I'm not a drama freak, I can really see through the script

Chapter 201, "Who is the protagonist of 'The World's Number One'?"

Reach the sky in one step.

You seem a bit arrogant, kid.

Very arrogant, extremely arrogant. This phrase can be used to describe anyone who is extremely arrogant.

Well, that's pretty arrogant in Li Xuan's case too.

But Wang Jinsong just absolutely loved it.

Who says ordinary people like us can't have the ambition to achieve great things overnight?
It should be.

You should have it all.

"Good, good, good. Your ambition to reach the top in one step is quite to my liking." Wang Jinsong grinned. Perhaps this was what he liked most about Li Xuan. Unlike his usual humility, he showed no signs of collapse when faced with pressure far exceeding his own.

Put yourself in their shoes.

Wang Jinsong felt that if it were him, he would probably have turned gray from worry and be overwhelmed by the pressure. Not everyone can withstand this level of pressure, and he certainly wouldn't be able to get into full character while filming.

This is actually the most dangerous and psychologically challenging part. When you face enormous pressure, can you still maintain a calm mind and avoid being affected? These are all factors that can affect getting into character while filming, and they are also a test of an actor's mentality.

Some actors are exceptionally talented, possessing peak abilities in both external and internal skills, as well as input and output. They are even formidable individuals who are only one step away from reaching the summit. Perhaps due to being too immersed in their roles, perhaps due to mental imbalance, or perhaps due to the torment of illness, these once-promising talents leap from the rooftop, becoming a regret and a source of tears for their era.

Wang Jinsong felt that Li Xuan needed some encouragement—not to mention, he seemed to be an immersive type, and those who followed this path always had a slightly weaker mental fortitude than others.

As a result, Li Xuan acted like an oddball, completely unaware of the pressure.

His eyes were clear and bright.

Confident and determined.
Without hesitation, this unwavering mindset, coupled with his exceptional talent, led him to achieve his goals.

Wang Jinsong felt that achieving instant success was not just wishful thinking.

The last person from Beijing Film Academy to rise to fame overnight was Zhao Yanzi, who became an overnight sensation with just one role in "My Fair Princess".
Now, Wang Jinsong is a little curious about how Li Xuan will perform in the three dramas that will be broadcast next: "The World's Finest," "The Legend of the White Snake," and "Chinese Paladin."

In terms of popularity, "The World's Finest" should be greater than "The Legend of the White Snake" and then greater than "Chinese Paladin".

After all, this was a collaborative project involving three parties. Although the publicity strategy was rather rudimentary, the sheer volume of publicity was overwhelming, allowing for a saturation-style bombardment of promotional efforts.

In terms of TV dramas, the hottest topic at the beginning of the year is "The World's Number One". However, some people are still a bit confused about the male lead. On TV stations in Beijing, the male lead is Big Bird King, oh no, Li Yapeng. On TV stations in Guangdong Province, the male lead is Guo Jin'an. On TV stations in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Province, the male lead should be Huo Jianhua.

To put it kindly, this is an ensemble drama.

To put it bluntly, based on past experience, too many storylines would make it difficult to tell the whole story within a few dozen episodes.

Regardless, Wang Jinsong will definitely watch and support this original martial arts drama. Putting everything else aside, Li Xuan's role in the drama alone makes it worth watching.

Let's see if he has the confidence to say he can 'rise to the top in one step'.

Whether it really exists or not.

Back in the classroom, Liu Yifei came over and spoke earnestly beside her.

"Don't worry, Brother Li, you definitely won't be without work!"

Liu Yifei still remembers this, saying that she once told her mother that she would not let Li Xuan's career end in failure.

There's no need for so many reasons.

Just because he's Brother Li is enough! Why make up so many reasons for yourself?
"Don't worry, just watch your brother Li take off," Li Xuan said with a smile.

"Well then!"

In the second week of school, the highly anticipated drama "The World's Number One" officially began airing.
"It's so good to have a dad."

At that moment, while Zhang Guoli was pulling strings to help his son, Zhang Mo was at school, head held high.

"The Eloquent Swordsman 3", "The Young Imperial Envoy", and "The New Nine-Rank Sesame Official" are three consecutive works in which his father used his connections in the old Beijing entertainment circle to provide him with resources. In these three works, he was the second lead, which is basically the maximum resources that could be given to a young actor.
"By the way, how come you were able to film so many movies last year?" Someone still couldn't help but ask this question out of curiosity.

"Forehead"

Zhang Mo looked at the classmate next to him, who was a student in the second music class.

Calling this question stupid wouldn't be an exaggeration; rather, it possesses a kind of pure innocence.

Wen Zhang, who was standing next to Yang Jian, glanced at him and sighed, saying, "As for this question, I don't know how to answer it."

