007 The Art of Intelligence, Part II: Prescribing the Right Remedy

[Daily Report ④: Yongkang Meat Pie on South Dudu Street, Hengdian – Thick filling, chewy crust, rich meaty aroma with juicy flavor, excellent quality at an affordable price, uniquely delicious. (Note: Recommended to pair with the shop’s wontons.)]

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On South Dudu Street, Yan Li bit into the meat pie, his mouth still holding on despite the hot oil burning his tongue.

He chewed happily, the flavors of dried vegetables and savory meat filling his mouth. A couple more bites of the smooth, fresh wontons swept away the fatigue and irritability from his early morning makeup session.

It was worth the effort of running this detour on an empty stomach—another culinary treasure added to his collection.

System recommendation—trustworthy indeed!

After finishing his meal, Yan Li thought it over while paying and decided to pack some meat pies to go, then headed to the makeup room.

He had a scene this morning and had arrived before five, but there were still people ahead of him.

“Good morning, Teacher Xie.”

Xie Junhao was attaching a wig and looked up at Yan Li, momentarily surprised before remembering who he was and nodding.

“Hello, Lei Hou.”

“Teacher Xie, have you eaten this morning? I just bought these meat pies; they taste quite good. Try some.”

“Thanks, no need. I've already eaten.”

Xie Junhao was polite but distant. Yan Li didn’t mind; Xie’s makeup artist was busy, so he saved one meat pie for them and shared the rest with others nearby, including Wang Xiu.

“Not bad, starting to win people over with food already,” Wang Xiu teased, munching on a meat pie. Yan Li smiled.

Winning hearts with food? That was a bit much!

He was just a minor supporting role, neither qualified nor financially able for such tactics. He simply wanted to be friendly, avoid unnecessary trouble, and blend into the crew.

“Actually, these meat pies are pretty tasty. Where did you get them?”

“South Dudu Street, Yongkang Meat Pie—it's the one with the red storefront on the east side of the street.”

Yongkang Meat Pie wasn’t just the shop’s name; it was a local specialty, much like Shaanxi’s roujiamo or Anhui’s banmian.

Many shops in Hengdian sold this snack. Over the past few days, Yan Li had spotted two or three with “Yongkang Meat Pie” in their names, making it tricky to pinpoint the exact one without specific details.

“Not bad. I’ve been in Hengdian on and off for nearly two years, and you’ve only been here a few days but already know your way around?”

“I like to wander around,” Yan Li offered one of his usual excuses for gathering information. The other two were “many friends” and “good intuition.”

These three excuses covered 95% of curious questions. If all else failed, he had one final fallback:

“This place is complicated; I can’t reveal too much. Just trust me.”

“Oh, an amateur foodie,” Wang Xiu remarked.

“Not quite a foodie, but I do have a good nose. By the way, I know a barbecue place that’s even better than those meat pies.”

At this, Yan Li dropped the subject. Over the past few days, the two had grown somewhat familiar. Wang Xiu caught the hint, wiped his hands, and got straight to the point.

“Name your price.”

“You do my makeup and styling for a week.”

“Are you sure it’s worth it?”

“What benefit do I get from lying?”

“Deal!”

Tempted by the promise of delicious food, Wang Xiu agreed. Yan Li smiled and gave him the barbecue restaurant’s address.

Over these days, thanks to the intelligence system and his own inquiries, Yan Li had learned a great deal about the crew.

Including Wang Xiu, who ranked among the top three makeup professionals on the set of “Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties” (system certified), and was known for his love of both men and good food (as revealed by other makeup artists).

If Wang Xiu weren’t solely focused on his craft and indifferent to other matters, he could easily lead a makeup team.

Good makeup and styling were undeniably important for actors.

However, as a minor character, Yan Li couldn’t expect to choose his makeup artist; whoever was available in the makeup team would do.

Now that he had an arrangement with Wang Xiu, he could go straight to him whenever he arrived. Not only was the makeup quality guaranteed, but sometimes he could also enjoy the perk of skipping the line.

Makeup sessions often required queuing, especially during large group scenes when the makeup artists were overwhelmed. Besides the main stars and prominent actors, the order was decided by the makeup artists.

Getting makeup or removal done early meant avoiding long waits, having more preparation time, or finishing earlier to rest.

The last point was especially precious for actors who had endured a long, grueling day.

The one-week agreement was to avoid intimidating Wang Xiu with a long-term demand; Yan Li planned to renew it when the time came.

Every piece of valuable information could be used in countless ways. If developed properly and applied wisely, surprises awaited at every turn…

——

Yan Li’s current scenes were mostly background and minor roles. The storyline centered on Yuwen Chengdu wouldn’t begin for at least another week.

This was actually a blessing, giving Yan Li more time to prepare. Besides memorizing lines, studying his character, and practicing fighting scenes, he could spare time to learn horseback riding.

Yuwen Chengdu had horse-riding scenes and even mounted battles, but Yan Li couldn’t ride.

Still, this wasn’t a fatal flaw. Many actors in “Heroes of the Sui and Tang Dynasties” couldn’t ride horses, relying heavily on stunt doubles.

Especially for battle scenes, stunt doubles were a must to ensure both safety and visual appeal.

Thus, Yan Li’s disadvantage wasn’t glaring among his peers; the director and stunt team were accustomed to it.

The only requirement for actors like Yan Li was to stay mounted without falling, to shoot some frontal shots; the rest would be done by doubles.

That said, Yan Li held some professional pride.

He wasn’t arrogant enough to refuse doubles altogether, but certain moves looked better on the actual actor in close-ups. If he could manage that, he naturally wanted to do it himself.

Besides, horseback riding lessons outside were expensive. The crew offered free training with practical film techniques included. Not taking advantage would be foolish.

So after wrapping up in the afternoon, Yan Li asked Wang Decai to find him a horse-riding instructor on set.

Thanks to two packs of good cigarettes he slipped the instructor, the man was generous and stayed with him until nearly the end of the day.

Though it was his first time, Yan Li showed decent talent. By the end, he could barely control the horse alone and trot a lap.

Next came familiarization, mastering fundamentals, and gradually increasing speed.

To Yan Li, horseback riding wasn’t that hard—somewhat like driving; easy to pick up, but full mastery required long-term practice.

After a long day of riding, Yan Li returned to the hotel with sore thighs and buttocks but in high spirits.

As a child, he had dreamed of one day wielding a long weapon, charging through enemy lines, and emerging victorious time and again. He never imagined he would partially fulfill that dream.

Unfortunately, Yuwen Chengdu’s character didn’t showcase much heroic valor.

If given the chance someday, playing someone like Lü Bu or Xiang Yu would be exhilarating…