019 Future Film Intelligence and Wrap Party

After reviewing the intelligence, Yan Li bowed once again toward the incense. This time, his ancestors seemed quite gracious; next time, when conditions allowed, he planned to offer some meat and wine.

Afterward, Yan Li pulled up all the monthly intelligence he had gathered so far and proceeded to organize and summarize it roughly.

Watch the pot while holding the bowl—plan three steps ahead with every move!

Thus, every month, Yan Li would combine past and new intelligence to carefully consider and strategize his future development plans.

Yan Li had been receiving intelligence from the system for nearly half a year. Since the quantity of monthly reports varied randomly—sometimes more, sometimes less—he had accumulated just over thirty pieces in total.

About two-thirds of these pertained to confirmed or suspected future information, which was a sizable proportion.

However, whether this information proved useful depended on the specific circumstances and how Yan Li applied it.

According to Yan Li’s analysis, the timeframe for future information in the monthly reports ranged roughly from one to five years.

Whether the system would be upgraded later, or if the supposed “annual intelligence” would extend the temporal scope of future information, remained unknown; Yan Li dared not make any guarantees.

Still, as things stood, being able to glean details about the next five years left Yan Li quite satisfied.

Among these future reports, quite a few concerned the entertainment industry and film and television, likely related to Yan Li’s profession.

Yan Li placed great importance on these insights, for it was uncertain which one might catapult him to fame and popularity.

At present, aside from the drama “Heroes of Sui and Tang,” in which Yan Li was involved, and the recently obtained information on “Drawing Sword” and “Investiture of the Gods: Phoenix Singing on Mount Qishan,” he also held intelligence on several other upcoming film and TV projects.

These included:

1. “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,” a Jin Yong adaptation produced by Zhang Jizhong.

2. The TV series “Conquest,” directed by Gao Qunshu.

3. The TV series “Soldier Assault,” starring Wang Baoqiang.

4. The film “Apple,” directed by Li Yu.

According to the intelligence, all these productions were expected to achieve notable success or influence. Participating in them would benefit Yan Li greatly.

However, despite his efforts, only “Heroes of Sui and Tang” had truly come to fruition; progress on the others was scant.

There was little choice—“Apple” was released in 2007, and “Soldier Assault” aired in 2006, and it was unclear if their scripts had even been completed yet.

Not to mention, the key personnel involved in those projects were difficult to track down.

Director Li Yu of “Apple” was somewhat easier to find; by now, she had directed two films, won overseas awards, and had some standing in the industry.

As for Wang Baoqiang, who starred in “Soldier Assault,” Yan Li’s inquiries yielded nothing—he even asked at the neighboring Central Academy of Drama but found no actor by that name.

Yan Li suspected this fellow might be hiding away in some obscure corner or perhaps hadn’t yet entered the industry.

Regarding “Conquest,” Yan Li had managed to establish some contact.

But he heard that the production faced tight finances and that early preparations were fraught with difficulties. Rumors of the project being scrapped surfaced more than once, and Yan Li wasn’t sure if his involvement had somehow caused changes within the team.

As for “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils,” the threshold was simply too high.

After all, as a Jin Yong adaptation, it carried considerable prestige. Zhang Jizhong had previously popularized “The Smiling, Proud Wanderer,” so this new project attracted intense attention.

At the start of the year, with the project just announced, the media blitz was overwhelming. Actor resumes piled high, and agents from major companies took turns vying for roles. For Yan Li, a lone newcomer, it was extremely difficult to break in.

Thus, he had only politely submitted a resume and then focused his efforts on cultivating ties with Wang Decai.

Now that “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils” was about to begin filming, most key roles were likely already assigned.

Yan Li thought he should return his efforts to “Conquest,” or perhaps find breakthroughs through the directors and producers introduced by Old Wang.

Moreover, once back in the capital, it would be wise to gather intelligence related to making money and expanding his network—to plan and lay the groundwork accordingly.

The acting profession was too unpredictable and unstable; if possible, pursuing multiple paths was safer.

