IPCFS: Chapter 102 Part 1

“Are you sure?”

Yu Fuya took the planning invitation from his hand and asked in a puzzled manner.

“Yes, I’m quite interested in it,” Ji Li replied. “The purpose of me picking a variety show is to relax, and the second reason is for constant exposure.”

“But Brother Ji, a webcast platform can’t do that.” Some of the staff members still couldn’t understand his reasoning.

There were variety shows from the top satellite TVs, but Ji Li didn’t want them. There were online variety shows from the three major video platforms, but Ji Li didn’t want them. Why choose a show from a small video website and a small production team?

If there was no splash after it aired, wouldn’t they be wasting the first half of the year?

Yu Fuya glanced through the planning invitation. The content was indeed different from the usual travel programs.

“If it is this way, let’s allow the person in charge of this program to come to our company so we can learn more about the recording and broadcasting process in person.”

Yu Fuya was still convinced about Ji Li’s vision.

The show ‘Poor Travel Notes’ wasn’t the best choice in terms of investment funds, broadcasting platform, or the production team’s experience.

However, if a show wanted to be brilliant, the main thing it depended on was the integration of the show’s content and the guests themselves.

“The show is divided into four travel destinations. Each location has a three day travel time, and there is a break between two tourist spots…”

Baozi read out the recording time in the plan.

In general, the recording time added together wouldn’t exceed one month.

From the perspective of time scheduling, it was actually appropriate.

“In addition to this permanent program, shall we pick two or three shows to participate in for one episode?” Yu Fuya added.

As an agent, she was willing to let Ji Li choose the jobs he liked, but at the same time, she was obliged to ensure the exposure of the other person in the new year.

Ji Li nodded in agreement. “Okay.”

The rest of the management team looked at each other and could only suppress the confusion in their hearts.

What else could they do?

Ji Li was the core figure of their team and Yu Fuya was their current leader. Both of them thought there were no problems with their selection, so the members could only follow suit.

They just hoped that Ji Li’s ‘koi’ physique in the movie and television industry could continue to exist so that this show could make a bit of a splash after it aired.

***

20 days later.

Ji Yunqi hugged Ji Li excitedly the moment he entered the private box. “Ji Li! After six months, I have been liberated!”

Ji Li was bumped by his friend and almost couldn’t firmly stand. He had to pat the other person on the shoulder. “Yunqi, congratulations on finishing filming.”

“Look at this child, you are still so unstable.”

The person’s voice arrived before the person was seen.

Ji Li’s gaze crossed over his friend, and he finally noticed Ji Mingyue at the door.

The two of them looked at each other and smiled in greeting.

“Ji Li, Xiao Qi has a childish nature. He has been filming this drama for half a year, so he has been feeling suffocated.”

The drama ‘Newly Born Master Detective’ was divided into two parts and filming lasted six months.

When the first part passed the review, the second part was still being filmed. It wasn’t until the last two days that the entire crew finished filming.

“It is what it is. Every day when I open and close my eyes, it has been filming. Now I feel panicked when I see a script.”

Ji Yunqi retorted willfully and sat down opposite Ji Li.

Ji Mingyue sat beside her little brother and instructed the waiter of the restaurant to serve the food.

Today, she specially invited Ji Li to treat him to a meal.

Some time ago, ‘Newly Born Master Detective’ was vilified for no reason, and Ji Li provided Shen Yanda’s black materials in time to help their crew ‘crush’ this bug.

The first part of ‘Newly Born Master Detective’ was almost finished airing. Their rating was stable at 8.5 points, and the viewership ratings were still rising steadily.

During the time the drama was on air, it naturally boosted the popularity of the leading actors. Ji Yunqi had become a frequent visitor to the hot search these days and some people said:

There is Ji Li before and Ji Yunqi later. Wei Lai, who has been stagnant before, also made a good splash this year.

After a lapse of five or six years, has the luck of Chaoying Culture finally returned?

“Ji Li, recently there have been more and more people calling us the new generation of Chaoying Twin Stars.”

Ji Yunqi spoke cheerfully and there was a bit of cool pride hidden in his expression.

In his heart, Ji Li was a good actor with excellent acting skills.

Ever since filming ‘Special Operations’, Ji Yunqi had regarded the other person as the target of his pursuit, although there was never a moment of malicious comparison.

Now that he and Ji Li were called the ‘Chaoying Twin Stars’ by the public, Ji Yunqi’s heart was full of joy.

“Do you want to go to heaven just because the fans complimented you with a few words?”

Ji Mingyue rubbed her little brother’s head and told him sincerely, “Ji Li’s acting skills are better than yours. You have to work harder.”

“I know, Second Sister.”

Ji Li saw the interaction between the siblings and smiled slightly. “Sister Mingyue is overpraising me. Yunqi is more talented than me in acting.”

Ji Yunqi proudly gave Ji Mingyue a thumbs up when he heard this. “Did you hear that? I’m really good.”

He was as childish as always.

Ji Mingyue and Ji Li looked at each other and chuckled at the same time.

The dishes were served, and the three of them chatted while eating.

“Ji Li, do you have any new scripts that you fancy? When are you planning to join a new crew?”

“There is nothing yet.”

Ji Li shook his head and said honestly, “I accepted a travel variety show. I want to relax for a bit in the first half of the year.”

Half a month ago, Ji Li’s team met with the person in charge of the show. Under the detailed introduction and pleading of the other party, the two sides signed a contract for the entire season.

