In a private mountain villa on the outskirts of Kyoto.
Zhang Zhiwei emerged from the swimming pool, and two beautiful, voluptuous young women immediately approached with towels.
One wiped the water off his body, while the other helped him put on his bathrobe.
Their demeanor in serving him was highly professional.
However, anyone outside their circle would instantly recognize them.
Zhang Zhiwei reclined under a parasol, swirling a glass of red wine in one hand and browsing news on his phone with the other.
The two women knelt beside him, gently massaging his thighs.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
Footsteps sounded from outside the pool area.
A male assistant in his thirties, holding a laptop, strode forward.
Zhang Zhiwei glanced at him, then waved at the two women beside him. They discreetly rose and departed.
"Mr. Zhang, we've just received an image file containing background information on Zero Degree Films."
The assistant presented the laptop.
At the mention of 'Zero Degree Films,' Zhang Zhiwei sat bolt upright.
The suddenly emerging Zero Degree Films had not only captured the online market but had now turned its attention to the cinema circuit.
Faced with such a company of unknown background yet considerable strength, Zhang Zhiwei, a capitalist, naturally couldn't sit still.
He had been trying to find connections to investigate Zero Degree Films' background.
But this company, from its legal representative to its senior management, had an impeccably clean record.
There was no connection to any existing film companies.
Even a check of the actors in their web dramas revealed individuals from various countries, with their relationship to Zero Degree Films being purely collaborative.
Prior to this, Flying Crane Pictures had already shattered many unspoken rules within the Dragon Country film industry.
For instance, aspiring male and female actors would often present themselves to investors and directors in exchange for roles.
Some actors blacklisted by various film companies had also sought refuge under Flying Crane.
New directors and screenwriters, eager to advance, would bring along actresses, or themselves, to engage in power and sex trades with film companies.
Now, with the emergence of Flying Crane Pictures, these so-called unspoken rules had been directly bypassed.
Gao Fei's principle was clear: regardless of whether you were new or established in the industry, or even blacklisted, as long as you possessed talent, Flying Crane would accept you.
They had no fear of any so-called industry rules.
However, Flying Crane merely disrupted the industry's norms and had no grand ambitions beyond making money.
Zero Degree Films, on the other hand, not only sidestepped these rules but was even more ambitious than Flying Crane.
They aimed to conquer not only the web drama market but also the cinema market.
Previously, many film company representatives had approached Zero Degree Films, proposing collaborations on movies.
But Zero Degree Films had directly refused them.
They had even publicly declared that Zero Degree would make a significant impact on the Dragon Country film industry in the latter half of the year and seize their share of the market.
A suddenly rising film company of unknown origin, which not only rejected collaborations from multiple companies but also acted so arrogantly and made bold threats, had naturally incurred the wrath of the Dragon Country film circle.
Not only Zhang Zhiwei but also people from other companies were secretly investigating Zero Degree.
The results were obvious: they couldn't find any information.
Therefore, Zhang Zhiwei took the lead, uniting several companies to suppress and target Zero Degree Films.
Beside the swimming pool.
Gazing at the photo files on the laptop, Mr. Zhang's eyes widened, his expression shifting from surprise to a cold smile.
After a moment, he looked up and asked, "Who sent it to you?"
"I used my connections to investigate. The sender was a young man addicted to online games from an internet café.
As for the true sender of the file, we haven't found them yet."
"No need to investigate further. Sending us an anonymous file concerning Zero Degree Films, it's definitely someone from the industry."
Zhang Zhiwei put down the laptop and studied the background information on Zero Degree Films on the screen. Two words flashed in his mind:
Gao Fei!
If the background file truly came from someone within the industry, it could only be Gao Fei, a man adorned with multiple identities and accolades.
Aside from this Mr. Gao, he found it hard to imagine anyone else capable of obtaining such detailed information.
Having roughly deduced the identity of the sender, Zhang Zhiwei pondered and asked, "Didn't I ask you to relay a message to Flying Crane Pictures? What's their stance? Are they joining us?"
"Jin Qiqi replied that Gao Fei does not wish to join this struggle.
Flying Crane Pictures currently has three new dramas in production and is temporarily too busy to deal with Zero Degree Films."
The assistant roughly relayed Jin Qiqi's reply.
"Now that we have this information, it's fine if Gao Fei doesn't join. If he had joined, we might have had to bleed a little."
Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand dismissively and continued, "Summon those in our alliance here. With this information in hand, we can now sit down and properly study Zero Degree Films."
"Yes, Mr. Zhang!"
The assistant nodded and began contacting their allies from other film companies.
...
Six PM.
In the Yuhe District of Kyoto, at an international high school.
It was late August, and the nationwide college entrance examination had just concluded. High schools were entering a period of much-needed respite.
Students who had been promoted from sophomore to junior year, after finishing their studies in mid-August, finally had a ten-day holiday.
The crew of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" had rented the international high school to film scenes of the male and female leads during their high school days.
With only two days left before the start of the school year, director Bai Zhan and the entire crew were working tirelessly to catch up.
The entire crew had only four to five hours of rest per day, with the rest of their time spent filming.
As the sun began to set, the entire crew commenced their work.
The scene being shot involved a conversation between the male and female leads in a corridor.
Liu Weiqiang, who had arrived at the set alone, did not disturb anyone. He stood at the back, watching silently, nodding occasionally.
After a while, the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, and the crew finally wrapped up for dinner.
Bai Zhan, walking towards the exit, was still discussing acting with the assistant director. Upon seeing Liu Weiqiang, he immediately jogged over.
"Brother Liu!"
Director Liu smiled and nodded. "How's the progress?"
"With another month, we should be able to complete filming!"
Bai Zhan replied with a hint of guilt.
"Xiao Zhan, tell me the truth. Was the additional budget of one million affected by external negative influences?"
Liu Weiqiang cut to the chase, asking directly.
Bai Zhan opened his mouth, sighed, and nodded. "Brother Liu, to be honest, the scenes within the school have been progressing smoothly, but the scenes outside the school have indeed been subjected to harassment by some idle individuals."
"Specifically, where?"
"Bei Chang Street Market!"
...
Bei Chang Street Market.
Gao Qilan, returning after work, greeted the surrounding vendors with a humble smile.
She walked about twenty meters in, spotted a man with long hair in a fish stall, bowing and smiling continuously at customers. She quickened her pace.
"Brother!"
Gao Qilan called out affectionately with a sweet voice.
The man, about to kill a fish, paused and turned to look at her, a simple smile on his face. "Xiao Lan!"
The man picked up a plastic bag, placed the fish to be sold into it, and said to the customer, "Uncle Wu, this fish is on the house. Xiao Lan is back unexpectedly, I need to buy her some groceries to cook something delicious!"
"Heh heh, alright!"
The old man didn't say much, took the fish, and left.
"Xiao Lan, why did you come back so suddenly? Why didn't you call me before coming? Otherwise, I wouldn't have set up my stall today and would have waited for you at home."
"Oh, Brother, I came back as soon as I finished work. Besides, I'm already in Kyoto, so calling would be a waste of phone credit."
"Alright, alright. Wait for me to pack up, and then we'll go find your second brother, and we'll go out to eat today."
"Brother, I'll help you!"
"Good!"
The siblings chatted as they began to pack up the fish stall.
But as they were preparing to leave, a discordant voice suddenly cut through the air.
"Gao Qiqiang, the stall fees are increasing starting next month!"