I'm just trying to ride the wave of popularity!

Chapter 399 (Extra Chapter, unrelated to the main text; optional reading)

Some people are at their peak...

Reaching the pinnacle...

Attracting the attention of thousands...

Some people...

In the midst of brilliant light, they became the most regrettable victims of their time.

……

Spring arrived late in 2009.

Zheng Yichen stood under the overpass, staring blankly at the advertisement for [Qinzhou G4] featuring Zhou Yang on the giant screen of the shopping mall across the street.

Today's Qinzhou Motors is a completely different company. It has not only become the sales champion of domestic automobiles in China, but has also gained a foothold in the sports car market by leveraging "racing" technology, becoming a source of pride for Chinese products.

He just heard the news...

After that battle, Hollywood seemed to have reached a delicate balance with Zhou Yang. Following "God of Monsters" and "Robot Baby," "King Kong," produced by [Xuan Shi Entertainment], successfully landed in North America and achieved amazing box office success in Hollywood.

Meanwhile, news of sequels kept pouring in: Fast & Furious 2 signed a contract with Universal, The Haunted Village 2 was about to start filming, and Saw 2 was in the works...

These IPs swept through the Chinese film market like a whirlwind, igniting the passion of countless people.

He could only clench his fists, tormented by envy and regret.

Three years ago, "The Great Wall: Taotie" was a disastrous failure, and capital was quickly withdrawn.

Seemingly due to certain public opinions, and also because countless netizens dug up past instances of how they treated Zhou Yang and even tried to blacklist him...

Ultimately, he was completely abandoned by Tianyu Media, and Xu Haibo of Tianyu Media no longer even answers his calls.

Now, he lives in a cramped shared apartment in the suburbs of Yanjing. Occasionally, when he buys instant noodles at a convenience store, he can see Zhou Yang's face on the TV news when he looks up...

Even the "Bingbing Yang Cola" on the shelf has that man's smile printed on the bottle.

Life seemed to have become a shadowy prison for Zhou Yang.

He endorses cheap domestic brands everywhere, but he can't afford high-end imported goods.

In the subway passage, posters for "Dark Knight 2" dominated an entire wall; on the corner electronic screen, trailers for Shen Long's new film played on a loop. He pulled his trench coat tighter and hurried away, but the hawking of the mall salespeople behind him was like a leech: "Zhou Yang's style! Limited edition merchandise!"

Even when I get home and turn on my computer, the pop-up ads are all promotions from [Xuanshi Online Mall]...

Zhou Yang's face, Zhou Yang's voice, Zhou Yang's business empire...

Everywhere.

"Damn it! Fuck!" He slammed his fist on the table, but after roaring, he slumped down in a daze.

Anger, resentment, and madness ultimately culminated in a long sigh.

Late at night.

He lay in bed, staring at the moldy ceiling, his thoughts drifting back to the summer of 2003…

in case……

What if I hadn't cheated them out of that money?
What if I had invested in Zhou Yang?
What if we saved him when he jumped into the river?

What if you pull him back while he's tightening the screw?
Will I be standing at the peak today?

Could all these ubiquitous advertisements be their own?
Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the land like a road from which there is no return.

He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep...

........................

He woke up from his sleep some time later...

When I opened my eyes, I found myself lying in bed in a villa...

A text message appeared on my phone.

"Senior, when will our movie start filming? I've already secured the investment..."

That was a script.

Love Ferris Wheel!
Zheng Yichen suddenly jumped out of bed, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of his chest.

He trembled as he pulled out his phone, and the date 2003 displayed on the screen made his blood boil!
This is not a dream! He really returned to that turning point in his life!
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He cursed three times in a row, spun around barefoot on the cold marble floor, and suddenly ripped open the wardrobe like a madman, grabbed a shirt at random and put it on.

He couldn't buckle his belt no matter how hard he tried, so he just grabbed his pants and rushed out, his slippers clattering on the stairs.

The June sun beat down on his face. He squinted and stood frozen at the villa entrance for two seconds before suddenly bursting into a manic laugh.

The route he remembered automatically navigated in his mind. He had his assistant drive the car, and to the assistant's shock and unease, he sped almost frantically toward the dilapidated electronics factory.

