I Want to Become the King of the Silver Screen [Entertainment Industry] Chapter 4

Chapter 4:  Fruit Salad

This evening, Jiang Yin had a dream.

In the dream, he saw himself wearing a dragon robe, or rather, another Jiang Yin. The other Jiang Yin rushed over with excitement and said, “Hey, thanks, buddy! Your golden finger came just in time! Your body is really weak. I almost died, but luckily I had the golden finger.”

“Jiang Yin” was overjoyed and said, “By the way, it was the empress dowager who ordered the eunuch to push you down. I’ve investigated it thoroughly, so don’t worry. I will avenge you! That old woman is so vicious. I woke up wanting to kill her. And that ice-cold regent, he’s nothing special. I will definitely secure the throne for you. I’m not afraid of them now that I have the golden finger. Hehe…”

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Tl ayxczle sd, yde qkdyzzu oyhle bkp byde okvb y pxkzl yde ekpyrrlyale.

Kkydt Zkd osjl wr qasx bkp pzllr, yde vbl xlxsaklp kd vbl ealyx olal hlau hkhke. Tl alxlxclale lhlau osae vbyv “Kkydt Zkd” pyke. Tl pyv kd cle, bwttkdt vbl yka nsdekvksdla, kd y eygl qsa y obkzl clqsal pdyrrkdt swv sq kv.

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He never thought that his original self would actually switch places with him and go to the Great Zhou Dynasty. It’s for the best, though. He has fewer concerns now. Although the situation in the Great Zhou Dynasty is complicated, with the golden finger, his original self should be able to handle it. However, with “Jiang Yin’s” personality, he didn’t know if he could be a good emperor.

Jiang Yin worried in his heart, but then shook his head and chuckled. Since he had already changed his identity, it was no longer something he needed to worry about.

He relaxed and looked at the rising sun outside the window.

From now on, he was no longer the puppet emperor who couldn’t resist. He was an ambitious and aspiring 18th-tier celebrity who wanted to become famous.

·***

A few days later, the 18th-tier celebrity Jiang Yin went to the set of the TV series “The Legend of Empress Liu” with Chen Dan.

The set was located in the Shu Dian Film and Television City, and they had to take a plane to get there. Even though he had the memories of his original self, Jiang Yin was still in awe for quite some time after boarding the plane.

Outside the window, there were soft clouds seemingly within reach. Especially when they reached the middle of the flight, with the setting sun, the sky’s color changed from light to dark, splitting into two separate realms. Below, there were thick, fluffy white clouds gradually darkening, while above, the lingering radiance of the sunset painted a magnificent palette of colors—pale yellow, intense gold, sparkling orange, and even a peculiar light pink. It resembled a vividly colored oil painting, a beauty that couldn’t be described in words.

This magnificent and magical sight kept him captivated for a long time.

As it grew completely dark, another scene unfolded. Especially when they were about to land, looking down at the entire city, it was a dazzling sea of lights.

Jiang Yin couldn’t help but think of Chang’an during the Lantern Festival in his past life. The lights were as spectacular as dragons, although not as bright as the modern ones. Unfortunately, his health deteriorated after ascending the throne, and he never had the opportunity to leave the palace to enjoy the festivities or even appear on the city walls to celebrate with the people.

He remembered the last time he left the palace to view the lanterns, thanks to the crown prince’s favor. However, shortly after that year’s Lantern Festival, the crown prince was deposed due to witchcraft accusations. And within just two years, several other imperial brothers and princes also encountered misfortune. By the time his father, the emperor, passed away, he was the only surviving imperial son.

Thinking about the events of the past, Jiang Yin’s gaze darkened.

After disembarking from the plane, someone from the production crew arranged to pick them up. Originally, they had scheduled to formally join the crew the next day, but to avoid wasting time, they arrived one night earlier.

The hotel was arranged by the production crew, with one room assigned to Jiang Yin and Chen Dan each.

“You rest first, and I’ll go and inquire about the situation,” Chen Dan helped him with his luggage and instructed, “Go to bed early tonight, don’t stay up late. I’ll come to wake you up early tomorrow. If I see dark circles under your eyes from staying up late, I’ll confiscate your phone for three days!”

