Chapter 222: Thailand

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Of everyone present, Huang Xiaoming's emotions were the most complex.

Originally, he had some minor friction with Cheng Chen over a commercial performance.

Who could have imagined that Cheng Chen would later rise to become the entertainment circle's hottest Heavenly King?

Now Cheng Chen has become his "boss," and key point—he's read the script for this drama too.

The quality is extremely high; for him right now, he urgently needs a high-quality work to prove himself.

Even though he's already starred in The Legend of the Condor Heroes as Big Beard, he refuses to miss The Langya List.

Cheng Chen glanced at Huang Xiaoming and, objectively speaking, Huang Xiaoming really is a good actor.

If he could just break his habit of rewarding himself with a domineering-CEO drama after every good role.

His career would surely reach another level.

Of course, with Huang Xiaoming's current strength and fame, he's certainly capable of playing Prince Yu, Xiao Jingheng.

Prince Yu, Xiao Jingheng, is the greatest rival of the Crown Prince, Xiao Jingxuan.

He is tall and lean, cunning and insincere, indifferent to justice, governance, and the welfare of the people.

He knows only scheming and treacherous manipulation to achieve his goal of seizing the throne.

He desperately tries to recruit the genius Mei Zhangsu, but ends up being outmaneuvered and brought down by him instead.

So this is a villainous role—a significant challenge for Huang Xiaoming, who has played only righteous characters since his debut.

But because this drama has its own unique beauty, and Prince Yu's role is particularly standout.

Nowadays, Huang Xiaoming hasn't signed with Huayi yet, so his resources naturally can't compare to what he'll have later.

The Langya List is absolutely his most worthwhile opportunity right now.

Cheng Chen remembers that in his previous life, Huang Xiaoming seemed to have participated in the filming of The Langya List II: A Long Wait for the Wind.

But due to various reasons, the performance of Feng Qi Chang Lin fell far short of expectations…

"Cheng Zong, nice to see you again."

Huang Xiaoming greeted him proactively.

"Xiaoming Ge, I didn't expect you'd come."

Cheng Chen said with a smile.

"I couldn't help it—your drama is just too captivating. When I first got the script,

I was drawn in by this brilliant political intrigue and read the entire thing in three days without stepping out."

Huang Xiaoming held up three fingers, slightly exaggerating.

"Hahaha, glad you like it. I think Xiaoming Ge, you should take on Prince Yu—it's a role with great potential."

The entire The Langya List portrays many characters, and the several princes involved in the succession struggle are all vividly drawn.

Unlike some dramas that treat supporting roles as mere tools.

Huang Xiaoming nodded; coming from Cheng Chen's mouth, this meant Prince Yu was essentially his.

Then, Cheng Chen chatted with the four of them for a while, and when mealtime came, he treated them to dinner.

The pre-production preparations for The Langya List were essentially complete.

Notably, due to the massive investment, Cheng Chen's funds were not abundant.

Anhui Satellite TV, somehow hearing about it, came to Cheng Chen on its own and offered to invest in the drama.

Speaking of Anhui Satellite TV, it's also a legend.

Once the top satellite channel, later it became a second-tier one.

Anhui Satellite TV actually rose to fame early—in 2003 already.

Anhui Satellite TV seemed to have found the secret to boosting ratings: television series.

So it focused on TV dramas, and during that period its ratings kept breaking records, even airing 23 episodes in a single day.

From 2005 to 2008, Anhui Satellite TV ranked among the top three provincial satellite channels continuously.

But good times didn't last—Anhui Satellite TV's strategy of relying on dramas had a certain element of gambling.

After 2010, Anhui Satellite TV became almost entirely dominated by Thai dramas, far from its former peak.

Anhui Satellite TV once had a nationally famous variety show: Super Winner.

Within just half a year, it became the national ratings champion, even surpassing CCTV in the same time slot.

The success of this show made it, along with Joyous Assembly and Happy Camp, known as the "three chariots" of Mainland variety shows at the time.

Now when people mention Anhui Satellite TV, only Boys and Girls Forward remains to hold up its reputation, along with its broadcasting center building, with total investment exceeding 3 billion.

