Chapter Summaries

Shen Qi gave a strong audition for Yin Zhiping in The Return of the Condor Heroes, impressing the casting team with his performance and understanding of the character. Zhao Jian then asked about his ability in action scenes, leaving the casting decision pending.

• Shen Qi entered his first formal audition for a major production and performed a scene opposite Liu Naiyi, who played Zhao Zhijing.
• Shen Qi used Xu Yajun’s recorded performance through the Magic Book to portray Yin Zhiping’s shift from composure to anger.
• The casting team questioned Shen Qi about Yin Zhiping’s remorse and the career risks of playing the character, and Shen Qi explained his interpretation and said he welcomed the challenge.
• After the casting team reviewed Shen Qi’s performance, Zhao Jian asked how well he handled action scenes before deciding whether to cast him.

Shen Qi won the audition for Yin Zhiping, but Huang Xiaoming’s assistant briefly tried to block the casting because Shen Qi was too handsome to play Yang Guo’s rival. Zhang Jizhong arrived, reviewed Shen Qi’s résumé, and left the decision under consideration while reminiscing with him about Taierzhuang flatbread.

• Shen Qi demonstrated basic swordsmanship for Zhao Jian, who selected him to play Yin Zhiping.
• Huang Xiaoming’s assistant asked Zhao Jian to reconsider Shen Qi’s casting because his looks could make Huang’s Yang Guo seem less impressive.
• Huang Xiaoming rejected the attempt to interfere, and his manager apologized to Zhao Jian on his behalf.
• Zhang Jizhong arrived and learned that Zhao Hongfei had been cast as Yelü Qi and Shen Qi as Yin Zhiping.
• Zhang Jizhong examined Shen Qi’s résumé, asked about his hometown of Taierzhuang, and reminisced about eating local flatbread there decades earlier.

Shen Qi secured the role of Yin Zhiping in The Return of the Condor Heroes and picked up additional acting work through his contacts. After earning money from a music video and a day as an extra, he was accosted outside Beijing Film Studio.

• Zhang Jizhong tested Shen Qi's Shandong dialect, then offered him a role in the rural drama Migrant Workers and signed him for Yin Zhiping at 2,000 yuan per episode.
• Shen Qi collected an 8,000-yuan pay slip and learned he would report for Migrant Workers on August 12 and The Return of the Condor Heroes on October 8.
• Shen Qi thanked Shu Chang and called Fei Yang, who offered him a two-day music video shoot for 2,000 yuan.
• Shen Qi searched for extra work outside Beijing Film Studio, bought acting books, and later earned twenty yuan working as a background extra.
• Someone grabbed Shen Qi outside Beijing Film Studio, and he assumed the person was selling porn DVDs.

Shen Qi refused Zhang Wenqi’s invitation to join Dream China and went to an MV shoot, where director Lin Jinhua chose him for Jin Sha’s “Pisces Girl.” Jin Sha tried to persuade Lin Jinhua to cast Shen Qi in another MV as well, leaving the possibility for more work unresolved.

• Zhang Wenqi pursued Shen Qi onto the Route 375 Bus and pitched Dream China, but Shen Qi claimed he already had acting work and sent him away.
• Shen Qi arrived at the MV shoot, where Lin Jinhua chose him as the model for Jin Sha’s “Pisces Girl.”
• Jin Sha met Shen Qi and asked Lin Jinhua to reshoot “Air” with him, but Lin Jinhua refused.
• Jin Sha then proposed replacing the model for “The Third Tear,” and Lin Jinhua told her to get approval from her boss.

Shen Qi finished shooting a music video with Jin Sha, turned down a move to Taiwan, and arranged to work with director Lin Jinhua again when his schedule allowed. He sent his pay home for his younger sister’s tuition and called his family, still determined to build a career beyond the school that had fired him.

• Shen Qi met producer Bi Xiaoshi, who approved of his looks but watched warily as he filmed alongside Jin Sha.
• During the two-day shoot, director Lin Jinhua invited Shen Qi to Taiwan to build his career, but Shen Qi explained that he was an actor and had another production starting soon.
• Shen Qi agreed to consider future music videos with Lin Jinhua if they fit his schedule, while Bi Xiaoshi rejected Jin Sha’s hopes of filming another video with him.
• After Shen Qi left, Bi Xiaoshi told Jin Sha that Shen Qi was not interested in her, and Jin Sha resolved to become famous and win him over.
• Shen Qi sent his music video pay home for his younger sister’s tuition and called his family, remembering his father’s distress over his dismissal from school.

