Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years

"Then this time you can't secretly learn anymore."

The saying goes that knowledge shouldn't be passed on lightly, especially these days no one willingly teaches their skills to others.

Especially when they're unaware.

"Daoist Suiyun!" Qi Hao grabbed him and asked, "Do you know how much my endorsement fee is annually?"

"No idea."

The fake Daoist wouldn't know about this kind of thing.

"Eight million!"

Actually, eight million is for two years, but as long as Qi Hao doesn't mention it, he can let the misunderstanding deepen.

"That much! I'd have to work for sixty years to match your endorsement!"

The fake Daoist works as a bodyguard for Gao Yang, as a Daoist consultant, making barely ten thousand a month.

Gao Yang is a businessman, not a fool.

He wouldn't casually throw away a million just because he has billions.

"When I promote your Daoist culture on TV programs, do I charge you?"

Qi Hao followed up with another question.

"You..."

The fake Daoist was stunned by Qi Hao's shamelessness.

Damn, this little Daoist went down the mountain to gain experience, witnessing the worldly splendor.

Father gambles, mother is sick, brother studying; just started, not familiar yet, siblings rely on me, business failed needs loans, ex-husband is abusive and a gambler, raising a kid alone without income, helplessly took the irreparable path, remember to pay me back next time...

He thought this was already pretty outrageous.

Never expected Qi Hao to be even more outrageous. Those people are just earning hard-earned money, Qi Hao wants to sell the whole Daoist temple.

Eight million, why not just rob?

"I've spent a great amount of time and energy learning and practicing your Daoist swordsmanship, facing misconceptions from the public to promote your culture diligently, what am I getting out of it?"

Qi Hao likes using questions to lead people astray.

"Yeah, what are you getting out of it?"

Seeing Qi Hao performing his swordsmanship, the fake Daoist felt somewhat uncomfortable but surprisingly not that angry.

Mainly because Qi Hao is too famous, too rich, he doesn't seem like he's purposely taking advantage.

"Because I like Daoist culture, want to promote Daoist culture, look, every time I post promotion photos when starting a film, there's always a Daoist figure amidst them, it's hard for people not to notice..."

Qi Hao didn't feel he was talking nonsense at all.

Wasn't he speaking the truth?

Now if his projects become more prestigious, once he becomes a renowned director like Zhang Yimou or Jiang Wen, Daoist Suiyun, appearing constantly at his opening ceremonies, practicing swordsmanship, will soon be known by all.

Uh... just wondering how people will perceive him if they learn about his peculiar hobby.

Whether it's finger-pointing by thousands or... more admiration.

"Alright, I'll perform another set, do you want to turn on the camera?"

Though the fake Daoist found Qi Hao shameless, he understood there was some truth to Qi Hao's words.

This was an open conspiracy.

Currently, the film industry has a superficial and skewed understanding of Daoist culture; if Qi Hao could genuinely help promote Daoist culture, it would be a great merit.

"Cao, move the camera over here, dual camera angles, filming our Daoist Master's mischief!"

Qi Hao shouted with satisfaction.

"You're the one being mischievous." The fake Daoist snorted.

With a mind set on promoting Daoist culture, our Daoist Suiyun performed an even higher-level swordsmanship.

The crowd watched in awe.

That aura, that grace... If it weren't for his fondness for foot baths, he would surely be a Daoist master.

"Bravo!"

The site was filled with cheers.

And the fake Daoist performed even better, clearly, the Daoist Master is just an ordinary person.

After the ceremony, Qi Hao took everyone for a group photo, and "First Love, This Little Thing" officially began filming.

The first scene filmed was An Feng's play "Snow White."

The original script was for this play, fitting the tone of a youth film, so Qi Hao didn't change it just because it's a foreign story.

Changing it to "Teahouse," the overall atmosphere wouldn't be right.

Once costumes were changed and makeup done, it was almost dark, but luckily, Qi Hao and An Feng were skilled actors, extras didn't cause any issues.

The first scene of filming went smoothly.

However, due to the crew being severely understaffed, managed like a makeshift troupe, the first day of filming faced a pretty serious issue.

It got leaked!

A picture of Qi Hao and An Feng's scene was exposed.

Designing and producing film crew's costumes often takes a lot of time and effort. Once leaked, not only does it affect actor's performances, but it also disrupts the crew's schedule.

Once costumes are leaked, the crew may need to remake them, affecting efficiency.

Also, leaks attract premature attention to unfinished work; by the time the full movie releases, it loses freshness.

Not to mention, leaks increase artists' exposure risks, leading to invasive behavior.

Once content is circulated, stalkers get the motivation for excessive photography. This interferes not only with artists' regular work and life, but may also threaten their personal safety.

Anyway, Qi Hao and An Feng filming in Xiamen became a hot topic online.

The exposed photo was actually quite beautiful.

