Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 212 Huang Xiaoming's Nemesis, a Man with Extreme Bad Luck [9000 words]

Shanghai, the crew of "New Shanghai Bund"

As a well-known remake, this drama is directed by the famous director Gao Xixi, with veteran actor Li Xuejian in the lead role. The male and female leads are popular young actors Huang Xiaoming and Sun Li, and Huang Haibo, who has been developing well in the past two years, also joined the cast, attracting a lot of attention from the outside world.

Interestingly, Huang Xiaoming, the male lead in "New Shanghai Bund," was also the male lead in "The Return of the Condor Heroes."

The female lead, Sun Li, and the second male lead, Huang Haibo, played the female lead of one of the episodes and one of the main characters in "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

The battle between the phoenixes and eagles started right inside the film crew!
Therefore, taking advantage of the popularity of the Phoenix Eagle Battle, many media outlets came to interview.

Huang Haibo is currently on leave for promotional activities and is not on set, so the media's focus is mainly on Huang Xiaoming and Sun Li.

Sun Li is actually alright; she was just the female lead in one of the episodes of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

The outcome of the battle between Phoenix and Eagle is not that important to her; she can just say some platitudes, and the media can't really make things difficult for her.

Huang Xiaoming won't be able to hide so easily.

As the male lead, he is arguably the core of the "The Return of the Condor Heroes" production team, and given the current conflict between the two production crews, he cannot back down.

However, as an artist, Huang Xiaoming needs to maintain his image and doesn't want to offend anyone, so he can't be too extreme in his speech and avoid the traps set by the media.

For Huang Xiaoming, who is not yet 30 years old, has only been famous for a few years, and has not yet fully evolved into a seasoned veteran, he was exhausted after barely managing to cope.

After returning to the dressing room to remove his makeup and saying goodbye to a few familiar people, Huang Xiaoming returned to the hotel.

Before he had even finished showering, he received a call from his agent, who introduced him to a series of announcements for "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

Huang Xiaoming listened attentively. Although he is quite famous thanks to the "Emperor of Han Dynasty" series and many other dramas, he was even named one of the four new heartthrobs in mainland China in 2003.

But he understands very well that the "Emperor of Han Dynasty" series alone is not enough to set him apart from other popular young actors.

So he used all his strength to outmaneuver Nie Yuan, who was also one of the new four leading men, and won the role in Zhang Jizhong's "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

As it turned out, he made the right move.

Even before the TV series aired, the constant exposure greatly increased his fame, which led him to join Huayi Brothers and star in the big-budget film "The Banquet," and he also landed a role in the promising TV series "New Shanghai Bund."

If all goes well, the consecutive releases of several TV series such as "The Return of the Condor Heroes," "The Banquet," and "Shanghai Bund" will propel his career forward significantly.

With the support of Huayi Brothers, he could easily rise to the top tier and even compete for the title of the number one leading man in mainland China.

A bright future should have made Huang Xiaoming very happy, and he was indeed happy, but a perfect career path is always accompanied by two shadows.

A shadow loomed over him, representing the woman he once longed to pursue.

Although he is doing very well now, he is still far behind his old classmate. He doesn't have much confidence in even being on par with him, let alone surpassing him.

Another shadow comes from that heartbreaking summer night in 2002 when filming "My Fair Princess III".

To be honest, Huang Xiaoming has failed before when pursuing girls; he was even more miserable and humble when pursuing his old classmate.

But that's why it made him feel so bad.

One reason Huang Xiaoming felt that the other party had stolen Qin Lan's love. It wasn't that Qin Lan had no feelings for him, but their relationship was developing slowly. He felt that if they continued to get to know each other in a step-by-step manner, he had a good chance of succeeding.

Then suddenly that guy surnamed Yan appeared, and he didn't even know when the two of them had gotten together.

He had been pursuing Qin Lan for quite some time and knew a lot about her, including that there was no such person in Qin Lan's life before.

He later confirmed through inquiries with others that the two had not known each other for long and had met in Hengdian.

He pursued her first, but they didn't even touch hands. They met again later, and within a few days they were cuddling and kissing.

