I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 18

“They’re taking off the mask?!”

“Lu Yi, you’re amazing! Your moms love you!”

The fans were so excited they howled like wolves, but Lu Yi’s nuzzling big head was directly blocked by a pale, slender hand.

The person didn’t seem afraid of Lu Yi’s sharp teeth at all, their hand almost reaching into Lu Yi’s mouth.

“Lu Yi doesn’t like this mask?” The clear voice carried a strong youthful quality.

Fans in the live stream screamed: “Oh oh oh, this must be Lu Yi’s mom, definitely Lu Yi’s mom’s voice.”

Hearing the voice, Lu Yi let out a pitiful whimper.

Jing Yi rubbed the big tiger’s head, then stroked its chin, slowly straightening his upper body.

Lu Yi obediently backed away, finally settling into a position lying across Jing Yi’s lap.

Cao Yang seized the opportunity to record video from the side.

No matter how he filmed it, he couldn’t help but think this 19-year-old youth was truly remarkable!

Lu Yuzhi’s closeness with Lu Yi stemmed from a life-saving favor. But now it seemed Lu Yi was actually closer to Jing Yi, to the point where Lu Yi didn’t even want to look at Lu Yuzhi.

“You’ve been thoroughly abandoned,” Cao Yang said with a laugh, keeping his voice low.

Lu Yuzhi’s eyes beneath the mask sparkled with amusement: “Where do you see that I’ve been abandoned?”

He walked over to Jing Yi’s side and sat down too, saying to Lu Yi: “Lu Yi, I want to shake your paw.”

Lu Yi proudly turned its head away, as if not seeing Lu Yuzhi’s outstretched hand.

Lu Yuzhi urged gently: “Shake, Lu Yi.”

“Roar!” Lu Yi opened its mouth and bit Lu Yuzhi’s palm, applying slight pressure.

It used to do this often – whenever it made this move, Lu Yuzhi would withdraw his hand.

But this time Lu Yuzhi didn’t move, instead letting out a soft “hiss.”

Hearing this, Jing Yi frowned slightly: “Lu Yi, don’t do that.”

Lu Yi quickly opened its big mouth wide, glanced at Jing Yi, drooped its ears and defended itself pitifully: “Growl.”

Lu Yuzhi rubbed his palm, then turned to Jing Yi: “It seems Cao Yang was right. Now that Lu Yi has you, it doesn’t want me anymore.”

Though Lu Yuzhi’s voice carried laughter, his words made Jing Yi quite embarrassed. After all, Lu Yuzhi had known Lu Yi much longer – how could he steal Lu Yuzhi’s good friend?

“That won’t happen. How could Lu Yi not want you?” Jing Yi rubbed Lu Yi’s head. “Right, Lu Yi? The three of us can be good friends too, can’t we?”

Hearing Jing Yi say this, Lu Yi reluctantly extended its paw and gently tapped Lu Yuzhi’s hand.

Lu Yuzhi reached out and shook the big cat’s enormous paw, casually rubbing the soft paw pad in the process.

As the audience to the entire scene, Cao Yang curled his lips.

This scheming big shot Lu Yuzhi was using Jing Yi’s innocent heart and Lu Yi’s affection for Jing Yi to forcibly achieve his handshake goal. All just to prove that he was still Lu Yuzhi – as long as he had the right method, how could Lu Yi dare to reject him?

Cao Yang wasn’t the only one who thought this; viewers who watched the entire live stream also understood.

“Your dad is still your dad – if you won’t listen to me, you’ll at least listen to mom, hahaha.”

“Poor Lu Yi, can’t the child have its own preferences?”

“Shipping them so hard! Confirmed – parents teaming up to discipline their disobedient child.”

The live stream was filled with laughter and joy, but happy times are always so fleeting.

The keeper ended the livestream at the 25-minute mark, explaining that Lu Yi had a filming schedule and needed to log off early. Cao Yang took the opportunity to step in front of the camera and interact with the audience: “When my public service advertisement comes out, remember to vote for me on the national network.”

Seeing netizens asking about the protagonist and begging for spoilers, Cao Yang added, “Don’t rush, you’ll find out once the ad is released.”

He was being deliberately mysterious again!

Furious netizens roared in frustration, but once the livestream ended, it was over.

