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

Chapter 343, "The Long Season," is so captivating! I just can't stop reading!
He possesses formidable internal strength.

At this moment, Li Xuan was able to describe the work in this way: he was not watching as a viewer, but as the creator, looking at "Lurking" from his own perspective.
By observing the plot arrangement and pacing, one can discern the immense effort and talent poured into this work.

Even Wang Fengsheng, Xu Xiang, and Gao Yuanyuan, who watched the movie together—plus Jia Jingwen, who is still in mainland China—were present.

Look at how many people are crammed into this small house. Especially for Jia Jingwen, even though "The Long Season" hasn't aired yet, seeing Xu Xiang and Wang Fengsheng made her heart pound.

Who are they?

Wang Fengsheng and Xu Xiang, the principals of the Beiping Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama respectively, are individuals whose identities are absolutely crucial. And now, these two "big shots," people that countless people in the entertainment industry would never even meet, are right here in the house in front of us, as "spectators."

I first became acquainted with Li Xuan when she appeared in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". This seemingly ordinary actress gave me a feeling of 'specialness', but overall, she was still a nobody, at least a minor actress, and definitely not someone with any influence.

Even the character Song Qingshu was played by someone who was above his station to play this flawed supporting role, but now, can you still call him a nobody?
Even when he was at the peak of his career, he would have been trembling with fear upon meeting such a person, but now he seemed to be a regular here.

Back then, living in Taiwan, she had little opportunity to see the changes in the mainland, her social circle, and everything else. She was truly like a frog at the bottom of a well.

When she watched works like "Lurking," she probably understood why she, and indeed the entire Taiwanese entertainment industry, were declining.
The gap we face is quite significant.
From the actors to the script, these differences are readily apparent.

Of course, after explaining this, Jia Jingwen looked at Gao Yuanyuan next to her and was very worried about whether Gao Yuanyuan's mentality would fluctuate.

However, even after seeing Yu Zecheng's excellent reaction, there was still a certain emotion in Gao Yuanyuan's eyes.

A kind of calm, trusting feeling.

I have no regrets about choosing the female lead in "The Long Season".

Absolutely no regrets. Even after seeing the excellent start of "Lurking," she still didn't regret it. This made Jia Jingwen quite curious about what kind of work "The Long Season" was.

What gives her such confidence is...

"I thought that having gained the upper hand, I would have an advantage."

Liu Guanglong, who directed and starred in the show, was watching "Lurking" on TV at home. He found the plot, acting, and other aspects of the show to be incredibly solid, unlike "Blood Mist," which initially relied on atmosphere to attract attention. The solid acting alone gave it an advantage.

Very impressive.

This is the difference between a young director who started out in the field and one who has been a master of it for ten years.

Jiang Wei not only possesses outstanding talent and background resources, but also has the time to grow.

From the first two episodes, Liu Guanglong could tell one thing: if "Lurking" could maintain its current quality, his "Blood Mist" would be far superior.

Absolutely not. It can't compare.

However, Liu Guanglong also felt that even if he couldn't beat someone from the 'top tier', being able to stand in a similar position was already quite good. He never thought that he could actually achieve the final victory.

Second place,
enough.

But Liu Guanglong felt a bit emotional.
“You don’t need to underestimate yourself. Jiang Wei’s strength is undeniable,” Mai Jia said from the side. “Many gaps need time to bridge.”

Mai Jia, the author of suspenseful spy novels, worked with two film crews, "Lurking" and "Plot Against." It was obvious that Jiang Wei's ability in commanding and directing, shooting, and storyboarding was profound and experienced. He could achieve satisfactory results with the same shots more than three times as efficiently as Liu Guanglong. In addition, there was a more luxurious and powerful cast, all of whom were battle-hardened "actors." The acting skills of the lead actor, Sun Honglei, were excellent to the core.

