The Common Man's Return in Chinese Entertainment

"Director Zhu, come, let me toast you again."

"Old Ma, are you trying to get me drunk tonight?"

"Director Zhu has a huge capacity for alcohol; how could my little bit of wine possibly get you drunk?"

"Haha, don't try to sweet-talk me. Come on, let's have a drink."

"We'll drink it however Director Zhu says."

Looking at Director Zhu, the head of the Zhuangdianertai Cultural Center, who was drinking with Ma Zhongjun, Ji Qingxu glanced at everyone at the table. When he saw the unfamiliar female faces, Ji Qingxu blinked. He thought he would see some familiar faces from Zhuangdianertai at the dinner table tonight, but he didn't recognize any of them.

Is it because the head of this cultural center is not as good as the director and deputy director of the station, or is it because those who can become hosts on the station have powerful backgrounds as rumored online?

This left Ji Qingxu, who wanted to broaden his horizons, somewhat disappointed. It would be a shame if he couldn't get a taste of the gossip. Although the women at the table were all very beautiful, Ji Qingxu didn't look at them much. These beauties were clearly "taken".

Noticing that Ma Zhongjun wiped his hands with a towel, Ji Qingxu immediately picked up his wine glass.

......

Three hours later, Ji Qingxu returned to the hotel with Ma Zhongjun.

"A small amount, but incredible, a massive amount!"

Hearing Ma Zhongjun's praise, Ji Qingxu smiled and said, "Mr. Ma, I'm just putting on a brave face."

Ma Zhongjun smiled and put the hot towel in his hand aside. "Don't try to fool me. You drank at least three jin of liquor at the table just now. When I was young, the most I could drink was that much. Look at you, you speak clearly and move freely. This is obviously not your limit yet."

"Mr. Ma, should I lie down on the ground?"

"Haha, you little rascal... well, you did very well tonight."

"Thanks to Mr. Ma for guiding me, otherwise even with my excellent drinking capacity, I would have had no opportunity to demonstrate it."

Ma Zhongjun smiled and waved his hand, "There's no need for formalities between us. Just study the script carefully during this time, and do your best when you get to the set."

"Understood, I'll focus on working on the script at home during this time."

"Well, it's getting late, you should go back and get some rest."

"Okay, Mr. Ma, you should get some rest too."

Back in his room, Ji Qingxu took a bottle of mineral water from the refrigerator and drank it all in one gulp. He let out a long sigh, threw the bottle in the trash can, glanced at the door, and walked to the window. He had thought he could go to some high-end club tonight to have some fun and broaden his horizons, but he never expected to return to the hotel after the drinking party.

Is the entertainment industry really this rudimentary?

Or did Ma Zhongjun make arrangements in advance?

"Ring ring!"

Hearing the landline ring, Ji Qingxu walked to the table in confusion and answered the phone, "Feed...no need...um, I'm hanging up."

After hanging up the phone, Ji Qingxu glanced strangely at the door. This Mr. Ma was quite nice to him, even ordering takeout for him. He shook his head with a smile and headed towards the bedroom. Takeout was out of the question. Even if he really wanted to eat takeout, Ji Qingxu wouldn't ask someone else to do it. What if he got caught in a trap?

......

"Beijing, My Love"

Upon seeing the name on the script, Ji Qingxu muttered something to himself.

This is a drama series that TVB and KBS are going to collaborate on. Ji Qingxu tried to recall it, but he had no recollection of it. So he opened the script.

As the only son of the chairman of the prestigious "Little Bangzi Electronics" Group, Luo Mingguo, who is known for his good looks, lives a dissolute and extravagant life, wasting his life with the help of his family's wealth. Fearing that Mingguo's father, Chairman Luo, would kidnap him in an extreme way and send him to the capital alone, hoping that he could make his own way in the world.

Thus began Min Guo's arduous life in China.

Upon seeing the script synopsis, Ji Qingxu scratched his brow. He was going to play Xiao Bangzi? Then Ji Qingxu turned to the next page to continue reading.

An hour later, Ji Qingxu placed the script on the coffee table.

It's terrible... no, it's just a very ordinary youth urban idol drama. To put it simply, it's about a rich second-generation Korean who "experiences" life in Beijing and gets entangled in romantic relationships with two beautiful women, plus a mature and successful second male lead. It's a melodramatic love story between the four of them. No wonder it wasn't a big hit in its previous life.

At the same time, Ji Qingxu also understood why he would play a South Korean tycoon's son. The screenwriter of this drama was South Korean, and the focus of this drama was to show the life of South Koreans in China. To put it bluntly, the characters are centered on South Korea, but the scenes are mainly in China. This collaboration theme can only be considered ordinary.

