Chinese Entertainment Intelligence King

Chapter 342 The Myth of Star-Making, Daily Mahjong Games, Casting for "Snow Leopard"
The next day, it was a bit cloudy. Yan Li went to the toilet, but instead of exercising, he lay back down and silently enjoyed this historic moment.

Fan Xiaopang felt a little cold and snuggled closer to him. Yan Li let go of Qin Lan beside him and changed his sleeping position.

Everything else was perfect this time, except the bed was a bit small and there wasn't enough room to sleep. I'll have to get a bigger bed next time.

Well, although he took a shortcut this time, Yan Li is still confident in replicating it.

One, two, or even three!
Fan Xiaopang has become somewhat lazy, Qin Lan is in a semi-indulgent mode, and even Dong Xuan, who is the most resistant, has had her bottom line crossed time and time again.

Perhaps because she was squeezed to the edge of the bed, Dong Xuan was the first to wake up. She tugged at the blanket, saw that Yan Li was awake, and rolled her eyes.

"Are you pleased?"

Yan Litian nodded shamelessly, Dong Xuan spat at her, and then started squeezing in.

Surprisingly, Dong Xuan was quite loyal; instead of touching Qin Lan, she tugged at Fan Xiaopang, which woke him up.

"Still looking for trouble, are you?"

Fan Xiaopang was still a little annoyed when he thought about the grudge from last night. It was too late to regret it now, especially since he had been bullied by those two shameless people.

"Just wait for me."

"Come on, are you afraid of me?"

Dong Xuan was not afraid at all. Although Yan Li had taken sides last night, he did not kill her when they fought. In a two-on-one fight, they still had the upper hand, which allowed her and Qin Lan to vent their anger.

The two faced off, with almost no concealment, and Yan Li watched intently.

It felt like the overcast sky outside was made white by the sunlight!

Dong Xuan reacted and covered herself, but Fan Xiaopang immediately reached out and pinched her. Qin Dong was no good, but this bastard was the worst.

Yan Li, being thick-skinned and tough, didn't care about such things. After arguing for a while, he simply started exercising indoors.

The most pitiful one is Qin Lan. She has the weakest combat power and was so tired that she fell asleep in the morning. However, Yan Li forcibly woke her up to brush her teeth and wash her face.

Siheyuan, main house
Yan Li and the others were called over by Zhang Hong to have breakfast, which should be considered brunch, and it was almost 10 o'clock now.

"Lanlan, eat more. Why don't you have any appetite?"

Seeing that Qin Lan wasn't eating much, Zhang Hong tried to persuade her, but Qin Lan gave him a nonchalant glare.

"I probably drank too much last night and my appetite is a bit poor. Just have something light to eat and I'll feel better."

"Oh, I see. I'll have your dad make you some light porridge later."

The food was good during the Spring Festival, but it was inevitably a bit greasy, so Zhang Hong asked Lao Yan to cook it again. Qin Lan was about to decline when Fan Xiaopang spoke up with a smile.

"No need to trouble Dad, she's just dehydrated, she'll be fine after drinking more water."

puff~
Dong Xuan almost choked, Qin Lan's face turned bright red, she was so ashamed and indignant. Yan Li coughed lightly and changed the subject.

"Dad, Mom, did anyone come to wish us a Happy New Year this morning?"

“There were three or four of them who came together. They were all from my hometown. I told them I hadn’t gotten up yet, and they didn’t stay long. They kowtowed inside the house and left.”

Grandma Yan added, "I gave them all red envelopes."

Not many people knew where Yan Li's parents lived; they were mostly his fellow villagers and a few close confidants—all true family members. No matter who it was, they would give gifts when visiting for the New Year.

“I turned off my phone last night and just replied to some messages. I estimate that quite a few people will come to wish me a Happy New Year at noon and in the afternoon. If you find it annoying, you can go to the neighbor’s yard or go out to play.”