"I******"

Another thing that made him very resentful was that Yan was nobody at the time, with no money or power.

Aside from being a bit taller and stronger, and younger, he was on par with him in every other aspect, or even completely outmatched him.

As a result, Qin Lan became determined to be with him.

Even after the hit drama "The Emperor of Han Dynasty" aired and he became famous, he still thought about proving his charm. However, Qin Lan still chose Yan Li and even turned down the role in "Dragon Ticket" that she would have starred in with him.

It's bad enough that someone stole her love, but it was a man who was inferior to her in every way.

That feeling was something Huang Xiaoming would never forget!
But the most unforgettable part was yet to come.

Huang Xiaoming realized that Qin Lan was blind to his potential and had given up on him to find a minor actor, which she would regret in the future.

As a result, Huang Xiaoming saw that the man surnamed Yan had inexplicably become a multi-millionaire from a small-time actor.

Then he became a producer of several big-budget TV series, then a billionaire, and now he's a rising business tycoon with a net worth of hundreds of millions.

He may be a promising stock, but the real players are the big players behind it.

Whether Qin Lan regretted it or not, he didn't know, after all, that damn playboy was a playboy.

But Huang Xiaoming understood that even if Qin Lan regretted it one day, the reason would have absolutely nothing to do with him.

A man who is inferior to me in every way steals my love when I'm at my lowest point, and then quickly surpasses me. I'm slapped in the face by both sides.

So, even though the two sides haven't crossed paths in recent years, Yan Li remains a lingering shadow in Huang Xiaoming's heart.

This is a battle between the Phoenix and the Eagle. Huang Xiaoming may not say it, but he desperately wants "The Return of the Condor Heroes" to win a super victory and crush "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

Although he knew that this drama would have limited impact on Yan Li, and that the production team had even recouped their investment and made a profit.

But even just being humiliated in the public eye was enough to make him secretly gloat for a while.

Not satisfied with just imagining it, Huang Xiaoming decided to watch "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and then use a different account to rant about it.

I don't watch TV, so I can't contribute to its viewership.

Huang Xiaoming held his laptop and searched for online resources for the already aired "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

After searching around, I found Tudou.com.

Huang Xiaoming: "..."

He knew that Yan Li had invested in this website, but there was nothing he could do. Other video websites were obviously being targeted for piracy crackdowns.

The clips were all fragmented or blurry, far less clear and smooth than those played on Tudou.com.

There were other media players available to find and play the content, but Huang Xiaoming wanted to see some audience comments, so he ultimately chose Tudou.com.

Since it's free anyway, I'll just consider it a freebie from Yan.

Huang Xiaoming comforted himself by opening Tudou.com, where "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" was featured on the homepage, boasting a high number of views, with a cumulative total exceeding 200 million.

It's important to know that there are only slightly over 1 million internet users, and most of them are more accustomed to watching TV dramas on television or streaming media.

Tudou.com experienced a surge in users at the beginning of the year due to the "Wuji" incident and the influx of celebrities like Yan Li. However, given its size and market size, the number of registered users is only a few million.

Moreover, current data doesn't involve any watering down; even if it does, the water content is extremely low.

In this context, "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" accumulated a million views in just a few days, which is already quite impressive.

Huang Xiaoming didn't know the true value of these views, but he knew how to read the comments.

The densely packed comments from viewers and netizens in the comment section of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" gave him a glimpse into the show's popularity and positive reputation.

[Julian Cheung's performance makes me retract my previous statement; his portrayal of Lu Xiaofeng is a whole level above his portrayal of Guo Jing, Qi Shaoshang.]

[Watching it online, all five episodes aired consecutively, I binged the whole case in one go – much more enjoyable than watching a TV series.]

The casting was excellent, the suspense elements were well-placed, and even the fight scenes exceeded my expectations.

In my personal opinion, this is the best Gu Long drama of the last decade.

[That's right, Jiao Enjun's portrayal of Li Xunhuan and Huang Haibing's portrayal of Shen Lang are excellent, but the plot is hard to describe. Judging from the few episodes so far, this drama is far superior in quality to "Little Li Flying Dagger" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".]

