Chapter 16: The Third Intermediate Skill

Life is but a play, and wherever you go, there will always be an audience.

Just moments after bidding farewell to Jiang Qingqing, Ji Yu sensed someone nearby was stealthily following and taking photos. His spy instincts instantly alerted him to the presence behind him. It was likely one of the paparazzi who had been tailing Jiang Qingqing, probably having caught their conversation on camera. Now that Jiang Qingqing had returned to her hotel and was out of reach, the paparazzo had shifted focus onto him, perhaps hoping to uncover his true identity.

Ji Yu couldn’t help but smile faintly. He was destined to be the king of spies in the entertainment world—how could he be afraid of some paparazzi? Tonight, he would outwit him completely.

He deliberately took a narrow alley, forcing the paparazzo to get out of the car and follow on foot. Bored, Ji Yu led the reporter in circles through the labyrinthine alleys of the city. He didn’t even try to shake them off, just leisurely strolling through the night. The goal was clear: exhaust the paparazzo.

Half an hour later, the paparazzo was leaning against a wall, gasping for breath, bewildered as he looked into the pitch-black alley, unsure of where he had ended up. To make matters worse, Ji Yu had vanished from sight as well.

What kind of person was this? Could he be dangerous? Why was he so hard to follow? The paparazzo was completely baffled, cursing his luck before starting to look for a way out. At this late hour, the alleys were dark and deserted, with an eerie atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Ji Yu was back home, lying in bed fast asleep.

The next morning, still lazily dozing, Ji Yu was awoken by a call from Lao Cai.

“Did you go looking for Jiang Qingqing last night?”

“No,” Ji Yu mumbled groggily, then suddenly snapped awake, sitting up. “I just walked a friend back to the hotel and happened to run into her!”

Lao Cai laughed knowingly on the other end. “No wonder. Well, it was a lucky accident—you got caught by the paparazzi and gained a bit of fame today.”

Ji Yu rubbed his face and asked, “Is it okay? No trouble?”

“No worries. The crew will officially announce the start of filming for Detective Ke Lan this afternoon. The press conference is tomorrow, so everything will be fine.”

After chatting briefly, Lao Cai reminded him to arrive early at the company the next day.

After hanging up, Ji Yu washed his face and headed to the film studio, ready to find some work—acting in scenes, completing tasks, and aiming to level up his voice-changing skill to intermediate.

To focus on voice-related tasks, he figured he needed roles with unique vocal characteristics—like eunuchs, perhaps.

Instead of going to Che Dun, Ji Yu went to Li Xiaoran’s ancient costume film base.

While working on tasks, he could also meet up with Teacher Li. He wondered if she hadn’t seen the news today—would she get jealous again?

After arriving at the studio by taxi, Ji Yu began searching for roles. He soon found a small role as a eunuch.

[Notification: New Task!]

[Disguise yourself as a eunuch to infiltrate the palace, investigate the sickly Dog Emperor’s condition, and prepare for an uprising!]

[Rewards: Voice-changing skill fragment x1, Exposure points x10]

Ji Yu chuckled. Sure enough, a voice-changing task had appeared. Once he upgraded the skill to intermediate, his line delivery would improve dramatically. It would be invaluable for future online scams and chat deceptions—a truly practical skill!

Dressed in the eunuch’s attire, Ji Yu followed a group of officials, pacing back and forth through the palace corridors for seven or eight rounds. These were all transitional shots without lines or main actors.

After a morning of filming, the task was complete, and the rewards received. His basic voice-changing skill had reached level 2 out of 10, gaining a power boost, though still far from transformation.

Undeterred, Ji Yu knew that with more tasks, he would steadily level up. Having figured out the best way to farm tasks made upgrading skills much easier.

At noon, Ji Yu wanted to find Teacher Li, but he overheard a crew gathering extras for another palace scene, so he eagerly ran over. Romance could wait until nightfall; for now, task grinding came first.

He landed another eunuch role, this one simpler—just standing behind the emperor as part of the honor guard. The scene was quick, needing many extras, and wrapped up in under half an hour.

Another skill fragment earned!

If only he could get a eunuch role with lines, he could quickly push his voice-changing skill to intermediate.

Spotting the assistant director nearby, Ji Yu slipped him a hundred yuan.

“Just one line, please! Director, help me out!”

The assistant director smirked, pocketing the money. “No lines, but there’s a featured extra role. Want it?”

Ji Yu frowned but agreed—it was better exposure, meaning a more significant role and likely better rewards.

He soon got the part, which actually had a line—just two words: “As ordered!”

He was to approach the emperor, bow, receive orders, and then leave.

[Notification: New Task!]

[Disguise as a eunuch to infiltrate the Eastern Depot, secretly monitor and gather evidence of treason among the palace consorts!]

[Rewards: Voice-changing skill x5, Exposure points x20]

Ji Yu was quite pleased. The Eastern Depot was more prestigious than a regular eunuch role!

He smoothly completed the role and received the task rewards. Only two more skill fragments needed to upgrade his voice-changing skill. His acting would soon see a dramatic leap!

As Ji Yu happily planned ahead, someone tentatively called his name from behind.

“Ji Yu? Is that you?”

He turned to see Li Xiaoran, her face full of curiosity. In her ancient costume, she looked stunning—his breath caught at her transformed aura, radiating beauty.

Li Xiaoran, seeing the eunuch grinning foolishly before her was indeed Ji Yu, hurried over.

“It’s really you! What are you doing here?” she asked, her mind swimming with questions but hopeful.

Ji Yu nodded. “Yeah, just doing some background roles to gain experience. I was going to surprise you after filming.”

Li Xiaoran brightened immediately. “I spotted you right away! Sharp eyes, huh?”

“Teacher Li, you’re amazing!” Ji Yu smiled. “How long before you finish today?”

“Just two more scenes.”

“I’ll keep acting a bit longer, then we can leave together.”

“Okay, I’ll help you get a role with lines.”

[Notification: New Task!]

[Disguise yourself as a eunuch in the imperial kitchen, poison the emperor’s medicinal meal, and send him off!]

[Rewards: Voice-changing skill fragments x10, Exposure points x30]

Ji Yu grinned—this would finally allow him to upgrade.

Soon the scene began. Eunuch Ji Yu carried the medicinal meal to the emperor, only to be caught and dragged away for execution.

“Mercy, Your Majesty! I beg for your forgiveness!”

“I dare not disobey, Your Majesty! Please spare me!”

Ji Yu shouted until the guards dragged him outside, then he stopped.

The task rewards were promptly granted:

Basic Voice-changing Skill (18/10 — ready to upgrade!)

Level up! Deep blue points allocated!

Intermediate Voice-changing Skill (8/100)

Ji Yu felt a tickle in his throat. Before he could fully savor it, the system chimed again:

[Notification: Successfully upgraded three intermediate skills! The system shop will soon refresh!]