From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

Seven days later, the script reading finally ended.

Like the crew of "Joy of Life," a ceremony was held before filming began. However, this time, the first incense was burned by Nanpai Sanshu, followed by the lead actor Zhu Yilong, then Chen Minghao and Yu Liang.

Since Yu Liang didn't have any scenes on the first day, he headed towards the "Joy of Life" film crew after the opening ceremony. The "Joy of Life" crew was located at the Qingming Riverside Scene scenic area, while he was currently at the industrial park's film studio. Both locations are in the southern part of Hengdian town, only three or four kilometers apart, a ten-minute drive.

Upon arriving at the location, Yu Liang discovered that Princess Li Xiaoran was filming a scene with Fan Xian, the Second Prince, and several others. The performance area was cordoned off, and staff were on duty to prevent tourists and fans from getting too close.

He glanced at them and realized he didn't recognize the people maintaining order—judging by their attire, they didn't seem to be from the film crew, but rather seemed to be uniformly provided by Hengdian World Studios.

Just as Yu Liang was about to call Guo Qilin, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

Li Lei.

Martial arts instructor Mr. Li was squatting by the cordon, chatting animatedly with several staff members.

"Brother Lei." Yu Liang waved from afar.

Li Lei glanced up at the crowd, but apparently didn't recognize them, so he turned back to continue his long-winded chatter.

Yu Liang was amused by his selective blindness and raised her voice to shout again.

This time, Li Lei finally saw clearly, his eyes lit up, and he jumped up: "Hey! Brother, what brings you here!" As he spoke, he waved his hands repeatedly at the people guarding the cordon, "Let him in quickly, he's from our film crew."

As Liang walked in, Li Lei slapped him on the back, put his arm around his shoulder, and pulled him into the crowd, loudly announcing to the group of people he had been chatting with earlier, "This is the brother I've been telling you about, the one who follows the natural way."

Yu Liang's lips twitched: "Brother Lei, you're going to ruin my reputation like this while I'm not around?"

"How can this be called a bad reputation? Let me tell you, they all idolize you now." Li Lei said confidently, raising his hand to point at the group of people. "If you don't believe me, I'll ask them for you—"

Yu Liang quickly pressed his arm down: "No, no, no, I believe you, I really believe you."

"Oh right," Li Lei suddenly remembered the important matter, "what are you doing here?"

"Come and film a movie."

Li Lei was stunned for a moment: "How come the director revived you by changing the script?"

But I didn't receive any notification myself.

"What are you thinking about?" Yu Liang chuckled. "I'm currently on the set of 'Reboot: The Lost Tomb,' playing Zhang Qiling. The set is in the industrial park, just a few kilometers from here."

"Oh—" Li Lei suddenly realized, then looked him up and down, clicked his tongue twice, "Not bad, brother, one after another, without stopping."

The two walked and talked as they went into the film set.

At this moment, a scene before Fan Xian's wedding had just finished filming, and it was during a break between scenes. Guo Qilin was talking to Song Yi, while Wang Churan sat alone to the side, still wearing Ye Ling'er's costume and makeup, quietly scrolling through her phone with her head down.

Yu Liang gestured to Li Lei to be quiet, and then quietly went around to her from behind.

The program playing on the screen was none other than "The Voice of an Actor".

"Teacher Wang, what are you looking at?"

Wang Churan, head down and engrossed in the show, assumed a staff member was talking to her and replied, "The Voice of the Actor."

"Is it pretty?"

"good."

Yu Liang suppressed a laugh, watching as she swiped her finger across the screen for a long time, seemingly unable to find the shot she wanted to see. Her brow furrowed slightly. Then she turned to Guo Qilin beside her and said, "Guo Qilin, I don't see Yu Liang. Do you think he's been eliminated?"

"How could that be? I saw him chatting with Dilraba in the last episode—" The words were abruptly cut off before they could be uttered.

"No, brother, what brings you here?"

Guo Qilin froze, his expression as if he had been caught red-handed.

"When...when did you get here? Why didn't you say anything?"

"What did you just say? Who was I chatting with?" Yu Liang asked.

"No, no, no, I didn't say anything!" Guo Qilin waved his hands frantically.

But inwardly he thought, "I'm just telling the truth! How did your conversation with them become my fault—"

But he was afraid he would get beaten up if he told anyone.

He quickly changed the subject, saying, "Brother, Wang Churan watched a lot of your variety shows while you were away."

"Guo Qilin!" Wang Chu stomped his foot angrily.

Wang Churan's ears gradually turned red. After a two-second silence, she asked, "Why are you here?"

The words spoken by Guo Qilin just now sounded completely different from what the same person said.