[Hua Manlou is so handsome! Ximen Chuixue is handsome too! The actresses are beautiful too. It's a feast for the eyes to see such good-looking men and women!]

[Yan Li, aside from other things, is really good at casting. "Happy Seven Fairies" was full of handsome men and beautiful women, and I saw the cast list for "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and they are all quite good-looking.]

【…】

Huang Xiaoming felt these comments were somewhat exaggerated and wondered if Tudou.com was controlling the comments.

So he clicked on the first episode of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and decided to watch the show properly.

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng consists of nine units, with each unit consisting of 4 to 5 episodes.

Because the first unit involves background introduction and character development, and also establishes the style of the entire series—suspense + martial arts—it has a relatively large number of episodes, with all four main characters appearing to varying degrees.

Huang Xiaoming has not read the original novel of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng", but he has seen some related films and television series.

He didn't feel deeply about Lu Xiaofeng, but the old acquaintance Ren Quan played Hua Manlou, who was elegant and gentle.

Based on his experience as an actor, I can guarantee he'll deliver a stellar performance.

As some reviews have said, the plot is fast-paced and engaging, and the suspense elements are well-crafted; in any case, he couldn't guess who the murderer was.

Many people praised the action scenes, but Huang Xiaoming didn't think they were particularly great; he could only say they were good. What amazed him was the costumes, makeup, and props.

The costumes and styling are particularly exquisite. Although at times it lacks some of the realism and so-called martial arts atmosphere of "The Return of the Condor Heroes", the actors are really good-looking.

Especially Hua Manlou and Ximen Chuixue, one in elegant attire and the other a white-clad swordsman, both dazzlingly handsome.

Even Huang Xiaoming felt that Huang Haibo, a fellow townsman who doesn't rely on his looks, seemed to have become more handsome in the show.

If costumes, props, and sets are the biggest selling point, then no matter how well they are made, they are useless and just a waste of money.

However, if a TV series has other selling points and is complemented by excellent costumes, props, and sets, its quality will immediately improve.

When the production quality improves, viewers feel more comfortable watching it, and their evaluation of the show will naturally rise.

During the period of 2006, due to cost and team constraints, many dramas, including the most popular ones, were criticized as "cheap" and "rough".

Zhang Dahuzi's adaptations of Jin Yong's novels are widely recognized and can even rival the TVB versions, which have a lot of nostalgia factor. The high quality presented by the excellent production is one of the important reasons for this.

Huang Xiaoming has seen the trailer for "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

Objectively speaking, he felt that the two dramas were equally good, and in some aspects, "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" was even better.

"..."

Huang Xiaoming watched it on fast forward. Each episode was a five-episode unit, and the sixth episode was just the beginning, but it also had quite a few plot points.

I searched online and found that Tudou.com's playback speed is one day slower than that of the TV station, which means that eight episodes of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" have already been broadcast.

As for the grades...

Huang Xiaoming knew this even without watching; reporters had specifically told him this in previous interviews.

Shanghai TV and Beijing TV ranked in the top three and top five respectively during the same period, while Anhui TV took the top spot from the second day after the broadcast and has maintained its number one position ever since.

Don't think it's outrageous; Anhui TV is currently at its peak, and its ratings have always been consistently high.

Although its overall size is considered that of a second-tier satellite TV station, its entertainment performance is outstanding, often rivaling that of first-tier satellite TV stations. At times, it is the only local satellite TV station that can compete with Hunan TV in variety shows and dramas.

Therefore, while it was unexpected that Anhui Province could simultaneously broadcast on two top-tier satellite TV channels, Beijing and Shanghai, it managed to outshine both of them. However, this was also quite reasonable.

The simultaneous presence of three satellite TV channels broadcasting the series at the top of the charts resulted in "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" achieving an extremely high market share, quickly exceeding 20% ​​within just two days of its premiere.

In terms of viewership ratings, even if it wasn't as explosive as "My Own Swordsman", it still performed quite well.

Anhui TV, which ranks highest, has an average viewership rating of 3.47. Based on the current trend, breaking 4 is a sure thing, and breaking 5 is not necessarily difficult.

