Chapter 6: Skill Advancement

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At night, Ji Yu lay in bed, clutching his Xiaolingtong handset, unlocking and locking the screen repeatedly. After doing this many times, he finally drained the battery. Before the device shut down, the screen displayed Teacher Li’s phone number. After cursing himself for being pathetic, Ji Yu pulled the blanket over his stomach and stared blankly at the ceiling. The electric fan creaked as it spun, causing the mosquito net to puff out into a large, round, swaying bulge. Every time Ji Yu glanced at it, he thought of Teacher Li. At this age, in this season, everything he looked at reminded him of sex. He really needed to find a girlfriend. Ji Yu went to take a shower and returned to bed, eventually drifting off to sleep after a long while. He had another dream tonight, and this time, he could clearly see the face of the person in it. At 5:30 in the morning, Ji Yu jumped out of bed, ready to get to work!

"Hey, Brother Quntou! Morning! Give me a speaking role today!"
"Heh heh heh, are you coming with me to Hengdian?"
"Brother, my name is Ji Yu, not Heh heh heh."
"I’m asking you a question, are you going or not?"
"I’m going! I’ll rent out my house and head over!"
"Alright, I’ll make sure you’re set today. Follow me, and I guarantee you’ll become a star!"
Ji Yu smiled slightly, flattering him on the surface while complaining internally. You should worry about rooting yourself in Hengdian first! Competition in the entertainment industry isn't just about stars and directors. The competition at the bottom is even more ruthless! It’s common for extras’ coordinators to lead groups in fights to claim territory. Some even prey on extras, involving gambling traps, usury, withholding wages, and even sexual exploitation. Because it’s the bottom tier, hidden from the spotlight, it’s even darker. The scandals of celebrities are nothing compared to what happens among the extras! Drinking, gambling, whoring, cheating, sleeping with bosses, and selling oneself—all of this is business as usual for extras. Is the entertainment industry wild? Ordinary people are no saints either. It’s just the difference between what’s under the spotlight and what’s in the shadows. Even so, people keep crowding into the industry. It’s dark, but it’s also exhilarating. Life is so magnificent, why worry about gain or loss? On the set, the coordinator brought Ji Yu to the assistant casting director. "Brother Wang, this is one of the more capable guys I have. Could you give him a role with some lines?" The coordinator smiled and handed over a cigarette; the assistant director took it, tucked it behind his ear, and nodded. Ji Yu beamed; finally, he’d get to speak. He wondered if he’d be acting in a scene with Teacher Li. Soon, Ji Yu received his role and his lines.

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There were three lines in total, and the role was still a background character: a bar waiter. He had to serve drinks to the female lead and her best friend.
[Ding~~ Mission incoming~~]
[Disguise yourself as a bar waiter and secretly collect evidence of the criminals' crimes!]
[Mission reward: Disguise skill fragment *2, Exposure points *20]
Ji Yu was pleasantly surprised; he hadn't expected a role with lines to offer such generous rewards. It had doubled. If he were to play the lead, it would probably increase tenfold! He could accumulate ten skill fragments and a hundred exposure points in one go! Ten skill fragments would be enough to upgrade a skill to the intermediate level. Intermediate disguise should be enough to achieve the effect of "hiding in plain sight." It should work for acting too! Ji Yu checked his skill panel to see which skills were close to leveling up.
[Profession: Actor]
[Skills: Low-level Disguise (8/10), Low-level Tracking (3/10), Low-level Eavesdropping (4/10), Low-level First Aid (1/10), Low-level Combat (1/10), Low-level Voice Modulation (1/10).]
[Number of missions: 18 completed.]
[Exposure points: 820 (Please actively participate in film and television dramas!)]
[System Store: Low-level bug... Pending refresh]
[Professional evaluation: As an actor, your acting skills are absolute shit!]
The acting evaluation hadn't improved; it was infuriating to look at! However, since Low-level Disguise would be upgraded today, the evaluation should improve significantly. The bar waiter scene was in the afternoon, and it was still early. Ji Yu went off to take on other roles to see if he could farm for combat rewards. Combat rewards could improve his physical fitness and serve as a foundation for future action roles; it was a good skill. As for tracking and eavesdropping, he wasn't in a hurry. He wasn't currently in contact with anyone worth tracking or eavesdropping on; he’d farm those later! Soon, the assistant director arranged another role for him.
[Ding~~ Mission incoming~~]
[Disguise yourself as an airplane passenger, monitor potential dangerous individuals, and eliminate the danger invisibly.]
[Mission reward: Combat skill fragment *1, Exposure points *10]
That made two combat skill fragments; sooner or later, he’d be able to take on ten at once! Ji Yu thought his system would fit right in at Hollywood; he would thrive there. But since he was Chinese, he wouldn't be welcomed. He couldn't exactly sneak in to be an electronic pet. Ji Yu composed himself and followed the crew to a studio. A set of an airplane cabin had been built inside. Ji Yu walked in wearing his own clothes and found a seat. He hadn't been sitting for long when he saw the female lead approaching. Yuan Quan looked fresh as dew, just out of college, in the prime of her youth.

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Yuan Quan shouldn't have been "ruined" yet, right? Uh... then again, maybe not; Old Teng is a pervert, after all. A Golden Rooster award for Best Supporting Actress doesn't seem like such a bad deal, and it paved the way for other film resources later. Ji Yu didn't dwell on it too much; Yuan Quan wasn't exactly a household name yet, and it would take a few more years. This was likely her first TV drama, but she was unlucky to be in such a flop. Yuan Quan wouldn't truly become famous until after 2006. The few films she was currently shooting were just for building a reputation within the industry. Those art-house films were just self-indulgent projects for industry veterans and didn't really break into the mainstream. To get truly famous, one still had to rely on TV dramas. While Ji Yu was lost in thought, Yuan Quan had already taken the seat to the left of the aisle, just one seat away from him. Shortly after, another lead actor arrived. Ji Yu looked closely and found her somewhat familiar. Why did she look so much like an actress from a movie he’d watched a few days ago? That one was from Hong Kong, called "Lan Kwai Fong’s Seven Princesses," where the plot was all about fighting, clubbing, and debauchery. Ji Yu remembered a scene in the movie where an actress, wearing only her lingerie, was being "cooled off" by some thugs. It couldn't be the same person, could it? Ji Yu took a few more looks, and the more he looked, the more it seemed like her! At this moment, a production assistant ran over to brief them on the precautions for the upcoming shoot. Ji Yu listened in and found out the woman's name: Zhou Lei. He decided to watch that movie again after work to see if it was the same person! Definitely not to watch the scene where the actress gets "cooled off"! Soon, the scene began filming. Ji Yu sat there, a quiet passenger lost in thought. There were several airplane scenes, so Ji Yu kept changing seats to play different passengers. The leads also took turns sitting on the plane. By the final take, Teacher Li also came to sit on the plane. As soon as she entered, she spotted Ji Yu and proactively sat next to him. "You’re here today too? I’ll sit next to you, I'll try to get you a few more shots!" Ji Yu immediately said gratefully, "Teacher Li is truly as kind as she is beautiful!" "Stop calling me Teacher Li!" "Understood, Teacher Li!" "Are you looking for death?" "Then why don't you kill me?!" "......"