Chapter 759: 445, Modesty and Courtesy

“Can you fix cars?” the assistant director asked the young man in front of him.

“I really can’t, but I can learn,” the young man sincerely replied.

The assistant director said irritably, “Learning sounds good, but we’re about to leave. It’s too late to learn now. Go lift that box in the corner and see.”

The young man walked to the corner and, with some difficulty, lifted the box. He estimated it weighed over forty kilograms; it was the typical struggle for a normal young man to lift such a weight.

The assistant director sighed, “You can manage some work; stay in the crew then. Lao Liu, Liu Liqun!”

The assistant director called out in the office.

Soon, a little old man who looked over fifty years old hurried over, ingratiatingly asked, “Assistant Director Wang, did you need something?”

Assistant Director Wang said, “This is the new stagehand for the crew. Take him and make sure he doesn’t cause any accidents with his clumsiness.”

“Alrighty,” Liu Liqun said with a smile. He looked at the young man, “What’s your name?”

“Qing Xiaotu,” the young man responded with a smile.

“Qing Xiaotu… Are you from the Qing’s family?” Liu Liqun was somewhat hesitant.

“No, it’s just a coincidence that I have the surname Qing. Maybe my ancestors had some connections with the Qing’s family,” the young man said with a laugh.

“Alright,” Liu Liqun nodded. “Then, Qing Xiaotu, follow me. Our task for the next few days is to pack the equipment and then move it to the vehicles. There are some rules I need to make clear to you…”

The young man was indeed Qing Chen.

He was not planning to head to Taboo Land site 065 with PCA team seven because he wanted to arrive at the town there ahead of time and get familiar with the terrain of Taboo Land site 065.

Moreover, since the detectives would be escorting Jindai Yasuhara, they would certainly become the focus of all forces, making it difficult for Qing Chen to operate freely while with them.

“You were saying,” Qing Chen said with a smile, looking at Liu Liqun.

“First of all, don’t take random photos while with the crew, got it,” Liu Liqun said, assuming the attitude of someone who knows the ropes of the set. “Don’t take some fan’s money and help them sneak photos. If you’re caught, there will be no place for you in the entire Federation’s entertainment industry, and no crew will want you.”

“Secondly, don’t stare at the actresses or smile at them in a silly manner,” Liu Liqun continued. “On the set, the hierarchy is very clear. Stagehands should stick to their duties and not ask for personal contacts. The stars won’t bother with you; even if they courteously interact with you for a moment, they’ll delete your contact later.”

“Next, don’t always be the first to grab a meal. Let the art, camera, and wardrobe teams eat first, we eat last. Don’t act like you’ve never seen food before. Your share won’t miss you.”

“Lastly, don’t be too scheming. I know what you are here for. If you work diligently, the director and assistant director might see it and could give you a chance. But if you show too much cunning, nobody will give you that chance.”

Qing Chen chuckled.

This head of the stagehands, Liu Liqun, and Assistant Director Wang seemed to consider him as a scheming young man with ulterior motives.

Of course, the set never lacked such young dreamers.

After finishing, Liu Liqun gave Qing Chen a look. “You look quite decent, but in the entertainment industry, that’s just considered decent. Don’t overthink it.”

Qing Chen didn’t argue; he just said with a smile, “Okay.”

When they arrived in the equipment room, there were six stagehands already working, making a total of eight people including Qing Chen and Liu Liqun.

But Liu Liqun didn’t work; while others were laboring, he lay on a nearby lounge chair, directing them.

The stagehands sized up Qing Chen. One of them whispered with a laugh, “Another one with dreams.”

It seemed, to the stagehands, seeing young people chasing dreams in the entertainment industry was nothing new.

After all, being a star was so lucrative, with so many people serving you, special meals made for you on set, and people holding umbrellas over your head.

The money made from shooting a single movie could last ordinary people several lifetimes.

However, under capital control, not all stars had it so easy. Nowadays, since capital monopolized all broadcasting platforms, if a star didn’t sign a decades-long contract with a financial group’s agency, you wouldn’t exist on any platform.

When capital monopolizes an industry, it can do whatever it wants.

Only a few stars with strong backgrounds could maintain their independence.

Still, being a star was a highly glamorous job. Being a worker either way, choosing a job with high pay and high status was definitely better than working in a factory.

In many people’s eyes, this was seen as a means of class transition.

A clean-faced stagehand called out to Qing Chen, “Come over and work.”

Someone whispered, “Why call him over?”

The stagehand replied, “Stop talking nonsense. Anyway, having one more person to help out is a good thing.”

Qing Chen didn’t hesitate; he immediately got started helping to pack and box equipment, and then joined everyone in moving it to the parking lot downstairs.

The crew members, seeing his work was brisk, didn’t have much else to say.