Thinking back to when Li Yapeng rejected the script, Ji Qingxu pondered. It seemed the script had been changed. Li Yapeng had previously played the mature and successful man, who was now the second male lead in the script, while Ji Qingxu, who was playing the male lead, was previously the second male lead. In that case, the production team should have more say in this drama.

Ji Qingxu then picked up another piece of paper next to him and began to read it.

The male lead, Luo Minguo, is played by Ji Qingxu.

Han Chae-young plays the lead role of Jung Yeon-sook.

The actor who plays the second male lead, Zhang Dong, is Ahn Chil-hyun.

The actress who plays the second female lead, Yang Xue, is Sun Feifei.

Si Qin, Gao Wa, Pan Hong, Ge Cunzhuang, Zhang Tielin, Wang Zhifei, Shi Jiang, Li Cunxiao...

Seeing the familiar Chinese actors in front of him, Ji Qingxu immediately felt relieved. Even if this drama wasn't famous, it certainly wouldn't be too bad.

Ji Qingxu glanced at the name of the female lead, Han Chae-young, and realized that he knew this Korean actress because he had seen her on short videos in his previous life.

In one movie, she unbuttoned her trench coat to shield Lan Zhenglong's character from the wind and light his cigarette; this scene is considered a classic.

Ji Qingxu remembered her immediately after seeing the video and even searched for her information.

The second male lead, An Qixuan, although Ji Qingxu didn't have a deep impression of him, I remember that he was one of the earliest well-known boy band members in South Korea.

The second female lead, Sun Feifei, was someone Ji Qingxu was familiar with. The two had just collaborated on "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," where she played a princess of the Ming Dynasty. However, a doubt arose in Ji Qingxu's mind. This woman had supposedly been badly beaten and forced to retire from the entertainment industry while acting in a film crew in her previous life. But since she was able to participate in this drama, did she not have any background? She wasn't from a professional acting background; she graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy.

Unable to figure it out, Ji Qingxu gave up and picked up the notebook beside him. While reading the script, Ji Qingxu began to analyze the character he was playing.

......

"Teacher Wang, I've come to see you."

"What's up?"

"Teacher Wang, did your wife scold you?"

"Go away, kid, don't talk nonsense. What did you come to see me about today?"

"Could you please let me in first?"

"..."

After entering the house, Wang Jinsong poured Ji Qingxu a cup of tea and asked, "You're carrying so many bags and packages, it makes me uneasy. So, what did you come to see me about?"

"I've come to learn from you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jinsong said with a mixture of emotions, "You haven't taken on another script, have you?"

Ji Qingxu smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. "Teacher Wang, you are absolutely prescient."

"You only stayed at school for a month during your freshman year, and now that sophomore year is about to start, you're going to ask for leave again. Don't you really care about the school?"

"Teacher Wang, don't be angry. This was an accident. The script this time was very important, and I had no choice."

Upon hearing this, Wang Jinsong asked in surprise, "Very powerful? Very powerful?"

Ji Qingxu pointed upwards, "A drama co-produced by CCTV and KBS from South Korea."

Upon hearing this news, Wang Jinsong blinked. "A drama that TV station is collaborating with the Koreans?"

"right."

Wang Jinsong continued, "Urban drama?"

Ji Qingxu nodded. "Teacher Wang, you've heard about it too?"

"I've heard a bit about it. You're playing the male lead?"

"Of course, I am one of your students."

Wang Jinsong waved his hands repeatedly, "No, I can't teach students who only stay in school for one month a year."

"Teacher Wang, I got into Beijing Film Academy because of you. If it weren't for your training, how could I have gotten into Beijing Film Academy?"

Wang Jinsong said speechlessly, "If I had known, I wouldn't have taken this job in the first place."

Ji Qingxu chuckled. This Teacher Wang Jinsong wasn't the one who played "Uncle Dong of Tazhai," but the one who said, "I'll pull the rubber band out of her underwear and make a slingshot to smash your windows."

Last year, at the age of 34, he took office as the vice dean of the Performance Academy of Taipei Film Academy. Before entering Taipei Film Academy, Mr. Wu Bin asked him to help Ji Qingxu with his acting knowledge through connections.

It was thanks to his guidance that Ji Qingxu was able to get into the Beijing Film Academy as he wished, and at the same time, he was able to play the male lead without any problems with his acting skills during his freshman year.

After staring at Ji Qingxu with a strange expression for a while, Wang Jinsong sneered, "Kid, you didn't come here today just to ask me for advice on the script, did you?"

Ji Qingxu smiled and gave a thumbs up, "Teacher Wang, you are simply amazing. I have nothing to hide in front of you."

"I won't do it."