*The Return of the Condor Heroes* Boot Camp

"I've also gathered information on Rongxinda, Tangren, Ciwen, and Zhongshi Film and Television. I've got the relevant details on pretty much all of them."

Huang Qidao handed the material to Shen Qi.

Rongxinda was Zhou Xun's company.

Tangren had Sun Li, Guan Yonghe, and others.

Ciwen was the company Nie Yuan had signed with. He'd signed the contract, shaved down his cheekbones, and still hadn't gotten the role. The company was hardly reliable.

Zhongshi Film and Television was a major player, but its talent management was mediocre. Its roster included Wang Ji and Cao Ying.

"Big companies have better resources, but they take a bigger cut and have more rules. Small companies have limited resources, and a lot of them are little operations started by former TV station staff..."

Huang Qidao had contacted several, but none had shown much sincerity.

There was no helping it. Shen Qi was still a nobody.

"Let's keep an eye on them. We can worry about a talent agency later. One day, they'll come looking for us."

Shen Qi flipped through the material, then set it aside.

He was too established for the smallest outfits, yet not established enough for the big ones.

Gathering information didn't mean he had to decide where to go—not that it was his decision to make.

He mainly wanted to understand the major talent agencies so he wouldn't be completely lost if he encountered one.

"How about I let that rich woman keep me, then get her to start a talent agency for you?"

Wei Jianguo suddenly chimed in.

"Uh... you don't have to sacrifice that much."

Cold sweat broke out on Shen Qi's forehead.

What the hell? You're going to sell your body to support me?

"Jianguo, if she's paying enough, you really could consider settling down," Huang Qidao said with a laugh.

"Damn it, I feel like she'd drain me dry in a few days... She asks for me every day, and every time she comes, we go at it several times. Good thing she still gets her period..."

Wei Jianguo's lower back started aching again just thinking about it.

"That's enough. What are you saying with Jingrou here?" Shen Qi cut them off.

"Exactly! Don't leave me out of a good thing like that. If you meet a rich woman who likes women, put in a good word for me!"

Wen Jingrou planted a foot on her chair and slapped the table in agreement.

"..."

The whole room fell silent.

After dinner, Shen Qi saw his friends off and finally had some peace to himself.

He took a long, careful look around the small apartment.

A little place of his own.

Even if it was rented!

The bed was five feet wide, soft, and comfortable.

When he closed his eyes, he could barely remember what it felt like to curl up in an internet café chair.

When he woke, it was already the next morning.

After washing up, Shen Qi went to report to the crew of The Return of the Condor Heroes.

Filming hadn't started yet, but the crew had arranged intensive training for the actors.

After getting back, he had contacted Zhao Jian, who was in charge of the training.

Zhao Jian had told him to come straight over.

The training facility was fairly professional and not far from where Shen Qi lived.

Shen Qi knew his way around places like this, too.

He had studied physical education and worked at gyms and sports centers.

After signing in, Shen Qi entered the facility.

"Shen Qi!"

Hearing someone call his name, Shen Qi looked up from his search for Zhao Jian and saw Chen Zihan running toward him.

Show business was a big world, but not so big that you never ran into people you knew.

Seeing a familiar face on a new crew was perfectly normal.

"Hey, long time no see!"

Shen Qi stopped and greeted her with a smile.

"I heard you were in this show too, but why are you only getting here now? Training's almost over."

Chen Zihan seemed happy to see him.

"I was shooting out of town and just got back," Shen Qi said helplessly. "It's almost over already?"

"Yeah. It's my turn to go to the stables the day after tomorrow. Three days of riding lessons, and I'm done."

Chen Zihan linked arms with Shen Qi and led him to find the director.

"We have to learn to ride horses too?"

Shen Qi felt a little awkward, but he didn't pull away.

After all, Chen Zihan had done the same thing on the set of Legend of the White Snake.

She and Liu Tao had even taken an arm each.

They worked in show business. There was no need to be so bashful.

Besides, people naturally stuck together when they joined an unfamiliar crew.

"Yes. Anyone with riding scenes who can't ride takes a turn learning at the stables. Director Zhao will arrange it. Shen Qi, how's your riding?"

Chen Zihan didn't ask Shen Qi why he was playing Yin Zhiping.

That would have been a childish question.

Who wouldn't rather play Yang Guo if they could?

She wanted to play the Little Dragon Maiden herself!

Shen Qi had only landed the role of Demon Dao Sage Lord in Legend of the White Snake because Liu Tao had helped him get it.

"I can't ride."

Shen Qi had ridden a cow as a child and had nearly been trampled to death.

He had also been kicked by a donkey.

Livestock made him a little nervous.

"Then remember to tell the director. You can go have fun at the stables for free."

Chen Zihan brought Shen Qi over to Zhao Jian, then went back to training.