This data would basically put him in contention for the annual championship of any satellite TV station.

If you're lucky, you might even make it into the top ranks of the year.

Forget about becoming the annual ratings champion; that's a monopoly held by CCTV.

Huang Xiaoming has limited information and channels, so he can't be sure what the current status of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" is, but what he can be sure of is...

This show became a hit.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng is a hit!
This seems to be something many people had anticipated.

The overwhelming publicity and various topics surrounding it made it one of the most anticipated TV dramas of the year. In fact, to some extent, the show was already a hit before it even aired.

What people are more curious about is how popular this show will become and its quality.

Judging from its performance, reputation, influence, and popularity, "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" has been outstanding.

Although it can't compare to "My Own Swordsman", it can still be said to be one of the hottest TV series at the beginning of 2006.

Moreover, the TV series is still airing and, with time and repeated broadcasts, there is still room for improvement in all aspects.

Compared to the straightforward data, what's truly surprising about "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" is its excellent reputation.

Douban, which was just established last year, has received high praise from many users for "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng has a Douban rating of 8.6, surpassing Zhang Dahuzi's best-received Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (8.3).

The controversial novels "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" fared even worse.

"The Legend of the Condor Heroes" has the lowest score, only 6.7, while "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" has seen a slight increase in reputation as Zhang Dahuzi's Jin Yong dramas have become more influential in recent years, currently holding a 7.4 rating on Douban.

To be fair, the reason why "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" has such a high rating is...

While the quality is certainly excellent, the biggest reason is that it stands out from the competition.

Zhang Dahuzi's adaptations of Jin Yong's novels are quite good, but the TVB versions have a huge fan base, and other versions of Jin Yong's novels also have their share of excellent classics.

However, Gu Long dramas are a different story.

Gu Long's works are few and far between, and a significant proportion of them are early works with limited influence and may not necessarily suit the tastes of modern audiences.

In recent years, Gu Long dramas have been filmed, such as "Little Li Flying Dagger", "Xiao Shiyi Lang", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "The Little Fish and the Flower Without Flaws".

It's not fair to say these dramas were poor in terms of performance and quality, but they were certainly quite controversial, especially since many of their plots had absolutely nothing to do with Gu Long's works.

Therefore, it is regarded by many as a semi-original adaptation or simply a martial arts drama, rather than a so-called Gu Long drama.

Under such circumstances, "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" was born.

Compared to objective factors such as quality, what moves many Gu Long fans the most is...

This drama has the flavor of Gu Long!

Even if the flavor isn't perfect, it's still somewhat there, enough to bring tears to the eyes of fans tormented by all sorts of drastically altered dramas.

Among the Gu Long fans in the Douban comment section, the two words they mentioned most often were "sincerity".

Many fans of the original book don't have such high expectations.

Especially for book fans who have been manipulated in various ways, it is enough for the production team to pay attention to the original work. If they also adapt and perform the story with care based on the original work, then it will be a work of sincerity.

Regardless of the quality of the photos, sincerity is always a plus.

When Yan Li started filming "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng", there was a lot of criticism, and many book fans even clamored that they would never watch it.

But now the situation has changed, and fans of the original work are praising the drama to the skies.

I thought it was a pile of poop, but it turned out to be a cake, with other "poop" next to it for added contrast.

This unexpected surprise led to the extraordinary positive reception of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

Netizens showered the show with praise, and the media also gave it high marks. Pang Yidian, a reporter from the Southern Metropolis Daily, particularly commended the drama and its production team.

The success of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" is primarily due to its excellent casting. Julian Cheung possesses both acting skills and good looks, naturally portraying Lu Xiaofeng's carefree and unrestrained nature. Ren Quan's elegant and refined gentlemanly image complements Julian Cheung perfectly, with one being humorous and the other serious. Yan Kuan captures the coldness of Ximen Chuixue...

[...Furthermore, I must commend producer Yan Li. I personally believe that many adaptations of Gu Long's works are of varying quality due to haphazard and arbitrary changes, but in this version of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng," the producer and screenwriter did not act excessively and were extremely restrained in their adaptations...]

