The Affectionate Film Emperor Only Loves Me

[+10086]

 

[The airtime for this show is pretty much in line with the 8-hour workday too.]

 

[Everyone go to bed early tonight, you have to get up at nine in the morning to watch the broadcast.]

 

[I haven’t been up this early on a Sunday for a while and I’m not sure if I can get up on time.]

 

[If you can’t get up, you can just watch the replay.]

 

[No, I don’t want to! QAQ]

 

Director Li nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the joyful pop-ups from the netizens and the millions of people online.

 

“Now that’s a good start! This xiao Lin that you found is quite good at stirring up topics.”

 

“He is indeed quite good, and our company is preparing to promote him.”

 

How could Gu Changfeng not hear the implications behind Director Li’s words? This meant that the director was optimistic about Lin Jianghe’s prospects and was planning to cut them1Gu changfeng and the live streaming company short2cutting off (one’s) beard: getting rid of the things that have served their purpose/are no longer that useful. Here, Gu Changfeng hears the director praising MC and realizes that the director is going to focus more on Lin Jianghe and maybe try to get him when their livestreaming company was the one who introduced LJH.

 

“Being an anchor is not as lucrative as being an artist. Besides, haven’t you signed a formal contract yet?”

 

“We’ve already discussed it and I will sign it tonight.”

 

Gu Changfeng’s expression froze. Thank goodness they had come prepared. Lin Jianghe’s live broadcast had been live for less than a week, so although the contract had been finalized, they hadn’t yet had the time to sign the contract. Even today’s rescue was just a temporary fix.

 

Of course Lin Jianghe hasn’t signed up with the show either. Originally he had been considered to be just a dispensable substitute who could be replaced at any time. However, to everybody’s surprise, he was so well liked that he brought his own traffic with him.

 

This was a cash cow, how could Gu Changfeng let him go so easily? He had already sent Xiao Ai to inform him to come over and prepare for the official signing, and naturally the contract was no longer the previous A grade, but S grade, which was the highest grade contract in Jin Jiang’s company.

 

Lin Jianghe was only live for a few days and got such a high contract; such a fact was really fantastic.

 

“Why don’t we wait for him to come over and we’ll discuss it and see.”

 

The discussion had already reached this point, but director Li still refused to give up.

 

Gu Changfeng spread his hands and smiled noncommittally.

 

……

 

“Mr. Gu, I’ve brought Jianghe over.”

 

Xiao Ai’s voice came from outside the door.

 

“Come in.”

 

Gu Changfeng looked at Director Li, who had been following him with deadly persistence since dinner, and felt speechless. Was he really willing to go to such lengths just for an ordinary little artist? Just for him?

 

Director Li gazed at him with a smile, like an old cat that had managed to steal a fish to have its fill3I think the english equivalent would be “the cat that stole the canary” aka feeling pleased with yourself for something that you did.. It was especially affectionate and friendly.

 

“Hello, Mr. Gu, hello, Director Li.”

 

When Lin Jianghe saw that Director Li was also present, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, but he chose not to say anything.

 

“Yes, please have a seat.”

 

Gu Changfeng nodded and looked at him with a smile, “Xiao Lin, ah, is your participation in the show still going well?”

 

“It went quite well.”

 

Lin Jianghe nodded his head politely.

 

Come on, was it possible to say it didn’t go well with the director standing right next to him?

 

“The company is just about to raise your contract from A to S. Here’s the new contract, take a look at it.”

 

Lin Jianghe looked over the contract carefully, the A-grade contract was already a very good deal, but the S-grade contract was a step higher. He immediately nodded in satisfaction.

 

“Thank you, Mr. Gu. So, should I sign now?”

 

“Ah Xiao Lin, don’t rush to sign yet, I have a contract here too, do you want to read it?”

 

 Director Li took out a folder from his bag and handed it to Lin Jianghe.

 

Gu Changfeng had previously thought that Director Li had given up, but he didn’t expect him to be holding himself back to get a chance here.

 

“Live broadcast is not mainstream media after all, our company is also very optimistic about you, I got you an A-level contract; although the treatment is not as good as that of the first brother and sister in the company4the most popular celebrities that bring in the most money (cash cows) and get the best treatment as well as resources in the agency, the conditions can be considered to be very generous. I also heard that you just graduated from Kyoto Cinema, acting is also your old profession.

