Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

Wang Guangjun stood there for two seconds, holding up the middle finger, and seeing that Lu Jiuge didn't seem to be joking, he quickly stepped forward and asked:

"Alright, Ninth Brother, no, Assistant Lu!"

"Tell me, how exactly do you plan to earn six figures? Three months, 100,000 yuan? Even poaching someone wouldn't be that fast!"

Lu Jiuge ignored that question and immediately began giving orders:

"Don't worry about what you do, just make sure you achieve your goal!"

"Now, I'm announcing my first task: you go and find out where the 'non-mainstream, emo' subculture usually hangs out in this Hengdian World Studios area!"

"Non-mainstream 'emo' style? Why are you asking about that?"

Wang Guangjun looked suspicious:

"Those people are not to be trifled with. They think they're some kind of chivalrous heroes, always spouting nonsense about the 'funeral of love' and 'the family never sheds a tear,' and treating everyone like an enemy!"

Why ask so many questions?

Lu Jiuge interrupted him:

"If you want to make money, do as I say. Remember, I need specific locations, preferably where it's busiest at night, and what you usually do!"

Wang Guangjun hesitated for a few seconds, looking at Lu Jiuge's resolute expression, then gritted his teeth:

"Sure! I know Hengdian like the back of my hand. Give me half a day, and I'll make sure you know it all!"

"That's more like it!"

Lu Jiuge patted his shoulder:

"Let's go, take me to my lodgings first!"

……

The hotel booked by the cast and crew of "The Song of Zhenguan" was a five-story old building on the back street of the film and television city.

Wang Guangjun led Lu Jiuge up to the third floor and pushed open the door to room 307:

"This is the room, a double room. You'll be staying here alone for now. I'm next door, so feel free to contact me if you need anything!"

"Alright, you can go now. I'm going to start working for Director Wu!"

Knowing Wang Guangjun's personality, Lu Jiuge didn't pester him. After kicking him out, she placed the laptop on the table and pressed the power button.

The screen lit up, and the Windows XP blue sky and grassland wallpaper popped up, making Lu Jiuge feel nostalgic for a while.

"Wow, that's a really good configuration!"

Lu Jiuge checked it out; it had a Pentium 4 processor and 512MB of RAM, which was considered high-end in 05.

After searching around, Lu Jiuge found an electronic version of the script for "The Song of Zhenguan," breathed a sigh of relief, shut down her computer, and left the room.

"Master, this burden is really troublesome. There's nothing to eat on the mountain; we have to buy some for him to take back!"

Thinking of her master Chen Xuyuan, who was still on the mountain, Lu Jiuge sighed and went straight to a supermarket. She bought enough rice, vegetables, and oil to last her a month, then called Long Song to come pick her up.

Less than twenty minutes later, the familiar tricycle came to a stop in front of us with a sputtering sound.

"Second Uncle, please do me a favor, take me back to the temple on the mountain, and then bring me back!"

Lu Jiuge got straight to the point, pulling out two hundred-yuan bills and handing them over:

"Pay the fare, and the rest will be considered a delivery fee!"

Long Song's eyes lit up, and he quickly jumped off the truck to help load the goods after taking the money.

"Wow, struck it rich? Did you manage to scam that scumbag today?"

"What do you mean by lying? I found a job at the film studio, and this is the advance payment from the production crew!"

With a laugh and a curse, Lu Jiuge got into the tricycle:

"Uncle Long, let's hurry, I have to rush back to work tonight!"

Longsong didn't ask any more questions and started the tricycle, speeding away from the film studio.

……

Pushing open the slightly ajar door of the dilapidated temple, Lu Jiuge called out:

"Old man, I'm back!"

A rustling sound came from the inner room, and Master Chen Xuyuan responded somewhat flusteredly:

"Xiao Jiu? Why are you back?"

Lu Jiuge walked in and saw her master, Chen Xuyuan, frantically stuffing something under the tattered quilt, his face looking a little unnatural.

