The Common Man's Return in Chinese Entertainment

"Knock knock knock!"

"Come in."

Hearing a strange accented Mandarin coming from inside the room, a smile flashed in Ji Qingxu's eyes. The Cantonese-accented Mandarin sounded quite comical.

Upon entering the room, Ji Qingxu saw a middle-aged man with glasses and a bald head stand up from his chair.

"Director Hu, this is my junior brother Ji Qingxu. Junior brother, this is Director Hu Mingkai. He directed the TV series 'Young Justice Bao 1' that you like the most."

"Hello Director Hu, my name is Ji Qingxu, I am eighteen years old, 180 cm tall, and currently a student in the Performance Department of Taipei Film Academy."

Hu Mingkai smiled and nodded in greeting, "Hello young man, Lao Kou, this young man is much better looking than you."

Kou Zhanwen chuckled and said, "Not only is she prettier than me, but her kung fu is also better. Director Hu, how about I have my junior brother demonstrate for you?"

Hearing this, Hu Mingkai laughed and retorted, "Old Kou, you're not trying to fool me, are you?"

Kou Zhanwen smiled and gestured, "Junior brother, show Director Hu your skills."

Seeing Hu Mingkai looking at him, Ji Qingxu cupped his hands and took a few steps back.

As Ji Qingxu assumed his stance, Hu Mingkai blurted out, "Bajiquan?"

Kou Zhanwen said with a smile, "Director Hu has a good eye, it is Bajiquan."

"ha!"

Bajiquan emphasizes "beng han ju dong, pai bang ji kao", with powerful and violent movements.

Watching Ji Qingxu, who had a rather kind face, perform his boxing skills like a tiger descending a mountain, completely transforming himself, Hu Mingkai felt that even though Ji Qingxu was three or four meters away, he might get "accidentally injured" if he got any closer to him with that fierce aura.

As Hu Mingkai observed Ji Qingxu's crisp, clean, and fierce boxing style, a strange light flashed in his eyes. This skill was no less than that of the most famous kung fu stars in Hong Kong back then. The mainland is indeed full of talent.

Two and a half minutes later, Ji Qingxu finished the demonstration with his last move.

Seeing the fleeting regret on Hu Mingkai's face, Ji Qingxu breathed a sigh of relief. He must have impressed Director Hu.

"Clap clap clap!"

Hu Mingkai clapped and praised, "Good, good skills, impressive."

"Director Hu, you flatter me!"

After speaking, Ji Qingxu saw Kou Zhanwen wink at him. Ji Qingxu cupped his hands in acknowledgment and said, "Director Hu, I'll be going now."

Hu Mingkai nodded slightly without saying anything.

After Ji Qingxu left, Kou Zhanwen tentatively asked, "Director Hu, how is my junior brother?"

Hu Mingkai stroked his chin and sighed, "What a handsome young man. If he had been born ten or twenty years earlier, he might have become another kung fu superstar in China."

"The character Luo Cheng..."

Hu Mingkai smiled wryly upon hearing this, "Old Kou, we're old acquaintances, and I won't lie. Your junior brother is very talented, but he's a newcomer. You know this drama has an investment of tens of millions. If I mess it up, I'm afraid I'll never have the chance to pick up a director's chair again."

Kou Zhanwen leaned closer and said, "Director Hu, it's precisely because this drama has such a huge investment that I recommended my junior brother. Think about it, with so many actors, their salaries alone take up a large portion of the cost. Luo Cheng is one of the main characters. If you hire a well-known actor, even a cheap one would cost a couple hundred thousand, and a more expensive one could cost hundreds of thousands or even millions. That amount of money could be enough to film one or two more episodes. My junior brother is handsome, knows real kung fu, and is a professionally trained actor. Besides acting, he can also work with me on set as an action director. The money saved..."

Hearing this, Hu Mingkai was somewhat tempted, "But..."

"Director Hu, my junior apprentice gets paid 1000 yuan per episode."

Upon hearing this number, Hu Mingkai's eyes widened slightly. "1000 per episode?"

"Yes, including motion instruction."

"..."

Seeing that Hu Mingkai did not speak, Kou Zhanwen continued, "Director Hu, the crew has found so many famous actors, which is enough in terms of fame. It would not be a big deal to find a newcomer for the role of Luo Cheng."

