After Transmigrated as a Black-Hearted Entertainment Boss [Transmigration] - Chapter 26

By this point, Tao Zui’s laughter had driven Gu Nan to a state of absolute Zen. Seeing Su Xiao approach with the outer robes, he merely extended his arms with dead eyes, letting her dress him in the two garments.

The first layer was an earth-yellow, straight-hemmed shenyi robe. However, it lacked a collar band or a sash and was crossed over to the left (zuoren). It was loosely secured at the waist by a dead knot tied with two thin strips of cloth, leaving the billowing lower hem split open so that one could see the cybernetic suit underneath with every movement.

The second layer was an earth-blue beizi jacket, which similarly featured a design completely lacking a collar band.

Both robes had been artificially distressed. Combined with the intentionally chosen dull, somber colors, the overall look exuded an ancient, archaic texture—as if it had been buried deep underground, starved of sunlight for years. In addition to the weathering, the wide sleeves and the hems of the robes had been deliberately cropped a bit short. Even standing perfectly still, one could catch a glimpse of the high-tech body suit underneath. Once he got moving and the fabric flared up, even more would be revealed.

Two entirely contradictory styles merged together, yet they were surprisingly harmonious. The uncanny, localized clash was absorbed by the overall silhouette, and everything appeared completely justifiable simply because of that face.

“As expected, a good-looking person looks amazing even wrapped in a sack.” Tao Zui stroked his chin, turning to Su Xiao. “The hair is fine just like this, I think. It fits the character concept and balances out the styles. What do you think?”

Su Xiao nodded. “I think so too, but the director still needs to look it over.”

With that, she picked up the walkie-talkie from the table. “Director Zhou, Director Zhou. The male lead is in costume. Why don’t you come over and take a look?”

The walkie-talkie crackled to life, and Zhou Fanghong’s voice came through: “Alright, be right there.”

A few minutes later, Zhou Fanghong arrived in the golf cart, with Wang Dafa tagging along. The moment they stepped off the vehicle, a sharp “holy crap” escaped their lips.

“This effect! Absolutely flawless!” Wang Dafa circled Gu Nan twice, clicking his tongue in amazement. “When the design sketches first came out, I thought it was a long shot. Who could pull off a design with such an intensely jarring clash of styles? Ha! But look at you—not only did you pull it off, you enhanced it. Won’t this completely blow everyone away the moment he steps on screen? Intensely badass!”

Zhou Fanghong also nodded in deep satisfaction, immediately using his walkie-talkie to call the prop department to bring the umbrella over.

On the design blueprint, the Underworld soldier Lei Ze’s umbrella was entirely metallic, its canopy flashing with lights—a peak sci-fi style. By the time it reached the final prop stage, perhaps out of consideration for weight and aesthetics, they adopted a design that combined an oil-paper canopy with a metallic frame. At the press of a button on the handle, the LED lights along the ribs would glow. The eerie green light, filtered through the yellow oil-paper, appeared even more deep and inscrutable.

The surface of the umbrella was likewise heavily distressed, but unlike the clothing, this one went for a battle-damaged look. The canopy was riddled with several holes, and one section had a large, torn gash. Even though the metallic ribs were solid, the umbrella looked half-destroyed.

Then again, an Underworld soldier’s umbrella wasn’t meant to block the rain.

Seeing the full ensemble assembled, Zhou Fanghong and Wang Dafa were thrilled out of their minds. The crew members working nearby also gathered around, whispering excitedly among themselves.

“Holy shit, he’s so handsome!”

“I really didn’t think anyone could actually bring the blueprint concept to life so perfectly! Incredible!”

“Did the director hire a model to play the lead? Isn’t that too risky? Acting isn’t just about being handsome; you actually have to know how to act!”

“Oh please, the director handles that sort of thing. Why are you stressing over it?”

“What about that guy over there? Who is he playing? The second male lead?”

“He’s not an actor; he’s the lead’s agent.”

