I became famous in the entertainment industry by burning incense

Chapter 651 Hidden Doubts
In the afternoon, I went to another roadshow.

Ye Weijie clearly took Jinli's opinion to heart and did not shy away from the increasingly rampant rumors circulating online. Instead, he spoke frankly and openly about the matter.

"Yes, there was a slight accident during filming, but it was resolved quickly."

"This unexpected incident came from one of the villagers. We needed to borrow one of their houses to film the scenery inside, because the villager's house was very large and included an important scenic spot in the village."

"But the villager was very unhappy and strongly opposed the film crew going in to shoot on the scenery. The village chief went to his house many times to persuade him, but it was no use. Even the leaders from higher levels and the city came, but they still couldn't change his mind."

"Because his resistance made some villagers feel uneasy, they secretly sneaked in at night and discovered that he had used the village's public resources to do some illegal things."

Ye Weijie did not tell the whole truth; he embellished the story with artistic license.

His words were all related to the announcement.

Netizens finally understood and praised the production team of "The Ordinary Road" for choosing the right location.

[A sudden filming session led to the exposure of a local tyrant in the village—what a good deed!]

Honestly, Director Ye, why don't you film your next movie in my village? My village is in XX County, XX City. It has beautiful scenery and a great environment, with many pristine, undeveloped landscapes. The only problem is the security; we're just waiting for Director Ye's crew to come and save the day!

[The person upstairs isn't referring to XX Village, is they? Didn't someone expose a case last year where someone went out for barbecue and was brutally beaten in the street for refusing a stranger's offer of alcohol?]

[Director Ye was just trying to make money, but I feel like you guys want him to kill someone (eating popcorn)]

Ye Weijie's response to the rumors also became a trending topic.

In the past, Jin Li was the one who started the trending topics, but because Jin Li's personal style is too strong, the trending topics usually focus on her personally and are difficult to bring to the production team.

But Ye Weijie's answer this time went viral, drawing netizens' attention to the production team of "The Ordinary Road".

[Filming a drama and simultaneously cracking down on organized crime—I'm watching this show!]

Most importantly, the production crew really just wanted to film on location!

[If it weren't for the repeated obstruction of the local tyrants, the villagers probably wouldn't have discovered anything.]

So, is this show good?

[From the trailer, it looks pretty good. Jinli plays a village official in this drama, and I think her acting has become much more grounded and relatable, making the character more vivid.]

[I thought Jinli's face would be distracting, as I've never seen such a beautiful village official before, but as I looked at her, I felt that this is exactly how a village official should be.]

[It possesses a pure and simple beauty!]

[In my village, there are also college graduates who come to serve as village officials. To be honest, they dress much more fashionably than the village officials in the drama. The villagers often laugh at them for not wearing proper pants but insisting on wearing ripped ones.]

[Help... My mom said the same thing to me: why wear perfectly good pants instead of ripped ones, and why wear nice, new shoes instead of deliberately distressed ones!!]

I used to think these were trendy and fashionable, but now I suddenly feel so stupid -_-||

That's how the popularity of "The Ordinary Road" was generated.

In the evening, the crew members gathered together for dinner.

Everyone spontaneously took out their phones to browse the latest trending news.

Five out of ten trending topics were about "The Ordinary Road," and netizens were having a heated discussion about the show, extending from off-screen topics to the plot itself.

Just from the trailer, you can tell whether some of the plots are realistic and down-to-earth.

Wang Hongdou and Ma Mingqi were both very excited. In the drama, one played the third female lead and the other the second male lead, both with significant roles and their own highlight moments.

If the director hadn't cut out all of their scenes, they might have gained a lot of fans given their current popularity.

Ma Mingqi said in a low voice, "Luckily, I signed with Chenxi Entertainment and have Sister Jinli to guide me. Judging from the relationship between the director and Sister Jinli, they shouldn't cut all my scenes, right?"

Wang Hongdou, who usually likes to argue with him, surprisingly didn't argue this time, but nodded emphatically.

"Sister Jinli is my guardian angel!"

On the other side, Xu Wenwen was also chatting with Jinli.

Ye Weijie wasn't there; he was making a phone call outside.

Since Ye Weijie answered online comments during his roadshow in the afternoon, he has been very busy, with people constantly calling him.

He can turn down some calls, but he can't turn down others.

