I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 2

The director looked at the monitor.

Jing Yi was tapping a wooden fish at this moment, with a string of Buddhist prayer beads moving rhythmically in his hand as he chanted scriptures.

Under the sunlight, his exquisitely handsome face radiated a serene and gentle aura.

Suddenly, a piece of fluff drifted over and landed on Jing Yi’s eyelashes.

Anyone would instinctively blink when something falls on their eyelashes, yet Jing Yi showed not even the slightest change in expression, as if he hadn’t sensed the foreign object at all.

Such remarkable composure! Had Jing Yi suddenly become enlightened after being scolded?

The director thought proudly, feeling that this scene definitely deserved a close-up. After recording for two more minutes, he called out: “Cut! The scripture chanting scene is good! Next scene, next scene.”

The next scene featured Xuan Kong bringing the fox demon Shui’er to the morning scripture chanting session, but Shui’er showed no interest in chanting scriptures and disrespected the Buddha statue, angering Xuan Kong.

While the crew was adjusting camera positions, Xue An hurried over to Jing Yi.

“Xiao Yi, that’s enough, that’s enough!” Getting no response after calling out, Xue An had a sudden inspiration and shouted, “Venerable Xuan Kong!! Someone needs you!”

The wooden fish tapping abruptly stopped, and Jing Yi suddenly opened his eyes.

“May I ask, benefactor, what is the matter?”

“The next scene needs preparation. Do you remember your lines? Do you need to review them?”

“Lines?”

Xue An opened the script and pointed at the lines for Jing Yi: “Here, what you need to say later.”

Jing Yi was currently relating what he was doing to opera performance. In opera, one must sing the libretto, making the meaning of the lines easy to understand.

“Could you read it to me?”

Xue An nodded and complied.

Jing Yi closed his eyes and listened attentively. After hearing the lines Xue An read, he asked puzzled: “In the libretto, Xuan Kong possesses a steadfast Buddhist heart. Why would he become angry?”

“Ah? Isn’t it because the little fox demon doesn’t take the Buddha statue seriously and shows disrespect?”

“The Buddha is compassionate and treats all living beings with tolerance. The little fox demon has not yet been enlightened, so one should simply respond with a smile. Anger would mean losing one’s original heart.”

“This…” Xue An didn’t understand Buddhist principles at all, staring blankly at the closed-eyed Jing Yi.

By this time, the props team had set up the camera positions. The director signaled that filming could begin, reminding: “Action, action! Jing Yi, maintain your state and continue chanting scriptures!”

Jing Yi closed his eyes.

Amid the steady scripture chanting, several flirtatious giggles suddenly mixed in. The sound approached from afar, circling around the monk Xuan Kong.

Xuan Kong remained motionless.

The fox demon Shui’er wore sheer gauze clothing, her sexy and fiery figure completely visible. Watching the monk who only focused on chanting scriptures, she furrowed her willow-leaf eyebrows, then suddenly revealed a sly smile.

With her gauze fluttering, the fox demon lightly leaped onto the Buddha statue, sitting in the palm of the Buddha’s hand and stroking the statue’s face.

“Xuan Kong, look at me~”

Xuan Kong opened his eyes and gazed steadily at the fox demon on the Buddha statue. In the close-up shot, his expression remained calm, his dark eyes seemingly capable of embracing everything.

The director frowned, hesitating between calling cut or not.

According to the script, Xuan Kong should be angry at this moment. But watching Xuan Kong in the lens, the director actually began to feel that this demeanor was more appropriate.

The director didn’t call cut, so Jiang Wenwen, who played the fox demon Shui’er, knitted her brows.

Jing Yi was clearly acting wrong! Should she continue performing? What’s going on??

Steeling herself, Jiang Wenwen smiled seductively and delivered her next line: “Great Master, do you think this cold Buddha statue, holding Shui’er, can feel the warmth of her body?”

After speaking, she fixed her gaze on Jing Yi.

From his elevated position, Xuan Kong pressed his palms together, his expression serene and his voice betraying no emotion. “Benefactress, the Buddha statue has no heart and knows neither cold nor warmth.”

Watching from the side, Xue An grew increasingly anxious. Why was Jing Yi casually changing his lines? How was Jiang Wenwen supposed to respond?

Jiang Wenwen indeed had no idea how to continue, her smile freezing on her face.

Different lines posed a significant challenge to an actor’s skill. Jiang Wenwen, who rose to fame through web dramas, lacked the improvisational ability of veteran performers.

Though she desperately wanted to stop acting, how could she dare when the director hadn’t called cut?

Just as Jiang Wenwen was anxiously wondering how to respond naturally, the director stood up and shouted “Cut!”

