Back to 1997, I became the originator of online literature

Chapter 465 A Well-Considered Choice
The next day, near noon.

At Huizhou Airport, Fan Jinshuo, wearing a fisherman's hat and large glasses, carried a leather bag and walked with his long legs towards the gate as the crowd of people disembarking from the plane.

As I walked, I searched around among the crowd of people waiting to pick up passengers.

I hope to see Cao Sheng.

Given her current status, she felt that Cao Sheng probably wouldn't come to pick her up.

But since she had given him her virginity, she felt that he should come to the airport to pick her up, considering the circumstances.

but……

No!

Her eyes widened behind her goggles as she scanned the crowd of people waiting at the airport, but she couldn't spot Cao Sheng.

I did see a sign that read, "Welcome, Miss Jin Suo!"

The man holding the sign was in his early twenties.

Did Cao Sheng send someone else to pick me up?

Fan Jinshuo was a little disappointed, but she had been in the entertainment industry for quite some time and had learned to regulate her emotions.

After all, actors and directors in the industry who are more famous than her often ignore her enthusiasm. Every time she is ignored, she has to quickly adjust her mood and keep a smile on her face.

Otherwise, you'll not only fail to make friends, but you'll also offend people.

With a smile, she approached the man holding the sign. "Hello! Who sent you?"

The person holding the sign is Sun Liang.

Lei Zhen, who was standing next to him, had come with him to pick up Fan Jinshuo.

But the person holding the sign was Sun Liang, so Fan Jinshuo only noticed Sun Liang.

Sun Liang looked her up and down. The TV series "My Fair Princess" was a hit a few years ago. Very few people in mainland China hadn't seen it.

Because this TV series is made to resemble "Journey to the West," it gets rebroadcast by TV stations every summer vacation.

Sun Liang had naturally seen it as well.

I have a pretty deep impression of Jin Suo, the maid in this drama.

Not only was this maid more beautiful than the two female leads, but it was also because the maid's eyebrows were often uneven, making her quite unique.

Therefore, even though Fan Jinshuo was wearing a fisherman's hat and large glasses, Sun Liang still recognized her two eyebrows.

"Hello, Miss Fan! Brother Sheng sent us to pick you up. Please come with us."

In this public setting, he subconsciously avoided mentioning Cao Sheng's full name.

Because it will attract the attention of other people around.

"You guys? You're not the only one who came to pick me up?"

Fan Jinshuo was a little surprised.

Sun Liang smiled and looked at Lei Zhen beside him.

Lei Zhen nodded. "Hello, Miss Fan! It's inconvenient for Brother Sheng to come here to pick you up. I hope you can understand."

Fan Jinshuo nodded, feeling much better.

She knew that Cao Sheng was more famous than her, so it was indeed inappropriate for him to pick her up at the airport.

……

After a while.

Fan Jinshuo sat in the back seat of Cao Sheng's BMW, while Sun Liang and Lei Zhen sat in the front. The car drove towards Cao Sheng's residence.

This is her third time visiting Huizhou.

Every time I come here, I have a different feeling.

The first time, she came with Feng Xiaogang. That time, she had mixed feelings, feeling like she was a gift from Feng Xiaogang to Cao Sheng.

This made her feel a little ashamed.

But I'm also a little excited.

Not only because Feng Xiaogang promised her a leading role in a movie, but also because Cao Sheng was handsome, rich, and a nationally recognized genius.

It's hard to say who would be at a disadvantage if I had the chance to have something happen with such a talented man!

If you can satisfy him and get some benefits from him, you'll make a fortune.

While sitting on the plane bound for Huizhou, she was reminded of an old saying: "Eat the plaintiff, then eat the defendant."

She likened Feng Xiaogang to the plaintiff.

Cao Sheng was likened to a defendant.

I'm getting a little excited just thinking about it.

But the result was completely different from what she had expected.

Feng Xiaogang and Cao Sheng have fallen out.

The benefits that Feng Xiaogang promised her were gone.

Cao Sheng ate her, but didn't give her anything in return.

Her only takeaway... was a lesson.

She swore she would never have anything to do with those two again; they were both bastards, neither of them had a conscience, and they both bullied her, a young woman.

The second time... was when she saw many reports about "Drishyam" in the media. During that period, it seemed that all kinds of media outlets were reporting on this movie.

They praised this movie to the skies.

Claims include "a benchmark for crime films," "Andy Lau's latest masterpiece," and "Zhongyuan Yidianhui's technically dazzling work," among others.

It successfully piqued her curiosity about the movie.

