Chapter 29: From Pleasant Surprise to Alarming Shock-Na Indústria do Entretenimento Chinesa, Minha Profissão é ser Espião(Coletor de Fragmentos de Cullinan)

In the parking lot, Ji Yu waited for Jiang Qingqing while reviewing his mission rewards.

He now had eight skills in total. Aside from the low-level Eavesdropping skill, all others were at the intermediate level. His Voice Changing skill had the most fragments at 13/100, followed by Disguise with 11 fragments. He still had a long way to go before leveling them up, but the more fragments he collected, the stronger Ji Yu’s abilities became. Voice Changing had significantly improved his vocal range, making his singing much better—he could even release an album if he wanted to, as he knew quite a few songs. It truly was a fantastic skill. The same went for Disguise; Ji Yu could now play any role convincingly, provided he thoroughly understood the character first. Since acting roles usually came with detailed scripts and character profiles, he didn't even need to put in much effort to grasp them.

He had also unlocked two additional skills: Driving and Shooting, both staples of the action genre. However, since historical dramas were currently the trend in mainland China, these two skills would likely remain dormant for the next few years. They would become incredibly useful once action films gained popularity. Ji Yu valued the Disguise skill the most, as it was directly linked to his acting prowess. The rest, like Tracking or Stealth, were relegated to purposes like cheating on partners or avoiding paparazzi.

Beyond skills, the biggest harvest this time was the Exposure Value, which could be traded for various items. Ji Yu didn't hesitate to exchange his points for two Energy Potions. He treated them like little blue pills. They would come in handy when he visited Teacher Li tomorrow—one for each of them, and they could battle until dawn!

Why was Jiang Qingqing taking so long? Ji Yu had been waiting in the car for ages. Ten minutes later, she finally hurried over, hopped into the car, and commanded, "Take me to the airport!"

"Going out of town for a meal? Getting fired up, are we?" Ji Yu asked while quickly starting the engine. He wanted to show off the driving skills he had just acquired!

"All you think about is food!" Jiang Qingqing replied, speechless. She quickly explained, "I have a last-minute promotional task. The premiere for *Zheng Chenggong* has been moved up, so I have to head back to Beijing."

Ji Yu was deeply disappointed; he wouldn't even get to share an airplane meal with her. Still, he could at least show off his driving. He turned his head, gave a confident smile, and said, "Hold on tight, here we go!"

Seeing his confidence, Jiang Qingqing immediately grabbed the grab handle.

*Vroom!*

The engine roared, and with one hand on the wheel, Ji Yu executed a perfect 180-degree turn in place. The tires screeched, leaving thick smoke and deep tracks on the pavement. Jiang Qingqing shrieked in terror.

Ji Yu smirked with schadenfreude. He released the brake and slammed on the gas, the car shooting off like an arrow released from a bow. Thirty minutes later, Jiang Qingqing opened the car door and immediately began to retch. Ji Yu leaned against the car door, calmly lighting a post-ride cigarette.

*Haa...* Refreshing!

After a few heaves, Jiang Qingqing regained her composure, wiped the corner of her mouth, and glared at him. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"I was just giving you a ride," Ji Yu said, flicking away his cigarette butt. "Go on, get to your gate. I’ll keep the car for a few days."

Jiang Qingqing huffed, grabbed her bag, and hurried toward the terminal. After a few steps, she turned back and shouted, "When I get back, you’re taking me out to dinner!"

Ji Yu waved at her and drove off. Having been delayed by Jiang Qingqing, he no longer felt like heading to Hengdian right away. If he went home to pack, he wouldn't reach Hengdian until at least 11:00 PM. He decided to leave tomorrow instead. Ji Yu drove Jiang Qingqing’s car home, but shortly after lying down, he received a call from Old Cai.

"Where are you? Did you make it to Hengdian yet?"

"Not yet, I was planning to go tomorrow." Hearing the background noise on the other end, it sounded like Old Cai was at a dinner party, so he asked curiously, "Are you entertaining guests? Should I come over?"

"No need," Old Cai said quickly. "The actor cast as the second male lead in a unit drama dropped out at the last minute. I managed to secure the role for you. Leave right now; I'll give you the details when you arrive."

Ji Yu sat up instantly and exclaimed, "You’re like a sister to me! I'm leaving right now!" He hung up before Old Cai could say anything else, leaving her to let out a helpless laugh on the other end.

He would head to Hengdian tonight, and perhaps he could even pull off a night raid on Teacher Li! Having the car made things much easier. Before leaving the city, he spotted a flower shop that was still open and bought a bouquet. He drove fast on the way to Hengdian, stopping only once for gas. He arrived in less than two and a half hours—more than thirty minutes faster than usual. And that was only because the car wasn't top-tier; if he had a V12 engine, he felt he could make the 300-kilometer trip in an hour. *Let's speed!*

Ji Yu knew which hotel Li Xiaoran was staying at. It wasn't until he reached the entrance that he remembered to call Old Cai to ask about the drama. Unit dramas—where several short stories were combined into one series—were very popular right now. Old Cai explained briefly: the series was called *Treasury of Love*, and his unit was titled *Saving the Courtesan*. The lead was Shen Xiaohai, a famous "pretty boy" actor known for playing historical villains—the top tier of villainous actors! This time, he was playing the lead villain again. Ji Yu was cast as the second male lead, an honest and devoted scholar. Old Cai explained that because he played bad guys too convincingly, he was at risk of being typecast, so she had fought for this role to help boost his likability with the audience. Shen Xiaohai and Ji Yu's screen time was roughly equal, but Shen was simply more famous.

Ji Yu didn't care whose name appeared first on the cast list as long as he had plenty of scenes. After confirming the details with Old Cai and noting down the assistant director's number, he decided to report to the set the next morning.

Ji Yu glanced at the bouquet in the passenger seat and couldn't help but smile. *Time to find Teacher Li! Tonight, I’m definitely going to score!*

He already knew her room number from their previous phone call.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

"Room service!" Ji Yu called out, pitching his voice to sound feminine.

He waited a minute before the door opened, though it remained held by the security chain. Through the crack, they locked eyes.

"Huh?"

"Who are you?"

Ji Yu was stunned, and the woman inside was equally confused. Wasn't this Teacher Li’s room? 606—he hadn't misremembered it. Ji Yu stood there awkwardly, clutching the flowers. The woman inside was puzzled as well; she thought a woman had been knocking.

"Are you my fan?" she asked suspiciously, staring at the flowers in his hand.

"I think I might have the wrong room. My apologies," Ji Yu said awkwardly.

He immediately pulled out his phone and called Li Xiaoran. The call connected quickly, and she said cheerfully, "Guess where I am?"

Ji Yu was speechless. Had Teacher Li gone to Shanghai?

"Why don't you guess where I am?" he said dejectedly. "I knocked on the door and someone else answered—you scared the life out of me."

Li Xiaoran gasped, "Don't tell me you went to Hengdian! I finished filming early and was planning to come back to surprise you!"

"Great, we missed each other again." Ji Yu sighed in frustration. "I have to report to the set tomorrow, I can't leave. Why don't you come back?"

Li Xiaoran replied helplessly, "I have an audition; I can't make it back tomorrow."

"I... damn it! I was hoping that tonight..." Ji Yu stopped mid-sentence, noticing the woman in the room was still eavesdropping. Through the crack in the door, he could only see a round, curious little face. Why wouldn't she close the door? Was she trying to listen in?

*Pah!*

As if a big star's business was something she should be eavesdropping on!