Yan Li is used to social engagements, but it's hard to say about the others.

As for red envelopes, it's best if elders give them, but it's also acceptable to give them on behalf of elders. Actually, the amount of money isn't important; the sentiment it represents is what matters most.

Comrade Yan patted his belly: "I still have to watch the pot, so I'll stay home."

The real reason for visiting the house is not to look at the pot, but to enjoy watching others come to pay their respects during the New Year. The uncles and elders respond to the greetings, offer cigarettes, and receive New Year's gifts. It's a source of great pride.

Zhang Hong also felt the same way and didn't want to leave. Grandma Yan was a little better, but she had promised her grandson to help, so she couldn't just leave.

If the elders don't leave, the women can't leave either; they probably don't have the energy to go out for a stroll.

"Just stay home and play."

The mahjong table was set up again, and Dong, Fan, Lao Yan, and Zhang Hong played cards. Qin Lan wanted to play, but she was afraid that her mother-in-law would be too eager to help tidy up the neighboring yard, so she took the opportunity to wash the bed sheets that she had changed yesterday.

Yan Li watched the game from the sidelines, sending New Year's greetings via text message while also checking Weibo.

Just as Yan Li predicted, Weibo became the center of traffic for the Spring Festival Gala, with countless netizens posting and discussing this year's CCTV Spring Festival Gala on the platform.

Zhao Benshan, Liu Qian, Zhou Jielun, and Super Band are among the most frequently trending topics, but the most terrifying one is Xiao Shenyang.

This so-called effeminate man saw his Weibo followers skyrocket from a few thousand to nearly a million overnight.

That's right, nearly a million followers overnight, breaking Weibo's single-day follower growth record.

Moreover, if we calculate based on the 24 hours from yesterday morning to this morning, this record will rise further, easily surpassing one million.

It's important to understand that we're not yet in the so-called era of traffic; many well-known websites don't even have a million daily active users.

A personal Weibo account gained a million followers overnight, a phenomenon orchestrated by Weibo, the Spring Festival Gala, and other media outlets that covered the story.

However, this myth is only the beginning. The Spring Festival Gala attracts the most attention on New Year's Eve, but there is still a period for its influence to ferment and spread.

For at least a week, Xiao Shenyang will definitely be a hot topic.

The hype won't be as high afterward, but once you've built up your reputation, it will continue to generate traffic.

Yan Li really likes people who bring traffic to his platform, and he even goes so far as to personally support them in order to win them over and keep the topic going.

[Our inbox is about to explode! Congratulations to @小沈杨 for breaking the Weibo record for the largest single-day increase in followers. You've become famous overnight, and now everyone knows you!]

Not satisfied with praising Xiao Shenyang and Yan Li, they also tagged magician Liu Qian.

This person is also one of the celebrities who became popular during this year's Spring Festival Gala, although not as exaggerated as Xiao Shenyang, but equally popular.

Although Xiao Shenyang didn't have many fans before, he was a member of Zhao Benshan's troupe, and since Weibo had previously invited members of Zhao Benshan's troupe to join, he had all been verified.

This Liu Qian is even less famous, with only a few hundred followers on Weibo and no verified account. It was only after the Spring Festival Gala that Weibo contacted him overnight to confirm and get his account verified.

Therefore, Yan Li specifically tagged this person to help him gain more visibility and allow Weibo to better capture the Spring Festival Gala's traffic.

Besides the Spring Festival Gala, which is the biggest source of traffic, many celebrities also use Weibo to send New Year's greetings to fans and viewers during the Spring Festival, or share some family Spring Festival activities, which also brings considerable attention to Weibo.

Not only celebrities, but Weibo also launched activities such as "Show off your family's New Year's Eve dinner", "I wish you a Happy New Year in XX", and "A grand celebration from all directions".

Encouraging users to participate and share their holiday activities also greatly increased platform activity and the festive atmosphere.

