Chapter 18: Ancestors, Bless Me with Some Good Intelligence

Small inn, nearing midnight

After bathing, Yu Yanli changed into clean clothes, pulled out three incense sticks he’d taken from the set, lit them, bowed toward his hometown, then stuck them into a box of rice he’d bought that evening, murmuring under his breath.

“Ancestors, bless me with some good intelligence.”

Monthly intelligence is, in theory, far more valuable and substantial than daily intelligence, but that doesn’t mean every piece is powerful or useful to Yu Yanli.

Yu Yanli had previously received two subpar monthly intelligence reports, which led him to turn to mysticism.

But this only applied to monthly intelligence—and even his guesses about annual intelligence; daily intelligence came every day, so he lacked the energy and patience for such rituals.

The three incense sticks burned halfway, and at last it was midnight; Yu Yanli, timing it precisely, took a deep breath.

“System.”

A sci-fi-style light screen unfolded, displaying eight pieces of intelligence, some long, some short.

Not a full ten, but acceptable—he’d once received only four monthly intelligence items, just one more than the minimum three, and that had left him utterly frustrated.

Yu Yanli focused his thoughts, and the monthly intelligence items unfolded one by one.

【Monthly Intelligence 1: In 2005, CCTV broadcast the drama “Liang Jian,” which dominated the ratings with an average viewership of 10.3%, securing the top spot… The actress Tong Lei, who portrayed Tian Yu in the drama, was dubbed the “Liang Jian Goddess” and deeply beloved by audiences】

Is this news from 2005?

Yu Yanli’s eyes lit up; among the monthly intelligence reports, he considered this type of “suspected future information” the most valuable.

He called it “suspected” because he still lacked sufficient evidence to confirm it was truly “future information.”

But based on the few pieces he had verified and confirmed, the risk was minimal—adding “suspected” was merely a precaution.

Among the future information he’d encountered, a significant portion appeared as news reports, seeming more authentic and authoritative.

Seeing Tong Lei’s name, Yu Yanli understood how the intelligence triggered—but more than that, he was curious about the drama “Liang Jian.”

According to the intelligence, this drama was CCTV’s top-rated show of 2005.

Hmm, this wasn’t just popular—it was a phenomenon.

Last year, CCTV’s two annual top-rated dramas were “Da Zhai Men” and “Qing Shen Shen Yu Meng Meng”; other top-three dramas included “Kangxi Dynasty,” “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,” and “No Trace of Snow.”

Several of these dramas had launched countless stars; if “Liang Jian” achieved this level of success, its star-making power was undoubtedly exceptional.

Yu Yanli filed this intelligence under “Important Intelligence,” planning to look into the “Liang Jian” production team and see if he could get a share of the pie.

【Monthly Intelligence 2: In the 2004 European Championship final, the Greek team emerged victorious…】

Greece won the 2004 European Championship?

Yu Yanli was stunned; though he didn’t watch much soccer, he knew Greece wasn’t among the traditional powerhouses—had a giant underdog emerged?

Though puzzled, he still placed this intelligence under “Money Tree.”

If the intelligence was genuine and nothing went wrong, this could bring him a fortune.

He’d have to watch more soccer—there was gold on the pitch!

【Monthly Intelligence 3: …The provisional list of the new leadership is as follows: ……】

Yu Yanli: “…”

I just bragged over lunch yesterday with a few actors—you really had to dump this much on me?

【Monthly Intelligence 4: Century-old secret braised meat recipe… Finished product: vibrant color, exquisite flavor, rich aroma, tender meat that falls off the bone, fatty but not greasy】

Yu Yanli scratched his head—how did this intelligence trigger?

Was it because he’d complained about the braised dish he’d eaten with Qin Lan?

Or had his father mentioned him while experimenting with a dish back home?

He had experience with the latter—he already possessed a system-given recipe: “Ten Simple and Delicious Side Dishes.”

Based on his phone call with his family, he suspected it had something to do with his parents discussing him while cooking at home.

Still, getting a braised meat recipe wasn’t bad.

Having grown up in his family’s restaurant, Yu Yanli had decent culinary skills; with this recipe, he could cook for himself, give it to his parents to boost their business, or even open a small shop in Beijing.

Hmm, or he could open a small eatery in Beijing himself.

Having been immersed in restaurants since childhood, Yu Yanli still carried a certain sentiment for food.

Besides, he’d once considered: if his acting career stalled and he couldn’t land roles for a while, he couldn’t just sit idle—he needed a fallback livelihood.

But this wasn’t something he’d decide on a whim; he hadn’t settled on it yet—he’d wait and see the situation after returning to Beijing.

Still, he was very interested in the braised meat recipe, but the conditions in Hengdian were too limited—he couldn’t even cook a pot to try it.

【Monthly Intelligence 5: “Sui Tang Hero Legend” actress Tong Lei, born January 13, 1980, Capricorn, native of Ning City, Zhejiang Province, graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy’s 1999 Performance Department, height 1.65m, weight 49kg, blood type A, bust-waist-hip measurements… Home address: Ning City, Zhejiang Province, xxx; current residence: Shanghai, xxx; phone number: 135xxxx…】

Oh, character intelligence!

Yu Yanli hadn’t expected that after the system gave him Xie Junhao’s info, it now delivered Tong Lei’s details.

Though both were character intelligence, the content wasn’t identical—each had different emphases and varying levels of detail.

Perhaps due to it being monthly intelligence, Tong Lei’s data contained far more information than his previous character intelligence—roughly estimated, at least ten thousand characters.

It even listed exactly how many bankbooks she owned, how much money was in each, and even included the passwords.

If Yu Yanli wanted to pursue Tong Lei, with this character intelligence and the goodwill he’d built over recent days, it would be as easy as reaching into a pocket.

But Yu Yanli had little interest in Tong Lei—he only wanted to build his career.

Even if loneliness gnawed at him, he’d prioritize Qin Lan and his ex-girlfriend, who better matched his taste.

So this intelligence was useless to him—he’d rather have another recipe or medicine formula.

The next two intelligence items were useless to him; he skipped them, until the final one sparked his attention.

【Monthly Intelligence 8: Producer and director Cheng Lidong founded Zhejiang Yongle Film & Television Company in 2004; the company grew rapidly, producing numerous films and TV dramas, including “Fengshen Bang: Feng Ming Qishan”…】

Cheng Lidong?

Wasn’t that the director who had dinner with him and producer Zhou Yi the day before yesterday?

Damn, he’d been so quiet then, and Wang Decai hadn’t mentioned him—Yu Yanli had assumed he was just tagging along for a free meal, but turns out he was a hidden expert.

Yu Yanli recalled—he’d treated him with proper respect back then.

After all, even if unfamiliar, he was still a director, and a guest brought by a friend—how could he afford to be rude?

“By the way, he gave me a business card.”

Yu Yanli rummaged through his pockets and pulled out several cards—among them, one bearing Cheng Lidong’s name.

With a phone number, it was easy—he’d ask Old Wang for background tomorrow, see if he could trigger more related intelligence, and find a way to build a connection; this might become another path.

In the film and television industry, it’s all about connections; for most people, it’s not about praying to too many gods—it’s about failing to find the real temple and wasting effort.

This Cheng Lidong had no reputation in the circle—he must still be undiscovered; burning incense at a cold temple yields better results…

(End of Chapter)