“Got it,” Jiang Yin immediately tightened his grip on his phone. Since he got it back and surfed the internet, he fell in love with it. To be precise, he was captivated by the online world. It was so fascinating that he couldn’t get enough of it all day long. Just like what people said online, without going out, he could still know everything happening in the world.

Chen Dan was satisfied and took out a box of fruit salad. “Have this for dinner. Don’t secretly order takeout. Remember to apply a face mask before sleeping. I noticed that there hasn’t been much usage of the masks in the refrigerator. Haven’t you used them for a few days? Aren’t you usually so attentive to taking care of your face?”

Jiang Yin’s heart skipped a beat, but he calmly took the fruit salad and joked, “That’s because I have reached a higher level of thinking now. I have decided to pursue the path of acting.”

The truth was, he just couldn’t adapt to the idea of men taking care of their skin and wearing makeup. Although it was trendy in the Great Zhou Dynasty to dress up, it mostly revolved around clothing and accessories. Facial cosmetics were mostly for women.

Chen Dan rolled his eyes. “Look at you. Alright then, I’ll be waiting. I’ll be waiting for you to bring back an award-winning actor trophy for us.”

An award-winning actor…

Jiang Yin narrowed his eyes. In modern times, the imperial system no longer existed. If we were talking about someone commonly referred to as “emperor” in everyday life, it would indeed only be the title of an award-winning actor.

He couldn’t become an emperor, but being a film emperor seemed like a good alternative.

Jiang Yin, who retired from the position of emperor, silently set a small goal for himself.

After quickly packing his luggage, Jiang Yin turned on the TV to replay the evening news broadcast. It was a program he watched every day, but today he was delayed due to taking a flight.

While nibbling on a fruit salad – without any salad dressing to avoid gaining weight – he only had dry, chopped fruits. However, for Jiang Yin, the taste of the fruits alone was delicious enough, especially since there were many he had never tasted before.

Although the sweet taste of cherry tomatoes was mild, they were juicy to eat. The apples had a crispy texture with a hint of sweetness and slight acidity. Dragon fruits had a combination of sweetness and tartness, while mangoes were fragrant, sweet, and soft, providing an excellent mouthfeel. Not to mention his favorite strawberries, and a few blueberries as garnish. Although the blueberries were more sour than sweet, they became even more fragrant as he chewed.

Each sweetness had its own level, and the acidity varied. The mouthfeel was also distinct. Furthermore, the vibrant and colorful combination was visually appealing and appetizing.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Jiang Yin put down the box and went to open the door, thinking it might be someone from the crew. However, before reaching the door, he glanced through the peephole and was surprised to see a delivery guy.

“Hello, your food delivery has arrived. Please accept it,” the delivery guy knocked on the door.

Jiang Yin opened the door and reminded him, “I didn’t order any food. You must have the wrong place.”

The delivery guy was taken aback, unlocked his phone, checked the order, and then looked at the door number. He suddenly appeared flustered and apologetic, “Ah, I’m sorry, I made a mistake. It should be 808, not 803. I apologize, I apologize…”

Just as he was speaking, the door diagonally across opened, and a head popped out, saying, “808 is here, I ordered the food.”

The delivery guy immediately picked up the food and hurriedly walked over.

With a glance, Jiang Yin saw a delicate baby face that appeared to be a fifteen or sixteen-year-old middle school student. The baby-faced individual took the delivery and smiled at him, waving their hand, “Jiang Yin?”

“That’s me,” Jiang Yin also recalled the person’s identity from his memory. It was Qi Baijia, a D-list actor who started as a child star. He had a cute appearance during his childhood and almost played the role of every male lead in idol dramas back when they were popular. The original person had even envied him.

However, his cuteness became an obstacle as he grew up. Despite his baby face, he was actually a year older than the original person, already twenty years old. Due to this face, he could only play supporting roles as sons or younger brothers in various dramas. The original person even had a clash with him over a role during these two years of playing in mother-in-law dramas. Although Qi Baijia was more suitable in terms of appearance and acting skills, the director chose the original person directly because of his high attractiveness.

