Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 215 Experiencing Duan Yu: A Generation's Childhood Memories

Filming for "The Legend of Xue Rengui" officially wrapped up at the end of March.

This is Yan Li's first leading role in a drama entirely centered around him, and it is also the longest and most substantial drama he has ever filmed.

Many scenes were enjoyable to film, while others were quite tiring. Now that filming has wrapped, Yan Li reflected on it and felt that overall it was pretty good.

The production crew arranged a wrap party, but Yan Li started looking for props and packing up the things he wanted.

Xue Rengui had two sets of armor.

One set is from his time as a young general in white robes, which is quite dashing and handsome. The other set is the armor of the Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition in his later years. Although it is still mainly silver-white, it is much more gorgeous and exquisite.

Xue Rengui's halberd and divine bow were specially customized by the production team for the protagonist.

The divine bow appeared later and didn't appear often. Also, since we only needed to hold the bow and demonstrate it during filming, we only made one.

The Fangtian Halberd crew, on the other hand, had two halberds.

One is the authentic version, well-made, with a metal head and a solid wood shaft. It is heavy, weighing about 20 pounds, and is mainly used for close-ups and dramatic scenes.

The other one is a bootleg, made mainly of rubber, wood and a small amount of metal, and is much lighter, mainly used for shooting long shots and action scenes.

Unfortunately, Yan Li could lift and wield the 20-plus-pound Fangtian Halberd, but filming action scenes for a whole day was too exhausting.

More importantly, it's too heavy and difficult to control the force. If you accidentally drop it during filming, the heavy metal halberd could smash into the head of the other actor.

Yan Li specifically investigated and found that the penalty for negligent homicide is three to seven years, and for less serious cases, up to three years…

In addition, Yan Li left behind a few nice little items from the film crew.

The production team of "The Legend of Xue Rengui" spent a lot of money on costumes, props, and sets, resulting in high-quality props that have some collectible value.

Finally, there are two horses.

In the drama, Xue Rengui's early mount was played by Sai Long. Later, Princess Zhaoyang gave him a mount, which became a white horse and a white dragon.

Now that Yan Li has bought both horses, he will wait until he has arranged a horse farm in the capital before heading there.

However, Yan Li felt that these two horses had performance experience, and it would be a waste to keep them as pets. He planned to see if he could continue to train them as "horse actors" and maybe produce two "star horses".

Seeing Yan Li's enthusiasm for choosing props, the other actors were also tempted to get some as souvenirs.

The disposal of props and costumes after filming takes many forms, including resale, auction, preservation, donation, and destruction.

It's a common practice to keep the main cast and crew members as souvenirs; some are sold at a low price, some are free, but the quantity is not large.

However, Yan Li agreed today that they could take whatever they wanted for free, but only for their own roles; otherwise, it would be chaotic if the male and female actors took things from each other.

Although Yan Li told them to take as much as they wanted, the actors knew their limits and mostly only took one or two items.

The main problem is that taking too much not only makes you look like you're taking advantage, but it also makes it difficult to pack your luggage.

Yan Li, a big spender, directly arranged for someone to charter a car to send the goods from Hengdian back to Beijing. The actors weren't that extravagant; their pay was only a few cents.

After selecting the props, everyone prepared for the wrap party that evening. Some people, like Tong Dawei, told Yan Li they were ready to leave early.

"So urgent?"

"Director Zhao Baogang's new drama is about to start filming, and it will be difficult to take leave then. Sister Hua told me to finish up the miscellaneous things before filming starts."

Tong Dawei explained that although he previously worked with Wang Jinghua at Huayi Brothers and later went to Orange Sky, he was personally closer to Hairun and Zhao Baogang's Xinbaoyuan.

Her breakthrough role in "Jade Goddess of Mercy" goes without saying; it was a drama produced by Hairun Media.

The recently aired drama "Days Related to Youth" is also related to Zhao Baogang and Wang Jinghua through a series of twists and turns.

Zhao Baogang's new drama "Struggle" has attracted a lot of attention, and in the end, Zhao personally selected Tong to play the male lead, and the actor was decided as soon as the project was approved.

"Okay, you go ahead with your work, we'll get together again when we get back to Beijing."

Yan Li nodded. Tong Dawei, a popular young actor, only came to play a supporting role in "The Legend of Xue Rengui" because of Yan Li's influence. Dong Guan is also a close friend, so the two are practically connected and don't need to be too polite to each other.

Tong Dawei was able to evacuate in advance, but Yan Li could not.

