bookrandom Chapter 174 War Tiger's Compromise
Chapter 174 War Tiger's Compromise
Puss in Boots lunged at the red dot, leaping forward and swatting with her paw. Just as she was about to grab the red dot, her eyes gleaming with excitement, a powerful figure suddenly appeared in front of her—it was Tiger.
Puss in Boots was knocked flying, and while she was in mid-air, she finally came to her senses.
Wait a minute, why am I chasing that red dot?
She flipped and landed steadily, then immediately changed targets and rushed to Rabbit's side, snatching the laser pointer away. "Rabbit, don't play with this kind of thing!"
The red dot disappeared, and Zhanhu and the two Mengji stopped, falling into an awkward silence in the private room.
Cotton Peach silently pulled her still-dazed son back to his seat, trying to make her presence as inconspicuous as possible, and also covered Walnut's mouth.
"Director Li..." Rabbit Master started to speak but then paused, looking hesitant.
Puss in Boots' face twitched. She wanted to say something to ease the awkwardness, but swallowed her words several times. Fortunately, a beast came to her rescue.
"Tony! You've gone too far!" Zhan Hu, whose body had been frozen in place, suddenly roared.
The bunny's attention was drawn to it, and Puss in Boots secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"No, what's wrong with you now?"
Upon hearing Rabbit Lord's question, Zhan Hu met his gaze and snorted coldly, "Hmph! I've already warned you, yet you still dare to be disrespectful to me! Since that's the case, I won't keep you company any longer!"
After saying that, he went to the door of the private room, opened it, and left angrily, though his retreating figure seemed to carry a hint of panic.
"Hey, why are you running away from home like this? Wait for me!" Rabbit hurriedly chased after him, then remembered something as he went out and turned back to Puss in Boots, saying, "Don't worry, Director, the script will be as it is. Zhan Hu will handle it." After saying that, he hurriedly chased after Zhan Hu.
Only three feline creatures remained in the private room.
Puss in Boots coughed and asked, "Um... what does Walnut think? Is this script acceptable to him?"
Walnut blinked its big, bright blue eyes, pointed to its covered area, and Cotton Peach finally released its grip.
"Mommy. Mommy, why..."
"Answer the director's question."
Cotton Peach interrupted her son with a gentle voice. She and Puss in Boots exchanged a glance, and the two animals tacitly took over what had happened.
Walnut was quite obedient. He looked at Puss in Boots, paused for a moment, and then asked blankly, "Moo... what script was it again?"
He had clearly forgotten about the farce that had just happened.
Puss in Boots explained it again, and Walnut suddenly understood, then turned to look at his mother.
Cotton Peach smiled slightly, "Walnut, you can make your own decision. Mom doesn't mind."
With her parents' support, Walnut immediately turned around and said happily, "Great! Great! Walnut is willing to recognize Big White Tiger as her godfather. He looks so handsome and powerful!"
"Meow?" Puss in Boots opened its mouth, as if to say something but then stopped itself.
She meant whether the script was acceptable, not that she was actually recognizing a godfather... Oh well, as long as the child is happy.
So the script was finalized, and afterwards Rabbit called to say that Zhanhu had taken care of it.
……
On the day of the shoot,
After listening to Puss in Boots' explanation of the scene, Zhanhu stood hesitantly outside the filming area. Rabbit gave him a push, "What are you thinking about? Hurry up and go."
Zhan Hu glared at him before walking to his ready position.
"Action!"
Filming began, and Walnut took fish food to the pond in the backyard of the Deer Man's shop to catch fish. After catching only a few, he complained that the fish were too small. Just then, a large catfish jumped out of the pond, startling him. Walnut was overjoyed and wanted to catch the catfish for a feast, but he didn't expect the size difference to be so great. He couldn't budge the catfish at all and ended up crying instead.
"Waaaaaah... Daddy, Mommy..."
The moment Zhanhu saw Walnut crying, he silently stepped forward.
"Hmph, even if you call your grandparents, it won't make a difference." The big catfish chuckled twice as it leaned against the edge of the pool.
A shadow suddenly loomed over him. The giant catfish, sensing something was wrong, had barely opened its eyes when Zhanhu, with lightning speed, bit down on its head and swung it forcefully.
"Ugh!"
The giant catfish leaped into the air, splashing water droplets as it was slammed back to the ground with a thud. It rolled its eyes in pain, thrashed about a couple of times, and then lay still.
Walnut was stunned. After a moment of blank staring, her eyes suddenly lit up. "So handsome! Who are you?"
With its back to the sun, Zhanhu raised its paw, pressed down on the large catfish, and lowered its head, saying, "My name is Zhanhu. Little guy, what's yours?"
"My name is Walnut!"
"Oh?" Zhan Hu narrowed his eyes, exuding domineering arrogance. "Seeing that you bear some resemblance to me, how about you recognize me as your godfather?"
"Cut!" Puss in Boots shouted, stopping the filming. "Zhanhu, you're acting too seriously. This isn't how it's supposed to be done, and the lines are wrong too."
