Entertainment Era: My Good Sister Is All Over the World

The rain said: I have come to the earth to be close to you.

I am a guest of April, bringing the baptism of spring.

—Zheng Chouyu, "On Rain" (1979)

……

Yu Rongguang's efficiency is astonishing.

Ten minutes later, he summoned five or six people, two of whom were young men in their thirties, and the rest were young women.

"This is a good younger brother I know."

Yu Rongguang and the others began to introduce Huang Wenbin, "He is a college student at Yenching Film Academy, as well as a writer and screenwriter. He recently wrote a script that caught the eye of the great director Chen Huaikai, and filming will begin soon."

"Truly a promising young man!"

"Little brother, you are truly a handsome young man!"

"He's quite handsome, do you have a girlfriend yet?"

"..."

These young ladies, however, lacked the solemnity they displayed on stage and began teasing Huang Wenbin.

Having seen and experienced much in his previous life, Huang Wenbin naturally wouldn't lose his composure because of this situation.

He replied with a smile, "I just started college and don't have a boyfriend yet. Are you ladies going to introduce me to someone? Or are you ladies planning to start a relationship with me?"

"Wow, kids these days are so brave!"

"You dare talk back? You're such a little devil!"

"..."

The young women were surprised that Huang Wenbin dared to talk back, so their teasing wasn't as intense as before.

Only shy boys get excited, the more shy they are.

If it really comes down to a fight, they're all paper tigers.

Wei Huili also stood in the crowd, smiling as she looked at Huang Wenbin. This little brother was indeed interesting; he wasn't the kind of person who could be easily manipulated.

Huang Wenbin is now a small-time tycoon. He originally only wanted to invite Wei Huili and Yu Rongguang.

Unexpectedly, Yu Rongguang called so many people.

It's not that he's afraid of spending money, it's just that with outsiders around, there are some things he can't say.

Yu Rongguang naturally wouldn't let Huang Wenbin spend money. Firstly, he was older and the elder brother; secondly, this place was practically his territory, so how could he let a guest spend money?

We chose a restaurant that was relatively close to the Peking Opera House. The decor looked quite nice, with a touch of ancient charm.

The table was in the lobby, and there were other guests, so Huang Wenbin couldn't say anything.

So Huang Wenbin decided to leave it at that for now and bring up the acting matter with Yu Rongguang and Wei Huili after dinner.

During the meeting, Yu Rongguang introduced several Peking Opera actors present to Huang Wenbin.

Besides Wei Huili, Huang Wenbin was particularly impressed by the young man named Liu Dagang.

Liu Dagang is tall and has a heroic appearance. He is very aggressive and the kind of person you would remember at first glance.

He felt like he'd seen this person somewhere before.

After thinking for a while, he suddenly slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "Isn't this Sha Wujing?!"

However, he played Sha Wujing in "Journey to the West: The Sequel" and also made a cameo appearance as a Shaolin monk in "The Kung Fu Cult Master". Yan Huaili, who played Sha Wujing in the original film, played Xie Xun in this movie, which can be considered a dream collaboration in another sense.

The meal was quite enjoyable and ended quickly.

On the table, Huang Wenbin also tentatively suggested inviting them to participate in the audition.

The girls just laughed and joked around for a while, but none of them showed any interest.

Wei Huili merely glanced at Huang Wenbin once more, without saying a word.

As the event was drawing to a close, Huang Wenbin pulled Yu Rongguang aside under some pretext and asked directly, "Brother Rong, you did this on purpose, didn't you?"

Yu Rongguang looked at Huang Wenbin with some surprise, and after a while he suddenly laughed: "Since you figured it out, then I admit it, yes, it was intentional."

"Why?" Huang Wenbin asked, somewhat puzzled. "Don't you want to pursue an acting career?"

"Making movies brings fame and fortune; who wouldn't want that?"

Yu Rongguang smiled, then quickly said seriously, "But have you thought about it? I'm an actor in the Fenglei Peking Opera Troupe now. I'm officially employed here. If I go to act in a movie without the troupe's permission, I'll be fired."

Huang Wenbin said calmly, "Then let's apply to the troupe."

"It won't go through." Yu Rongguang shook his head. "The troupe leaders are very averse to actors taking on roles, except for opera films, of course. My dad and the troupe can give Director Chen face, but they won't give you face, understand?"

Huang Wenbin looked at Yu Rongguang with confusion: "Then you could have just told me directly."

