Chapter 1: Daily Intelligence System and Yuwen Chengdu

June 2002, Hengdian

In the cramped hotel room, Yan Li silenced the incessant alarm, opened his eyes, and was about to get up and call his roommate for class when he saw the old ceiling fan.

He froze for one or two seconds before realizing he was no longer on the Beijing Film Academy campus—he was in Hengdian, filming The Heroes of Sui and Tang.

"This place is definitely cooler than Jingcheng."

He stretched, got up, went to the bathroom to urinate, then brushed his teeth and washed his face.

The hotel he was staying in was provided by the The Heroes of Sui and Tang production team—a plain, early-2000s budget inn.

It was small, with only the basic furnishings: bed, cabinet, bedding, desk, and a single electric fan; hot water had to be fetched manually with a thermos from the communal water room. Luckily, there was a private bathroom, but showering required self-arranged solutions.

Still, Yan Li was quite satisfied.

Never mind anything else—just having a single room was enough to make him deeply emotional after sharing a dorm for nearly two years; finally, he didn't have to listen to his roommate's snoring.

After washing up, shaving, changing clothes, and getting dressed neatly, he sat back on the bed as the time was still early and murmured inwardly.

"System."

A virtual screen instantly appeared before Yan Li; even though he'd seen it for half a year, each time he saw this sci-fi-looking virtual screen, he still felt a faint sense of unreality.

【Daily Intelligence System】

This thing had appeared on Yan Li's person several months ago, controllable at will, invisible to others, with a core function of delivering daily information and intelligence.

Such an absurd phenomenon, Yan Li had never encountered in movies or sci-fi novels—he'd once thought he was cursed.

But after calming down and studying the 【Daily Intelligence System】 in depth,

though he still didn't understand where it came from, what its mechanism was, or why he'd received it, he grasped one thing:

This thing was beneficial to him!

And the benefits were substantial!

As Yan Li's thoughts shifted, the virtual screen before him changed, and moments later, today's intelligence data appeared.

【Daily Intelligence 1: The Heroes of Sui and Tang director Hu Mingkai has stomach trouble; he was up all night and is expected to be in a terrible mood this morning.】

【Daily Intelligence 2: The Book and Sword Enmity and Gratitude production team is hiring extras today afternoon at Hengdian's Dazhi Chan Temple; contact Assistant Director Sun Jiang at 138xxxx… (Note: A red envelope will increase interview chances.)】

【Daily Intelligence 3: A new Northeastern restaurant called "Northeastern Restaurant" has opened on Hengdian's pedestrian street; opening promotion: spend over 100 yuan for a 10% discount, plus a free small portion of Guobao Rou (Note: Northeasterners trigger greater discounts.)】

【Daily Intelligence 4: Last night, Liu from the Lighting Department of The Heroes of Sui and Tang confessed to Wang Xiu in the Makeup Department, sparking strong resentment from Sha Sha, who has feelings for Liu, who plans to give Wang Xiu a lesson today.】

【Daily Intelligence 5: Beneath the fourth tree north of the trees below the Beijing Film Academy dormitory, there is a lost 100-yuan RMB bill.】

Hmm, today's intelligence isn't much.

Having had the system for months, even without a manual, Yan Li had figured out many patterns.

For example, the number of 【Daily Intelligence】 entries per day is guaranteed at three, capped at ten, entirely dependent on luck.

In addition to 【Daily Intelligence】, a set of 【Monthly Intelligence】 appears on the 1st of every month, with an unfixed quantity—maximum ten, minimum three.

Most 【Monthly Intelligence】 entries carry greater value and significance than 【Daily Intelligence】, and some even contain future information with a prophetic nature.

Yan Li speculated there might also be a 【Yearly Intelligence】 with even more explosive data.

But he had possessed the system for less than half a year and had never seen a 【Yearly Intelligence】—so it was only speculation, not confirmed.

Additionally, Yan Li had studied certain patterns in the intelligence content.

The vast majority were directly connected to him—tied to his daily life, surroundings, thoughts, perceptions, and people he knew or encountered.

For instance, Intelligence 1 and 4 today both related to The Heroes of Sui and Tang production team where Yan Li was working.

He had just joined the team, and his mind was preoccupied with internal crew dynamics; these two pieces of intelligence arrived just in time, helping Yan Li avoid trouble.

Yan Li had never heard of the Book and Sword Enmity and Gratitude production team.

But yesterday, he had indeed thought: Hengdian had so many active sets—he could check other sets during free time, help himself and his roommate submit photos, see if there were other gigs. Perhaps that triggered the system to generate this intelligence.

The opening of the restaurant in Intelligence 3 didn't surprise Yan Li.

Life revolves around clothing, food, shelter, and transportation; similar daily-life intelligence had appeared frequently in past 【Daily Intelligence】 entries.

