Chapter 60. What dark past? It is merely the road I walked to get here.

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Ji Yu’s unilateral alterations to his character would surely attract the attention of the main creative team. The actors might not say much, but Jin Demao couldn’t hold back.

“What are you trying to do, kid? Who told you to act like that? How are we supposed to stage the romantic scenes between Yan Shisan and Murong Qiudi now?”

“It doesn’t interfere at all. Yan Shisan’s feelings for Murong Qiudi are his own business. Given his personality, how could he possibly show it so obviously?”

“Don’t make excuses! You just want to show off!”

“Then just say if I’m handsome or not.”

“Handsome...”

“See? No problem then.”

Ji Yu chuckled, glanced at the little biscuit in Jin Demao’s hand, and reached out to grab it—only to have Jin Demao swat his hand away.

“Cheapskate!” Ji Yu grumbled before slipping away, ending the conversation.

There was no way he was going to change it back!

Because the crew was rushing to meet deadlines, and Jin Demao thought Ji Yu’s performance was indeed good enough, he didn’t press the issue further.

Ji Yu’s portrayal of Yan Shisan was undeniably impressive: cold-blooded and ruthless!

For many small details in the script, Ji Yu would come to Jin Demao a day in advance to discuss any issues. Tonight, after reviewing the script, he felt the chase scene scheduled for tomorrow should be changed.

So he brought some snacks to find Jin Demao.

Jin Demao liked to snack—maybe he had hyperthyroidism or something.

Anyway, Ji Yu always brought him some food and sweet-talked him into approving changes for the next day’s scenes.

Now, Jin Demao felt a headache every time he saw Ji Yu.

“Changing the script again? You’ve acted for ten days and changed eleven scenes!”

Jin Demao said, exasperated and irritable, “Why don’t you just be the director then?”

“Don’t be mad, I just didn’t want you to skip dinner tonight, so I brought you some food.”

Ji Yu peeled an orange and placed it in his hand.

Jin Demao snorted and quickly ate the orange in a few bites.

Ji Yu continued feeding him fragrant scallion oil biscuits.

“But I have a question for you,” Ji Yu said, opening a jelly candy and handing it over as he continued his persuasion, “Isn’t it unrealistic for a master as formidable as Yan Shisan to be evenly matched with a few petty thieves?”

“Sure, it’s to add more fight scenes, but the audience wants excitement. The villains should die quickly. Being able to kill a man every ten steps and leave no trace is what’s truly cool!”

Jin Demao’s mood settled considerably as he looked up at Ji Yu and immediately saw through his little scheme.

But... chew chew chew... he has a point... chew chew chew... that jelly must be from Huo Siyen... chew chew chew... still, those biscuits taste better.

“All right, all right. We’ll change it your way.”

Jin Demao waved his hand and grabbed a packet of biscuits to eat.

Ji Yu clapped his hands and said, “Then I’m off! Don’t forget to change the scenes tomorrow!”

Just as Ji Yu stepped out of Jin Demao’s room, he ran into Yu Feihong and Huo Siyen.

Yu Feihong smiled and asked, “Off again to sweet-talk the director into changing your scenes?”

“How can you call it sweet-talking when it’s art? It’s discussion!”

“You’re quite the smooth talker. Can’t argue with you. Want to grab some coffee?”

“I don’t want to listen to your lectures; only Siyen likes that,” Ji Yu said, waving his hand to refuse outright.

Yu Feihong, perhaps out of habit, always liked to give pointers to Huo Siyen, and sometimes to Ji Yu as well.

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It was enough to give anyone a headache.

“Come with us,” Huo Siyen looked at Ji Yu pleadingly, as if asking for help.

She wanted to get along well with Yu Feihong but really didn’t want to endure her lectures.

With Ji Yu around, she could share the burden.

Seeing Huo Siyen’s watery eyes, Ji Yu’s heart softened and he sighed, “Fine, I’ll sacrifice myself just this once!”

Yu Feihong said grumpily, “Are you feeling wronged for having coffee with me?”

Ji Yu quickly replied, “Not at all. I have Sister Siyen with me.”

Huo Siyen’s face flushed slightly, a shy gleam in her eyes.

Yu Feihong, somewhat annoyed, said, “Then maybe you better not go!”

“Alright, thanks for the favor, sis!”

Ji Yu said this and dashed off to get some sleep.

Huo Siyen looked helplessly at his retreating figure.

“Great, I’m left all alone.”