————

Since receiving the monthly intelligence at the beginning of the month, Yan Li’s life had entered a fast lane.

Every day was packed with filming, horse riding, martial arts training, and networking, with occasional gatherings with Qin Lan.

Soon, mid-July arrived, and Yan Li’s departure from the “Heroes of Sui and Tang” crew was entering its final countdown.

From joining the cast to wrap-up, just over a month had passed—a fairly swift pace.

But this was normal; his character, Yu Wen Chengdu, was a supporting role with limited interaction with the main cast. His part in later plots about the founding of the Li Tang dynasty and the struggle for succession was minimal, so his screen time was limited.

Not to mention, directors like Hu Mingkai from Hong Kong tended to favor a bold and uninhibited filming style.

The phrase “slow and meticulous work” was almost an insult to them.

Though Yan Li’s tenure on “Heroes of Sui and Tang” was brief, his decent personality and system-assisted skills had earned him good relations.

Assistant director Wang Decai, makeup artist Wang Xiu, lead actors Nie Yuan and Tong Lei, several supporting actors, and horse team leader Old Xu all took turns hosting farewell banquets for him.

This was quite rare!

Film crews constantly saw people come and go; unless a fixed team was involved, once a project ended, everyone returned home, and it might be a long time before they collaborated again.

Thus, most actors and crew viewed each other as short-term acquaintances, and unless friendships ran deep, it wasn’t worth spending money on farewell dinners.

Yan Li couldn’t decline these invitations, but filming left him little time to attend each one, so he split them into several groups.

Old Wang was a benefactor; since Yan Li would need his help later, they had to meet separately.

Wang Xiu, Old Xu, and the crew members, along with the supporting actors, could gather together for a lively get-together.

Lead actors Tong Lei and Nie Yuan required their own separate event.

This was not Yan Li playing favorites; their social circles were distinct, and Nie Yuan’s somewhat proud nature made forced mingling uncomfortable for all—better to meet separately.

One day, the crew finished early, and Nie Yuan invited Yan Li to dinner, along with Tong Lei, Li Guolin, and Kou Zhanwen.

Li Guolin played Li Shimin in “Heroes of Sui and Tang” and was close to Nie Yuan, hence tagging along for the meal.

Kou Zhanwen, who portrayed Yuchi Gong, had struck up some rapport with Yan Li when he first joined the crew; they had interacted a few times and maintained a decent relationship. When Yan Li finished work that day, he ran into Kou Zhanwen, who came over to show support.

The restaurant was arranged by Nie Yuan; the place was decent, and he footed the bill.

Tong Lei wanted to split the cost evenly, since they had all agreed to bid farewell to Yan Li together, but Nie Yuan, somewhat old-fashioned, refused.

“You’re a girl; I can’t let you pay when we’re out having fun.”

Yan Li paid no mind to their little dispute. Since Nie Yuan had covered the meal, Yan Li organized a second gathering for karaoke.

As filming was nearing completion, the crew had settled the remainder of his pay. Yan Li wasn’t stingy; with money in hand and friends treating him to a farewell dinner, he was happy to reciprocate.

Horizontal Town had plenty of karaoke bars and clubs, but their quality varied greatly and was hard to judge.

This was no challenge for Yan Li, nicknamed “Living Radar.”

When he and Wang Decai had gone out to network before, he had used the system to identify two decent KTVs.

One of them ranked among the best in Horizontal Town for environment, price, and safety.

The other boasted beautiful, sensible, and well-proportioned hostesses.

Under normal circumstances, Yan Li preferred the latter, but since hostesses were already present this evening, he opted for the former.

They booked a private room, and while Yan Li was helping Kou Zhanwen and the others pick songs, Nie Yuan stepped out to take a phone call. Returning over the music, he shouted to Yan Li,

“Two new friends just arrived, hope you don’t mind.”

“Bring them in—the more the merrier,” Yan Li replied nonchalantly.

Nie Yuan nodded and soon led two young women inside. Yan Li couldn’t help but laugh.

Wasn’t this the new version of Little Swallow?!