Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

When he and his small team landed in Beijing, it was already 3 a.m.

Stepping out of the airport, I found it unusually lively inside—many people were wearing matching outfits and red hats, and upon closer inspection, I realized they were all tourists.

Li Xiang suddenly felt a little dazed, recalling how the patriotic pride of the Chinese people seemed to have been reignited after the 08 Olympics.

During major festivals, some people like to travel to the capital just to catch a glimpse of the portrait on the gate and to witness the flag-raising ceremony.

"It's already this late anyway," he said, turning to Sister Zhou and Xiao Jiang, "why don't we go join the fun?"

Neither of them were from the capital, but their eyes lit up when they heard this, and there was no reason for them not to agree; their faces were full of excitement.

They hadn't walked far when they saw their driver, Mr. Chen, already waiting outside.

Li Xiang was surprised, but Sister Zhou quickly explained: "He hasn't been following us around for a while, but as soon as he got back to Beijing, he had to come and show his face."

Don't feel bad about it. The company offers good benefits and pays everyone the full amount due. Having work to do makes us feel more at ease.

Li Xiang could only smile and nod, then opened the car door: "That's perfect, Mr. Chen. Would you mind driving towards the main gate?"

Master Chen readily agreed: "Sure! If we go now, we can catch the flag-raising ceremony."

"Judging from your posture, you've already seen it?" Li Xiang asked Master Chen with a smile.

Mr. Chen shifted his body somewhat embarrassedly before speaking, "I also went to visit you twice while you were away."

"I missed the mark the first time, but I learned my lesson and waited there early the second time."

After the group finished watching the ceremony, it was already broad daylight.

During the process, Li Xiang, who was in the eye of the storm, was recognized by several tourists. Fortunately, he was somewhat of a "veteran of Beijing."

He led Sister Zhou and Xiao Jiang through several turns and hurriedly left the crowd.

After taking a nap at his apartment, Li Xiang gave the two of them the day off, and then took a car to Teacher Huang's house.

He knew this teacher all too well; he was a typical homebody who rarely went out unless necessary. Today was the perfect opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Unexpectedly, when they arrived at Teacher Huang's house and rang the doorbell, there was an unfamiliar guest standing behind Huang Lei who opened the door.

This surprised Li Xiang.

After all, she was a woman, and he had always known his teacher's wife's temperament, so he couldn't help but start having all sorts of wild thoughts.

Huang Lei saw him standing at the door, not coming in, his eyes darting around, and knew that the kid was definitely not thinking anything serious.

She quickly stepped forward and grabbed him: "What are you standing there for? Come in!"

Li Xiang then feigned reluctance and shuffled inside, muttering, "Teacher, this... isn't quite right?"

Upon hearing this, the female guest behind him burst out laughing.

Just then, Sun Li, who was busy in the kitchen, came out upon hearing the noise. She didn't see Li Xiang's strange behavior, only that he was carrying large and small bags.

They quickly stepped forward to help: "How much stuff did you bring back?"

Huang Lei snorted from the side, "Don't help him. Didn't you see how that brat acted just now? He didn't dare to come in when I opened the door, his eyes were practically darting around."

Sun Li was puzzled when the female guest smiled and said, "That's probably why he didn't dare to come in, since Xiao Lei and I are home alone."

These words made Sun Li chuckle, but after thinking it over, she turned and glared at Li Xiang: "What? Is that how you see your master's wife?"

Or are you afraid of seeing something you shouldn't, and then being silenced by your teacher, Mr. Huang?

"No way!" Li Xiang quickly waved his hand.

After exchanging a few jokes, Huang Lei remembered to introduce her: "This is my longtime friend, Ms. Naian. You can call her Sister An when you see her in the future."

Li Xiang blinked: "Then what's your name, teacher? If I call you Sister An too, will that make us look like we're from different generations?"

"Then why don't you call her 'Auntie' and see if she's happy about it?" Huang Lei teased him on purpose.

