[{"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-87":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},2260390,4411,"Chapter 87: Star Kid Acquaintance, Concubine Specialist, According to Insider Sources","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-87",87,"\u003Cp>“Gao Dao, Wei Jie, don’t see me off—I’m leaving first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li waved goodbye to Gao Qunshu and Liu Weiwei; Lin Jiachuan, whom he had called ahead, was already waiting downstairs with the car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gently pressing the accelerator, Lin Jiachuan, who had only recently gotten his license, drove carefully and asked Yan Li in the backseat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bro, what did Gao Dao say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li came here mainly to deliver money and build connections, and also to casually inquire about Gao Qunshu’s next project.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Conquest” earned a lot, and there’s still plenty of future revenue, but you can’t rely solely on this one project—you must also pursue suitable new ventures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From the tone of it, it seems unlikely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li recalled Gao’s Shitan  reactions during dinner and shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Gao had good character and didn’t break ties over money, the resentment inside him hadn’t yet dissolved—he wasn’t willing to collaborate with Yan Li anytime soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, “Conquest” aired well, and now that he’s on the star list, more producers, distributors, and TV stations will come knocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t this kicking out the cook after the meal’s done?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan grumbled—he was firmly on Yan Li’s side and once believed that without Yan Li’s involvement, “Conquest” wouldn’t have become popular.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Qunshu is eating well and now chasing away the chef—so unscrupulous!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yan Li knew his own situation: without him, “Conquest” would still likely have become popular.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, his presence made “Conquest” even more popular and helped Gao earn more money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As always, Yan Li helped Gao, and Gao helped Yan Li—neither owed the other anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dwelling on this was pointless; Yan Li did business based on mutual willingness. If Gao couldn’t see it now, he’d set it aside—when Gao eventually came around, there might still be a chance for collaboration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Yan Li wasn’t boasting—when it came to TV drama distribution, he truly had a unique advantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normal distribution companies could never match his precision and speed in closing contracts or securing maximum benefits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao had tasted the fine bran; once he tried the coarse grain, he’d understand the difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless every one of his future TV dramas reaches “Conquest” level, with TV stations and distributors fighting to buy them, he’ll eventually have to come back to Yan Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what about our next project?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan asked, but Yan Li remained calm: “Just take our time finding opportunities—we’ve got money and fame, so how could we lack projects?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Conquest” had built his reputation; with that name, everyone inside and outside the industry had to look at him differently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if some TV stations paid slowly, Yan Li could still raise a few million in cash short-term—enough to make a big difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plus, Yan Li had his intelligence network, allowing him to combine real-world and even future information to assess the true value and prospects of various projects—the big opportunities were still ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>————\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near the end of March, Beijing had already seen multiple SARS cases, but they hadn’t drawn much attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from slightly more frequent news reports, ordinary people carried on as usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li took a bit of a break—unless absolutely necessary, he declined all social engagements and avoided crowded places.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But exceptions existed—for instance, he attended the launch ceremony for “Emperor Wu of Han” at Hu Mei’s invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s right—“Emperor Wu of Han” was about to start filming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yan Li had few lines and appeared late—he was expected to join the cast around June to August, and if production ran behind, it might be even later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the launch ceremony, Yan Li met several of the main actors of “Emperor Wu of Han.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Baoguo (Emperor Wu), Jiao Huang (Emperor Jing), Gui Yarei (Empress Dowager Dou), Yang Tongshu (Princess Pingyang), Lin Jing (Wei Zifu), Ma Shaohua (Dou Ying), Lu Shuming (Li Guang)…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The actor Yan Li had auditioned for the role of Wei Qing was Lu Jianmin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was an actor from Beiyingchang’s theater troupe and Yan Li’s senior from Beijing Film Academy, having appeared in many films and TV dramas—though not famous, he was a familiar face to many viewers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Lu Jianmin, Yan Li also met another Beijing Film Academy senior—unlike Lu, whom he’d never interacted with, this senior Yan Li knew quite well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li slapped Du Chun on the shoulder with a bright smile: “Senior, long time no see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chun awkwardly sidestepped and mumbled a response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seating arrangement placed veterans in the center, with young actors scattered on either side; seeing Yan Li and Du Chun so “close,” Yang Tongshu beside them curiously asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know each other?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Know each other? We were inseparable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li slapped Du Chun again: “We were really close—I used to go to his dorm all the time… to hang out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chun’s face darkened; Yan Li had visited his dorm several times, but not to hang out—he’d come to block the door and beat him up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, this Du Chun was the Beijing Film Academy 1999 class star kid Yan Li had mentioned before—the one who’d tried to steal Dong Xuan away from him and got thoroughly punished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li had intended to use this guy as a warning example—to scare off others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered blocking Du Chun’s door three or four times, physically confronting him twice; the worst incident involved seven or eight people, nearly beating up Du Chun’s roommates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterward, Yan Li received a major demerit—but he became famous overnight; no one dared try to steal his girl again, and Du Chun started avoiding him completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would’ve thought that after graduating from Beijing Film Academy, Yan Li would bump into Du Chun again—just as Du Chun was about to graduate—on the set of “Emperor Wu of Han.