IPCFS: Chapter 14

Ji Li read the script and forgot the off-work time of the company. It was almost 9:30 p.m. and he was very interested in this role. He planned to talk to Sun Yong about it tomorrow morning.

The descending elevator stopped on the sixth floor.

The moment the doors opened, Ji Li saw He Ling’s figure. The other person should’ve just finished taking promotional photos. His stinky expression was covered with thick make-up and a ‘cold and evil’ taste could be felt. Among other things, this face was really malleable.

“Come in?” Ji Li turned sideways to give way.

The two of them were company colleagues so superficial politeness was still necessary.

He Ling stood there and didn’t move. He recognized Ji Li and his unpleasant look gradually turned hostile. “The company used my resources to bring someone like you?”

Ji Li’s eyes flashed and the good feelings that had risen disappeared instantly.

Learn to be a man first.

This person was malicious the moment he opened his mouth. Who was he showing it to?

As the elevator doors closed automatically, Ji Li pressed the door open button and said, “The company assigned me to Sun Yong and I am sharing an agent with you. Similarly, you…”

He deliberately paused and his gaze swept over He Ling’s body before he smiled. ‘What type of person are you?’

Ji Li didn’t like to have a bad relationship with people but that didn’t mean he had no temper. For some things, there was no need to say it. Just the eyes alone was enough.

He Ling obviously read his meaning and shame filled his entire body. Before he could vent his anger, Sun Yong and his assistant came over.

“Is the elevator here? Why aren’t you going in?”

Sun Yong saw that Ji Li was in the elevator and his expression was obviously happy. “Why haven’t you gone back yet?”

Ji Li made a long story short. “I’m going back after reading the script.”

Sun Yong didn’t know about the ‘small contradiction’ between the two of them. He pushed He Ling into the elevator. The assistant carried a backpack and looked carefully at He Ling.

Based on what he knew of He Ling, this lord must be angry again.

He was angry every day, always angry! The idols these days were so difficult to get along with!

The assistant pushed up his glasses nervously and shrank back in a corner as an invisible person, not wanting to draw any anger.

Sun Yong entered the elevator and his mind fell on Ji Li. He caught a glimpse of the two scripts in the other person’s hands and asked, “You read them in a few hours? What one do you like? Is it the costume drama?”

Sun Yong guessed confidently, only to be hit in the face by Ji Li in the next second.

“I don’t want to play the second male lead in the costume drama.” Ji Li raised the script he had taken a fancy to. “I want to play this.”

Sun Yong was surprised but he nodded immediately. “It is possible. The investment is small but it is easier to fight for the first male lead.”

“I want to play the third male lead,” Ji Li blurted out.

In this short exchange, Sun Yong was wildly slapped on the face by Ji Li. He exhaled fiercely. “What? The third male lead?”

Did he get it wrong?

Ji Li didn’t want to play the first or second male leads with many scenes? He ran to play the third male lead?

Before Ji Li could reply, He Ling sneered from the side. “I thought you were a great newcomer. As a result, your brain was kicked by a donkey and you want to play the third male lead? It would be strange if someone like you can have a future.”

Sun Yong frowned and warned in a low voice, “He Ling, how are you talking?”

The eyes of the assistant in the corner also changed and he sneered to himself, ‘He Ling’s arrogant temper means he will sooner or later offend people!’

“How do I talk? Sun Yong, you took the resources I didn’t want and gave them to him, only for the other person to be a hopeless case who can’t afford it. I advise you to control your mind. Don’t lose a source of easy money. You should see clearly who you should hold onto.”

The elevator doors opened in response and He Ling left on his long legs.

Sun Yong was so angry that his face turned blue. He hurriedly left while leaving a sentence for Ji Li, “Come to the company to find me tomorrow morning. We’ll be free to talk in detail.”

Once the two men left, the assistant in the corner sighed with relief.

Hey, he was finally off work. He almost died today!

Ji Li heard the movements and looked over.

This assistant’s appearance was very delicate and his cheeks had a bit of baby fat on both sides. He looked like an airbag.

“Hello, my name is Bao Zixing but everyone calls me Baozi.” The assistant sensed his gaze and hurriedly introduced himself.

Ji Li couldn’t help smiling. This person was truly like his name. (Baozi = steamed bun)

Baozi blushed at the smile and whispered, “…I know you. You are the best looking newcomer in the company.”

“Thank you. You aren’t going with them?”

