Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Finally, Mr. Ye, you’ve finished filming! I’ve been waiting for this day for so long..."

On the night of the *Prince of Beggars* production wrap, Yuan Jing showed up at the door.

The *Jiangshan Strategy* production team had been unable to complete filming according to the original plan because the role of Xiao Zhuge had gone through several changes. Ultimately, producer Yuan Jing overcame the objections and personally approached Ye Mingzhao to play Xiao Zhuge. Not only was the actor contract signed in advance, but it was also promised that they would wait for Ye Mingzhao to finish his work on *Prince of Beggars* before joining the cast.

This wait lasted three months. The rest of the *Jiangshan Strategy* cast had finished filming, leaving only Xiao Zhuge’s parts remaining.

Yuan Jing had been eagerly anticipating the news of *Prince of Beggars* wrapping up. She couldn’t even wait until the next day and, in the middle of the night, came to bring Ye Mingzhao back to Hengzhou Film and Television City.

Ye Mingzhao understood that the *Jiangshan Strategy* team had been waiting for him for too long, and the daily filming costs were not a small sum. It’s no wonder Yuan Jing was so eager to get him on set.

"Actually, it’s not that bad," Yuan Jing said through tearful pleasantries, "In order to meet the schedule and air during the winter vacation, the filming plan was inevitably tight."

At that time, filming was divided into two groups: Group A handled the main storyline involving the protagonists, while Group B took care of important subplots involving key supporting characters.

However, the actor playing Xiao Zhuge ran into issues, causing the team to re-shoot. Additionally, since Ye Mingzhao’s schedule was already set, the team slowed down the filming pace to accommodate his schedule.

The key scenes were carefully polished, and the important fight sequences were given plenty of time, leading to results that exceeded expectations.

Yuan Jing couldn’t help but reflect on how fortunate they were that the main actors were all signed with Starjoy Media, making scheduling much easier.

Because it was so late, Yuan Jing dropped Ye Mingzhao off at the hotel and left.

After drinking at the wrap party and the long journey, Ye Mingzhao felt exhausted. After a quick wash-up, he went straight to bed.

At four o’clock the next morning, Ye Mingzhao was woken up by a knock on the door.

Yuan Jing noticed that Ye Mingzhao, who hadn’t signed with a management company yet, was always on his own and didn’t even have an assistant. So, she arranged for an assistant from Starjoy Media to take care of Ye Mingzhao’s needs during the *Jiangshan Strategy* filming.

"Mr. Ye, I brought soy milk and fried dough sticks, as well as coffee and sandwiches. Which would you prefer?" The young assistant, Lu Keyu, was twenty-two years old and had just graduated from university. Having been briefed by Yuan Jing, she was especially nervous.

Ye Mingzhao chose the coffee and sandwiches and smiled as he thanked her.

Lu Keyu hurriedly waved her hands, "You’re welcome! You’re welcome! It’s my duty."

After Ye Mingzhao finished his simple breakfast, Lu Keyu drove him to the makeup department at the film set.

It was just after four in the morning in Hengzhou Film and Television City, and the sky hadn’t even brightened yet. There were few pedestrians on the streets. The streetlights cast a faint yellow glow, and the scenery on both sides of the road retreated row by row. Lu Keyu drove while nervously explaining, "Since actors in period dramas need to change into costume and wear wigs, the makeup process takes longer. Our team starts filming at eight in the morning, so we have to be on set by five."

She was worried Ye Mingzhao might not be happy with the early start.

Ye Mingzhao sat in the back seat, flipping through the script while smiling and chatting with Lu Keyu, "How long have you been in this industry? Have you worked with other productions before?"

Lu Keyu nodded, then quickly said, "I’ve been with Starjoy Media for more than half a year. I’ve worked with another production, also a period drama called *Cheng Cheng*."

Ye Mingzhao smiled, "Then you have more experience than me. I’ll need your guidance in the days to come."

Lu Keyu was a little overwhelmed by this. She realized Ye Mingzhao wasn’t as hard to work with as Yuan Jing and the internet had made him out to be.

As she was lost in thought, she suddenly realized she hadn’t properly responded to Ye Mingzhao’s earlier comment. Flustered, she quickly added, "Ms. Yuan said my job is to take care of you and handle any minor issues you encounter during filming."

Sensing Lu Keyu’s nervousness, Ye Mingzhao chuckled, "Then I really have to thank you for your hard work."

Ye Mingzhao sincerely said, "This is my first time filming a period drama, and I don’t know anything about it."

Lu Keyu was punctual, and they arrived at the set right at five o’clock.

The entire cast and crew were already in place.

Lu Keyu led him directly to a private dressing room with a nameplate that read "Ye Mingzhao" on the door. As they walked, Ye Mingzhao could feel everyone's eyes on him.

Especially after he passed, whispers erupted behind him.

Lu Keyu shot him an embarrassed glance, wanting to say something but not daring to.

Ye Mingzhao pretended not to hear.

It wasn’t until he entered the dressing room that the outside erupted in a noisy uproar.

"Is he really Ye Mingzhao?"

"He’s ruthless enough to sue his own mother! I would never have guessed."

"Shh! Don't talk nonsense, or he might send you a subpoena!"

"I think his mother deserved it. In the middle of winter, she abandoned her child at a dump site—that's attempted murder! And now, twenty years later, she has the nerve to come back to claim kin? She’s just blinded by greed!"