Xu Wenwen poured Jinli a cup of fruit tea and said, "It's good that Director Ye listened to you and responded this afternoon. Look, the crew's popularity has gone up, saving a lot of publicity costs."

Jinli smiled, her eyes crinkling slightly: "Even if Director Ye doesn't respond to the rumors online, once 'The Ordinary Road' airs, as long as the plot is good, netizens will still discuss it."

Xu Wenwen shook her head: "Nowadays, even the best wine needs advertising. If there's no buzz in the early stages and only a few people are following it, even if it becomes outstanding later, it's difficult to generate a large amount of discussion."

But now that it's gaining popularity, things are different. There's been a constant stream of discussion in the early stages, and if the script and editing are good, our show might really take off later on.

Xu Wenwen's eyes darkened slightly as she whispered, "I think our drama might be able to win an award."

Jinli pondered for a moment and shook her head: "It should be quite difficult. This drama doesn't have any satirical plots about reality; it's just a very ordinary story."

The film captured the development and challenges of each rural village, and of course, it also captured the villagers' desire for innovation and change.

Xu Wenwen smiled and said, "Ordinary, such a common word, yet it seems so unattainable in movies and TV dramas."

Many scripts these days lack that solid skill, and in my opinion, "The Ordinary Road" is quite solid.

Jinli: "We'll have to wait and see how the show does after it airs, and whether Director Ye has nominated it for any awards."

Xu Wenwen said meaningfully, "Personally, I think Director Ye will definitely not let go of the opportunity to win an award."

Jinli changed the subject, "By the way, how's your work going lately? I just checked your blog and found that you haven't posted any schedule announcements for almost half a year."

To be precise, Xu Wenwen's blog is still stuck on photos from the wrap-up of the drama "The Ordinary Road".

After filming wrapped up, there was no further news about her.

There have been no official announcements of any endorsements, no participation in any variety shows, and no joining any film or television productions.

Xu Wenwen sighed softly: "I have some disagreements with the company, and I'm basically being blacklisted now. Whether I can gain a voice in the company depends on how well the drama 'The Ordinary Road' airs."

Jinli frowned: "You should be considered one of the better-developed artists in your company. The film 'Dream Builder' you shot a couple of years ago did quite well. You can act in both movies and TV series, so you should have a lot of room for development."

Xu Wenwen said, "My company is just a small company. We don't invest in film and television, so we don't have any say in the business."

I wanted to get a role in the movie, but I was powerless to do so. I could only rely on luck and grab someone else's role that wasn't being filmed at the last minute to fill in.

Among film directors, I only have a personal relationship with director Chung Wen-tai, but his niece, Chiu Chi-wen, is also an actress. If there are good film roles, I'll recommend them to Chiu Chi-wen first; only the roles she doesn't want will be passed on to me.

She paused for a moment and said, "She doesn't like it, and neither do I, so naturally there aren't any movie resources available."

"As for TV drama resources, that's even more ridiculous. I clearly don't need to take the route of a popular young actress; I can take the route of a serious actress. But the company keeps persuading me to take idol dramas and go down the idol route."

My face isn't suitable for being an idol, so I refused all offers. This annoyed the company, and they gave resources to other, more obedient artists.

When "Qiu Qiwen" was mentioned, Jinli seemed a little dazed.

She hasn't contacted Qiu Qiwen for a long time.

It's worth noting that she was closer to Qiu Qiwen back then, and her feelings towards Xu Wenwen were only so-so.

However, the two of them happened to have a lot of interaction at work, and because of Xu Wenwen's dedicated work attitude, Jinli gradually began to appreciate her.

In addition, the two have quite compatible personalities, and have become friends who can now talk about intimate things.

Human relationships are like water; only the person experiencing them knows whether they are hot or cold.

The first person you meet may not be the one who stays with you until the end.

Those we meet later may not always be behind us.

Jinli said, "No wonder you envy Wang Hongdou. You said you still have two years left on your contract and want to prepare in advance. I can give you my agent's business card."

Xu Wenwen hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No need, I have Sister Fang's business card, but I haven't contacted her before."

She sighed again: "The company is my mentor, and the profit-sharing terms they offer me are very favorable. I know they want me to become more famous, but the only way they can think of is to make me take the traffic route, which is also the easiest route to become famous."

