I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 4

He had dared to snatch Xie Ci’s slot for two reasons: first, he was certain Xie Ci had no idea of the audition’s time or location; second, Xie Ci’s acting was a total mess—nowhere near the level of Hu Quan, who had already appeared in several dramas. Even if Xie Ci showed up, he would only make a fool of himself.

His internal calculations had been clicking away perfectly, but reality turned out to be worlds apart from his imagination. Not only did Xie Ci arrive on time, but he had also successfully secured the role.

A trace of fear appeared in Wang Mingde’s small eyes. And as the saying goes, what one fears most, happens.

“Mr. Wang Mingde? Director Zhang has something he wishes to ask you.” The staff member spoke politely but firmly escorted the weak-kneed Wang Mingde into the room.

The man before them was not tall, his face—weathered by years of frequenting wine parties, habitually wore a fawning smile.

Having spent so many years in the industry, Zhang Yunjiang’s eye for people was razor-sharp. With just one glance, he knew that Hu Quan’s words from earlier were almost certainly a fabrication.

“Hu Quan said earlier that you sent him to audition because you couldn’t reach Xie Ci and didn’t want to waste the opportunity. Is that correct?” Zhang Yunjiang’s tone was neither warm nor cold.

Most of the actors had already left. Aside from the judges and a few staff members, the large room contained only the pale-faced duo of Wang Mingde and Hu Quan, and Xie Ci, who stood quietly behind Zhang Yunjiang.

“That’s right. Xie Ci rarely comes to the company.” Darting a side-eye at Xie Ci, Wang Mingde stiffened his neck and continued, “Even though I’m his manager, I often can’t reach him…”

Seeing that not a single word of truth was coming out of Wang Mingde’s mouth, the smiling Gu Xingfeng dropped a bombshell.

“Little Xie just said he went to the company yesterday and happened to run into you. I assume your company has lobby surveillance records?”

Knowing Wang Mingde’s talent for twisting the truth from the original host’s memories, Xie Ci had turned on his phone’s recording function the moment he saw Wang Mingde at the company yesterday. Just now, Director Zhang and the others had heard Wang Mingde’s unreasonable conduct through that recording.

At this moment, the triumphant laughter of Wang Mingde and Hu Quan from the previous day echoed clearly from the phone sitting on the table.

Looking at the mocking expressions of the judges, Wang Mingde turned deathly pale. His knees went weak; he regretted not forcibly detaining Xie Ci at the company yesterday. Faced with this situation, he was afraid he was finished!

Two hours later, Wang Mingde and Hu Quan slunk out of the audition room in disgrace. Mo Li, who had finally received his termination contract, found it all hard to believe.

He and Xie Ci hadn’t been able to get a termination for four months, yet Director Zhang had settled it with a few casual words.

“The termination fees will be handled through my studio’s accounts. From now on, these two have nothing to do with your company.”

Hearing Director Zhang say this to Wang Mingde, even the tense Xie Ci finally breathed a sigh of relief. Rather than continuing to tangle with Wang Mingde, he preferred to use Zhang Yunjiang’s influence to terminate the contract as quickly as possible. Dragging things out only makes them more troublesome; sometimes, a swift cut is the most effective solution.

“Little Xie, I expect to recover this four million in termination fees with interest.” Zhang Yunjiang laughed heartily, satisfied with the deal.

He was a competent businessman and never allowed himself to make a losing trade. In the entertainment industry, it’s often said that “minor fame depends on promotion, but major stardom depends on fate.” He was certain that signing Xie Ci to his studio was a guaranteed profit. As for the friend, he seemed to have some spirit; it was simply a favor granted along the way.

“Being an artist at Director Zhang’s studio is already my honor,” Xie Ci said. This single sentence boosted Zhang Yunjiang’s satisfaction from ninety percent to a full hundred.

Talkative, beautiful, skilled in acting, and physically capable—such a brilliant talent had almost been buried by a pheasant company. The last actor for whom Zhang had personally intervened to secure a contract was now his regular leading man and “cash cow.” Zhang Yunjiang had a premonition that Xie Ci would take his career to the next level.

After leaving Quanchao Company, Mo Li’s admiration for Xie Ci was beyond words. He looked at his friend in the taxi, practically wanting to stick to him like a chick following a mother hen.

“Xie Ci, I’m starting to doubt if I drank too much the other night and haven’t woken up yet.” Mo Li pinched the soft flesh at his waist hard; the pain made him let go instantly.

“Feel the termination contract in your hand and see if it’s a hallucination,” Xie Ci joked, having resolved the biggest current headache.

“Oh, look at you, learning how to joke now…” Mo Li laughed and threw himself onto Xie Ci. Both deliberately ignored the time they had spent being exploited by that predatory company.

New company, new crew, a brand-new future—here they come!

Late at night, a well-known entertainment industry “insider” dropped some gossip.

[Gossip Section] #DivingAbyss Casting has concluded; certain young actors should stop trying to ‘hype’ themselves.

As soon as the initials “qy” (Diving Abyss) appeared in the title, a crowd of gossip-seekers swarmed in.

1L: “Am I time-traveling? Didn’t casting for Diving Abyss end six months ago?”

4L: “Exactly! The crew has been filming for months…”

21L: “My friend works at Quanchao; there was one supporting role that wasn’t settled six months ago because they couldn’t find the right actor.”