“No, I live near the company. He Ling is joining a crew in a few days and won’t let me follow him 24 hours a day.”

The two of them left the company and exchanged a few words as they headed to the place where they lived.

Ji Li casually asked, “How long have you been He LIng’s assistant? Is his temper good?”

“How can he be easy to get along with? It is simply impossible!” Baozi exploded the truth in his heart. Then he quickly blushed. “I…”

He had been deceived by He Ling’s outward appearance and character setting.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him.” Ji Li smiled.

Most stars in the entertainment industry relied on packaging. After seeing the assistant’s desire to complain, there was a high probability that there was a contrast between He Ling’s real self and his outward appearance.

Baozi sighed with relief and simply didn’t hide it. “I liked him after watching the audition show last year. Later, I found out he was going to sign a contract with Dream Media and came to the company to interview as an intern agent.”

Baozi was both lucky and unlucky.

After entering the company, he was successfully assigned to He Ling’s team. It was just that he was lacking experience so he was actually reduced to the position of assistant.

Baozi was He Ling’s fan and he thought it was okay to be a personal assistant. As a result, his fan filter was broken and he blackened in less than a month.

He Ling’s temper was really too bad! He relied on his own popularity and the small capital behind him to dare to offend people everywhere.

Baozi later learned that the rumors that came out of the show were true.

He Ling had offended the bigshots in the audition show’s crew and he failed to make the debut group. Not only that, he was resisted by the people in the audition show industry and wasn’t allowed to participate in many idol-type programs afterward.

He Ling’s fans didn’t know it and blamed his original company, believing that the company restricted the development of their brother.

He glanced at Ji Li and didn’t dare reveal anything else. His current identity was He Ling’s assistant and it was his responsibility to keep everything secret.

Ji Li also thought of Baozi’s assistant status and didn’t ask any more questions.

However, he could guess that it was highly likely He Ling could no longer go down the idol road. This was why he changed to being an actor.

The more Baozi thought about it, the more helpless he felt and he couldn’t help whispering, “I hope he can control himself when he joins the new crew. Otherwise, I will be the one who will have to apologize in an embarrassed manner every time. A little assistant simply has no human rights.”

Ji Li remembered the staff gossip he heard before he entered the office today.

He Ling was about to participate in a costume drama adapted from a novel IP. He had the role of the number one villain and was a typical miserable, strong beauty.

“I heard it is a costume drama?”

“Yes,” Baozi replied. This was already an open secret.

He didn’t dare reveal too much. In fact, He Ling had privately given the crew 30 million. He used money so he could play this role.

Ji Li nodded without feeling envious.

He Ling used capital to take an important role in an ancient IP drama while Ji Li found a high-quality film script. For an actor, every role encountered was an opportunity.

“I’m here.” Ji Li stopped at his dormitory building.

“Eh? Okay. Goodbye.” Baozi stopped, a bit regretful in his heart.

Ji Li liked this funny young man. “Good night.”

Baozi watched Ji Li go upstairs. The two of them might not have talked much but the other person made him feel very comfortable.

It would be nice if he could do things by Ji Li’s side.

This thought was fleeting. Baozi tightened his grip on his backpack before walking toward his residence.

***

The moment Ji Li returned to the dormitory, a milky cry was heard at his feet.

Snow Cake had been waiting at the door, his small tail dangling. His paws pulled at Ji Li’s trouser pants to climb up.

Ji Li found it so cute that his heart was going to melt. He quickly hugged Snow Cake in his palm and touched the small red scar on the nose affectionately. “Snow Cake, are you hungry? I’ll give you goat milk powder. Be good.”

“Meow”

Ji Li poured a small bowl of goat milk powder for Snow Cake. Then he grabbed a piece of bread for himself to nibble on. He sat on the floor with the cat and they both enjoyed their dinner.

Snow Cake was a greedy little cat. Every time he drank milk, he couldn’t wait to push his face in it.

“Slow down. I won’t rob you.” Ji Li spoke vaguely while biting the bread. He took a video of Snow Cake before opening his Moments.

The original owner had a boring nature and didn’t like to make friends. His WeChat had always been deserted. Then some time ago, Ji Li added a few crew members while filming.

He had just opened his Moments when he saw that the script supervisor, Cheng Yin posted a photo. The text was simple but flowery: Ahhhhh, Brother Qin is so handsome today! Yuan Bao is also super handsome! 10 days to go until we finish shooting! Go for it!

Ji Li clicked on the photo.

