From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

Are you sure I'm suitable for the role of Gao Qiqiang?

He finished reading "The Storm" overnight these past two days.

When he saw the first part, he knew that this man, who gradually slid from the bottom of the fishmonger class into the abyss, was a highly compelling character that he had been waiting for for years.

Yu Liang did not make his statement completely.

"This drama has already been approved. It's true that I have the script copyright, but I don't have the right to choose the actors. I'm not sure if you'll definitely be selected."

He glanced at Zhang Songwen, "However, I can help you get an audition opportunity."

Zhang Songwen remained silent, his gaze fixed on the contract.

After Yu Liang left yesterday, he spent a long time reading the script in the courtyard.

The image of Gao Qiqiang being grabbed by the collar and forced into a fish tank by the Tang brothers at the market reminded him of the times he was rejected when applying for auditions.

"Songwen," Yu Liang's voice pulled him back, "I will do everything I promised you in the contract. Also, if Gao Qiqiang really can't play the role, I will try to get you another one."

This was something Yu Liang had considered long ago. With Zhang Songwen's acting skills, Yu Liang wouldn't feel it was a waste to sign him. It's just that no one has been able to sign Zhang Songwen in recent years because no one has been able to offer him a deal that would tempt him.

Zhang Songwen nodded. He picked up a pen and signed his name on the contract.

After Yu Liang signed the document, he took out the studio's official seal and left a bright red mark on the paper.

He put away the contract, didn't linger, picked up his phone, went out into the yard, and called Zhao Mingyuan.

"Mr. Zhao, has Gao Qiqiang been chosen yet?"

A few words were spoken on the other end of the phone.

"Then I'll bring someone with me tomorrow, and I'd appreciate it if you and Director Xu could interview them."

---

The next day, Zhang Songwen received a notification from Yu Liang to go to Xinli Media for an audition.

When he entered the audition room, there were five people sitting inside—Zhao Mingyuan, Wang Jianping, Xu Jizhou, the casting director, and a staff member in charge of recording.

Zhang Songwen stood in the center of the room, wearing a slightly faded dark gray jacket.

He bowed slightly to the judges' panel, then stood quietly waiting for the questions.

Xu Jizhou flipped through the documents in his hand, then looked up at him.

He had heard of this actor, but hadn't seen him on the set of Xinli for several years.

He is over forty years old, has a more scholarly temperament, and seems somewhat different from the image of Gao Qiqiang in his mind.

"Teacher Yu Liang said you've already read the script." Xu Jizhou closed the document. "Then you'll act out a scene—Gao Qiqiang eating dumplings at the police station."

Zhang Songwen nodded.

This scene depicts Gao Qiqiang being beaten and taken to the police station. On New Year's Eve, his younger siblings bring him dumplings through the male lead, An Xin. This is the turning point in his descent into darkness.

Zhang Songwen looked around the room. There was no table, no chair, nothing that could serve as a prop. He walked to the center of the room, pulled up his trouser leg, and squatted down.

He made a chopsticks-picking motion with his right hand, his fingers trembling slightly, picked up the first "dumpling," and brought it to his mouth.

The slow chewing speed isn't because the dumplings are bad, but because there's an injury in my mouth.

His right cheek bulged slightly and then recoiled. As he chewed, a slight pain flashed across his face. His lips twitched, and his brow twitched, but he forced it back down.

He chewed, then suddenly stopped. His eyes welled up with tears, but he swallowed the bitterness back. His Adam's apple bobbed, and a voice, trembling and choked with sobs, escaped from deep within his throat:

"What should I call you?"

……

Zhao Mingyuan leaned back in his chair, staring at Zhang Songwen for a long time before turning his head to meet Xu Jizhou's gaze.

Zhang Songwen wiped away her tears, stood up, took a deep breath, and calmed herself down.

"Thank you, teachers." He bowed slightly to the judges' panel, his voice still a little hoarse from crying.

Xu Jizhou finally spoke: "Teacher Zhang, please go back and wait for our notification."

Zhao Mingyuan came out of the conference room and stood for a moment, gazing in the direction Zhang Songwen had left. Then he took out his phone and dialed Zhou Jiajia's number.

"Jiajia, can you check if Zhang Songwen has signed with a management company?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "It's signed, Mr. Zhao."

Which one?

"It's Yu Liang's... studio." Zhou Jiajia said with a wry smile, as she had just learned this.

Zhao Mingyuan paused for a moment, his hand holding the phone still. He was stunned for two seconds. This guy hadn't even made a name for himself yet, how did he manage to pull off such a big operation, buying scripts, investing, and signing artists?