Given the impressive box office numbers for the film, she couldn't resist taking the time to see it in the theater.

Halfway through the movie, she was captivated by its imaginative concept.

There were hardly any intense fight scenes or explosions, almost no special effects shots, and the cast wasn't great either. Apart from the leading actors Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung, who were well-known stars, the other actors... seemed to be the Indian female prosecutor who played the main villain. She might be a top Indian star, and her figure almost burst out of her police uniform.

Yet, this movie, which didn't have a particularly strong cast, captivated her and stirred her emotions.

She understood why the media called this film a technically dazzling masterpiece by Zhongyuan Yidianhui.

The role of the screenwriter is visibly greater than that of the actors and directors.

The male protagonist's various actions in resisting police interrogation pushed the limits of her imagination.

She thought about it for a long time the night she watched that movie.

He secretly admitted that although Cao Sheng was a bastard, he had amazing talent. No wonder every novel and screenplay he wrote became a hit since his debut.

God has been too kind to him.

It actually gave him such amazing talent.

At that time, she even thought of famous writers and poets from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, who seemed to be mostly romantic figures.

Under the guise of seeking inspiration, he publicly claimed that a certain beautiful woman was his muse and that she had given him countless inspirations.

She therefore wondered if every talented person was a bastard like Cao Sheng.
Then, she came to Huizhou to find him a second time.

I thought to myself: It doesn't matter if he's a bastard, I'm not going to date him anyway. As long as he's talented, that's enough. With his talent, if he were to write a movie script tailored just for me, I could take care of him even if he's a complete bastard.

only……

It was only when she came to Huizhou that she learned he had flown to Shenzhen on a business trip.

A novelist who's a homebody is going on a business trip? That sounds incredible.

She even suspected that this was just an excuse for him not wanting to see her.

Because of this, she wondered if she wasn't pretty enough? Or charming enough?

Fortunately, within a few days, she saw media reports about his investment of over 5000 million yuan in Tencent.

She only then realized that his business trip was not an excuse to lie to her.

This is her third time visiting Huizhou.

She was in a more peaceful state of mind this time because it was a well-considered choice. This was her first time here, and it was Feng Xiaogang who invited her.

She came here a second time because she saw the film he wrote, "Drishyam".

This third time, she wasn't influenced by external stimuli. It was because she had thought it through carefully and believed that he was the most likely person she could latch onto.

This is also the biggest opportunity I've had since entering the entertainment industry.

If you successfully hook up with him, you'll at least become famous.

If you can't reach it, your future remains uncertain.

……

Sitting in the back seat, Fan Jinshuo pulled himself out of his reverie, glanced at Sun Liang and Lei Zhen in the front row, and suddenly asked with a smile, "Brothers, are you Mr. Cao's men?"

Sun Liang: "Assistant!"

Fan Jinshuo was a little surprised, "You two are both assistants?"

Sun Liang hummed in agreement.

Fan Jinshuo's gaze shifted, and he asked again, "How long have you been his assistants?"

Sun Liang: "It's been more than half a year! But before it was just part-time, this year it's become full-time."

Fan Jinshuo nodded. She wasn't particularly interested in the two men; she mainly wanted to learn some information about Cao Sheng from them.

"So...is Mr. Cao busy lately? What has he been doing?"

Sun Liang pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "We don't know either. What he does is unlikely to be told to us, right?"

Fan Jinshuo nodded and glanced at Lei Zhen in the passenger seat. She had noticed that Lei Zhen seemed to be very taciturn.

"So... do you know what Mr. Cao likes? For example, what he likes to eat? Or what he likes to play? You must know something about that, right? Hehe."

Sun Liang hesitated for even longer this time. "Does liking to eat meat count?"

Fan Jinshuo was a little surprised, "You like to eat meat? What kind of meat?"

Sun Liang: "Pork, beef, mutton, fish... To be precise, he really likes to eat meat. Although he also eats vegetables, he mainly prefers meat."

Fan Jinshuo pondered for a moment, "I see. Does he have any other hobbies?"

Sun Liang shook his head, "We don't know about that. Well, all I know is that he likes martial arts, fitness, and occasionally fishing. That's all I know."

……

When Fan Jinshuo was asking Sun Liang about Cao Sheng's preferences.

Cao Sheng sat on the balcony on the second floor of the villa, drinking tea and reading a book as usual.

I am currently reading the Book of Changes (I Ching).

He wasn't very interested in the Book of Changes, but he knew that online novels often touched on things related to it, and fantasy/cultivation novels often included plots related to feng shui and fortune-telling.

