Just as the clock struck midnight, Yuan Chuan You returned to his rented apartment.
Although physically exhausted, this work schedule wasn't complicated for him. After all, he was just a supporting actor in this drama, and all his scenes combined would only take about a week to film.
Yuan Chuan You's goal was to continue grinding for entries. Only by mastering higher-tier acting entries would he have more confidence in future auditions.
He glanced at the system's light screen. The party had ended, and after chatting with Sakurajima Mai, the progress bar for gathering inspiration had ticked up a little.
[Production Queue 1: Burst of Inspiration]
[EXP: 15/100]
"I really need to experience more new things..."
The young man sighed as he walked into his bedroom. Just as he was about to wash up, the phone on his desk suddenly rang.
He picked it up and saw that it was a call from his agent, Nakahara Kazuya.
This guy... isn't he resting yet? It's almost midnight.
"Hello."
"Yuan Chuan, I've already heard about what happened at the celebration party. How did you suddenly attract Yamada Shu's attention?"
Nakahara Kazuya had been about to go to bed, but after receiving a message from a crew member, he had become agitated and called him immediately.
"I only have one scene with him. Maybe he appreciates my acting."
Yuan Chuan You poured himself a glass of water and spoke in a calm, unhurried manner.
"Do you have any idea how much influence Johnny & Associates has in the entertainment industry? If you offend them, it'll be really hard for you to survive in this business."
"...From the sound of it, Nakahara-san, are you hoping they poach me?"
"Uh, of course not. I just wish you would handle these things more tactfully."
Nakahara Kazuya's tone was a bit bitter. "You could have found some plausible excuse to brush him off, just enough to save face. I heard Yamada-kun looked furious when he left. He's the core talent Johnny & Associates is pushing this year; even many senior actors have to be mindful of him."
"Don't worry, I'm just a supporting actor," Yuan Chuan You said after a moment's thought. "Once my scenes are done in a few days, he won't see me again."
"Sigh, if I had known this would happen, I should have briefed you in advance."
Nakahara Kazuya sighed. "Do you know what my superiors said when I told them you passed the audition for '49'?"
"That you'd struck gold?"
"'That the gold under my management is finally shining,'" the agent said, sitting at his computer and rubbing his temples. "If you can climb higher, I can bask in your glory. But to think you'd offend someone from Johnny & Associates on your very first drama... I truly didn't expect that."
"It's fine. More importantly..."
Yuan Chuan You decided to give him some reassurance. "Nakahara-san, do you have any connections in the publishing industry?"
"The publishing industry?"
Nakahara Kazuya was stunned for a moment, then asked with concern, "What are you planning to do?"
"I plan to write a novel and submit it for publication soon. If it gets published, it will give me a new identity."
Yuan Chuan You glanced at his system panel. He was just one last entry away from synthesizing [Junior Novelist], and the experience for [Burst of Inspiration] was steadily accumulating.
"Huh???"
The agent was completely shocked, his speech quickening. "For real? You can write novels too?"
"I've already tried my hand at it. Even Sakurajima-san is very interested in the story I'm writing."
"..."
And so, Nakahara Kazuya received yet another mental shock for the day.
He clutched his phone and asked in disbelief, "This Sakurajima-san you're talking about... couldn't possibly be..."
"It's Sakurajima Mai."
"It's only the first day, and you two already know each other?"
"I guess you could say that," Yuan Chuan You mused. "We added each other on Line and chatted. I showed her my manuscript, and then..."
"Alright, I've heard enough."
Nakahara Kazuya cut him off, his tone becoming much more serious. "Although last time I told you to prepare well for the audition and then boost your popularity by co-starring with Sakurajima Mai, but..."
"You absolutely cannot let Bunshun catch you on camera and start some nasty rumors!"
"Sakurajima Mai is an actress at the height of her popularity! You absolutely cannot..."
The agent's tone grew increasingly tense. This kind of thing was common in the entertainment world. If a scandal broke, given her status, the one who would be sacrificed would undoubtedly be a minor actor like Yuan Chuan You who had just landed his first role.
Getting blacklisted would be getting off easy. In worse cases, you could be stalked and harassed by extremist fans, leading to even more serious personal safety issues.
"Don't worry, we just talked. We didn't do anything else."
"'This is a red line... you absolutely cannot cross it!'" Nakahara Kazuya emphasized, then continued in a heartfelt tone.
"Since you can also write novels, I'll ask around for you tomorrow. I've dealt with Fujikawa Bookstore on cooperative projects before, so I know a female editor there."
"Sorry to trouble you."
"Don't say that. We're in the same boat now. Right, once you finish filming your scenes for the first episode, come to the agency. I'll brief you on the various unwritten rules of the entertainment industry... I'm genuinely afraid you'll cause another incident."
"Okay."
Yuan Chuan You had no objections to this. Going to the agency and interacting with other talents or agents might be another way to gather material, helping him accumulate experience for the [Burst of Inspiration] entry faster.
"Oh, right. You should set up your personal Twitter account later. Now that you've officially started filming, you're a proper actor," Nakahara Kazuya added.
"Twitter?"
Yuan Chuan You took out his phone, opened the app store, and searched for the globally popular social networking app.
"Even though you're just a supporting character in this drama, we need to strike while the iron is hot. '49' is a weekly drama that airs as it's filmed. When the first episode officially broadcasts in a few days, some people will definitely take an interest in you and search for your name on Twitter."
"And then? After setting up my Twitter, what should I post?"
"First, follow the official account for the '49' production, then retweet one of their promotional tweets..." The agent suddenly lowered his voice. "Later, Director Asano will probably give you all some materials to promote the drama. Just follow the production team's instructions."
"Understood."
Yuan Chuan You stared at the blank profile he had just set up. His profile picture was an image of a blue ocean, and his username was a system-generated random combination of letters and numbers, making it look like a bot account.
"Remember to edit your bio, make it interesting. You can post about your daily life on there later, but remember not to just randomly like things on Twitter."
It was pitch black outside. Yuan Chuan You's thumb hovered over the screen. After thinking for five minutes, he finally typed a line into his bio field.
[Actor Yuan Chuan You, specializing in the art of "making convenience store onigiri look delicious through impromptu acting." Please look after me from now on.]
After changing his name and bio, he casually retweeted a promotional tweet from the '49' production team.
"Beep!"
The next second, the notification sound for a new follower came from his phone.
Watching his follower count jump from 0 to 1, Yuan Chuan You found it a bit strange.
"Amber-colored Cat... why is she still awake so late?"
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