After following the entire film crew, Mai Jia learned one thing: categorizing directors into generations in the entertainment industry is absolutely correct. In fact, Mai Jia believes that further subdivision is also possible.
After all, the seventh generation has already spanned a decade. What limits can a person's abilities reach in ten years?
Time, experience, and more works will help directors and actors develop their talents to a more mature level, enabling them to create their works more directly and clearly, reaching a higher level of sophistication.

"Yes, even the most talented person needs time to grow."

At this moment, Liu Guanglong thought of Li Xuan.

Similarly, he considered this young man to be exceptionally talented, one of the representatives of the seventh generation.

Even among the seventh generation, he is considered a 'new generation', definitely young enough.
Of course, this does not mean that Mai Jia has no interest in Li Xuan's works.

Mai Jia is very tolerant of Li Xuan's works, and he absolutely does not expect him to reach the level of "Lurking" or the atmosphere of "Blood Mist".

I don't expect it to reach the level of 'excellent'; as long as it reaches the level of 'good', I feel I can keep watching. It will contribute to the ratings.

"Next up is Li Xuan's work."

“Well, ‘The Long Season,’ a suspenseful work that directly rivals yours, and someone who had a conflict with the crew of ‘Lurking,’” Mai Jia joked. “It’s also possible that he will be your competitor for an award two and a half years from now.”

"Winning an award is no easy feat. In terms of pure viewership ratings, this time there are also works like 'Chinese Paladin 3' that specifically target viewership ratings."

Liu Guanglong answered with a smile.

There's one thing that's particularly true in Shanghai's entertainment circle: they only care about ratings and talk about money; they have absolutely no 'unreasonable desires' for awards.

I think Li Xuan is the same way.

Let's focus on ratings first. As for awards, unlike "The Young Pioneers," which managed to ride the coattails of a patriotic theme and win a decent award, young people should avoid being too ambitious.

at this time.

"The Long Season" has officially begun.
During that long autumn,
The story unfolded on Dongshan TV.

At this moment, Liu Lili was at home, watching TV with Cai Yulong, looking forward to the next program.

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 and The Long Season are airing at the same time, which one do you want to watch?"

“Of course it’s ‘The Long Season’.” Cai Yulong joked at this time: “I have absolutely no curiosity about ‘Chinese Paladin 3’, and you probably do too, you wouldn’t watch this kind of stuff for young people.”

"Yes, but even if I don't agree, it doesn't stop him from being the white horse that can compete for the annual ratings champion in this episode."

Liu Lili disagrees with the artistic merit of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3", but artistic works can bring people much more than just "artistic merit".

Being able to make people happy and attract viewers is a good principle.

It can also evoke a pleasant kind of happiness.

Art has no distinction between noble and lowly; happiness comes from inner meaning, while happiness without inner meaning is not happiness at all.

However, winning awards is out of the question. But the viewership ratings bring in real money, and Liu Lili actually appreciates this approach—knowing one's place and not pursuing the path of genius. Liu Lili then said this.

"Even now, don't underestimate Li Xuan. Among the seventh generation, he is definitely one of the best."

“Yes, no one will underestimate him. I might value him even more than you do,” Cai Yulong said. “If he can continue to grow like this, he might win a director award when he’s forty, or even both an actor award and a director award. That would be even if he loses the bet with Huayi Brothers.”

If he loses, Li Xuan will lose his 'freedom', but his talents can still be utilized and developed by Yi, the largest cultural and entertainment capital group in China.

Money, resources, and talent—these three elements combined might allow him to fully unleash his potential.

A simple example is Li Liguo, the go-to director for Tangren Media. He used to be a proud and ambitious person. He worked at Singapore Television, which was the Singapore version of TVB, and produced many good TV series.

But how could he truly unleash his talents in a place where internal strife rivaled that of TVB? It wasn't until he joined Tangren Media that a chemical reaction occurred, giving his talents a place to flourish.

That's what made him a top-tier idol drama director.

"If he wins," Liu Lili paused, then continued, "what kind of reward would he receive if he actually won this bet?"

