Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

However, whether it was the nickname “Cloud-light and Wind-quiet” or the spirited big rooster avatar, nothing fit the image of Lin Ji in Cheng Yuan’s mind.

Lin Ji should be younger than him. As for those posts on the man’s Weibo—did they have even a cent’s worth of a relationship with a “calm and indifferent” persona?

During the two days he spent reading the script, Cheng Yuan had chatted with “Cloud-light and Wind-quiet” several times. The other party didn’t always reply promptly, but as long as Cheng Yuan had doubts about the character, the man could explain them with absolute clarity.

The longer they talked, the more certain Cheng Yuan became—”Cloud-light and Wind-quiet” was Lin Ji.

The news of the collaboration between Sunrise TV and Lin Ji was no secret in the circle. Although the producer hadn’t explicitly revealed which show Cheng Yuan was about to film, both the script in his hands and the supplementary materials provided by “Cloud-light and Wind-quiet” pointed directly to Lin Ji’s new work.

Having been a “dragon runner” for so long, no one had ever explained a scene to Cheng Yuan. Occasionally, a director on set would give a few rough instructions, but they never spared a glance for an extra like him. Cheng Yuan was considered a capable actor now, but that was something he had fumbled through and discovered bit by bit on his own.

Standing below the Sunrise TV building, Cheng Yuan still felt as though he were living in a dream. The moment he pushed open the main doors, he couldn’t help but wonder, Is this a scam? Will I be kicked out?

But upon entering the conference room, he saw Lin Ji sitting directly opposite him.

Lin Ji was even a bit younger than he had imagined. He had a gentle face and a somewhat serious expression, yet there was none of the arrogance common to other industry insiders.

Cheng Yuan was accustomed to disdainful looks. He could actually deal with those calmly. But the moment Lin Ji’s indifferent gaze swept over him, he found himself becoming instinctively nervous. It was as if he were in the middle of the National College Entrance Exam with the strictest proctor standing before him.

There were only three people in the room. Cheng Yuan recognized Lin Ji. The other two were likely the producer and the director. After a brief whispered discussion, all three turned their eyes toward him.

Cheng Yuan had initially thought that for a lead role like Lou Zhi, Sunrise TV would have other candidates. Yet, at the end of the interview, Lin Ji and the producer told him directly that the role was his.

“Mine… I mean, no…”

Cheng Yuan could no longer remember how he walked out of that room. Lin Ji’s face seemed to have become part of his fantasies; it felt too surreal. Even though it was freezing outside and the cold wind poured down his neck, Cheng Yuan still felt he was dreaming.

The first important role of his life—and a male lead at that—had crashed down upon his head like a gift from the heavens.

Although he currently had no fame, no online presence, no company, and no agent, Cheng Yuan felt that from this moment on, he had a future.

* * * 

Once the male lead was confirmed, finding the other actors became much easier. The crew had already been assembled. All that remained was to begin filming.

Before entering the set, Lin Ji inquired about the selection of other actors, only to hear a name he had never expected. “Chen Cheng?”

Back when Secretly in Love with You first aired, Lin Ji had seen this name frequently on his feed.

Chen Cheng was likely one of Yu Muzi’s rivals. She was a popular young starlet with considerable fame. A portion of the high viewership for Secretly in Love with You could be credited to her fans.

However, Lin Ji had always felt the name Chen Cheng belonged in the lead actress column of an idol drama. In his plan, the roles for this new show should primarily be filled by veteran actors of the “backbone” generation.

“She took the initiative to fight for it,” the producer said. “We didn’t expect it at first either.”

The news of Sunrise TV searching the world for a male lead had long since spread. From an outsider’s perspective, this new drama should have had zero prospects.

A high-popularity starlet like Chen Cheng was usually well-informed. Lin Ji felt she must have heard about the choice for the male lead already.

The fact that she was still willing to take this script despite Cheng Yuan being the lead made her thoughts truly difficult to fathom.

“I can’t guess what she’s thinking either.”

