Chapter 2

Sister Fang moved fast.

Less than half a day after hanging up the phone, she rushed over like lightning, carrying a freshly printed, still-warm contract.

Qiao Yanli had spent years in the entertainment industry and knew all its ins and outs. Moreover, the agency he was re-signing with was his former company, Shengshi Entertainment. The terms offered in the new contract were generous. After reading it thoroughly from start to finish and finding no issues, he signed his name without hesitation.

With the contract signed, they turned back to the topic of acting.

“It’s quite a coincidence that you want to play the male lead in 《Entering the Mortal Realm》. On my way here, I got word that the author wasn’t satisfied with Song Shuqi and rejected several candidates in a row. Rumor has it that Xingqiao Huoshu holds veto power over the male lead, so the production team is searching for someone else.” Sister Fang spoke with animated excitement. “Song Shuqi’s team thought it was in the bag and had already put out several press releases. Now they’ve made complete fools of themselves!”

Qiao Yanli hummed in agreement. “Song Shuqi’s acting isn’t up to par.”

“I’ve already contacted the production crew of 《Entering the Mortal Realm》 on your behalf. It’s a major IP, so the investors will definitely want someone popular enough to drive ratings. You’re about to make your comeback, so the buzz is there, but your popularity isn’t what it used to be. Plus, you don’t have prior acting experience, and this is your first project transitioning into an actor, so they haven’t made any commitments. You’ll still need to pass the audition.”

At this point, Sister Fang grew a little nervous and comforted him, “While it’s great that you’re willing to make a comeback, you’ve never acted before. Even if the audition doesn’t work out, there are plenty of other roles for you to play.”

If nothing else, based on his former status as a top star alone, countless productions would gladly extend an olive branch for Qiao Yanli’s comeback and transitional debut.

Qiao Yanli was not worried.

“I will learn,” he said.

Debuting as an idol back then had also been a sudden impulse. When he first entered the training camp, his singing and dancing were no match for trainees who had practiced for years. In the viewers’ eyes, he had nothing going for him apart from his face.

But he had always gone all out for his dreams. If he couldn’t sing or dance, he practiced until he couldn’t sing another note or take another step. Talent was his advantage, but it took ninety-nine percent hard work for him to stage a comeback against the odds during the survival show.

By the same logic, he weighed every word when writing, and if he wanted to act, he would find an acting coach and study properly.

If his acting couldn’t pass muster, he wouldn’t agree to cast himself even if he was Xingqiao Huoshu in person.

Shengshi Entertainment was one of the industry’s premier companies and partnered with film academies. Knowing that Qiao Yanli wanted to act, management readily brought in the best coaches.

In the time before the audition, Qiao Yanli packed his schedule with lessons.

Sister Fang suggested again, “Before you go to the audition, do you want to join a variety show?”

“A variety show?”

“That’s right,” Sister Fang said. “You’ve been away from the entertainment circle for so long, and your fans have been longing for your return. Now that you’ve decided to make a comeback, shooting a drama will take several months at least. Before that, you still need to make an official appearance. Going on a variety show is the best way to capitalize on your popularity, and it will draw your old fanbase back.”

As she spoke, she pulled a proposal out of her bag.

“Director Yang has a new variety show that’s about to begin filming. The guest list was already locked in, with recording starting next week. But Li Yizhou ended up in the crime news last week, leaving an open spot, and they’re looking for someone to fill in at the last minute. It won’t take up too much time, nor will it clash with the audition for 《Entering the Mortal Realm》; the timing works out perfectly. Most importantly…” Sister Fang drew out her words, pointing at an invited guest on the list, “Song Shuqi will also be on this variety show!”

Sister Fang was bursting with fighting spirit, invisible flames blazing behind her. “He’s constantly used you for clout, boasting that he’s some ‘Xiao Qiao Yanli’ and even deliberately Photoshopping you to look ugly! Without makeup, his face isn’t camera-ready at all. Once you two stand side by side, let’s see if he still has the gall to step on you to raise himself up!”

Qiao Yanli didn’t care about that.

His attention had already been drawn to another name on the list.

“Tu Sheng?”

Tu Sheng was a veteran actor with decades in the business. Though not widely famous, his acting was exquisite, and he had portrayed many renowned supporting roles; his roles were far more famous than his name.

But for Qiao Yanli, who was pursuing a new dream, this was a golden opportunity to learn!

He immediately said, “No problem, I’ll join.”

With his agreement, the rest was naturally smooth sailing.

《Ideal Times》 was one of Lizhi TV’s key projects this year, and they had gone to great lengths to invite their guests. Who could have known that right before shooting began, one of them would suddenly turn into a criminal offender!

Li Yizhou had originally been a popular young actor, so finding someone of comparable popularity was no easy feat. Other candidates were either already on set or had no open schedule, leaving Director Yang pacing in frantic circles over the mess.

When he received the call, he was first shocked by the news that Qiao Yanli was making a comeback. Without hesitating for even half a second, he immediately agreed, and after hanging up, he laughed out loud in his office.

Not to mention the past, even now, Qiao Yanli’s post-retirement buzz easily crushed most celebrities. Qiao Yanli’s comeback debut: this was hardly just filling in, it was practically handing his show massive publicity on a silver platter! What an unbelievable jackpot!

But…

Qiao Yanli had only recently appeared on the hot search, and almost everyone who browsed the internet regularly had seen that photo. After agreeing, Director Yang felt a little nervous as he recalled it. An idol’s looks were crucial; without them, even a former top star’s comeback wouldn’t make much of a splash.