"Huh?" Zhan Hu frowned and turned around to look at him with hostility.
"Uh, I meant you were too domineering. You should be more humble with the children; that would be more appropriate for the camera." Puss in Boots quickly corrected himself.
Low emotional intelligence: You didn't act well.
High EQ: You're too domineering; it doesn't fit the requirements of this shot.
Sometimes, directors also need to be flexible and adaptable.
"Ahem, maybe I'm not in good form this time. Let's try another shot." Director Puss in Boots' authority crumbled as he coughed twice to change the subject, facing the gazes of many staff members.
The second shoot began, this time focusing on Zhanhu teaching Hetao how to sharpen his claws.
"Cut! Zhanhu, don't be so serious. Be humorous, be humorous. This time is better than last time."
"Cut! Be a little more humorous, a little more relaxed in tone. Surely the mighty War Tiger isn't just all about fighting and killing?"
The crew members couldn't help but roll their eyes at Puss in Boots's combination of flattery and provocation. But it did work; the scene was eventually done after a few takes.
"Zhanhu acted very well. Since you got it so quickly, keep up the good work for the next shot!" Puss in Boots completely lost his nerve and showered Zhanhu with praise. Zhanhu was flattered and felt a little ecstatic. Then, the next shot was arranged to be the most embarrassing scene of urinating.
……
Standing in front of the big tree, Zhanhu faced the camera and raised his hind leg. He lowered it, raised it again, and lowered it again, repeating this four or five times before gritting his teeth, "Um... this... could you please revise the script?"
"Hey, Zhanhu, you promised me you'd cooperate properly in this act!" Rabbit shouted from outside the set.
In the end, Zhanhu couldn't overcome his psychological barrier, so Puss in Boots had to suspend filming and take a break for a while.
After the rest of the group dispersed, she gathered a group of beasts and quietly discussed their strategy in a corner.
Inside the props warehouse, the directing team and all the actors who came today except Zhanhu were present. Puss in Boots looked around and saw Xiaohang, Zhuzi, Tutu, Feifei, Rabbit Lord, Four-Faced Walnut, as well as the Gold and Silver Treasure-Spitting Mouse and Brother Squirrel. The last four had just arrived and their scenes were in the afternoon.
"Ahem, um... does anyone have any solutions for the Zhanhu issue?"
The beasts looked at each other in bewilderment.
After a long silence, TuTu was the first to stand up. "Director, the doll samples you asked me to make for our partners aren't finished yet, so I'm leaving now." With that, he left.
Gold and Silver Horns exchanged a glance, and Gold Horn, being the older brother, spoke up, "Director, we're going to rehearse this afternoon's scene, so we'll be leaving now." With that, he pulled Treasure-Spitting Mouse and Big Brother Squirrel away.
Half of the beasts left in the blink of an eye, and the remaining beasts stared at each other.
"So is there a way?" Puss in Boots asked again, feeling guilty.
"I've tried everything I can think of, but there's no way." Rabbit Lord shrugged.
The four-legged creature shook its head, indicating there was nothing it could do. As for the walnut, it was simply a mascot, standing there with an adorable, blank expression.
“I have a plan, but the director has to protect me.” Just when everyone was at a loss, Fei Fei suddenly said.
Puss in Boots' eyes lit up. "Oh, what's the idea? Tell me about it."
All eyes turned to him, and Fei Fei chuckled mischievously as he pulled a bottle from his pocket. "If you can't bring yourself to do it normally, just get high with some."
The cat's paw, holding the bottle, turned around, revealing a label that clearly read: Catnip.
The scene changes...
Zhan Hu hesitated by a tree, raising his hind leg to mimic the actions required by the script. He had rehearsed his lines in his mind several times, but when the words reached his throat, he just couldn't say them.
He promised Rabbit Lord that he would film this scene properly and not cause trouble. As Chi You's mount, he had to keep his word, but this action was really...
"I was blinded by greed! Why did I agree to such an unreasonable thing? No way! I have to find that cat and change the script." Zhanhu slammed his leg down and flicked his tail in frustration.
With a snap, a whip mark was left on the ground, weeds were broken, and the soil was sunken.
He strode out of the grove where the Japanese film crew was located, but before he could find the black cat director, he bumped into a white cat.
"Hey, wait, wait, wait." In front of Zhan Hu, Fei Fei Lan's beautiful cat face still revealed a shifty and sneaky look.
Zhanhu lowered his head in confusion. "You are... the cat beside the Three Pixiu? What do you want with me?"
Feifei rubbed her paws together and chuckled mischievously, "Hehe, I've already been kicked out, haven't I? I came to see you this time mainly to sell some things and make some money. You've had wine before, right? This place of mine is similar to wine, but even more useful."
While talking, she quietly pulled out a paper packet. If Zhanhu was willing to go with her, she would let him inhale catnip; if not, she would sprinkle a packet of catnip powder on his face and then run away.