“I’ll contact you after I get back and organize things,” Cao Yang suddenly remembered. “Oh, should I contact your assistant Xue An?”

“Sure, either way is fine,” Jing Yi nodded.

The three of them removed their Ultraman masks, and Cao Yang was the first to leave.

Jing Yi stayed with Lu Yi for a while longer until Lu Yuzhi’s phone rang.

“An accident happened during filming with one of the company’s artists,” Lu Yuzhi frowned. “Sorry, Jing Yi, I have to go.”

Lu Yuzhi had founded an entertainment company earlier in his career and was currently collaborating with the national television station to remake a nostalgic TV movie. Just as things were getting started, the lead actor had fallen from a wire while performing a difficult martial arts stunt.

Not only was the filming schedule halted due to the lead actor’s injury, but it was also uncertain whether he could continue with the project after recovery.

“Alright, see you next time.” Sensing Lu Yuzhi’s genuine urgency, Jing Yi bid him a gentle farewell.

After Lu Yuzhi left, Jing Yi played with Lu Yi for a bit longer before saying goodbye.

Lu Yi didn’t want Jing Yi to leave and clung to his leg, making Jing Yi both amused and exasperated.

“I’ll come see you again in a couple of days, be good.” He crouched down and gently brushed his face against Lu Yi’s furry one.

“Awwoo.” Only then did Lu Yi release Jing Yi.

…

When the tax evasion case against Dream Entertainment went to trial, the national television station simultaneously publicly criticized a series of artists under the company.

Murong Yi was among them.

With Dream Entertainment’s collapse, his new idol drama was also banned.

Since the dinner party involved monetary transactions and illegal prostitution, Murong Yi was detained and reprimanded. When he left the detention center, some emotionally charged fans surrounded him, accusing him of breaking everyone’s hearts.

This tearful farewell scene was captured by reporters and quickly spread online.

Murong Yi made a desperate escape from the crowd and was cornered in a back alley by other members of the Dream Chaser group.

The boys, now without the company’s protection, beat Murong Yi up.

Lin You sneered, “Who would’ve thought you were the one selling yourself? How does it feel now? Back then, you led us in bullying Jing Yi. Now that you’re being bullied, how does it feel?”

“I regret ever being in the same group as you. Your actions have ruined all of us.”

“Worthless trash. How come Jing Yi managed to come out of this completely unscathed?”

Jing Yi did indeed emerge completely unscathed.

The firefighter who entered the room, Zhang Qiang himself, and the hospital’s official statement all proved Jing Yi’s innocence.

Jing Yi’s Weibo follower count surged dramatically, rising from 500 to 20,000.

The fans who had previously cyberbullied Jing Yi under Murong Yi’s influence now left daily apologies under his latest Weibo posts. Jing Yi did not respond to any of these apologies, as he felt he had no right to do so.

He wasn’t the one who had been publicly condemned and had no authority to forgive on behalf of the original Jing Yi.

Meanwhile, Guo Lin spoke up again in the group chat.

“Jing Yi, hurry up and repost the promotional tweet from ‘Seduce the Monk’s official account. You’re the lead actor, show some dedication, okay?”

“Seduce the Monk” was about to air.

Jing Yi obediently reposted the countdown tweet for “Seduce the Monk” and typed: “It premieres tomorrow, hope everyone will enjoy my work.”

This utterly ordinary promotional message made Guo Lin sigh while massaging his forehead.

Netizens who saw this repost didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Xu Sisi V: “You’re literally the worst celebrity at social media engagement. Oh wait, I forgot you don’t have an agency. Which company are you planning to sign with?”

Formerly known as the president of Murong Yi’s fan club, Xu Sisi had now become a regular commenter under Jing Yi’s posts.

Seeing this question, Jing Yi replied below: “Not planning to.”

Right after replying to Xu Sisi, a WeChat message came from Xue An: “I wanted to ask too, Jing Yi, which company do you want to sign with? I’ll immediately apply for a job wherever you go. I still want to be your assistant.”

Jing Yi countered: “Can I not sign with anyone?”

Xue An: “…” What do you mean not sign with anyone? Is it really okay to be this straightforward?

Xue An didn’t want to talk anymore.

Jing Yi didn’t reply further either when his phone suddenly rang with an unknown number.

“Jing Yi, this is Cao Yang. My public service advertisement is ready. Are you free tomorrow? The zoo will be closed tomorrow.”

