"Bang—"
The woman in costume lurched across and knocked into a nearby camera rig, the cameraman instinctively protecting whatever he could while watching in horror as the machine toppled toward the ground—
"Help! Help!"
That equipment was worth hundreds of thousands!!!
The next moment, a figure darted past, hooked his foot under the falling rig to lift it back into his arms, while his other hand quickly grabbed the wire harness buckle at Yu Xuezheng's waist, countered the direction of her uncontrollable sway, and then pushed her back with the momentum.
Yu Xuezheng hadn't fallen from a great height; if she steadied herself and rose on tiptoe she could have touched the ground. The danger was that after losing balance, the inertia from the other wire could sling her into other objects—like the cameras being used nearby or the props laid out on set.
Xiao He's shove wasn't malicious. Because Yu Xuezheng's momentum was large, that kind of force redirection and push could send her back to her original filming position.
Over on the side, the safety staff who had already rushed over opened a crash pad to cushion the impact and cooperate with her collision.
Fortunately, the crew handled emergencies like this with practiced coordination. Yu Xuezheng hit the pad and steadied herself, then came down on tiptoe to stop the wobble in her body. The relieved cameraman looked at the young man before him like a miracle, took back his equipment and thanked him solemnly while checking the device over again.
Everyone swarmed over at once.
"Are you okay? Are you okay?"
Director Lu Weicheng hurried up, glancing at Yu Xuezheng and then at the nearby gear, sweat beading on his forehead from anxiety.
"I'm fine."
Yu Xuezheng had already calmed down quickly after the accident. She rubbed the shoulder that had been struck, looked at Xiao He, and showed sincere gratitude. "Thank you."
Xiao He shook his head. "It's nothing."
"Thank you, thank you, you're my savior!"
The cameraman was even more excited than Yu Xuezheng. Carefully setting his rig down, he grabbed Xiao He's hands and shook them hard, overflowing with gratitude.
Lu Weicheng also noticed who'd saved the day — their Second Male Lead — and hurried forward to express thanks. "Mr Xiao, thank you, thank you. Sorry we didn't have a proper welcome for you earlier."
"No problem."
Xiao He glanced at Yu Xuezheng. "The wires came loose for no reason. That feels wrong. We should check them immediately."
"Mm, yes, of course."
Lu Weicheng didn't dare take chances and ordered people to inspect the equipment at once.
The crew had just been through the Wang Shaoqi incident and could not handle another disruption.
If Yu Xuezheng got injured or their gear was damaged, the filming schedule would be affected again.
Lu Weicheng felt like crying.
What on earth was going on with their production? This was pure bad luck!
Crew members moved in to sort out the scene, while Yu Xuezheng unclipped her wire buckle, walked over to Xiao He, and thanked him formally again. "Thank you."
This was their first meeting, but between the accident and the previous friction between their companies, the atmosphere was a little awkward.
Fortunately, both parties remained calm. Yu Xuezheng did not take out the trouble from The Legend of Zhaohua on Xiao He, and Xiao He had no reason to continue going after people from Xingchen Entertainment, so when she thanked him he just smiled and said politely, "It's fine, I happened to be here and helped out."
An accident like this was melodramatic and cliché. Xiao He wasn't sure whether his "special physique" was acting up again, and there was no heroic rescue of a beauty in the classic sense; really, the expensive rig owed him its life.
"Hello, Mr. Xiao." Another male actor approached, smiling and offering his hand. "Welcome to the Cangyue Calamity set."
Xiao He returned the greeting politely. "Hello, Mr Le."
The actor in front of him was the male lead he'd been acting opposite earlier, Le Yuanbai.
Le Yuanbai and Liu Zehang were from the same cohort; Liu Zehang had now mostly broken into films, while Le Yuanbai still appeared more in TV dramas.
His acting was decent, but he always seemed to be a little short on luck.
Getting this role in Cangyue Calamity was top-tier resources he obtained after affiliating his studio with Jiaxing Entertainment.
Seeing the man, Xiao He couldn't help thinking of someone he'd known before—Su Ji.
Su Ji had been the male lead in Sea Fog Pursuit, backed by a family-run studio and held back by his relatives. Though his resources were never great, he stuck it out and had a certain standing among new actors.
But small family studios are always risky, especially those run like family businesses.
Now that Xiao He's studio had grown into a company, Le Yuanbai had decisively attached his studio under Jiaxing Entertainment, while Su Ji clearly still lacked a sense of crisis...
Xiao He shook his head and let the thought go, casually chatting with Le Yuanbai for a few lines.
Le Yuanbai's role as the male lead was a demon lord sealed in a forbidden place by the Immortal Sect. The sect used the demon energy from his fellow demons to subdue the ancient demon god from ten thousand years ago.
He was, besides the female lead, the only one in the cycle who retained memories, and the two of them together experience the loop, redeem each other, uncover the truth, and save the Immortal Sect.
As the hottest demon lord persona right now, the male lead's character naturally had a bit of wickedness and roguish swagger, with an overbearing aura, but in the short exchange Xiao He discovered Le Yuanbai himself was the taciturn, refined type who spoke politely.
It was odd that someone like him could thrive in the entertainment circle, since talkers usually win favor.
After a few polite exchanges, Le Yuanbai excused himself.
Yu Xuezheng watched Xiao He from the side, and thinking of the earlier trouble over The Legend of Zhaohua, hesitated before offering an apology, "Sorry, Xiao He. Please forgive what happened before."
"That matter wasn't really anyone's fault. Your fans should apologize to Pan Yuerou."
Xiao He looked at Yu Xuezheng and replied calmly.
As a junior in the industry he would usually show respect, but now that he had become the head of a company, he didn't need to maintain the deferential posture of a newcomer.
At this moment he was the boss of Linghui Entertainment, and also Pan Yuerou's boss.
Xiao He admitted he was a bit protective of his people.
Yu Xuezheng's expression shifted; she looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I didn't direct my fans to do that. The company has been complicated recently; I haven't had much autonomy."
"And now?"
"Now..." Yu Xuezheng hesitated, then sighed. "My situation isn't great either, but since we're talking about apologies, I should make my stance clear. I heard she's still studying in Beijing? If she's free later, I wonder if I could invite her out to dinner?"
An apology needed to be face-to-face.
Xiao He knew the woman before him was tough and didn't press. He only wanted to confirm her attitude. Hearing her words eased his demeanor and he offered her an exit from the awkwardness. "Our artist also likes Sister Zheng very much. It's right that we invite her. If you're willing to come, it would be our honor."
Yu Xuezheng watched Xiao He flip his attitude in a second and found it a little amusing. She accepted the friendly signal he had just reissued and said, "Then please take care of me from now on."
In a production, having more friends than enemies is always better.
Besides...
Yu Xuezheng turned her head, her eyes flickering.
This accident of hers was probably not simple—