Lin Qinghe still couldn’t make it to the estate.
Early in the morning, Sun Lin called him with two pieces of news.
“Qinghe, there’s a drama recently that’s filming and airing simultaneously. The pace is very fast—only twenty-five episodes total. It’s called ‘Twelve Miles of Snowy Capital.’ There’s a role that hasn’t been cast yet. Not much screen time, but it leaves a strong impression. The character is beautiful, powerful, and tragic.”
“I spoke with the director and fought for it. Coincidentally, you have availability these next couple of days. You can go film part of it first.”
Lin Qinghe asked, “Filming today? Isn’t that a bit rushed?”
He hadn’t even seen the script yet. It caught him off guard.
Sun Lin said, “I’ll send you the script in a moment. Read it today, film tomorrow. Don’t worry. I skimmed through it—the parts involving your character are only two or three pages.”
In truth, for an actor like Lin Qinghe who started at such a high point, an agent would rarely choose a script where he wasn’t the male lead unless the cast was massive. Otherwise, it would lower his status significantly.
Moreover, the role Sun Lin had fought for Lin Qinghe wasn’t even a third or fourth male lead. It was just a supporting role with a few appearances. Anyone who heard about it would think it was downright foolish.
But Sun Lin was thinking far ahead.
Judging by Lin Qinghe’s recent trending status on Weibo, he already had the potential to become popular. Whether people praised him or argued about him, he had topic-worthiness. If a celebrity didn’t even have basic topic-worthiness, they were close to invisible—pure online harassment excluded, of course.
The behind-the-scenes footage from Dream of the Blue Moon Night had given Lin Qinghe a minor surge in popularity, and his fans had grown significantly. How long this wave would last was uncertain because Dream of the Blue Moon Night wasn’t even halfway through filming.
Lin Qinghe’s schedule was very limited. Filming Dream of the Blue Moon Night made it difficult to take on other scripts with substantial screen time. And the movie wouldn’t be released until some time later. This meant he’d have a gap period.
A gap period was a fatal blow for an artist just starting out. Miss this train, and they might never catch the next one.
So Sun Lin had planned clearly. She would use another wave to build momentum. Her vision was unique; she knew what kind of character would have breakout appeal and suit Lin Qinghe perfectly.
The role of Xie Yuanyu in “Twelve Miles of Snowy Capital” was the best choice. He could squeeze in time to film it while working on Dream of the Blue Moon Night, and under the short-term benefits of a simultaneous filming-and-airing schedule, it would attract the most attention.
Most importantly, the drama itself wasn’t bad. Since it started airing, its viewership had already ranked in the top five. The director had an excellent reputation in the industry and was very skilled at shaping characters and scenery.
It seemed he’d have to apologize to Fu Li and the others.
Lin Qinghe responded, “Alright. Is it also shooting in Western Capital?”
Sun Lin denied it. “No, in another city. The plane tickets are already booked. Tomorrow, Xi Nian and I will go with you. When you pack, remember to bring two thick pieces of clothing. The temperature there is around ten-something degrees.”
Another city. Lin Qinghe thought to himself that it would be a long journey.
“I understand. Thank you, Sister Lin.”
“No problem. Second piece of news: Xu Anyu has returned.”
Sun Lin gave Lin Qinghe a heads-up in advance. “Xu Anyu has talent, but he’s equally petty and vengeful. He never forgets a grudge. Many artists have opinions about him but choose to endure it because they can’t afford to offend him.”
“There’s no conflict between you and him, but he has a problem with you. You understand what I mean, right? Avoid him when you can from now on. Don’t get yourself tangled in trouble. It’s not worth it. If he stirs up more trouble, it wouldn’t be surprising if Starlight Entertainment abandons him completely.”
Lin Qinghe looked out the window. “Mm.”
After finishing both pieces of news, Sun Lin’s tone grew warmer. “Nothing else. You’ve always done very well. I’ve managed so many artists, and you’re the most special. The next period might be extremely busy, but persistence is victory.”
“It’s fine. I can handle it.”
Ending the call, Lin Qinghe was about to reply to Fu Li that he might have to break their promise. But he suddenly remembered that although he and Fu Li had chatted for quite a while last night, they hadn’t exchanged contact information. He had no choice but to inform him through Cen Han.
When he ran into Cen Han at the stairway, Cen Han even asked what time he and Fu Li had agreed on.
“Mr. Cen, Sister Lin told me I have to go to another city to film tomorrow, so I can’t go to the estate. I don’t have Mr. Fu’s phone number. Could you help me contact him?”
Cen Han stepped down the stairs. “A new production crew?”
“Yes.” Lin Qinghe said, “There’s a role with not much screen time. Sister Lin’s intention is for me to appear more in public.”
Cen Han pulled out his phone and called Fu Li. The other side took a long time to pick up, voice vague and muddled, full of resentment.
“What is it? Calling me early in the morning. I haven’t even woken up yet.”
After Lin Qinghe left last night, they had played until three in the morning before dispersing. Fu Li had lost the most miserably. Cen Han and Gu Yan had won the most. Xi Yun had fared better than Fu Li.