After getting off the bus, his shoes fell off, the asphalt road burned his feet, and sweat soaked the back of his shirt, turning it dark, but he ran even harder than when he was chasing after the school beauty.

He stormed into the factory...

"Zhou Yang! Zhou Yang!"

Zheng Yichen rushed into the factory and immediately spotted the thin figure in the corner. Zhou Yang was bending over and tightening screws, his bangs were soaked with sweat, and his work clothes were covered with oil stains.

The foremen around were shouting sternly: "Useless! You can't even do this little job well! If you don't work overtime today, don't even think about getting paid!"

Zhou Yang's shoulders hunched slightly, his fingers blistered from the screwdriver, but he silently continued his mechanical actions.

Zheng Yichen's heart clenched violently, filled with both excitement and madness. He rushed over, snatched the screwdriver, and slammed it on the ground: "Who the hell are you calling trash!"

With red eyes, he stood in front of Zhou Yang, pointing at the stunned foreman and roaring, "You treat this kind of genius like an animal? His scripts are enough to buy ten run-down factories!"

He turned and grabbed Zhou Yang's trembling hand, his voice suddenly choked with emotion: "Brother, come with me. I'll take you to make a real movie. I'll help you realize your dreams!"

Zhou Yang looked up blankly, his dirty face still bearing the marks of a slap, his lips cracked: "I...I don't know anything about acting or movies!"

Zheng Yichen pulled out a thick wad of banknotes and stuffed it into his pocket, then hugged his thin shoulders tightly: "You don't need to understand! You just need to believe! You are destined to illuminate the entire Chinese screen!"

"but I……"

"Come with me!"

"..."

While Zhou Yang was confused, Zheng Yichen grabbed Zhou Yang's wrist tightly and dragged him into the set of "Love Ferris Wheel".

When Zheng Yichen dragged Zhou Yang, whose hands were covered in oil, into the film set, An Xiaoshi was discussing the storyboard with Zhang Jingya.

The two looked up and saw Zheng Yichen, dressed in a suit and tie, dragging a bewildered young man with his work clothes still covered in metal shavings from the electronics factory. They froze on the spot.

"From now on! This is the new director of 'Love Ferris Wheel'!" Zheng Yichen announced, patting Zhou Yang on the shoulder, his voice trembling with excitement.

An Xiaoshi's clapperboard fell to the ground with a "clatter," and Zhang Jingya suddenly stood up, knocking over her coffee cup: "Senior, him? Who is he? He..."

The set fell silent instantly, with the extras craning their necks to look around.

Zheng Yichen pulled out his checkbook and quickly signed: "The three million investment will be credited to your account today!"

He shoved the check into the dazed Zhou Yang's hand, then turned and roared at everyone, "Listen up! From today onwards, he's the boss!"

Zhou Yang's hand trembled as he held the check, and he stammered that all he knew how to do was repair circuit boards.

Zheng Yichen suddenly teared up, grabbed his shoulders, and growled, "You have no idea how talented you are!" An Xiaoshi looked at this madman-like senior, then at the bewildered young man...

For a moment, I was completely stunned!
He's a director?
Just when they were at a loss...

Suddenly, Cheng Yi-chen ran out of the film set like a madman!
……

A few hours later...

Zheng Yichen kicked open the door to Xu Haibo's office at Tianyu Media and slammed his resignation letter onto Xu Haibo's desk: "Open your dog eyes and take a look! I'm done serving you! You short-sighted idiots have no idea what a true genius is! From now on, I will lead a new era!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Xu Haibo was utterly shocked by what he saw!

"You son of a bitch!"

He ran out of the company!

Breathing in the fresh, free air, he couldn't help but burst into laughter like a madman!
That afternoon, he mortgaged all his assets to establish [Starry Sky Pictures], and rushed into Zhou Yang's rented room that very night with a thick stack of project proposals.

The proposals for "MonsterVerse," "Black Robe Alliance," and "Martial Soul" were piled up on the broken wooden table. He grabbed Zhou Yang's shoulders and shook him wildly: "Shoot them! Shoot them all! I've already negotiated the loans!" Zhou Yang, holding the script for "Saw," trembled: "But...but I've never written any of these...I...I really don't know anything about them..."