At that time, what was being filmed was An Feng lying on the bed after eating the poisoned apple. She thought the one kissing her was Qi Hao, but it turned out they switched him out for another classmate last minute.

Frightened, she turned around and ran, only to trip over a rope.

Then she fell right into Qi Hao's arms.

This kind of scene is very common in dramas from Japan and South Korea, emphasizing romance and beauty.

Even though everyone knows this kind of thing is really cliché, with tripping usually leading to a faceplant, it can't resist the love from youths.

Even boys and girls in their thirties or forties would show an auntie-like smile watching it.

And in the photo, it shows An Feng in a princess costume held in Qi Hao's arms in a prince outfit, the two looking at each other affectionately.

The photographer quickly captured this scene.

Feeling a bit lonely appreciating it alone, she shared it with her most trusted friend.

Unfortunately, that person wasn't as trustworthy.

The photo was sent to others in no time.

By that night, it spread all over the internet.

It was quite simple to trace the culprit; without any investigation, the art designer confessed to Qi Hao herself.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused for the crew. My friend is a fan of your pairing and couldn't resist..."

"Your inability to resist is one thing, but you've genuinely complicated matters for the crew."

Originally the budget was tight, and now additional funds need to be spent to settle this.

After all, the discussions online aren't entirely positive, and even if they were, Qi Hao doesn't want too much chatter before the film is completed.

People have a rebellious nature.

If you discuss this today, discuss it tomorrow, and even the day after, still discussing it...

Then... what the heck does it have to do with us?

The goodwill of ordinary onlookers can be so easily damaged.

It would be better to wait for the critical period when the movie's about to release, initiate a focused marketing campaign to pique everyone's curiosity tremendously, thereby achieving box office success.

"I'm sorry, I'm willing to bear any responsibility."

The art designer isn't new to the job, but she just couldn't resist.

As someone working in aesthetics, she originally thought her taste level was high, but she was still blinded by the moment, leading to impulsive action.

Actually, when shooting this scene, An Feng had transformed from an ugly duckling to a swan, yet still a bit uglified.

At the very least, her true skin is extremely fair, but during filming, it was darkened and yellowed a bit.

The braces weren't removed either.

Yet, it was such an 'uglified' An Feng that appeared especially captivating while in Qi Hao's embrace.

"Forget about responsibility, although you can't stay with the crew, I must give an explanation to the others."

Qi Hao wasn't too angry, but without dealing with it, the atmosphere of the whole crew could deteriorate, leading to increasing issues later.

Then, this team would be unmanageable.

"I understand. Thank you, Teacher Qi Hao!" The art designer was extremely grateful to Qi Hao.

If the crew had made her compensate financially, it could have bankrupted her.

"You're still young, not long out of school, learn from this lesson — the road ahead is long, and I hope we'll have another opportunity to work together."

This art designer is quite talented.

The art director didn't seem significantly better than her, and in the near future, she'll likely be able to handle things independently.

Moreover, her recognition of her mistake was prompt, and her attitude was commendable.

Qi Hao doesn't mind giving such young people a chance; he too made his way by making mistakes.

"Thank you, Teacher Qi Hao!"

The art designer saw a fatherly figure in Qi Hao and kept expressing her gratitude.

After dismissing the source of the trouble, the entire crew became serious; no one dared to be careless with Qi Hao and An Feng due to their youth.

You have to admit, there was a silver lining to this matter.

Last time filming "Steel Piano," with Zhang Meng, the second generation, on site, and the filming location was his home turf.

Qin Hailu, Wang Qianyuan also were Northeasterners.

Most of the crew were familiar from past collaborations with Zhang Meng, making everything seamless.

But this time, the team was put together temporarily.

Combined with Qi Hao, An Feng, Gao Fei, and Yang Liu lacking much experience, handling those experienced staff was genuinely tough.

If I don't have my eye on you, you could slack off.

One slip, and you're taking little advantages from the public.

Now it's clear, I won't discuss reason with you; I'll just fire you. Now, no one even dares to take a deep breath.

Qi Hao left Xiamen after two days of filming, and under the director's arrangement, the crew filmed some less important scenes.

Qi Hao returned for "Wait and See."

Wan Qian, who also participated in "First Love, This Little Thing" as the second female lead, had no scenes temporarily and had long since returned to the capital for promotions.

"Wait and See" was dirt poor, but they still managed to squeeze out a simple premiere — if there's no buzz at all, the theaters certainly wouldn't allocate many slots.

Qi Hao and Li Dawei used their connections to invite many guests and media.

Li Dawei even contemplated bringing over those two donkeys.

But if by chance Hei Liu and Hei Qi pooped right in front of the audience at the cinema, it would definitely shock everyone, and he couldn't muster the courage.

He and Qi Hao still need to maintain their reputations afterward.

You can't starve the donkeys for two days to prevent anything either.

If you did that, the donkeys might see people's hair as edible grass, and the scene of actor and audience interaction could end up with actors chasing and nibbling on the audience.