[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starting-from-hong-shixian-a-chinese-entertainme":3,"chapter-starting-from-hong-shixian-a-chinese-entertainme-starting-from-hong-shixian-a-chinese-entertainme-chapter-12":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starting from Hong Shixian: A Chinese Entertainment Rise",{"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},2351291,4599,"Chapter 12: Life is Like a Play, It All Depends on Acting","starting-from-hong-shixian-a-chinese-entertainme-chapter-12",12,"\u003Cp>\"Sorry, let me take this call.\" Qi Hui interrupted Zhang Jian and turned away to answer the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jian frowned, feeling displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid didn't seem to hold him in any regard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hello, Senior Brother?\" Qi Hui chuckled and said enthusiastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling Xiaosu’s hearty voice rang out from the receiver: \"Junior Brother, I have a supporting role here, do you want to act in it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It won't take up too much of your time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the former male lead, Ling Xiaosu knew the filming schedule of the *Temptation of Going Home* crew very well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid Qi Hui had over three months of free time!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh...\" Qi Hui paused, his eyes darting around as he asked, \"What kind of role is it? I'm afraid I might not play it well...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're overthinking it.\" Ling Xiaosu laughed heartily: \"It's a supporting role, the billing isn't even in the top five, and the screen time isn't in the top ten, so I don't want to do it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's a Zhongtong agent in a spy drama, an intelligence peddler; it's not hard to play.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Qi Hui raised an eyebrow. A spy drama, a Zhongtong agent, an intelligence peddler—could it be...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What is this drama?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"*Lurk*.\" Ling Xiaosu laughed: \"Your sister-in-law is in it too, playing the female lead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui suddenly realized; it was indeed Xie Ruolin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, Senior Brother, I'll take the role.\" Qi Hui agreed immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Ruolin, the little prince of golden quotes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from Station Master Wu of the Tianjin Station, the king of golden quotes, no one could surpass Xie Ruolin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only pity was that Xie Ruolin and Station Master Wu had no scenes together, otherwise... I’m afraid even the Family Hero and Optimus Prime wouldn't have as much sass as these two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was the character who was sassy, not him, Qi, himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Haha, then I'll come pick you up in a bit, where are you?\" Ling Xiaosu laughed. The director of the *Lurk* crew had been pestering him, constantly trying to get him to play this role.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't interested; it paid little and required too much work, which annoyed him to no end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Qi Hui taking over, he could finally pass it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui said: \"The *Snow Leopard* crew, I'll wait for you at the entrance in a moment.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh... alright, see you later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hanging up the phone, Qi Hui looked at Zhang Jian and said with a smile: \"Haha, Uncle Zhang, no need to trouble yourself with the recommendation; a senior brother of mine just happened to give me a supporting role.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I appreciate your kind intentions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Zhang Jian froze, and then a sense of shame and annoyance welled up in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had been rushing to offer a favor, only for the other party to not want it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, the shame and annoyance turned into anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never been a man of good temper, and he wanted to lash out on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he couldn't do that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was already in the wrong in this matter, and there were so many people watching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jian took a deep breath, his annoyance turning into a bellyful of frustration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn't swallow it, and he couldn't spit it out; it was extremely uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the side, Du Yuming and Chen Haowei exchanged a glance, then huddled together and hurriedly prepared a red envelope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had to do something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uncle Zhang, two directors, I'll be going now.\" Qi Hui waved his hand and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, don't be in such a rush.\" Du Yuming hurriedly chased after him: \"I haven't given you your pay yet.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he pulled out a bulging red envelope and tried to stuff it into Qi Hui's hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hey, I can't take this, I can't take this, I was just a guest extra, talking about pay is too much.\" Qi Hui retreated repeatedly, shouting loudly, but his hand reached out and naturally snatched the red envelope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having had so many social engagements in his past life, Qi Hui had long been familiar with this routine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You kid, you don't want the role, you don't want the money, what do you want...\" Du Yuming glared, his fierce expression combined with his wide eyes being quite intimidating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before he could finish his sentence, his hand felt light; the red envelope had already been tucked away by Qi Hui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Yuming: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a practiced movement... It’s a good thing this kid doesn't work in an official unit, otherwise he would definitely be a major corrupt official.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Director Du, please stay, no need to see me off.\" Qi Hui said repeatedly: \"Goodbye Director Chen, goodbye Uncle Zhang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he walked toward the outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Senior Brother, wait for me, I'll go with you to take a look.