Chapter 257 – Work Hard for Your Dreams

Although Jiangcheng was also a city with a developed entertainment industry, and the Binhai District near Shanghai was also a place where various brokerage companies and entertainment companies were vying for territory, Jiangcheng still didn’t have the strong film and television atmosphere of Beijing or Shanghai.

Guo Ziyi only recently discovered this awkward situation. Although he really wanted to continue working as an extra to increase his acting experience, even a good cook can’t make a meal without rice. There wasn’t even a film and television production base, so where would he have any opportunities?

However, Guo Ziyi’s greatest advantage was that he was fat… No, he was quick-witted… No, he has thick skin and a sweet mouth!

Without a film and television base, he would hang out in the school’s film club every day, pestering the senior brothers and sisters in the film academy to impart their experience, and even taking the initiative to carry bags and buy water for them.

This annoying little fatty went from being ignored by everyone at the beginning to gradually being recognized by others after one or two months. Not only were they willing to answer his questions and solve his doubts, but if there was a chance to make a low-budget movie, everyone was also willing to take him along to play.

After all, this was Jiangcheng Media Film Academy, the fourth largest star factory in China, second only to Beijing Film Academy, Theatre Academy and Shanghai Theatre Academy. The school has established a dedicated fund to support student films and there was also the Jiancheng Film Festival, supported by the Jiangcheng government.

The students couldn’t afford to play with big film projects, but they still made quite a few low-budget films worth several tens of thousands. Even if they didn’t have a chance to appear on the big screen, it was still a valuable opportunity for these future directors and actors to practice!

Of course, not every film had a role suitable for a fat person, and it was even rarer find a supporting fat character for a newcomer like Guo Ziyi. But it didn’t matter. When there were no suitable roles for Guo Ziyi, Guo Ziyi still tirelessly followed the film crews, even doing the work of a stagehand without any compensation.

Everyone understood that, influenced by his family since childhood, Guo Ziyi also knew deep down: this was just an emotional investment, the returns were elusive and unattainable.

But who knew if there would really be a leading role that he longed for and matched him in the future? Guo Ziyi only hoped that when such an opportunity arose, these senior brothers and sisters would remember his name!

However, he hadn’t gotten the opportunity yet, and others had already taken the lead.

That night, Guo Ziyi received a phone call from a public telephone booth.

“Teacher Guo!” The voice, the accent, the way of addressing him, Guo Ziyi felt like a lifetime had passed since he heard it. Wasn’t this Geng Sha, his extra brother whom he hadn’t contacted for a month?”

The last time they contacted, Geng Sha also ran to the phone booth to call Guo Ziyi. Geng Sha had a mobile phone, left to him by his fellow villager, but he was reluctant to use it for long-distance calls because he thought it was expensive.

The last time they contacted was because Geng Sha’s fellow villagers had all left the film and television base. The confused Geng Sha turned to Guo Ziyi to inquire about his decision to stay or leave.

“Geng Sha, hey, I told you to call me Little Guo…” After Guo Ziyi finished complaining, Geng Sha, who didn’t hear clearly, started to excitedly report his good news to him.

“Teacher Guo, let me tell you some great news—I’ve become a leading actor!” Geng Sha’s Mandarin, mixed with a strong rural accent, was still so familiar.

But Geng Sha’s words left Guo Ziyi dumbfounded. “What? A leading actor?”

“Yeah! I caught the attention of a big director. He wants me to play the lead role in a film. That’s right, it’s the big director we worked with on ‘The Great Chu Palace’…” Geng Sha rambled on excitedly.

Guo Ziyi was dumbfounded and couldn’t help feeling a little sour in his heart.

The little extra who was still his own follower had already become a leading actor, while he was still playing around…

At the same time, he felt a sense of powerlessness.

Even though he had worked very hard, why was the realization of his dream still so far away?

A mixture of feelings…

However, Guo Ziyi was not a jealous person. After Geng Sha finished speaking, he regained his original optimism and congratulated Geng Sha with a smile.

Geng Sha wasn’t trying to show off to Guo Ziyi. He called to tell Guo Ziyi that their crew was coming to Jiangcheng to film because Guo Ziyi had previously mentioned that he was studying in Jiangcheng.

“…Although the leading roles are already taken, they are still recruiting for other roles. Right now, Big Brother Dabin and Director Ruan are recruiting extras. Teacher Guo, you should come and give it a try! I talked to Director Ruan, and he said he could give you a special role!” Geng Sha said sincerely.

“Really?” Guo Ziyi became interested. Being part of the Jiangcheng production team could increase his acting experience. Guo Ziyi felt that this was a good opportunity.

“Of course, it’s true! Teacher Guo, hey, how could I lie to you?” Geng Sha read out a series of numbers. “This is Director Ruan’s phone number, write it down. I might not be able to contact you for a while because the director asked me to follow the crew to the army for a week of special training tomorrow…”

Geng Sha’s sincere chatter warmed Guo Ziyi’s heart, and he also said sincerely, “Geng Sha, thank you! Also, don’t call me Teacher Guo anymore, just call me Little Guo. I’m even younger than you…”

“Oh, why thank me? Teacher Guo. I was able to become a leading actor now, all because you introduced me to Director Ruan and Big Brother Dabin before, and encouraged me not to give up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have this opportunity now!” Geng Sha was still so pure and honest.

Guo Ziyi hung up the phone, feeling a little lost, but he quickly adjusted.

His brother had become a leading actor through his hard work. How could he slack off? He must continue to work hard, and work even harder!

……

Compared to the hardworking Guo Ziyi, the hardworking Ding Xiang, the hardworking Mo Fei, Yang Yi’s daily life was really like a salted fish…1

Every day, apart from the three meals, household chores, and spending time with his wife and child, he didn’t have any particularly big dreams. Even when it came to writing novels, he just cruelly torment readers with increasingly skilled cliffhangers, turning the originally thrilling and suspenseful plot into fragmented chapters, without any intention of speeding up updates or making more money.

On this day, he was once again listening to music and reading books in the coffee shop, so idle that even Ding Xiang couldn’t bear to watch.

“Big Brother Yang, don’t you have any pursuits?” Ding Xiang couldn’t help but ask him.

“Hmm… pursuits?” Yang Yi pondered.

It seemed like he didn’t really have any. If it were his previous life, he would have already achieved a thousand kills and become a legendary figure that struck fear into the hearts of the assassin world. Perhaps he would still want to become even stronger, to improve from an A-level assassin to an S-level or SS-level assassin, and thus break free from the constraints of the organization.

But now, he lived in a peaceful city, with the identity of an ordinary person, leading the ordinary life he has always dreamed of. It seemed that becoming stronger didn’t have much meaning.

“Perhaps there is one pursuit. I want to build the world’s largest amusement park for Xixi,” Yang Yi really thought of one, and he happily told Ding Xiang.

Ding Xiang thought he was joking and said unhappily, “I’m not talking about that kind of impossible dream. I meant, Big Brother Yang, don’t you have anything you want to do recently?”

“Wait a moment, I have to take a call.” Yang Yi looked at his lit-up phone and saw it was a call from Mo Xiaojuan. He quickly waved his hand and answered the phone.

After a while, he hung up the phone happily and said to Ding Xiang with a smile, “I’ve got it, something I want to do recently. I want to hold a birthday party for Mo Fei. It would be best to completely surprise her and give her a huge surprise!”

Ding Xiang rolled her eyes helplessly.

Forget it, there’s no point in trying to save a salted fish.