Traffic Star Development Program

Chapter 12 Has this girl finally figured it out?

Zhang Tianai walked over and stood in front of him.

Zeng Hao reached out, pinched her chin, and forced her to raise her head.

"I don't like owing favors." His eyes were cold. "Since you've come to me for help, I'm not a saint who would refuse a free lunch. But you need to understand, this is just for one night. When the sun rises tomorrow, you'll still be the actor, and I'll still be the producer, nothing more."

Zhang Tianai's eyes were a little red, but she still nodded.

"Is that acceptable?"

"Yes," Zhang Tianai said softly.

Zeng Haosong released his grip, turned, and walked to the bedside. "Then don't regret it."

Zhang Tianai took a deep breath and followed.

The lights in the room were turned off, leaving only the faint light from the streetlights outside the window.

At three in the morning, Zhang Tianai got dressed and picked up the wine bottle on the table.

Zeng Hao had already sat back down at his desk, turned on his computer, and continued working, as if nothing had happened.

"President Zeng, I..." Zhang Tianai stood at the door, his legs feeling a little weak, wanting to say something.

"Go back and rest," Zeng Hao said without looking up. "We have filming tomorrow."

Zhang Tianai gave a soft "hmm," then opened the door and left without saying anything more.

Back in her room, she slowly slid down to sit on the floor, leaning against the door.

Tears flowed silently down her face.

It wasn't resentment, nor regret, but a complex emotion.

She got what she wanted—a chance to change her destiny, at the cost of herself.

The man remained frighteningly calm throughout, as if she were merely a tool to be used and then discarded.

Zhang Tianai wiped away her tears and stood up.

She walked to the mirror, looked at herself in the mirror, and took a deep breath.

"Zhang Tianai, you've made your choice." She said to the mirror, "From now on, just focus on acting and stop thinking about all that nonsense."

She picked up the script and started memorizing her lines again, her mind more focused than ever before.

The next morning, Zhang Tianai appeared on set with dark circles under her eyes.

She didn't sleep all night, but her mental state was surprisingly calm.

Zeng Hao was already behind the monitor. When he saw her come in, he simply nodded and said nothing.

It was as if nothing had happened last night.

Zhang Tianai took a deep breath and walked towards the makeup area.

"Zhang Tianai, did you not sleep well last night? Your eyes are a little swollen," the makeup artist asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm a bit of a light sleeper," Zhang Tianai replied casually.

The makeup artist applied makeup to cover her dark circles and red, swollen eyes.

Filming began at 9:00 AM.

This time, Zhang Tianai was in exceptionally good condition.

She no longer felt anxious or insecure, no longer worried about being replaced, and no longer concerned about what Zeng Hao thought of her.

She focuses solely on the role itself.

First, pass.

The second option is still rejected.

She hardly made any mistakes all morning.

Director Peng Bing looked at the monitor in surprise, "Has this girl finally figured it out?"

Zeng Hao smiled slightly but remained silent.

He knew that Zhang Tianai had completely resolved her inner conflict during his frantic all-night advance.

It seems that providing special comfort to actresses is one of his important tasks as a producer.

He was quite satisfied with his results.

During the lunch break, the crew distributed boxed lunches.

Zhang Tianai held her lunchbox and looked at Zeng Hao from afar.

The other party was discussing something with photographer Lao Li, their expressions serious, completely in a businesslike manner.

Zhang Tianai lowered his head and took a bite of rice.

Suddenly, I felt very calm.

At least, she doesn't have to worry about this affecting her status in the crew, nor does she have to worry about Zeng Hao using this to blackmail her.

On the surface, everything is clean and pure.

Filming continued, and on the seventh day, the crew finally finished filming the first five episodes featuring the female lead's individual scenes.

However, problems also emerged.

The first issue is the props.

The art team leader, Xiao Wang, approached Zeng Hao with a list in hand and a grim expression.

"Mr. Zeng, if we rent all the props on this list, the cost will be very high."

Zeng Hao glanced at the list. "How tall?"

"A conservative estimate would be at least 15."

"Too expensive," Zeng Hao rejected the idea outright. "Cut it down by two-thirds, leaving only the essentials."

Xiao Wang was stunned. "President Zeng, if we cut two-thirds, many scenes won't be able to be filmed."

"Then let's figure something out." Zeng Hao's tone left no room for negotiation. "Use cheaper alternatives if possible, and simplify the scene if all else fails. In short, the cost of props cannot exceed 5."

Xiao Wang's face turned green. "Mr. Zeng, 5 really..."

"Whether it's enough or not isn't up to you to decide, it's up to me." Zeng Hao looked up at him. "Xiao Wang, you're the head of the graphic design team. I need your abilities, not your complaints. If you think 5 won't be enough, I can find someone else to try."

Xiao Wang gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll give it a try."

"It's not a 'try,' it's a must." Zeng Hao handed the list back to him. "Remember, cheap doesn't mean shoddy. You need to achieve the best results with the least amount of money."

Xiao Wang left with the list, his face ashen.

The next issue is the venue.

The production team originally planned to rent three different sets to film different locations such as the Crown Prince's residence, the Imperial Palace, and the Imperial Harem.

But Zeng Hao cut off two of them directly.

"We only rented one palace in the Qin Palace, and all the scenes were filmed there," he told Peng Bing.

Peng Bing was dumbfounded. "President Zeng, this is impossible! The script includes the Crown Prince's Palace, the Imperial Garden, and the Cold Palace. The sets for these places are completely different. How could they possibly be filmed in the same location?"

"Then let's change it." Zeng Hao's tone remained calm. "The Crown Prince's residence and the Imperial Palace can share the same set. Just put some effort into the setup and shoot from a different angle. For the Imperial Garden, we can borrow a scene from any garden in Hengdian. For the Cold Palace, we can just build a simple set in a corner of the palace."

"But if we do that, the visuals will be very monotonous..." Peng Bing wanted to argue.

"Whether it's monotonous or not doesn't depend on how many scenes there are, but on how good the plot is," Zeng Hao interrupted him. "Viewers watch web dramas for the story and characters, not for how luxurious your sets are. If you can make three scenes look like they're in one, that's real skill."

"This will also test your true skills!"

Peng Bing had nothing to say and could only grit his teeth and accept it.

The biggest problem is the actors' salaries.

Zhang Tianai's scenes that she could edit out have been mostly filmed.

Besides Zhang Tianai, the production team also needs to recruit dozens of actors, including the male lead, supporting actors, and extras.

Zeng Hao's pay standard for all actors was: 1 for the lead actor, a few thousand for the supporting actor, and tens of yuan for the extras.

When the news got out, the whole of Hengdian was in an uproar.

"Is this a joke? 1 yuan to play the lead role?" A young actor who came to audition almost lost his temper on the spot.

"Take it or leave it." Zeng Hao's attitude was indifferent. "If you think you're worth more, you can go to another production team."

"You're exploiting the actors!"

"I'm giving newcomers a chance," Zeng Hao corrected him. "How many years have you been working in Hengdian? How many roles with lines have you played? How many times have you received a 1 yuan fee? If not, then this is your current market price."

The young actor was speechless.

"The budget for this drama is very tight, but I can guarantee that if it becomes a hit, your net worth will increase dozens of times." Zeng Hao paused, "A 1 yuan investment for a chance to change your destiny, is it worth it for you to decide?"

The young actor gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll do it."

One by one, Zeng Hao used different talking techniques to win over more than a dozen actors.

In Hengdian, there's no shortage of two-legged toads.