As for the 100 yuan in Intelligence 5, it did give Yan Li a slight shock.

He'd received similar "windfall" intelligence before, but he hadn't expected to still receive Beijing Film Academy-related intel after arriving in Hengdian.

Yan Li suspected the system might not have fully transitioned from the campus to Hengdian, causing delayed updates.

Or perhaps it was because he'd called his roommate yesterday.

This intelligence system worked this way: its content was indeed closely tied to Yan Li, but beyond his control; sometimes the scope of association was random and vague.

For example, he might have glanced at a sports newspaper headline while passing a newsstand, barely registering the athlete's face, yet two days later, a 【Daily Intelligence】 entry would reveal that athlete's recently healed ankle still had hidden damage.

Even information he himself didn't know about, but that involved others connected to him, would appear in the 【Daily Intelligence】.

For instance, he once saw that his cousin, while Yan Li was away from home, had secretly browsed his hidden copy of The Twin Dragons of the Great Tang in their grandmother's house, opening the door to adolescence.

Yan Li had conducted experiments: he could not fully control the direction of the intelligence, but he could relatively guide it—through psychological suggestion and strengthening connections—to some extent increase the probability and proportion of desired intelligence appearing.

Regardless, the 【Daily Intelligence System】's capabilities were undeniably powerful.

Yan Li grew more delighted the more he studied the 【Daily Intelligence System】, and regarded it as his greatest secret and greatest asset.

At least right now, his smooth entry into The Heroes of Sui and Tang production team and his securing of a role were entirely thanks to the 【Daily Intelligence System】.

…

All 【Daily Intelligence】 entries were stored in the system, searchable and reviewable at any time, with additional functions like categorization, highlighting, and reminders.

Thus, Yan Li didn't fear forgetting them or writing them down and risking exposure; he simply noted down the two useful items from today and pondered how to respond.

Then he pulled out his Nokia 5110 and called his college roommate, who should still be at school.

"Hey, Jiacuan, are you at school?"

"Don't sleep anymore—I dropped 100 yuan, probably near the trees by the dorm building. Go look for it with Zhang Songwen. I'll text you the approximate location. Hurry up, don't let someone else pick it up."

After hanging up, Yan Li finally relaxed.

These past few days, the group had spent a lot on long-distance calls—this was a perfect chance to make it back.

Long live the system!

At first, Yan Li felt moral anguish over picking up lost money and items, but now he was used to it—even facing the owners, he felt no unease.

If the lost item could be proven to belong to someone, that was one thing; but as for cash, forget it.

All RMB bills look the same—say it's your money, can you call it and expect it to answer?

…

As a newcomer to the crew, Yan Li didn't dare dawdle; he hung up the phone and, though he still had time to spare, packed up and left.

The production of "Heroes of Sui and Tang" didn't provide breakfast—or if it did, no one told Yan Li; to avoid trouble, he'd eat on the street today and ask around later.

This area was full of Hengdian's guesthouses, with many snack shops and stalls nearby, making breakfast convenient.

As soon as Yan Li entered a baozi shop, he spotted an acquaintance and walked up warmly: "Teacher Kou, good morning."

Kou Zhanwen stared at Yan Li, puzzled—he felt he recognized him, but couldn't place him. Seeing this, Yan Li took the initiative.

"You probably don't remember, but last year on the 'Lu Bu and Diaochan' set, you played Zhang Fei, and I was an extra."

Kou Zhanwen, trained in the Beijing Martial Arts Team—the same team that produced Jet Li—so he was practically Jet Li's junior brother, following his senior's path into the film industry.

His most notable credential was serving as the Chinese martial arts director for Jet Li's film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," but the public knew him best for playing Erniu (Hou Yi) in "The Brilliant Spring Light of Zhu Bajie."

Though Kou Zhanwen wasn't hugely famous in the industry, he was still a notable figure; a mere extra like Yan Li naturally wouldn't register.

Seeing Yan Li so enthusiastic, he assumed they'd interacted on set before and he'd simply forgotten him—slightly embarrassed, he made excuses for himself.

"Oh oh, now I remember—sorry, it's been so long, I didn't recognize you just now."

"No problem, no problem."

Yan Li waved it off carelessly—Kou Zhanwen would never recognize him.

He had indeed been an extra on the "Lu Bu and Diaochan" set, but he'd never even crossed paths with Kou Zhanwen's Zhang Fei; the story he'd just told was merely an excuse to establish a connection.

"What a coincidence—we're on the same crew again, Teacher Kou."

"Hah, you're on the 'Heroes of Sui and Tang' crew too?"

Kou Zhanwen was surprised. Yan Li offered a modest smile—he'd spent nearly a year as an extra in college, and finally, he'd made it.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier—I've been lucky enough to play Yuwen Chengdu in our 'Heroes of Sui and Tang' crew…"

(End of chapter)