After a moment of silence, Hu Mingkai said in a deep voice, "I'll think about it."

Upon hearing this, a smile flashed in Kou Zhanwen's eyes. "Alright, I'll wait for Director Hu's good news."

"Um."

......

Seeing Kou Zhanwen come out, Ji Qingxu went to greet him. The two looked at each other without saying a word and walked towards the elevator together.

After entering the elevator, Kou Zhanwen said softly, "Let's talk about it downstairs."

"it is good."

After arriving at the underground parking lot, the two got into the car. Kou Zhanwen asked with a smile, "Aren't you curious?"

Ji Qingxu chuckled and said, "I'll listen to my senior brother."

Kou Zhan smiled and nodded at Ji Qingxu, "You brat, go home and wait for news."

Hearing this, Ji Qingxu said gratefully, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Kou Zhanwen waved his hand, "Don't thank me yet. Wait until it's confirmed before you thank me. This film is invested in by a new company. Lao Hu has a lot of power, but he can't guarantee 100% that he can get it."

At this point, Kou Zhanwen looked at Ji Qingxu seriously and said, "Little Chicken, like I said before, first build up your reputation. If you are really selected, don't complain about the low pay, just act well."

Ji Qingxu replied earnestly, "Don't worry, senior brother, I will definitely not let you down."

Kou Zhanwen smiled and nodded. "Senior brother believes you, so are you going back to school?"

"Go back to school."

"Okay, be careful with your phone these next few days."

"it is good."

As the car started, Ji Qingxu asked curiously, "Senior brother, what projects is the company currently working on?"

Kou Zhanwen replied with a smile, "I've filmed quite a few shows, like the second season of 'Serious Crime Squad 6,' 'A Pair of Embroidered Shoes,' and 'Jade Goddess of Mercy'... but we two brothers aren't in any of them, since we're rough guys. Of course, if you, junior brother, were to..."

"That's enough, senior brother, I just wanted to ask."

Seeing Ji Qingxu's disgusted expression, Kou Zhanwen burst into laughter.

Hearing Kou Zhanwen's laughter, Ji Qingxu shook his head speechlessly.

Ji Qingxu and Kou Zhanwen are currently artists at Hairun Film & Television, the company that produces "Rock Boys" and "Rock Girls" as well as director Zhao Baogang. Hairun is one of the most famous film and television companies in China.

However, Kou Zhanwen rarely appears in films and television series produced by Hairun Films, because most of Hairun Films' works are modern dramas, and they are mostly romance dramas.

Logically speaking, given Ji Qingxu's looks and physique, as long as he's not blind, the company should treat him as a key employee to be cultivated. Unfortunately, Ji Qingxu is now practically no different from a freelancer.

In reality, Ji Qingxu and Kou Zhanwen were only affiliated with Hai Run Film and Television. Of course, after Ji Qingxu was admitted to Beijing Film Academy, people from the company came to find him, but Kou Zhanwen turned them away.

As for the reason, although it wasn't stated directly, based on the inside story Kou Zhanwen told Ji Qingxu, Ji Qingxu just wanted to give those bastards a good beating. Damn it, how dare they covet my good looks!

In the entertainment industry, there is only hatred without a reason, not love without a reason. It's not that there are no good people in the entertainment industry, but good deeds are extremely rare.

Fortunately, Ji Qingxu had Kou Zhanwen blocking his way and Old Master Wu Bin behind him. After the company approached Ji Qingxu twice and found that he was completely unmoved, they gave up. As a result, Ji Qingxu could not enjoy any company benefits, nor did he have the opportunity to participate in the company's projects, but Ji Qingxu did not care about this at all.

Whether she becomes famous or not is not important to Ji Qingxu. Ji Qingxu just wants to live a more comfortable and happy life. Besides, as a time traveler, there are opportunities everywhere. Why would she let a film and television company control her? Wouldn't that be a disgrace to time travelers?

"Senior, do you think the company might be up to something?"

Upon hearing this, Kou Zhanwen sneered, "If they don't want me here, there are plenty of other places that will. We brothers are all capable; we won't starve. Your senior brother may not be very powerful, but he's not so easy to bully. Don't worry, if they really try anything funny, we'll just switch companies."

"Senior brother is so cool!"

Seeing Ji Qingxu's thumbs-up, Kou Zhanwen grinned again.

......