“I’m sorry, Director, it’s our fault that Jing Yi changed his lines. Please don’t be angry.” Xue An rushed over to apologize to the director.

The director paid no attention to Xue An, instead engaging in a low conversation with the screenwriter who had approached.

Jiang Wenwen jumped down from the Buddha statue, casting a disdainful glance at Jing Yi who remained in character. She hadn’t wanted to work with scandal-ridden Jing Yi from the beginning, and now that the director and screenwriter were discussing replacement, it couldn’t be better!

Taking the water bottle from her assistant, Jiang Wenwen sipped slowly while waiting for the director to explode in anger.

“Jiang Wenwen, Jing Yi, you two can wrap up early today and go rest.”

Hearing this from the director, Jiang Wenwen nearly choked on her water. “Why, Director? Why are we resting already?”

“Exactly, Director,” Jiang Wenwen’s assistant chimed in discontentedly. “Our Wenwen turned down other commitments for this. How can we rest on the first day of filming? This is unheard of!”

The director pondered for a moment before responding, “Alright then, Jiang Wenwen, you stay and film the scenes without dialogue. Jing Yi can go rest first.”

“What? How…”

“Are you the director or am I? If you don’t want to follow my instructions, just say so. I’ll replace you immediately!” Seeing Jiang Wenwen about to argue further, the director’s face darkened. “Assistant Xue, take your artist to rest. The revised script will be sent to your email. Have Jing Yi start memorizing it tonight.”

Xue An’s previously anxious heart immediately settled.

So when the director called cut and stood up earlier, it wasn’t to replace Jing Yi but to revise the script? Did this indirectly mean the director was very satisfied with Jing Yi’s improvised lines?

He quickly strode over to Jing Yi and said cheerfully, “Master Xuan Kong, we’re finishing early today. You can break character now.”

Jing Yi opened his eyes and glanced sideways at Xue An. “Break character? What does that mean?”

“Didn’t you hear the director? We’re not filming today.”

As soon as Xue An finished speaking, his phone rang from his waist.

He answered it, exchanged a few words, then handed the phone to Jing Yi. “Jing Yi, Brother Jie is looking for you. He wants you to find a secluded spot to talk.”

Seeing Xue An speaking to the box and hearing a man’s voice emerge from it, Jing Yi looked curious. He took the small device and obediently walked to a quiet, deserted area.

“Jing Yi, hello? Can you talk? Is anyone around you now?”

“No one.”

“Ah? Oh, still in character? Well, Xue An told me your work finished early today. President Zhang is pressing urgently. Here’s what we’ll do – tell Xue An, then wait for me at the photography base entrance. I’ll drive over to pick you up.”

Before Jing Yi could speak, the small box in his hand emitted a “beep” sound, and the screen went black immediately after.

He held the box up, examining it for a while. Seeing that it remained completely unresponsive, he retraced his steps back to Xue An.

“Finished your call? What did Brother Jie say? Did he praise your progress?”

“He did not.” Jing Yi tentatively called out, “Xue An?”

“Hmm?”

Jing Yi said, “Brother Jie asked me to relay a message to you.”

“What message?”

“He did not specify.” Jing Yi pointed at the box and replied calmly, “Is this a filming base? This humble monk needs to go to the entrance.”

“We were already heading to the entrance anyway. Since we have nothing else to do, why don’t we take a stroll around?” Xue An suggested with a smile.

Jing Yi also wanted to look around and see how this world differed from his original one.

He nodded and followed Xue An to the dressing room.

Xue An handed Jing Yi the clothes he had been wearing earlier. “Here, go change out of those.”

Change clothes?

Holding the garments, Jing Yi stood silently in the dressing room, lost in thought.

After a long while, he finally began to move, removing the “costume” he was wearing.

Without the clothing covering him, a body with delicate, fair skin was revealed. Whether it was the lines of his waist and abdomen or his slender, taut legs, everything indicated that this physique possessed absolute explosive power.

After studying the new clothes while naked for some time, Jing Yi finally figured out how to put them on.

Once dressed, he opened the dressing room door.

Xue An, who had been waiting outside, took the monastic robes from Jing Yi and handed him a baseball cap and a phone.

“Here, your cap. You’ve always said your bald head doesn’t look good.”

Jing Yi touched his smooth scalp and obediently put on the cap, holding the phone in his hand.

When Xue An looked up and saw that Jing Yi had put the cap on backward, he reached out to adjust it properly while chattering about the rules for wandering around the filming base.

Things like not making loud noises arbitrarily and not getting too close to other film crews.

Jing Yi found it difficult to interject, so he silently processed the parts he could understand.

Their other belongings were all at the hotel booked by the film crew. Now, aside from the phone, they only had a black backpack.

