Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years

"I'm planning to work with Universe, but they think my offer is too low, so it's hard to close the deal. Does Hua have any other film company recommendations?"

Xiangjiang is very exclusive, and Qi Hao is an outsider.

Without a local to make connections, it's hard for him to integrate. He contacted Universe through Liu Dehua.

"Go with Huanyi."

Ren Dahua said without hesitation.

If it were last year, he would definitely have said to look for Mr. Xiang.

Back then, Galaxy Image, which had a close relationship with Ren Dahua, was making films for Xiang Huaqiang's China Star, like "Detective."

However, starting with "Parrot" this year, all the films have been produced by Huanyi.

"I can't offer much, can Hua help me arrange a meeting with Mr. Lin?"

Qi Hao thought Huanyi was also a good choice.

The "Infernal Affairs" trilogy, as well as "There are no thieves in the world," "Night Banquet," "Assembly," and "Oath of Allegiance," were all produced by Huanyi.

Qi Hao had been in "Oath of Allegiance," but he was just an actor and didn't really have any direct contact with Huanyi boss Lin Jianyue.

He didn't even have his phone number.

At that time, he didn't expect to become a part of the capital.

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

Ren Dahua didn't know if Lin Jianyue was interested in Qi Hao and didn't dare to guarantee anything, so he could only promise to try.

Qi Hao later also met An Zhijie and Yin Zewei.

Right now, there are very few job opportunities in Xiangjiang, but An Zhijie, although not an A-list star, still manages to get three to four films started every year.

Luckily, he has some availability.

However, the time he finally freed up to spend with his girlfriend was taken by Qi Hao, and his girlfriend would likely be unhappy for a few days.

An Zhijie's girlfriend is Xie Tingfeng's younger sister.

She's quite an uninhibited woman.

Yin Zewei signed with Wu Yanzu's agency last year—Xinggemeng Co., Ltd.

His work frequency has decreased significantly, as he spends most of his time waiting for jobs, even venturing into theater productions, acting in stage plays like "Golden Lock."

Qi Hao offered him a job opportunity, and he signed without much hesitation.

Ren Dahua couldn't provide an answer that day, so Qi Hao stayed in Xiangjiang for a few days to relax a bit.

However, he didn't go to places like Lan Gui Fang, just wandered around.

He primarily wanted to scout locations, not just for "Uncle," but potentially for other films to be shot in Xiangjiang.

Though location scouting wasn't the director's responsibility, as a director, he had to have a good sense of things.

But little did he know, he ended up causing trouble.

I Don't Feel Tired When Sleeping: Qi Hao, are you in Xiangjiang?

The Mountain Full of Red Monkeys: Yeah!

I Don't Feel Tired When Sleeping: You were spotted, and now the mainland is reporting on it.

Qi Hao glanced at the chat records, first taking three seconds to ponder the mental state reflected in An Feng's new username, and then dialed her number.

Things couldn't be explained clearly over QQ.

"Are the mainland reports saying we're traveling together in Xiangjiang?"

As soon as the call connected, Qi Hao voiced his guess at the possibility; if it was merely capturing him in Xiangjiang, it wouldn't be that newsworthy.

Chances are, the media added their own flair to it.

"Yes, I'm here, and you're here, so they fabricated a story about us touring Xiangjiang together."

"According to their logic, if you're in Xiangjiang, I can't come here?"

Qi Hao was both amused and exasperated by their shamelessness.

"They've been holding on to this story for quite a while, and now that they have the opportunity, they probably didn't want to let it go. There are photos, too, but they're very blurry. Who knows where they found the actors."

An Feng contacted Qi Hao after seeing the news.

She knew Qi Hao was in Xiangjiang for business, so she hadn't pried into his schedule.

"Whatever, let's just leave it be. There's no need to clarify anything."

Qi Hao was helpless; in the past, when actresses spread rumors about him, he'd never bothered to clarify. Doing so now would just raise suspicion.

These media outlets were really crossing the line.

They dared to report so extensively without obtaining a single decent photo.

"Are you really idle, just wandering around?"

The media used a blurry photo of two people, supplemented with individual shots of An Feng and Qi Hao.

An Feng had been spotted several times during her days there.

And Qi Hao, though rarely seen, was eventually also photographed.

"It's okay, I'm having dinner with Lin Jianyue tomorrow night and will probably head back the day after."

"Why don't we go out together? We're already in the news."

Over there, An Feng suddenly suggested, with a kind of 'since we've been slandered, let's not let them down' attitude.

Even if they clarified now, no one would believe them.

An Feng is in Xiangjiang having fun, and Qi Hao, you're there too, with rumors swirling; how can you prove otherwise?

"Sure, which hotel are you staying at? I'll come pick you up."

If a girl invites you out, Qi Hao certainly couldn't back down. He also felt there was no need to be deliberately evasive.

