From unemployment in crosstalk to top star in Chinese entertainment

A month later.

Qiannan, Duyun Film and Television City.

December in Qiannan is not cold, with daytime temperatures still in the teens, but the temperature difference between day and night is large, and a gust of wind in the mountains can chill you to the bone.

Yu Liang arrived a day early.

He finally checked into the hotel arranged by the film crew.

Although it's not as high-profile as the main actors like Zhang Ruoyun, Chen Daoming, and Li Lin, it's still a huge improvement over the days when I was a stunt double in my previous life, where several of us squeezed into one room.

While we were having lunch, the production team sent a message: The opening ceremony will be held at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow at the New Classics Media shooting base in the film and television city. All actors must arrive in advance.

Yu Liang replied with "Received".

---

Duyun Film and Television City covers an area of ​​several thousand acres and features ancient-style streets, palaces, and temples.

The filming base of New Classics Media is located in the East District, which is a large complex of Song Dynasty-style buildings with blue bricks and gray tiles, flying eaves and brackets, and signs and lanterns hanging on both sides of the street.

Early the next morning.

Police tape was put up at the entrance of the base, and security guards were maintaining order.

A crowd of fans and media gathered outside, holding long lenses and microphones, waiting to photograph the actors as they entered.

When Yu Liang got off the bus, no one recognized him.

He entered through a side door, walked through the corridor, and came to a spacious courtyard.

The stage for the opening ceremony has been set up in the courtyard—a red backdrop reads "Happy Start of Filming for the TV Series 'Joy of Life'", and flower baskets and incense tables are placed on both sides.

On the altar were roast suckling pig, fruit, and pastries, with wisps of incense smoke rising from the ground.

The staff were busy making final preparations, moving equipment, adjusting the sound system, and arranging chairs, busy but orderly.

Yu Liang stood in the corner and glanced around.

Zhang Ruoyun stood beside the stage, wearing a black down jacket, chatting with screenwriter Wang Juan, occasionally gesturing to something, her expression serious.

Li Lin sat on a chair in the corner, wrapped in a white fur coat, looking down at her phone, while her assistant handed her a hot drink.

Chen Daoming has not arrived yet.

Actors of this caliber usually arrive right on time.

Wu Gang was not present either.

Yu Liang was looking around when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Hey! Bro!

Guo Qilin had slipped in at some point, wearing a bright yellow windbreaker that stood out among the dark clothes.

"Are you dressed so brightly because you're afraid the director won't be able to find you?" Yu Liang looked him up and down.

"That's called recognizability."

Guo Qilin said confidently, "Look at those big-name celebrities, aren't they all dressed in a way that makes them instantly memorable?"

"They rely on their looks, you rely on your clothes."

"...Brother, can't you give your mouth a rest for a bit?"

The two chatted for a few minutes, then Guo Qilin lowered his voice and asked, "Brother, did you see that guy on stage wearing black-rimmed glasses?"

"The general manager of Xinli Entertainment is named Zhao Mingyuan."

"Specializing in artist signing and development planning."

Yu Liang followed his gaze.

The person on the stage was looking in his direction.

Yu Liang had a feeling that the person's eyes were constantly scrutinizing him.

Their eyes met briefly in mid-air.

"Do I know him?" Yu Liangxin asked.

Could this guy be from Nantong, Chengdu?

"Do you know him?" Yu Liang asked Guo Qilin.

"I don't know him."

Guo Qilin shrugged. "But I've heard that this person has a very sharp eye; none of the artists Xinli has signed in the past few years have been a bad choice."

Yu Liang withdrew her gaze and stopped thinking about it.

---

At 8:30, the opening ceremony officially began.

Director Sun Hao took the stage first to speak, briefly introducing the preparation process and thanking the producers, production team, and all the actors.

Then the producer spoke, spouting platitudes like "two years in preparation" and "creating a high-quality product."

Yu Liang listened attentively.

Although he was a supporting character, he wanted to understand every aspect of the project.

Investment scale, production cycle, broadcasting platform, and publicity plan.

This information will be useful for his future development.

After the producer finished speaking, the main creative team took a group photo.

All the actors stood on the stage according to their status and role.

Chen Daoming stood in the center, wearing a dark jacket, his expression calm, yet his aura overwhelmed everyone. To his left was Zhang Ruoyun, and to his right was Wu Gang, who rose to fame with "Human Righteousness".

Li Qin stood next to Zhang Ruoyun, and Li Xiaoran stood next to Wu Gang.

Yu Liang was seated in the third row on the left, next to Li Chun, who played Si Lili, and next to Wang Churan.

As for Guo Qilin, he was arranged in the first row next to Gao Shuguang, the veteran actor who plays Fan Jian.

The shutter clicked dozens of times, and the flash made my eyes blurry.

After taking the group photo, it was time to burn incense and pray to the gods.

This is a tradition of the film crew, to pray for a smooth and safe filming process.

Before the incense table, Chen Daoming was the first to offer incense.

He took the incense from the staff, raised his hands to his forehead, closed his eyes and silently prayed for a few seconds, bowed, and worshipped in all four directions before inserting the incense into the incense burner.

The movements are simple, but they reveal the earnestness of an old-fashioned artist.

Then came Wu Gang, Zhang Ruoyun, Li Qin, Li Xiaoran...

When it was Yu Liang's turn, he took the incense, raised both hands to his forehead, closed his eyes, and muttered some incantations.