While celebrities and trending figures are the source of traffic, ordinary users should not be ignored.

Companies like Sina Weibo always emphasize the strategic foresight, functional diversity, and star-studded grand strategy of Weibo, blah blah blah.

However, it overlooks a crucial advantage of Weibo: its platform user ecosystem has always been relatively healthy, creating a relatively inclusive, harmonious, and positive environment.

This may seem insignificant, but it is actually very important.

Users who have spent a long time on Weibo have become accustomed to its relatively comfortable and friendly atmosphere. When they switch to other platforms, they often have a negative experience for various reasons and choose to leave.

Conversely, relatively ordinary netizens who have been using other platforms for a long time can quickly feel the difference when they come to Weibo, and thus become loyal Weibo users.

User ecosystem, user experience, meeting user needs... these terms are not uncommon in the internet industry.

However, in this era of rapid expansion, many internet companies and platforms don't care about this or that, they'd rather just attract more new users.

Once the market is nearly fully developed and enters a period of saturation, when acquiring new users becomes extremely difficult, the competitive environment for services will begin.

Weibo hasn't really been explored in great depth yet; it's just that we've paid a little more attention and taken a few extra steps compared to others, but that's enough for us.

In business competition, you don't need to be exceptionally good; you just need to be better than your competitors.

As we played, people started coming over to wish us a Happy New Year.

Yan Li, Lao Yan, Zhang Hong, and the others would go out to greet them from time to time, and Qin Lan and the others would also show their faces if they ran into someone they knew.

Like Yan Li's brothers from his hometown, they usually follow the local customs. When they enter the main house, they kowtow to the main hall, one kowtow per person, and Grandma Yan and her husband kowtow three times in total.

Some would charge at people, but Lao Yan and Zhang Hong usually avoided them.

Unless you're very close to them or a direct descendant, people who aren't very familiar with each other usually don't sit there casually and let others kowtow to them; it would seem too presumptuous.

Grandma Yan is old, and most of the guests are her grandchildren, so there's not much to worry about. However, we still try to make sure they kowtow towards the main room.

If you're not from Yanli's hometown, people there might not have the custom of kowtowing to offer New Year's greetings. In that case, just do as they do; bowing, making a gesture of respect, or saying auspicious words are all fine.

The form is not important; the intention and attitude are what matter.

Of course, some people who had inquired about the customs of Yan Li's hometown immediately started kowtowing.

For example, Lin Jiachuan, Zhou Yiwei, and Zhang Songwen started kowtowing as soon as they entered the door, and Yan Li couldn't stop them.

"Good boy, get up quickly."

Grandma Yan asked the three of them to stand up, and gave each of them a red envelope. Yan Li then introduced them.

"Mom, do you remember? This is Jia Chuan... He was my college roommate. He's been to our house before."

This wasn't the first time Yan Li's parents had come to Beijing. As Yan Li's good brothers, the three of them had visited his home before, but only a limited number of times. Only Zhang Hong, who had a good memory and frequented restaurants, had some recollection of them.

"Please sit down, please sit down. You're not all from the capital, are you? Why didn't you go home for the New Year?"

“Yiwei’s family is in Beijing, Jiachuan bought a house in Beijing, and his parents have also come to live here. We’ll be staying in Beijing this year. I have a job, and I’ll be going back to Guangdong Province in a couple of days.”

Zhang Songwen explained that there was another reason he didn't mention.

That is because the three of them knew that Yan Li's whole family was spending the New Year in the capital this year, so they made an appointment to come and pay their respects together.

The three of them got to where they are today thanks to Yan Li's help, and even more so to their personal friendship.

Other artists from Yi An wanted to pay their respects for the New Year but didn't know where Yan Lifu was spending the holiday or where his home was. Since they had this opportunity, they naturally wanted to show their appreciation and build a closer personal relationship.

"Songwen, Yiwei, Jiachuan is here."

