Chapter 11: The First Named Character

Life’s journey is long and winding.

Ji Yu had now taken his first step.

Just the thought of becoming a big star in the future filled him with joy.

The only downside was the company’s contract, which was a bit unfair.

Over five years, the revenue split was 40-50-10: 40% for him, 50% for the company, and 10% for the agent.

The agent wasn’t anyone else but Old Cai.

The main reason was that the company had very few artists, so hiring an agent was quite a significant expense.

Sugar Man Entertainment was still small in scale; back in 1998, it had only one office.

It had improved a bit over the past two years, but remained modest in size.

Ji Yu’s contract was actually quite decent; the more unscrupulous companies often split earnings 20-80.

After signing with Old Cai, Ji Yu took advantage of the company tour to discreetly retrieve the bugging devices he had previously planted.

It would be embarrassing if they were ever discovered.

After showing him around, Old Cai took Ji Yu to meet the company’s founding member and shareholder, director Li Guoli.

“Director Li, we just signed a new talent. Take a look,” Old Cai said, pointing to Ji Yu.

“Ji Yu has done a few years of bit parts. He’s twenty this year and has a decent look,” he introduced.

Li Guoli looked at Ji Yu and slightly raised his chin. “Spin around for me.”

Ji Yu obediently turned in a circle. A little dance would’ve been better!

Li Guoli had directed many popular historical romance dramas; if Ji Yu caught his eye, success would surely be within reach.

After the spin, Li Guoli nodded appreciatively.

“Not bad. He’s got the makings of a star. Step closer and lift your hair so I can see.”

He wanted to see if Ji Yu suited period dramas.

Ji Yu stepped forward, slicking all his hair back to reveal his forehead.

Li Guoli measured his facial proportions with a practiced eye, pleased with the symmetry and the position of his hairline — perfect for costume dramas.

“Good. How’s your acting?”

“Pretty confident in it,” Ji Yu replied with self-assurance.

Old Cai chuckled beside them. “Young people need some confidence. Director Li, please teach him more later.”

Li Guoli wasn’t bothered; it was natural for youth to be bold.

“Any martial arts background?” he asked with a smile.

“Mixed martial arts,” Ji Yu answered, striking a standard fighting pose and showing off a leg technique.

A high whip kick, executed beautifully, even stirred the air enough to ruffle Old Cai’s hair.

Old Cai jumped but her eyes gleamed; she hadn’t expected Ji Yu to really know his stuff. She’d seen his résumé mention martial arts, but figured a twenty-year-old could only fake it a little.

Yet here he was—looking sharp and professional.

“Very good,” Li Guoli said.

He’d directed plenty of action scenes and could tell Ji Yu’s fundamentals were solid.

That alone put him ahead of many others.

This time, the company’s scouting was impressive.

Li Guoli thought for a moment. “There’s a small part in The Lotus Lantern. Let him make an appearance.”

Ji Yu immediately bowed in thanks. “Thank you, Director Li! May I ask what role it is?”

Li Guoli frowned slightly, sensing some impatience—greed wasn’t a good trait.

He looked at Ji Yu and explained, “A bat demon. Not much screen time, but enough to rank in the top ten scenes.”

Ji Yu was stunned.

Top ten scenes? And that was a minor role!

When a big director said something, it was truly different.

Ji Yu had been an extra for so long; he’d only had lines once before!

Without hesitation, Ji Yu sincerely thanked him again. “Thank you, Director Li!”

Only then did Li Guoli smile. A grateful and content kid was a good kid.

But Old Cai couldn’t help but say, “I want to push him into the Detective Ke Lan crew. That way, the lead male and second male roles will be ours. I’ll also fight for the female lead—if not, then the second female role, with Sun Li playing.”

Li Guoli pondered for a moment. “The female lead won’t work; Sun Li can’t carry it. If we aim for the second female lead, it’s a favor to maintain goodwill. I can’t intervene with Shanghai Film; you’ll have to handle that.”

Old Cai nodded, then looked at Ji Yu. “You don’t regret signing with us, do you?”

“Very satisfied, thank you so much!” Ji Yu beamed and asked eagerly, “So, can I still play the bat demon?”

Li Guoli and Old Cai exchanged glances and laughed.

Detective Ke Lan was still in preparation.

If The Lotus Lantern filming went smoothly, Ji Yu could finish the bat demon role before Detective Ke Lan began shooting.

Ji Yu didn’t hesitate—he insisted on heading to Hengdian right away to start!

The company set him to report to the crew the next day. The Lotus Lantern had three directors, filming in three units simultaneously.

The shooting pace was rapid, with crews from Taiwan and Hong Kong—very efficient!

Li Guoli was the producer, not involved in filming. Being one of the owners, he naturally had some clout.

After getting acquainted with the company and various departments, Ji Yu left early, went home to pack, and prepared to depart for Hengdian the next day.

The company was short-staffed; Ji Yu had no assistant. After leaving the office, he first bought his ticket.

He certainly couldn’t ride his twenty-eight-gear bicycle all the way to Hengdian.

After buying the ticket, Ji Yu didn’t rush home to pack.

He wanted to say goodbye to Teacher Li, curious about how her shoot was going.

At the Life crew, Ji Yu waited patiently for Li Xiaoran to finish work.

On set, Yuan Juan and Shao Bin, who had wrapped earlier, came out chatting and laughing.

Yuan Juan immediately recognized Ji Yu; she had seen Li Xiaoran and him getting along very closely on set.

“That guy seems to be Xiaoran’s friend,” Yuan Juan gossiped to Shao Bin.

“How do you know?” Shao Bin asked curiously.

“I saw it myself. He looks like an extra, and they’re really close—maybe even a couple.”

“An extra? That’s impossible. Xiaoran’s standards aren’t that low.”

“So what if he’s an extra? Look at his looks. He’s definitely going to be famous someday.”

The two chatted and laughed as they walked off.

Ji Yu saw them but wasn’t interested in these losers.

Shao Bin had been pushed out by Li Yapeng’s dominance; his future was bleak, downhill all the way.

Yuan Juan’s acting career seemed lively but was actually mediocre; she had barely any breakout roles.

All of them were failures, unworthy of attention.

Now officially signed as an artist, Ji Yu felt immensely proud.

He believed he would become a sensation next year, looking down on everyone.

Except for Teacher Li, of course.

Seeing Li Xiaoran come out of the set, Ji Yu ran over excitedly.

“Teacher Li!” he called happily.

Li Xiaoran’s smile was contagious. “Here to see me again? What’s got you so happy?”

Ji Yu pretended to be overwhelmed with joy, hugging her and spinning around while shouting:

“I’ve signed with Sugar Man Entertainment! Teacher Li, you really are my lucky star! I love you!”

Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Li Xiaoran was initially stunned. Hearing he’d signed with a company, she couldn’t help but feel happy for him.

“Really signed with a company?”

“Really! I still have the contract on me!”

“I’m truly happy for you!” Li Xiaoran said, blushing, “But can you put me down first?”

Ji Yu was still holding her up high.