 

If you come, I’ll let our company’s ace agent Ren Ji take you under his wing. He’s brought up several movie stars and movie queens. How about that, are you interested?”

 

“Director Li, I just really like livestreaming my culinary skills. The fact that people enjoy my live broadcast is my greatest pleasure.”

 

Lin Jianghe shook his head and refused. The terms were good, but while the original body had originally graduated from Kyoto Cinema, he wasn’t the original host and hence couldn’t act.

 

What’s more, although he had started out as a food anchor for the points, he did really enjoy being a food anchor now and sharing the joy of delicious food with others.

 

“You should look at the contract first and then think about it.”

 

“Director Li has spoken, so xiao Lin, you should at least read the contract first before you decide on anything.”

 

Lin Jianghe nodded at his words, opened the folder and finished flipping through it carefully, still shaking his head firmly.

 

“I’m sorry Director Li, Jinjiang has treated me with kindness, and doing live food broadcasts can bring me joy. Therefore, I cannot agree to your proposal.”

 

Gu Changfeng secretly nodded his head, becoming even more satisfied with Lin Jianghe. Not bad, this was a good kid who knew how to repay his kindness, the company’s resources should be distributed appropriately in the future.

 

Being an anchor wasn’t necessarily worse than being an artist when it came to resources.

 

“In that case, it’s a pity. However, even if you can’t sign with Morning Star, we can still continue to work together in the future. I have a script here that suits you, you should take a look at it.”

 

Director Lee pulled out another contract from his bag and handed it to Lin Jianghe with a smile.

 

“《 The records of a Detective5探案实录: Detective case, detective record, detective investigation. I played around with the name to make it sound like an actual series.》?!!!”

 

Lin Jianghe was surprised and delighted, this ‘The records of a Detective’ was a weekly drama, filmed and broadcasted simultaneously, with two episodes per week and a star-studded cast, making it one of the most popular dramas at the moment. The main character in this drama was the actor Shen Liang, a veteran artist with great skills. Lin Jianghe had only seen one of his movies, but his great acting had managed to turn him into a fanboy overnight.

 

And then he discovered this drama. Lin Jianghe had only just finished catching up on the previous episodes, never expecting that he would have the chance to be involved in its production one day.

 

He flipped through the script and found that in the coming week’s episode, there was a role of a teenage masterchef that suited him perfectly, and a glance at the contract told him that this was the role he had been offered.

 

Lin Jianghe pursed his lips and felt a little moved.

 

“How about it, won’t you take it?”

 

Noticing the expression on Lin Jianghe’s face, Director Li had already guessed his answer, but he still asked this question as an insurance.

 

“Thank you, Director Lee, for giving me this chance.”

 

Lin Jianghe really agreed this time.  On one hand it was because the role really suited him, and it could almost be said that he would be acting as himself, while on the other hand, he had already turned down Director Li once just now, so he couldn’t refuse him again.

 

Gu Changfeng glanced at Director Li with amusement. He hadn’t realized that Director Li had such a trick up his sleeve. The A-level contract was just a cover-up for the actual event that was the offer of such a role.

 

He had read the script just now.

 

The script was probably written a long time ago, and director Li was probably having a headache about who to cast. He didn’t expect that Lin Jianghe, a person who fit the bill as if he had been born for the role, would suddenly pop up.

 

“Good.”

 

Director Li had a big smile all over his face. His heart was relieved, and he was even more satisfied with Lin Jianghe.

 

The actual situation was not far from Gu Changfeng’s guess, the script had indeed been written a long time ago, but he had been unable to find a suitable actor to play the role, and the character had a backstory that pieced together the entire drama into a whole, so it could not be easily deleted.

 

He had been so anxious that his eyebrows had started to fall off, but he hadn’t expected to find the right person while directing a variety show.

 

This really was the case of journeying through entire  rivers and mountains to finally end up in a village6这可真是山重水复疑无路，柳暗花明又一村。This is a bit confusing to translate. I think the gist of this statement is that he had to go on a long and arduous journey but he managed to reach his destination on time (aka having trouble casting but ending up finding the best fit for the role). Correct me if I am wrong about this or if you have a better suggestion for this statement..

 

Lin Jianghe signed the two contracts with a flourish, and both Gu Changfeng and Director Li nodded in satisfaction.

 

“It’s getting late, you should go back and rest first.”

