The Common Man's Return in Chinese Entertainment

"Go there early tomorrow, I'll be waiting for you there."

"Okay, Teacher Wang, I'll be going now."

"Um."

After leaving Wang Jinsong's house, Ji Qingxu went downstairs and walked towards his own residential community.

Damn, there are whistleblowers everywhere.

Ji Qingxu was not surprised by Wang Jinsong's report. After all, this was the entertainment industry, and the simplest and most effective means in the entertainment industry was reporting. Such examples of "reporting" were very common in the entertainment industry in later generations.

Having acted in two plays in his freshman year, one of which was as the male lead, is a rare achievement for Huaxia Higher Art Academy. It's normal for people to feel envious and jealous, and Ji Qingxu was prepared for that.

As for who the whistleblower is, well, there are too many suspects: classmates, students from the next class, students from the same school... Just like Wang Jinsong said, there's no need to delve too deeply, after all, no one is stupid enough to file a real-name report. What Ji Qingxu needs to do is to make herself better and better.

Even if Wang Jinsong hadn't said anything, Ji Qingxu's original plan was to take a break after finishing this film. Actors may seem glamorous, but it's not easy, especially in this day and age.

Unlike in later years, actors nowadays have screenwriters and acting coaches with them when they join a production team, surrounded by a bunch of assistants. They just need to recite their lines and make some gestures, and that's it. When the director yells "cut," water, drinks, fruit, and lounge chairs are all provided, just like a vacation.

For many people in the industry, acting is just an ordinary job. Many actors in film crews have to do other work to earn money to support their families after filming. Except for first- and second-tier actors who are slightly better off, the treatment of other actors is very low.

The online claims that actors stay in five-star hotels, travel in RVs, and receive meal allowances of hundreds or thousands of dollars a day when they join a production crew are completely untrue.

Even with the crew of "Lu Bu and Diao Chan," Chen Kai stayed in a hotel of the same standard as the Hanting Hotel in later times. The food was decent, with fish, meat, and soup, similar to the living standards of a middle-class family.

As for motorhomes, so far, apart from Hong Kong and Taiwan actors, only Benshan Wang is known to own one in the mainland entertainment industry. He owns a Dodge Ram motorhome, and that's all.

Of course, Ji Qingxu wasn't afraid of being reported; it's just that he didn't want to be so tired. Being an actor is very interesting, but with one production after another, Ji Qingxu felt it wasn't very meaningful.

Having finally managed to travel through time, I still had to work hard and struggle. It seems I never suffered in my previous life, so I've traveled back in time to find suffering in this one?

Ji Qingxu has failed in his investments and owes hundreds of millions of yuan. He needs to transform into Ji Shisanlang to work hard to earn money and pay off his debts.

Ji Qingxu's plan for the future is to take a break after finishing a play, travel around and see the sights. In his previous life, Ji Qingxu's global travel plan was abruptly ended after just starting, but in this life, Ji Qingxu is prepared to pick up the global travel plan again.

Of course, this plan will be delayed a little bit, since Ji Qingxu doesn't have much money right now.

After earning money from the World Cup to buy a house and pay tuition, he had 8 yuan left. He earned more than 7 yuan from the "Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties" crew and 12 yuan from the "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" crew. He spent tens of thousands of yuan playing with that woman Fan Xiaopang in Ning District for a month, and spent some money on gifts and other miscellaneous things. Currently, he only has about 20 yuan on him. This is all the money Ji Qingxu has at the moment.

Well, there's also the upcoming filming of "Beijing, My Love," which will cost me another paycheck.

Damn, TVB is so stingy. Ji Qingxu's salary for this show is only 3000 yuan per episode, which is even lower than his previous work, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

No wonder people say that TVB is a "big company that bullies its customers." There weren't many actors competing for this role. Of course, on the bright side, at least TVB didn't pay 3000 dollars to let Ji Qingxu act in the whole play.

The series "Beijing, My Love" has a total of 31 episodes. Ji Qingxu's scenes are about 20 episodes. His total salary is 60,000 yuan. After deducting the company's share, he received 24,000 yuan.

I wonder if I'll be able to get a few gigs and endorsements after "Heroes of Sui and Tang Dynasties" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" air. The most lucrative thing in the entertainment industry isn't acting fees, and acting fees are pitifully low these days. The most lucrative thing is endorsements and gigs.

