Chapter 64. Hanazawa Rui Conquered

On the way to meet Angie Chai, Sister Tsai advised Ji Yu, "She is much more ruthless than I am, so don't be too naive, you know? Speak less later on, take any opportunity you can, and if there isn't any, let it go."

"Sister, didn't you say this is just a small project?"

"But it can help you break into the Taiwan market. I'm not worried about the mainland, but since there's an opportunity here in Taiwan, we must seize it."

"Sister, you'll be glad you made this decision today!"

Sister Tsai smiled, thinking Ji Yu was just pledging his loyalty.

Ji Yu was only twenty-one, with the temperament of a child, making it the prime age to be easily coaxed.

However, Sister Tsai genuinely liked Ji Yu from the bottom of her heart. While she had initially felt a fluttering heart at his handsome looks, she now viewed him purely as a younger brother.

Soon enough, they met Angie Chai.

Angie Chai was in her mid-thirties, well-preserved, and looked extremely sharp and capable.

Ji Yu glanced at her a few times before withdrawing his gaze, putting on the aloof and detached air of Hanazawa Rui.

Of course, only the demeanor was aloof; his attitude remained warm.

Having just played the lethal swordsman Yan Shifan, disguising himself as Hanazawa Rui was a walk in the park!

Ji Yu hadn't fought for the role of Dao Ming Si; that character was too significant, and Angie Chai might not have agreed.

Hanazawa Rui was the result of discussions between him and Sister Tsai.

Angie Chai was indeed struck by the sight of Ji Yu, who had been meticulously dressed up by Sister Tsai.

He was handsome.

Facing Angie Chai as a senior in the industry, Sister Tsai also appeared very modest, exchanging a few smiling pleasantries before cutting straight to the point.

"Sister Zhi-ping, this is Ji Yu, the one I told you about. What do you think? Isn't he handsome?"

"Hmm, not bad." Angie Chai smiled and nodded.

Sister Tsai continued, "He just debuted and starred in a series in the mainland with phenomenal reception. He played a righteous detective, and in the episode where he dies, the mainland's national television ratings soared to 15.8! Moreover, he just finished filming *The Sword of Three-Acre Master*, playing the proud and aloof lethal swordsman Yan Shifan. It wrapped up filming recently, and the director called and praised him for ages."

Angie Chai grew even more surprised. It seemed his acting skills were quite impressive to receive such high praise from both audiences and directors.

"So loved by the audience, and such exceptionally high ratings—you've signed a real gem!"

"Haha, pure luck, so I want to focus on nurturing him."

Ji Yu drank his coffee guiltily on the side. Of course the audience loved it—they just loved watching him die a miserable death without a burial site.

After chatting for a bit, they steered the topic toward *Meteor Garden*.

Angie Chai had already scouted four actors, all of whom were currently undergoing performance training.

However, she was still somewhat tempted by Sister Tsai coming over to recommend Ji Yu.

He had fame in the mainland, acting experience, and on top of that, he was handsome and possessed the exact temperament required—he looked a lot like Hanazawa Rui!

Faced with Sister Tsai's promise to help distribute *Meteor Garden* on satellite television in the mainland, Angie Chai hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Let Ji Yu play Hanazawa Rui, and let Zai-zai play Ximen. Zhu Xiao-tian still wouldn't quite cut it; he didn't really fit the playboy image of Ximen.

Zai-zai was much more handsome!

Angie Chai agreed, but with conditions.

Ji Yu's management activities in Taiwan had to be overseen by her, and she also demanded Ji Yu's Taiwan management contract.

Sister Tsai was mentally prepared. After bargaining with her for a while, she agreed.

Ji Yu's management contract in Taiwan was signed with Angie Chai, but the term was very short—only a year and a half, restricted exclusively to management activities related to the series *Meteor Garden*.

Normally, the period from a television series airing until the hype fades is about a year and a half.

At this point, neither of them expected *Meteor Garden* to explode in Southeast Asia and even cause a sensation worldwide.

It was Angie Chai's first time producing a series, and the director she hired was also directing an idol drama for the first time; neither had any experience.

The cast consisted entirely of newcomers; who could guarantee the show would be a hit?

After *Meteor Garden* skyrocketed in popularity, director Tsai Yue-hsun also stated in interviews that he never expected it to explode.

No one could have guessed that this poorly favored drama would share the destiny of the unlucky little pig brother!

The drama nobody favored turned out to be the most successful of all!

If it weren't for the sake of playing it safe, Angie Chai wouldn't have even bothered signing this year-and-a-half contract.

Listening to their conversation, Ji Yu was thrilled inside: I've struck gold!

Yet Angie Chai was truly formidable; regardless of whether she favored the project or not, she made foolproof preparations.

After settling the details of the cooperation, the two women began chatting about other matters.

