IPCFS: Chapter 31

Ji Li saw this too familiar name and his eyes involuntarily lifted upward.

As the absolute male protagonist of the original novel, Ji Yunqi’s appearance naturally couldn’t be picked at. He had bright eyes, a high nose, red lips and white teeth. He was bright and it was difficult to ignore his existence.

Ji Li’s gaze wasn’t low-key. Ji Yunqi already noticed it and his brow slightly furrowed.

As the elevator doors were closing, he calmly reached out and asked, “Can I go in?”

The person in front of him was exquisite in appearance and there was an assistant following him, indicating that he was an artist.

In the default system of the entertainment industry, the trainees were at the bottom.

Ji Yunqi never despised himself but it was inevitable that there would be senior artists who didn’t want to be in the same space as him. He didn’t want to be disliked for nothing.

“Of course. Which floor are you going to?” Ji Li’s first impression of this male protagonist wasn’t bad.

“The 12th floor,” Ji Yunqi replied.

The moment he entered, he found that the elevator button was already lit and he glanced at Ji Li again. “You are also going to see President Tao?”

“Yes.” Baozi answered.

Ji Yunqi stood to the side and didn’t say anything else.

Soon, the elevator reached the designated floor. Ji Yunqi was standing close to the door and as soon as the door opened, he walked out quickly.

Baozi waited for him to leave before quietly approaching Ji Li. “Brother Ji, this trainee looks very good and he has a unique temperament.”

 The trainee could look like this without makeup. Wouldn’t he fascinate many people after putting on makeup?

Ji Li admitted in a low voice. “It is quite special.”

The book once described it—

Ji Yunqi was the pet of the family so his personality carried a natural arrogance and nobility. It also made people feel real and not contrived. The temperament of his body gave off the sense of an aristocratic young master.

Such contradictory and attractive attributes were unique in the entire entertainment industry.

Ji Li really felt this was the case after seeing the real person for just a few minutes.

Baozi added, “Brother Ji, don’t be jealous. In my heart, you will always be number one.”

Ji Li came back to his senses and patted him on the shoulder. “Okay, let’s go.”

The two of them quickly found Tao Mingyang’s office and saw Yu Fuya leaning against the door and waiting.

“Sister Yu.”

Yu Fuya made a ‘shh’ gesture to them and pointed to the closed office door. “Sit on the couch for a while.”

Ji Li nodded. The moment he saw down, he heard an inquiring sound coming from inside.

“Yunqi, I heard from the head of the artist department that you refused the male lead in that idol drama? Why are you not satisfied? Can you tell me?”

Ji Li unknowingly focused when he heard Ji Yunqi’s name.

The next second, Ji Yunqi’s answer was heard. “President Tao, I have only been a trainee for two months and my acting skills aren’t up to snuff yet. Running off to act in a drama now? I’m afraid I will embarrass myself if I don’t act well.”

“Practice can produce true knowledge. Your looks and abilities are enough to act in an idol drama. The investment in this drama is good and the screenwriter is from your sister’s studio. The plot must pass…”

“If this condition was given to other trainees, they would’ve fought hard for it. You don’t want it?” Tao Mingyang wondered.

“In any case, I don’t want to act in an idol drama. At most, I will deceive young girls with my appearance. Some movie professors say it will just ruin my acting skills.”

Ji Yunqi spoke bluntly without the consciousness of facing a big boss at all.

Many young people liked to accumulate short-term popularity with idol dramas but Ji Yunqi thought differently.

If there was this much effort then it was better to take a few more acting lessons. Even if he needed to practice his true knowledge, he should go to a good crew to train as a supporting role.

“President Tao, in my place, there is no such thing as ascending to heaven one step at a time. Once I’m through with the company’s training, I will act according to the company’s arrangement, whether it is the male lead or a small supporting role.”

“I’m not from a professional class and I haven’t even finished the arranged acting lessons. What is the point of acting now?”

The end had a sense of ‘arrogance and unreasonableness.’

It was just like the novels. Ji Yunqi had his own persistence and never listened to casual and easy arrangements.  No one could force him to do anything unless he wanted to do it himself.

Ji Li heard this and a smile flashed in his eyes.

Such persistence was valuable for a rookie actor who hadn’t made his debut.

“You…”

Tao Mingyang was about to say something when he was interrupted by Ji Yunqi. “President Tao, the break time has ended. I should go back to the acting class.”

The moment he finished speaking, he pushed open the office door.

