From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

"You know what? It seems Yu Liang is planning to publish 'Raging Storm'," Tang Xiaohu said in a low voice.

"Publish a book?" Lin Jiachuan was taken aback. "Is it not enough that the script was made into a TV series? You also want to publish it as a novel?"

Tang Xiaohu clicked his tongue and exclaimed, "To be able to use a copyright in so many different ways, this person really has a brilliant business mind."

-

A few days later, Guo Qilin arrived.

He had just finished filming the early scenes for "Joy of Life 2" and flew directly from Hengdian.

Yu Liang sent someone to pick him up at the airport, while he waited at the entrance of the film set.

Seeing the minivan approaching from afar, Yu Liang rushed over to greet it. Before the car had even come to a complete stop, he pulled the door open from the outside.

"Da Lin!"

Guo Qilin had just gotten out of the car and hadn't even had time to stand properly when Yu Liang grabbed him and put his arm around him.

Yu Liang gave him a tight bear hug, her arms wrapped around him so tightly that Guo Qilin could barely breathe.

"Brother... let go, let go..." He patted Yu Liang's back, finally managing to break free. "You're stronger than before."

"I'm just happy." Yu Liang let go of him, looked him up and down, "You came all this way to support your brother, I'll remember that favor."

Guo Qilin waved his hand, saying "It's my duty," but his gaze couldn't help but pass over him and glance into the film set.

"Brother, you're amazing now." He looked away, his tone genuinely impressed. "You're playing the third male lead and you're also investing in your own business."

"You should know that I played the fifth lead role in 'Joy of Life'."

"It's all just messing around," Yu Liang chuckled. "It's nothing serious."

"Nonsense?" Guo Qilin became serious. "This is a drama co-produced with Yangshi, a serious drama that can be broadcast on Yangshi. Brother, this is not the same as 'Joy of Life'."

Guo Qilin knew perfectly well that a mainstream drama like "The Storm" was far superior to a historical commercial drama like "Joy of Life" in some aspects.

This officially recognized subject matter is eligible to participate in the selection of authoritative film and television awards.

"Brother, I've read the script," Guo Qilin paused, then said seriously, "The character Gao Qisheng is so compelling. If you play him well, you might even win a Best Newcomer Award or Best Supporting Actor in the mainstream award competition."

Yu Liang smiled and said, "I haven't thought that far ahead. Right now, I just want to make sure the show is well-made, and hopefully it will help me make some money when it airs."

Guo Qilin thought for a moment and nodded.

That's true, his brother is always the type to do things first and talk about them later.

"Come on, I'll take you to find Teacher Zhang Yi." Yu Liang strode forward, introducing as they walked, "You've read the script. The role you play is Teacher Zhang Yi's apprentice in the play. In the play, you're master and apprentice, and in real life, you should also learn from Teacher Zhang Yi. After all, he's a TV King and a Movie King, and we still need to learn from him in terms of acting skills."

Guo Qilin nodded earnestly.

"Jiang City is different from Hengdian. The food here is lighter, with more seafood and milder flavors," Yu Liang said as they walked. "If you don't like it, you can go find Teacher Jia Bing. He often cooks special meals for the director and Zhang Yi and a few others. I go to his place for a meal every few days."

As Yu Liang walked, she explained the situation to Guo Qilin, worried that he might not be used to being on set.

After a while,

The two arrived at Zhang Yi's RV.

The car door was closed, and there was no sound from inside.

Yu Liang didn't rush to open the car door, but instead waved to the side of the RV.

A short while later, a short-haired girl jogged over from the other side of the RV.

"Teacher Yu Liang, is there anything I can help you with?"

Zhang Yi's assistant is named Xiao Luo, who is about 27 or 28 years old. She was originally a makeup artist on set. They met on the set of their previous film. Zhang Yi saw that she was clever and quick-witted, so he kept her by his side as his assistant.

She speaks softly but crisply.

"Sister Luo, is Professor Zhang Yi awake yet?"

"I worked through the night last night and am still catching up on sleep."

"Is there anything I can help you with? Perhaps I can pass on your message after Teacher Zhang Yi wakes up?"

Yu Liang said, "It's nothing. Teacher Guo Qilin just joined the crew. He has scenes with Teacher Zhang Yi, so I wanted to bring him here to meet him first."

Xiao Luo tilted his head and noticed that there was another person standing behind Yu Liang.

Once she saw it clearly, her expression immediately lit up.

"Professor Guo Qilin!" Xiao Luo pulled out her phone, her voice trembling with excitement. "Can I take a picture with you? I loved your portrayal of Fan Sizhe in 'Joy of Life'!"

Guo Qilin was a little embarrassed by her enthusiasm and subconsciously glanced at Yu Liang.

"Hey, hey, hey," Yu Liang interjected, "Sister Luo, I've been on set for so many days, how come I haven't seen you take a picture with me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the door of the RV was pushed open from the inside.

"You?" Zhang Yi yawned as he got out of the car, a tuft of hair sticking up.

"She's taken countless photos of you without your knowledge, so why would you need to take a picture with her?"

Xiao Luo's face instantly turned red. "Teacher Zhang Yi, why do you blurt out everything?"

Zhang Yi smiled and waved his hand dismissively: "It's alright, Yu Liang won't be stingy and will make you delete the photos."