Shen Qi kept studying acting and martial arts while applying for roles, then prepared to travel to Shanxi to film Migrant Workers with Huang Qidao. At the crew’s meeting point, he unexpectedly reunited with Fan Ming, still unsure what role he had been hired to play.

• Shen Qi studied martial arts with Wen Jingrou and recorded film sets in the Magic Book whenever he worked as an extra.
• Shen Qi applied to productions using Huang Qidao’s computer, and the two discussed their uncertain career prospects and Huang’s plan to try business.
• Shen Qi told Huang Qidao he was leaving to film Migrant Workers and agreed that Huang could come along, though he could not pay him.
• Shen Qi and Huang Qidao reported to the crew’s meeting point and ran into Fan Ming, who asked what role Shen Qi was playing.
• Shen Qi admitted he did not know his role and prepared to leave with the crew for the filming location.

Shen Qi joined the cast of Migrant Workers without knowing his role, then learned he would play Ju Shuangyuan, Fan Ming’s on-screen son. As the cast traveled to experience rural life before filming, Shen Qi realized he already knew plenty about it from growing up in the countryside.

• Fan Ming brought Shen Qi onto the bus and introduced him to director Kang Honglei, who sent him to find a seat.
• Shen Qi reunited with Zhang Yi, who said he was playing Guo Zhendong, and the two caught up on their acting fortunes.
• Pan Yuchen and Liu Siyan guessed Shen Qi was playing Ju Shuangyuan, while Zhang Yi envied his likely second-male-lead role.
• Kang Honglei’s assistant told Shen Qi he was playing Ju Shuangyuan, the son of Fan Ming’s character, and handed out the complete scripts.
• Kang Honglei announced that the cast would experience rural life before filming, and Shen Qi thought about his own rural upbringing.

Shen Qi impressed Kang Honglei with his farming skills and rural experience, earning the director’s respect and a chance to sign his acting contract. As Kang Honglei summoned him that evening, Huang Qidao insisted on accompanying him to protect his virtue.

• Kang Honglei assigned the actors wheat harvesting and fieldwork, but Shen Qi finished his rows before the others had learned how to use their sickles.
• Kang Honglei asked Shen Qi to demonstrate bad farmwork, then had him train the cast after seeing how convincingly he could perform both skilled and clumsy labor.
• Shen Qi taught Zhang Yi, Pan Yuchen, Liu Siyan, and the others to harvest wheat and imitate rural habits.
• Kang Honglei learned Shen Qi had not yet signed an actor’s contract and arranged for them to sign one that evening.
• Huang Qidao insisted on going with Shen Qi to Kang Honglei’s room, joking that he needed to protect Shen Qi’s virtue.

Shen Qi joined Director Kang Honglei’s production of Migrant Workers, where he received a five-thousand-yuan contract and began filming as Ju Shuangyuan. After Shen Qi performed in his first scene, Kang Honglei offered to help him improve his acting.

• Kang Honglei introduced Producer Li Ju, who offered Shen Qi five thousand yuan and asked him to help the production with local tasks.
• Shen Qi taught actors farmwork, helped build sets, and bought supplies before Migrant Workers began filming on August 20.
• Shen Qi filmed Ju Shuangyuan’s family birthday scene, portraying the conflict over his decision to quit school.
• Kang Honglei told Shen Qi that his performance fell short of Fan Ming’s and Zhang Hongjie’s and asked him to consider why.

Shen Qi learned from Kang Honglei how his own family experience differed from Ju Shuangyuan’s, then used Fan Ming’s portrayal of Ju Guangda to improve his recordings. The shoot left Kang Honglei impressed with Shen Qi’s coachability and eager to work with him again.

• Kang Honglei explained that Shen Qi had wanted to quit school as a sacrifice for his family, while Ju Shuangyuan felt guilty and resisted, and offered to reshoot Shen Qi’s close-ups.
• Shen Qi thanked Kang Honglei and used the Magic Book to improve his performance.
• Fan Ming delivered an intense scene as Ju Guangda, and Shen Qi praised him and drew him into explaining the character’s motivations.
• Kang Honglei watched Shen Qi and Fan Ming discuss the scene, then resumed filming.
• Shen Qi used Fan Ming’s analysis to record a successful shot and left Kang Honglei impressed by how much he had improved.

Shen Qi persuaded Huang Qidao to return to the capital and help manage his career, offering him a small monthly stipend. He then discussed talent agencies with Zhang Yi, and the two actors agreed to compete in their upcoming scene.