Angie Chai inquired about the television drama landscape in the mainland, planning for her own future development.

Ji Yu just sat on the side, drinking his coffee out of boredom.

After another half-hour of chatting, the two women got into a car together and headed to Angie Chai's company.

Upon arrival at the company, formal business matters began.

Both women brought their professional standards to the table, hammering out all cooperation details in less than two hours.

As Ji Yu and Sister Tsai emerged from Angie Chai's company, Sister Tsai patted him on the shoulder and said, "I bled a fortune for your sake, so you better make me proud."

"Don't worry! Guaranteed success!"

Ji Yu was floating on air, scarcely believing he truly had the chance to play Hanazawa Rui.

The opportunity to explode in popularity overnight was just around the corner!

Ji Yu couldn't help letting out a soft sigh. Reflecting on the path he had walked over the past year, he suddenly found it remarkably smooth.

His greatest advantage was perhaps foreknowledge.

Otherwise, who would gamble on a drama that nobody favored?

A day later, Sister Tsai returned to the mainland to handle the filming paperwork for Ji Yu.

Ji Yu, meanwhile, was taken by Angie Chai to meet the other leading actors.

Zhu Xiao-tian had already been cut and had gone off to busy himself with other things.

The entire cast of actors were newcomers, with the one who debuted earliest being Ken Chu.

He had debuted in the mid-90s in a duo with his sister, later working as a host, and this was his first contact with acting.

Zai-zai was the same, having accompanied a friend to an audition and ended up being selected.

Jerry Yan had acted in a hot-tempered teacher drama last year, earning the nickname "Tyrannosaurus" upon his debut; he was also a complete newcomer.

Rainie Yang had debuted in a girl group last year, released an album, and this was likewise her first brush with acting.

Vanness Wu was also a newcomer, originally participating in a pretty-boy talent contest before being spotted and pulled in by Angie Chai.

An all-rookie cast—who would dare say this combination would succeed?

Almost no one favored them, and these actors themselves felt the exact same way.

Only Ji Yu was full of confidence and vitality!

Seeing his state, Angie Chai couldn't help nodding. As expected of an actor meticulously selected in the mainland who could command a 15.8 ratings share.

Having strength naturally brought confidence!

Angie Chai was very satisfied with Ji Yu, but the others were not nearly as welcoming toward him.

Zhu Xiao-tian had trained with them for quite a while before suddenly being squeezed out; who would give Ji Yu a pleasant expression?

Besides, he was just a bumpkin from the mainland!

Ji Yu didn't care about their attitude either.

A bunch of losers—*Meteor Garden* would be the absolute peak achievement of your lives.

Whereas... it was merely my starting point!

How could swallows and sparrows understand the ambitions of swans?

Living on a small island with limited exposure, such narrow-mindedness was only natural.

Among the group, only Jerry Yan showed a relatively good attitude toward Ji Yu, taking the initiative to shake hands and greet him.

Ji Yu smiled and chatted with Jerry Yan, refusing to spare even a glance for the others.

Big Hsu curled her lip slightly, whispering secrets to Rainie Yang, and looked at Ji Yu with a trace of disdain in her eyes.

Zai-zai didn't show much expression, but the look he cast at Ji Yu held no goodwill either.

Vanness Wu acted like an outsider, watching without expressing any stance.

Angie Chai had been observing from the side all along. Seeing Ji Yu's unflappable composure, she felt even more pleased.

Young people were usually the most sensitive; not caring about being ostracized by peers meant his inner core was genuinely strong!

If it had been anyone else, they probably would have been miserable inside.

Sister Tsai had truly picked up a precious gem!

The mainland truly was a land of outstanding people; she should go check out the mainland sometime in the future to unearth some good talents!

With this thought, Angie Chai took the initiative to back Ji Yu up, saying, "Ji Yu is a very experienced actor and an artist under Hong Kong's Tangren International.

The drama he starred in achieved a 15.8 rating in the mainland and will soon air on China Television here as well. You all should learn a lot from him in the future!"

As soon as these words were spoken, those young people couldn't help feeling astonished.

The looks they directed at Ji Yu underwent a subtle change.

A ratings share of 15.8! In Taiwan, that was already an explosive hit of a show.

Once it aired on China Television after a while, perhaps he would become an overnight sensation in Taiwan as well!

Faced with what they initially thought was a newcomer bumpkin from the mainland, who turned out to be an established hit-maker, everyone's inner thoughts naturally shifted.

Big Hsu's gaze toward Ji Yu now carried a hint of curiosity.

He was... actually quite handsome!

Jerry Yan also said very earnestly to Ji Yu, "Please give us your guidance in the future, and I hope you can help us out a lot!"

Ji Yu said meaningfully, "We're all one family here; no need to speak of two separate households!"