Guo Qilin stared wide-eyed at Yu Liang, wanting to complain but not daring to utter a sound. He could only mouth four words to Yu Liang: "Double standard on the spot."

Yu Liang ignored him. "Come and film a movie," Yu Liang said.

"Filming?" Guo Qilin's attention was immediately diverted, his eyes widening. "Brother, you're on another film set?"

Wang Churan was initially surprised, thinking Yu Liang was just visiting the set. She was astonished to find he'd quietly taken on another project. Her own project had been filming for months and wasn't even finished yet, while Yu Liang had already completed two variety shows and seamlessly moved on to his second project.

No wonder he's been so busy with me lately.

She looked at him, unsure whether to admire him or feel resentful.

"Hmm." Yu Liang nodded. "The sequel to Nanpai Sanshu's 'Tomb Raiders Chronicles,' 'Reboot.'"

"I'll play Zhang Qiling."

"Zhang Qiling?" Guo Qilin's mouth gaped open in a wide "O." "Brother Zhang?! That's a huge IP, bro!"

---

Meanwhile, in Xiang City.

The live broadcast of "The Voice of the Actor" is underway. The seat that used to belong to Yu Liang is now occupied by another person—Zhang Jiayi, a pillar of Xinli Media.

In the first row of the audience, Zhou Jiajia sat upright, her gaze passing over the crowd and landing on the giant screen in the preparation area. The decision to have Zhang Jiayi replace Yu Liang was made between her, her company, and the production team. It just so happened that Zhang Jiayi had just finished filming a drama and was currently on break.

Zhou Jiajia went to great lengths to achieve this result, which pleased everyone involved. Only in this way could the impact of Yu Liang's withdrawal from the competition be minimized.

On stage, Zhang Jiayi had already begun to sing. True to his reputation as a powerful performer, his first note was a thoroughly enjoyable audio-visual feast, drawing a more enthusiastic response from the audience than ever before.

In a corner of the preparation area, Bai Baihe gazed in Zhang Jiayi's direction, her eyes lingering for a moment. That spot had originally belonged to Yu Liang.

For some reason, she suddenly felt a void in her heart. She lowered her head, her gaze falling on the makeup mirror she had carried with her all season. In the past, at this time, she would hold up the mirror, pretending to adjust her makeup, and tilt the mirror slightly to see the person diagonally behind her, always looking down at their phone, occasionally looking up to crack a joke that could make everyone in the room laugh.

Now it's not necessary. That person can no longer be seen in that mirror.

She gently placed the mirror face down on the table. The composure and indifference she had maintained for so long, which she used to shield herself, suddenly loosened at this moment, turning into a barely audible sigh.

---

Hengdian, night.

When Sun Hao heard that Yu Liang had signed with Xinli and would receive a 50/50 split, he patted Yu Liang's shoulder heavily without saying a word, his smile showing a hint of satisfaction.

He then organized a gathering and arranged for everyone to go out for a meal.

Unlike Duyun Film and Television City, which is far from any other towns or villages, Hengdian has a wide variety of restaurants to choose from. The group headed to Wang Mumu Barbecue, a well-known restaurant on Kangzhuang Road.

It was the same group of people from the last dinner party, except that Si Lili, who had finished filming, was missing, and Xin Zhilei was present. Yu Liang and Xin Zhilei were now both affiliated with Xinli, and this was their first formal meeting. Yu Liang took the initiative to greet her, smiling and saying, "Hello, senior sister."

Xin Zhilei stood up, holding her wine glass, her voice slightly hoarse: "Yu Liang, although you call me senior sister, this is the first time we've met. From now on, we'll both be at Xinli, so if there's anything you need, just tell your senior sister."

She paused, then added, "Your senior sister will protect you."

Yu Liang stood up and bumped into her: "Thank you, Sister Zhilei."

Xin Zhilei finished her drink and was about to sit down when Li Xiaoran suddenly spoke up: "Zhilei, you said you'd protect him? He's only been in the industry for a short time, and he's already secured a 50/50 split with Xinli. What kind of contract did you have when you joined Xinli?"

Xin Zhilei's cup paused in mid-air, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "...Sanqi."

"That settles it then." Li Xiaoran picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and glanced at Yu Liang with a smile. "You'll protect him? In another two years, he'll probably be able to protect you."

"That would be great! Then I should get to know my junior brother better now," Xin Zhilei said with a smile.

Hearing this from the side, Li Qin teased with a half-smile, "Yu Liang, I've known you for so long, how come I've never heard you call me 'Senior Sister'?"

"Isn't calling you 'Sister Qin' all the time? It's not much different from calling you 'Senior Sister'."