• Huang Qidao admired Shen Qi's people skills and decided he wanted to stay in the entertainment industry with him.
• Shen Qi persuaded Huang Qidao to finish his studies and gather production and agency information from the capital, promising to pay him five hundred yuan a month.
• Shen Qi asked Zhang Yi whether he belonged to a talent agency, and Zhang Yi said he was with a theater troupe instead.
• Shen Qi voiced his concern that an agency might pressure him into drinking or sleeping with people, and Zhang Yi said capable actors could succeed without such compromises.
• Shen Qi and Zhang Yi agreed to wager five yuan on which of them would force another take in their upcoming scene.

Shen Qi struggled through a scene with Zhang Yi, whose natural acting exposed Shen Qi’s weaknesses, then gradually found his rhythm on set. During filming of a crowded village wedding, Shen Qi used his knack for learning dialects to explain that the ceremony was staged, while Pan Yuchen grew uneasy at how real it felt.

• Zhang Yi performed naturally in a scene with Shen Qi, while Shen Qi missed his cues and paid Zhang Yi ten yuan for the ruined takes.
• Shen Qi reflected on Zhang Yi’s talent and resolved to keep working hard instead of relying on the Magic Book.
• Shen Qi improved during filming and used the Magic Book to record the local Shanxi dialect by listening to a farmer.
• The crew filmed Ju Shuangyuan’s wedding with villagers serving as extras, and some villagers tried to give Shen Qi and Pan Yuchen wedding gift money.
• Shen Qi explained that the wedding was only for a TV show, while Pan Yuchen admired the lively celebration and felt a little excited by the illusion.

Shen Qi and Pan Yuchen filmed Ju Shuangyuan and Li Ping’s wedding, then Shen Qi struggled through a demanding grief scene after Liu Yanmei’s death. His performance impressed Kang Honglei, who had him continue straight into the confrontation between Ju Shuangyuan and Li Ping.

• Shen Qi warned Pan Yuchen about the villagers’ wedding games, and the crew arranged for extras to protect them from being jostled.
• Shen Qi and Pan Yuchen filmed the wedding ceremony and toasted the guests with both filming units working to finish the scenes in one day.
• Shen Qi struggled through three takes of Ju Shuangyuan learning about Li Ping’s past, then used Fan Ming’s performance record to find the character’s anger and despair.
• Shen Qi completed the scene with a convincing stumble, earning Kang Honglei’s praise and a promise of a good role in his next production.
• Kang Honglei moved Shen Qi directly to the argument scene, where Ju Shuangyuan dragged Li Ping home to confront her about revealing her past to the villagers.

Shen Qi used the Magic Book’s Guo Da card to deliver a strong performance as Ju Shuangyuan, then discovered that the book had upgraded and could be summoned or dismissed at will. He left the chapter relieved by his new power but embarrassed when Zhang Yi mistook his hand in his pocket for something else.

• Kang Honglei coached Shen Qi and Pan Yuchen through Ju Shuangyuan’s difficult scene, and Shen Qi used the Guo Da card to give a standout performance.
• Shen Qi realized the Magic Book was nearly drained and resolved to improve his acting so he could record more accomplished performers.
• Shen Qi opened the Magic Book and found that his occupation had changed to supporting actor, his level had risen to Sequence 8, and he had gained a seventh page that could record any skill.
• When Zhang Yi called him over, Shen Qi thought the Magic Book had vanished, then discovered he could summon and dismiss it with his mind.
• Zhang Yi spotted Shen Qi moving his hand in his pocket, and Shen Qi explained that he was handling a notebook.

After Zhang Yi left the crew, Shen Qi finished filming Migrant Workers and earned Kang Honglei’s promise of future work. He returned to Capital City, where Wei Jianguo showed off the Cadillac he had bought.

• Zhang Yi told Shen Qi that a director was considering adapting Elna Assault into a TV series and advised him to seek a role.
• Shen Qi finished his rural scenes and began filming city scenes, while Kang Honglei coached him through romantic scenes with Pan Yuchen.
• Pan Yuchen praised Shen Qi’s acting and offered to recommend him to a director, and Kang Honglei promised to call Shen Qi for his next project.
• At the end of September, Shen Qi returned to Capital City, where Huang Qidao and Wei Jianguo met him in Wei Jianguo’s new Cadillac.
• Wei Jianguo explained that he had bought the car in the northeast with Piao Yiye’s help, and Shen Qi wondered whether Piao Yiye had led him astray.