He recalled Zhang Songwen's audition earlier, the figure squatting on the ground, and the restraint with which he swallowed his tears along with the dumplings.

Such actors have been overlooked in the industry for over a decade.

While Yu Liang and Xu Jizhou were arguing heatedly over who would be Gao Qiqiang, they had already found the most suitable candidate.

Are young people these days so cunning?

---

At almost the same time, in a hotel room at a film and television base in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, Zhang Yi was flipping through the script he had just received.

The more he flipped through the pages, the more he felt something was wrong.

The male lead, An Xin, is a righteous criminal police officer from a family of police officers. He is not afraid of the dark and fights to the end despite being ostracized for twenty years. In the end, he eradicates the criminal gang and its protectors.

This character is upright and tough enough; it's his style.

But the more he flipped through the pages, the more he felt that the second male lead, the fishmonger, was the most outstanding character.

Gao Qiqiang, from a fishmonger who was bullied in the market, to gradually sliding into the abyss, and then to becoming a cunning and scheming man.

The character's growth, struggles, and descent into darkness are all depicted with solid detail.

He could even imagine what it would feel like to play this role.

The gray area between good and evil, the sense of powerlessness of being pushed along by fate, and the complexity of doing bad things yet not being able to make the audience hate you.

Zhang Yi turned the script back to the first page and stared at An Xin's character introduction for a long time.

Or, could you ask your agent if you can change it?

The thought lingered for less than three seconds before he suppressed it.

He knew the second male lead had already been cast, the contract was signed, and this was no joke. Besides, he was Zhang Yi.

Whether it's An Xin or Gao Qiqiang, he doesn't think he'll be overshadowed by any role.

Moreover, the company now intends to position him in the direction of "public security, procuratorate and judiciary", after all, this subject has been promoted by the top management and supported by policies in the past two years.

He put the script on the table and tapped the cover twice with his fingers.

My gaze swept across the cast list and found several familiar names, including the three veteran actors who played Li Dakang, Gao Yuliang, and Ji Changming.

He doesn't think he'll end up like Lu Yi, constantly overshadowed by the veteran actors in the show.

In his view, being able to compete on the same stage as such a senior is more worthwhile than any role.

---

In a farmhouse courtyard in Shunyi, the winter sunset shines through the plastic sheeting, making the water stains on the tea table glisten.

Zhang Songwen and Yu Liang sat cross-legged at the tea table. The notice of joining the crew was placed on the tea table, the paper slightly damp from the steam from the teapot base.

He didn't expect that he would be able to get Gao Qiqiang's signature less than a week after signing with Yu Liang.

For him, this kind of opportunity—the second male lead in a high-quality drama—is something he can only dream of.

"Thanks, brother," Zhang Songwen addressed him as usual.

Yu Liang smiled and said, "Brother Songwen, it's just that the pay is a bit low, only 350,000."

"It's alright, this is already higher than the movies I've filmed before." Zhang Songwen's tone was completely genuine.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then fell silent for a moment.

"Brother, do you know how long I've been waiting for a role like this?"

Yu Liang looked at him.

"Fifteen years." Zhang Songwen said these two words in a very indifferent tone, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs.

"When I was in my twenties, I felt like I could play any role. In my thirties, I thought I'd wait and see, and something would come eventually. After forty, I stopped having any expectations. Running around to auditions wasn't about getting roles anymore; it was just a habit—what if?"

He turned the teacup halfway around and smiled. That smile held gratitude, a sense of relief that long-suppressed expectations had finally been fulfilled.

Yu Liang didn't speak. He picked up the teapot and poured Zhang Songwen another cup of tea.

---

A week later, the casting for the TV series "Raging Storm" was finalized and officially announced.

To Yu Liang's surprise, Zhou Jiajia actually managed to get him the role of Gao Qisheng.

This warmed Yu Liang's heart, as he had devoted all his energy to Zhang Song's tattoo.

Xinli Media, Zhou Jiajia's office.

"Bend down a little, I can't reach it." Zhou Jiajia held a pair of gold-rimmed glasses in her hand, stood on tiptoe, and placed the glasses on Yu Liang's nose.

Yu Liang straightened up and adjusted his glasses. He was wearing a white suit today.

Zhou Jiajia took two steps back, looked him up and down, and couldn't help but click her tongue: "I have to say, you're perfect for playing a refined scoundrel."

"Sister Jiajia, are you praising me or scolding me?"

"How could I dare?" Zhou Jiajia crossed her arms, her tone unusually teasing.