Qin Yue wore a black assassin’s costume. His body was very strong and his eyes were sharp as he held a sword to Yuan Yifei.

It was obviously a simple still photo but the powerful aura revealed by Qin Yue’s demeanor and behavior passed through the mobile phone screen.

Ji Li’s breathing paused for a few seconds before he came to his senses. He clicked to like it and commented: Brother is so handsome.

Within a few seconds, Cheng Yin replied to him: Ahhh, Xiao Song Zhao! Thanks thanks! KDL! (KDL: Internet slang for I just saw/heard/read something that proves how in love my ship is)

“Thanks for what?” Ji Li didn’t understand the meaning of the last three letters. He simply turned off his phone and continued to tease the cat.

***

The next afternoon, Ji Li met Sun Yong at the company office.

He Ling sat on a single seat sofa with a thick stack of scripts in front of him. He saw Ji Li’s figure and deliberately threw a script on the table. “It is really disappointing.

Ji Li saw the title on the front page of the script and his eyes flickered. He seemed to have thought of something.

Sun Yong glanced at He Ling, who was making trouble, and directly called Ji Li to him. “Let’s take advantage of this time to talk. Tell me, why do you want the third male lead?”

“I’ve read the whole script and the details are solid. Moreover, the overall scenes of the five-member protagonist group are relatively large. The role of the third male lead isn’t lacking. The last few scenes are the most crucial. Most importantly, I like the role.”

“Don’t tell me this set.” Sun Yong waved in a dismissive manner.

“Who doesn’t want to play the protagonist? Meanwhile, you want to play a supporting role! Just listen to me and pick the second male lead in the costume drama. I will find a way to talk for you and you can directly enter the crew without an audition. Filming will start at the end of the month.”

He had no time to read the full script.

He just knew that for a newcomer like Ji Li, playing the second male lead of a costume drama meant there were no losses.

Most importantly, the crew had signed a private contract with him. As long as he recommended a suitable actor, he would get remuneration without the company or artist knowing.

In any case, he could make money.

“I said that I want to play the third male lead in this film. This role is very good.” Ji Li stuck to his ideas.

Sun Yong saw that this person didn’t listen to advice and immediately frowned. “I am your agent. How can I harm you? The investment of this film isn’t in place. The crew said it would require at least two more months of preparations! In this two month gap, do you plan to stay at home?”

Ji Li shrugged. “I can wait. As long as the schedules don’t clash, I can play some suitable supporting roles in these two months.”

Ji Li believed in his own vision. As long as this film was made according to the existing script, it would definitely have good word of mouth after it was released.

Sun Yong’s expression was very ugly when Ji Li refused to budge.

He originally thought this person was easy to squeeze. He didn’t expect Ji Li to be a stubborn hard bone.

“You are too noisy. If he is willing to wait then let him wait.” He Ling took off his sunglasses, mockery in his eyes. “What a fool.”

The film preparation and production cycle were long. After release, the heat only lasted a month. This was different from the ancient costume online drama which was produced quickly and could broadcast for three or four months after its completion. The residual popularity lasted a long time.

Besides, a youth themed movie? It was just street goods.

Ji Li was willing to aim for a character with the least profit. How could He Ling stop him?

He Ling used to think the company was trying to push Ji Li to compete with him. Now it seemed completely mediocre. 

He Ling caught a glimpse of the script on the table. He suddenly made a plan and mentioned it deliberately.

“Brother Yong, aren’t I missing a stand-in for my new role? You said that Ji Li’s external image is similar to me and there is a gap in his schedule. Let him take it so the crew doesn’t have to waste time finding someone.

It was a pleasure to think about turning the newcomer valued by the company into his own stand-in shadow.

“It is around two months and you can get the pay of the crew…” He Ling looked at Ji Li, unable to hide the malicious desire for humiliation in his eyes. “Ji Li, what do you think?”

Sun Yong was silent as he pondered on the feasibility of the proposal.

Since Ji Li didn’t obey his arrangement, he should let Ji Li suffer to tame his spirit.

In any case, Ji Li was a newcomer and his future was still long. They could afford it in the early stages.

In the face of He Ling’s provocation, Ji Li looked at the script on the table again. He reconfirmed the title on the cover and suddenly smiled intriguingly.

“Okay, I’ll enter the crew as your stand-in.”

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TL: Btw, I wrote up how I got into translating and a list of all the novels I’ve translated. If you’re interested, you can read it here.