With someone willing to invest, Cheng Chen was naturally happy—in fact, when The Langya List was first proposed, investors had already come knocking.

But most were turned down; Anhui Satellite TV came with the banner of fellow provincials, and their current ratings were indeed strong.

Cheng Chen thought it over and agreed—after all, money isn't something you can spend all at once.

Bringing Anhui Satellite TV on board could share the risk and let him lean on this big tree.

After dinner, Cheng Chen bid farewell to everyone…

In the blink of an eye, a week had passed, and Cheng Chen began his concert tour in Thailand.

This time, Cheng Chen didn't go alone—he brought the entire main crew of The Thai Expat to Thailand.

To scout locations early, soak in the foreign atmosphere, and let the crew do location checks.

Everyone was excited, especially Wang Baoqiang, who never imagined filming a drama could lead to international travel.

"Just enjoy yourselves this time, don't feel any pressure—just finish the work as you go.

If needed, we can always come back specifically later."

Watching Ning Hao frown as he studied the map and script, Cheng Chen spoke up.

"Understood."

Ning Hao knew Cheng Chen was referring to him, so he closed the map and nodded.

The group set out from Jingcheng, arriving at Bangkok Airport roughly four hours later.

"Cheng Chen!"

"Cheng Chen!"

"Cheng Chen, I love you!"

As soon as Cheng Chen stepped out of the airport, he was immediately surrounded by Thai fans.

Very few native Thais speak Chinese; the proportion is slightly higher in Bangkok.

Thailand is a world-famous tourist destination.

Tourists from every country in the world choose Thailand for vacation.

So Thais rarely bother learning Chinese specifically for Chinese tourists.

Thailand's official language is Thai; due to its highly developed tourism industry, most locals can speak some English.

Of course, their accent is heavy, making communication difficult for Chinese tourists with low English proficiency.

However, the proportion of ethnic Chinese in Thailand reaches about one-sixth to one-seventh.

So in certain areas, you'll hear familiar dialects.

Many people who came to pick up Cheng Chen shouted in Chinese, making him feel deeply at home.

Wang Baoqiang and the others watched Cheng Chen surrounded by fans behind them, their eyes filled with unspoken envy.

"Big Brother is just too amazing. Back in China when we were always together, I didn't realize it."

"Now that we're abroad and see how crazy these people are—ah, when will I ever be like this?"

Wang Baoqiang said enviously.

"Don't worry, Bao Qiang. After we finish filming 'Thai Ex', everyone will know you."

Director Ning Hao patted Wang Baoqiang on the shoulder.

In fact, Wang Baoqiang has now become a goal for many extras.

They believe that if they just push hard enough, they'll earn the director's recognition.

And this phenomenon has grown more intense as Wang Baoqiang grows more popular.

In the future, Director Erh Dongsheng directed a film called 'I Am Somebody', which tells the story of the 'drifting extras' extras.

The future 'I Am Somebody' received much support and help from industry peers.

Huang Bo and Young Master Zhou lent their voices to the trailer; many film stars even wrote long, heartfelt reviews.

The film took three years from research, casting, training actors, location scouting, to official production start.

To prepare for 'I Am Somebody', Erh Dongsheng conducted nearly four months of interviews before filming.

He listened to over two hundred 'drifting extras' stories and compiled nearly a million characters of written material.

Moreover, the film's lead roles were all played by extras, so during production, Erh Dongsheng wasn't just Screenwriter and Director.

He also had to serve as acting coach, providing professional training to each extra.

When casting, the crew specifically required no featured actors—only true 'extras' with little to no acting experience.

So many people only see the glamour of stars, unaware of what countless others have sacrificed to earn their ticket to the 'screen'...

After Cheng Chen's team contacted the Thai production company, they headed straight to their hotel.

"Boss Cheng, how about going out for a stroll?"

As Cheng Chen was resting in his room, Huang Bo suddenly knocked on the door.

"Go out for a stroll? Sure. Let's check out the street scenes in 'Thai Ex'—good to get familiar ahead of time."