While working, they muttered, “Right, Zhou Cang, this trip to the wilderness—do you think we’ll really run into some dangers?”

The one who had called out to Qing Chen was named Zhou Cang.

Another crew member remarked, “With today’s technology, what can’t CG do? Why do we need to go to the wilderness in the first place?”

Another one laughed and explained, “You don’t get it, do you? Nowadays, virtual life strives for realism, and the details there still can’t match the data obtained from actual filming. Some folks even bought a decommissioned A-Class floating ship and blew it up for the sake of realism, and their box office earnings exploded.”

“As long as we don’t venture into Taboo Land, there should be no big problem,” Zhou Cang said, “I’ve been to the wilderness with a film crew before, and honestly, it wasn’t that scary. Film crews aren’t stupid; why would those rich guys go looking for trouble?”

“That’s true,” another crew member Liu Hui added, “Have you heard? Qin Peipei is currently negotiating with the crew. She said she’d drop out if they can’t find a diesel RV.”

Zhou Cang muttered, “She’s in her prime; it’s pretty normal for her to throw her weight around. That male star Li Yu is the same, isn’t he? He wants 12 people in the crew just to attend to him.”

“Gee, talk about grand,” Liu Hui said sarcastically, “Oh, and I heard the wilderness guide they’ve hired this time is pretty tough—he’s killed wildmen before.”

“Yeah, I heard about that in a bar, the leader’s called Sun Chu Ci, definitely has killed wildmen, and even got a reward from the Federation. I heard their equipment is plentiful and all high-quality military grade,” Zhou Cang said, “With that, even if we run into wildmen, we needn’t worry. Just relax completely.”

By this point, Qing Chen was starting to grimace.

There were actually three other crews heading to the wilderness at the same time.

However, two of them were headed in different directions from his, and another crew happened to have someone he knew—one of those who attended Song Niannian’s birthday party.

That’s why Qing Chen had chosen this crew.

And now, they had actually hired Sun Chu Ci and his team as guides?

Well, yes, although there were many teams of Wilderness Hunters, very few could actually kill wildmen.

Moreover, last time Qing Chen had tricked Deer Island and Jindai, leaving a street full of weapons for them, which equipped these rookies with much better armories.

Even Qing Chen hadn’t realized at the time, that casually helping out Sun Chu Ci had already bolstered their reputation among the Time Travelers.

Just then, foreman Liu Liqun came over and said, “Let’s pause our work for now; the Wilderness Hunters have arrived and are upstairs. We need to head to the parking lot now to transfer their equipment to our vehicles—we’ve got to spare two vehicles for them.”

Zhou Cang was taken aback. “Don’t they have their own vehicles?”

“Quit the chatter; when people come to guide for the crew, it’s natural for the crew to provide the vehicles,” Liu Liqun retorted.

The crew had money; renting a few ordinary diesel SUVs was no issue.

The group followed Liu Liqun downstairs to the parking lot. Not long after, Director Zhang, Assistant Director Wang came down laughing and chatting with the Wilderness Hunters, saying, “We are really counting on you for this wilderness location shoot. If you say a place is dangerous, we absolutely won’t go there. If you say something is dangerous, we will leave right then and there.”

Tuan Zi responded with a smile, “Don’t worry, as long as you follow our lead, you’ll be safe… Should we actually run into any danger, we’ll just leave.”

At that, Tuan Zi turned his head and saw Qing Chen among the crew members.

Sun Chu Ci and his team internally cursed, Should we just leave now?!

How did he end up here?!

Sun Chu Ci blinked several times; he was certain it was Qing Chen, there could be no mistake!

At one point, Sun Chu Ci suddenly wondered, Qing Chen being here must mean he’s heading to the wilderness too, so something big must be happening.

Traveling with someone like him would definitely increase their own risk significantly.

However, Sun Chu Ci quickly recovered and hurriedly tugged at Tuan Zi’s sleeve.

Qing Chen blending in here definitely meant he was incognito; seeing the work gloves on his hands confirmed it.

Therefore, they absolutely couldn’t acknowledge this bigwig. If they spoiled his plans, they might never get another chance to cling to his coattails.

No room for fools around big shots.

Right then, Assistant Director Wang joked, “You folks must be among the fiercest of the Wilderness Hunters, having you as our escorts ensures this shoot will run smoothly.”

Tuan Zi hastily replied, “Not at all, not at all.”

Assistant Director Wang blinked in surprise. Hadn’t Tuan Zi been boasting just moments ago? Why the sudden modesty?!

Then, Liu Liqun came up and said, “I’ve got people to help with your gear. Where’s your vehicle parked?”

Sun Chu Ci quickly replied, “No need, no need, we’ll handle it…”

The crew and Liu Liqun all looked puzzled. Were these formidable Wilderness Hunters really so polite and easy to talk to?!

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