It's one thing for the producer and the executive producer, but this time he's the male lead. It's really unacceptable for the male lead to slip away at the wrap party.

Yan Li was used to it. Every time there was a wrap party, he would be toasted by all sorts of people and couldn't avoid it. He prepared hangover medicine in advance and also brought two brothers with good drinking capacity to accompany him.

Just do it!

At the hotel, Yan Li and the director were pulled aside to offer toasts and speeches. Due to special circumstances, Jiang Xin, who was seated separately with the relevant staff, clapped along while also getting distracted and conflicted.

Today's the last day of filming. Should we go on set or not?
Not just today, but for some time now, Jiang Xin has been torn between the two options of going or not going.

Personal moral pressure, betraying Dong Xuan's affections, and Yan Li's lukewarm attitude were all key factors in suppressing Jiang Xin's impulsiveness.

But she was somewhat unwilling to let Jiang Xin give up just like that.

Jiang Xin admitted that she had a certain degree of affection for Yan Li.

Young and handsome men are excellent in every way except for being a bit of a womanizer. Most women would feel a little flutter in their hearts if they met them.

It's like a man meeting a top goddess who is beautiful, rich, and has a great personality, and the two get along quite well.

Even if most people know that the other person is a womanizer, they must have thought about whether they could get intimate with her. Some even just hold back and become a backup option.

However, although Jiang Xin has feelings for Yan Li, her current actions are more based on practical considerations.

Although works such as "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," "Happy Seven Fairies," and the currently popular "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" have brought her some fame, she is still some distance from becoming a superstar.

At least you can tell from the film offers the company has brought her; not many are worthwhile, and the pay is not satisfactory.

Jiang Xin knew that with her roles in several hit dramas, her career was on a good trajectory and she had a real chance to climb even higher.

But this requires a stable supply of resources. If that doesn't come, acting in shows that won't get you anywhere will quickly lead to fading into obscurity.

There are too many examples like this in the entertainment industry.

Within a year or two, whether due to good luck or good performance, they may land a few good roles and accumulate some fame, but if subsequent development is not smooth, they may return to their original state after a year or two.

Why do actors in the entertainment industry work so hard to become famous? Because if you don't become famous enough, the audience and industry insiders won't remember you.

Even if you become so famous that everyone remembers you, if your fame doesn't last, you'll gradually fade into obscurity, and your job, income, and status will plummet.

Actresses, in particular, need to seize the moment. If they wait until they get older to try to advance their careers, the difficulty increases exponentially.

The reason why late bloomers in the industry are considered successful is because they are extremely rare.

Jiang Xin has had a good career in the past year or two. Her role as Mu Wanqing in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" was crucial, and she also has a powerful backer.

That's right, she has a sugar daddy, at least that's what a few people think, and her sugar daddy is Yan Li.

Otherwise, how can we explain her starring in so many of Yi An's plays?

friend?

How could an actress possibly be friends with that bastard surnamed Yan?

Jiang Xin hasn't had any attention-grabbing scandals with Yan Li yet, entirely because she's not famous enough, and because Shuang Bing and Dong Xuan have been blocking her way when she was filming several dramas.

Even so, she was not immune to suspicion and doubt.

Jiang Xin didn't care about such suspicions. A sugar daddy is a sugar daddy. It would be foolish not to cling to such a rare benefactor.

If you follow Yan Li, you'll be guaranteed leading roles, but you'll also be a regular supporting actress in popular dramas. Regardless of your future career prospects, at least you won't fade into obscurity.

However, although Jiang Xin herself was willing, things often did not go as planned.

One major reason why Yan Li often uses actresses like Jiang Xin and Yang Xue as the Seventh Fairy in his recent dramas is because they are familiar with each other and have a good relationship. It's better to use familiar faces than unfamiliar ones.

But that was in the past. As Yan Li's career grew bigger and bigger, he met more and more people, and more and more actresses were willing to use him to advance their careers.

Furthermore, with Yi An also starting to develop artist management business, she will be more inclined to rely on her own people in the future.

The entertainment industry is very realistic; you can't make money for them without taking your clothes off.

Why should I support you?
Even if Yan Li is a sentimental person, Jiang Xinguang takes without giving, and there will eventually come a day when old feelings will be exhausted.

Once Jiang Xin's relationship with Yan Li begins to cool, and she can't get the resources she needs, her career will stagnate and decline.

Therefore, Jiang Xin doesn't have many choices now: either accept it, find another partner, or try to get closer to Yan Li.

Are you just going to accept it?