[...Gu Long's original work was very successful, which means the story itself is good. Changing it means taking risks. Gu Long is a master of martial arts fiction, and how many people can adapt it better than him? So, the adaptation went wrong and became a bad drama...]

[...The fast-paced, episodic format doesn't require the same adherence to a main storyline as many other dramas; it simply involves solving one case after another, resulting in a concise and enjoyable viewing experience...]

[...Yan Li himself jumped out to engage in a verbal battle with Zhang Jizhong, saving the production team a lot of publicity money, allowing them to spend all the money on the drama itself. Every scene and every frame shows the production team's dedication...]

[...Below, I will briefly describe the plot of the several episodes of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" that have already aired...]

Hengdian Hotel
Yan Li looked at the article online and sent a screenshot to his secretary, Hu Ya.

Was this news article paid for?

Hu Ya quickly replied with an affirmative answer. This Pang Yidian is now Yi An's long-term collaborator, and has been advocating for Yi An in various aspects.

In addition to this article, he has also written two blog posts.

One article praises Yan Li as a producer who has helped the younger generation surpass the older ones, while the other praises the artists of Yi An, such as Julian Cheung and Fan Xiaopang, who played Xue Bing/Gongsun Da Niang, for their excellent performances.

During the peak airing season of a TV series, various positive press releases are inevitable.

Even if you don't spend the money, it doesn't guarantee you a fair evaluation from casual netizens; it might just be a smear campaign by your competitors.

Yan Li nodded and told Hu Ya to tell Pang Yidian that if he wanted to praise him, he should just do it properly, but if he wanted to praise the TV series, he shouldn't openly or secretly flatter him, since he wasn't going to pay him much more.

Hu Ya accepted the order and quickly returned with the feedback.

Pang Yidian: [I'm not trying to flatter your CEO Yan. This article is very objective. I think the biggest contributor to this drama is your CEO Yan. Positive reviews definitely can't ignore him.]

Yan Li: "..."

There aren't many honest people with such keen insight these days. Their fees should be increased; don't let honest people suffer losses…

After reading the positive reviews, Yan Li then searched for the negative reviews.

No show can be liked by everyone, nor can it be without flaws.

Yan Li still values ​​criticism of quality, which will be helpful for Yi An's future production and development.

Negative reviews are varied and varied. Some think the suspense elements are too simple, some think the actors are not to their liking, some think the plot is not good, some think it is overrated and doesn't live up to its reputation, and some simply call it a bad show.

What I don't like is bad!

Yan Li was already used to this kind of evaluation. He ignored the uninformative ones and picked out the valuable ones to read, and then he came across an article.

The key difference in perspective between Yan Li and Zhang Dahu lies in Yan Li's shrewdness and self-interest, and his lack of patriotism.

Upon clicking through, the article compares him to Zhang Dahuzi and even Gu Long and Jin Yong, using a grand narrative to label and belittle him in various ways.

Yan Li wasn't angry. It was obviously a press release from Zhang Dahuzi, but the article was well-written, so he specifically checked the pen name.

"Yiden Fang, that name sounds familiar."

Yan Li sent Hu Ya a message, telling her to stop raising the commission for now. He would check the system later and see how he would deal with that fatso if he was trying to profit from both sides.

Ignoring this little incident, Yan Li roughly compared the positive and negative reviews of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and found it to be much better than he had expected.

Yan Li lit a cigarette contentedly and silently made his plans.

The data is still rising, and it will reach its peak after the premiere. At the same time, rebroadcasts and local channels will follow suit, further expanding its influence.

By then, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" should have been broadcast. No matter how well a solo performance is done, it's still just a solo performance. The battle between the Phoenix and the Condor needs both sides to be present to make it truly exciting.

A lively atmosphere means money!
The fiercer the competition between the two dramas, the more popular they become, and the higher the selling price will be in subsequent distribution negotiations.

Local channels are one thing, as their numbers are scattered and difficult to track, but the first run of Phoenix Eagle on satellite TV repeatedly broke the record for the price of a single episode. Given its phenomenal success, shouldn't the prices for the second and third runs also be set to break records?

