ca-book Chapter 50 The rope snapped! Jiang Xinlan fell from the building.
Chapter 50 The rope snapped! Jiang Xinlan fell from the building.
"Okay, I understand."
Jiang Xinlan nodded obediently, touching the warm jade pendant on her chest, her heart filled with warmth. She tiptoed and kissed him on the corner of his lips, blushing as she said...
"Drive carefully on the road. I'll video call you and the kids after I finish work tonight."
Shen Yu smiled and agreed, then took the two children and turned to leave the film set.
No one noticed that Zhang Lei, the lighting technician in charge of checking the equipment on site, secretly took out his phone, typed a message, and sent it furtively as Shen Yu left:
[Jiang Xinlan's next scene involves wire work on a ten-meter-high city wall. Her fiancé just left. Is she going to proceed as planned?]
The other party replied almost instantly:
[As planned, once everything is done, the final payment of 400,000 will be made in full.]
Zhang Lei looked at the words "400,000" and a glint of greed flashed in his eyes. He quickly deleted the chat history and turned to walk towards the storage area for the wire rigging equipment.
Three days ago, while he was drinking at a bar, a woman suddenly struck up a conversation with him, asking if he was part of the film crew and asking for his phone number.
The woman was wearing a mask and sunglasses, so his face was obscured, but she had a hot figure. He thought it was a romantic encounter and readily gave her his number.
He wanted to meet a woman at a hotel, but unexpectedly, she got his number and started talking business with him directly.
She said she would give him 500,000 yuan to do her a small favor and teach Jiang Xinlan from their film crew a small lesson.
She said she was from Jiang Xinlan's rival side and didn't want Jiang Xinlan to get ahead so quickly. She asked him if he dared to do it, and if he was willing, she could give him a 100,000 yuan advance payment right now.
Having lived in Hengdian for so many years, he had witnessed a lot of dirty deeds and was initially hesitant about whether to take the job, fearing that the other party was a swindler.
Unexpectedly, the other party transferred 100,000 yuan to him directly, asking him to find a way to tamper with the wire rope.
Looking at the 100,000 yuan he had received, and the 400,000 yuan balance promised by the other party, he finally couldn't resist having the idea.
However, he was also quite clever and didn't dare to do it himself. Instead, he asked Xiao Wang, the assistant in charge of the wire equipment, to help him.
In the wire work preparation area of the film crew, Zhang Lei used the excuse of tidying up the lighting cables to get closer to Xiao Wang.
He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then lowered his voice and asked:
"Is everything arranged?"
Xiao Wang's face was a little pale. He nodded nervously, his voice trembling uncontrollably:
"Brother Lei, we did everything you said. We didn't replace that worn-out rope; we kept it for this scene. But... if something really goes wrong, won't it implicate us?"
"What are you afraid of?" Zhang Lei glared at him and said coldly.
"The rope will wear out naturally. If something happens, at most it'll be considered negligence on your part, and you'll get a pay cut or fired. What else can they do to you? Don't worry, nothing will happen."
"After this is done, I'll give you another 100,000 yuan, enough for you to work for a year. If you back out now, you won't get a single penny, and you'll have to give back the 20,000 yuan I gave you before."
Xiao Wang gritted his teeth, thinking of the 100,000 yuan, and finally nodded without saying anything more.
They had scouted the location long ago, and the main hoisting rope they were going to use had been worn down quite a bit during the filming a few days ago.
According to the crew's safety regulations, ropes of this caliber must be scrapped and replaced immediately and must never be used again.
Zhang Lei had already instructed Xiao Wang to deliberately conceal the wear and tear on the suspension ropes during the inspection.
Not only did they fail to report the replacement, they also deliberately left this rope for Jiang Xinlan's scene today.
Even if something goes wrong afterward, it will only be classified as a safety oversight or an accident caused by aging equipment, and will not be considered intentional injury.
They could get the money and leave unscathed; in Zhang Lei's view, the plan was flawless.
On the other side, Jiang Xinlan had already changed her clothes, and the wire harness operator was putting the equipment on her and repeatedly checking the safety buckles.
Lu Chuan walked over and asked with a smile:
"Xinlan, how is it? Are you okay? If you're not sure, we can use a stunt double. It's not shameful."
Jumping off a ten-meter-high city tower and then performing a sword-wielding move in mid-air is indeed a considerable challenge for the actress.
Jiang Xinlan smiled and shook her head, subconsciously touching the warm jade pendant on her chest. A sense of peace filled her heart, and her tone was firm:
"No need for Director Lu, I can do it. I practiced wire work for several days beforehand, and I've memorized all the moves. No problem."
She wanted to perform the scene herself to give the audience the best possible result, and she didn't want to disappoint Shen Yu and Director Lu's expectations of her.
Seeing this, Lu Chuan didn't try to persuade them any further, but instead sternly instructed the wire stunt team:
"Everyone be on high alert! Double-check the safety measures; there can be absolutely no mistakes!"
The wireman nodded quickly:
"Don't worry, Director Lu, everything has been checked!"
Only Xiao Wang, who had been bribed, kept his head down, not daring to speak, his palms covered in cold sweat.
With everything ready, Jiang Xinlan stood atop a ten-meter-high replica of an ancient city tower, holding a prop sword in her hand. She took a deep breath and gave the director an OK sign.
Lu Chuan, holding the walkie-talkie, shouted loudly:
"All departments, prepare! Scene 27, Take 1, Cut 1, Action!"
The clapperboard was turned down, and filming officially began.
Jiang Xinlan instantly got into character, her eyes filled with determination and killing intent. Holding her sword, she jumped off the ten-meter-high city wall without hesitation!
Suspended by wires, she fell along the pre-set trajectory, and everyone in the audience held their breath, staring intently at the monitor.
But just as she was halfway down and about to swing her sword in mid-air, something unexpected happened!
"Sizzle—!"
A sharp, cracking sound rang out clearly in the quiet film set!
The main hoisting rope, which was already badly worn, could not withstand the force of the fall and broke off completely at the point of greatest wear!
Having lost all traction, Jiang Xinlan plummeted straight to the ground from a height of ten meters, like a kite with a broken string!
"ah!!!"
The entire audience erupted in screams, everyone was stunned!
Ten meters high, equivalent to the height of a three-story building. Although there was a safety mat underneath, falling straight down like that would result in serious injury and fractures, even if the person didn't die, and would basically ruin their acting career!
"Xinlan!" Lu Chuan suddenly stood up from his chair and shouted with all his might.
If Jiang Xinlan gets into trouble on his set, he'll be completely finished!
Jiang Xinlan was also stunned. A feeling of weightlessness instantly swept over her body, and she could hear the whistling wind in her ears. She subconsciously closed her eyes, her mind blank.
But at this critical moment, the jade pendant she wore close to her body suddenly emitted an extremely gentle warm current, which instantly flowed throughout her entire body!
The force of the fall seemed to be gently supported by an invisible force, and the originally lightning-fast descent suddenly slowed down.
The body, which would have fallen straight to the edge of the safety mat, was gently pulled and ultimately landed perfectly in the center of the mat.
With a thud, Jiang Xinlan landed on the thick safety mat. Apart from the dizziness and palpitations caused by weightlessness, she didn't even have a scratch on her body.
The entire venue was deathly silent.