I Rely on My Versatility to Reach the Top of the Entertainment Industry [Ancient Times to Modern] - Chapter 37

After Fang Zexuan withdrew from the program, there were no more sour remarks on Weibo, and the recorded episodes became increasingly complete and heartwarming.

Viewers even felt that the four celebrities seemed to be strolling through the rainforest as if taking a leisurely walk.

Following the four celebrities, the audience felt as if they had personally visited a tropical rainforest, seeing towering sky-reaching trees, various bizarrely shaped plants, and beautiful or dangerous wild animals.

Jing Yi acted like an alarm system—sometimes having everyone stop and remain still, sometimes instructing them to climb trees in advance, and other times having them hide behind low bushes.

Shortly after, wild animals would appear in the camera frame.

One day it was a python, the next a tiger, and the day after a deer…

Even when chased by carnivores, Jing Yi could lure the animals away, just as he had with the two leopards, and return safely.

“I feel this is even more thrilling than watching animals at the zoo.”

“How does Jing Yi know when animals are about to pass by? That’s incredible!”

“Are all martial artists this amazing?”

“Although this request is rude, I really want to see how Jing Yi lures the animals away.”

Although there were many insects in the rainforest, Jing Yi managed to use local resources, having everyone apply herbal juices to their exposed skin. Visibly, some insects would fly around the three people without landing.

By the fifteenth day, Jing Yi could even predict the weather, allowing everyone to put on raincoats in advance.

After the rain, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the ground, where many mushrooms sprouted.

Jing Yi called everyone to gather mushrooms and used a boiling method to prepare a fresh and tender mushroom soup. When this segment aired, the TV station added subtitles warning viewers not to imitate this casually, as some mushrooms may appear plain but are actually poisonous.

Finally, they specifically explained the names of the mushrooms Jing Yi had gathered.

“How did a serious adventure challenge turn into a food show? Ugh, the mushroom soup looks so delicious.”

“Ji Lin and Sheng Xia are eating so quickly—these two guys are kind of cute.”

“That wild vegetable actually grows in our area too, but it seems like the ones Jing Yi picked in the show taste the best!”

“Ah, my hand-loving heart is satisfied! Jing Yi’s hands are so fair and beautiful every time he picks something!”

Taking the audience’s feedback into account, on the eighteenth day, an aerial drone was added to the recording equipment.

The drone was also operated by the camera crew. Occasionally, it would be blocked by leaves during filming, but it was still much better than before when viewers couldn’t see how Jing Yi lured the animals away.

Today’s new guest in the frame was a sun bear.

This type of bear is small, with jet-black fur, a white U-shaped marking on its chest, long limbs, and an adorably ugly expression.

After running a short distance away, Jing Yi suddenly climbed up a tree and concealed himself on the trunk.

The sun bear sniffed the air, turned around, and walked away.

Viewers exclaimed in excitement, and some even greeted their peers daily with the question, “Did you watch ‘I Can Survive in the Wild’ yesterday?”

Some parents even watched the show with their children—the high-definition footage of nature was simply breathtaking. One night, multiple wild peacocks even made an appearance.

After the one-month recording concluded, the program’s producer personally arrived to treat the guests to meals, sightseeing, and tours, while also extending their contract for an additional day to film their lives after successfully returning to the city.

None of them had any objections.

Jing Yi had left his phone in the apartment, so even though he had emerged from the rainforest, he still had no phone to use.

Upon learning that they could explore the city freely, Jing Yi looked at Lu Yuzhi with anticipation.

His eyes sparkled brightly, brimming with eagerness.

Lu Yuzhi sighed helplessly and took out his phone to search for nearby temples.

Surprisingly, there were indeed some.

Since the city bordered a small neighboring country, the temple architecture resembled that of the smaller nation.

While touring, Jing Yi’s eyes remained wide and round, like those of a curious little deer.

“Are temples different in every country?” Jing Yi asked Lu Yuzhi.

Lu Yuzhi nodded. “Yes, Buddhism originally originated in India. After spreading worldwide, it evolved according to each country’s social, political, and cultural contexts—sometimes even varying slightly from city to city.”

“India?” Jing Yi repeated the country’s name, murmuring inwardly: What a sin.

In his efforts to learn the basic cultural knowledge everyone in this world needed, he had neglected this kind of information.

But…

“Fortunately, I met you, Mr. Lu,” Jing Yi smiled at Lu Yuzhi, his eyes full of gratitude. “Otherwise, I don’t know when I would have learned this.”

“Since you say so—” Lu Yuzhi’s expression turned serious. “We’ve known each other for a while now and can be considered close friends. Could we exchange intimate forms of address?”

Intimate forms of address?

Jing Yi pondered the meaning of the phrase, not quite understanding. “What kind of intimate address?”

“For example, you could call me Yuzhi,” Lu Yuzhi explained, adding, “Close people often use intimate names for each other, just as my elders sometimes call me by my childhood nickname, Zhizhi.”

Jing Yi lowered his gaze in thought.

He had been sent to the temple at a very young age, and from his earliest memories, his master had called him Xuan Kong.

Only one unconventional uncle-master always liked to call him Little Kongkong.

“Then, Mr. Lu… Yuzhi, you can just call me Xuan Kong,” Jing Yi smiled. “That is my intimate name.”

Lu Yuzhi: “…”

He had expected something like Xiao Yi—how did Jing Yi end up connecting it again with his monastic name from the drama?

