[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment":3,"chapter-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-3":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Intelligence King of Chinese Entertainment",{"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},2260306,4411,"Chapter 3: Invincible Hero, Heavenly Treasure General","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-3",3,"\u003Cp>After passing the director’s audition, Yan Li’s role was firmly secured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Wang Decai’s help pulling strings, Yan Li quickly signed the official contract with the crew and received part of his payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering Wang Decai’s crucial role and knowing he’d need favors later on set, Yan Li immediately arranged to treat him to dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the drama “Heroes of Sui and Tang,” the role of Yuwen Chengdu had limited screen time, but it was still passable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring female roles, he couldn't break into the top five male roles; rounding up, he was barely the tenth male lead—going any lower would be impolite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless, this role paid per episode officially.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heroes of Sui and Tang” had 40 episodes total; Yan Li’s scenes added up to 15 episodes, at 800 yuan per episode, totaling 12,000 yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a lot of money!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the turn of the century, many ordinary people earned only a few hundred yuan a month; extras on Hengdian earned just 20 to 30 yuan per day, some even less than 15—12,000 yuan was more than they’d make in a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the most money Yan Li had ever earned in his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before, when running auditions in Jingcheng, he mostly played bit parts or doubles—exhausted after a full day’s work, he’d feel guilty spending even a little on the bus ride back to school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the relative who’d once urged him to apply to Beijing Film Academy was right: acting paid well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t even made it big yet—just landed a small role—and already earned this much; if he ever rose to fame, it would far surpass him taking over his family’s small restaurant back home…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today there was a night shoot, so Wang Decai had to stay on set; the dinner invitation was postponed for two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no filming duties for now, Yan Li collected his script and went to the makeup room to change clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afraid of running into Wang Xiu’s older sibling… sister?—he asked around first; luckily, Wang Xiu was away on errands, which eased his nerves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Removing makeup was much faster than applying it; soon he was done, changed into his clothes, and strolled back to the inn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way, he bought some food so he wouldn’t need to go out for dinner, then found a bank and exchanged some cash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in his room, locked the door, Yan Li took out the red paper he’d casually bought at the convenience store and folded it into an envelope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, from the cash he’d just withdrawn, he counted out 2,000 yuan and slipped it in; after a moment’s thought, he gritted his teeth and added another 1,000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This red envelope was for Wang Decai!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Decai had helped him land this role—this wasn’t something a single meal could repay; a red envelope was a token of gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether he accepted it or not was one thing; the gesture had to be right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, he’d need Wang Decai’s help again in the future—this was an investment. Today’s 3,000-yuan envelope might earn him a role worth tens of thousands tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You must give to receive!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even his family’s small restaurant needed to spend on good ingredients to make money—you couldn’t be stingy and expect success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crew had only paid him 4,000 yuan so far; he had little cash left and needed to keep some for living expenses, or he’d have gladly given a 5,000-yuan envelope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After securing the envelope, planning to give it at the right moment, Yan Li picked up his script and began reading carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew well: while connections mattered in acting, the key was having real skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when you could act well did connections matter; relying solely on favors or system intel might get you opportunities, but you still wouldn’t be able to seize them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Yuwen Chengdu was a minor role, it was an opportunity many of his classmates could only dream of—he couldn’t waste it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li had never read the script for “Heroes of Sui and Tang” before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the drama had held auditions in Jingcheng, Yan Li had casually submitted his materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, he hadn’t taken it seriously—he even thought Hengdian was too far, less convenient than nearby sets around Jingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, through the system’s monthly 【Monthly Intelligence】 report, which hinted at future events, he learned this drama might become popular, and only then did he start paying attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leveraging this intelligence, Yan Li met Wang Decai and learned about him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, tailoring his approach to Wang Decai’s preferences, he gradually built a relationship and secured the role of Yuwen Chengdu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as a minor supporting actor, still new and with no contract signed yet, he had no right to get the script in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, even without reading it, Yan Li knew the character of Yuwen Chengdu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a child, he’d listened to many of Shan Tianfang’s storytelling sessions and had read some books like “The Romance of Sui and Tang,” “The Rise of Tang,” and “The Tale of Tang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuwen Chengdu, the second greatest warrior of Sui and Tang, the Heavenly Treasure General of the Sui Dynasty, wielded a golden phoenix-winged spear, rode the legendary five-spotted dragon steed—he was invincible, unmatched in strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among all Sui-Tang generals, only Li Yuanba, the greatest warrior, surpassed him; Yuwen Chengdu had only lost once, at Siping Mountain, to the third-ranked warrior, Pei Yuanqing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was only because Yuwen Chengdu had exhausted himself defeating the fourth, fifth, and sixth-ranked warriors one-on-one—Pei Yuanqing’s victory was not honorable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, the Five Tigers of Wagang, and others—they couldn’t match Yuwen Chengdu’s strength even with one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To play such an invincible warrior—even though Wang Decai had told him he was a villain—Yan Li was thrilled and eager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A badass villain who crushes the hero underfoot? That’s way more fun to act!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, a pure brute like Yuwen Chengdu—how bad could he really be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after reading the script, Yan Li realized he’d underestimated the screenwriter’s lack of morals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did this damn screenwriter even read “The Romance of Sui and Tang”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being a villain was fine—some villainous exaggeration was normal—but this script turned Yuwen Chengdu into a caricature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despicable, arrogant, cowardly, constantly spouting trash talk, yet never winning a single fight—this wasn’t the Heavenly Treasure General, this was a clown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What made him most baffled was the scene where Yuwen Chengdu leads a line to throw Li Rongrong into the well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuwen Chengdu throws the screenwriter’s child into the well? How could they treat him like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was nothing but a scumbag—calling him a scumbag was even too generous; most Japanese villains in anti-Japanese war dramas were less hateful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li scratched his head, staring at the script, feeling a tiny twinge of regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was a graduate of Beijing Film Academy—he knew roles had no hierarchy, good actors could play both heroes and villains, and he didn’t mind playing villains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was his first real acting role—he was young, and to start with something so extreme was psychologically jarring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Yan Li had decent mental resilience; the contract was signed, the money was in hand—regret was useless now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, from another angle, such a revolting character, though unpleasant, was memorable to audiences—a good thing for an actor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m an actor—this is all pretend…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li muttered a few times to calm himself, then picked up the script again and silently began memorizing lines—starting with the most disturbing part.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to toughen his resolve—tackle the hardest first; once that was mastered, everything else would be easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I, Yuwen Chengdu, hate wasting things—I always finish every grain of rice in my bowl.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, she asked if I dared—do you dare?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, follow my order—line up outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck, this screenwriter’s a real bastard…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1307,"2026-06-19T16:16:52.605Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1e118a2c25333f27749d17c692d3dd42a69cf1fc0bdc25fdc6f63e9aaab8f913","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-4","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-2",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]