Chapter 10: Movie Premiere

Tang Qu didn’t expect the opportunity to understand Guan Yan to come so quickly.

Over the weekend, he went to Old Zhang’s house as agreed.

Old Zhang was delighted to see Tang Qu arrive a bit earlier than the scheduled time. Nowadays, many newcomers in the industry have no sense of punctuality.

Throughout the afternoon, Tang Qu felt he had learned a great deal.

Previously, he had mostly navigated the entertainment industry on his own. Although he was professionally trained, once he entered the industry and started acting, the knowledge from textbooks alone was insufficient. All his acting skills were honed bit by bit through his own efforts.

No one knew how much effort the glamorous Tang Yingdi had put in behind the scenes.

Not only was Tang Qu satisfied with the afternoon, but Old Zhang was also very pleased.

Tang Qu was the most talented actor Old Zhang had seen in recent years, and the young man’s humble attitude showed he was genuinely there to learn.

The more Old Zhang looked at Tang Qu, the more satisfied he felt.

When Tang Qu was leaving in the evening, Old Zhang called out to him, “Tang Qu, I have a ticket for tomorrow’s movie premiere, but I’ve made plans to play chess with an old friend and can’t go. You go in my place.”

Tang Qu took a closer look and saw it was for the highly anticipated new movie “Light and Shadow,” starring Guan Yan.

Looking at Old Zhang, who was smiling, Tang Qu couldn’t quite grasp his intentions.

Although he didn’t understand Old Zhang’s thoughts, Tang Qu was genuinely interested in the movie. He wanted to see what level Guan Yan was at now.

As Tang Qu was leaving, he heard Old Zhang say, “Xiao Qu, as an actor, the most important thing is to break through.”

After saying this, Old Zhang leisurely went to have some tea.

Tang Qu was momentarily stunned.

Actually, Old Zhang’s intention was to make Tang Qu realize that imitating others’ acting styles would never lead to success. Only by finding his own unique path could he sustain a long career. Giving Tang Qu the movie ticket was meant to make him understand the gap between himself and Guan Yan, as they were fundamentally different.

However, Old Zhang didn’t know that Tang Qu’s inner self had already been replaced by a new soul. The current Tang Qu naturally wouldn’t imitate Guan Yan’s acting style, so he couldn’t yet grasp Old Zhang’s well-meaning advice.

Zhang Yong came to pick up Tang Qu in the evening, and Tang Qu told him about the movie ticket.

Zhang Yong smiled, “That’s a good thing. Tomorrow’s the movie premiere, and it’s good for you to go and see it. Since you’ve decided to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, given your current situation, you need to have a deep understanding of Guan Yan. In the future, steer clear of him and stop imitating him. His Maidens’ Army is something most people in the industry can’t afford to provoke.”

Tang Qu was puzzled, “Maidens’ Army?”

Zhang Yong looked at Tang Qu, “You don’t know? That’s what Guan Yan’s fans are called.”

Tang Qu had some understanding of this, “Guan Yan’s fans are called the Maidens’ Army?”

Zhang Yong nodded, “Well, not exactly. Originally, Guan Yan’s fans were just called the Maidens, but because they became so fiercely protective and gained notoriety, they became known as the Maidens’ Army.”

Tang Qu couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of Guan Yan, with his arrogant expression, calling his fans “Maidens.”

But as he laughed, Tang Qu thought of his own fans. His fans also had a name, and they were a group of very gentle and lovely people, a beacon of hope in countless moments of despair.

Tang Qu was not a genius in the traditional sense. His teacher once told him during his school days that he would never achieve great success in the entertainment industry. However, Tang Qu didn’t give up. He simply loved acting, and in the end, he resolutely plunged into the entertainment world. During his most difficult times, the fans who gathered around him provided him with the greatest warmth, supporting him step by step as he climbed to the highest position.

Reaching the pinnacle was not only due to his own efforts but also owed much to those lovely people.

Seeing Tang Qu silent beside him, Zhang Yong comforted him, “It’s okay. Once you officially debut, you’ll have many fans too, and then you can give them a name.” He thought Tang Qu was envious of other people’s fans.

Tang Qu nodded. To him, “fans” was a warm word.

“Alright, go upstairs and rest early. I have something to handle tomorrow and won’t be able to accompany you to the movie premiere. Can you go by yourself?”

“I can.”

“Dress up nicely.” Zhang Yong had previously observed Tang Qu’s fashion sense, which wasn’t stunning but rather average. Although it had improved slightly recently, Zhang Yong still thought it was too simple and lacked the youthful vigor. In his view, Tang Qu should take some fashion coordination courses.

At this moment, Tang Qu had no idea that Zhang Yong had already arranged a full schedule of courses for him.

When Old Zhang made a move, it was never ordinary. Tang Qu initially thought the tickets Old Zhang gave him were for ordinary seats, but to his surprise, they were for the middle front rows, one of the best seats in the entire venue!

If it were the old Tang Qu, sitting in such a position would naturally be appropriate. But now, he was keenly aware that he was still a newcomer! Sitting in such a prominent seat might not be suitable.

Tang Qu arrived early. Except for the media at the back, there were hardly any people around. As a newcomer, Tang Qu couldn’t attract much attention from the media. However, his looks and the seat he occupied were too special, so many media outlets still took a few photos of him.

Tang Qu didn’t pay much attention to the flashing lights. No media outlet would reserve space for a fresh face like his.

But Tang Qu was now pondering another question: should he leave directly? After all, his presence here was somewhat awkward. But if he left, it would surely draw attention. Imagine, Movie Emperor Guan’s new movie, and he, Tang Qu, didn’t even watch a single scene before leaving. Tang Qu could already imagine how the unscrupulous media would spin the story.

Finally, as more people started to fill the venue, Tang Qu decided to stay. Since he had come, he shouldn’t leave empty-handed.

Comforting himself in this way, Tang Qu calmed down.

In the rows ahead of Tang Qu, people were whispering,

“Who is that up there?”

The person beside them glanced back casually and then turned to their companion, saying, “Don’t know, probably a new face.”

“But that seat he’s in? Those tickets are usually given out by the main cast, right?”

Both couldn’t help but be curious about the person in that seat. He looked quite young, not like a senior figure, and there didn’t seem to be anyone like him in the entertainment industry.

“Why does he look familiar?”

“Shh~ stop talking, Guan Yan is here!” The person who first raised the question nudged their companion, speaking with some excitement.

The two immediately turned their attention to Guan Yan, no longer focusing on Tang Qu.

Guan Yan stood in front of the screen, bowed politely, and gave a brief speech. After the director’s remarks, the movie premiere officially began.

Guan Yan then walked over to the seat next to Tang Qu.

Just as Guan Yan sat down, the woman from earlier suddenly whispered to the person beside her, “That’s Tang Qu, the one who’s been imitating Movie Emperor Guan and riding on his coattails for fame!”