Shouldn't we also give hit dramas the appropriate respect for the Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas copyrights that haven't been secured yet?

Yan Li previously said he wanted both dramas to sell for over 8000 million yuan, but that estimate is a bit optimistic. Whether it can be achieved depends on a certain amount of luck.

However, with the two dramas grossing a combined 1.5 million, Yan Li believes there's still hope for a breakthrough.

A rough calculation shows a total of 1.5 million, with each of the two dramas selling 7500 million.

The calculation for "The Return of the Condor Heroes" is simple: with a 16% distribution share, Yi An could receive 1200 million.

The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng is a bit more complicated. First, we deduct the distribution share, then there's the 40% share, which is roughly 3500 million to 3800 million.

Adding it all up, Yi An earned nearly 5000 million. After deducting various costs, expenses, and taxes, Yan Li personally received about 3000 million.

"It's really not as profitable as the stock market."

Yan Li increasingly understood why many business owners, seeing a bull market, would mortgage company assets and even divert company funds to invest in the stock market.

Very few people can resist the temptation of "getting something for nothing" and making quick money.

He reminded himself every day, thought things through clearly, and had enough to rely on. Whenever he saw the gap, he couldn't help but complain.

Those bosses who earn less and face more pressure than him, once they taste the sweetness of success, will become greedy and won't be able to resist hitting a brick wall.

Putting aside those chaotic thoughts, Yan Li pondered whether to add fuel to the fire of the Phoenix Eagle Battle.

7500 million doesn't sound as good as 8000 million, and 1.5 million doesn't look as auspicious as 1.6 million.

At this stage, he and Zhang Dahuzi have almost finished their verbal sparring. If they continue arguing, they'll have to completely break off relations and start hurling insults at each other, otherwise everyone will get tired of it.

The two dramas are also very competitive; anyone who knows them knows they are mortal enemies.

Just follow the established steps and wait for the explosion; there's no point in fanning the flames anymore.

Yan Li pondered whether he could focus on creating a scandal.

He himself is out of the question. The Investiture of the Gods doesn't have the same hype as the battle between the phoenix and the eagle. A major selling point will be him and Fan Xiaopang, so there's no need to use them now.

Moreover, the two have few scenes together and no scenes with each other, so forcing hype might not be effective.

If that doesn't work, let other actors try, like Julian Cheung having a relationship breakdown. But let's not break up a couple.

Or perhaps Yan Kuan or Ren Quan are infatuated with some actress from the drama crew.

Ren Quan would be the best choice. He's famous, so his scandals attract more attention. Also, considering his situation, it wouldn't involve him being jealous of the woman's partner.

In addition, it would be best if the cast of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" also stirred up some rumors.

Yan Li personally called Zhang Da Hu Zi. A popular young actor and a popular young actress, who fell in love while filming, and were also a well-known martial arts couple, what a great selling point! But "The Return of the Condor Heroes" kept pushing forward and refused to agree.

Is it easy for him to sell his shows?
The production crew isn't cooperating at all; how can he sell the film, and how will everyone make money?!
Zhang Dahuzi was in the wrong and was rebuked by Yan Li, leaving him speechless. In the end, he could only say...

"The woman disagrees, after all, she is a pure and innocent girl, and being involved in a scandal would have a great impact."

Does he not know the benefits of creating a scandal?!
Li Yapeng and Xu Qing from "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" had already been romantically linked, but the male and female leads of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" didn't need any hype; they were already in a relationship.

The tent incident in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" has been rumored to be quite detailed. The production team was not entirely innocent. Chen Hao, who played A Zi, also had some rumors with Hu Jun and Lin Zhiying.

Now, "The Return of the Condor Heroes," a martial arts drama with love as its main theme, would have been arranged long ago if it had any hype potential.

"Jade Maiden..."

Yan Li was somewhat speechless: "Even a jade maiden can't avoid falling in love, right? Didn't the Little Dragon Girl also descend to the mortal realm?"