If you're unlucky and your career doesn't take off, you might languish for a few years, get older, find a partner, get married, and have children. If you're tied down by family, you might just retire from the entertainment industry altogether.

Jiang Xin was absolutely unwilling to let her precious youth be wasted.

Seeking a better opportunity elsewhere?

Yi An is one of the companies with the best upward momentum in the industry right now. They've lost the big picture for a small one, and who knows if that small one involves any underhanded dealings.

Just thinking about those fat, old, ugly men leering at her made Jiang Xin feel disgusted from the bottom of her heart.

Turning her head to glance at Yan Li, who was surrounded by people toasting him and looking very proud, Jiang Xin poured herself a small glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

That leaves only one option!
...

"Mr. Yan, thank you for your continued care. I'd like to propose a toast to you."

Jiang Xin toasted Yan Li, who was already used to it and took a sip in return.

"Take care after filming wraps up. Let's get together again sometime."

Jiang Xin nodded, chatted with him for a few more minutes, and slipped a business card into Yan Li's hand before leaving.

"Here are my contact information and my agent's email address. If you ever get a chance, don't forget me."

He has Jiang Xin's phone number and her agent's contact information!
Yan Li unconsciously felt the business card with his hand; it was thicker and the back was quite hard. He put it in his pocket first and then secretly glanced at it when he had a chance.

Yes, the room key is below the business card.

This woman is a shrew. If you're going to slip a room key to someone, at least do it discreetly somewhere. What if she sees you doing it in public while you're toasting someone?

Without making a sound, Yan Li continued drinking, but Jiang Xin, who was quietly observing from the side, became a little anxious.

Why wasn't there any indication?
Moreover, if Yan Li drinks any more, he'll become a drunkard. Will he even be able to recognize the door then?!

Jiang Xin didn't know what to do. She couldn't just rush up and stop them from drinking, could she? Who did she think she was?

So, after watching helplessly as Yan Li was carried away drunk by his driver and assistant, Jiang Xin even began to wonder if Yan Li was trying to politely refuse her in this way.

But it doesn't look like it!
Although it was the first time handing over the room key, it wasn't without some preparation. We had exchanged some suggestive jokes and groped each other before.

Based on her understanding of Yan Li, he was clearly not some coward who only dared to talk big but didn't dare to actually do anything.

Just as she was wondering what was going on, her phone vibrated; Yan Li had sent her a text message.

[I'm going back to the hotel] Without saying a word, Jiang Xin picked up her bag and left. She hailed a taxi and returned to the hotel, only to find no one in her room.

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Xin quietly slipped to Yan Li's door, knocked a few times, and the door opened.

Yan Li, who had just finished showering, was wearing a towel wrapped around his lower body and drying his hair with a towel when he let the person in.

Jiang Xin wasn't stupid enough to ask why he didn't go to his own room. She glanced at Yan Li's strong, well-defined muscles, pursed her lips, and reached out to take the towel from his hand.

"Let me wipe it for you."

"Row."

Yan Li handed her the towel, then sat on the sofa to enjoy Jiang Xin's service.

Jiang Xin wiped her hair quite carefully. Because she was wearing a wig and her hair wasn't long, it was mostly dry after wiping, so she didn't need to use a hairdryer.

After drying his hair, Jiang Xin hesitated for a moment, then dried Yan Li's body. He had just taken a shower and there was still some water on his body.

Yan Li let her do as she pleased, telling her to raise her hand, turn around, until her upper body was almost wiped clean. Yan Li raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Should I wipe it again?"

"wipe!"

Jiang Xin said decisively, "Now that things have come to this, why should I hesitate?" She directly untied Yan Li's bath towel and then looked dumbfounded.

It's a real pity that Yan Li didn't act in "The Return of the Condor Heroes," he just brought his own props.

After Jiang Xin finished her work, Yan Li found a piece of black gauze in his hand, which left Jiang Xin a little confused.

"What do you mean?"

Yan Li reached out and covered half of her face with the black veil, then stroked her face with satisfaction.

"Although I like Qiao Feng, it wouldn't be bad to be Duan Yu for a while."

Jiang Xin then realized what was going on, and was both amused and exasperated by Yan Li's wicked sense of humor.

Just as he was about to speak, Yan Duanyu Li's Six Meridian Divine Sword came crashing down. Then he unleashed the Northern Darkness Divine Art, and under its power, Jiang Xin was utterly routed.

The Seven Fairies (5/7)

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.

Jiang Xin was woken up by a phone call the next day. She answered it groggily and found that it was her agent asking when she would return to Beijing after filming wrapped up.