Upon thinking about it, they realized that there was still a bit of a grudge between them.

However, Qi Baijia didn’t seem to mind it. He had a smile on his face, and with his youthful appearance, it was hard for anyone to feel hostile towards him.

“Big brother, why did you come back so late? I’ve been waiting for you.”

Jiang Yin instinctively responded, “Don’t worry, I will protect you.”

“Oh, not bad, not bad. You even remembered the lines. Impressive!” Qi Baijia blinked mischievously.

Jiang Yin smiled, “Are you playing Liu Ruyi?”

“Yes,” Qi Baijia grinned, “I’ll be your younger brother for a month. Please take care of me, big brother.”

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, and both of them had a friendly attitude. The previous grudge between them was put aside, and they silently understood each other’s thoughts.

Before closing the door, Jiang Yin’s gaze wandered around the delivery bag in Qi Baijia’s hand, secretly wondering what he had bought. The bag seemed quite full, with at least eight takeaway boxes.

Qi Baijia closed the door and returned to his room. His manager, Lao Zhao, came out of the restroom with a face mask on and asked, “Who were you chatting with?”

“Jiang Yin,” Qi Baijia replied.

Lao Zhao frowned, displeased, “What’s there to talk about with him? Don’t you know about his troubles? You actually had the nerve to engage with him.”

“Why shouldn’t I take a role that I earned with my abilities?” Qi Baijia didn’t feel guilty. He rubbed his chin and continued, “I think he’s quite interesting.”

Lao Zhao pinched the corner of the lifted face mask with her elegant and glamorous fingers, and let out a dignified and cold snort, “If it weren’t for his sudden appearance, the role of Liu Ying would be yours. Don’t forget, he snatched a role from you before.”

Qi Baijia shook his head playfully, “Lu Xun once said, ‘What’s mine cannot be taken away by anyone. If it can be taken away, then it isn’t mine in the first place…'”

“Lu Xun never said that.” Lao Zhao rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Qi Baijia chuckled mischievously, swiftly unpacking the delivery. Box after box revealed barbecue dishes. He grabbed a grilled chicken wing and stuffed it into his mouth, saying, “I can’t play Liu Ying. I don’t have the right appearance. Even if it’s not Jiang Yin, it would be someone else.”

“What do you mean you don’t have the right appearance? What’s wrong with your appearance? I think it’s quite suitable—” Lao Zhao caught a glimpse of his chubby baby face and immediately deflated, “Forget it, forget it. It’s just a minor role, whether you play it or not doesn’t matter. But when you act alongside Jiang Yin, show off your acting skills and firmly suppress him. What’s the use of being handsome? Coming to film this kind of drama, he deserves to be slapped in the face.”

Qi Baijia nibbled on the chicken wing and mumbled, “Got it.” Suddenly, his phone beeped with a notification sound. He leaned over and glanced at it, then smiled, “Hey, someone is even more eager than you.”

“Who?” 

“Ta-da!” Qi Baijia picked up his phone and showed it to Lao Zhao.

“Han Lingran?” Lao Zhao recognized the message and made a disgusted face. The face mask even peeled off her face. “How are you in contact with him? He’s the kind of person who would crawl up to Wang Dafu’s face. That acne-ridden face, that bald head, that belly. Oh my goodness, just imagining it makes it hard for me to breathe.”

Qi Baijia shrugged, “I’m not in contact with him. He added me before he became famous. Surprisingly, he didn’t delete me. Tsk tsk, didn’t they say he and Jiang Yin are good buddies? Look at what he said, ‘Not worth it for me.’ It makes me want to break through the screen with the thought of confronting Han Lingran. How can they be good buddies? They seem more like enemies.”

Lao Zhao became cautious, “You better not get involved in this kind of stuff.”

Qi Baijia replied to the message with a smile, “Don’t worry, I know what’s going on.”

He wondered if Jiang Yin knew about his so-called good buddy’s intentions to step on him. He vaguely remembered that Wang Dafu had an interest in Jiang Yin, not Han Lingran.

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