“I don’t care. This is a project worth tens of millions. Are you going to listen to her alone? Don’t you have any sense of the bigger picture? If you can’t handle it, I’ll do it myself.”

Zhang Dahuzi was startled, fearing that Yan Li was unaware of the situation, so he pointed out the key point: the person had a big shot on the rich list behind him.

"What's wrong with the rich list? Even the richest person has to be reasonable."

Yan Li curled his lip: "He doesn't allow hype, which has caused a delay of several million or even tens of millions of yuan. Does he expect him to make up for it? Old Zhang, we can't side with outsiders. We have to be responsible to the investors."

Zhang Da Hu Zi's beard was sticking up. This little bastard is taking advantage of me. I'm older than your father, how dare you call me Old Zhang?

"If you're so great, then you do it. It's just a scandal. Who knows how much impact it can have? Is it worth offending such a tycoon?"

“Young man, you’re young and hot-blooded. I know you’re not afraid, but in business, harmony is the most important thing. There’s no need to fight this battle. There are other ways to resolve this.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Li composed himself and asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"

Zhang Dahuzi pondered for a moment: "How about this, we'll still create the rumors, but focus on the man. We'll say that Huang Xiaoming has a crush on her, but she doesn't like him. That way, we'll have something to talk about, but it won't affect her innocent image too much."

Huang Xiaoming is a bit embarrassing...

Yan Li nodded. He didn't care who lost face or who benefited; he only cared about the effect of the scandal and the profits it brought.

It's best that Huang Xiaoming got tricked; don't think he doesn't know that this kid is always talking about him behind his back.

"Thank you for your help. I look forward to hearing your good news."

Yan Li hung up the phone decisively, while Zhang Dahu held the phone and slowly came to his senses.

"Is this kid deliberately setting us up?"

This kid is more adept at navigating the business world than he is. He doesn't believe the other party is unaware of Liu Tianxian's background. His earlier outburst was nothing more than an attempt to inflate his prices and force him to compromise and cooperate.

"The thief."

Despite grumbling a few times, Zhang Dahuzi understood that Yan Li was pursuing the success of the entire project, which would also benefit him, and he couldn't hold Yan Li back.

After carefully considering his words, Zhang Dahuzi took out his phone and made a call.

"Xiaoli... I can't stop him, that kid is too arrogant."

"Listen to me, he said that if you don't agree, he'll publicly confess his feelings to Yifei himself. With his terrible reputation, if Yifei is associated with him, she's finished..."

"...Okay, don't worry, I won't let Yifei suffer any losses. I'll let you go through the manuscript first."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Dahu smiled smugly. "Old ginger is spicier. I'll do the work, you take the blame."

As for Huang Xiaoming, he doesn't have a sugar daddy backing him up, and they still want to film his version of "The Deer and the Cauldron," so he can handle it.

Just give them a heads-up, and they'll arrange it. At worst, they can just write a more positive draft...

...

Soon after, someone revealed that Huang Xiaoming had a crush on Liu Yifei, but she was too young and didn't want to be in a relationship, so he declined.

Helpless, Huang Xiaoming could only silently protect her as her older brother. Once, in order to save Liu Tianxian, he risked his life to jump into the water to save her, showing deep emotion.

"啕~"

Yan Li gagged. Was this some kind of inside story or a romance novel?

The old-timer is trying to have his cake and eat it too, wanting to create a scandal but not wanting to offend anyone.

However, there were rumors that Huang Xiaoming had a crush on Xiao Yanzi but couldn't have her, and now he has a crush on Liu Tianxian and is silently protecting her.

The King of Unrequited Love (Huang)?!

Yan Li observed the public opinion and found that everyone's focus was on Huang Xiaoming, while the woman successfully disappeared from the public eye.

His behavior has drawn both supporters and detractors, with the latter being more numerous.

The dramas "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "Chinese Paladin" brought Liu Yifei a lot of fans. Because she takes the "pure and innocent" route, her fans are very sensitive to this aspect.

An old man nearly ten years older than Liu dared to covet their goddess.

If you encounter a fortune teller's stall on the street, what are you trying to tell?!

