Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 358 All Stars Flock to It
The call went through, but Andy Lau didn't answer because he was already busy.

After he publicly announced that Zhongyuan Yidianhui had written a script for him called "The Mistake of Deception", people in the industry began to inquire about the script.

He had just seen Rosamund Kwan off when Maggie Cheung arrived with her agent.

Just after seeing Maggie Cheung off, Chow Yun-fat arrived.

And so, he would still receive calls from time to time, all inquiring about the script.

In the original timeline, "Infernal Affairs" was released at the end of 2002.

The reason this film is considered a savior of Hong Kong cinema is because Hong Kong films at that time had declined drastically.

The glory days of yesteryear seem like a shared dream.

Now that the dream is over, everyone needs to face the harsh reality.

Directors, stars, and behind-the-scenes staff all need to find their own way out. Those with ability and connections go to Hollywood, while those who are less likely to go to mainland China.

Even for top-tier superstars, it's incredibly difficult to break into Hollywood.

The most successful is Jackie Chan.

Next is Li Lianjie.

Even Chow Yun-fat couldn't make it in Hollywood.

Actresses like Rosamund Kwan and Maggie Cheung are not what Hollywood needs.

This is the cruel reality.

This was also one of the reasons why Andy Lau made a special trip to Huizhou to visit Cao Sheng, hoping that Cao Sheng would write a script for him.

In such a harsh environment, even a superstar like Andy Lau lacks suitable films.

Movies that aren't big enough can't afford him. If he's going to act in a movie, he either has to bring his own funding to the production or lower his salary. But lowering his salary can only be done occasionally. If he does it too often, people inside and outside the industry will think he's only worth that much, which is considered a self-degradation.

Chow Yun-fat and others also faced this situation.

On the surface, their salaries are all incredibly high, often reaching millions.

But the reality is that fewer and fewer people are looking for their movies.

Especially good movies.

Occasionally, there are people willing to pay high salaries to hire them, but most of them are for bad movies, trying to ride on their popularity to boost box office sales.

They dare not act in many bad movies.

Although money is tempting, acting in too many bad movies will significantly damage their image and status.

It's hard.

In the past two years, however, the script of "A Little Gray in the Central Plains" has become a beacon of light.

To date, Zhongyuan Yidianhui's scripts have never failed.

Whoever plays it will become famous.

Each one achieved higher box office returns and received better reviews.

For example, Donnie Yen became famous after starring in "Kung Fu Jungle".

Yuan Biao's role in "Ip Man" brought him renewed fame.

Zhao Wenzhuo, a mainland actor who has never been a box office draw, has become an international action star after starring in "Ong-Bak". It is said that Hollywood has recently offered him several good scripts, and he seems to have successfully made it into Hollywood.

In this situation, let me ask you this: when news spread that Andy Lau had written a script for him by Chung Yuen Yi Dian Hui, and that it was of excellent quality, which of the celebrities in the industry who considered themselves to have a good relationship with him could remain calm?

When Rosamund Kwan arrived, her large, expressive eyes gazed at him tenderly. She didn't need to say anything; Andy Lau understood the meaning in her eyes.

When Maggie Cheung arrived, she asked him with a smile, "Andy Lau! Has the female lead for this movie been cast yet? Do you think I have a chance?"

When Chow Yun-fat arrived, he put his arm around Andy Lau's shoulder and asked him with a big smile, "Andy! How's our relationship?"

……

Even Jackie Chan couldn't help but call to ask if there was a suitable role for him in the movie.

He certainly doesn't lack acting opportunities.

But he believed in the quality of Cao Sheng's script.

Before calling Andy Lau, he called Cao Sheng first, but Cao Sheng didn't answer for some reason.

He's an impatient person and couldn't wait, so he simply made a phone call to Andy Lau.

Andy Lau chuckled twice, "This movie isn't for you! Unless you're willing to make a cameo appearance, but would you be willing to do a cameo?"

Jackie Chan: "Oh, I see! That's a real shame. A cameo role... well, we'll see if I'm available then! If I am, a cameo role is definitely no problem."

……

It wasn't until Feng Xiaogang called for the third time that Andy Lau finally had time to answer.

But Feng Xiaogang was destined to be disappointed.

Although he had worked with Andy Lau on "A World Without Thieves," it was still impossible for Andy Lau to tell him the detailed plot of "Drishyam."

"I'm sorry, Director Feng, all I can say is that it's a story about a male protagonist using cinematic montage to protect his family. I really can't tell you more. I hope you can understand my predicament. Next time! Next time there's an opportunity, I'll offer you a toast to apologize, okay?"

What else could Feng Xiaogang say?

I could only manage a couple of dry laughs to show my understanding.

After hanging up the phone, he was still pondering the information that Andy Lau had just revealed.