"My God of Wealth. Do you think I can interfere with you now? You invested in 'Raging Storm' without a word and even quietly set up your own studio."

She pronounced the word "quietly" very clearly.

Yu Liang smiled.

Since he met Zhou Jiajia, he had rarely seen this expression on her cold and beautiful face.

It was less of an interrogation and more of a tentative expression of concern.

"No way. Sister Jia, I was going to tell you anyway, but I forgot. Besides, Xinli doesn't have any rule against artists setting up their own studios, does it?"

Zhou Jiajia gave a soft hum.

"I didn't mean anything by it." She dropped her joking tone and spoke in a calm voice.

"I just wanted to tell you that if you ever decide you don't want to stay at Xinli anymore, don't forget to take me with you."

Yu Liang was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Big sister, you think too highly of me. I just signed with Xin Li less than a year ago, how could I possibly leave?"

"I can't afford the penalty for breach of contract." He paused, looked at her, and said, "Sister Jia, you think so highly of me?"

"I've managed so many artists, and I've never seen anyone dare to invest in film and television dramas or sign artists before they've even become completely famous."

She turned around and looked at Yu Liang. "You're incredibly reckless. Aren't you afraid of losing everything?"

Yu Liang felt a warmth in his heart.

He could tell that the concern behind Zhou Jiajia's jokes wasn't feigned.

"What's there to be afraid of?" He smiled, his tone relaxed. "Isn't it because you're here? If all else fails, Sister Jiajia can support me, let me experience what it's like to be kept."

Zhou Jiajia rolled her eyes at him. A rare "I want to scold you but I'm too lazy to" expression appeared on her cold and beautiful face.

"I'm suddenly having second thoughts about getting Gao Qisheng for you. How about I talk to the company and get you replaced by Li Hongwei from Mangcun?"

"Hey, no, no, no—Sister Jia!"

Yu Liang hurriedly waved his hand.

He knew all too well what Li Hongwei's fate was; he was the exclusive prey of Gao Qisheng, the Frozen Fish God of War.

Then he suddenly paused for a moment.

Zhou Jiajia casually said "Li Hongwei from Mangcun".

This is not a name that someone who has only seen Gao Qisheng's scenes would know.

Li Hongwei's scenes are in the latter part of the script, and his only interaction with Gao Qisheng is the famous frozen fish scene.

Unless—she read the entire script.

"Jia-jie," Yu Liang looked at her, "did you read the entire 'Raging Storm'?"

Zhou Jiajia's finger paused on the phone screen for a moment.

"You need to know if there are any roles that suit you," she said indifferently without looking up.

Yu Liang looked at her.

Sunlight streamed through the glass window, falling on her cool and beautiful profile.

"Thanks, Sister Jia," he said.

"Come on," Zhou Jiajia put her phone away. "But seriously, are you really that sure 'Raging Waves' will be a hit?"

Instead of waiting for Liang's reply, she continued, "Do you think we're the only ones with foresight? Huanle Films, in collaboration with iQiyi, is already filming 'The Thunder,' starring Huang Jingyu. It's also about drug enforcement and anti-gangsterism, and the investment scale is no smaller than ours."

"The same team behind 'In the Name of the People' also produced 'The Circuit Prosecutor's Team,' which they call a sister series. Next year, at least three big-budget productions will be clashing head-on in the field of juvenile delinquency cases."

"Our business has the backing of Yangshi, but so do theirs, so the competition is fierce."

Yu Liang leaned against the window and listened to her finish speaking.

He knew that Zhou Jiajia was telling the truth.

In the previous life, "The Thunder" and "The Circuit Prosecutor" were indeed works that received high attention one after the other.

In particular, "The Thunder" was adapted from a real major case, which made it a hot topic and it dominated the trending search list for a long time after it was broadcast.

"Sister Jia, having many similar themes isn't necessarily a bad thing," he said. "Besides, good stories aren't afraid of being released at the same time."

"Okay." Zhou Jiajia picked up the schedule on the table. "The makeup test is tomorrow, don't be late. I prepared three pairs of gold-rimmed glasses for you, just in case they break." She walked to the door, paused, and didn't turn around.

"Yu Liang".

"Um?"

"Don't waste the role of Gao Qisheng. I feel this role suits you very well, and if you play it well, it will be outstanding."

"Don't worry." Yu Liang nodded. He smiled; he felt the same way.

This character, with his extreme contrast between being refined and mad, is another highly compelling role besides Gao Qiqiang.

Moreover, he has many memorable scenes in this drama, including the one the two of them just mentioned in their conversation—"Chasing after me with a frozen fish in hand, I'm called Qisheng, remember that."