Shen Qi moved into a cheap apartment near the university and hosted Huang Qidao, Wei Jianguo, and Wen Jingrou for dinner. As they discussed entertainment news and possible talent agencies, Shen Qi ruled out several options, leaving his search for a suitable agency unresolved.

• Huang Qidao rented Shen Qi a one-bedroom apartment near the university, and Wei Jianguo offered Shen Qi use of his car.
• Shen Qi inspected the apartment, found the household essentials Huang Qidao had bought, and invited Wen Jingrou to dinner.
• Wen Jingrou complained about her coach, then joined Shen Qi, Huang Qidao, and Wei Jianguo for a meal and drinks.
• Huang Qidao shared entertainment news about Super Girl and an on-set incident involving Little White Dragon.
• Shen Qi rejected Hong Kong and Taiwan agencies, Hairun, and Qianyi as options while Huang Qidao discussed Huayi Brothers.

Shen Qi joined the intensive training for The Return of the Condor Heroes, where he reunited with Chen Zihan and met Huang Xiaoming before beginning sword practice. Huang Xiaoming recognized Shen Qi as a potential rival for Yang Guo but chose not to interfere, while Shi Feng remained distracted by gossip and an imagined story about Shen Qi.

• Huang Qidao gave Shen Qi information about several talent agencies, and Shen Qi decided to wait until an agency approached him.
• After spending the night in his new apartment, Shen Qi reported to The Return of the Condor Heroes training facility and ran into Chen Zihan.
• Chen Zihan brought Shen Qi to Zhao Jian, who introduced him to Huang Xiaoming; Huang later called his agent Zhou Siwei and said they did not need to do anything about Shen Qi.
• Zhao Jian assigned Shen Qi swordplay practice because he had missed most of the training, and Shi Feng took charge of him.
• Shi Feng asked Shen Qi about rumors linking him with Chen Zihan, then invited him to begin sword training while imagining a scandalous novel about him.

Shen Qi trained with Shi Feng and quickly mastered Yin Zhiping’s sword moves, then went with him to learn horseback riding. He was introduced to the gelding Lü Bu, leaving his riding lesson about to begin.

• Shen Qi practiced the Quanzhen Order’s swordsmanship with Shi Feng and recorded the moves in the Magic Book.
• Shen Qi mastered the sword moves in half a day, impressing Shi Feng, who invited him to use the martial arts team’s riding slot.
• Shi Feng asked Shen Qi about his preferred type of woman while they traveled to the riding grounds.
• Shi Feng introduced Shen Qi to instructor Zhao Bei, who asked whether the Little Dragon Maiden would end up with Yang Guo or Yin Zhiping.
• Zhao Bei assigned Shen Qi the gelding Lü Bu after the horses Zhao Yun and Zhang Fei were unavailable.

Shen Qi reluctantly learned to ride the difficult gelding Lü Bu while Shi Feng coached him at the riding club. He ran into instructor Xiao Xue and Liu Yifei, and Xiao Xue reacted with disgust when she learned he was playing Yin Zhiping.

• Shen Qi fed and brushed Lü Bu, then listened as Shi Feng explained riding safety and basic techniques while he took notes.
• Shen Qi spotted Liu Yifei riding but refused Shi Feng's suggestion that he go greet her.
• Shen Qi nervously mounted Lü Bu, and Shi Feng steadied the impatient horse.
• Shen Qi recognized his former schoolmate Xiao Xue, who said she was an instructor at the club and asked what role he played.
• Shi Feng told Xiao Xue that Shen Qi played Yin Zhiping, and she recoiled in disgust.
• Liu Yifei rode over after seeing Xiao Xue speak with Shen Qi and Shi Feng.

Shen Qi grew closer to Lü Bu while preparing for The Return of the Condor Heroes, then traveled with the crew to Jiuzhaigou, where Li Ju and Shi Feng helped him find a room. He settled in with Shi Feng and discovered the martial arts director was researching how to identify legitimate foot massage parlors.

• Shen Qi rode and cared for Lü Bu over several days, forming a bond with the horse while Shi Feng covered for him.
• After the National Day holiday, the production crew traveled to Jiuzhaigou, and Shen Qi flew there with Li Meng and Shi Feng.
• At the hotel, Shen Qi was left waiting for a room, but Li Ju and Shi Feng arranged for him to share Shi Feng's spacious room.
• Shen Qi saw Shi Feng reading a post about how to tell whether a foot massage parlor was legitimate.