"Yes, the director wants to reshoot the scenes. I'll go back tomorrow... or the day after tomorrow."

Jiang Xin glanced at the empty room, unsure where Yan Li had gone, but that didn't stop her from staying a few more days.

There was no other meaning; it was mainly to solidify their relationship. Yan Li hadn't agreed to anything yet.

Right, Yan Li didn't agree to anything!
Jiang Xin suddenly realized something: last night, she was so confused by Yan Li's involvement in the Dali civil war that she forgot all about the important matter.

However, Jiang Xin quickly felt at ease. Yan Li had taken care of his friends before, and now that their relationship had progressed further, it goes without saying that he would definitely not treat her unfairly.

With that thought in mind, Jiang Xin lay back down on the bed and went back to sleep soundly.

Jiang Xin didn't see Yan Li again until the evening, as the latter had gone to Yi'an Garden to work.

"The Legend of Xue Rengui" is about to wrap up filming, and "The Imperial Palace of the Qing Dynasty" will be coming to an end soon as well, with a lot of follow-up work to be done.

Meanwhile, the battle between Phoenix and Eagle was raging outside, and various distribution projects were in full swing. Yan Li had to keep an eye on many important contracts, and not working overtime was already considered a favor to Jiang Xin.

Although they had already been intimate, perhaps because of mutual benefit and Dong Xuan's influence, Jiang Xin still felt a little awkward around Yan Li.

Yan Li, on the other hand, was quite natural. He put his arm around Jiang Xin's slightly plump waist and directly explained his arrangements for her.

In the second half of the year, Yi An plans to start filming "The Legend of Chu Liuxiang" and "The Legend of Yang Yuhuan". Jiang Xin is welcome to participate if there are suitable roles.

In addition, he would also keep an eye out for suitable roles in other dramas.

Jiang Xin was slightly dissatisfied; she wanted a clearly defined and important role, but she didn't dare to say anything.

Now that she's put her biggest bargaining chip on the table, there's no room for negotiation.

If expressing dissatisfaction angers Yan Li, she can simply cut ties with him; after all, Yan Li doesn't need another woman.

Jiang Xin wasn't particularly good at hiding her thoughts, and Yan Li quickly realized what she was thinking.

The appetite is a bit large, but that's understandable!

Women who colluded with Yan Li for personal gain, such as Wang Ou, Wu Jiani, and Huang Shengyi, were all previously low-level actresses or students. They were easily fed, even bloated, by Yan Li's resources and money.

Take the two soldiers as another example. Previously, it was an exchange of interests where each got what they needed. Later, it became a highly bound or cooperative relationship. Yan Li had all the resources he needed and was not dissatisfied.

Huo Siyan's need for resources wasn't that strong; she wanted Yan Li to be her backer.

Jiang Xin is currently doing well and is after high-quality resources, so Yan Li's casual allocation of resources might not be enough.

However, she couldn't just give it to Yan Li without showing any dissatisfaction; she had to let Yan Li see her sincerity.

In terms of looks, Jiang Xin is not top-tier.

In terms of figure, Jiang Xin is voluptuous and tall, with a charming appearance.

Most importantly, she is quite resilient, almost comparable to Fan Xiaopang's rouge tiger.

As for Li Bingbing, that beautiful wolf, Yan Li felt that she was just a bit crazy because of her age, coupled with her stubborn and unyielding personality, and that her actual strength was inferior to Fan and Jiang's.

Thinking of this, Yan Li felt a little itchy again.

Wang Ou, that little vixen, has a lot of tricks up her sleeve and is great at starting fires, but she's not good at putting them out. Yan Li had no choice but to ask Jiang Xin for help.

Feeling Yan Li's hand begin to change, Jiang Xin's expression changed slightly: "Again?"

She stayed to solidify her relationship with Yan Li, but she couldn't do it every day. She had slept most of the day and was still a little out of sorts.

"You forgot, I was given all sorts of nourishing foods during meals before. Now that my body is healthy, of course I need to exercise."

Yan Li picked up Jiang Xin in a princess carry. Yesterday was the civil war in Dali, today is Jinzha's campaign against the Four Fairies...

...

Jiang Xin stayed in Hengdian for three days before leaving, feeling both relieved and reluctant.

Although Yan Li did not promise her an important role, he agreed that he would consider it.

Incidentally, I transferred 20 yuan to her under the guise of compensating her for the clothes she damaged so she could buy new clothes.

Jiang Xin had very mixed feelings after learning about this.

