[{"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-65":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},2260368,4411,"Chapter 65: Are you here to audition as an actor, or to defend your thesis?","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-65",65,"\u003Cp>At noon, Yan Li dropped Huang Shengyi off at a crossroad near Beijing Film Academy and left by car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t be seen in public with Huang Shengyi at Beijing Film Academy—it would be trouble if Guan Yue and the others spotted them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Shengyi didn’t want Yan Li to see her off either; after all, she had just broken up with Jia Nailiang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staying out all night could be excused with other reasons, but openly walking with another man was an entirely different matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Yan Li and she had confirmed their relationship, she’d accept the damage to her public image—but now, with things so unclear, she didn’t even know how to explain it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After turning another corner from Beijing Film Academy, Yan Li arrived at Jimen Li, went upstairs, and unlocked his door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yiwei, Zhang Songwen, and Lin Jiachuan were all there; as soon as they saw Yan Li return, they surrounded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan winked and asked, “Brother Li, you spent all night and half the morning buying cigarettes—did you go all the way to Hebei Province?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Songwen was more direct: “Yesterday, Chen and I watched from upstairs—it was a woman. Who is she?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A friend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li gave only those four words, and no matter how much they pressed, he said nothing else; the three were left to guess wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan thought it was one of the junior students he met at the KTV that day; Zhang Songwen believed Yan Li had picked up someone outside; Zhou Yiwei went the craziest, suggesting Jiang Shan—until Yan Li kicked him several times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too tired to deal with these ridiculous roommates, Yan Li went to his bedroom to play stocks on his computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, the intelligence system gave him a relatively important stock tip; he didn’t trust calling in orders, so he came back personally to act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, according to Yan Li’s original plan, neither he nor Huang Shengyi would have left their rental in Zhiqiang Nan Yuan today……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just finishing his stock trading, Yan Li browsed online forums and saw many netizens arguing fiercely over the movie Hero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The film was a box-office smash, breaking records left and right, but its critical reception was sharply divided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Film critics voiced opposing views, netizens clashed endlessly, and some even erupted into furious insults—moderators couldn’t delete posts fast enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li watched with great interest; in his memory, the last movie to cause such a stir had been Titanic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But back then, the internet wasn’t developed, and Yan Li didn’t even know how to go online—he could only read a few arguments in newspapers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, he witnessed firsthand how a major film ignited massive online debate and controversy; astonished and intrigued, he gained deeper insight into how a blockbuster could impact reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cultural and entertainment industry might not be massive in scale, but its voice was loud indeed……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While browsing online, Yan Li’s phone rang; after answering and chatting for a few moments, his voice rose noticeably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Hu wants to see me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m free—I’ll head over right away. Cuoyu Tea House, right? I’ll be there within an hour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li hung up, changed clothes, still slightly stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Hu Mei of Emperor Wu of Han wanted to meet him—and the intelligence system hadn’t warned him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this a random system failure, or had she decided on the spot today?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though a minor surprise, Yan Li wasn’t alarmed; he’d already done his groundwork, prepared everything he could, and now left the rest to fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About forty minutes later, Yan Li arrived at the destination and met first Li Xing, the assistant director of Emperor Wu of Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Li, what’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good news.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to Yan Li’s deliberate efforts to befriend him, Li Xing had a decent relationship with him and grinned as he gave Yan Li the inside scoop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Hu today met with a promising actor playing Wei Qing, but after their talk, she was dissatisfied and plans to see other candidates—I recommended you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re lucky—four actors were considered; two happened to be out of Beijing, leaving only you and one other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The other guy’s far away and hasn’t arrived yet—you’ve got the advantage of being first, and the previous candidate’s failure makes you look better. Perform well, maybe you’ll win over Director Hu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li finally understood; he immediately thanked Li Xing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks, Brother Li—I’ll treat you later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li didn’t yet know if Li Xing’s words were truthful, but based on his understanding of Li Xing, even if there was some exaggeration, it wasn’t extreme—he owed him this favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem. Get ready a bit—I’ll take you in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xing genuinely wanted Yan Li to land the role; partly because they were on good terms, but also because Yan Li knew the rules—and making this happen would bring him benefits too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under Li Xing’s cover, Yan Li adjusted his demeanor before entering the tea house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tea house held three people; Yan Li had already learned from Li Xing who they were—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Director Hu Mei, screenwriter Jiang Qitao, and veteran actor Jiao Huang, who portrayed Emperor Jing of Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the filming of Emperor Yongzheng, Director Hu Mei had developed a close personal friendship with Jiao Huang; they later collaborated again on the anti-corruption drama Loyalty, and now for Emperor Wu of Han, Hu Mei invited Jiao Huang to join the crew as a senior advisor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said Jiao Huang had come to Beijing for an event, and Hu Mei, knowing him as a master performer, asked him to help screen candidates and lend his eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Director Hu, Master Jiao, Master Jiang—hello.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li bowed respectfully, introduced himself; Hu Mei said nothing, studying his physique closely, nodding inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d seen Yan Li’s photos, but static images couldn’t match the immediacy of seeing him in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His features were upright and rugged, his frame tall and straight—he fit the image of a military general perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he looked slightly too young, and his aura was a bit too outwardly bold—not matching her vision of Wei Qing’s quiet endurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Mei stayed silent; screenwriter Jiang Qitao led the interview, asking Yan Li his views on the historical context of Emperor Wu’s reign and the character of Wei Qing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previous actor’s failure wasn’t due to acting ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he was an actor Hu Mei had favored—his professional skills were certainly up to standard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But good acting didn’t mean he understood the character.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The actor had barely researched Emperor Wu’s history or the character of Wei Qing—or understood them only superficially, resulting in hollow words and shallow performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made Hu Mei and the others now focus more on whether actors had studied the history and the character, wanting to see if they’d done their homework.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those called today had all been subtly tipped off beforehand, so it wasn’t a surprise test.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Hu Mei didn’t expect these actors to know the history in depth—just that they had something meaningful to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key was to see their attitude!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this was exactly Yan Li’s strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he first learned of Emperor Wu of Han months ago, he’d continuously studied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d worn out the relevant sections of Records of the Grand Historian, and even struggled through the denser, more obscure Book of Han multiple times; he’d read countless related historical texts, research papers, and discussions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, calling Yan Li an expert on Emperor Wu’s era would be an exaggeration—but he could easily outperform 99.99% of ordinary people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teachers, let me start with Wei Qing. In my humble view, Wei Qing was one of the very few high-ranking generals in history with both exceptional military and political abilities; his personal charisma and political wisdom were, in some ways, even greater than his military talent…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li had always been an excellent speaker, and with thorough preparation and multiple rehearsed drafts, he now spoke fluently without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, half an hour passed, and Yan Li showed no sign of stopping—he was comparing evaluations of Wei Qing in the Book of Han and Records of the Grand Historian, criticizing Sima Qian for injecting personal bias into his historical writing, and so on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Mei, Jiang Qitao, and Jiao Huang exchanged glances, all slightly bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this an actor audition—or a history student defending his thesis?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1394,"2026-06-19T16:16:52.605Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","63c05093408582fd25b51db413e189e983a2579ae561e57626298def96d3abfe","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-66","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-64",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]