“Don’t go! How will I survive without you?”

Yu Feihong poked her forehead and said, “Your eyes are practically popping out. Never seen a handsome guy before?”

“Never seen such a fun handsome guy.”

“That’s true.”

Yu Feihong couldn’t help but laugh as she watched Ji Yu run off gleefully.

Ji Yu was like a bundle of joy on set—no one could figure out how he stayed so happy all the time, completely carefree.

But how could Ji Yu be without pressure?

He felt immense pressure—his heart full of desire to become a big star.

Lying in bed, lost in thought, Ji Yu suddenly remembered he hadn’t asked about the ratings of the detective series “Detective Ke Lan” in the Jing-Tian area.

He fished out his phone and called Old Cai. Upon hearing her response, Ji Yu jumped out of bed.

“National ratings at 9.4?! Jing-Tian area at 11.8?! You’ve got to be kidding!”

These numbers qualified as a small hit!

Old Cai’s excited voice came through the phone, “And that’s just the first ten days. It’ll get even higher after you die!”

“Eh? Eh eh??” Ji Yu thought bitterly, why are they cursing me?

Realizing her mistake, Old Cai quickly corrected, “I meant ‘heaven-sent death’! When the Magic City Science and Education Channel aired the ‘heaven-sent death’ episode, ratings soared to 13.8!”

Ji Yu didn’t know whether to feel proud or sad.

Why did everyone seem to be hoping for his death?

“Sis, does this mean I’m popular now?”

“Yeah, there are lots of topics about you on Xici Alley, Tianya, and Souhu.”

“Really? What are they saying?”

“They say you don’t look like you’re acting.”

“Uh... I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Ji Yu felt a chill in his heart and sulked back under the covers.

All my passion was wasted!

The audience simply doesn’t understand the charm of a villain!

“Here’s some good news: Magic City Satellite TV plans to move up the schedule and air it on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year! Plus, several other TV stations have contacted me.”

Old Cai sounded as excited as if she’d won five million.

Well, it was almost like winning five million.

One episode of a TV drama earned about thirty to forty thousand yuan; one TV station paid over a million. Three or four stations would total around five million.

Ji Yu couldn’t help but make a small request to Old Cai.

“Sis, is there a bonus? I want to buy a car.”

“Hello? Hello? Bad signal, I’m hanging up.”

“...”

Stupid groundhog, you’re about to lose a rising star!

You’re not even as generous as Qiong Yao!

Ji Yu sulkily hung up and covered himself with the blanket to sleep.

He forgot to ask about the handsome guy role in “Meteor Garden.”

A minute later, his phone rang again—it was Old Cai.

“By the way, after the New Year, once we finish shooting ‘Young Master San,’ come with me to Taiwan!”

“Did we get ‘Meteor Garden’?” Ji Yu was excited, passion rekindled!

“No, I’m going to promote ‘Detective Ke Lan.’ You’ll come with me for publicity.”

“Boring. I’m not going!”

Ji Yu hung up and pulled the blanket over his head to continue sleeping.

His heart was only set on the handsome guy role, but he didn’t regret playing the psychopathic killer.

Even if everyone hated him and hoped to see his character die.

Some might consider this a dark past, or even think that acting in idol dramas is a dark past.

But he didn’t see it that way—it was merely the path he had taken!

Successful people are justified even if they defecate on the street!

It’s just a pity that the internet isn’t well-developed yet, and TV dramas are hard to spread. It’s very difficult for a series to succeed nationwide.

Some dramas are hits in the north but fail in the south.

That’s why, in the first decade of the millennium, everyone wanted to make movies.

Theaters are spread across the entire country!

If a movie becomes a blockbuster, that’s when you really get exposure to the national audience.

Besides that, there’s also singing.

Songs spread more easily than TV dramas.

Of course, there are exceptions—shows like “Bad Pig Princess” and “Meteor Garden” aren’t affected by regional differences.

Even though “Meteor Garden” was banned halfway through airing on the mainland, DVDs and merchandise sold like crazy.

Posters, backpacks, notebooks, pencil cases...

I really want to play the handsome guy.

Ji Yu planned that after the New Year, when he went to Taiwan with Old Cai, he would find a way to land that role!

If all else failed, he’d sneak into Chai Zhiping’s house—online rumors said the Taiwanese entertainment industry was full of scandals.

Maybe he could find some dirt.

Producer Chai, you wouldn’t want your secrets exposed, would you?

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