Ji Yunqi suddenly saw the three people on the sofa and there was a pause in his steps.

“Are you done talking?” Yu Fuya got up first and signaled to her own artist. “Ji Li, let’s go in. Baozi, sit here and wait a while.”

“Okay.” Baozi responded casually.

Ji Li stepped forward and smiled politely at Ji Yunqi as he approached.

The latter didn’t show much of an expression. He waited until they had entered the office before asking Baozi, “That man’s name is JI Li?”

The handsome man took the initiative to ask and Baozi naturally replied with a smile. “Yes, my Brother Ji just signed with Chaoying.”

Ji Yunqi confirmed Ji Li’s name. He looked sideways at the frosted glass of the office and left in an expressionless manner.

Baozi saw his ‘not to be messed with’ expression and stood where he was, scratching his head with some confusion. Did he say something wrong?

Ji Yunqi quickly walked back to the elevator. Ji Li’s appearance automatically appeared in his mind. He took a deep breath and pulled out his mobile phone. His fingers viciously tapped out a sentence in his Moments.

–Today, I actually met a man who is more handsome than me. D*mn!

The accompanying picture was an emoji: a small fist that is tightly clenched.

The replies at the bottom came quickly.

Second Sister: Hahahaha nonsense. My little brother’s bare face is 100% handsome!

Big Brother: You are the best looking.

Ji Yunqi saw the replies of his brother and sister and put his phone away in a satisfied manner.

He stared at himself in the reflection of the elevator and raised an eyebrow. Then he confidently gave himself a thumbs up.

–I’m really good!

The moment the elevator doors opened, he quickly changed back to a cold expression and walked out like nothing had happened.

---

Under the leadership of Yu Fuya, Ji Li finally met the rumored boss of Chaoying, Tao Mingyang.

The other person might be over 40 years old but he had a good figure with wide shoulders and a narrow waist under a suitable suit. His appearance could be regarded as handsome and he had an aura that was slightly detached from the world.

Come to think of it, he was an unbridled and flirtatious man who attracted many relationships when he was young.

Ji Li didn’t show any signs on his face as he called out, “Hello President Tao, I am Ji Li.”

“Yes, I know.” Tao Mingyang raised an eyebrow and turned his attention to Yu Fuya again. “You are finally willing to bring your precious artist to the company?”

“Tut.” Yu Fuya glared at him. “Don’t call him precious. It sounds strange. If I had a son earlier, he would’ve been as old as Ji Li.”

Since the sensational brother-sister relationship that went public, Yu Fuya had been somewhat resistant to words like ‘precious’ for her own artists. It was uncomfortable to listen to.

“I don’t mean that. How good is it being alone? What son or what marriage?” Tao Mingyang’s eyes were a bit awkward as he said the last few words.

The industry’s evaluation of Yu Fuya was very high and they had an equally high opinion of Tao Mingyang. One person led the artists in front while the other steered the company in the back. They were perfect partners.

At that time, Yu Fuya withdrew from the circle and got married, which also affected Tao Mingyang.

Otherwise, the company wouldn’t fall into an embarrassing situation like today no matter how many artists terminated the contract.

Yu Fuya frowned when she heard the word ‘marriage.’

She took out an electronic cigarette from her bag and was going to take a puff when she heard Tao Mingyang stop her. “Don’t smoke. It isn’t good for your body.”

Yu Fuya was impatient and immediately refuted him. “Do I need you to take care of me?”

“……” Tao Mingyang, who was still leisurely, was suddenly instigated. He pushed open the drawer and took out a  box. “Then I have the best cigar. Do you want one?”

Ji Li saw the atmosphere between the two of them and his eyes subtly changed.

“Ji Li, sit down for a while. Don’t take your boss too seriously. He won’t dare to do anything to you with me here.” Yu Fuya gestured.

“Sit down. Between me and your Sister Yu, she is the boss,” Tao Mingyang responded.

The tone contained a bit of deliberate apology that didn’t quite match his outward appearance.

Yu Fuya sneered when she saw his rare dog-like appearance.

She exhaled a thin puff of smoke and curiously asked about what had just happened. “What is that young man’s name? He is quite unique. Is he a newly recruited trainee of the company?”

Ji Li heard this and also felt a hint of curiosity.

In the original novel, there was no description of Ji Yunqi’s life before his debut. Ji Li had always thought he directly debuted by relying on his family background.