At present, Jiang Xin's income is not bad, but it is not very high. Taking "The Legend of Xue Rengui" as an example, due to the small number of scenes and the fact that she made a guest appearance, her salary was only a few hundred thousand yuan. And this money still has to be shared with the company and taxes.

However, Yan Li immediately offered 20 yuan, which was an extra "clothing allowance" in addition to the agreed-upon resources, without any additional conditions.

From now on, she definitely has a sugar daddy...

Two days after Jiang Xin left, Wang Ou finished filming "The Palace of the Qing Dynasty" and openly stayed in Hengdian to work as Yan Li's personal assistant.

After filming wrapped up for "The Legend of Xue Rengui", Yang Rong stayed in Hengdian for a few days with Wang Ou. She only left Hengdian after Wang Ou came to find Yan Li.

To be honest, if Yan Li didn't have the system, he would have suspected that this little vixen was planning to have an affair with Yang Rong.

I don't know how Wang Ou managed to make Yang Rong act like her little wife.

However, Wang Ou stated that Yang Rong's actions were not because of her, but because she herself was willing. But what were the underlying reasons? Wang Ou refused to betray Yang Rong no matter what.

However, even if she didn't say anything, Yan Li could still piece together a fairly complete picture using the system.

Yan Li just didn't quite understand Yang Rong's way of thinking. She didn't do anything, just listened and asked around to satisfy her curiosity. Even he, a pervert, thought this girl was a bit perverted.

While Yan Li was staying in Hengdian, The Return of the Condor Heroes finally aired its first final episode.

Compared to the earlier episodes, the controversy surrounding the later episodes shifted from the male lead to the female lead.

Huang Xiaoming's forced attempt to appear young in the early episodes caused a lot of backlash, but later, when Yang Guo matured and became more sophisticated and profound, Huang Xiaoming entered his comfort zone, and his reputation reversed.

Liu Yifei, on the other hand, received a lot of recognition in the early stages for her stunning appearance and aloof temperament.

However, as the plot progressed and Xiaolongnu experienced more and more, transforming from a "fairy" into a human, she needed to portray more complex emotions. Liu Yifei's immature acting skills were exposed, and she played Xiaolongnu like a wooden girl, which drew a lot of criticism.

Fortunately, Liu's face and appearance are still quite good, and the character of Little Dragon Girl is relatively taciturn and reserved.

Most viewers don't have high expectations for acting skills; they just want the general idea and not to break the immersion. Therefore, Liu's overall evaluation is much better than Huang's.

Besides the male and female leads, some plot points and fight choreography have also been criticized, and it was once considered Zhang Dahuzi's worst work.

Zhang Dahuzi himself didn't seem to care much.

Apart from "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", every new drama he has ever starred in has been his worst work. He has gotten used to it over the years.

His adaptations of Jin Yong's novels are both controversial and popular.

This time, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was even more so. Taking advantage of the battle between the phoenix and the eagle, the show received terrible reviews, but its ratings were incredibly high.

With a national average viewership rating of 6.74%, it surpassed "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" and temporarily topped the annual viewership ratings for satellite TV, exceeding the ratings of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils".

The local channels that followed suit also had increasingly alarmingly low ratings, with some reaching only a few percent.

The same goes for "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng"; the two dramas were like a competition.

Today you're a sensation in Sichuan and Chongqing, tomorrow I'll be all the rage in Northeast China, the day after tomorrow Hubei will be adoring the Condor Heroes, and the day after that, the Min-Zhe region will be spreading the legend of Gu Long's martial arts world.

Furthermore, the popularity of the two dramas even boosted sales of the original novels by Jin Yong and Gu Long.

According to statistics from a publishing house, sales of the two books increased by 190% compared to before the broadcast.

Yan Li was surrounded by these news reports every day, but he never really understood them.

It wasn't until I was returning to Beijing from Hengdian and stopped by my hometown to visit my parents that I saw a bunch of kids fighting with tree branches, one of them playing Ximen Chuixue and the other Yang Guo. That's when I vaguely realized that these two shows might become a generation's childhood memories.

Yan Li rolled down the car window and smiled as he watched the children playing, just like when he was a child he would argue fiercely about who was the strongest in Saint Seiya.

In the heat of the argument, I've even done the "foolish" thing of shouting "Pegasus Meteor Fist" and starting a fight.

Looking back now, it's unforgettable...

"Holy crap, that kid, you can't use the Spirit Rhinoceros Finger to poke his eyes, or he'll go blind."

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.

P.S.: If I can't finish writing this 10,000-word chapter before 8 PM, I'll post another chapter before midnight.

(End of this chapter)