But when he personally brought the contract to the door and saw the former top idol’s peerless, flawless looks, even more striking than in his prime, the last trace of Director Yang’s worry vanished completely.

What a joke. With a face like that, even if Qiao Yanli just served as eye candy and spaced out for the entire shoot, viewers would happily watch him over their rice bowls!

…

In the week before leaving to film the variety show, Qiao Yanli filled his schedule with acting classes. Even before sleeping, he watched classic works to learn from the acting of veteran predecessors. He spent every waking and sleeping moment studying, and his progress advanced by leaps and bounds.

Having written songs, novels, and painted, he possessed keen artistic perception and could easily empathize with a role. First understanding the character, then expressing it, in his acting coach’s words, he immersed himself in the roles remarkably fast.

On the road of pursuing his dreams, Qiao Yanli had never suffered a setback.

During this time, reminded by Sister Fang, he logged into his Weibo account that had been dormant for two years and posted a simple greeting to his long-parted fans.

@QiaoYanliV: Long time no see.

When the notification for special follows popped up, many fans thought they were hallucinating.

After leaving the industry, Qiao Yanli had cut all ties cleanly. Far from posting on Weibo, even paparazzi could barely photograph him a handful of times. Fans missing him could only revisit his past content.

【Who hacked the account?!】

【Grandma! The celebrity you follow just posted!】

【After two whole years, Qiao Yanli finally remembered his Weibo password!】

At the same time, the official Weibo account of 《Ideal Times》 reposted the update.

While everyone was still completely baffled, the official account quickly posted another one.

@IdealTimesV: He once reached for the stars amid applause and cheers, and stepped away briefly when surrounded by flowers and glory. Now fully prepared to begin anew, the dream is right here…

The attached image was a promotional poster featuring all the guests, but right in the center was a pitch-black silhouette.

Director Yang had done this intentionally. The heat from the trending searches two days ago hadn’t died down yet. Had Qiao Yanli’s looks really collapsed or not? A question that captivating should naturally be saved for the show to reveal!

Qiao Yanli’s fans went completely wild with joy. They quickly uncovered that the silhouette came from a photo of their idol from two years ago, matching down to every single strand of hair.

【Holy shit?!】

【What does this mean? Is Xiao Qiao making a comeback?!】

【I never thought I’d live to see the day! Can I actually see Qiao Yanli on TV again?!!】

The news caught everyone completely off guard. Fans from every fandom, passersby, and anti-fans were all stunned.

Soon, the trending searches were taken over by new topics.

#Qiao Yanli Comeback#

#Ideal Times New Guest#

#Qiao Yanli Ideal Times#

At the exact same time, on a certain gossip forum.

Title: 【Did anyone see the teaser Ideal Times just posted? Is that a certain retired senior citizen???】

1L: Whatever, I’m just going to say it out loud: is Qiao Yanli making a comeback??!!

5L: Lmao, Qiao Yanli is in the prime of his life, how did he become a retired senior?

6L: Did the person above forget someone’s dream declaration at the Golden Finch Award ceremony? No need to check my credentials, I used to be a QYL career fan^[1]. Back then, I genuinely thought he’d keep focusing on his work after winning the award, and I fought tooth and nail against his antis for him. Who knew the bastard would quit the circle and go home to pick his toes^[2]! Damn it! This former career fan had a total mental breakdown on the spot!

10L: So now he’s making a comeback?? To be fair, everyone saw the trending searches from a few days ago, right? With his face falling apart like that, does he actually have the nerve to come back?

15L: Why couldn’t he just leave well enough alone? If he didn’t return, he could still be everyone’s white moonlight^[3], and fans could still hype him up every few days. Now that he’s appearing on camera again, even his fans won’t be able to hype him up with their eyes closed, right?

17L: Who can blame him when your circle makes 2.08 million Yuan a day? No matter how aloof from mortal concerns you are, you still couldn’t bear to let that go.

…

50L: Honestly speaking, Qiao Yanli’s track record can still hold its own, can’t it? Which idol nowadays can beat Qiao Yanli in his prime? Who among them has won a legitimate award?

51L: Qiao fan above, that’s enough. After him, the Golden Finch Award turned into the Water Bird Award, and you’re still bringing it up to brag? It’s all because of the bad precedent your master set!

65L: Pure passerby here, but Qiao Yanli’s songs are genuinely so good. It’s been two years, and his songs are still on my playlist, not outdated in the slightest.

68L: Exactly. That’s why so many fans turned into haters when he left the industry back then. Right now, probably half of Qiao’s antis are his former career fans.

70L: And the other half are Song fans.

75L: Hahahahaha, who still remembers Song Shuqi debuting by hyping himself up as “Little Qiao Yanli”? Then once he got popular, he turned around and pretended not to know him. You’re all shocked about Qiao Yanli’s comeback, but am I the only one who noticed that Qiao and Song are going to be on the same variety show?!

88L: Qiao fans, brag all you want, but don’t take this chance to drag others, okay?

89L: At least Song Shuqi is dedicated and has solid skills. Your Qiao relied on a million-Yuan audio tuner and quit halfway through, yet you still have the nerve to compare them?

…

188L: Stop fighting, stop fighting! Go check 《Ideal Times》’s Weibo, they’re switching from pre-recorded to a live broadcast!