Cheng Chen smiled.

"Uh..."

Huang Bo just wanted to relax and experience the local flavor.

But since the boss said that, what could he say?

As a tourist nation, Thailand's unique exotic charm and relatively low costs are irresistibly appealing.

Many Chinese choose Thailand as their first overseas destination.

If you've ever traveled to Thailand, you'll notice that everywhere in its streets and alleys, you see dazzling tangles of wires.

You can't help but marvel at how amazing Thai electricians are!

When inspecting or repairing those chaotic messes of wires, finding the right connection could take a day or two!

"Boss Cheng, how about we visit Chinatown?"

Huang Bo suggested.

Everyone nodded. Compared to the unfamiliar streets of Bangkok, Chinatown was indeed a good choice.

Chinatown is a vital testament to overseas Chinese history.

The most unmissable place in Thailand is Bangkok Chinatown—it's a classic representative of Chinatowns.

Bangkok Chinatown lies in the western district of Bangkok's city center and is one of the most bustling commercial areas.

In scale and vibrancy, it ranks as the top among Chinatowns across Southeast Asia.

It is one of old Bangkok's neighborhoods, with a history of nearly 200 years.

Most buildings here are old, yet commerce thrives wildly, with almost all merchants being Chinese or overseas Chinese.

The strong Chaoshan flavor is Bangkok Chinatown's greatest feature; Teochew dialect flows freely here.

It's famously described as: "By day, a Chaoshan-style market; by night, a lively night market."

There are many gold shops, herbal medicine stalls, and snack vendors—all classic, traditional Chinese features.

There were also bookstores and newsstands selling Chinese-language books and newspapers, as well as Teochew theaters and cinemas.

Many shops enshrined paintings of Fu, Lu, and Shou, with couplets pasted on their doors.

As the saying goes, the everyday hustle and bustle of ordinary life is what most soothes the common heart.

The restaurants along the street specialized in Chaoshan flavors, along with various Cantonese snacks.

Such as pork trotters, braised eggs, fish balls, and fried noodles.

"It doesn't feel any different from being back home."

Wang Baoqiang said, looking at both sides of the street.

"Come on, big brother, this is Chinatown—it's bound to be similar to home."

Huang Bo laughed and said.

Suddenly, a man sprinted past them along the roadside, nearly colliding with Cheng Chen.

"Boss Cheng, are you alright?"

Ning Hao immediately asked with concern.

"I'm fine, no problem."

As he looked further, he realized two soldiers in beige uniforms were chasing the man behind him.

"Another one trying to dodge conscription?"

"Hahaha, these Thais are really funny—running away just to avoid military service."

"Every April is like this—it's conscription month. Poor guys."

Hearing the familiar dialect nearby, Cheng Chen finally realized.

They had arrived in Thailand during its chaotic conscription month.

In Thailand, military service is an obligation for every male citizen.

Every Thai citizen who has reached conscription age must register for military service.

Males aged 20 to 30 are required by law to serve.

But Thailand is different from other countries—it implemented a policy.

Everyone registers their military information, but whether they actually serve is decided by a random draw on-site.

At the conscription site, eligible men line up and take turns drawing lots from a box.

Drawing a black slip means they are exempt from service and spared the hardship.

Those who draw a red slip are not so lucky.

This game of chance is thrilling—no one knows what color they will draw.

Many people cling to sheer luck, so they naturally don't plan their lives in advance.

Every April during conscription season, conscription sites across Thailand are in chaos.

Men who draw black slips dance with joy, hugging their loved ones and weeping with relief.

But while some rejoice, others grieve—many who draw red slips collapse on the spot, sobbing.

Their faces turn ashen, their will to live gone.

Some even faint dead away from the psychological shock right at the drawing site.

Men who draw red slips suffer in silence; those terrified of enlistment begin planning escape before even entering camp.

But such risky actions carry severe consequences—if caught, they face harsh punishment.

Hence, on the internet, people often see these funny videos—conscription sites feel like a farce, making viewers want to laugh.

Cheng Chen never expected that on their very first day in Thailand, they'd run into this…

…