As for why Zhang Mo, who is prohibited from filming outside the Central Academy of Drama during his studies, was allowed to do so—

It can only be said that rules are only used to restrict those who should abide by them. At least at the Central Academy of Drama, these kinds of rules have no effect on Zhang Mo. As long as he can earn enough credits and pass the exams, these things don't matter.

Of course, for ordinary students, the rules must be strictly enforced; they must strictly abide by school rules and regulations and there is no room for slackness.
"Hey, I don't know, maybe I just got lucky."

Zhang Mo didn't speak, but smiled slightly, enjoying the intangible feeling of being superior.

The "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth" series is a classic series with a guaranteed viewership rating. "The Young Imperial Envoy" and "The New Nine-Rank Sesame Official" are currently the most popular comedies, set against the backdrop of the Qing Dynasty, which everyone loves.

Which girl doesn't want to be a princess? Among female viewers, Qing Dynasty dramas have always been at the top of the list of historical dramas, and they don't have as much tragic and resentful content.

Thanks to "My Fair Princess" for elevating this subject matter to a national level.

Interestingly, this time "The World's Number One" is set in the Ming Dynasty and is airing in the same time slot as "The Young Imperial Envoy".

Comparing Ming dramas and Qing dramas is a bit of a stretch.

But this time it's pretty much certain that "The Young Imperial Envoy" is going to win, because the Qing Dynasty setting has a strong audience base.

Just like this time, after Li Xuan was lifted to the sky, when he was brought down hard, my own name will take over.

Zhang Mo was somewhat looking forward to seeing what Zhang Mo's expression would be when he was being praised to the skies and then fell from grace, and Zhang Mo went to pick his peaches. This country bumpkin probably couldn't tell that all those recent articles praising him were just a way to pave the way for him.

I'm going to rise to the top in one step.

I'll climb to the top by stepping on you.

My father is right. The class of '96 is the one I should be chasing!
I want to be the male lead!

"Mom, I haven't been coming home at night lately."

"Oh, wait a minute."

Gao Yuanyuan was a little confused, but before she left, her mother gave her a small plastic bag that looked like it contained balloons.

His face turned red as soon as he brushed it.

"Mom!!! I don't even have a boyfriend yet!!!"

"ah?."

Gao Yuanyuan's mother was a little embarrassed; she had thought her daughter was... well, you know, but it turns out she doesn't even have a boyfriend yet.
During this period, Gao Yuanyuan has been filming, including the movie "Shanghai Dreams," in which she played the lead role in an art film, as well as several TV series. "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber" has brought her a steady stream of resources and popularity. In addition, her family is indeed well-off, which has helped her establish a firm foothold in the entertainment industry.

Looking back now, Liu Sheng Piaoxu's performance in "The World's Finest" is something she doesn't need to care about at all. If she performs well, it's icing on the cake; if she performs poorly, it doesn't matter, as it won't affect her status.

She's already a leading lady capable of standing on her own.

But I'm still nervous. I want to go watch it with Li Xuan; I want to see her performance in the drama.
Or perhaps, by appearing a little nervous, I could get closer to him?
My feelings are a bit chaotic. I don't know if we've become awkward since we haven't seen each other for so long.
Damn it! Gao Yuanyuan, what are you thinking!
My mind was filled with the small plastic freezer bag my mother had just handed me, her words carrying a heavy weight. My face was flushed and burning.
Boyfriend?
Li Xuan hasn't been going back to the dormitory lately; he's been going home instead. He used his earnings to buy a large Sony TV, a top-of-the-line model that cost a whopping 10,000 yuan.

For actors, television sets can be considered auxiliary means of production—which is quite reasonable.
Then, every day after school, I would go home and watch the TV series "The World's Finest" at 8 PM sharp. Maybe on the way home, I could buy a bubble tea and watch the show while drinking the tea. It was pretty good.

"Why are you more nervous than I am?"

Li Xuan was both amused and exasperated by his uncle's expression.

"You're now in a precarious position, but ultimately your work is what will prove the truth. Of course I'm nervous."

"Yes, that's true."

Li Xuan paused.

Next up is "The World's Finest," and I hope someone will watch it with me.

Wei Ming's expression immediately became quite interesting.

Watching dramas together, is it Liu Yifei, who looked like a fairy when she celebrated your birthday last time?

I think that girl is good!
As it turned out, in the evening, a girl wearing a thick white down jacket and with watery eyes appeared.

Isn't this Liu Yifei?
"Hello, uncle."

"well."

At this moment, Wei Ming quickly suppressed his emotions; this was a new girl.
Ah Xuan, you have such thick eyebrows and big eyes!

Watching "The World's Finest" with Gao Yuanyuan was something we had agreed upon beforehand. After all, we filmed the show together, so of course we would watch it together.

"Why does Uncle's expression seem a little strange?"

