I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 1

“Huff, finally found you! The director only said a couple words to you, how could you hide away in anger for so long? Come on, let’s go back.”

Suddenly having his wrist grabbed by a strange man, the confusion in Jing Yi’s clear eyes deepened.

He had been standing here for a long time.

The passersby were dressed in bizarre clothing, and the surrounding environment was completely different from what it had been just one incense stick’s time ago.

“Hurry up, my little ancestor! Even though you joined this production with investment backing this time, you still need to finish filming your scenes, right?”

As the person in front tried to pull him along, Jing Yi used subtle force to free his wrist from the restraint, then pressed his palms together in a devout gesture: “Benefactor, this humble monk is not your little ancestor.”

Xue An froze, looking up and down at the handsome man before him dressed as a monk.

Confirming it was indeed the same face, just without the heavy eye makeup, he couldn’t help but laugh ruefully: “I get it, you’re really getting into character after listening to me? Fine, Master Xuan Kong, come back with me now.”

After speaking, Xue An turned around directly and headed toward the film set.

After walking a few steps and hearing no footsteps behind him, Xue An turned back to urge: “Jing Yi, come on.”

Jing Yi frowned slightly.

One day earlier, the abbot had called him to the Meditation Hall and given him a letter from his secular family.

The letter stated that his family had encountered disaster – his father and brothers had all died. His mother and sister-in-law couldn’t support the family business alone and needed him to return home as a layperson.

Though he had never met his secular family, Jing Yi was still worried about them.

There was just one thing – Jing Yi didn’t want to return to secular life.

But the abbot had said: “Xuan Kong, your worldly ties remain unresolved. I have burned your ordination certificate, so go walk your path of life cultivation. From now on, you are only Jing Yi, not Xuan Kong.”

With his ordination certificate burned and the temple gates closed tight, returning to secular life… was unavoidable.

Jing Yi had no choice but to descend the mountain.

Unexpectedly, just as he entered the town at the mountain’s base, the surroundings began to shift like water mist.

When everything stabilized, he found himself here.

The Buddhist scriptures speak of three thousand great worlds – could this be one of them? If he followed the guidance of this benefactor who knew his name, could he return home?

Thinking this, Jing Yi lifted his gaze and took steps toward the waiting figure ahead.

Xue An breathed a sigh of relief.

He had only recently been assigned as Jing Yi’s assistant. When others heard he would be working with Jing Yi, they all sympathized with him and made sure to educate him about Jing Yi’s “heroic deeds.”

Two years ago, Jing Yi had been signed for his looks, becoming a trainee in Dream Entertainment’s Dream Chaser Boys group. His appearance had made him briefly popular online. But one day during a routine livestream, he suddenly began viciously insulting his fellow trainees with exceptionally harsh words.

That very night, all of Jing Yi’s fans abandoned him, and he became the target of widespread online criticism.

The company forced Jing Yi to apologize on camera, with key points being “single-parent family,” “mother just died of cancer,” and “unpaid bank loans.”

This sympathy-seeking whitewashing operation briefly pushed topics related to Jing Yi into Weibo’s top ten trending list.

Capitalizing on this black popularity, the company quickly selected eleven other boys to debut with Jing Yi in a group named “Dream Chasers.”

For idols debuting in groups, the worst thing is being incompetent at singing and dancing.

Jing Yi managed to be bad at both, becoming the weakest link among the twelve members and constantly being targeted by other members’ fans. The company simply used him as a tool to generate heat, often promoting other members whenever antis were criticizing him.

Perhaps truly desperate for money, Jing Yi somehow ended up on the path of clinging to powerful figures, using every possible means during group public events and filming to opportunistically approach and aggressively flirt with famous people.

With overwhelming evidence piling up, multiple fanbases launched joint petitions to boycott Jing Yi, cursing that his career would inevitably flop.

Appearance-obsessed netizens lamented his wasted potential, scolding Jing Yi for being both foolish and straying from the right path, unworthy of the face heaven had gifted him.

He truly had strayed from the right path.

Xue An sighed softly, stealing a glance at Jing Yi.

Rumors had been circulating within the company that Jing Yi’s sudden casting as the male lead in Seduce the Monk was the result of him “selling” himself to a wealthy tycoon.

So what if he sold himself? In the entertainment industry, aside from the already well-connected Actor Lu, how many celebrities were truly clean? This was just another unfortunate path to success.

Even though Seduce the Monk was only a web drama, it was still a leading role. If filmed well, who knows—it might just become a hit?

Noticing that Jing Yi’s footsteps had slowed, carrying an air of serene ease, Xue An couldn’t help but offer some encouragement. “I think you’ve started to grasp the essence of acting. Later, go apologize to the director, and we’ll reshoot the sutra-reciting scene. Honestly, as long as you stay still and maintain the posture, it’ll be over in no time. If you can’t memorize the sutras, it’s fine—we have voice actors anyway.”