Huang Xiaoming was targeted and attacked, and his personal Baidu Tieba was overrun. Of course, his fans were not to be trifled with either, calling themselves the Ming Cult, and they fought to the death with the fans of Tianxian for their leader.

Fans are fighting amongst themselves, there's been a lot of discussion among casual observers, the issue has been heard on various platforms, and the media has also shared it.

Yan Li nodded in satisfaction. Whether the rumors were good or bad, the publicity effect had been achieved.

Although this trend might cause a small number of fans to abandon the show, it will attract more casual viewers, which will boost the show's ratings. Even if the fans who abandoned the show don't necessarily not choose not to watch it, they will still help promote it.

Compared to the traditional, conventional way of creating scandals, this method is fresher and might be more effective.

Yan Li even considered whether he should learn from this and add a secret crush plot to the rumored love interest in "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

However, Ren Quan absolutely refused, feeling it was too shameful.

Moreover, the person he was hyping up was Yang Xue, because Yang Xue was with Wang Jinghua. It didn't matter who he hyped up with, so Ren Quan would definitely take care of his fellow disciple.

Yang Xue doesn't have as many fans as Liu Yifei, so her attempt at a secret crush plot might backfire.

Yan Li was persuaded, and the rumors about Ren Quan and Yang Xue spread quickly, but the effect was much worse than that of "The Return of the Condor Heroes".

Unfortunately, his fame and popularity are not up to par, and he's far from generating enough buzz.

Yan Li was forced to add scenes, making Fan Xiaopang act as a "matchmaker" for the two. It just so happened that she was familiar with Ren Quan and Yang Xue, so it was reasonable for her to act as a go-between.

Even with the addition of Fan Xiaopang, the overall effect was still not ideal, lacking any hot topics or explosive elements.

After thinking it over and over, Yan Li gritted his teeth and stamped his foot, deciding to go himself.

The reason Fan Xiaopang acted as matchmaker for Ren and Yang was because Yan Li was a womanizer, and she was afraid that he would make a move on Yang Xue, so she took the initiative to bring them together and dispel Yan Li's wicked intentions.

The logic is sound, and there are some interesting points, but Mr. Yan's reputation has been affected.

But he didn't care about that anymore; it was already a wasteland, and he could at least get some money to spend.

value!
Besides Ren Quan and Yang Xue, Yan Li also chatted with Ady An, who had a role in "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

He only recently learned that Ady An had a rumored relationship with Huang Xiaoming when she filmed "The Emperor of Han Dynasty 3".

Although he himself said that the two had nothing to do with each other and were just friends, Yan Li felt that since they were friends, could they "rehash the old tune" and create a collaboration between the two production teams?

Besides Ady An, he also had his eye on Sun Li. Weren't the two filming "New Shanghai Bund"? They could have developed feelings for each other while filming.

One man and three women – plenty of topics to discuss!
As a result, apart from Ady An being somewhat tempted, Sun Li firmly refused, giving a whole host of reasons, both personally and through her company, for her rejection.

It's understandable. She's a popular young actress who's never short of topics, and she only played the female lead in one episode. There's no need for her to sacrifice to this extent for "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng".

Huang Xiaoming was also reluctant. He was an actor, and an idol, and he wasn't as willing to go all out as Yan Li.

It's one thing to have a crush on Liu Yifei, since it didn't work out. He can make up for it by calling her his good brother and sister. He might get a few criticisms, but it won't affect his fan base. He can even market himself as a deep and affectionate man.

But being linked to several actresses changes the nature of the situation and greatly affects his image and reputation.

He is the leader of the Ming Cult, not the leader of the Heartbreaker Cult!

Since the parties involved were uncooperative, Yan Li couldn't force them and had no choice but to give up.

She also took the opportunity to criticize Huang Xiaoming's fans' titles, such as "cult followers" and "cult leader," turning a perfectly good fan group into something like a scandal.

His fans are not as down-to-earth as his fans, and their names are like salt grains, which are also playful homophones.

As for the so-called "ice-riding company commander" or anything like that, he absolutely denies it. Pah! Who are you to judge?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

ps: (4000/9000)

(End of this chapter)