After saying that, he looked at Guo Qilin and said with a smile, "Qilin, you're here. Come in and sit down quickly."

Guo Qilin bowed slightly: "Hello, Teacher Zhang Yi."

"Have you finished filming your scenes?" Zhang Yi asked, gesturing for Xiao Luo to pour some water.

"Not yet. I don't have many scenes to film these days, so I'm taking advantage of my break to come and learn a bit," Guo Qilin said modestly.

Zhang Yi laughed: "Study? I'm here specifically to support Yu Liang."

Guo Qilin smiled sheepishly and did not deny it.

Just then, a voice came from the side.

"Qi Lin is here?"

Zhang Songwen walked over from the film set. Today he was wearing a dark gray long-sleeved shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his forearms, and he looked relaxed and energetic.

"Welcome, welcome." He smiled as he walked up to Guo Qilin, shook hands with him, and then turned to Yu Liang and joked.

"Yu Liang, I'm actually at a disadvantage. You and Teacher Zhang Yi both got RVs, but I didn't."

Yu Liang was quite shameless. "Then you should work hard, and I'll get you a motorhome later."

"Hello, Teacher Songwen." Guo Qilin greeted her politely, but his gaze unconsciously darted back and forth between Yu Liang and Zhang Songwen.

He heard clearly what the two of them had just said.

Did Liang Ge sign Songwen?

Guo Qilin suddenly felt a little dazed.

He recalled that when they were filming "Joy of Life" in Duyun, Yu Liang was just a supporting character with few scenes.

Back then, the two of them were sharing a box of fruit in a corner of the film set. Yu Liang said he wanted to try and see if he could gain a foothold in the entertainment industry.

It hasn't been long, and Liang Ge has already invested in TV series and signed veteran actors.

Soon after, director Xu Jizhou arrived, followed by Lin Jiachuan and Tang Xiaohu.

A group of people crowded around the RV, making the already narrow passageway completely packed.

Zhang Yi asked Xiao Luo to fetch a few folding chairs from the next shed, and everyone sat scattered in the sun, chatting idly.

When discussing the plot structure, Zhang Yi and Zhang Songwen each shared their opinions, occasionally turning to ask a question.

"Yu Liang, what do you think?"

Yu Liang sometimes nodded in agreement, and sometimes added a few of his own thoughts, speaking slowly and deliberately, saying little but always hitting the nail on the head.

Guo Qilin sat quietly to the side and listened.

He found that the atmosphere on this film crew was unlike any other film crew he had ever worked on before.

In the past, during conversations on film sets, someone would always steer the conversation toward his father, their words carrying a polite and appraising tone, as if saying, "Hello, Mr. Guo."

He was used to it and didn't think much of it.

But this production crew is different.

These people were talking about the script, the characters, and the performances; not a single person mentioned Lao Guo.

When they spoke to him, their tone was no different from how they spoke to others, as if he were just Guo Qilin, not someone's son.

He knew this must be related to Brother Liang.

"Qi Lin," Zhang Yi suddenly turned around, "I heard Hao Wei plays the Crown Prince in 'Joy of Life'? Do you have any scenes with him?"

Guo Qilin nodded: "A little, but not much. Does Professor Zhang Yi know Haowei?"

"We worked together on the last film; he played my assistant."

"He's a good young man."

Several veteran actors from the first season of "Joy of Life" present at the scene nodded in agreement.

Guo Qilin noticed that when these people talked about their colleagues, the topic always revolved around the play itself: who had solid acting skills, who had good lines, and who was the most serious on set.

Nobody talks about billing order, nobody talks about popularity, and nobody talks about who's backing whom.

He thought it might be because the core members of the production team, Zhang Yi, Zhang Songwen, and Yu Liang, were people who let their acting speak for itself.

"Oh, right, Da Lin," Yu Liang suddenly stood up, looked around at everyone present, "how about we treat him to a welcome-back dinner tonight?"

"Okay!" Lin Jiachuan was the first to respond.

"I thought the oysters from that place last time were pretty good," Tang Xiaohu added.

Guo Qilin quickly waved his hand and lowered his voice to say to Liang, "Brother, I came here to help you, why did you have to spend money?"

"What's the big deal?"

"Dalin," Xu Jizhou interrupted Yu Liang, smiling and gesturing with his chin towards Guo Qilin, "Don't feel sorry for your brother, your brother's rich!"

Yu Liang immediately turned around and said, "Director, I have to say something to you now that you've said that."

"Since Da Lin is making a cameo appearance, shouldn't you, as the director, be the one to pay for his meal on behalf of the crew?"

Everyone nodded in unison and turned to Xu Jizhou.

"right!"

"Director, please!"

"This meal is on the director, but we'll have Yu Liang's next time!"

Surrounded by the crowd, Xu Jizhou helplessly pulled out his wallet. He looked at the wallet in his hand, then at Yu Liang, who was laughing the loudest, and shook his head.

"Okay, it's my treat. But next time, Yu Liang, it's your turn."

"No problem," Yu Liang replied with a smile.

Guo Qilin stood in the crowd, watching Yu Liang and the director bicker back and forth. Zhang Yi next to him kept laughing at their conversation, while Zhang Songwen was already discussing with Lin Jiachuan what dishes to order.

Guo Qilin suddenly realized that he had made the right choice in joining this group.

However, wasn't it agreed that I was here to support him? Why do I feel like I'm receiving special treatment?