Volume One, Chapter 28: Joining the Production Team

"I'm furious, absolutely furious!" Li Gang stormed into the house, and the moment he crossed the threshold, he kicked a stool across the floor.

"What are you shouting for?" A beautiful woman emerged from another room. "Coming home with that attitude—who do you think you're putting on a show for?"

Li Jiang also came downstairs. "Dad, what's wrong?"

"That brat Jiang Yu drove me up the wall today!"

"Jiang Yu?" At the mention of this name, Li Jiang's heart gave a faint quiver. Him again? His jaw clenched in frustration. He hadn't expected his own father to be tripped up by the same person.

"Dad, he's just some penniless nobody. Right now, we're too busy with 'Idol: Two and a Half Years' to deal with him. Once things quiet down, we'll make sure he pays for it!"

Li Gang didn't reply. He sighed heavily. "Now is indeed not the time to deal with him—the company's business comes first. Has the list of participants for the show come out? Which of our people are in?"

"It's out already," Li Jiang replied, heading to his room to fetch the contestant list and handing it to Li Gang. "Xu Kun from our company has secured a mentor spot, and our rising star Wang Linkai is competing too."

Li Gang scanned the program list as he listened. "Wang Linkai has a huge fanbase among these contestants, and with Xu Kun as a mentor, I think our company stands to make a lot of money off this show."

"And also—"

"Wait." Li Gang suddenly interrupted just as Li Jiang was about to continue.

Li Jiang glanced at the list. He hadn't looked at it before, relying instead on what his subordinates had told him. Now, as his eyes skimmed the page, the last name immediately caught his attention.

Huayue Entertainment—Jiang Yu.

So he was participating too.

"Dad, should we—"

"I'll leave this matter to you."

---

At last, the day of the competition arrived.

Jiang Yu, traveling alone with his luggage, took a taxi to the hotel reserved by the program organizers. As soon as he got out of the car, a staff member with a badge approached him. "Hello, are you a contestant for 'Idol: Two and a Half Years'?"

"Yes."

"Welcome. I'm with the production team. Please come with me to complete your check-in; I'll help you with your room assignment."

Jiang Yu nodded and followed the staff member into the hotel, where banners and posters for the show were everywhere. He couldn't help but marvel at the program's deep pockets—a quick check had confirmed this was a five-star hotel, complete with a pool and gym, everything one could wish for.

"Here you are. We begin filming tomorrow," the staff member explained as she handed him his room card. "The shoot will likely last a while, so please get plenty of rest tonight."

"Thank you. When do I need to hand in my accompaniment track?"

"Tomorrow at ten in the morning, a shuttle bus will take all the contestants to the filming location. You can give your music to the staff at the studio then."

"Understood."

"If you have any other questions, you can contact me anytime. I'll be at the hotel all day."

"Thank you."

Back in his room—a standard twin—Jiang Yu realized his roommate had yet to arrive. He flopped onto the bed, catching his breath for a moment, then took out his phone, snapped a few pictures of the room, and sent them to Su Muyu.

He also messaged his roommate.

Before long, his phone was buzzing with notifications.

"Fourth bro, that's awesome! Go for it!"

"Fourth, don't come back to see your old man unless you win first place!"

Jiang Yu chuckled. Just then, Su Muyu replied, "The place looks nice."

"It's not bad. Work starts tomorrow, though."

"Same here. I just got a new gig, so it'll be busy. Let me know how the competition goes."

"You bet!"

As Jiang Yu was chatting with Su Muyu, another man entered the room. He looked friendly and, judging by his appearance, was probably Jiang Yu's roommate.

"Hello, I'm Liu Bin."

"Hi, I'm Jiang Yu. Nice to meet you."

Liu Bin smiled shyly and began unpacking. Polite, a little bashful, and careful with his things—Jiang Yu's first impression was a good one.

"It's still early. Want to grab something to eat? My treat!" Liu Bin offered cheerfully once he'd finished unpacking.

Jiang Yu nodded; he realized he was hungry too.

Instead of dining at the hotel, they chose a nearby street stall selling spicy skewers, the kind with a bubbling pot full of all sorts of ingredients. Jiang Yu actually preferred this kind of lively street food to the more sterile hotel fare—it was bustling, full of life.

In the middle of their conversation, Liu Bin suddenly pulled out his phone. "Sorry, the story I’m following just updated. Gotta read two chapters real quick."

Jiang Yu smiled and nodded, then called out to the vendor, "One more portion of instant noodles, please," and began eating on his own.

Just then, Liu Bin suddenly shouted, "The Seven Meridian Tournament is down to the top four! Zhang Xiaofan should be able to beat Lu Xueqi, right? Damn this author, always leaving us hanging!"

Jiang Yu nearly choked on his noodles at Liu Bin's words. There was no mistaking it—this was the very novel he'd recently uploaded online, "Jade Dynasty," acquired from the system.

"You okay?" Liu Bin noticed Jiang Yu coughing.

"I'm fine, just a bit of chili gone down the wrong way."

"Eat slower. Boss, a bottle of Dayao here," Liu Bin called for a drink, then returned to his immersion in that vast world of fantasy and martial heroes.

The Seven Meridian Tournament was a major climax in "Jade Dynasty." Just a couple of days ago, Jiang Yu had received a message from the platform: the word count had met the requirement, and the first round of testing had begun.

Sure enough, in a world unscathed by the likes of "The King of Soldiers Returns Home with 300,000 Troops, Only to Find His Daughter Living in a Doghouse" or "Thirty Years East, Thirty Years West"—those mass-market potboilers—writing and making money was ridiculously easy!

After the first round of testing, "Jade Dynasty" had soared into the top three of the new book rankings, and the numbers were still climbing. Fans were growing more passionate, like the one in front of him, staring wide-eyed at his phone, muttering nonstop.

"Wow!"

"Nine Heavens Black Fiend, transform to divine thunder, bring forth the heavenly might, summoned by the sword! Lu Xueqi is incredible!"

"Man, this author is a genius! Calling down heavenly lightning as an attack—where do they even get these ideas?"

Listening to Liu Bin curse and praise him in equal measure, Jiang Yu could barely keep a straight face. "So, Liu Bin, are you reading 'Jade Dynasty'?"

"Yu bro, you know 'Jade Dynasty' too?"

"Yeah... I know a bit about it," Jiang Yu replied, taking a strategic sip of his drink.

"Awesome, bro—fellow fan!"

From then on, Jiang Yu deeply regretted bringing up "Jade Dynasty" with this guy. Liu Bin was so excited about it, his words poured out in a torrent.

It was hard to get a word in edgewise.

It was ten o'clock by the time they got back to the hotel.

"Make way, make way!"

Just as they reached the entrance, a harsh voice rang out. Before they could react, a group of security guards in black suits shoved them aside. Liu Bin, unable to dodge, fell to the ground, and Jiang Yu was nearly knocked over as well.

A sleek black car pulled up.

A young man with dyed blond hair, sunglasses, and a flamboyant outfit stepped out. He wore an air of arrogance as he strode toward the hotel staff. "I'm here for the show. I won't be staying in your standard twin room—get me a single. I'll pay for it myself. You can arrange the check-in with my assistant."

With that, he headed for the hotel entrance.

But just then, someone’s voice cut through the night, making everyone freeze in their tracks.

"Wearing sunglasses at night—anyone who knows you would call you a poser. Anyone who doesn't would think you’re blind and make sure you get a seat on the bus."