Lin Ji thought back to the characters. In the script, Lou Zhi had a comrade who fought alongside him. The role Chen Cheng was eyeing was likely that one. However, unlike Lou Zhi, who would eventually spend his later years in peace, this character did not survive until the end.

“She’ll do,” Lin Ji said. “Her image fits quite well.”

It was just that, in his impression, Chen Cheng was also a traffic actress. Such actors didn’t usually win through their acting skills. He wasn’t sure if she could portray the character he envisioned.

Sunrise TV, of course, welcomed Chen Cheng with open arms. The participation of a traffic actress would inevitably bring some buzz to the drama. Given that the male lead was a nobody like Cheng Yuan, the station needed a new talking point.

* * *

In short, after the casting turmoil, the new drama finally held its opening ceremony. Lin Ji, the producer, and the director huddled together for a long time before finalizing the title: Code 11.

This was Lou Zhi’s code name during his undercover years. Lin Ji and the others had considered names like The Nameless Hero or The Frontline, but they felt those were too heavy.

It was now the end of November. The drama was expected to finish filming in the first half of next year, just in time for the anniversary of Lou Zhi’s birth.

The start of Code 11 was low-key. Cheng Yuan was the first to join the set. After a few days of filming, Chen Cheng also made a quiet appearance.

This drama had a complete script. Lin Ji didn’t need to revise while filming. He only needed to provide his opinions as a screenwriter during the process and polish some details.

Just like Cheng Yuan, every other actor who joined the crew received a stack of materials related to Lou Zhi alongside their scripts. Lin Ji had no patience for actors who memorized lines at the last minute or were unfamiliar with the story. If he encountered such a person, he had only two words: “Get out.”

Lin Ji had already felt that Cheng Yuan’s acting was decent. During filming, the director kept giving him suggestions, and Cheng Yuan’s performance became increasingly composed.

The one who surprised Lin Ji most was Chen Cheng. She was strikingly beautiful and famous in the industry for her looks, but few people had ever paid attention to her acting.

When the first scene was filmed, her performance was indeed stagnant. Perhaps because she had acted in too many idol dramas, she had a fixed performance model and thus would automatically slot any character into it.

But the charm of different characters was naturally unique. A “cookie-cutter” approach rarely brought out the distinctions between roles.

Consequently, whenever it was her turn, the director and Lin Ji would huddle together to explain the script to her, forcibly suppressing her desire to take the easy way out.

Chen Cheng had a brilliant face. She looked cold and elegant when silent, but her personality was actually easy to get along with. It wasn’t that she couldn’t act; under the pressure to constantly think and move her brain, the improvement in her acting was remarkably obvious.

For the other major roles, Sunrise TV had picked experienced veterans. With both Cheng Yuan and Chen Cheng performing well, the filming progress was actually faster than planned.

* * *

While Code 11 was filming quietly, the new drama produced by Gu Lenian and Maple Leaf TV was also in full swing. Maple Leaf TV wanted to use this show to regain its reputation and was aiming for high ratings. Therefore, from the day of the opening ceremony, their promotion had never ceased.

Qin Yi was not the type to enjoy promotion. The more Maple Leaf TV advertised, the greater the pressure on him to carry the show became. During a break in filming, he quietly asked his agent, “Are things settled over there?”

The agent was quite familiar with Qin Yi’s personality. He knew what the actor meant immediately. “It’s settled.”

“Who is it?”

Qin Yi had mentally cataloged the male actors in the circle with a similar style to his. In his view, very few were suited for Lin Ji’s new drama.

Even though everyone was eating from the “Uncle Circle” bowl, their specialized roles were slightly different. He could play Lou Zhi, but others might not; otherwise, Lin Ji wouldn’t have come to his door personally.

“You don’t know him. Just a dragon runner.” The agent’s tone was noticeably lighter. “You don’t have to worry now. Lin Ji’s script might be good, but if he can’t find a suitable actor, how can it possibly blow up?

“Sunrise TV probably had no one else to turn to.”

Qin Yi was still a bit uneasy. He asked his agent for the specific name. When he saw the performance of that so-called “actor” in a boy group survival show, he wore a troubled expression. “This is it?”