"It's probably because of constipation. He's been a bit constipated lately."

"Pfft."

Gao Yuanyuan chuckled to herself as she finished peeling the fruit and naturally went to the sofa, turning on the television—the most expensive appliance in the rented apartment.

Power on, turn on, tune to channel
"The World's Number One" has officially begun.

Wei Ming, standing nearby, also became nervous and had no time to dwell on the matter between Gao Yuanyuan and Liu Yifei.

It started with a royal flush.

The scene where Gui Haiyidao and Duan Tianya stop the assassins from the Eastern Depot from hunting down a kind and loyal minister—you know this is a wuxia drama as soon as they appear.

From the perspective of past movie viewing.

This drama should be a sure thing.

When "The World's Finest" first aired, it caused quite a stir, with each publicity team acting independently and there were suspicions of infighting over the focus of the promotion for each character.

But when Guihai Yidao and Duan Tianya made their dazzling and high-budget entrance fight, everything else vanished.

Ma Jia's lips were turned up very high.
Very good, excellent.

He's got the center position, no doubt. And he's incredibly handsome, especially with that level of movement and close-up shots. It has to be admitted that Li Yapeng, besides having a golden-winged roc—though the sponsor seems to have shrunk a little, it's insignificant, still more than enough.
His image is truly excellent, and he deserves to be a prominent figure in the Beijing entertainment circle, having secured the largest share of resources this time.

The location they gave us was really great.

This is definitely the center position; isn't this the male lead?

This is the number one position, the rightful status and treatment. In terms of static presence, Li Yapeng has a more leading man aura than Huo Jianhua.

As for Guo Jin'an, he's just a joke (literally). How could he possibly be a combination of Hu Fei, Yang Guo, and Linghu Cong in my martial arts novel, Duan Tianya?
hee hee~
Too stable.

"That puts my mind at ease."

At this moment, Ma Jia smiled slightly and said, "With your appearance alone, you've definitely secured the position of the leading man."

"Yes, this time, I'm confident I can secure the center position."

At this moment, Duan Tianya's dark circles were bulging, and he looked pale and weak. He had to suffer with the rich woman for a few recommended resources. Fortunately, he did get the resources. Among the three male leads who were not yet confirmed, he had the most publicity resources.

"That's right. Fortunately, this time we also gave that sophomore a lot of screen time. You really have a lot of opportunities to shine. As long as you get enough highlights, you will definitely be able to make a leap forward this time."

Li Yapeng suddenly froze in his tracks.

His brain isn't quite up to par, and one symptom is that his memory might not be very good. While he was working hard and sacrificing himself to cultivate resources, he never thought about one thing.

A question that he now realizes too late, leaving him pale.

Wait, wait a minute.
He recalled that time, the scene when he acted with Li Xuan, the memory of death.

Damn it, this is bad.

Before the roc could react...

The next one has already appeared.

A character who appears in every storyline, the Iron-Blooded Marquis, Zhu Wushi.
A majestic and imposing figure appeared on the screen.

A domineering ruler who commands respect without anger.

When you see this image.

When you see him in the same frame with Li Yapeng, Huo Jianhua, and Ye Xuan, you can feel his imposing and domineering aura.

Ma Jia was also stunned.

This domineering king.

Is he really just a young student?

He commands respect without anger.

Domineering and awe-inspiring.

He alone can hold his own against the presence of these three people in the same frame.

"It really is you!"

At this moment, Wei Ming was looking at Li Xuan on the TV screen, and his eyes were filled with shock. This domineering appearance, none of the main characters in the promotional materials are as domineering as you.

The Dragon Guardian Manor, the Imperial Uncle of the Ming Dynasty—these labels don't seem like something a young man could handle, but there's a fact to prove it: Li Xuan has mastered them.

They mastered this label.

The Iron-hearted Divine Marquis.

When standing next to the young Emperor Zhengde, the contrast is striking, extremely striking!
You are the true emperor!
Cao Zhengchun is cunning, treacherous, and humble. He is as humble as an ant when facing the royal family, but treacherous and cruel when facing people outside the royal family. He portrays the character very well.

That's how a major villain was sketched out.

And that's the plot.

The story of Zhu Wushi, a powerful, righteous, and masculine figure, who is so upright that he is almost sinister, leading the secret agents of the Dragon Guard Manor to fight against the eunuch Cao Zhengchun.

Full marks.

This is a perfect start.

The evil of the eunuch.

The righteousness of the Divine Marquis.

They've all been revitalized.

This time, Wong Jing, the king of bad movies, rolled a six. This director, whose upper and lower limits are extremely different, at least in the beginning of this story, he rolled the upper limit!

At this moment, Wei Ming murmured.

"Your masculine temperament is a perfect match for playing upright characters."