I want to pursue a career focused on talent, but that's too difficult for my company. There are many talented artists, but people are more interested in connections. Having talent without connections makes it hard to get promoted.

On the contrary, taking the traffic-driven approach can carve out a niche for oneself. I'm just a little... well, let me think about it some more.

They may argue, they may make a fuss.

No matter how unhappy she was at the company, Xu Wenwen never considered changing jobs.

She just hopes the company can see her value and figure out which path she is better suited for.

It doesn't matter if she can't get the resources; she can fight for them herself.

If she can't get it no matter how hard she tries, then she'll accept it.

Xu Wenwen shrugged, seemingly relaxed, and said, "Let's see. Maybe if 'The Ordinary Road' becomes a hit, I can turn things around?"

"By the way, do you know Lian Baozhi?" She changed the subject.

Jinli nodded and asked with interest, "Why did you bring her up? Do you know her?"

Xu Wenwen smiled and said, "I was there when you participated in the Fashion Trends event, but you were too busy, so I didn't say hello to you."

Baozhi was at that event too. I had a brief conversation with her and felt she was a nice person; we exchanged WeChat contacts.

With a gossipy curiosity, she asked, "But I looked up information about Lian Baozhi online and heard that she offended you before. Is that true?"

Jinli smiled and shook her head: "That was so long ago, I've completely forgotten about it. You mean the time when she and I participated in the talent show together, right?"

Xu Wenwen: "Yes, yes, that's it. I heard she always steals your spotlight, and you fought back against her on the show."

Jinli: "That matter is long over. She came to apologize to me afterwards. By the way, she also has my WeChat, but I have never chatted with her."

Jinli asked curiously, "What did you all talk about at the event?"

Xu Wenwen naturally wouldn't tell Jinli that she and Lian Baozhi had jointly retaliated against those who spoke ill of her. Instead, she said:

"We chatted briefly and found that she had a very outgoing personality, so we added each other as friends."

Jinli said, "She has had a tough time. She is an artist who came from LP and has a lot of resilience. In recent years, she has been trying to use Li Xunfang to promote herself. I'm afraid Li Xunfang can't even compare to her anymore."

When the word "LP" was mentioned, Xu Wenwen's expression became somewhat cryptic.

"Shouldn't the investigation into LP's case be over by now? Why hasn't the police released any information yet?"

Jinli said calmly, "No rush, let's get to the bottom of this."
-
Jinli spent three days promoting the show before returning to campus after "The Ordinary Road" officially premiered.

When netizens learned that Jinli was doing promotional work, they were initially worried.

They were worried that Jinli's grades would fall behind.

After all, she didn't attend a film school or a place that trains artists; she went to a world-renowned university!
Fortunately, Jinli had to go live every night to study, which eased the worries of her fans a little.

After finishing her promotional activities, Jinli returned to school and began attending classes diligently.

Fans breathed a sigh of relief when they heard insider information that Jinli was often called on by the teacher in class but was still able to keep up with the pace.

In a gossip forum, another post appeared about Jinli's studies.

[Imagine a certain student using their admission to Tsinghua or Peking University as a selling point in their promotion, but then they're busy with promotional activities and not focusing on their studies right after the semester starts. Could they be expelled due to poor grades?]

【Are you a hater of Jinli? Why can't you stand to see her doing well?】

[School's only just started, how do you know their grades aren't good? You're already thinking about them? I really don't know if you're a hater or just deeply in love?]

[Didn't you go to Jinli's live stream? If you just looked at what books she was reading while studying, you wouldn't think her grades were bad!]

Jin Li has a ton of scandals, while Gu Cheng has far fewer. Why are you so confident Gu Cheng will graduate smoothly? He's not bad at all!

[We've gone off-topic. This post is about Jin Li, but to discuss Gu Cheng, we need to talk about... turn right. By the way, for an artist, Gu Cheng's directing major is actually the easiest to graduate from; he can finish his graduation project in no time and even direct, star, and write his own film!]

Someone in the public relations department of Chenxi Entertainment noticed this post and reported it to Sui Lingfang.

Sui Lingfang frowned slightly. Studying was Jinli's own business, and she didn't know if Jinli could do well in her studies.

But what if the grades don't go well...

They need to arrange a public relations plan.

Plan ahead and prepare for any eventuality.

At school, Jinli was attending classes peacefully.

When she was taking classes in her major, she felt that same incredible, superhuman feeling again.