Brother Dao Took the Entertainment Industry by Storm, Fans Beg Me Not to Kill Anymore

Chapter 764: Troubles Preparing "Dragon"...

June had already reached the height of summer in Beijing.

When Xiao He followed the others into the familiar villa district, the first thing that washed away the heat on his body was the cool air that hit him.

In the main hall, the butler signaled to the housekeeper beside him to serve tea to Xiao He and Liu Rulan.

"Thank you."

Xiao He and Liu Rulan thanked them in unison.

At this moment they were in Director Zhuang Hongyi's villa.

The last time they came they had already been astonished once; this time, coming again, the sense of unfamiliarity had faded. Only when facing the antique teacup set in their hands, which plainly did not look ordinary, did Xiao He merely sip once and then silently put it back down.

This time was completely different from the last.

When he had visited Director Zhuang's home before, Xiao He had still behaved like a country bumpkin, glancing here and there, feeling that things were either expensive or very expensive, but if you asked how expensive or what made them costly, Xiao He naturally had no clue.

His upbringing had been relatively modest, and he himself had little interest in keeping up with others. At most he paid attention to electronic technology; as for other luxury items, Xiao He truly did not care much. He might have a vague idea about a few famously pricey items, but not much more.

If he had not entered the entertainment industry and gradually become acquainted with many brand-name luxuries, Xiao He would have remained in that state of "you are showing off, but I have no idea what you are showing off."

"Oh, you say that jacket is expensive?"

"So that's why the label on your chest looks familiar."

"Oh, that watch of yours is worth a million?"

"No wonder it sparkles a little more than other watches..."

As for the broader range of precious things, Xiao He felt no obligation to fully understand them.

But this time was different.

Xiao He now had an ability called Treasure Hunting and Theft.

Now those once unattainable items suddenly had more precise values in his eyes.

Back before he had this skill, he had had no interest in it and even found it pretty redundant. After all, he could not go around every day using the skill to judge whether someone's clothes were expensive, whether their interior decoration was luxurious, or whether the people he met had money...

But this time, Xiao He had been unintentionally shown up by Director Zhuang.

What he had admired on the previous visit as simply beautiful ornaments and wall hangings suddenly became objects with many more zeros on their price tags in his mind.

Even the teacup in his hand added a few zeros in an instant. After Xiao He put the teacup down and stacked it with the nearby teaware, the value of the whole set shot up dramatically!

Xiao He: ...

Beside him, Liu Rulan also put down her teacup and leaned forward a bit, thinking Xiao He had noticed something unusual. She lowered her voice and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Xiao He took a deep breath.

Great, with Sister Liu's piece added, there's another zero!

Do you guys always do this?

Single pieces are trash, together they are genuine!

But judging by appearances, this set should be Director Zhuang's family heirloom, well protected; if a unique piece had been taken out alone, it probably would not be in such perfect condition...

Xiao He pondered, picked up the teacup again, took another sip, and replied to Sister Liu, "It's nothing. I just think this teaware set is very beautiful."

At that moment, footsteps came from upstairs.

Xiao He and Liu Rulan both stood up.

Sure enough, Zhuang Hongyi walked down from the upper floor.

Seeing Xiao He and Liu Rulan already waiting, Zhuang Hongyi immediately greeted them and apologized, "Sorry, I haven't been resting well lately. After finishing lunch I dozed off at the table and kept you waiting."

Zhuang Hongyi was dressed very casually at home, just a simple set of loungewear. He did not mind Xiao He and Liu Rulan's impressions. He walked to the tea table, sat down, and casually poured himself a cup of hot tea.

The tiredness in Zhuang Hongyi's eyes did not look feigned, so Liu Rulan chimed in, "With 'Dragon' about to start filming, Director Zhuang has been running around a lot. It's understandable he's been exhausted."

"Ah, it's nothing. It's just that some of the auditions haven't finished yet, which is a bit troublesome." As he said this, Zhuang Hongyi couldn't help looking at Xiao He, trying to recruit him, "Since Xiao He has already completed filming 'Imperial Enterprise', you probably aren't that busy lately, right? Could you come by our audition site sometime? After all, as the male lead, you should show your face a bit, shouldn't you?"

Xiao He and Liu Rulan exchanged glances and gave a helpless, wry smile at the same time.

"Director Zhuang, it's not that I don't want to go, I really don't have the time recently," Xiao He said.

Liu Rulan was even more straightforward and told Zhuang Hongyi, "Xiao He has taken several official commitments recently. He's busier now than when he was on set."

That matter was because of the Qian family.

Ever since Xiao He had helped out, Elder Qian had been finding ways to pull in resources for him.

Although the Qian family came from a very scholarly, respectable lineage and rarely interacted with the entertainment circle, they could still find resources for Xiao He from other channels. Elder Qian had gone directly to leaders at the television station to ask about important upcoming events and stages, then introduced Xiao He.

So recently Xiao He hadn't gone elsewhere; he had been at CCTV's main compound almost every day.

Either recording programs and galas, attending official events hosted by state media, or shooting posters as a promotional ambassador for public welfare!

Even at a fairly significant official political event—because it touched on current entertainment industry chaos and Internet public opinion issues—Xiao He unexpectedly had an opportunity to appear and give a related speech as a representative, showing his face on the Channel One news broadcast.

Even at a fairly significant official political event—because it touched on current entertainment industry chaos and internet public opinion issues—Xiao He unexpectedly had an opportunity to appear and give a related speech as a representative, showing his face on the Channel One news broadcast.

In fact, as long as Xiao He could maintain a good long-term relationship with the Qian family, and as long as he himself did not make major mistakes and the Qian family remained influential, his political profile would be maintained with their help.

Invitations to events he wanted to attend would come through; even the Spring Festival Gala he hadn’t yet been on this year might become possible next year.

This was very beneficial for Xiao He's long-term development. The Qian family had effectively become his official connections in Beijing.

Of course, Liu Rulan would not tell Director Zhuang all these detailed matters, and instead continued to ask, "Is there a problem with your casting? If you need help, we can discuss scheduling."

"There is something rather troublesome. But since I've already decided to have Xiao He as my male lead, he's one of us. I'll tell you directly, no need to hide anything—"

Zhuang Hongyi scratched his head, paused for a moment, then said, "This time, filming 'Dragon' requires some assistance from the Tianshi Association over in Hong Kong, but the people there are quite stubborn. The actors who play the pilgrimage masters must personally give their approval before they'll continue helping us."

"Ah?"

Xiao He and Liu Rulan were both stunned.

"The Tianshi Association?"

Does something like that really exist in reality?

Liu Rulan hesitated, braced herself for a worldview shock, and then asked tactfully, "Are they all truly skilled masters?"

There had indeed been many capable masters in Hong Kong in earlier years; stories had become legendary, but most people nowadays were skeptical and relied on hearsay. Who had actually seen those "paranormal events" with their own eyes?

After all, nowadays doing good deeds did not guarantee a good outcome, and doing bad deeds did not necessarily mean divine punishment.

So people’s views on such matters tended to be whatever one believed.

The most trusting moments were probably when checking one's fortune with one's own life chart, or asking a master about love prospects.

[Note: The main world background will not involve any supernatural events! There will be no ghosts, magic, or supernatural powers! It's purely a film plot and the filming process touches this subject a bit, based on real-world conventions; the current worldview remains materialist! The only unscientific thing is Xiao He!

Xiao He with a crime system: ?]