"uncle."

In fact, Gao Yuanyuan had a strong desire to spoil the plot, but she looked at Li Xuan's teasing smile.

Hold it in.

I still need to resist the urge to spoil the plot.

At this moment, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself, a little anticipating Uncle Wei's expression after he found out what would happen.

But she was also secretly watching Li Xuan.

There is something in my heart.

This little secret joy is now known only to the two of us.

After a long separation, Gao Yuanyuan thought many things would have faded, but now she realized that it wasn't like that at all. At least, she felt happy when she had her little secret with Li Xuan, even if this little secret might only last for a very short time.

But it does exist in the end.
The broadcast of "The World's Number One" is still ongoing. Although it is an original martial arts drama, the character designs still bear the shadow of Jin Yong's works.

Guihai Yidao is Yang Guo.

Duan Tianya, Hu Fei, and Guo Jing all have some connection to this.

Cheng Shifei is Wei Xiaobao himself, but this Wei Xiaobao's fighting skills are off the charts, and Wang Jing did indeed tailor a storyline for each of the three main characters, just as required by the script.

Cheng Shifei, the comedic character; Duan Tianya, the cool idol; and Gui Haiyidao, the tragic and heart-wrenching puppy—each character and each storyline is their own protagonist. At least for viewers who came for this reason, there isn't much of a sense of incongruity.

It seems to be true, just as the publicity said, there's nothing wrong with it.

but.
But
"But if we absolutely have to say there's a male lead, shouldn't it be Zhu Wushi?!"

"That's right, he's a crucial character who connects all three storylines, leading the four secret agents of Heaven, Earth, Black and Yellow to fight against the treacherous minister Cao Zhengchun. He's highly skilled in martial arts, kind and powerful—he's the real male protagonist, isn't he!"

"This male protagonist is righteous yet wicked."

"I always felt like he had a lot of screen time. When I first saw the promotional materials, I thought the male lead was Li Yapeng."

"Let alone looking at the publicity process, when I just watched the beginning, I thought the male lead was Duan Tianya. But now it seems that the male lead is not him."

At this moment, Ma Jia looked at the comments on her Sina blog; all of them had turned green. Looking at Li Yapeng beside her, her already somewhat exhausted face turned even paler.
Ma Jia is very sensitive to information flow in the industry. Knowing that the center of public opinion in the future will definitely be on the Internet, she immediately went to check the articles and feedback on Sina Blog.

These responses were fierce and rapid; the extremely fast responses allowed her to understand the situation almost instantly.

When she saw the feedback online, her expression was truly like she had eaten shit.

I was so angry that my high blood pressure almost flared up on the spot.

Some points are simply irrefutable.

She glared at Li Yapeng. At first, she thought it was understandable that he couldn't keep up with Liu Songren's acting, but she didn't expect that he couldn't even keep up with Li Xuan's acting. What's wrong with him?

He's so much younger than you!

"Let me tell you, that Li Xuan is no ordinary person. If you treat him like an ordinary young man, you are absolutely wrong, terribly wrong!"

Li Yapeng then launched a strong rebuttal.

It's not that I can't handle the role.

He wasn't targeting me.

Soon, Ma Jia understood what Li Yapeng meant. It turned out that none of the three male leads, these so-called male leads promoted by various circles, among the four most powerful figures in the world, could suppress him.

Everyone fought for the male lead role for so long. You said you were the male lead, and I said I was the male lead. But when the show actually aired, I was actually snatched away by someone else in our scenes together.

"So all the resources we used ended up benefiting him?" Ma Jia murmured to herself. She recalled her own ulterior motives: she had desperately tried to give him more screen time so that he could be a foil for Li Yapeng. Good heavens, it wasn't just her who thought so; the other two companies thought the same thing.

The result is that they've given this kid way too much screen time.

They directly increased his screen time from a supporting role to that of the male lead.

"What happens next in the plot?" Ma Jia asked Li Yapeng. She wasn't usually that concerned about the plot; he wasn't part of the production team or the creative team, so he didn't need to care. But now she had no choice but to care. If the character continued to shine so brightly, Li Yapeng's attention would eventually run out.

"Later, this character became the villain. After Cao Zhengchun died, he became the number one villain."

"That's good"

At this moment, Ma Jia breathed a slight sigh of relief. If the final role was still that of the main villain, then Li Yapeng would still have the male lead role.

Although Li Xuan seems to have gained the upper hand, the male lead's head cannot be lost at all, otherwise it would really be a waste of his talent and publicity efforts.

"How was the character development later on? Do you like him or not?"

"I hate him so much! That Iron-Blooded Marquis is really wicked!"

Hearing Li Yapeng say this, Ma Jia felt more at ease.

So what if you have good acting skills?

They still suffer from the script's flaws.

(End of this chapter)