"You can't say that..."

"Why not? Want to bet? If she’s not after money, I’ll let you twist my head off and use it as a soccer ball."

The hushed gossip seeped through the thin, non-soundproof door into the dressing room, making even the makeup artist feel awkward.

But Ye Mingzhao remained unfazed, not even changing the rhythm of his breathing.

Until suddenly, there were a few flustered calls of "Yuan Jing" and "Chairman Qi" from outside. The door of the dressing room was politely knocked on, and Yuan Jing entered with a short, chubby middle-aged man.

The moment the middle-aged man saw Ye Mingzhao, he rushed forward and extended both hands towards him. "Young Master Ye, it's such an effort for you to come so early for makeup."

Ye Mingzhao opened his eyes and gave a warm smile to the man he had never met before. "Chairman Qi, good morning."

He started to stand but was gently held back by Chairman Qi. "No, don't get up. We wouldn't want to delay your makeup."

Standing behind Ye Mingzhao, Chairman Qi looked at him with a smile in the mirror. "Though we’ve never met, Young Master Ye, we’ve been kindred spirits for a while now!"

Yuan Jing had to bite back a laugh. Indeed, they had been "kindred spirits" for a while—before even meeting, they had tacitly worked together to outmaneuver *Zhou's film company* multiple times. The recent buzz around *#Ye Mingzhao suing his mother for abandonment#* in *Prince of Beggars* had overshadowed the official release announcement for *Prince Transformation*. This success was partly due to Ye Mingzhao buying a trending spot, but also thanks to the persistent revelations and hype from the water army under *Zhou's film company*. Starjoy Media certainly deserved at least some of the credit.

If not for the risk of openly antagonizing the Zhou family, Chairman Qi would have even bought a trending spot for *#Ye Mingzhao joins the Jiangshan Strategy cast#*.

Unfortunately, given Starjoy Media's limited resources, Chairman Qi thought better of it after careful consideration. Still, this didn’t diminish his ambition to pull Ye Mingzhao onto the same side.

—That’s right, this man was none other than the founder and Chairman of *Starjoy Media*, Qi Yue.

As he watched Ye Mingzhao sitting obediently in front of the mirror getting his makeup done, Chairman Qi gave Yuan Jing a knowing look.

Yuan Jing, who had been quietly amused, suddenly grew serious. "By the way, Mr. Ye—"

"Just call me Mingzhao."

"Alright. Mingzhao," Yuan Jing said with a half-joking tone, "We’re curious about your plans moving forward in your acting career. Are you planning to return home and take over the family business, or do you want to keep pursuing your acting career?"

It was no wonder Yuan Jing would ask such a question. The news that the Chairman of the Ye family business had transferred 1% of the company’s shares to Ye Mingzhao went viral recently. Yuan Jing was genuinely curious about Ye Mingzhao's next move.

Ye Mingzhao smiled at the question. "I find acting very interesting."

Yuan Jing's eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "Have you thought about signing with a production company?"

Ye Mingzhao paused for a moment, caught off guard.

Chairman Qi, noticing Ye Mingzhao's reaction, quickly gauged that he wasn't opposed to the idea. With a smile, she continued, "Our Starjoy Media certainly can't compete with a powerhouse like Zhou's film company, which has strong backing. But we have our own strengths."

"Our company has been deeply involved in the film industry for over a decade. We have a well-rounded creative team, experienced directors for both films and TV dramas, and award-winning gold-medal screenwriters. We also hold the rights to adapt dozens of popular web novels and hit games into films and TV shows. And perhaps most importantly, our contracts with artists are surprisingly flexible. If you're open to signing with Starjoy Media, we can offer you the most favorable terms."

As she spoke, Chairman Qi casually sat down beside Ye Mingzhao. She gestured with a wave of her hand, and Yuan Jing, who was standing nearby, immediately handed the prepared contract template to her.

Chairman Qi then handed the contract to Ye Mingzhao, saying, "If you're serious about making a name for yourself in the film industry, rather than just doing it as a hobby, I think you should consider Starjoy Media."

Ye Mingzhao took the contract and flipped through it. With his professional expertise, he could see that Starjoy Media wasn't playing any tricks with the contract terms. In fact, the signing conditions were more favorable than he had expected. The final clause clearly stated that Ye Mingzhao would have first dibs on all of Starjoy Media's resources.

This alone showed how determined Starjoy Media was to secure him.

Ye Mingzhao knew exactly why Chairman Qi was sweetening the deal. It was no secret that Starjoy Media had teamed up with him to take on Zhou's film company. Chairman Qi was likely worried about potential retaliation from both Zhou's film company and the Zhou family. She probably also hoped to win him over and, in turn, gain the backing of the Ye family business.

Ye Mingzhao didn't mind these little calculations. However, it would take more than these small favors to truly win him over.

With a smile, Ye Mingzhao returned the contract template to Chairman Qi.

"Give me a reason why I should choose you."

Seeing this, Chairman Qi knew that Ye Mingzhao wasn't swayed. But this was within her expectations.

Negotiations were always a back-and-forth process, after all.

Thinking of this, Chairman Qi secretly gritted her teeth and said, "If you're willing to join Starjoy Media, I can offer you 5% of the company's shares at the original stock price."