“I told you long ago, it’s lucky you didn’t take this role. Just think, if even the lead is a background extra, will this drama be watchable in the end?

“Lin Ji has indeed had a few hits and made a few newcomers famous. He’s gotten arrogant; he thinks he can make anyone a star just because he wants to. He doesn’t stop to think, can a serious drama be the same as an idol drama?”

The agent worked hard to brainwash Qin Yi. Having become famous overnight, Qin Yi was inevitably prone to gains and losses. He thought too much and worried too much, fearing he couldn’t keep his current position.

His decision not to choose Lin Ji’s new drama was also a move for the sake of stability.

Both dramas were filming. Naturally, Maple Leaf TV heard about Code 11 starting production. But they didn’t take it to heart; Qin Yi had chosen them after reading both scripts. The answer to which script was superior was already clear.

* * *

“Teacher Lin, come take a look for me.”

Lin Ji held his teacup and leaned over to look at the monitor. The filming of Code 11 was going quite smoothly. Lin Ji had become the most idle person on set, so he was often drafted by the director to discuss the filming effects.

His script was written in great detail. The continuity was sufficient, and he had achieved both the sense of tension and the richness of the plot. Beyond that, the script itself was beneficial for the actors’ performances. When he first received the script, the director already had great expectations for the final product. Now, as they finished each day’s progress and checked the results, his respect for Lin Ji grew by a level.

Who wouldn’t want to collaborate with such a screenwriter?

As a director, he felt the same surge of passion when seeing a script he loved, anticipating the stunned looks of the audience when they saw the finished film.

In other words, the entire Code 11 crew was filled with passion. The producer, director, and actors were all acting as if they had been injected with “chicken blood.”

Everyone frequently saw the press releases from Maple Leaf TV putting down Sunrise TV. Who wouldn’t be indignant?

If the drama had aired, the ratings were out, and the audience feedback was in, then Code 11 losing to the opponent would be one thing. But now, before the shows were even finished, Maple Leaf TV was already acting as if they had decimated Sunrise TV. Their “loaned” arrogance was a bit too fast.

The more the crew thought about it, the angrier they got, and the more motivated they became. Even Chen Cheng, who was a bit slow at first, started to perform beyond her usual level. Later on, she became dissatisfied with her own performance in the first few scenes, so the director refilmed that portion.

Even so, the progress remained very fast. On the day the final scenes were wrapped up, the members of the crew looked at each other and felt a collective sense of “Holy sh*t, I’m actually amazing” and “Is this really me?”

As for when Code 11 would air, Sunrise TV hadn’t finalized it yet. It could be before or after Lou Zhi’s birthday; they just needed to find a good day.

The date was eventually set for before the anniversary—triggered by a post from Yu Muzi’s fans:

“Is Chen Cheng really this miserable now? Only fit to collaborate with a dragon runner?”

“The female lead is a traffic star, but the male lead is NBCS. This isn’t just carrying the team; it’s a suicide mission, right?”

“Dying of laughter. Does Chen Cheng think she can ascend just by trying to suppress Muzi? Once a foot-washing maid, always a foot-washing maid. Chen Cheng’s ratings aren’t even fit to carry Muzi’s shoes. Currently in Love had bad views, but Muzi still has lead roles to play. May I ask what Chen Cheng is doing now? Do her fans have no opinion?”

The photo posted by Yu Muzi’s fans was clearly a leaked shot from the Code 11 set. Chen Cheng was surrounded by a crowd in the center.

“Just a reminder, this is Sunrise TV’s new drama. What kind of ‘earthy’ station is that? It’s simply a joke. If my idol acted in this, I’d be too embarrassed to speak of it.”

NOTES

Chicken blood (打鸡血 – da ji xie): Slang for being extremely excited, energetic, or motivated as if injected with stimulants.

NBCS: Internet slang for “Nobody Cares.”

Foot-washing maid (洗脚婢 – xi jiao bi): A derogatory term to describe stars who play supporting roles or have lower commercial value than other stars.

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