“Lin Qinghe is joining a new production crew in the next couple of days. No need to pick him up.”
Before Fu Li could speak, Lin Qinghe added with some apology, “The notice came suddenly. My flight is tonight. Have fun.”
“Oh, oh, no worries. Next time then. Next time when you have time.” Fu Li shifted his sleeping position. “Teacher Lin, stay safe on the road. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
Cen Han ended the call and asked, “Your flight is tonight?”
Lin Qinghe watched him operate his phone, doing something. He nodded. “Yes, six o’clock.”
“Mm. Bring your assistant.”
This assistant was definitely not referring to Xi Nian. Other cities weren’t as convenient as Western Capital. If trouble arose, it couldn’t be resolved so quickly. Last time, Cen Han happened to be there. A moment later, and it might have caused an enormous uproar. Bringing two tall, sturdy assistants would make others wary to some degree.
“Alright.” Lin Qinghe also thought it was reasonable. “Is Mr. Cen also going out today?”
There was a high probability that Cen Han would return after he had already boarded the plane. And after filming his scenes for “Twelve Miles of Snowy Capital,” he would likely go directly to Floating Fate Hotel to continue filming Dream of the Blue Moon Night. So they wouldn’t see each other for several days. It was only proper to say goodbye.
“Visiting another company for inspection.” Cen Han stood still, looking at Lin Qinghe. The innate aloofness in his bones had completely dispersed. “There’s a dinner engagement. It ends around eight.”
Lin Qinghe understood the implication. “Then I’ll have to say goodbye to Mr. Cen.”
Cen Han nodded. “The driver is waiting for me. Goodbye.”
Watching Cen Han leave, Lin Qinghe took out his suitcase from the walk-in closet and packed a few clothes and toiletries. His luggage was generally simple. He finished packing in less than five minutes.
Sun Lin: Twelve Miles of Snowy Capital
Sun Lin: The role is Xie Yuanyu. Summary.
Lin Qinghe: OK, received.
After breakfast, Lin Qinghe stayed in his room, reading the script on his tablet. Sun Lin had carefully extracted the plot points related to Xie Yuanyu separately, attaching character traits and background.
Xie Yuanyu: The youngest son of the Xie family, noble in status. Raised in luxury since childhood, born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Studied under the Crown Prince, his maternal uncle. Kind and upright by nature, unaware of the darkness in the world. Diligent in his studies, ranked as Tanhua in the imperial examinations. Frequently offered counsel in the Golden Hall. Because his righteous and candid words were as clear as a mirror, he incurred His Majesty’s displeasure and was targeted by mediocre officials. Later, his clan fell from grace, the court underwent upheaval, and he passed away forever during a March peach blossom snow.
Lin Qinghe hadn’t expected Xie Yuanyu’s identity to actually be the Tanhua. His state of mind grew somewhat complicated. Associating it with his own experiences, a sense of melancholy suddenly welled up within him.
His life hadn’t been as gilded as Xie Yuanyu’s, but he too had once ridden freely and lived with abandon. When His Majesty was in good health, he widely accepted wise counsel and valued talented individuals most of all. Back then, when he offered advice in the Golden Hall, even the Prime Minister would yield to him. Moving through the busy markets, he was loved and respected by the common people.
But the winds and clouds shifted unpredictably. The world was ever-changing. After His Majesty fell ill, he grew suspicious and paranoid. The path grew narrower and narrower, forcing him into a desperate corner.
Although the character of Xie Yuanyu only appeared in a few scenes, he represented the fate of the Xie family from another angle, and also represented the fate of the imperial court.
The Xie family: the head of the four great clans of the Imperial Capital. A well-known noble lineage of officials and aristocrats, a distinguished house of high gates. Generation after generation produced capable individuals. Their ancestors had followed His Majesty’s forefathers to establish the empire, serving as generals. Their descendants all excelled—in business, they could become the wealthiest in a region; in scholarship, they could achieve high ranks; in martial arts, they could safeguard the nation’s peace.
Perhaps prolonged prosperity and comfortable living had made people complacent. Both the Xie family and the royal family had slackened. By Xie Yuanyu’s generation, the Xie descendants had already shown signs of indulging in pleasure, bullying commoners, and using power to oppress others. The male lead’s parents had tragically died at the hands of the son of the Xie family head’s younger brother.
His Majesty the Emperor, Li Wu, was a self-centered person with ambition but no ability. Over the years, his temperament had long been thoroughly figured out by the sycophantic ministers in court, giving them an opening. They would say whatever His Majesty liked to hear; when His Majesty wanted to do something and was obstructed by the Grand Tutor’s faction, they would fully support him; when His Majesty took a liking to beautiful women, they would search everywhere to present peerless ladies.
Such rampant misbehavior caused the elder statesmen left from the previous dynasty to see the situation clearly. Gradually disheartened, they stopped speaking up. Unless it concerned the empire itself, they helplessly let Li Wu do as he pleased.
Fortunately, foreign tribes dared not invade, and the people’s lives were relatively stable. This gave Li Wu the conditions to be willful. Otherwise, even if they had to line up and dash their heads against stone pillars, they would have dragged this hopeless incompetent back.