“Are you talking about Ji Yunqi?” Tao Mingyang slowly trimmed his cigar. “Have you heard of the Ji Group? Ji Yunqi is the third young master of the group. He has an older twin brother and sister.”

“His oldest brother is Ji Yunzheng who has been studying abroad. He is only in his early 30s and is now the heir to the group. You should be familiar with his second sister. She is Ji Yueming.”

“The screenwriter Ji Yueming?” Yu Fuya was a bit surprised.

Ji Yueming’s reputation in the screenwriting circle wasn’t small. She had been involved in several dramas with high ratings and the screenwriting studio under her control was full of talented people.

Tao Mingyang nodded. “Ji Yunqi is the baby of the Ji family. He had never been interested in his family business since he started studying. At the beginning of this year, he somehow became interested in the entertainment industry and ventured into it.”

“The Ji family has been family friends with our Tao family and I was asked to help arrange him in the company.”

Yu Fuya raised an eyebrow. “The interests involved aren’t small.”

“Originally, I thought the young master was just playing around and would be happy to shoot one or two dramas. Then as you saw…”

Tao Mingyang lit a cigar, helpless and surprised at the same time. “It seems he really wants to fight in this circle.”

“To be honest, the company hasn’t had any outstanding newcomers in the past two years. I had already planned to make the transition to behind the scenes investing but now…”

Tao Mingyang looked at Ji Li and spoke bluntly. “Ji Li is a good seedling that you value and I don’t think the strength on Ji Yunqi’s side is any worse.”

Perhaps the luck of their Chaoying was back.

“The two of you are the same age. If it is really like you said, they will be matched in popularity.” Yu Fuya stood up slightly and turned on the ‘cub protection’ mode without hesitation.

“In terms of family background, Ji Li can’t compare to the other person but when it comes to acting, there is no contest. At that time, you must not put all the internal resources of the company on the other person…”

She said solemnly, “Otherwise, I will take Ji Li to set up my own studio.”

Ji Li’s heart was slightly warm. He felt amused and helpless as he stopped her. “Sister Yu, things haven’t even started to take shape yet.”

Tao Mingyang followed up with a chuckle. “Rest assured, I don’t want to meddle in the resources between artists, let alone be biased toward one person.”

The entertainment industry was a complex chess game. The type of performance that could be achieved depended on how capable the artists were themselves.

The phone rang.

Tao Mingyang listened to a few words before hanging up and telling Yu Fuya, “The heads of several departments such as the propaganda department are already in the conference room. You can take Ji Li to meet them.”

Yu Fuya nodded.

Ji Li stood up at the same time and bowed to Tao Mingyang. “Thank you, President Tao.”

“You’re welcome. You are a signed artist of Chaoying and we have an obligation to take responsibility for your stardom.”

Tao Mingyang calmly got up and approached Yu Fuya to give her a friendly hug. “Fuya, I’m very happy that you have returned to the company.”

Yu Fuya calmly pushed him away and replied lightly, “Do you think I want to? I collapsed in the face of love and can only come back to engage in a career.”

Then she brushed back her hair and walked out.

Ji Li caught the loneliness that flashed in Tao Mingyang’s eyes and walked out silently.

---

Inside the elevator, Ji Li looked at Yu Fuya’s back and hesitated to talk.

Yu Fuya was keenly aware of his gaze and looked sideways. “Why are you watching me? A hole is about to be poked in the back of my head by you.”

Ji Li thought about it and decided not to pry into other people’s private matters. “It is nothing.”

It was just that he always felt there was something between Tao Mingyang and Yu Fuya.

“Are you curious about my relationship with Old Tao?”

Yu Fuyahad insight into his true thoughts and indifferently brought up the old past. “He was my first love. We were in a relationship for three years before parting amicably due to personality disagreements. Few people know about this matter.”

Now it didn’t matter. She had already seen through the trivial matter called love.

Ji Li and Baozi looked at each other and the latter had the expression of eating a big melon.

Didn’t the gossip tabloids say that Tao Mingyang was a famous nobleman of the love field? He was actually Sister Yu’s first love?

The most incredible thing was that President Tao was actually in a relationship with Sister Yu for three years before breaking up? The two of them could work together for so long after breaking up?

Sister Yu! Our Sister Yu is awesome!

The elevator door happened to open.

Yu Fuya glimpsed the gossip essence bursting from Baozi’s eyes and suddenly knocked on his head. “Take your gossip soul and go away. It is important business.”