With a large sum of capital, Ji Qingxu doesn't need to worry about making money at all. Right now, Maozi's stock price is only around 20 yuan, and TX's stock price is... well, TX isn't listed yet.

The future is bright, take it slow, there's no need to rush in this second life.

Looking at the dim yellow lights in the distance, Ji Qingxu strode forward.

......

Capital Theatre!

A sign with four red characters on the rooftop.

Beijing People's Art Theatre.

These are the large characters carved on a large rock in front of the building.

This is the "Beijing People's Art Theatre," a place that countless people in the entertainment industry yearn for. Today, Wang Jinsong brought Ji Qingxu to this place.

"Let's go in first, then you can look at it however you want."

"Okay."

Following in Wang Jinsong's footsteps, Ji Qingxu stepped into this "sacred hall" of the entertainment industry.

......

Wang Jinsong first took Ji Qingxu to the office of Mr. Liu Jinyun, the current director of Beijing People's Art Theatre, where they met and chatted for a while. Then, Ji Qingxu followed Wang Jinsong to the experimental theater that had just been completed in March of this year.

Lü Zhong, Pu Cunxin, Yang Lixing, Wu Gang, Li Guangfu, Feng Yuanzhen... Looking at these familiar faces, Ji Qingxu couldn't help but marvel. As expected of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, there are veteran actors with outstanding acting skills everywhere. Well, I misspoke, these people are still the backbone of the middle generation.

"Oh, Dean Wang, what brings you here?"

Hearing Feng Yuanzhen's teasing, Wang Jinsong gestured to Ji Qingxu beside him and said, "This one doesn't need an introduction, he's the number one domestic abuser in China."

Seeing Feng Yuanzhen's helpless smile, Ji Qingxu greeted him with a smile, "Hello, Professor Feng, my name is Ji Qingxu, and I am currently studying in the Performance Department of Beijing Film Academy."

"Hello Xiao Ji, I've heard about you from Lao Wang before, and today I'm finally meeting you in person."

Upon hearing this, Ji Qing glanced at Wang Jinsong beside him.

"A small amount!"

Hearing the greeting from the side, Ji Qingxu recognized Pu Cunxin, a teammate from the Mengzhou football team, and replied with a smile, "Teacher Pu."

Pu Cunxin asked curiously, "You came here today because...?"

Ji Qingxu smiled and gestured to Wang Jinsong beside him, "Teacher Wang said my acting skills are not good enough, so I'm here to learn from the teachers."

Wang Jinsong said with a smile, "This child is about to act in a play, working with actors from the Koreans. I brought him here to broaden his horizons and learn a thing or two. Come, Qingxu, get to know these teachers. These are your senior teachers. A few tips from them will be enough to benefit you for a lifetime."

With Wang Jinsong's introduction, Ji Qingxu greeted all the actors from the People's Art Theatre present and got to know them for the first time.

"Qingxu, is the urban drama you worked with that Korean actor on, the one about building pads?"

"Yes, Teacher Feng."

What kind of role are you playing?

Upon hearing this question, Ji Qingxu immediately replied, "I play the second-generation heir of a tycoon, who spends his days idly, indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun, without any ambition. His father, in order to..."

After listening to Ji Qingxu's explanation, Feng Yuanzhen looked at Wang Jinsong and asked, "Did you bring this child here to learn how to perform in plays?"

Wang Jinsong replied with a smile, "Yes, the way ordinary actors perform on the Korean side is very different from ours. When actors from both sides act together, there may be a great sense of disconnect."

Everyone nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

"Not bad, the Korean actors' performances are a bit more exaggerated, somewhat similar to our stage plays. Their facial expressions and body language are not as restrained."

"The performances over there are rough and superficial, lacking any substance."

"Hey, every country has different national conditions. They like this kind of performance style, and their audiences love to watch it. Their excellent actors are just as good as ours."

"Is this the first time our country has collaborated with South Korea on a film or television drama?"

"This is the first time in terms of level."

"You can't embarrass yourself, Xiao Ji. Have you been doing well lately?"

"As long as you teachers don't mind, I'll come every day."

"Alright, let's check your acting skills first, and then see how to teach you."

Hearing everyone directly shift the topic to teaching him, Ji Qingxu felt a sense of gratitude. He didn't know much about the others because he hadn't met them in depth, but he knew that the seniors at the Beijing People's Art Theatre were very pure, enthusiastic, and passionate when it came to acting. As soon as they heard that they would be competing on the same stage with actors from South Korea, they offered to teach him without hesitation.