Seeing the growing number of replies, the original poster stopped teasing and dropped the details.

OP: “According to internal sources, Director Zhang fought the investors for two months. Only yesterday did they issue an internal notice announcing the end of casting.”

34L: “Is it Silver Thirteen? My professor lectured on this person in an open class. Supposedly, he was enchantingly beautiful and skilled in swordsmanship; the Emperor depended on him to escape the palace during the coup.”

45L: “Wait, is the OP’s title throwing shade at a certain ‘hype-artist’?”

The OP clearly had no liking for this “hype-artist,” leaving a “those who know, know” before disappearing.

“Xie Ci? Where on earth did Zhang Yunjiang find this person?”

In a villa in a wealthy district of City B, a man with dyed yellow hair asked into the phone with a face full of impatience. Hearing the voice on the other end, Wu Xinyue kicked the footstool beside him, his expression darkening.

Since the casting for Diving Abyss began, he had approached them with his own investment and a zero-salary offer. He couldn’t reach the heavy-hitting male roles, so he set his sights on the unique supporting role of Silver Thirteen. Although the screen time was short, it consisted mostly of scenes with the male lead. If he could use this role to build a relationship with Ji Xiuheng, he would gain a golden connection.

Recalling his rejection six months ago, Wu Xinyue grew even more resentful. A newcomer—who knows what methods he used to “lick” his way into this role, isn’t he afraid of biting off more than he can chew?

Thinking of something, Wu Xinyue made another call. “Contact that company from last time. Remember to be flexible—don’t make it as obvious as before.”

After hanging up, he sneered, his handsome face filled with malice. Becoming famous through acting was too slow; he’d kindly gift this Xie Ci a trending search so he could taste the flavor of fame early.

“So this is the script for Diving Abyss.” Ever since the successful termination yesterday, Mo Li had maintained a gaze of pure worship.

Xie Ci nodded. “This is the part of the script given during the audition. Director Zhang told me to get familiar with the character’s story as soon as possible. We join the crew for filming next Monday.”

Because of the unique circumstances, the opening ceremony had long since passed. Since they were about to film Silver Thirteen’s arc, the process of joining the crew was simplified.

“Next Monday? That’s the day after tomorrow!” Mo Li was energized. “I’ve never been in a movie crew before, let alone such a big production.” He felt wonderful; they say a woman fears marrying the wrong man, but he felt like he was “marrying into a wealthy family” by following his good brother.

Xie Ci found his entranced expression amusing. Having suddenly traveled here, it was a stroke of luck to have such a friend. This was why he was willing to pay double the effort to ask Director Zhang to sign Mo Li’s contract along with his own.

Thinking of Li Yajun, who was still working as a small assistant under Wang Mingde, Xie Ci calculated the salary Zhang Yunjiang had promised and sent her a message.

“Xiao Ya, if Wang Mingde makes things difficult for you, I have an assistant position waiting for you here.”

Li Yajun, who had already heard of the “double blessing” of the audition and termination from Mo Li, replied quite suavely: “A man who doesn’t forget his roots when he strikes it rich—I admire you! Wang the Dog hasn’t noticed me yet. I’ll wait until I’ve squeezed a resignation fee out of him before I come find you!”

Xie Ci smiled and put down his phone to focus on the script.

The sound of rain pattered faintly on the windowsill. Mo Li didn’t want to distract Xie Ci, so he went to the balcony to collect the laundry. The small apartment was silent save for the subtle sound of turning pages.

The more Xie Ci read, the more he felt the script for Diving Abyss was more exciting than any storybook he had ever seen. The characters were well-rounded, and the plot was full of twists; the legendary experiences of a historical emperor provided a solid foundation for the film.

Silver Thirteen had very few historical records. To enrich the plot, Gu Xingfeng had portrayed him as a free-spirited wanderer of the Jianghu. In the script, the male lead accidentally saves the amnesiac Silver Thirteen while investigating local conditions in the south and takes him back to the capital as a servant. It isn’t until a year later, when Silver Thirteen saves him from assassins at a banquet, that the lead realizes this man possesses extraordinary skills.

However, Silver Thirteen remained mysterious, telling the lead he would protect his life only twice more to repay the original debt. Thus, after helping the lead assassinate the Fifth Prince and rescuing the unconscious lead from the palace coup, he vanished.

Xie Ci read with great interest. Director Zhang planned to make Diving Abyss into a series; this character only appeared in the first part before the lead’s enthronement. His screen time was short, but it featured a pivotal assassination scene that would be brilliant if performed well.

Xie Ci closed the script. He was becoming more and more adapted to this new world and gaining a deeper understanding of his new profession. He had been gifted since childhood, putting effort into learning all sorts of “unorthodox” skills; although he had a new body, he still learned new things quickly. Over the past two days, whenever he had free time, he researched the basic requirements of an actor on his phone.

Rehearsing the lines and action scenes for Silver Thirteen in his mind, Xie Ci picked up a clothes hanger in his room and began practicing according to his imagination.

Meanwhile, looking at the message from his assistant, Ji Xiuheng—who was currently on a break from filming, flipped through the script with interest and wrote the name “Xie Ci” next to the role of Silver Thirteen.