……

The atmosphere at the table was lively, but Li Lei wasn't really in the mood.

His gaze kept drifting towards the barbecue stall. Yu Liang followed his gaze and saw the slender and tall female owner bending over to flip the skewers. The red glow of the charcoal fire reflected on her face, and a thin layer of sweat glistened on her forehead. Her movements were nimble and graceful.

"Brother Lei," Yu Liang called out.

no response.

"Brother Lei!"

Li Lei finally snapped out of his daze, looking completely bewildered: "Huh?"

Yu Liang shook his head and laughed, "Li Lei still can't forget to give a shout-out."

---

As night deepened, on the other side of Xiang City, Bai Baihe lay alone on her hotel bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

It's often said that people are prone to developing emotional compensatory dependencies during periods of anxiety. In simpler terms, it means becoming addicted to something. This is exactly what happened to Bai Baihe, who was in a prolonged period of low spirits.

She was originally the Holy Maiden of the Hehuan Sect, cultivating the secret Hehuan technique of absorbing vital energy. Now, however, she was forced to seal the secret technique within her body and switch to cultivating the Jade Maiden Scripture. How could outsiders understand the torment she endured?

She originally thought she could seal herself away and focus on cultivation, using the Mind-Cleansing Technique of the Jade Maiden True Scripture to suppress that restlessness. But unfortunately, during a sect gathering, she encountered a young man practicing body cultivation.

The young man was tall and slender, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His white robe billowed like a dragon on the dueling platform. According to her inquiries, he practiced Iron Sand Palm—an extremely powerful and yang palm technique. When mastered, his palms would become as hot as branding irons, melting the muscles and bones to the touch. Sitting in the spectator stands, Bai Baihe secretly pinched her thigh three times just imagining the temperature of that hand against her skin.

From then on, Bai Baihe tossed and turned, her mind filled with the image of that handsome young man. She had originally planned to fight him three hundred rounds in the sect's martial arts arena. But alas, man proposes, God disposes; the body-refining youth had gone down the mountain to cultivate without even saying goodbye.

Bai Baihe felt a deep sense of regret. Lonely and bored, she took advantage of the quiet of the night to gradually activate the long-sealed secret technique of lovemaking within her body. The true energy that had been suppressed for many years slowly awakened from the depths of her dantian, like a snake awakening from hibernation, traveling along her meridians, causing her skin to burn and her breath to quicken wherever it passed. She bit her lip, pulled the blanket up to her chin, and the boy's face became clearer and clearer in her mind—his brow bone, his jawline, and the faintly visible lines of his back.

She slowly raised her right hand, her five fingers slightly spread in the dim light, and murmured to herself, "I wonder how that Iron Sand Palm compares to my One-Finger Divine Skill, and whether that Iron Sand Palm has developed a granular texture..."

As she spoke, whether it was the effects of the Hehuan Secret Technique or the thought of the song she would sing the next day, she gradually began to strum the strings, her right hand gripping the earth. Where her fingertips touched, there was a body temperature hotter than the sect's hot springs, a surge of spiritual energy that years of cultivation with the Jade Maiden True Scripture could not suppress. She closed her eyes, letting that power engulf her.

She didn't know how much time had passed. She lay on her pillow, trembling slightly, and it took her a while to catch her breath. In her hazy state of mind, she thought that she hadn't even actually fought him yet, and the mere thought of it had already made her crumble.

She turned over, buried her face in the pillow, and a faint smile lingered on her lips.

---

The next day.

In the Hengdian Industrial Park's film studio, Yu Liang had just finished filming his first scene and wrapped up work.

Before she could even remove her makeup, she heard familiar footsteps outside the studio. Looking up, she saw Wang Churan standing at the door, wearing a simple white T-shirt and light blue denim shorts, her ponytail tied high. She looked fresh and clean, as if she had just stepped out of a summer breeze.

She waved excitedly at Yu Liang, her eyes brimming with undisguised joy.

Inside the studio, Zhu Yilong and Chen Minghao, who were rehearsing their positions for the next scene, were both drawn to the scene.

After seeing the newcomer's appearance, the two were both stunned for a moment, then exchanged a silent glance with very rich expressions.

What a beautiful girl.

They don't seem to care that she's only in her early twenties.

Upon seeing Wang Churan, he headed straight for Yu Liang.

Could this be Yu Liang's girlfriend?

After seeing the newcomer's appearance, the two were both stunned for a moment, then exchanged a silent glance with very rich expressions.

What a beautiful girl.

They don't seem to care that she's only in her early twenties.

Upon seeing Wang Churan, he headed straight for Yu Liang.

Could this be Yu Liang's girlfriend?