Lu Jiuge chuckled inwardly at the sight of a cover girl on an old magazine peeking out from under the covers, but said nothing.

"I found a legitimate job on a film set and received an advance on my wages."

Lu Jiuge called to Long Song to help carry the rice, flour, and oil into the kitchen:

"This should last you a while. The medicine is in the plastic bag, and remember to use the plaster."

Chen Xuyuan sat on the edge of the bed, watching Lu Jiuge busy herself, her cloudy eyes flickering:

"What kind of job is it? Is it reliable?"

"The assistant director is reliable!"

Lu Jiuge wiped his sweat and asked:

"I'll be staying on set for a while, maybe a month, can you manage on your own?"

"What's wrong with that? I've lived for decades without you, haven't I?"

Chen Xuyuan snorted, his tone tinged with reluctance.

"Alright, I'll head back now. If you need anything, have Uncle Long let me know and I'll buy it for you!"

After giving her some instructions, Lu Jiuge and Long Song left the wooden house and hurried down the mountain.

……

By the time we got back to the film studio, it was already dark.

Lu Jiuge ate a bowl of fried noodles at a stall downstairs from the hotel, returned to the hotel, turned on her computer, and brought up the electronic version of the script for "The Song of Zhenguan".

After brewing a strong cup of tea, Lu Jiuge flipped directly to the chapters that had the most problems in her memory.

[Scene 34 of the original script: After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin is alone late at night, saying: "The victor is king, the loser is villain; this has always been the case. From tonight onwards, I will write the history books."]

"Writing it like this, it's no wonder it won't pass censorship!"

After a moment's thought, Lu Jiuge began typing on the keyboard.

[Suggested revision: Add a dawn scene. Li Shimin stands before Xuanwu Gate, facing the palace walls still stained with blood, his back to the viewer, his figure lonely. The voice-over or inner monologue could be changed to: "Murdering my brother and imprisoning my father, I am unforgivable. Yet the world is weary, and only drastic measures can save it. I will bear this eternal infamy myself. But this empire... must be worthy of this rising sun today."]

The core adjustment is to shift the focus from "the triumph of the victors" to "the burden of those who bear responsibility," aligning with mainstream values' evaluation of historical figures.

……

More than four hours later, Lu Jiuge had identified more than a dozen key points for modification and a detailed explanation of the adjustments.

Saving the document, Lu Jiuge rubbed her sore eyes. She glanced at the time; it was already 1 a.m. Only then did she shut down the computer, lie down on the bed, and ponder the matter of working on the song.

The next day, Lu Jiuge got up very early and found Wu Ziming before the film crew started work.

Wu Ziming was angrily yelling at the lighting technician with a dark expression, but his expression softened when he saw Lu Jiuge.

"Is there a script in hand?"

"I stayed up all night to work on a first draft. Could you take a look and see if it's on the right track?"

Lu Jiuge handed over the printed revisions.

Wu Ziming took the few pages of paper and read them for a good ten minutes before looking up:

"Did you come up with this idea last night?"

"That's right!"

Lu Jiuge answered frankly:

"I think what the higher-ups want is not praise and flattery, but a Li Shimin who can stand firm. Someone who has a sense of responsibility, who has experienced hardship, and, more importantly, who has a broad vision."

Wu Ziming remained silent for a moment, then folded the manuscript paper and put it in his pocket.

"I need to see the complete revised version in three days. During this time, you don't need to be on set; just focus on this. If you need anything, just contact the producer."

"Understood! I guarantee the result will satisfy Director Wu!"

Wu Ziming nodded and continued directing the film crew.

Lu Jiuge stayed on set for a while before leaving.

However, instead of returning to the hotel, he went to the recording studio that Wu Ziming had recommended, secretly thinking to himself:

"The non-mainstream group was my initial 'base of haters.' I first used 'Walking In The Sun' to win them over, then drew ridicule from the mainstream music scene, and my faith in them snowballed!"