He had never read the Book of Changes before, but recently he suddenly wanted to take a look.

He increasingly felt that all works of art were playing on information asymmetry.

For example, Hong Kong and Taiwan films in the past allowed people in mainland China and many Southeast Asian countries to witness the extravagant lifestyle of Hong Kong and Taiwan, which broadened their horizons. Therefore, Hong Kong and Taiwan films were very popular in mainland China and many Southeast Asian countries at that time.

For example, fantasy and cultivation novels are like opening the door to a new world for readers who have never read this genre before, so they are naturally very attractive.

For example, a song with a beautiful melody and poetic or philosophical lyrics can amaze listeners, making them feel that they could never write such a song in their entire lives, thus earning it the reputation of a classic. Conversely, Cao Sheng believes that a major reason why later internet pop songs are looked down upon by many is that their melodies are so simple that many listeners think, "I could hum such a simple melody, and I could write such simple lyrics," and so on.

Therefore, Cao Sheng increasingly felt that whether it was a movie, a song, or a novel, to win over the majority of the audience, one had to have something that one was good at, something that the audience didn't understand or only had a superficial understanding of.

Online articles...

The writing style requirements for writers are not high.

In the online literature industry, a writing style that is easy to understand is not a disadvantage, but rather an advantage.

Because of its easy-to-understand writing style, it can attract a large enough readership.

Conversely, it will be too sophisticated and unpopular.

Why did the works of the Five Whites of the Central Plains in the original timeline achieve such good results?
Many of his peers ridiculed the works of the "Five Whites of the Central Plains" for being too plain and having mediocre writing skills.

However, the sales of their works are unparalleled.

What is the reason?

A very important point is that the works of the Five Masters of Central Plains are written in a very accessible style, so readers with only a junior high school education will not have any reading difficulties when reading their works.

The most outrageous is the works of the Third Young Master, which reportedly have many elementary school student readers.

In this situation, how can works with excellent writing and high reading thresholds compete with them in terms of sales?
but……

Cao Sheng believes that the writing style can be simple and easy to understand, and the reading threshold of the work can be intentionally lowered, but the content should give readers a sense of novelty. In terms of plot, if it can often surprise readers, it will be enough to move many readers.

He doesn't need to be an expert in the knowledge of the Book of Changes, nor does he need to fully understand it. As long as he understands it better than most readers, it's enough to impress people by writing about knowledge related to the Book of Changes in his works.

Suddenly, his cell phone, which was on the small table next to him, rang.

He thought it was Fan Jinshuo calling.

I picked up my phone, only to find that the caller ID showed an unknown number.

Seeing this, he casually clicked "reject".

I put down my phone and continued reading, but the phone rang again, and the caller ID showed the same unfamiliar number.

Who is it?

He answered the call, and a young woman's voice came through the phone, "Hello? Is this Mr. Zhongyuan Yidianhui?"

Cao Sheng raised an eyebrow slightly. "Yes, that's me. And you are?"

Woman: "Oh, hello! I'm from Tencent's publicity department. My surname is Dong, Dong Qianyu. The company assigned me to liaise with you. Well, the main task is to shoot the advertisement you're endorsing for our company. Do you have any free time in the next few days?"

Cao Sheng: "???"

Cao Sheng was a little surprised. He had almost forgotten that one of the conditions for his investment in Tencent was to endorse QQ for free for ten years.

He didn't take the matter of shooting an endorsement advertisement to heart.

"Oh, that's it! I should have some time in the next few days, but shooting an endorsement ad shouldn't take more than a few days, right? Also, where will we shoot it? Do I need to go to Shenzhen again?"

Dong Qianyu: "Hehe, if we shoot quickly, it won't take more than a few days. If you can come to Shenzhen again, that would be best, but if it's inconvenient for you to come, I can bring the filming team to Huizhou to find you. Is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Sheng smiled slightly, "That would be great! Come on over! I'll give you my assistant's number. You can discuss the specific shooting plan with her, okay?"

Dong Qianyu: "Sure! No problem. We'll set off for Huizhou to find you tomorrow."

Cao Sheng: "Okay! I'll send you my assistant's number later."

……

The call had just ended when the sound of a car engine came from downstairs. Cao Sheng peered down through the gap in the balcony railing.

Seeing the passenger door open, Lei Zhen got out of the car and helped open the back seat door.

Wearing a denim jacket, a black fisherman's hat, and large-eyed glasses, Fan Jinsuo got out of the car. Although her face was not clearly visible, her tall figure and long, black hair still showed her beauty.

(End of this chapter)