Xue An slung the backpack over his shoulder, looking excited. “I heard that Actor Lu is also at this film studio right now, making a cameo in a movie. Maybe we’ll run into him!”

Seeing that Xue An seemed eager for a response, Jing Yi nodded in acknowledgment, then raised the small box in his hand. “Benefactor Xue An, how does one use this?”

Xue An looked surprised. “No way, Jing Yi, are you still in character? Have you forgotten how to use a phone?”

After speaking, and seeing Jing Yi still watching him with those clear, bottomless dark eyes, Xue An resignedly took the phone and began to explain its functions to Jing Yi.

He first had Jing Yi unlock the phone using his fingerprint.

Jing Yi pressed down, and the phone unlocked.

Then, adopting the mindset of rehearsing lines with Jing Yi, Xue An meticulously introduced the phone’s features to him.

Just as he was getting into the explanation, Jing Yi’s phone rang with an incoming call.

“Answer it, answer it! It’s Brother Jie calling.”

Following Xue An’s instructions, Jing Yi pressed the green answer button.

“Why aren’t you here yet? Don’t tell me you’re having second thoughts at the last minute? Be careful or President Zhang will blacklist you!” The harsh scolding made Jing Yi frown.

Beside him, Xue An’s expression immediately became somewhat uncomfortable.

Suspecting that Jing Yi had sold himself was one thing; knowing that the agent of the Dream Chaser Boys group had facilitated it was another matter entirely.

Adapt, he needed to adapt!

Xue An patted Jing Yi’s shoulder, suddenly understanding why Jing Yi had remained silent earlier and why he seemed reluctant to break character. After all, he was just a young man who had barely turned nineteen. Even if he had resolved to sell himself, facing the actual moment would still be frightening, wouldn’t it?

Xue An suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for Jing Yi. But sympathy was one thing—there was nothing more he could do.

“Sigh, let me walk you to the entrance.”

Jing Yi didn’t understand the sudden shift in Xue An’s tone. He simply followed quietly to the exit of the film studio.

“Go ahead, Brother Jie’s car is over there. Don’t worry, I’ve signed an agreement with the company—I won’t say a word.”

Following Xue An’s pointing finger, Jing Yi spotted a black car. Many similar vehicles surrounded it, all moving forward without the need for horses.

Mimicking how others entered and exited, Jing Yi pulled open the car door.

Settling onto the soft seat cushion, Jing Yi’s gaze wandered around the interior. His expression betrayed little curiosity, and his movements were subtle, so Zhao Jie in the driver’s seat didn’t notice.

“Pull your hat down lower to cover your face. Even if you’re naturally prone to attracting haters, you still need to be careful when you shouldn’t be photographed!”

Zhao Jie spoke while answering a phone call.

Jing Yi’s eyes remained fixed outside the window. Seeing the towering buildings and streams of vehicles so different from his previous world, a trace of astonishment finally surfaced between his brows.

—This place, whether in its people or its objects, was truly fascinating.

Zhao Jie’s car stopped outside the Gleaming Light Hotel.

The hotel had a revolving door, something Jing Yi had never seen before.

He imitated Zhao Jie, stepping in and out, carrying a sense of delight in experiencing novel things as he followed Zhao Jie through the automatically closing door.

Once inside, Jing Yi glanced at the man who entered a step behind him.

The man was very tall, his face concealed by a black scarf, and he wore a hat of the same style as Jing Yi’s, completely hiding his features.

Why would someone conceal themselves to such an extent? Even his aura was completely restrained, making him practically unnoticeable.

Though puzzled, Jing Yi didn’t ask Zhao Jie as he had Xue An.

Because Zhao Jie’s furrowed brow carried clear irritation—nothing good would come from his mouth. Since the man was already troubled, there was no need to provoke further unpleasant words.

“You’ve wasted twenty minutes of my time. Do you know how many useful gigs I could have picked for the other group members in those twenty minutes?! Can’t you be more considerate? And later, you must perform well in front of President Zhang. Don’t waste this opportunity I specially begged for!”

In the quiet elevator, Zhao Jie suddenly spoke.

“Keeping the benefactor waiting is indeed this humble monk’s fault.” Jing Yi pressed his palms together and bowed apologetically to Zhao Jie.

Zhao Jie shot Jing Yi a sidelong glance, wondering if he had gone mad—so deeply immersed in his role that he still hadn’t broken character.

But it had nothing to do with him. His only concern was making the connection and getting paid.

The elevator stopped, and Zhao Jie stepped out first.

After Jing Yi exited as well, the remaining man in the elevator slightly lifted his head, his gaze profound.

The corrupt practice of “selling oneself” had long existed in the entertainment industry. But to have it happen in his own establishment, right under his nose—by all accounts, a lesson ought to be taught.