Chapter 18: This Supporting Role Is Truly Extraordinary

“I understand. I’m heading to the company right now.”

Zhang Yang hung up the phone, controlled the mouse to save the file on his computer, and sent it to his secondary email account.

After finishing all that, he packed the laptop into his bag, his mind processing the two pieces of news Hu Ge had just given him.

First, he was invited to make a cameo in “Forest of Masters.” Second, he was recommended for the supporting role of Zhao Kuangyin in “The Glamorous Imperial Concubine.”

“Forest of Masters,” also known as “Unassailable: Forest of Masters,” began filming in January this year and was now nearing completion. The male lead was Hu Ge, the female lead Tang Yan, the second male lead Qiu Ze, and the third female lead Qi Wei.

Tang Yan, Qiu Ze, and Qi Wei had just finished airing “The Heiresses of the Xia Family,” which was still popular. The cast of “Forest of Masters” was quite strong.

When filming began, “The Heiresses of the Xia Family” had just premiered; otherwise, assembling such a cast would have been difficult and costly.

Hu Ge inviting him to cameo was clearly to help him ride the wave of popularity. Even if he felt it was insignificant, he couldn’t refuse such goodwill.

Moreover, many future big stars were in this drama; it was a good opportunity to expand his network.

“The Glamorous Imperial Concubine” was a co-production between Princess Ziwei and Mango TV, following the same formula as “Schemes of a Beauty”—a historical Mary Sue adored by all the male characters.

Had it aired a few years later, it might have flopped and received poor reviews, but this year it performed very well, ranking first in its time slot and topping the search rankings on QianDu’s trending drama list.

In this drama, Zhao Kuangyin was an important supporting role. A strong performance could stand out and attract significant attention.

Most importantly, it was a chance to secure a character credit!

“I’m still in the initial accumulation phase. I can’t let my rebirth and advantages make me arrogant.”

“Though this role is small, it has room to shine and can gain some attention after airing. I can also return to the set to get back into the groove, which will reduce the adjustment period when filming Xuanyuan Sword later.”

“Besides, there are many actors in ‘The Glamorous Imperial Concubine,’ so I can expand my circle in the industry.”

Having made up his mind, Zhang Yang was determined to seize the role of Zhao Kuangyin.

Ten minutes later, he returned to his company’s lounge, put down his bag, and headed to Hu Ge’s dressing room.

“Oh, Ah Yang, you came so quickly?”

Hu Ge was surprised to see Zhang Yang knocking and entering.

“I was just nearby, having coffee at a café,” Zhang Yang smiled.

“That’s great! I can hand over the scenes you’ll act in and still make it home for dinner.” Hu Ge shifted from lying down to sitting, reached for the briefcase on the coffee table, opened it, and handed a sheet of paper to Zhang Yang.

A cameo role was essentially a guest appearance with limited screen time, playing a character with a certain identity in a predetermined setting, delivering a few lines.

One page was enough!

[Identity: Zhang Dahai, former colleague of Tang Qiqi (female lead)]

[Event One: Encounters Tang Qiqi talking to Xu Ran (male lead) on the street. Knowing she’s been fired, he mocks her. Xu Ran stands up for Tang Qiqi, and upon learning Zhang Dahai works at Feng Lufei’s (second female lead) company, calls to have Zhang Dahai fired.]

[Event Two: Zhang Yang stakes out outside Xu Ran’s company to seek revenge but accidentally hits Ye Rou (third female lead). This incident is witnessed by Wei Xiao, who arrests and detains him for a stern warning.]

[Lines: …]

Zhang Yang skimmed the page and looked at Hu Ge with admiration.

“Where did you find such a genius? Writing a plot that connects a small extra with five main leads—impressive.”

Mocking the female lead, prompting the male lead to call the second female lead to have the extra fired, seeking revenge but accidentally hurting the third female lead, and then being dealt with by the second male lead.

This extra was truly extraordinary!

“It’s none other than me,” Hu Ge said with a self-satisfied smile.

“Impressive, I didn’t expect you, Hu, to have such wild ideas. You must have spent a lot of time reading popular web novels online,” Zhang Yang teased.

The villainous supporting role taunts the male lead, the extra seeks revenge but doesn’t even get close to the protagonist before being rejected—such a cocky yet comeuppance plot is typical of a satisfying web novel.

“Just tell me if you want to play the role,” Hu Ge said, arms crossed, looking at Zhang Yang.

“Yes, definitely,” Zhang Yang replied without hesitation.

He had taken a liking to this extra role. If he could perform well, it might be used for future publicity or even become a meme.

Memes could greatly boost a person’s popularity, right, little chicks?

“Thanks for your effort.” Zhang Yang put the paper in his pocket and looked at Hu Ge. “What’s the story with the role of Zhao Kuangyin in ‘The Glamorous Imperial Concubine’? The drama has been shooting for a while, hasn’t it?”

On the way, he had checked online to confirm his memory.

“The Glamorous Imperial Concubine” began filming in January, expected to wrap by late April or early May.

Before shooting, a drama usually requires months of preparation; big productions might take years. Casting is part of this preparation and is usually finalized before filming starts.

Last-minute cast changes happen, but whether due to investors’ unspoken rules or actresses fighting over roles, it rarely occurs long after filming has begun.

Unless…

“I don’t know much, only that the original actor for this role had a big conflict with Lin Ziwei,” Hu Ge said bluntly. “Lin Ziwei is making a comeback and acts superior in front of mainland artists. I guess the previous actor was straightforward and offended her somehow.”

“You’ll have to ask Sister K about the details. She got this role for you. I just took on the job of notifying you since I needed you for the cameo.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yang nodded thoughtfully.

It was not uncommon for artists from Hong Kong and Taiwan to feel superior when facing mainland Chinese actors, even though the entertainment industry was shifting to the mainland. Many still lived in the past.

Lin Ziwei, backed by early Taiwanese capital, was a well-known representative of this mindset.

“All right, I’ll ask Sister K. Don’t let me keep you from dinner.” Zhang Yang stood up before his seat was even warm.

Hu Ge stood as well.

“If it were before yesterday, I might have helped shield you from this role, but now I want to support you giving it a try.”

Zhang Yang understood Hu Ge’s meaning. Before yesterday, he had been too blunt and easily offended people.

If you’re popular, as long as you don’t break the law, you can do whatever you want.

But now, when it’s time to soften, you have to soften.

After a brief chat with Hu Ge, Zhang Yang went to Cai Yinong’s office.

He didn’t see Cai Yinong but instead met his charming neighbor, Naza.

Today she wore a simple beige floral dress, exuding an indescribable fresh and elegant aura.

As Zhang Yang looked her over, Naza noticed him too and smiled.

“Senior Brother, we meet again.”