Zhang Ruoyun nudged Guo Qilin: "Dalin, what's Yu Liang muttering about?"

Guo Qilin listened intently.

At first, it sounded like chanting: Om Mani Padme Hum...

Listen more carefully—

"All money back my home......"

Zhang Ruoyun was stunned:

"What do you mean?"

"Send the money to my house."

Zhang Ruoyun was silent for two seconds: "...It can be done like this?"

Guo Qilin remained calm.

"Brother Ruoyun, my brother is... well, you'll get to know him as you get to know him."

After Yu Liang finished bowing to the four directions, he devoutly placed the incense sticks into the incense burner, took a step back, and had a solemn expression.

It was as if what had just been recited was truly scripture.

---

After the opening ceremony, a few scenes were filmed briefly. The main focus was on the story of young Fan Xian in Danzhou.

Yu Liang watched from the sidelines, not returning to the hotel. The child actor playing young Fan Xian's acting was truly excellent; after several scenes, Director Sun Hao nodded repeatedly in approval.

Yu Liang watched intently.

He spent over a decade on film sets and knows what kind of performance can move people.

This child is talented.

---

In the evening, the production crew arranged a simple dinner.

They booked an entire floor of a five-star hotel right next to the film studio and set up more than a dozen tables.

Yu Liang sat at a table with Guo Qilin and Wang Churan.

It's unclear whether the director deliberately arranged it or Guo Qilin wanted to let Yu Liang experience "the joy of being a father".

At this table, next to Guo Qilin and Yu Liang, are Princess Li Xiaoran, Song Tie (who rose to fame with "The Disguiser"), Wang Churan, Li Chun (who plays Si Lili), and Zhao Ke (who plays Liu Ruyan)...

The lineup is considered "more likely to fail than succeed".

The content of their conversations was mostly "nonsense."

The table was filled with beautiful women, making Guo Qilin feel quite reserved.

Song Tie was a quiet girl who spoke softly and had a sweet smile.

She sat next to Wang Churan, and the two quickly became acquainted.

"You're playing Ye Ling'er?" Song Tie asked.

"Yes." Wang Churan nodded. "Sister, you're playing Ruoruo?"

"Hmm." Song Tie smiled.

"It seems like we don't have many scenes together in the movie."

"It's okay, we can communicate more off-screen."

Guo Qilin stole a glance at Yu Liang, hoping to find a savior.

As a result, this person was looking down at Douyin (TikTok) and was completely unaware.

Guo Qilin glanced at Yu Liang's phone screen again.

The screen displays a video of Li Xiaoran.

Yu Liang's comment read: "Hello, Sister Ran, I'm so glad I was able to find you on Douyin."

Guo Qilin was dumbfounded.

Li Xiaoran is sitting right next to you!

Why are you leaving comments under someone else's video?!

Yu Liang noticed Guo Qilin's look and retorted, "What? Can't you just say I'm shy to my face?"

just you?

What does being shy have to do with you?

A black sheep!

The more he interacted with Yu Liang, the more he discovered that Yu Liang had become increasingly shameless.

Guo Qilin was about to retort.

Yu Liang held up his phone and asked Li Xiaoran, "Xiaoran, is this your Douyin account?"

"I never expected such a beautiful woman like you to be using Douyin (TikTok)."

"It's alright." Yu Liang's words made Li Xiaoran blush with embarrassment.

After all, this was the first time she had ever seen someone praise someone like this; it was no different from praising someone for pooping.

"You've been playing for half a year?"

"You've reached 41 followers in just six months? You're pretty good at this!"

"I?"

"I've just started playing."

Yu Liang scratched his head shyly.

"I have fewer followers, only... 598.92 million."

Of course, if you say I have six million followers, I won't argue with you.

Li Xiaoran was speechless, thinking: No, who asked you?

You've been talking to yourself the whole time!

Li Xiaoran rolled her eyes at Yu Liang.

---

Some are happy, some are sad.

Some people are happy that someone is worried.

The director's table,

Besides director Sun Hao and Zhang Ruoyun, who plays Fan Xian, there are also Fan Xian's biological father, adoptive father, godfather, and master...

Yes, that's right, Wang Yang, who plays Fan Xian's uncle, Uncle Wu Zhu, is also in it.

Unfortunately, after tonight, he won't have the chance to open his eyes and eat on his own.

Yu Liang's table was occupied by Yu Liang and his seven fairies.

Zhang Ruoyun's table is occupied by Fan Xian and his six fathers.

This made Li Qin, the only woman at the table, feel very uncomfortable.

She never drinks, but as the female lead, she was arranged to sit at a table with a bunch of men.

She took a sip of mineral water, her gaze drifting towards Yu Liang's table several times.

As for Tian Yu, who played Wang Qinian, things were even worse.

He glanced enviously at Zhang Ruoyun's table, where people were clinking glasses and making merry.

She glanced at Yu Liang and Guo Qilin with a hint of resentment.

"Come on, you elderly folks, have some food."

Tian Yu stood up and moved several dishes of delicious food to the front of several elders, including Old Madam Fan, Empress Dowager Nanqing, and Consort Ning, with a smile on her face.

"Hey, right, don't hurt your dentures."

The old ladies happily praised him for being sensible.

Tian Yu wiped the sweat from his forehead.

This night was destined to be long for him.