Fan Xiaopang and his companions hadn't come out of their room when they heard the commotion and realized it was someone they knew, so they all showed themselves.

"Sister-in-law... sister-in-law, sister-in-law."

When Lin Jiachuan saw Fan Xiaopang, and Qin Lan and Dong Xuan behind him, he forced himself to call her "sister-in-law" three times in a row, and Zhou Yiwei did the same.

In fact, most of the time, they refer to Dong Xuan as "Sister Xuan" from their university days. Qin Lan occasionally calls her "Sister Lan," while Fan Xiaopang always calls her "Sister-in-law" in private.

However, no matter how they usually address each other, now that they've called Fan Xiaopang "sister-in-law" first, it would be suicide for the other two to call her "sister."

As expected, Qin Lan and Dong Xuan both expressed their approval upon hearing how the two addressed each other.

Zhang Songwen was old and didn't feel comfortable addressing his younger siblings by name, so he escaped this predicament and was simply called by their names.

Fan Xiaopang naturally switched to the hostess's role: "Dad, Mom, it's almost dinnertime. Why don't we let Yiwei and the others stay for a meal?"

Not to be outdone, Chairman Qin, equally virtuous, kept saying that her parents should arrange for guests to stay.

"..."

Knowing Yan Li was busy, Lin Jiachuan and the others didn't linger and made an excuse to leave. Yan Li personally saw them off, and at the door, they all gave him a thumbs up. "Brother, you're awesome!"

"I admire you more than anyone else."

"A role model for us all."

Yan Li lit a cigarette with a sigh: "Hey, I regret it now. I have to take three servings of dumplings. I'm even afraid to say the wrong thing in my sleep at night. I'm so nervous and walking on thin ice."

"..."X3
You're really putting on a show. If I weren't too scared, I'd strip you naked and tie you to the tree next to me.

...

The New Year's greetings didn't really end until after 4 p.m., and Yan Li had declined all the greetings he had given in advance.

After dinner, Qin Lan started organizing a mahjong game. She had a good run of luck today and was a bit addicted, starting to play whenever she had free time.

Dong Xuan stepped on her foot, and she kept playing around. If she didn't leave soon, it would be dark. Did she want to be stepped on by this bastard again?

Qin Lan glanced at Dong Xuan, then at Fan Xiaopang, pursed her lips, and whispered a reply.

"If she doesn't leave, are you willing to leave?"

The three of them are still competing with each other. Fan Xiaopang doesn't know what he's thinking, but he hasn't said a word.

Either he doesn't care, or he's confident that the two of them won't last long and will leave, so he can have Yan Li all to himself.

I let Fan Xiaopang take advantage of me once before, and I finally managed to get back at him last night, but she succeeded today, so yesterday's efforts were all for naught.

"If it really doesn't work out, you go first, I'll stay with her."

Qin Lan made a suggestion that almost made Dong Xuan laugh in anger: "The three of you will enjoy the Spring Festival, while I'll be all alone in my room."

Why? !

Since that's the case, let's all just wait it out, so no one gains an advantage and no one suffers a loss.

Seeing that the three people hadn't run away, Yan Li nodded in satisfaction.

The standoff of the past two days, and Fan Xiaopang's lack of martial ethics, have left both sides conflicted and distrustful, making it impossible for them to advance or retreat together. So, they can only go up and down together.

Although they were determined not to leave, Qin Lan and Dong Xuan still made some efforts, namely, to stall for time by playing mahjong.

Fight until everyone is exhausted, and maybe we can escape this calamity!
However, this move clearly underestimated Yan Li's physical strength and energy. In the "Three Mothers Teaching Their Son" game, Yan Li lost a lot of money, but he became more and more energetic as the game progressed.

If this continues, who knows what Yan Li might do? They'll be left sitting and waiting to die.

Qin Lan glanced at the card game and saw that Yan Li was losing more than he was winning, and had hardly ever won anything. He was just wasting time with them. So she came up with a plan.