Zheng Yichen shoved a bank card into his hand: "Start writing now! You're destined to dominate Chinese cinema! Believe in yourself, you can do it. Anything the crew has, you can have. Remember! You're the king of the crew!"

Zhou Yang was shoved and staggered backward, his back hitting the mottled wall, the bank card in his hand burning hot like a branding iron.

He stared at the lunatic in the wrinkled suit and crooked tie, the fanaticism burning in the man's eyes sending chills down his spine. "But I really didn't write any of this. I absolutely, truly, don't understand anything about film..."

His voice trembled, and the script scattered all over the floor.

Zheng Yichen picked up the script, patted Zhou Yang on the shoulder, and said enthusiastically, "Believe me, you will become the sun of Chinese cinema!"

Zhou Yang stared at his twisted smile, lowered his head, and felt a mixture of fear and unease...

then!

Zhou Yang couldn't help but tremble...

Then, he listened to Zheng Yichen ramble on and on...

then……

Zhou Yang...

I seem to be getting more and more scared...

Seeing Zhou Yang's expression, he was slightly taken aback...

He seemed to have just thought of something, and slapped his forehead!
"By the way, you're short-staffed, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll bring your partner over..."

"Shen Long, Shen Hu, and the others, I'll go find them right away..."

"..."

........................

For the next month or so, Zheng Yichen shuttled between office buildings in Beijing like a madman.

He mortgaged his ancestral home, sold his collection of luxury watches, and even persuaded his parents to use all their money to bring in the small business owners he remembered who later became successful, one by one, into the investment scheme.

At the dinner table, he patted his chest and guaranteed, "This time I'll definitely bet on the next Zhou Yang..."

But, for some reason, it seems that things have started to become a little strange without me even realizing it...

These business owners look incredibly lost...

Besides, Zhou Yang in the crew seemed completely clueless and knew nothing, resulting in countless complaints against him...

When he introduced these business owners to Zhou Yang, Zhou Yang was even more bewildered than they were, and for a moment he looked as confused as a fool...

……

Two months later, the premiere of "Love Ferris Wheel" was held.

In the dilapidated video arcade in the urban village, the fragmented images on the screen made Zheng Yichen's stomach churn!

This is not the youthful romance story I remember at all, but an obscure and difficult-to-understand art film.

Shen Long's involvement further disrupted the film's artistic style, making the actors' performances stiff like puppets, and even the dialogue lost its captivating charm.

Art is driving people crazy; watching it makes me feel like I'm sitting on pins and needles...

Hemp egg!

why!
This is wrong!

He kept a close eye on the box office and the internet...

There's absolutely no information about this movie!

This movie didn't have viral marketing, it didn't have any memorable lines, and even the script was completely different from what I remembered...

finally……

When the glaring figure of "18.7" on the box office statistics came into view, and his phone kept receiving payment reminder text messages from the bank, he finally couldn't hold on any longer.

He squatted next to the trash can at the back door of the screening room and vomited violently.

"Something's not right," he said, wiping the filth from the corner of his mouth, his nails digging deep into his palms. "Why is everything wrong?"

The dialogue from the poorly made speakers of the soon-to-be-closed Feihe Cinema video arcade was distorted and blurry in my ears...

as if……

The whole world has collapsed!
……

Another two months later.

When Zheng Yichen witnessed all the projects he had invested in collapse one after another in the wave of capital, his mind went blank.

Those "prophetic" investments that should have been guaranteed to make a profit have all vanished.

He saw Zhou Yang again...

Saw it...

Silly Zhou Yang!

Wearing glasses, he still looks silly and timid!

And that one from my memory...

So imposing!
madman!

completely……

Damn it, it's different!
this moment!
"Ah ah ah ah ah!!"

He grabbed at his hair, his fingernails scratching red marks on his scalp.

why?
Why has everything gone off track?
Is the world wrong, or...?
Was he wrong?
What happened?
this moment……

He felt like he was going crazy!

(End of this chapter)