\" Zhang Ruoyun trotted to catch up with Qi Hui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no scenes these days, so he could play around as he pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, his father's series of actions today made him feel very uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today he discovered that his own father didn't seem as perfect as he had imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a good time to go out and clear his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Senior Brother, I'm sorry.\" The honest kid Zhang Ruoyun apologized in a low voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui opened the red envelope, the thick stack of red banknotes emitting a charming scent of ink: \"Sorry for what?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This red envelope was nearly ten thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the *Snow Leopard* crew, he had worked for less than an hour in total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten thousand an hour, what was there to be sorry about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Must say, the two directors were truly generous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Uh...\" Zhang Ruoyun looked at the brand-new stack of bills and immediately stopped talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Money was still very valuable back then; web novel protagonists would show off by the hundreds of thousands, far from the modern units of measurement like \"one Bing, one Shuang, one Weiya.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You're just overthinking it.\" Qi Hui consoled him: \"It's all work, Uncle Zhang didn't do anything wrong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sentence was to fool a child; if it weren't for Zhang Ruoyun's sake, Qi Hui would have been secretly causing trouble long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood gunpowder now; a little bit of tampering would be enough to make the producer Zhang Jian suffer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright.\" Zhang Ruoyun nodded, letting go of the resentment in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two were talking, a black BMW M5 sedan drove up and stopped in front of Qi Hui and Zhang Ruoyun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The window rolled down, revealing Ling Xiaosu’s face behind sunglasses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the aura of a wealthy person washed over them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui twitched his eyelids; he didn't know if his total savings could even buy one wheel of this BMW.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Ruoyun showed an envious expression; he acted in his father's dramas, and although the pay was given according to market rates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In reality, he only kept half, and the other half, of course, went to his own father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, don't look at him as a second-generation rich kid; he actually wasn't that wealthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, little Zhang didn't know that his father was the type to scam his own son.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Zhang is here too.\" Ling Xiaosu laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Ruoyun scratched his head: \"Nothing to do lately, I'll go hang out with you guys.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get in the car.\" Ling Xiaosu waved his hand and said with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shocked expressions of his two junior brothers just now made him very satisfied; if you have wealth and don't return home, isn't that like wearing silk robes and walking in the dark?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a pity the school didn't allow it, otherwise he would have wanted to drive the car into the Beijing Film Academy campus to show it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a luxury car he had earned with his own hands!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two got into the car, and Ling Xiaosu stepped on the gas, driving Qi Hui and the other toward the *Lurk* crew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui looked at the scenery receding outside the window, paused, and asked: \"Senior Brother, why didn't you take the role of Xie Ruolin?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too little screen time, too much trouble.\" Ling Xiaosu shrugged: \"Besides, the character isn't that brilliant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui: \"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Ruolin isn't brilliant... your judgment is a bit lacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder you didn't make any waves later on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui thought for a moment and extinguished the idea of trying to persuade Ling Xiaosu further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear that old Ling was determined not to act, so saying more would be useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui immediately changed the subject: \"Is this drama not finished filming yet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered *Lurk* seemed to have come out quite early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Almost.\" Ling Xiaosu said: \"Hmm... it should be in the late stages of filming now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is *Lurk* an anti-Japanese drama?\" Zhang Ruoyun asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ling Xiaosu: \"A spy drama, with some anti-Japanese plot points.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The leads are Sun Honglei and your sister-in-law.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qi Hui rubbed his chin; he seemed to remember that something very absurd had happened with *Lurk*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a real-life lurker hiding within the *Lurk* crew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That person was a wanted criminal who had been on the run for over a decade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After *Lurk* aired and became a hit, he was recognized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, that person was caught and brought to justice, and even said a rhyme on a legal program:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Life is like a play, it all depends on acting, but there is one rule: obey the law and follow the discipline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don't say it, it actually rhymes, damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>",1593,"2026-06-21T03:10:06.472Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","b3bbeb12015f2adb939fc66575b144cf8f63dc0bf8464274352ba2253e1f40d9","starting-from-hong-shixian-a-chinese-entertainme-chapter-13","starting-from-hong-shixian-a-chinese-entertainme-chapter-11",202,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarting-from-hong-shixian-a-chinese-entertainme-cover.jpg"]