Shen Qi waited nearby until Huang Xiaoming finished talking with Zhao Jian before approaching.

"This is Shen Qi, who's playing Yin Zhiping. And this is Huang Xiaoming."

Zhao Jian introduced them.

"Hello, Mr. Huang!"

Shen Qi waited for Huang Xiaoming to offer his hand before shaking it. The gap between their standing in the industry was huge, and he hadn't been sure Huang Xiaoming would want to shake hands.

"No need to be so formal. I'll call you Shen Qi, and you can call me Xiaoming. Calling each other 'Mr.' all the time is a hassle."

Huang Xiaoming wasn't one to put on airs.

He was easygoing with everyone.

"Brother Xiaoming."

Shen Qi certainly wasn't going to call him plain Xiaoming.

Huang Xiaoming was four years older than him.

Whether for his age or his standing, calling him "Brother" was only right.

"I'll go practice over there. You two talk."

After greeting him, Huang Xiaoming walked away.

When he reached a spot where no one was around, he stopped and sighed. After a moment's thought, he took out his phone and called his agent, Zhou Siwei.

"Brother Wei, give Lingling a raise."

"Didn't she get one in June? Why give her another out of nowhere? We already pay well above the industry average."

Zhou Siwei was baffled.

"Remember when Lingling said Yin Zhiping would be serious competition?"

At the time, Huang Xiaoming had thought his assistant was making a fuss over nothing. Now that he'd seen the actor playing Yin Zhiping, he knew she hadn't been.

"So what do we do now?"

Zhou Siwei understood what Huang Xiaoming meant.

"What do you mean, what do we do? We don't need to do anything."

Huang Xiaoming hadn't done anything back then.

Now that the actor playing Yin Zhiping had signed his contract, Huang Xiaoming was even less likely to interfere.

Meanwhile, Shen Qi learned what his training would involve from Zhao Jian.

He had missed far too much, and his role wasn't particularly important, so a little swordplay practice would do.

Shen Qi went to find someone from the martial arts team.

"Oh, it's you!" Shi Feng took charge as soon as he saw Shen Qi report in. "You can work with me."

Shi Feng had worked with Shen Qi on Legend of the White Snake.

Shen Qi had left quite an impression on him.

"Thanks for taking the trouble, Brother Feng."

Shen Qi was happy to see a familiar face too.

"Hey, what's going on between you and Chen Zihan?" Shi Feng asked in a low voice.

Meng Guangmei was a bit older, and she was from Taiwan.

The female lead was too young, practically still a kid.

Of the actresses on the crew, Chen Zihan was the one drawing the most attention.

"Nothing's going on. We worked together, that's all. You know that, Brother Feng."

Shen Qi was stunned by the question.

"Haha, I asked because I didn't know. It's nothing, really. Just curious."

Shi Feng had no real faults, though he did love a little gossip.

He'd heard people on the martial arts team say Shen Qi had been involved with both Liu Tao and Chen Zihan.

They'd told the story in convincing detail.

Supposedly, a van had rocked violently for nearly an hour.

Of course, the martial arts team could be crude. They often spread filthy rumors without thinking, and Shi Feng hadn't really believed this one.

Judging by Shen Qi's reaction, it was probably false.

"Really, there's nothing between us. We just worked together and got along pretty well..."

Shen Qi hurried to clear things up.

If the rumor reached Chen Zihan, she might think he had started it himself to trade on his connection with her.

"I understand. Next time I hear anything like that, I'll set them straight. Come on, let's get started. You're playing Yin Zhiping, so you'll need to learn some sword techniques."

Shi Feng didn't ask what exactly Shen Qi and Chen Zihan had found so much to talk about.

Or where they had done all that talking...

He couldn't help it. A handsome man and a beautiful woman were bound to set people's imaginations running.

Maybe the pressure of being a martial arts director had gotten to him.

It was getting harder and harder to come up with moves that would impress anyone.

Lately, he'd been thinking about changing careers.

He could write novels on that Qidian website, for instance.

Trade martial arts for the literary arts!

He could base a story on Shen Qi, take inspiration from Xue Hong's I Am a Hooligan, and write about a man who slept his way through show business.

"How about I show you what I can do first?"

Shen Qi twirled his sword.

It looked flashy, but anyone with two hands could learn to do it.

Plenty of actors in show business could.

As for anyone who couldn't even twirl a sword, they had no business trying to look convincing in a martial arts drama. All they could do was hold a piece of metal and strike a pose.

"Sure. Show me whatever you know."

Shi Feng courteously gave him room.

His mind, though, was still spinning out his novel's plot:

After wrapping for the night, Shen Qi pulled on a mask and hat, slipped into Chen Zihan's van, and the two headed straight for a hotel room with a big bed.

What happened next... Shi Feng was a little stuck.