Chapter 18

After taking a shower, Yan Li changed into clean clothes, took out three incense sticks that he had taken from the set, lit them, and faced the direction of his hometown. He offered a prayer, then inserted the incense sticks into a box of rice he had bought earlier in the evening, murmuring words under his breath. "Ancestral spirits, please bless me with some good intelligence." Monthly intelligence was supposed to be more valuable than daily intelligence, but it didn’t mean that every piece of it was significant or useful to Yan Li. Previously, he had encountered two subpar monthly intelligence reports, which made him start relying on metaphysical beliefs. But this only applied to monthly intelligence or even annual intelligence reports that he speculated about; daily reports came every day, and he didn’t have the time or energy to worry about them. As the incense burned halfway, the clock struck midnight, and Yan Li took a deep breath. "System." A sci-fi like light screen appeared, displaying eight pieces of intelligence. Though it wasn’t the maximum of ten pieces, this was still acceptable—last time he received only four pieces of monthly intelligence, which was just one more than the guaranteed minimum, leaving him in a sour mood. Yan Li focused, and one by one, the monthly intelligence unfolded. 【Monthly Intelligence ①: In 2005, the TV series "Liang Jian" became a massive hit on CCTV, achieving an average rating of 10.3%, securing the top spot… the actress playing Tian Yu, Tong Lei, was hailed as the 'Liang Jian Goddess' and became beloved by the audience.】 This was news from 2005? Yan Li’s eyes lit up. The most valuable monthly intelligence was naturally the "suspected future information" like this. The reason he said "suspected" was because he didn’t have enough proof to confirm that it was indeed "future information." However, based on the few pieces of intelligence he had validated, he felt confident—he added the "suspected" label merely out of caution. He had encountered several pieces of future information in the form of news, which seemed to be more credible and authoritative. Seeing Tong Lei’s name, Yan Li knew how the intelligence had been triggered. But more than that, he was curious about the series "Liang Jian." According to the report, it seemed like this show had been the number one rated show on CCTV in 2005. Wow, this wasn’t just a regular hit. Last year, the top-rated shows on CCTV were "Da Zhai Men" and "Qing Shen Shen Yu Meng Meng," while others like "Kangxi Dynasty," "Laughing in the Wind," and "Snow Without a Trace" also made the top three. So many people must have been propelled to fame because of this drama, and "Liang Jian" could not have been any less effective in terms of star-making. Yan Li added this intelligence to his "Important Intelligence" category, planning to inquire about this show’s production team and see if he could get a piece of the pie. 【Monthly Intelligence ②: In the 2004 UEFA European Championship final, the Greek team triumphed...】 The 2004 European Championship was won by Greece? Yan Li was a bit confused. Although he didn’t watch many soccer games, he knew that Greece wasn’t usually among the favorites. Was this a big underdog victory? He was uncertain, but decided to place this intelligence in the "Money Tree" category. If this information was accurate, it could lead to a huge windfall. Looks like he should watch more soccer; there’s gold on the field! 【Monthly Intelligence ③: … The list of tentative new leaders is as follows: …】 Yan Li: "…" He had just been talking and joking with a few actors over lunch the day before, and now the system was giving him this massive scoop? 【Monthly Intelligence ④: A century-old secret braised meat recipe... the finished product is fresh and delicious, with a rich, savory aroma, tender bones, and juicy meat.】 Yan Li scratched his head. How did this intelligence trigger? Could it be because he complained about the braised food he ate with Qin Lan? Or did it have something to do with his family’s restaurant where his father was researching recipes? He had an experience with this sort of thing before—he had once gotten a recipe for "Ten Simple and Delicious Side Dishes" from the system. After a call to his family, he speculated that it probably came from his parents discussing recipes at home. Not bad, though—getting a braised meat recipe could be useful. Growing up in a family restaurant, Yan Li had developed good cooking skills. He could use this recipe to satisfy his cravings or even share it with his parents to improve their business. Hmm, maybe he could even open a small restaurant in Beijing. Yan Li had always been immersed in the restaurant business and had a bit of a passion for it. He had also considered that if his career in the entertainment industry didn’t go well, he could always fall back on running a restaurant. But he didn’t want to make any hasty decisions and planned to assess the situation when he got back to Beijing. The braised meat recipe caught his interest, but since he was in Hengdian, with limited conditions, he couldn’t cook it himself. 【Monthly Intelligence ⑤: Tong Lei, an actress in "Sui Tang Heroes," born on January 13, 1980, Capricorn, from Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, studied at the Shanghai Drama Academy in the 1999 performance department, 1.65 meters tall, weighs 98 jin, blood type A, measurements... home address in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province XXX, currently residing in Shanghai XXX, phone number 135XXXX...】 Oh, personal information! Yan Li didn’t expect that after the system gave him information on Xie Junhao, it would also collect Tong Lei’s personal data for him. Although both were personal information reports, they weren’t exactly the same—each had different focal points and varying levels of detail. Since this was a monthly report, the information on Tong Lei was more detailed than the previous personal report he had gotten. It was roughly over ten thousand words. It even included how many bankbooks she had, how much money was in them, and even her passwords! If Yan Li wanted to pursue Tong Lei, he could use this personal report along with the goodwill he had accumulated over the past few days to easily make progress. However, Yan Li wasn’t interested in Tong Lei. He was focused on his career. Even if he was lonely, he would prioritize Qin Lan, who matched his aesthetic, or even his ex-girlfriend. So, this report was essentially useless to him—he’d rather have another recipe or remedy. The next two pieces of intelligence didn’t interest Yan Li, so he skipped them. It was the last piece that caught his attention. 【Monthly Intelligence ⑧: The Zhejiang Province Yongle Film and Television Company, founded by producer and director Cheng Lidong in 2004, has rapidly grown, producing and distributing many films, including "Feng Shen Bang: The Phoenix Rising from Qi Mountain"...】 Cheng Lidong? Wasn’t this the same director who had dinner with him and a producer from Zhou Yi’s team a few days ago? Wow, at that time, this guy didn’t say much, and even Wang Decai hadn’t heard of him. Yan Li thought he was just tagging along for a free meal, but it turns out he was a hidden heavyweight. Yan Li remembered that he had treated him with the appropriate level of respect. After all, even if they weren’t close, he was a director and a friend brought by a guest. How could he treat him rudely? "Right, I think he gave me a business card." Yan Li searched his pockets and found a few business cards, including one from Cheng Lidong. With the phone number, he could easily reach out tomorrow to get some background information from Old Wang. Maybe he could trigger some related intelligence and make connections. This might open up another opportunity for him. In the entertainment industry, relationships and connections were key. For most people, the challenge isn’t having too many gods to worship, but finding the right ones to pray to without wasting time. It seemed that Cheng Lidong wasn’t famous yet, but he would eventually make a name for himself.