 

……

 

Lin Jianghe returned to his room and found that the light was on, but Du Tang was not in the house, nor did he know where he had gone.

 

He flung his entire body on the bed and started rolling around happily.

 

“Ahhhhh, I’m going to be in the same drama as my idol! So happy!”

 

“Who’s your idol?”

 

Lin Jianghe was startled and twisted his head to look at Du Tang who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, “Why didn’t you knock on the door when you came in?”

 

“I was just in the washroom.”

 

“Then why didn’t you turn on the light in the bathroom?”

 

“The light in the bathroom is broken, I’ve called someone to fix it.”

 

“Oh,” Lin Jianghe finally ran out of words, recalling Du Tang’s question just now, and spoke up naively.

 

“My idol is Emperor Shen Liang, I love his role as Zhang Hongxing! I just went out to sign a contract, and Director Li was there too, and he invited me to play a role in ‘The Records of a Detective’.”

 

Lin Jianghe stood aside, like a child who had done something wrong, while his mind was filled with mad ravings.

 

[Aaaaaah, he must think I’m a fool now! Why didn’t you tell me he was still around, Xiao Jiejie!]

 

[I can only see what you see.] Xiao Jiejie spoke weakly, obviously feeling humiliated too.

 

“Why is it Zhang Hongxing, his more acclaimed character is clearly Li Zhe from ‘Gan He the Great’,” Du Tang’s eyes were three parts diffident, three parts curious and plus four parts inquisitive.

 

Was Lin Jianghe ingratiating himself? But he7Du Tang hadn’t told anyone about his liking for the role, so how did he know about it? Was it just a coincidence?

 

“Uh, well, I,” Lin Jianghe was a little speechless for a moment, obviously unable to tell him that he hadn’t seen the film. From Du Tang’s words it was supposed to be a household name, and it would be strange for the original body, as a student at Kyoto Cinema, not to have seen it.

 

“You don’t need a reason to like it.”

 

Lin Jianghe’s gaze was fixed on Du Tang, not wanting him to notice the weakness in his heart.

 

As if he had been burned by the sight, Du Tang coughed lightly and looked away, his face flushing slightly. Could it be….?

 

Thinking of this, Du Tang’s complexion turned cold, his gaze as piercing as an arrow, and he coldly warned Lin Jianghe. “I advise you to wake up, don’t forget the agreement we signed.”

 

After dropping such harsh words, Du Tang turned around and left. Lin Jianghe looked at his back and got the impression that he was running away.

 

Lin Jianghe shook his head and dismissed the thought.

 

How could that be? Maybe it was just him who was overthinking. But then again, what was the agreement all about?

 

[Xiao Jiejie, what’s this deal he’s talking about?]

 

[How can I know if you don’t know?]

 

Xiao Jiejie answered innocently.

 

[It’s okay, I’ve long seen through your weak nature.]

 

[Who’s a weak chicken?] Xiao Jiejie was a little exasperated and tried to dig a hole for Lin Jianghe.

 

[You are a weak chicken.] However, Lin Jianghe refused to take the bait.

 

[You!]

 

[You what you?]

 

But Xiao Jiejie refused to open his mouth and actively ask for more abuse. Lin Jianghe breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more comfortable. Sure enough, his happiness was based on the pain of others.

 

Thank you, Xiao Jiejie.

Woohoo! My practical exams are over now so I finally got some time to post the chapters, but I still have the final boss to fight, aka my written exams. It’s slow torture but on the brighter side, at least I’m still alive, right?

1Gu changfeng and the live streaming company2cutting off (one’s) beard: getting rid of the things that have served their purpose/are no longer that useful. Here, Gu Changfeng hears the director praising MC and realizes that the director is going to focus more on Lin Jianghe and maybe try to get him when their livestreaming company was the one who introduced LJH3I think the english equivalent would be “the cat that stole the canary” aka feeling pleased with yourself for something that you did.4the most popular celebrities that bring in the most money (cash cows) and get the best treatment as well as resources in the agency5探案实录: Detective case, detective record, detective investigation. I played around with the name to make it sound like an actual series.6这可真是山重水复疑无路，柳暗花明又一村。This is a bit confusing to translate. I think the gist of this statement is that he had to go on a long and arduous journey but he managed to reach his destination on time (aka having trouble casting but ending up finding the best fit for the role). Correct me if I am wrong about this or if you have a better suggestion for this statement.7Du Tang