[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-can-you-be-an-emperor-of-acting-without-lett":3,"chapter-how-can-you-be-an-emperor-of-acting-without-lett-how-can-you-be-an-emperor-of-acting-without-lett-chapter-7":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","How Can You Be an Emperor of Acting Without Letting Loose?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2324719,4547,"Chapter 7: Big Production","how-can-you-be-an-emperor-of-acting-without-lett-chapter-7",7,"\u003Cp>«Sshh~»\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The motorcycle screeched to a halt as Li Luo leapt off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He settled the fare, tightened his backpack full of gifts, and squinted ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not months, but over twenty years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This dimension was not just time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had rewound time itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never imagined he’d get another chance to return to over twenty years ago, to this place where he grew up; his eyes grew damp, his feet heavy as lead, reluctant to move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small village nestled against Green Mountain, encircled by a stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patches of rice paddies, each shaped differently, dotted the hillsides; as a child, he’d climbed the mountains often to gather firewood and pinecones, and during harvest season, he’d follow the adults into the fields to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During rice harvest, he’d always get scratched raw by the stalks, itching all over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet sitting on the field ridge, sipping cool rice gruel, he felt pure bliss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A beautiful yet painful memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Smoke curled upward from chimneys, scattered by mountain winds; the village’s familiar calls echoing home for dinner rose and vanished quickly into the hills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning home felt like crossing a tribulation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crowds were one thing, but back in the early 2000s, things were even worse; despite his best efforts to stay calm, he couldn’t help but fight a few pickpockets—those bastards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They even stole from pregnant women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, their hands were filthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Li Luo preferred to avoid trouble, sometimes he simply couldn’t bear it; he lunged forward with a heavy punch, knocking several teeth flying from one thief’s mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world was chaotic, but not like the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, there were still many who stood up for justice; with help from passengers on the train, they managed to knock down the thieves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he’d been slashed across the waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, it was only a skin wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, adrenaline had blinded him; now, thinking back, he felt a chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People today hit hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thieves were brutal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They pulled knives at the drop of a hat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even passengers were ruthless—if the train guards hadn’t arrived in time, those thieves’ brains could’ve been beaten out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo took a deep breath, rubbed his ribs, and strode forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah Luo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When’d you get back? Come drink with Uncle tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come to my place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t run, you brat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the calls, Li Luo pulled handfuls of candy from his pocket and handed them out to neighbors both familiar and strange, laughing as he ran home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time flew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Lunar New Year drew near, Li Luo’s father officially took leave and returned home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo stir-fried a large dish of snails with perilla and sour bamboo shoots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set up a negotiation feast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this kind of thing seemed utterly unreliable to outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Studying was the proper path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The father and son talked half the night over a jar of local liquor, and with confirmation from Wang Weiguo’s phone call, Li Luo finally convinced his father to let him try it out when the chance came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Firecrackers exploded with a crackling roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Lantern Festival, Li Luo bid farewell to his family, leaving behind endless slices of boiled chicken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his luggage on his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He set off resolutely toward the shores of Taihu Lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water Margin City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adjacent to Three Kingdoms City, located on the shores of Taihu Lake, it covered 580 mu, with 1,500 mu of water surface available for filming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the name suggests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a large-scale film production base built specifically to shoot “Water Margin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chewing on an ice pop, Li Luo wandered excitedly around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From imperial palaces and ministerial mansions\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>to common homes, taverns, and inns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the ancient-style architecture came into view, with rippling blue waters refreshing the spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the New Year had just passed,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>many film crews had already started shooting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The abundance of extras made Li Luo feel as if he’d stepped into Hengdian; after only a month’s rest, he felt utterly disoriented, as if he’d crossed into another world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside Water Margin City, the clinking of metal echoed constantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a construction site.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked around and learned it was preparation for “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer”; thirty filming studios would be built across the entire complex—a massive undertaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The total budget for the entire series was rumored to be nearly 40 million.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the year 2000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An absolute big production.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then again, it made sense—this version of “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer” had countless grand scenes, with top-tier sets, costumes, makeup, and props; such spending wasn’t surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wandering around,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo hopped on a motorbike taxi and headed straight to a hotel near the film base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A big production.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, money wasn’t an issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire hotel had been rented out by the “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer” crew for behind-the-scenes staff and actors with significant roles; for Li Luo, this was good news—he’d save on rent and meals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All meals and lodging—perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shoot was still over a month away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>actors were already beginning to arrive one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some studied scripts and analyzed roles; others underwent combat and physical training; in other productions, stunt doubles were used whenever possible, but with a major drama like this,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>everyone wanted to give their best.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good afternoon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the actor check-in desk, he smiled and nodded to the staff: “I’m Li Luo. I called ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl took his ID, looked up, and her eyes lit up: “Just a moment, let me verify your details.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo shrugged and waited calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Pingzhi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl typed furiously on her keyboard, then turned her head from behind the large monitor, expression stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every named character in this drama\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>had people watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially major supporting roles—almost all were well-known actors in the industry; suddenly, a complete stranger named Li Luo appeared, drawing intense scrutiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone wondered who his connection was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one expected it to be this young man right in front of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was genuinely handsome—even more than the male lead, Shao Bing; yet he didn’t look like anyone important, his entire outfit probably didn’t cost a hundred yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Canvas shoes, jeans, a white T-shirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheap clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But somehow gave off a refreshing vibe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gulp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The female staff member, whose features were fairly pleasant, licked her lips and swallowed quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo smirked, quickly winked at her: “Any other issues?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl blushed, quickly reached for a box beside her: “Here’s your room key and crew ID; someone will contact you about next steps. Welcome to Wuxi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Luo smiled, reached out, and took the documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the elevator doors closed\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>did a few fingers wave in front of her eyes, snapping her back to reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So handsome~” She patted her trembling chest and sighed: “No assistant, still so polite—unlike others who act like they’re too good to look down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you attracted to him?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The colleague beside him nodded, then chuckled: \"You know his room number—why not go knock on his door tonight?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're so big, you can definitely win him over.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Go ahead—yours is even bigger.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two teased each other, their bell-like laughter ringing through the lobby.\u003C\u002Fp>",1197,"2026-06-20T17:17:01.025Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5d341eaab2ec5a7d2728c30f7a022945ba29c709ce3cf4e25e3f923b2ad6d42f","how-can-you-be-an-emperor-of-acting-without-lett-chapter-8","how-can-you-be-an-emperor-of-acting-without-lett-chapter-6",461,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-can-you-be-an-emperor-of-acting-without-lett-cover.jpg"]