"Nobody's short of money, so winning or losing doesn't really matter. Let's gamble something bigger."

"How to say?"

Yan Li raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Qin Lan and Dong Xuan whispered to each other, "Whoever wins can punish or make demands on the other three people. They can't go too far. The one who wins the most games can make one demand this year, and the others must agree unconditionally and can't go back on their word."

"This is boring, let's just play it the way we did before."

Yan Li immediately understood what was going on and refused, but he couldn't overcome the unanimous agreement of Qin Lan, Dong Xuan, and Fan Xiaopang.

"Aren't you afraid they'll try something dirty with us?"

Yan Li knew that Chairman Qin had already made arrangements, so he immediately began to persuade Fan Xiaopang, but the latter shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, I'm sure I'll win. Let's go to sleep and let the two of them eavesdrop by the door."

Yan Li: "..."

Qin Lan & Dong Xuan: "..."

Who knows who might be eavesdropping!

Chairman Qin and his wife exchanged a glance. Their plan was to let Yan Li sleep alone after they won, so as to prevent her from messing around. But now it seems there is a better way to handle it.

In order not to disturb the elders' rest, the group simply moved the location to the neighboring courtyard.

The game resumed, and compared to the previous game where it was just a waste of time, all four players were now highly motivated and extremely focused.

"I won by drawing the winning tile myself."

Fan Xiaopang excitedly clenched his fist, winning the first round, and looked at Qin Lan.

"Come here and give me a foot massage."

Qin Lan's face darkened: "We agreed beforehand that we can't go too far."

Yan Li also said: "The punishments are fun and subtle, and you can't guarantee that you'll win every time."

After all, it's a game. Even if it's not explained beforehand, there are limits to the punishments, otherwise people might get carried away.

Fan Xiaopang thought for a moment, then pointed at Qin Dong and the other man: "You do 10 squats, you do 10 frog jumps, and shout 'Fan Bingbing is the prettiest' while you do them. If that doesn't work, then don't play anymore."

This is indeed not excessive. Chairman Qin and his partner exchanged a glance, one squatting and the other doing a frog jump, shouting through gritted teeth.

"Fan Bingbing is the most beautiful."

Fan Xiaopang laughed heartily, then put his feet into Yan Li's arms: "Give me a foot massage."

"Didn't we say we shouldn't go too far?"

"You're too harsh on them, but not at all harsh on you."

Also!

Yan Li did not argue, and "humiliated" himself by massaging Fan Xiaopang's feet. Even after the punishment ended and the card game resumed, he did not stop.

"Haha, I won."

"You, do 20 push-ups, Dong Xuan, do 10, while shouting that Qin Lan is the prettiest, you, massage her feet."

Qin Lan pushed over the mahjong tiles in her hand and arrogantly pointed and kicked.

Fan Xiaopang didn't ramble on or complain about the unfairness of the punishment; she just started working. Dong Xuan gave her a resentful look.

They're all teammates, a token gesture would have been enough, but they actually came.

Qin Lan ignored the other party. She and Dong Xuan were teammates and rivals in love. Not treating them equally was already a sign of their alliance.

Yan Li continued massaging her feet, his voice hoarse, turning what should have been a punishment session into a welfare session.

In the third round, Fan Xiaopang won again. Qin Dong did 20 squats and shouted that Fan Xiaopang was the empress, while Yan Li continued to get foot massages.

In the fourth round, Qin Lan won back a round, and the punishment was 20 sit-ups with shouting + 10 sit-ups with shouting + foot massage.

The fifth round... before the fifth round even started, Dong Xuan quit.

Qin Fan won two rounds by himself, and Yan Lichun got the benefit of being the only one to suffer all the punishments.

10 frog jumps, 10 sit-ups, 10 push-ups, 20 squats—are you trying to tire this out, you silly girl?!

Fan Xiaopang scoffed: "If you can't handle the game, don't play. Whose fault is it if you're bad at it and have bad luck?"

