Chen Jing's idol status would not only fail to help him, but would most likely become a hindrance.
That was because top directors simply looked down upon idols like Chen Jing, preferring instead to work with experienced actors.
With zero acting experience and no formal professional training, Chen Jing naturally failed to win the favor of directors.
Although the present Chen Jing was no longer the same person as before, outsiders had no way of knowing that.
Moreover, even though Chen Jing's current acting skills could easily sweep across the top traffic stars of later generations, there was still a considerable gap between him and a solid powerhouse actor, making him truly unsuited to take on the male lead role.
At the same time, as filmmakers from Hong Kong and Taiwan moved northward into the mainland, the leading roles in many films were essentially monopolized by actors from those regions. It was not until 2008 with *Painted Skin* that a mainland young actor finally secured a true male lead role.
Thus, during the promotional campaign for *Painted Skin*, Donnie Yen was promoted as the main star, occupying the center position on the posters while Chen Kun was relegated to the side.
From this, one could see just how little trust the mainland film market had in mainland young actors at that time.
Furthermore, the time period of late 2009 was rather awkward. Had it been the era of the "Four Returning Grand Nationals", Chen Jing could have easily starred as the male lead in youth romance films.
Wu Bufan, for instance, directly starred in three youth films upon returning to China.
Unfortunately, youth films had not yet become a prevailing trend, leaving Chen Jing with no such opportunities.
When it came to movies, Chen Jing lacked strong competitiveness, making it very difficult for him to secure a role in a major production.
Of course, there would certainly still be films looking to cast Chen Jing as the male lead, but they would be doing so purely to cash in on his popularity.
In other words, the entire film would rely solely on Chen Jing to carry it, treating his fans like harvested leeks, which meant the pay would likely be quite high.
Yet Chen Jing would undoubtedly reject such offers. Rather than calling it a high salary, it was more like an advance payment for reputation damage.
Taking on that kind of film would inflict too much damage on his public appeal.
Since he wanted to remain an evergreen top-tier idol, he naturally had to cherish his reputation, and such movies were best left untouched.
However, if it were a supporting role as the second or third male lead, Chen Jing might actually stand a chance, even in a major production.
Just think of Jay Chou in *Curse of the Golden Flower*—the National Master flatly refused him at first.
Yet unable to withstand Zhang Weiping's interference, and in order to draw Jay Chou's fans into the theaters to boost box office earnings, Zhang Weiping wore the National Master down until he finally yielded.
As a director, the National Master chose to reject Jay Chou for the sake of film quality.
Meanwhile, Zhang Weiping, acting as producer and investor, valued box office revenue above all else; one's standpoint determined one's perspective.
Even so, getting in touch with a top director like the National Master was by no means an easy task.
Therefore, Chen Jing needed a manager with strong methods and extensive connections.
Naturally, it was best if this manager wasn't too domineering, because Chen Jing possessed his own cheat codes and couldn't possibly follow every single order blindly.
Upon returning to China, Chen Jing planned to first establish his own personal studio and then sign with a manager through that studio.
As for who to sign with, that would have to be considered and deliberated when the time came.
Additionally, to secure better film resources, Chen Jing felt the continuous need to expand his network of connections.
No man is good for a thousand days, no flower blooms for a hundred flowers! More friends mean more paths!
Perhaps through a simple recommendation from a friend, one could land a crucial opportunity; building connections was utterly vital, which was a lesson Chen Jing had learned from his years as an extra in his past life.
When it came to handling this aspect well, Master Huang was undoubtedly the standout, with friends everywhere, ensuring he always had work regardless of the circumstances.
Of course, this approach also had its downside: favors owed had to be repaid, which explained why Master Huang frequently appeared in all sorts of terrible dramas.
Chen Jing would have to figure out a proper way to handle such situations.
"All right, get ready to get off the plane," Han Geng said, patting Chen Jing, who was deep in thought.
