Joining the Cast of The Treasure Basin, Pillar of the Beijing People's Art Theatre

Yan Li spent two more days accompanying Qin Lan, and finally departed for Beijing to film The Cornucopia amidst her lingering reluctance.

The crew had already started filming for over a month. If it weren't for Yan Li's relatively few scenes and Cheng Lidong's protection, he would have been urged to set off long ago.

Compared to his previous trip to Hengdian to shoot The Legend of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Yan Li was much better off financially now.

Mindful of the fatigue from the long train ride to Hengdian last time, Yan Li tried traveling by plane for the first time in his life.

Although economy class wasn't particularly comfortable, the speed was undeniable. A journey that took more than a dozen hours by train was completed in less than two hours by plane.

The only unexpected thing was that Suzhou had no airport, so he had to fly to Shanghai first and then take a car to Suzhou.

Zhouzhuang Ancient Town.

A famous scenic spot in Suzhou, which, due to its well-preserved Ming and Qing architectural styles, attracted various film and television crews to shoot there. The crew of The Cornucopia was among them.

Of course, another reason was that Zhouzhuang happened to be the hometown of Shen Wansan, and the plot of The Cornucopia largely took place in Suzhou.

Filming local celebrities and local stories in their hometown could also be considered a form of publicity, which could secure certain favors and even related subsidies to some extent.

Upon arriving at the crew, Yan Li first went to report to Cheng Lidong, the producer of The Cornucopia.

Back in Beijing, Yan Li had lent Cheng Lidong a hand, leading the two of them to address each other as sworn brothers, with Yan Li calling him "Brother Cheng" at every turn.

Now that he had arrived on the other man's turf, Yan Li did not carelessly try to pull rank. Instead, he adopted a more formal title and maintained a very respectful attitude.

"President Cheng, I don't have much filming experience. If there are any issues, please look after me."

Cheng Lidong was very satisfied with Yan Li's attitude. He hadn't misjudged the young man; this kid knew his boundaries and understood how to conduct himself.

It was true that Yan Li had helped him, and it was also a fact that he had connections in the bureau.

Cheng Lidong appreciated this favor and was willing to befriend and build a good relationship with Yan Li.

However, their statuses were different after all, and this was the crew under his jurisdiction. If Yan Li were to rely on past favors to act arrogantly and disrespectfully, Cheng Lidong wouldn't necessarily flip out, but they wouldn't get along well in the long run.

Now that Yan Li proactively showed his proper attitude, Cheng Lidong recognized that the young man was observant and wouldn't cause trouble for him. His warmth grew, and he feigned displeasure as he said,

"What President Cheng? Call me Brother Cheng. Are you treating me like an outsider?"

The demeanor Yan Li had just displayed was partly due to his inherent caution and partly because he had learned Cheng Lidong's thoughts through the system.

Now, seeing Cheng Lidong's reaction and knowing he had passed the test, Yan Li smoothly switched back to their previous brotherly camaraderie and chuckled.

"I was just afraid of making it difficult for you, Brother Cheng. In private, whatever we do is fine, but at work, we still need to be formal."

"You rascal, crafty as a fox."

Cheng Lidong cursed with a smile, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and handed one to each. Yan Li swiftly whipped out his lighter and lit it for him.

The two of them puffed away in clouds of smoke while exchanging warm pleasantries, and Yan Li managed to gather some intelligence about The Cornucopia crew from Cheng Lidong.

Having entered a few production crews, this time Yan Li had the strongest backing. As long as he didn't go looking for trouble, with Cheng Lidong covering for him, he could rest easy and secure.

...

After schmoozing with Cheng Lidong, Yan Li left to obtain his hotel room key from the production manager.

Entering through the back door certainly had its perks. Not only was it a single room, but the size, decoration, and amenities were also quite decent.

This was thanks to his connection with Cheng Lidong, and also because the budget for The Cornucopia was more abundant compared to Conquering and The Legend of Dragon Pearl.

One had to know that the lead actor of The Cornucopia was none other than Dicky Cheung.

Ever since his falling out with TVB, Dicky Cheung had headed north to develop his career. Afterward, multiple works such as Young Hero Fang Shiyu, The Duke of Mount Deer, Smart Kid, Young Zhang Sanfeng, and Detective Fang Miu became massive hits on screen.

Currently, Dicky Cheung could be said to be one of the most commercially successful actors in the mainland television market.

Even though rumors had it that due to his company's bankruptcy, he was desperately taking on roles to pay off debts and practically turning down no offers, he was still not someone who could be hired cheaply.

According to Yan Li's system probing, Dicky Cheung's salary alone accounted for almost the budget of more than half of the cast combined.

It was worth mentioning that Yan Li's salary ranked quite high among the cast of The Cornucopia.

His pay was 2,500 yuan per episode, and with about fourteen scenes, he ended up making around 35,000 yuan in total.

Considering that Yan Li was a complete nobody and played a supporting role, being able to command this salary was most likely due to Cheng Lidong's deliberate favoritism.

Since Yan Li hadn't accepted the red envelope Cheng originally offered and instead chose a small role, Cheng Lidong probably felt a bit guilty. Combined with his desire to maintain ties with Yan Li's "connections," he made up for it through the salary.

Having traveled for the better part of the day, Yan Li was somewhat tired. After washing up, he lay down on the comfortable big bed in the hotel and sent text messages to Dong Xuan and Qin Lan to let them know he had arrived safely.