Did they win the bet with Huayi Brothers?

“That’s amazing.”

"No, that's not the kind of win I'm talking about."

"What is that?" Cai Yulong looked at Liu Lili's serious expression and said in surprise, "Wait a minute, when you say 'win,' you don't mean..."

Liu Lili thought to herself.

Impossible?

Indeed, from a common-sense perspective, it is quite unlikely, but as things stand, Li Xuan has never been a person who conforms to common sense.

He always manages to shatter other people's perceptions of him.

Even someone as arrogant as Liu Lili had to admit and understand why a daughter who had seen so many so-called outstanding men and whose standards were definitely not low would have such emotions and feelings.

If it really is a 'win'.

That would be terrifying.

Now that things have come to this, it's hard for Liu Lili to underestimate Li Xuan. And whatever the outcome, the television broadcast has already begun. "The Long Season" is starting now, and whatever results it achieves, it all depends on the quality of the work.

2007 years.

Fan Wei and Li Xuan, a taxi driver duo, started their story with a case involving a car with a fake license plate. One was loud and boisterous, while the other was calm and reserved.

The appearance of the main characters surprised Liu Lili and Cai Yulong, who were well-versed in the entertainment industry.

They knew what kind of actor Fan Wei was, what kind of actor Li Xuan was—a comedian, a handsome up-and-coming star—these were their characteristics, their indelible labels.

But now, in the first two episodes of "The Long Season," this label seems to have disappeared.

Li Xuan is an overweight, optimistic man.

A silent and composed man—Fan Wei.

From an actor's perspective, it was also an unexpected challenge for him to take on a role.

They are all actors with absolute ambition.

They didn't question it; wasn't this a story about mass layoffs? 2007—how many years had passed since then?
At this moment, time officially shifts back to that era that marked the end of a particular period.
Coal mines, trains—back then, Wang Xiang, a train driver from Huagang, was full of vigor and ambition. He was a worker, someone who would definitely evoke something deep in the memories of people from Northeast China during that era.

The workers of that time and the workers of today have absolutely different social statuses.
And all of this was fully reflected on Fan Wei's face. Here, he became that cheerful comedian again, that person full of optimism, joy, and boundless happiness.

Wang Xiang's crisis didn't arrive until the very end of the first episode. His factory faced bankruptcy, and his son, Wang Yang, failed his college entrance exam, escalating the conflict between father and son.
Meanwhile, the protagonist of another storyline has also emerged. Shen Mo, played by Gao Yuanyuan, encounters Wang Yang, looking at this sunflower-like female college student.

Wang Xiang's son has fallen.

The relationships between these people are connected by the theme of the drama and the dismemberment case in the suspense storyline.
A story told in a gentle, flowing manner, with a clear narrative line.

The timeline is set after everything 'happened' in 2007.

The story connects the threads of 1997, the wave of layoffs, Wang Xiang and his son, and Shen Mo, along with the dismemberment case that had already occurred in 1998.

It has a feeling of slowly and gently telling a story.

Unlike "Blood Mist" and "Chinese Paladin 3," which present the most exciting and powerful gimmicks from the very beginning, "Lurk" takes the same path as serious dramas, so there is absolutely no reason for it to take any unconventional approach.

Let me tell you a story slowly.

The first two episodes focused on creating an atmosphere, a kind of atmosphere and emotion that resonated strongly with viewers of this age group in Northeast China. The so-called dismemberment case felt more like an extra, even a bit 'light', and somewhat irrelevant to the main theme.

But it just wouldn't stop.

The feeling of resonance, the images of that era, are imprinted in my mind.

A slow-paced story, told through editing, visuals, shot composition, and cinematic language.

One follows the same path as "Lurking," telling the story at a similarly slow pace.

At this moment, both Cai Yulong and Liu Lili had a thought pop into their minds.

It is impossible to rate it as 'excellent' or 'good'.

but.

I just want to keep watching.

(End of this chapter)