—Does the male protagonist use cinematic montage techniques to protect his family?
Can film montage have such an effect?

Is this a fantasy movie?
Montage can be used like this?

He scratched his head, unable to figure out what kind of movie it was. After thinking for a while, he couldn't help but dial Cao Sheng's number again, wanting to ask Cao Sheng why the script was given to Andy Lau and not to him?

Although asking this question now makes it impossible for him to get the script for "Drishyam".

But he thought: Maybe I can use this incident to make Cao Sheng feel embarrassed, and then he will write me a note as soon as possible.

He thought well.

pity……

Cheng Long had just called Cao Sheng, but Cao Sheng didn't answer. When Cheng Long called again, Cao Sheng naturally wouldn't answer either.

Huizhou.

On Saturday afternoon, Cao Sheng habitually turned off his phone and, as usual, sat in front of his computer to type.

There isn't much left in "The Legend of the Primordial Era".

In fact, he could have spent two or three years writing this book on this subject before finishing it.

But he wanted to write about many themes from the original timeline before they were published.

Driven by this idea, he was destined to limit the length of each of his works to four or five million words, or even more, unlike some of the great authors in the original timeline.

He consciously shortens the length of each of his works and tries to avoid writing filler content.

This way, he can complete each of his works within a year if possible.

Of course, writing like this is very tiring for him.

In the original timeline, after daily updates became the norm in online novels, bloating and padding of plots became a common phenomenon across the industry.

Even top-tier creators can't maintain a large volume of daily updates without adding filler content.

However, his works after his rebirth have never been deliberately padded with unnecessary content.

This is probably a major reason why his works have always received good reviews.

In front of the computer.

Cao Sheng was completely unaware of how many people were calling and texting him. His gaze was slightly narrowed as he stared at the document on the computer screen, his ten fingers tapping the keyboard at varying speeds, as if the whole world had shrunk to just the computer in front of him and the keyboard under his hands.

When he was completely absorbed in the novel, he was in a state of complete absorption.

If we were to say what his biggest takeaway was from all those years of writing before his rebirth, it would be...
It's probably like—selflessness!
If a writer can achieve a state of complete absorption in their writing every day, then even if the book's sales figures aren't ideal, its reputation will certainly not be bad.

Because of the effort he put into his writing, readers can feel the dedication he poured into his work.

Conversely, if he often fails to enter a state of complete absorption but forces himself to write every day, readers will quickly perceive a decline in the quality of his work.

Just like a chef's cooking, whether a chef puts their heart into the cooking process can be quickly judged by the diners when they taste the food.

A colleague once asked him this question.

"You've been writing novels for so many years, how come you haven't been eliminated by the market yet?"

When his peers asked him this question, the author community in the industry had already gone through countless generations, and many former big names and veteran authors had fallen into decline.

His answer back then was: Maybe it's because I don't often cut books! Regardless of whether a work is successful or not, I try my best to finish writing it and give the readers an explanation.

That's certainly one reason.

Many veteran authors find their popularity waning as they write, largely because when their works don't perform well, they want to quickly shut down their books and start a new one as soon as possible.

Doing this might result in quickly creating a popular work.

But the more likely scenario is that it will fail again.

Every time a book is cut off, it causes some longtime book fans to leave disappointed.

Even platinum-level authors can't handle cutting through several books in a row.

In fact, Cao Sheng believes that the main reason he has not been eliminated by the market over the years is that he puts his heart into writing each of his works.

Even if it fails, I still write with all my heart.

Therefore, even if the data for the work is not good, the fans who have been following the book feel that this guy has a good attitude and is a good kid.

When he releases a new book, these longtime fans will still be interested in reading it.

In this way, his old fans will never disappear.

That would be enough to support his core base.

When he writes another good book, more and more fans will come back, and he will naturally be able to recover his losses.

……

Cao Sheng was fully focused on typing.

There are more and more news reports about "Drishyam" online, and the discussions among netizens are getting more and more heated.

The most lively section was naturally the book review section for "The Legend of the Primordial Era".

This is the headquarters for Cao Sheng's book fans.

Posts related to this movie are springing up like mushrooms after rain.

For example: "Zhongyuan Yidianhui + Andy Lau, looking forward to it! This should at least gross 100 million at the box office, right?"

"Ah Hui is getting more and more awesome. I saw on the news that Andy Lau was so excited, like his wife had just given birth."

"Director Liu Weiqiang? Are you kidding me? Do you think 'Drishyam' and 'Young and Dangerous' are the same type of film?"

Who will be chosen for the female lead? Gong Li? Joey Wong? Or someone else?

"Drishyam? That's a pretty audacious movie title! I can't figure out what kind of movie this is. Is it about a manslaughter? A cover-up? Or some kind of stratagem beyond the Thirty-Six Stratagems?"

(End of this chapter)