Qin Lan also said, "I'm willing to accept the consequences of my bet; I can't lose my spirit."

Yan Li raised his hand and said, "I also lost four games, but I didn't say anything."

Dong Xuan glared at Yan Li, "Shameless bastard, how dare you say that? Is that punishment?!"

"Come on, I don't believe it."

Dong Xuan rolled up her sleeves, determined to win back a round, but this time Yan Li won.

"Haha, take off your clothes, all of you take off your clothes."

Yan Li proposed his punishment, which earned him three eye rolls: "Aren't you afraid we'll freeze?"

Although the room was heated, it wasn't a situation where he could do whatever he wanted, so Yan Li had to change the terms.

"You two, massage my legs, you massage my shoulders, and then say 'My husband is the most handsome and powerful' ten times, in a sweet and coquettish voice, or you have to say it again."

The three women were helpless. Fan Xiaopang stood behind Yan Li, massaging his shoulders, while Qin Lan and Dong Xuan squatted down on either side, massaging his legs, and then greeted him in sweet voices.

Yan Li closed his eyes contentedly: "Awesome, I'll play this game often from now on."

The game resumed, and Qin Lan won again. She was really lucky today, winning more than she lost in the following games, making her the biggest winner of the day.

Fan Xiaopang was thoroughly messed with by her, but at least he could retaliate occasionally. The worst off was Dong Xuan, who didn't win a single game all night and was a complete victim.

Later, Yan Li couldn't bear it and tried to deliberately feed her cards, but Dong Xuan still didn't win and was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

"It's almost one o'clock now, let's take a break."

Qin Lan suggested that they should quit while they were ahead, but Dong Xuan didn't care; she had already lost a lot.

Fan Xiaopang disagreed. Although she was still some distance behind Qin Lan, she was not without hope of catching up and was unwilling to admit defeat.

Yan Li then suggested playing another round, with the winner getting to decide.

Unexpectedly, the mahjong game went awry halfway through. Dong Xuan's two of circles was melded, Qin Lan ate a piece of bamboo, Fan Xiaopang made a series of pongs, and in the end, Yan Li won the game with a grand slam of dragons...

...

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Yan Li no longer had time to linger in the comforts of his home; he had to go and attend to social engagements.

Fan Xiaopang and his two companions were also busy, each having their own gatherings.

Qin Lan went to Ma Yili's house to attend the Teddy Sisters' New Year's party, Dong Xuan's family had someone come to pay New Year's visits, and Fan Xiaopang was busy organizing some of his team members and close friends in Beijing to have a good time.

Yan Li managed to sneak a moment from his busy schedule to visit Ma Yili's house; this was money Qin Lan had won playing mahjong the night before.

Some conditions may not be fulfilled, but we can't let someone win for nothing.

When Yan Li entered, the mahjong table was set up again.

Qin Lan, who had dominated the game last night, was hooked on cards by Huo Siyan. She played cards with Ma Yili and Li Xiaolu, and her luck was still good. It might have been a case of flattery, but anyway, she made a lot of money.

Wen Zhang, looking every bit the doting father, held the child and watched from the side. Yan Li teased the child and then slipped him a pure gold longevity lock, which Wen Zhang declined.

"Sister Lan gave me a red envelope before."

"It's okay, just consider it a first birthday gift. I'm busy, so I might not be able to make it."

Yan Li wouldn't care about such a small thing, and besides, this lock wasn't given away for free.

Not long ago, he triggered future information about the TV series "Snow Leopard" and has now acquired the novel's copyright.

Although Wen Zhang has a closer relationship with Qin Lan, he is an artist under Orange Sky Entertainment, and unlike Tong Dawei, he does not have a prior personal relationship with Yan Li.

Whether or not Yi An will use him in the version of "Snow Leopard" is uncertain...

　(7000, /215000)

　　
　
(End of this chapter)