Lost in a flurry of thoughts, Chen Jing finally realized that the plane had already landed.
He then followed Han Geng toward the cabin door, though just before stepping off the aircraft, Chen Jing couldn't help casting one last glance backward, only to regretfully find no sign of Gao Yuanyuan!
The two of them walked into the airport terminal, chatting and laughing all the way. Just as Chen Jing was about to bid farewell to Han Geng, he suddenly heard countless high-pitched screams!
"Ah... Chen Jing!"
"Chen Jing! Chen Jing!"
"Ge! Ge!"
...
"Little Sprite" was the affectionate nickname Chen Jing's fans gave him. Because the fans of Super Junior were also called "Sprites", Chen Jing became the Little Sprite to tell them apart.
A sprite refers to a charming creature possessing magic or witchcraft.
Meanwhile, Chen Jing's fans called themselves "Elves"!
As for "Ge", it wasn't the "Ge" of Hong Kong, but rather the term Han Geng's fans used to address him.
This title had spread from South Korea, where calling someone "Ge" was an extremely intimate form of address; for instance, a girl might call her boyfriend "Ge" or "so-and-so Ge".
While Chen Jing was still in a daze, a massive crowd of Geng fans and Elves swarmed forward, instantly surrounding the two of them.
"Chen Jing, please give me an autograph!"
"Me too, me too!"
"Stop shoving from behind, my chest is about to be crushed flat!"
...
Before he even knew it, a pen had appeared in Chen Jing's hand, and his body began signing autographs by conditioned reflex—it seemed he was already extremely practiced at this work.
Taking advantage of the signing process, Chen Jing couldn't help raising his head to look at the fans before him.
At a single glance, all he saw were eager, excited, yet still somewhat youthful faces, their eyes filled with adoration, fanaticism, and a brilliant light as they looked at him!
Not far away, the fans had even hung up a banner that read: "Warmly welcome Chen Jing's return to China!"
In addition, many fans standing further away were raising and waving posters and support boards bearing Chen Jing's image, hoping to catch his attention.
Soon, Chen Jing also noticed that all the Elves were uniformly wearing sky-blue scarves, and sky-blue happened to be his official support color!
"What's going on here? Why are there so many people? Such a racket."
"Did some major celebrity arrive?"
"Must be. Look at all those fans, it's probably Heavenly King Andy Lau!"
"Heavenly King Andy Lau's fan base wouldn't be this young, it's probably Li Yuchun."
...
A corner of the airport terminal was packed with hundreds of people, instantly drawing the gaze of everyone in the entire airport.
Yet this feeling of being surrounded by fans actually made Chen Jing feel somewhat addicted; it was an alternative experience he had never once tasted in his previous life right up until his death.
"How did you guys know I was coming back today?" Chen Jing asked in puzzlement after calming his excited emotions.
"We found out from the Geng fans!" shouted one fan at the top of her lungs, otherwise Chen Jing wouldn't have been able to hear her over the noise.
The surrounding fans were shouting and buzzing, creating far too much commotion.
However, airport security soon arrived. After parting the fans, they found Han Geng and Chen Jing.
Because the fans' actions had already disrupted the normal operations of the airport and posed safety hazards, they instructed Han Geng and Chen Jing to leave immediately.
In the end, accompanied by security and closely followed step-by-step by the fans, Han Geng and Chen Jing got into a car and left the airport.
"Chen Jing!"
"Chen Jing! I love you!"
...
Even after the car started moving, quite a few fans chased after it, shouting Chen Jing's name with all their might.
Chen Jing waved vigorously to bid everyone farewell, his gaze lingering and unwilling to pull back for a long time, while the shouts for Chen Jing could still be faintly heard.
This scene of being surrounded by fans, this feeling of being adored by others, and this blazing popularity gave Chen Jing his very first real taste of top-tier idol heat.
"It really... feels wonderful!" Chen Jing whispered, watching the fans gradually recede into the distance.