed Sister Zhao to the temporary changing room in the side room, acting extremely professionally without uttering a single unnecessary word.

Dapeng changed into a brocade robe embroidered with dark patterns and came out. The workmanship was exquisite and the material was thick. It was incomparable to the sour and smelly cheap clothes he wore before.

He deliberately puffed out his chest, and his steps were noticeably lighter than during the previous shoots.

He didn't say anything, but his eyes kept glancing past Qiao Shan, who was also dressed in men's clothing, and kept drifting towards the dressing room.

A moment later, the curtain was lifted, and Ms. Cang came out.

She wore an extremely simple white ancient costume, with long hair draped over her shoulders and light makeup. The July sunlight shone through the leaves onto her face like scattered gold.

Da Peng and Qiao San were completely dumbfounded.

She's so pure and innocent, she really is the Wang Yuyan who haunts our dreams.

"Alright," Ren Pingsheng clapped his hands, breaking the silence, "Prepare for the first match."

In front of the antique carved wooden window, Dapeng stood opposite Ms. Cang, a gentle breeze blowing, making the beauty's clothes flutter.

But Dapeng's limbs were stiff, his eyes were unfocused, and he couldn't even breathe.

"Cut," Ren Pingsheng frowned, "Brother Peng, what are you so nervous about?"

"I'm not nervous!"

"You're just nervous!"

He stepped forward and patted Dapeng on the shoulder. His previously furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, revealing a mischievous grin. "But it's okay to be nervous. A loser should be nervous when he sees a goddess."

Dapeng was stunned.

"Loser?" This was the first time he had heard this word.

"Yes, young people from humble backgrounds, with average looks, no money or power, but still harboring unrealistic fantasies about rich and beautiful women."

Ren Pingsheng pointed his finger at Da Peng's chest, his tone becoming serious, "This is what a loser is like. Remember how you feel right now: your heart is racing, your mind is blank, you want to speak but are afraid of saying the wrong thing."

"In this story, you are a complete loser."

"....."

Da Peng looked down at himself, and his lips twitched.

Loser...

That bastard swears without using a single swear word.