Avoidance is one thing, unavoidable situations are another.

An Feng gave her hotel name, and Qi Hao, not too far away, quickly showed up in front of her.

"Your mother..."

Don't misunderstand, Qi Hao wasn't insulting anyone, he was just seriously asking Ms. Liu.

"She's too tired from shopping during the day, so she won't be going out at night."

An Feng didn't tell her mom that Qi Hao asked her out, she just said she made plans with a friend to explore the night market on Temple Street.

She has a few friends here in Xiangjiang too.

Moreover, she traveled with an assistant and a driver, both are newly hired last year.

Her mom managed them for a while, probably thinking they were won over.

But in reality, these two are An Feng's trusted people, selectively reporting things to Ms. Liu.

It's not that there is a huge disagreement between this mother and daughter, it's just that An Feng has grown up now, but Ms. Liu doesn't think she's capable of handling these matters. The clash of these two different perceptions inevitably breeds various conflicts.

An Feng's methods of handling these conflicts are very gentle.

On one hand, she respects her mother's dignity and doesn't directly confront her, but she quietly does things like getting involved in team management.

Those so-called team seniors, who relied on Ms. Liu's trust and tried to boss her around, were skillfully dismissed by her.

She even used some tactics like sowing discord.

No matter how much trust, it's no deeper than the affection developed over years of relying on each other as mother and daughter.

On the other hand, An Feng gradually uses facts to prove herself.

One by one, handling things constantly reshapes Ms. Liu's perception, forcing her to admit that her daughter has indeed grown up.

The place chosen for shopping is Yau Ma Tei Temple Street, one of the most famous night markets in Xiangjiang.

The unique snacks, street performances, and various goods on Temple Street are captivating.

It's also a filming location for several movies, such as "New Endless Love" and "God of Cookery."

Tourists like Qi Hao and An Feng are numerous.

Blending in is no big deal.

Now An Feng and Qi Hao are shopping together, and the others follow behind.

They can even buy some things themselves.

After shopping for a while, they got separated.

A wise person adapts to the times; even the dullest should know to disappear at this moment.

Anyway, everyone has a phone, so they can regroup by calling when leaving.

Qi Hao and An Feng are not walking particularly fast, continuously stopping to look at the strange and curious things in the night market.

Sometimes they would even spend money and buy things.

Qi Hao usually lets An Feng stand slightly behind and then goes to pay for things himself.

He wears a low-key hat, and with the neon lights flashing at night and the chaotic light, the vendors are too focused on their business to realize the buyer is a celebrity.

Hasn't An Feng visited a night market before? Does Qi Hao like visiting night markets?

Even if they do, there's no need to come to Xiangjiang; there are plenty of night markets in the mainland for whiling away time, and the food suits mainland tourists' tastes better.

As for being deceived...

It can happen anywhere, there are places where not just tourists are deceived, but even harmed.

Actually, what they are doing... is dating!

Both probably have some ideas but aren't that determined yet.

Plus, neither is the type to immediately rush to a hotel room just because they hit it off, spending some time getting to know each other has become a necessary prerequisite for dating.

"Do you want to try this?" An Feng asked.

"I don't know if it'll taste good?" Qi Hao looked at the so-called delicacy with little confidence.

Earlier, they had tried some very oddly flavored deep-fried snacks.

"Why don't we buy one and share it?"

An Feng indeed hadn't eaten dinner, but she doesn't eat much in general, and as a female celebrity, she can't indulge too much, so she thought having half would be enough.

She could save some room to try other things.

However, since they aren't in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, sharing food like this already felt a bit ambiguous.

"No problem, boss, can you pack one separately?"

Qi Hao asked in his not-so-fluent Cantonese.

"Of course, I can pack one separately... from your accent, you're mainlanders, right? I'm from the mainland too, my home is..."

The vendor was quite talkative, chatting about his hometown while preparing the food.

Qi Hao slightly lowered his hat brim then held An Feng's hand, hoping the low-key hat effect would apply to An Feng as well.

This vendor seemed to be around thirty and had only been in Xiangjiang for a few years.

He could probably recognize them as Yang Guo and Little Dragon Girl.

It's best to be cautious, just in case this chatty vendor gets excited and shouts Qi Hao and An Feng are here, it would be troublesome.

Don't forget, apart from some people from Xiangjiang, many tourists are from the mainland.

If they get surrounded in the crowded night market without any bodyguards nearby, it would be a major issue.

Qi Hao was more concerned about causing a stampede and injuring innocent people.

An Feng's fingers slightly contracted, she didn't expect Qi Hao would suddenly hold her hand.

They'd been walking the night market for quite a while, both staying close but without any form of physical contact.

The sudden hand-holding startled her.

However, she didn't immediately pull away; instead, her heart involuntarily started to race.

They've acted together before.

Not just hand-holding, they've even hugged.

Why is her heart racing so suddenly now?