“……What kind of agency is this? A guy with those looks isn’t an artist? Is the boss of this company blind?”

Tao Zui: “……” Ah, yes. I am blind.

After fitting the Underworld soldier uniform, Gu Nan tried on the police uniform.

Unlike the unique, bizarre style of the former, the police uniform was relatively single-noted in style—it was just blindingly cool. The silhouette was based on modern police uniforms, but tailored to be much more form-fitting with a different fabric texture. It was pitch black, subtly accented with metallic elements. In short, it was designed to be as sharp as humanly possible.

Perhaps because the impact of the Underworld soldier uniform had been so potent, and the so-called futuristic style always revolved around those same few core elements, Tao Zui felt that compared to the standard styles seen in typical sci-fi movies, the impact delivered by the Underworld uniform was significantly stronger.

As long as the atmosphere is built properly during filming, supplemented by a catchy background score, this will definitely be a viral, iconic scene!

Right as Tao Zui was getting excited, he suddenly heard Zhou Fanghong speak in agreement: “I also think the short hair works better, but it still needs styling. It’s too messy right now. It’s a shame the stylist won’t join the crew until mid-June; otherwise, we could have finalized the look today.”

The crew’s overhead expenses were massive, forcing Zhou Fanghong to budget down to the single cent. Because crew members started accumulating pay the moment they joined the production, he mapped out exactly when each position would join based on the shooting schedule, solely to trim expenses.

With that, he lifted his wrist to check his watch, turning to Tao Zui. “It’s almost time for the meal run. Want to grab a bite together?”

Tao Zui also checked the time, nodding in easy agreement. “Sure, I’ll tag along and try a box lunch.”

Crew box lunches usually tasted quite mediocre, but the quality of the lunches for The Afterlife was surprisingly decent. Though it was still the standard format of two meats and one vegetable, both meat dishes were substantial stir-fried meats rather than a half-hearted attempt like stir-fried tomatoes and eggs. Furthermore, the boxes were well-chosen; the dishes and the rice were separated, preventing the grease from soaking into the rice and making it too greasy to eat by the end.

The portions were just a bit small—perfect for girls, but men would probably only feel about seventy or eighty percent full. It was quite appropriate for actors, but a bit too light for the crew members doing manual labor, so many went back for a second box.

During the meal, Tao Zui and the others sat around the model table, chatting as they ate.

“The other actors are mostly locked down as well. Table read on June 18, followed by final look tests and filming. The official opening ceremony is set for June 21. Ninety percent of the early shots will be filmed inside this industrial park. We project heading to Chongqing for location filming around mid-September.”

Zhou Fanghong briefly laid out the subsequent shooting plan. “Aside from the city set in this stage, we’ve built indoor sets like the police station and the laboratory in other soundstages. If you’re interested, we can check them out in a bit.”

Tao Zui thought for a moment, before politely declining. “Let’s skip it today. I have to go to the bank first thing tomorrow morning to handle the wire transfer, and our luggage is still sitting at the hotel unpacked.”

Hearing the words “wire transfer,” Zhou Fanghong and Wang Dafa instantly smiled like blooming flowers. The contract was signed, but until the money hit the account, anything could change. Tao Zui proactively bringing this up allowed them to drop the heavy stone in their hearts. Wang Dafa even cut in to say, “Great! Tomorrow morning, I’ll have Old Zhou drive over to pick you guys up!”

Tao Zui didn’t refuse, nodding in affirmation.

After finishing the meal, Tao Zui was preparing to bid them farewell and return to the hotel, but just as he started to speak, Gu Nan suddenly spoke up: “Young CEO Tao, Director Zhou, can I sleep in the soundstage tonight?”

Tao Zui was slightly startled. “Why?” Did he get angry because I laughed too wildly when he was trying on the costume earlier?

“The very back of the soundstage is Lei Ze’s home.”