Jing Yi struggled to process Xue An’s words, then calmly asked for clarification, his expression serene: “Benefactor, you repeatedly address this humble monk as Jing Yi. Is it because I resemble the Jing Yi you speak of?”

Xue An’s eyebrows twitched.

Was Jing Yi getting too into character?

Well, if his artist was putting in the effort, he, as the assistant, couldn’t afford to lag behind, right?

“Indeed, Master, you bear a striking resemblance to Jing Yi,” Xue An enunciated carefully, deliberately mimicking the tone of historical drama scripts with a serious expression.

Jing Yi nodded and asked again, “Thank you for clarifying, benefactor. May I ask, who is this ‘director’ you speak of?”

“Pfft, cut it out,” Xue An broke character instantly. “Even though the director scolded you, it was for your own good. Don’t use your immersion in the role as an excuse to mess around.”

“One more question, benefactor—what is ‘filming’? Is drama not simply performed through song and acting?”

“Filming is the process of preserving the performance,” Xue An explained, noticing the genuine confusion and curiosity in Jing Yi’s eyes. He smiled and added, “This questioning attitude is perfect. Remember to maintain it during your scenes with the female lead later.”

“The female lead? The mistress of this household?” Jing Yi looked puzzled again.

Xue An laughed and gave a thumbs-up. “Great acting, truly impressive!”

As they spoke, they arrived at the Seduce the Monk set.

The director, unable to wait any longer, had already started filming the female lead’s solo scenes.

Xue An led Jing Yi to a resting chair, gestured for him to sit, and handed him the script.

“Come on, while you’re in such good form, take some more time to review the script.”

Jing Yi accepted the book Xue An referred to as the “script,” marveling at the thinness of the paper and its smooth texture. He carefully opened it, his expression turning to surprise at the sight of the small, black, square-shaped characters.

Hmm… some of the characters were unfamiliar.

“Over there, Assistant Xue, if your artist is ready, come over and continue filming. Don’t waste everyone’s time,” someone seated in front of a strange device called out impatiently.

Jing Yi turned toward the speaker, but the next moment, the book was snatched from his hands.

“Let’s go, we need to apologize to the director first,” Xue An said, setting the script aside and pulling Jing Yi toward the director. As they walked, he called out, “Sorry for the wait, Director! But our Xiao Yi is in fantastic form now! You’ll definitely be satisfied.”

The director listened but offered no response.

A D-list celebrity is a D-list celebrity after all—not professionally trained, yet fond of putting on airs. Even a simple static scene like lip-syncing while meditating and chanting scriptures couldn’t be executed properly.

If not for pulling strings and bringing investment to the production, who would hire someone like this!

Already irritated, the director waved impatiently when he saw Jing Yi being led over by Xue An, as if the two were about to engage in lengthy excuses. “Don’t waste time. Go sit on the meditation cushion and chant. If you still can’t perform well, I’ll have no choice but to discuss replacing you with the investors.”

Xue An had originally intended for Jing Yi to say a few humble words to the director to salvage his image, but now there was no opportunity.

He guided Jing Yi toward the cushion and whispered, “Just endure it for a while. Lip-sync pretending to chant scriptures while tapping the wooden fish simultaneously. It’s very simple—you can do it!”

Jing Yi gave a slight nod, first bowing respectfully to the Buddha statue, then lifting his robe to sit cross-legged.

The motion was so fluid, as if he had done it countless times.

The director, watching from behind the monitor, glanced at the screen and then at the actor now seated with palms pressed together in meditation. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. What came next astonished him even more.

A mellow chanting voice drifted from the prayer hall, soothing to the ear and carrying a calming power that comforted the soul.

As he listened, the director’s furrowed brow relaxed, and the frustration stirred by Jing Yi’s earlier bizarre performance gradually faded away.

He didn’t mind that Jing Yi wasn’t tapping the wooden fish. Instead, he had the clapper loader softly mark the scene and gestured for recording to begin.

Seduce the Monk was a popular fantasy novel about the love story between the fox demon Shui’er and the eminent monk Xuan Kong. Misty Cloud Video had acquired the rights and adapted it into a script, with a total of twelve episodes.

The scene of Xuan Kong chanting scriptures would run throughout the entire series, filmed once and later edited into the necessary segments.

The director focused intently on the monitor, while the rest of the crew concentrated on their respective tasks. For a while, the only sound on set was the chanting of scriptures.

The gentle, resonant chanting continued for a long time within the crew, until finally, Jiang Wenwen, the actress playing the female lead, whispered, “Director, it’s been half an hour.”

“Huh?” The director snapped out of his daze.

Had it really been half an hour? He had been listening to Jing Yi chant for thirty minutes?