Yu Rongguang stared at him intently, then sighed softly, "Have you considered that this is only the second time you've met? Is there really that much trust between us?"

Huang Wenbin immediately realized that he had indeed been making some assumptions.

Before he transmigrated, he practically grew up watching Yu Rongguang's movies and TV series, so he naturally had a bias against him and a natural sense of trust.

However, in this era, they were just strangers who had only met twice. Why should Yu Rongguang trust him?

"If I want to act, then I have to leave the troupe," Yu Rongguang explained to him in detail. "Then I'll lose my position. Can you guarantee I'll always have roles to play?"

At this point, Huang Wenbin was indeed unable to make such a guarantee.

Even if he nodded and said yes, Yu Rongguang probably wouldn't believe him.

Ultimately, his status is too low. Although Chen Huaikai relies on him quite a bit now and Director Wang is very polite to him, it doesn't mean that he really has any say in the Beijing Film Studio!

He could give Yu Rongguang a supporting role, but he couldn't solve his employment status issue.

In this day and age, without a formal employment contract, you're considered a migrant worker.

Unlike in later generations, where people could completely avoid going to work and stay at home, euphemistically called freelancers.

"Understood?" Yu Rongguang actually had a good impression of Huang Wenbin.

After all, this kid met him once and immediately thought of arranging a role for him, even one in a film by a big director like Chen Huaikai.

"I called all these strangers over here so that you wouldn't be able to speak."

Yu Rongguang said calmly, "If it were in private, and you asked, given my temperament, I couldn't possibly refuse, and then I'd lose my job. I can't really rely on you to support me from now on, can I?"

"I raise... oh, no!"

Huang Wenbin almost blurted out "I'll take care of you" under the influence of his DNA, but after a second or two, he said, "I understand. Then when I really have a say in the crew, Brother Rong, please don't refuse me again."

Thinking about it carefully, Yu Rongguang was indeed in a difficult position.

He is a loyal person. If Huang Wenbin had told him directly, he would definitely have agreed, but the consequences would have been severe.

If he didn't agree, it would hurt Huang Wenbin's pride, and he would feel bad about it.

After thinking it over, he came up with this idea: to keep Huang Wenbin from speaking.

"What about Sister Wei? Does she mean the same thing?" Huang Wenbin asked, somewhat unwillingly.

"I don't know what she's thinking."

Yu Rongguang shook his head and explained to Huang Wenbin, "She works at the Shandong Peking Opera Theatre, but she's only on secondment to Yanjing. If she can't resolve her household registration issue this year, she'll have to go back."

Huang Wenbin breathed a sigh of relief; playing a supporting role obviously wouldn't solve his household registration problem.

How did Liu Xiaoqing resolve her household registration issue? She hooked up with a theatrical troupe actor from Beijing and obtained it smoothly.

She became pregnant soon after marriage. Liu Xiaoqing's dream was to become a big star, so she decided to have an abortion. Because she went to an unlicensed clinic, she ended up being infertile for life.

Huang Wenbin said solemnly, "Thank you, Brother Rong, for teaching me a lesson today."

"Actually, I feel quite embarrassed." Yu Rongguang felt a little sad and said to Huang Wenbin, "I've let you down. If you really want me to act in a movie in the future, it has to be the lead role. I promise I'll be there whenever you call."

Huang Wenbin said irritably, "Then you're still the one who benefits."

"How about I make ten films under your direction and not take a single penny of payment?"

Yu Rongguang had no idea what his future held, and just casually made some jokes.

Huang Wenbin smiled slyly and stretched out his hand to him: "You said it yourself, let's make it a promise with a high five, it's settled then."

Yu Rongguang felt something was off. He thought Huang Wenbin would definitely succeed, but he might not remember him then, so he readily gave him a high five.

He never expected that the slap in the face would come so quickly.

After settling the bill, everyone went home.

Huang Wenbin rode his bicycle, enjoying the gentle evening breeze. Feeling relaxed, he couldn't help but sing: "Let us be companions in this mortal world, living freely and unrestrained, galloping on horseback, sharing the joys of life..."

"You're not riding a horse!"

Just then, a beautiful figure suddenly appeared beside me, chirping lightly, "The singing is awful, but the lyrics are great!"

Huang Wenbin caught a whiff of fragrance and turned his head to see a smiling face: "What are you doing here?"