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li had learned that Du Chun was playing the young Emperor Wu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of which, Yan Li truly admired Director Hu Mei—she’d cast three actors for Emperor Wu: boy, youth, and adult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Baoguo, the biggest-name actor in “Emperor Wu of Han,” didn’t appear until episode 22.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew that in “The Legend of the Condor Heroes,” the adult Zhang Wuji was famously the latest-appearing male lead—but even then, he showed up by episode ten at the latest. “Emperor Wu of Han” dared to wait until one-third of the entire series before introducing its main character.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Hu Mei’s confidence came mainly from Jiao Huang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first twenty episodes of “Emperor Wu of Han” might as well be called “The Legend of Emperor Jing”—with Jiao Huang and Emperor Jing carrying the story, viewers would wait patiently for Chen Baoguo’s entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Du Chun’s portrayal of the young Emperor Wu, he appeared in fewer than ten episodes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, despite limited screen time, he was the absolute lead in those few episodes and retained noticeable presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a student still in school with no prior works, landing such an opportunity was extremely rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was thanks largely to Du Chun’s father, Du Zhiguo, who had played Nian Gengyao in “Emperor Yongzheng” and was an old acquaintance of Director Hu Mei—likely had pulled plenty of strings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yan Li, these are all people—you… you shouldn’t go too far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Chun glanced at Hu Mei and the reporters nearby, gathered a bit of courage, and retorted coldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at you—I was just trying to catch up with you, and you’re overthinking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Du Chun’s bluster masking his fear, Yan Li lost interest and stopped teasing him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he wasn’t a violent maniac; the incident was long past—he didn’t need to beat him every time they met.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Du Chun had shouted or provoked him, fine—but now, seeing this cowardly, hollow bravado, Yan Li didn’t even bother picking a fight, lest he earn the reputation of bullying a colleague.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He moved past him and chatted with Yang Tongshu, Lu Jianmin, and Lin Jing beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li didn’t really know Lu Jianmin, but he’d seen the performances of the two actresses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Tongshu’s most notable role so far was Fu Shanxiang, the female top scholar in “The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jing—he hadn’t recognized her at first, but after chatting, he learned she’d played Ding Minjun in the recently popular “The Legend of the Condor Heroes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this sister was practically a specialist in playing imperial concubines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In “Capital Suspense,” she played Crown Princess Wei Yu; in “The Invincible County Magistrate,” she played Consort Mei; in “The Heroic Age of Lü Buwei,” she played Consort Huayang; in “Big-Footed Empress Ma,” she played Consort Wu Yujiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li strongly suspected that Hu Mei had cast her as Wei Zifu because of these previous roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were born in 1980 and both were Beijing Film Academy students, so they got along well and exchanged phone numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t misunderstand—Yan Li had no ulterior motive; it was purely business-driven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the female lead in “Emperor Wu of Han,” Lin Jing’s fame would surge after the drama aired, yet her current salary was very low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li considered collaborating with her later—if a suitable opportunity arose, it would be like hiring a future star at a discount—guaranteed profit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also gave Yang Tongshu his business card, but his tone wasn’t enthusiastic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jing was new, playing minor roles with low pay—easy to hire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Tongshu had appeared in many dramas, including several female second leads and even leads—she already had some fame, so her value-for-money ratio wasn’t great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also gave Lu Jianmin a business card—he was a senior and a future colleague; perhaps they’d collaborate someday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several others around him exchanged cards, but Du Chun received none—he glanced awkwardly at Yan Li, who returned a polite smile, then tucked his card back into his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not beating you up is enough—don’t even think about asking for a card—I wouldn’t even throw it to you…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the launch ceremony, the spotlight was on the director and the big-name actors; Yan Li and the other newcomers were just fillers—getting to say a few words was already lucky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after the ceremony ended, some media still showed interest in Yan Li and wanted to interview him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li glanced at the reporter’s Sina.com credential, warmly shook his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Small talk is boring—I’ll treat you. Let’s grab a meal and chat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sina reporter hesitated: “I’ve got other colleagues with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what? More people, more fun.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, multiple articles about the “Emperor Wu of Han” launch ceremony appeared on Sina’s portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The articles barely mentioned the ceremony itself, focusing instead on the actor playing Huo Qubing, lavishing praise on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【…The young actor Yan Li will portray the legendary warrior Huo Qubing… Yan Li stood out among many competitors due to his profound understanding of history and his rugged, perfectly fitting demeanor, earning unanimous approval from the directorial team…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【According to insiders, Yan Li thoroughly prepared for the role, reading historical texts such as “Records of the Grand Historian: Biographies of the General Huo and the Piaoqi ” and “Book of Han”… Director Hu Mei once remarked: “It’s rare to find a young actor so dedicated to studying history!”…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【…Huo Qubing was enfeoffed at seventeen and swept across the northern deserts at twenty-one—his youthful vigor and composed, decisive leadership were extremely hard to balance… Yan Li’s classical, rugged masculinity perfectly met the requirement…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【…Regarding such a crucial role, Yan Li admitted it was a tremendous challenge, but he had full confidence—he wouldn’t let down the director or the audience…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【…】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Li browsed the online articles and told Lin Jiachuan: “These reporters write well—note down their contact info; we’ll need them later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jiachuan: “...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Brother Yan’s skin is getting thicker—he doesn’t even blush reading this stuff…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1955,"2026-06-19T16:16:52.605Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9451444dbe5a7b5eee3e19e1d0637d89faebc28e7702a1b936fe205bde87bfed","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-88","the-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-chapter-86",405,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-intelligence-king-of-chinese-entertainment-cover.jpg"]