The first recording time for the show was scheduled for the end of next month. In this gap, Ji Li could complete the other jobs originally scheduled.

Ji Yunqi suddenly became energetic when he heard this. “A travel variety show? Is it fun?”

“The show’s format is quite interesting.” Ji Li shared the general content with his friend, and his eyes were full of interest.

“Is the show still short of guests? I want to go too!” Ji Yunqi responded excitedly.

He had been filming for half a year, so he wanted to relax.

Rather than staying at home, it was better to go on a trip with Ji Li.

“Are you sure?” Ji Li looked at Ji Yunqi in surprise and told him about the ‘shortcomings’ of the program team.

“This show doesn’t have a lot of start-up funds, and it is in the form of a poor travel show. In addition, the performance salary for the guests isn’t very much.”

Ji Li was interested in the show, so he didn’t care about the salary.

“It’s fine. I’m not short of money,” Ji Yunqi answered like it was natural.

As for a poor travel show?

He just needed to bring a big enough wallet, and then how could he be poor?

Ji Mingyue listened to this, took a sip of red wine, and didn’t object. “If you want to go, have Sister Yin Ning help you negotiate the contract.”

Ji Yunqi nodded reasonably. “Yes.”

Ji Li hadn’t expected that he could pull in an ally for the show just by eating together.

After the initial surprise, the expectations in his heart gradually increased.

This was also good.

Rather than going on a poor trip with a male celebrity he wasn’t familiar with, it was better to find a friend he knew. At least he would have a companion he knew from the beginning.

***

Ji Li originally thought it was enough to have one friend in Ji Yunqi during the recording of the show.

Unexpectedly, one week later, the head of the program team, Chen Xiaoyun sent him a voice message on WeChat in an ecstatic manner.

“Ji Li, thank you! You are simply the lucky star of our program team!”

“You not only helped us get Ji Yunqi, but you also helped us pull Yuan Yifei!”

Their show was positioned as a funny, poor tour for male stars in their 20s and 30s. The pre-planning and post-editing were all done around the definition of humor.

In fact, the planning of this show was approved early on. The main difficulty was that Chen Xiaoyun and his team had few contacts in the circle and weren’t able to find suitable guests.

Since the end of last year, almost all the invitations sent by the program group were rejected. No one wanted to come to their small, broken show.

If the show wasn’t able to find a suitable guest, then it might have been ‘aborted’ before it could even be filmed.

Just as the whole team was feeling hopeless, Ji Li appeared!

Not only was he willing to participate, but the performance salary he asked for wasn’t high at all!

How could there be such a good person? He was simply the god who saved them!

Ji Li’s popularity was so high. If they officially announced his travel plans, wouldn’t the audience base be enough?

Chen Xiaoyun originally thought that this was the biggest surprise for the program team. Unexpectedly, within a week, both Ji Yunqi and Yuan Yifei’s agents approached him and asked to participate.

The most important thing was that they were also casual about the salary.

Chen Xiaoyun never imagined that such a day would come.

Ji Li’s popularity was explosive enough, Ji Yunqi was a new popular actor who appeared at the start of the year, and Yuan Yifei was a top actor.

This small broken show hadn’t even started filming, but it had already shot straight up the ladder.

Chen Xiaoyun thanked Ji Li immediately. If it weren’t for the fact that it was through the phone screen, he would’ve wanted to kneel directly at Ji Li’s feet and call him ‘Dad.

The program team had already opened a new round of planning to create an enhanced version of the show. It was such a king bombshell combination, and they had to bomb the entire entertainment industry!

Ji Li was surprised to hear the news and immediately sent a message in the WeChat group.

-No, why do you suddenly want to participate in the variety show? @The Number One Attack.

Not long after this message was sent, Ji Yunqi rushed out to answer.

-I invited him.

-Isn’t it written in the new planning book of the program group? We can invite our celebrity friends and automatically group up in a pair.

To put it bluntly, Chen Xiaoyun couldn’t find male stars willing to participate, so he used this chicken thief way to make the guests put in the effort.

Ji Yunqi always felt that they couldn’t be missing one of the three, so he talked privately and mentioned this matter to Yuan Yifei. Unexpectedly, the other person agreed happily.

As he was talking, Yuan Yifei appeared. “Yes, it is good for us to go on a trip together.”

Ji Li was worried about his friend. “Didn’t you just finish your actor selection variety show? Now you are going to take over a travel variety show. Aren’t you looking for a suitable script?”

Yuan Yifei was an actor. It wasn’t a good thing to have long-term exposure on variety shows. It was easy to create the impression that he ‘wasn’t doing business’ to the outside world.

“I have been acting for so many years, and I am still standing still. I’m a bit tired.”

“In any case, the travel variety show is only filming for a month. I don’t care if I am regarded as a variety show star.”

Ji Li couldn’t help frowning slightly when he saw these two sentences.

He always felt there was something wrong with Yuan Yifei’s state. It was as if he was giving up on acting?

Speaking of which, Yuan Yifei’s luck when it came to awards was really bad.

Over the years, whether it was Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor, it didn’t matter how well he acted his role. He would always miss out on the trophy for various reasons in the end.

Empty popularity and no trophy results. This was actually fatal for a top actor.

The bloodbath that Yuan Yifei experienced after he debuted was actually worse than theirs.

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TL: Advance chapters are available over on my Patreon. You can go check out the details on my Patreon page.

Proofreader: Azure