“Free.”

Since the public service advertisement competition was announced by the state, if participants wanted to use animals from the national zoo for filming, the zoo had to provide full support.

The next day, Jing Yi arrived at the zoo, first changed into costume as required in the workroom, then sat before a mirror for makeup.

Cao Yang explained his creative concept nearby.

Public service advertisements differed from regular commercials—they weren’t bound by strict time constraints. But to leave a lasting impression on viewers, they still needed to follow the principle of being concise and powerful, creating visual impact in the shortest time possible.

The theme for this public service advertisement competition was “Humans and Nature.”

The storyline Cao Yang wanted to film featured an ancient youth gathering herbs in the forest who encounters a severely injured tiger. The youth treats the tiger’s wounds with medicine and releases it back into the woods.

Later, when an earthquake approaches, animals in the forest scatter in panic.

It was deep night, and the youth was sleeping by the fire with his tribesmen when the tiger suddenly appears, roaring and attacking people. Not recognizing the tiger, the youth joins his tribesmen in attacking it.

Only when they feel the ground shaking do they panic and flee.

In the final emergency scene, the youth recognizes the tiger and breaks down crying in shock.

The shot freezes on the mutual gaze between the tiger and the youth.

While listening to Cao Yang’s explanation, Jing Yi read through the script.

The entire script contained no dialogue, only actions.

Zoo staff members played supporting roles, while the animal performers were just the deer herd and the tiger Lu Yi.

They would film in segments to avoid having Lu Yi and the deer herd meet. As for the forest earthquake and ground collapse scenes, those would be added through post-production. Since this was a public service advertisement, minimizing costs aligned with the theme’s spirit.

After Jing Yi and the supporting actors finished their makeup, Cao Yang tried to get everyone to unleash their primal instincts. After all, ancient people behaved quite differently from modern humans.

The staff members wearing leaf costumes found this hilarious but followed Cao Yang’s instructions to go find their characters’ essence.

Jing Yi thought about the phrase “unleash primal instincts” and what ancient people meant, then asked Cao Yang if he could visit the gorilla enclosure for reference.

Cao Yang applied with the staff, who called for assistance and expressed concern: “The gorilla King Kong in our zoo has a bad temper. What if he hurts you?”

“It’s fine.” Jing Yi, with messy hair and dirty clothes, only had bright eyes. “He can’t hurt me.”

Lu Yi’s keeper nearby also chimed in, testifying that Jing Yi hadn’t been harmed even when Lu Yi had acted aggressively before.

The zoo director thought it over and had Jing Yi handwrite a guarantee before agreeing to let him in, but still requested security protection.

Jing Yi entered King Kong the gorilla’s enclosure.

King Kong was originally cracking walnuts with a stone when he suddenly noticed a human nearby. He stared curiously at Jing Yi.

Jing Yi stood still, using internal energy to alter his breathing rhythm.

King Kong began circling Jing Yi, baring his teeth with a fierce expression. After completing the circle, King Kong suddenly pushed Jing Yi.

Jing Yi remained motionless.

King Kong froze, then used greater force.

Jing Yi still didn’t move.

This time King Kong was stunned, squatting in front of Jing Yi to observe him.

Their gazes met, and King Kong stood frozen in place.

Gorillas possess high intelligence.

No matter how he looked at it, King Kong knew this creature was similar to those who usually came to see him. Yet, he strangely felt this being was his own kind.

Unable to figure it out, King Kong returned to his original spot, tossing walnuts from the ground into his mouth while keeping his eyes fixed on Jing Yi.

Jing Yi then moved, approaching King Kong.

Some walnuts remained on the ground.

Looking at the walnuts, Jing Yi made a gesture: “May I take one?”

King Kong bared his teeth as if smiling, pushing the walnuts toward Jing Yi.

Jing Yi picked one up, crushed it in his palm, and offered the walnut meat to King Kong. Astonished, King Kong looked at the shattered shell, then at Jing Yi, his eyes wide with surprise.

Jing Yi smiled, extending the walnut meat further.

Nearby, the director and keeper were stunned.

“Crushing walnuts barehanded… no wonder he said nothing would happen. Where did this young master come from? He’s truly skilled.”

After sharing walnuts friendly with King Kong, Jing Yi waved goodbye to the gorilla.

Filming began.