"Mm-hmm."
Nan Qing was utterly perfunctory. "Same to you."
Despite his barrage of words, Nan Qing took none of it to heart.
Yu Xingyan felt ignored again, as though his punch had landed on cotton.
Then again, perhaps Nan Qing was only pretending not to care. Who in this industry wouldn't fight tooth and nail for good opportunities?
What was more, Journey through Luo had a famous director and screenwriter at the helm, and even the key supporting roles had gone to highly acclaimed veteran actors. Filming hadn't even started, yet several streaming platforms were already fighting over it, and securing sponsors was practically a sure thing.
Some industry insiders had even declared that this drama would definitely be an awards contender.
Yu Xingyan coughed and cleared his throat, looking thoroughly smug.
"What a joke. Who's anything like you?"
"Exactly."
Yu Xingyan's manager chimed in from beside him. "You're a nobody who's guaranteed to flop. You can't even land some bottom-tier bit part. Who's anything like you?"
"Don't tell me you haven't heard?"
Yu Xingyan's manager looked proud, basking in the reflected glory.
"Our very own Mr. Yu is about to become Huading Entertainment's new top star!"
"Jealous to death, aren't you, Nan Qing? Don't worry. The male lead in Journey through Luo, the one that kicked you out like a ball, is definitely being saved for our Mr. Yu!"
"Some people simply aren't comparable!"
"Good luck runs out eventually. Only someone grounded like our Xingyan, who lets his abilities do the talking, can keep getting more popular. Take notes!"
The two people standing opposite him were each smugger than the other, their chins practically pointing at the sky.
Nan Qing stared at Yu Xingyan.
Yu Xingyan knew he was jealous and deliberately provoked him.
"Don't say that, Xiao Wang."
"Top star, male lead-all that hasn't been decided yet. Let's keep a low profile and not make anyone jealous."
Yu Xingyan's manager was exceptionally obsequious.
"Yes, Xingyan, you're absolutely right to reprimand me!"
"But given our company's current situation, it's a foregone conclusion that they'll promote you."
"You're just so modest, staying this low-key even now. Some people could spend their whole lives trying and never learn such noble qualities!"
The manager laid the flattery on thick. Thoroughly amused, Nan Qing joined in with an "Mm-hmm."
"Then I wish you all the best, top star Yu!"
Nan Qing had always been outrageously arrogant, snapping at anyone he came across. Faced with this unexpected well-wish, Yu Xingyan momentarily had no idea what expression to make.
Nan Qing turned and left, leaving Yu Xingyan baffled.
His manager, however, waved upstairs and bobbed his head, bowing from a distance, before turning back to remind him.
"Xingyan, they want you at the company meeting."
Huading Entertainment was a long-established entertainment company, founded back when bulky CRT televisions were still selling like hotcakes in China.
Its artists spanned a broad range of ages. The older veteran actors had once been household names, and after acquiring shares in the company, they lived very comfortably.
Even if they no longer acted very frequently, they could still rake in money by using their connections to run acting classes or by moving behind the scenes.
These people sat at the front even during company meetings.
Yu Xingyan's seat was somewhere in the middle. As he made his way through the crowd and sat down, he turned his head and saw Nan Qing sitting beside him.
The corner of Yu Xingyan's mouth twitched. "What are you doing here?"
Nan Qing looked at him with a smile. "Admiring Huading's new top star!"
Suddenly being flattered to his face, and by his formerly haughty nemesis at that, made Yu Xingyan's expression stiffen. For a moment, he didn't know what expression to make.
At least he knew his place!
As usual, the company meeting began with speeches from management.
Yu Xingyan listened rather attentively, because he had already heard hints from others.
Today's meeting would announce the casting for the male lead and other important roles in Journey through Luo.
It was their company's drama. There was certainly no reason to let the benefits go to outsiders and promote another company's artists.
And Huading Entertainment currently lacked new talent to replace the old guard. In the past, Nan Qing had had the Bai Family backing him. His acting might have been terrible, but at least he had a good face, so he had barely been worth promoting.
Now that even Nan Qing had been abandoned, among all the male artists in the company of a suitable age, Yu Xingyan was the only one who could land the lead in this male-protagonist-centered drama.
To secure the male lead, Yu Xingyan had spent two straight months eating rabbit food, going to the gym and getting beauty treatments. He had put himself through plenty.
But fortunately, it had been worth it. His life was about to leap to a new level!
Yu Xingyan let out a long breath, and even the smile on his face grew wider.
He stared intently at the senior executive speaking at the front, afraid of missing a single word.
Nan Qing was also staring intently ahead.
Only he wasn't listening to what the man was saying. Instead, he was sorting through the information he already knew.
After his mission had failed completely, he had remained in this world, but according to the plotline, everything that followed had nothing to do with him.
That meant his identity was probably equivalent to an NPC who knew his assigned scenes but wasn't bound by the plot.
Having foreknowledge was a good thing, in any case. He had entered the entertainment industry to make money anyway. Once he had earned enough, he would buy a house somewhere scenic and live out this lifetime in peace.
"The fourth item on today's agenda, as I'm sure you've already heard, is the casting of the important roles in Journey through Luo, our biggest project for the second half of this year."
Concept art for the drama filled the enormous projection screen.
An endless range of snowy mountains stood against the night. A young general in armor held a red-tasseled spear, his red cloak snapping in the strong wind.
With only a few strokes, even his silhouette from behind was remarkably expressive.
Yu Xingyan coughed, and the people beside him who knew how to read the room had already begun flattering him, saying he would definitely be a top celebrity in six months.
Nan Qing, however, had little interest.
Journey through Luo was a highlight of the protagonist shou Bai Ruanruan's life.
Drawing on the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, the drama told the story of Xue Rang, a wastrel from Bianjing, during the wartime flight of the gentry to the south. After witnessing his entire family perish, civilians die horribly, and the city fall, he joined the army in outrage, growing from a young wastrel into a young general who defended his home and country.
Naturally, such a beautiful, strong, and tragic character had to be played by the protagonist shou, Bai Ruanruan.
Unfortunately, Bai Ruanruan's acting was just like him: frail and weak. In his portrayal, the young general who defended his country with a spear lacked even a trace of martial spirit and instead did nothing but get gay with his film-emperor gong, who played the second male lead.
Nan Qing had no interest in Bai Ruanruan, nor did he expect such an enormous opportunity to fall into his lap.
He leaned back lazily, intending to rummage through his mind for information such as which stocks would rise in which future year, or which drama would become a huge hit and when.
Unfortunately, he had only just settled in with his legs crossed when Yu Xingyan looked down at him arrogantly and said,
"Sit farther back. I'll need to get out in a moment."
"Exactly. The future male lead has to sign his contract in a bit, and meet the big daddy investors!"
"Nan Qing, however jealous you are, you can't block our Xingyan's way at a time like this!"
The people beside him all chimed in. Nan Qing couldn't be bothered arguing with them, so he simply uncrossed his legs to leave room.
Yu Xingyan let out another long breath, so excited he could barely contain himself.