Well, when he got back, he would need to buy another phone and get a new number, otherwise, things might get mixed up...

...

Early the next morning, Yan Li woke up bright and early, put on sportswear, and went out for a run.

For the past few days, he had been ambushed at his door by Qin Lan every morning, leaving him little time to exercise. Now that he had arrived at The Cornucopia crew with a light workload, it was the perfect opportunity to seize some free time to improve his physical fitness.

A healthy body was the capital for striving; he couldn't slack off!

After running a few laps and finding a secluded spot to practice some boxing and martial arts, a thoroughly exercised Yan Li went to get breakfast.

According to the daily intelligence he had just acquired this morning, there was a shop in Zhouzhuang that served both breakfast and lunch, and its locally specialty Wansan noodles were quite good. Following directions, Yan Li sought it out.

Just as Yan Li stepped through the door and ordered his food, he heard an authentic Beijing accent.

"Boss, a bowl of Wansan noodles with double toppings, a bowl of tofu pudding, two fried dough sticks..."

Yan Li turned his head and chuckled. Wasn't this the slick-tongued Zhang Damin?!

"Teacher Liang."

When Liang Guanhua saw a handsome and dashing young man greeting him, his chubby face registered a moment of bewilderment.

"Pardon me, you are?"

"My name is Yan Li, Class of 2000 at the Beijing Film Academy. I once attended your lecture, and now I'm also part of our crew for The Cornucopia."

To the general public, Liang Guanhua was mostly known for the TV series The Happy Life of Li and Zhang Damin.

However, in Beijing's performing arts circle, Liang Guanhua actually held a certain level of influence. He was one of the backbone actors of the middle generation at the Beijing People's Art Theatre, with countless theatrical masterpieces to his name, and also played the role of Wang Liffa, the innkeeper in the new version of Teahouse.

Especially among the performance department students of the Central Academy of Drama and the Beijing Film Academy, there were practically none who hadn't watched the quintessential Beijing People's Art Theatre play Teahouse.

As for the lecture Yan Li mentioned, it was when Liang had been invited to the Beijing Film Academy during Yan Li's sophomore year to give a lecture on dramatic performance. It wasn't strictly a formal class, and Yan Li was purely using it to strike up a conversation.

"Oh, you're the one playing Song Dian, right?"

Liang Guanhua had heard Yan Li's name before; the moment the latter stated his background, it clicked in his mind.

"Come, come, Teacher Liang, let's eat together."

Yan Li was extremely enthusiastic. Although Liang Guanhua wasn't a mainstream household name, as a representative figure of the Beijing People's Art Theatre, people like Song Dandan, Pu Cunxin, Feng Yuanzheng, and He Bing were all his long-time colleagues or friends. His circle of connections was not to be underestimated.

However, Yan Li now possessed a small circle of connections of his own and didn't need to rely on cozying up to Liang Guanhua to find acting gigs.

Liang Guanhua's connections in that specific aspect were also limited; otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved fame in the film and television industry only when he was nearly forty.

Yan Li's attentiveness toward him was primarily due to Liang Guanhua's professional competence. Having personally seen the actor's stage plays, Yan Li deeply admired and respected Liang's acting. Now that they finally had the chance to film together, he had to take the opportunity to seek guidance.

"This..."

Liang Guanhua hesitated slightly, but unable to resist Yan Li's warm invitation, he sat down at the same table to share the meal.

Yan Li was young, robust, and had a big appetite, while Liang Guanhua, judging by his round figure, naturally ate quite a bit as well.

A foodie meeting a bottomless pit—it was a case of discovering a kindred spirit and feeling they met too late.

Eating with pleasure and chatting happily, Liang Guanhua even praised Yan Li for having a good eye and a sharp nose.

He had stayed in Zhouzhuang for over a month before managing to ferret out a good restaurant, whereas Yan Li had found it on his very first day here.

At first, Liang Guanhua thought Yan Li just got lucky, but once they started talking about food, he realized Yan Li knew his stuff inside and out, and he finally understood he had run into one of his own kind.

This couldn't be summed up as mere luck; the kid definitely had real skills!

"I'd be modest about anything else, but when it comes to finding good food and fun places, I truly have a bit of a talent."

Yan Li was extremely confident. Products of the system were trustworthy, and the delicacies and recreational spots it recommended had never failed his reputation yet.

"Then keep your sharp eyes open so I can bask in your light as well."

Liang Guanhua was quite pleased. While there were many people who understood and loved food, those who actually knew how to find good food were rare. For a foodie to encounter a gourmet radar, it was akin to Bo Ya meeting Ziqi.

The friendly atmosphere was somewhat disrupted when it came time to pay the bill. The two of them fought over paying, pulling and tugging back and forth.

In the end, Liang Guanhua couldn't match Yan Li's youthful strength, and the bill was settled by the younger man, leaving Liang muttering that he would treat him back the next day.

Walking back to the hotel together, before they even reached the upper floors, they ran into two pretty girls stepping out of the elevator.

Seeing Liang Guanhua and Yan Li, the girl on the left with a sweet face and dimples on her cheeks merely smiled and nodded slightly.

Meanwhile, the girl on the right with exquisite features, fair and tender skin, big eyes, and an egg-shaped face smiled brightly and greeted them.

"Teacher Liang, good morning."

Liang Guanhua wore a beaming smile. "Morning, Bingbing."