Gu Nan offered a sentence without context, yet everyone present instantly grasped his meaning. Zhou Fanghong nodded with immense joy. “No problem, sleep wherever you like! It’s just that the hibernation pod might be a bit uncomfortable to sleep in; it’s too narrow… It’s fine, if it doesn’t work out, just sleep on the floor! Hey, Old Wang, where did we put the sleeping bags…”

“No need, Director Zhou. I can just sleep in the hibernation pod,” Gu Nan declined.

“Great… Great! I’ll take you to the breakroom in a bit. There’s a bathroom there, and both water and electricity are connected! Old Wang and I will stay with you tonight—the two of us will sleep on the floor, and you sleep in the hibernation pod!”

For a director, an actor who was willing to dedicate time and energy toward character building was no different from striking gold. The way Zhou Fanghong looked at Gu Nan right now was as if he were looking at some precious treasure; even without Tao Zui’s prompting, he would put him on a pedestal and look after him properly.

This certainly saved a lot of trouble.

Tao Zui had initially planned to accompany Su Jiqiu to his set first when filming started, leaving Gu Nan to be looked after by an assistant and the director. Seeing this, he immediately smiled and said, “Since the director has given the green light, I have no problem on my end either. However, we have to return to North City tomorrow afternoon. Is this small window of time enough?”

Character building wasn’t achieved overnight. Some strict directors would even require actors to immerse themselves in the character’s lifestyle months in advance, hoping they could blend into the role and perform in the most authentic, natural state possible.

Seeing Gu Nan show a hint of hesitation, Zhou Fanghong immediately interjected, “If it’s not enough, he can join the crew early… provided Gu Nan doesn’t have other scheduling conflicts.”

Tao Zui had been waiting for exactly these words from Zhou Fanghong. The smile on his face grew a fraction more sincere. “That would be fantastic. Once I hire an assistant, I’ll have Gu Nan join the crew early. I’ll trouble Director Zhou and Writer Wang to look after him then.”

“No trouble at all, no trouble at all!” Zhou Fanghong grinned widely, but after processing the words more closely, he asked with some surprise, “CEO Tao isn’t accompanying Gu Nan to the set?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to accompany him, but the other artist I manage happens to join his crew and begin filming at the exact same time. I genuinely can’t split myself in two,” Tao Zui explained with a helpless shrug. “I can only rely on you, Director Zhou. Once things stabilize over there, I’ll come over.”

“Ah, I see. Don’t worry, leave Gu Nan to us with absolute peace of mind. I guarantee not a single strand of hair will be missing!” Zhou Fanghong thumped his chest as a guarantee.

“Thank you, Director Zhou. Then I’ll head back first to bring Gu Nan’s luggage over.” Shaking hands with Zhou Fanghong and Wang Dafa one by one to bid farewell, Tao Zui turned toward Gu Nan, speaking in a tone that was half-jesting, half-admonishing: “Don’t break any of the props!”

Yet Gu Nan, who had been perfectly obedient just a moment ago, suddenly glared at him. “I’m not a three-year-old kid!”

Tao Zui froze for a fraction of a second, but he quickly realized there were outsiders nearby, so he didn’t let his internal surprise show on his face. Instead, he shot back like they were bickering: “Good, as long as you know!”

Sure enough, Zhou Fanghong and Wang Dafa didn’t find anything unusual about Gu Nan’s attitude, assuming this was just the standard mode of interaction between Tao Zui and his artist. Accompanying him to the industrial park gates, they even remarked with emotion, “CEO Tao gets along so well with his artist!”

“They’re all just seventeen, eighteen, nineteen-year-old kids. If you solely rely on strict discipline, it backfires instead.” Tao Zui played it off with a laugh, but the moment he climbed into the taxi, his face filled with confusion.

What on earth is wrong with this kid Gu Nan? Wasn’t he perfectly fine just a second ago? Or did he actually take my casual jest seriously?

Tao Zui stroked his chin, muttering to himself, “Surely not…”