Li Xiang quickly waved his hand: "Just call me 'sister'. Hello, Sister An, I'm Li Xiang."

Huang Lei then turned to Nai An: "You should remember this kid, right?"

Nai'an smiled and nodded: "I'm not an old fogey, I've seen 'Under the Hawthorn Tree'. It's really rare for someone his age to have such acting skills."

Huang Lei immediately raised his face, with a hint of pride: "Of course, I taught him step by step, and I passed on almost all my skills to him."

"And this kid has really come to his senses. He's never had any formal acting training before, so it's not easy for him to do this well..."

"Director Zhang has a really good eye," the woman named Nai'an remarked.

"That's because the kid got in through connections. Teacher Wang put in a lot of effort for him; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have gotten into Director Zhang's films so easily on his own."

"Teacher Wang is indeed very influential. Lou Ye has tried to get him to direct the filming countless times, but it has never worked out."

"Lou Ye?" After listening for a while, Li Xiang finally heard a familiar name and couldn't help but look at the woman in front of him.

Seeing this, Huang Lei smiled and explained, "You're not just calling me 'sister' for nothing."

Sister An is Director Lou's producer and his closest partner. Without Sister An's approval, no filming can begin; she wields considerable power.

Nai'an quickly waved his hand with a smile: "Don't listen to your Teacher Huang's nonsense, we're just business partners who help each other out."

"That's true. People like us spend our whole lives trying to make a living in this industry, so we should help each other out."

"Take Li Xiang for example, so what if he got in through connections? I think it's normal. It's a waste if the meat doesn't stay in your own pot but ends up going to outsiders."

Li Xiang could tell from Huang Lei's words that his teacher was a staunch "clique member".

Once you enter his circle, you're one of his own; otherwise, you're a stranger, and there's a layer of separation between you and him.

But upon closer reflection, it makes sense. After all, the entertainment industry is too easy to make money in. If anyone could just jump in and grab a piece of the pie, in the end, nobody would have anything to eat.

However, he also knew that his teacher's theory would probably not be as effective in four or five years, once capital truly poured in.

However, they won't starve. Capital is capital, but the factions and the power to speak still exist.

The only difference is that the power structure has changed to Alibaba, Tencent, and Zijie, but the power of discourse remains firmly in the hands of these people.

While he was lost in thought, Huang Lei had already begun to lay the groundwork for him without making a sound, his words full of social etiquette and worldly wisdom, slowly revealing them within the guise of casual conversation.

Even after two lifetimes, Li Xiang still found it all very confusing.

But Naian is different. After so many years in the industry, how could he not tell?

This made her take a closer look at the handsome young man in front of her—

Judging from Huang Lei's demeanor, he's clearly treating him as his successor.

But looking at Li Xiang's absent-minded appearance, it was clear that he hadn't grasped his teacher's good intentions.

Nai'an couldn't help but burst out laughing again.

After all, this was like casting a flirtatious glance at a blind man; she understood it, but the person in question didn't notice at all.

This is the second time she has laughed out loud today.

Huang Lei was taken aback by the laughter and quickly stopped talking, looking at her curiously.

Naian and he had a long-standing friendship, so she didn't hold back: "After saying so much, isn't it just to pave the way for the students? I'm only laughing because you're so eager."

As she spoke, she pointed at Li Xiang, who had just come back to his senses, "And you, this student, didn't understand what you meant at all; you were just daydreaming."

Upon hearing this, Huang Lei's face flushed red, a mixture of embarrassment at having his intentions exposed and anger at his student's lack of respect.

He glared at Li Xiang, then gave Nai An an awkward smile: "This kid... he probably just got back to the capital and hasn't quite recovered yet."

Once Li Xiang came to her senses, she quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "What the teacher said is true. I just got off the plane and came straight here. I haven't adjusted to the time difference yet."

"Alright, shut up, kid." Huang Lei glared at him, annoyed. "You haven't even been abroad, so what time difference are you talking about?"