NOVEL WEB Chapter 157: Chapter 158: Been Playing Spider-Man Lately?
The next morning, Shen Lang drove to Zhujiang Tower Plaza early to pick up Ye Yinan, the rich girl, and take her to the film set.
Winter had just arrived, and the air in Jianghai City was bone-chillingly cold. The sky was gloomy, making the atmosphere feel heavy. People walking on the streets had their necks tucked in to brace against the cold.
Only the tourists, who were clearly from out of town, were still excitedly taking photos of the towering building, chatting and laughing, with visible puffs of white breath in the air.
The weather forecast for Jianghai City even mentioned that there might be heavy snowfall in the coming days.
Shen Lang, gripping the cold steering wheel, scanned the area and quickly spotted the sleek black Rolls-Royce Phantom.
He drove closer to the luxury car, honked the horn, and cheekily wiggled his windshield wipers as a way to say hello.
The door of the Rolls-Royce Phantom clicked open, and the first person to step out was the bodyguard Shen Lang had met before.
Standing tall and imposing like a wall, the bodyguard positioned himself behind the car door, holding it open firmly with both hands.
After Ye Yinan slowly stepped out, the bodyguard swiftly walked over, expressionless, opened the passenger door of Shen Lang's BMW, and patted the seat with his gloved hand.
He then raised his thick arm to protect the car's roof, gently guiding Ye Yinan into the passenger seat. Once she was seated quietly, the bodyguard softly closed the door and drove off in the Rolls-Royce Phantom.
"You rich people really know how to enjoy life," Shen Lang remarked with a smile as he looked at Ye Yinan's cold yet beautiful face. "You don't even need to open your own car door."
"Bodyguards are just like that," Ye Yinan explained casually, then subconsciously glanced at Shen Lang's hand, her face turning slightly red as if she wanted to do something.
Shen Lang pressed the gas pedal, gripping the steering wheel, and reminded her, "Just so you know, I can't take you out for a stroll today. I've got work to do on set."
"That's fine. I can wait until you're done," Ye Yinan said with a nonchalant shake of her head.
As they waited at a red light, Ye Yinan quietly took Shen Lang's hand. Given the limited space inside the car, she could only place his hand on her face, gently rubbing it, her eyes showing a hint of longing.
Shen Lang, already used to this quirky rich girl, teased her with a smile, "Your hand is so cold. Have you been playing Spider-Man lately?"
Ye Yinan tilted her head, "Spider-Man? What do you mean?"
Shen Lang just smiled, not bothering to explain.
"I mean, can you act normal? If you want to touch my hand, just touch it, but stop thinking about weird stuff," Shen Lang said, his face turning red as he quickly pulled his hand away when Ye Yinan's lips parted slightly.
"I'm driving, miss. Please, stop trying to get all touchy-feely," he pleaded.
"No worries, just drive slower. There aren't many cars on the road right now," Ye Yinan replied, her tone tinged with a hint of hunger as she eagerly reached for Shen Lang's hand again, trying to do something that would be hard to describe.
After several interruptions, Shen Lang, who was trying to drive, started to get irritated. "Damn it, I'm driving! Don't make me slap you!"
Ye Yinan's breathing quickened as she pleaded desperately, "Do it, Shen Lang, slap me!"
Shen Lang: "..."
…
[Ye Fan, what's wrong with you? Tang Yanyan weighs less than 100 pounds, and you can't even hold her for a few seconds? Cut the camera down and let me do it!]
[What are you doing, female lead? I asked you to let out a soft gasp, not moan like you're in bed. You're playing a wandering heroine, not the top girl in a brothel!]
[Yeah, that's right. Tang Yanyan did really well today. Cameraman, focus on her feet first, then slowly pan up, and slow down the camera movement when you reach the upper body. Finally, give a close-up of her side profile.]
[Damn it, it took three takes for such a simple scene. I'm seriously impressed. Let's do it one more time, or you're all out of here.]
[Alright, alright, good job, everyone. Let's take a break and grab lunch. We'll shoot the next scene after that.]
By 2 PM, after successfully shooting three scenes, Shen Lang was satisfied and let the actors go for lunch.
Even though everyone's acting had improved today, Shen Lang still noticed plenty of flaws. He couldn't help but lose his temper a few times during the shoot.
Sometimes, when he really couldn't hold it in, he let the curse words fly.
In this tense shooting environment, all the staff were strangely intimidated by this temperamental director.
Off set, Shen Lang got along with the crew just fine, even chatting casually with the equipment movers.
But as soon as filming started, Shen Lang seemed like a different person.
Whenever an actor overacted, was too dramatic, or didn't perform up to his expectations, Shen Lang would get furious, almost to the point of hitting someone.
In reality, there are plenty of bosses like this in the world.
The more successful the company, the fiercer the boss's personality, often with a bit of a rough edge.
The highest level of being a boss is having an aura of authority without needing to show anger.
These bosses are the hardest to figure out. One minute they might be chatting with you pleasantly, and the next minute you could be packing up and leaving.
When you're in charge of paying salaries and leading employees, you've got to be a bit tough, especially for a newbie director like Shen Lang.
If Shen Lang had treated the crew politely and kindly yesterday, creating an impression that he was easy to get along with, they would've subconsciously thought he was a pushover.
Take Shen Lang's dad, Shen Chengren, for example. He started out as a site supervisor.
The first time he visited a new construction site, he handed out cigarettes to the workers and chatted with them politely.
But the next day, no matter how he directed them, no one listened, and some of the more hot-tempered workers even talked back to him.
So, Shen Chengren changed his approach. When he went to the site, he would yell at any worker who didn't do their job well and often threatened them with fines or firing.
It didn't take long for this tough attitude to take effect. After just a few days, when Shen Chengren went to the site, the workers would run over from a distance just to offer him a cigarette.
In short, if you're going to be out there hustling, you've got to own up to your mistakes and stand up straight when you're taking a hit.
When there's no work, it doesn't matter how the boss and employees interact.
But if you're taking the boss's money, you've got to show the right attitude at work and get the job done. Otherwise, the boss has every right to yell at you.
"Shen Lang, do you always shoot movies like this?" Ye Yinan asked eagerly while holding a cheap lunch box. "Can I help you out?"
"Don't even think about it. I know what you're getting at," Shen Lang replied with a friendly, almost teasing smile. "Our crew doesn't need any weirdos."