……

In the day 31 recording broadcast, the audience was in stitches.

Ji Lin and Sheng Xiaguang were relatively ordinary, just casually strolling around. But Lu Yuzhi and Jing Yi’s segment was hilarious—viewers got to see the speechless, restrained expression on the film emperor’s face, something they had never witnessed before.

However, after the laughter died down, Jing Yi’s fans began discussing in their groups how resolute their idol was in his devotion to Buddhism!

Not only did he head straight for a temple upon arriving in a new place, but now he was even having the film emperor call him Xuan Kong!

Thinking of the serene, elegant young monk from Seduction of the Monk and then recalling the white-robed swordsman Xie Qiyun, fans felt a mix of complicated emotions.

Putting themselves in his shoes, just how conflicted must the film emperor be feeling?

……

Jing Yi returned to the apartment on April 1st.

He lit incense for two memorial tablets, took out his phone to browse Weibo, replied to some fan questions, and then returned to his studies.

After staying home for just a few days, an unfamiliar number called.

“Mr. Jing, hello, I’m Wu Cong, president of the National Wildlife Protection Public Welfare Association. Congratulations on completing the thirty-day challenge of ‘I Can Survive in the Wild.’ Given that your previous public service advertisement won first place in the Public Service Advertisement Competition, we sincerely invite you to serve as our Wildlife Protection Ambassador.”

Jing Yi searched on his computer for the meaning of this title and, after reading it, softly agreed, “Okay.”

Hearing Jing Yi agree so readily, Wu Cong smiled and began explaining what Jing Yi needed to do and when the new public service film would be shot.

Jing Yi agreed to everything and arranged a time with Wu Cong to sign the relevant contract.

After hanging up, Jing Yi searched for more information about the association’s historical activities. He noticed that during wildlife protection or rescue efforts, there were occasional funding shortages, and he frowned.

As a monk, wealth is external to the body, but those dedicated to wildlife rescue need money to support themselves and their families.

Since he had already agreed to be part of this association, he must contribute to it.

Jing Yi thought for a moment and posted his phone number on Weibo, adding: I need money. If there are suitable jobs for me, please contact me directly.

Not long after the Weibo post went up, his phone rang.

Jing Yi thought it was a job offer, but when he answered, he realized it was Lu Yuzhi.

“Xuan, Xuan Kong.”

Lu Yuzhi’s voice came through the phone, then there was silence for a while.

Jing Yi asked in return, “Yuzhi, what’s wrong?”

Lu Yuzhi took a deep breath.

Every time he called Jing Yi “Xuan Kong,” he would remember Jing Yi playing the little monk, and the embarrassment made his face heat up.

Fortunately, Jing Yi couldn’t see him over the phone.

“Take down the phone number from your Weibo. Leaving it up like that will attract a lot of spam calls,” Lu Yuzhi said bluntly.

“Not really,” Jing Yi refreshed the Weibo page and clicked on the comments under his new post. “So far, I’ve only received your call, Yuzhi.”

Lu Yuzhi was taken aback.

He refreshed the Weibo page in front of him and noticed that under Jing Yi’s new post, there was a comment from Xu Sisi.

“Our little Yi wants to take on new jobs but isn’t signed with an agency, so he had to resort to this. We can’t cause trouble for him—absolutely no one should call his number or add him on WeChat!”

Beneath this comment, all the replies were from fans expressing agreement.

The image of Xuan Kong as the kind little monk was too deeply ingrained, and Jing Yi had always been good to his fans, which is why they had such strong unity.

But…

Lu Yuzhi softened his tone. “Listen to me, delete it. You can register an email and post it on Weibo. Using email is more convenient for receiving scripts and variety show notices.”

“Oh, okay.” Jing Yi obediently edited the Weibo post.

Thus, fans saw Jing Yi’s new post become: “Yuzhi said using an email is more convenient. Everyone can send things to my email, and I’ll check them promptly.”

He’s just too obedient…

Fans were squealing with delight and started begging for photos.

So Jing Yi hung up on Lu Yuzhi, took some photos, and posted them in the comments.

During the interaction, a script actually came through.

Jing Yi opened each one to check the content.

Most of the scripts were for the male lead role, except for one from Gu Chen, which was for the male supporting role.

The script is set during the Republican era, with the second male lead being a deeply concealed antagonist. Outwardly obedient and endearing, he is secretly a ruthless killer. Beyond his starkly contrasting personality, his character design includes multiple skills such as traditional Chinese painting and ceramics.

Jing Yi recalled Lu Yuzhi’s Hua Xiangrong.

It must be said that this character was crafted by Lu Yuzhi with immense charm.

Perhaps he could also try playing a villain?

Jing Yi sent Gu Chen a reply agreeing to take the role, and the two exchanged WeChat details to discuss further.

While chatting, Jing Yi noticed another interview program invitation in his email. Among the numerous interview shows, only “Yang Xin Speaks” offered the highest compensation.

This is the one!

Jing Yi agreed to participate.

All three projects were officially signed, with “Yang Xin Speaks” scheduled for the earliest date.

On the day of the recording, Jing Yi shouldered his bag and headed to the television station.

Fans waiting anxiously in front of their screens were deeply concerned.

Because “Yang Xin Speaks“ was notorious for host Yang Xin’s sharp tongue. She excelled at uncovering weaknesses and wielded incisive rhetoric, making it difficult for any celebrity to maintain control during her show.