The Queen's Rumored Father

"I'll think about it," Cao Dun nodded.

Chen Kewen sighed, because Cao Dun's words essentially meant he had agreed. His plan to sever all ties with Xu Yuan had failed.

This young man is really too difficult to deal with.

However, Xu Yuan did not intend to end the conversation there.

He smiled and said, "There's one last point, and it's the most important one."

Xu Yuan opened Weibo and clicked on the top trending topic.

This is a topic that just emerged and quickly rose to the top of the charts.

Official announcement: The fifth female lead has been chosen, and it's not Meng Xiaoxuan!

This Weibo post caused quite a stir.

The official Weibo account of the drama "General and I" wrote: "Considering the potential issues with actress Meng Mouxuan's acting skills, we ultimately chose newcomer Gan Tingting for the role of XX. Hooray!"

This Weibo post has only been out for less than half an hour, but it has already received over a million likes, over 200,000 reposts, and over 500,000 comments.

This matter is now being discussed extensively online.

"Hahaha, that's so satisfying! No acting skills and you still want to act in TV dramas? Get lost!"

"Hilarious! They're both pop stars, so why can't she even get a fifth female lead role?"

"Without professional skills, this is a project destined to be a hit; we can't let a few bad apples ruin it!"

"Honestly, if she can't even get the fifth female lead role, how bad must her acting be?"

"Don't joke around upstairs, she has acting skills?"

The fans of the three top female pop stars were completely activated, while Meng Xiaoxuan's fans could only fall silent.

In just half an hour, Meng Xiaoxuan lost more than 200,000 fans.

Once the situation becomes clear, even more people will unfollow.

No one will support an idol who only brings them frustration.

"You guys got scammed!" Chen Kewen said. "They deliberately gave you minor roles to ride your coattails and then kicked you aside. They got the traffic and disgusted you at the same time—a double win!"

"No, that's not all. Yang Ying is the female lead, and in comparison to the queen of the stage, she completely overshadows Meng Xiaoxuan. Meanwhile, the newcomer from Hua Ce replaced Meng Xiaoxuan as the fifth female lead, which also attracted attention, bringing them both fame and fortune. This move is ruthless!"

"Meng Xiaoxuan's value has been completely exploited by Hua Ce! Why hasn't Hao Yue started public relations yet? If this continues, Meng Xiaoxuan's popularity will suffer a fatal blow!"

Cao Dun nodded. He had just wanted to use Meng Xiaoxuan, but the current public opinion made him hesitate.

This can be considered a stain.

You cast an actress who wasn't even wanted for the fifth female lead as the lead? What kind of production team are you?

This would be a huge joke!

This kind of person should absolutely not be used; even bringing their own funding to the production team is unacceptable!

"Haoyue won't handle the film and television aspects; I'm in full charge now." After Xu Yuan finished speaking, he looked at Cao Dun and asked, "Director Cao, your film has such a large investment; what about the marketing and distribution budget?"

For many successful films, marketing and distribution costs may account for one-third to one-half of the total cost.

You can't deny that publicity plays a huge role.

Although TV dramas don't use that many, they still account for about one or two percent.

But Cao Dun's embarrassed expression told Xu Yuan that there wasn't that much.

"For marketing and promotion, we plan to ask acquaintances for help. We have some funds, but..."

"How much?" Xu Yuan interrupted Cao Dun.

Cao Dun, somewhat embarrassed, said with a dark face, "Within...three million!"

Clearly, he was exaggerating!

However, even after boasting, it still seemed rather pathetic.

The operating and promotion costs for "The Lonely Beauty" are approximately 15 million!

There's no comparison at all!

"What can three million do?" Xu Yuan asked rhetorically.

Cao Dun was truly furious this time.

Is this your attitude when you don't use your actors?

You can't act like that!

That person has terrible character!

With an agent like this, Meng Xiaoxuan will never be able to turn her life around!

"I'll give you 15 million in advertising fees, do you want it?" Xu Yuan took out his phone, added Cao Dun on WeChat, and then sent a picture to Cao Dun and Chen Kewen.

He did it himself last night; his Photoshop skills are enough to make even the professionals at CCTV blush with shame.

His 130 years of experience on Earth made him omnipotent and proficient in everything.

Just kidding, it's all thanks to Meitu Xiu Xiu (a photo editing app).

The picture was very simple, with a map of Chang'an as the background. However, in the center of the picture stood Meng Xiaoxuan, dressed in ancient costume, with her hands clasped in a salute, looking ethereal.

It also says next to it: Tanqi, the female lead of The Longest Day in Chang'an!

"Have you sent Yang Ying an audition invitation?" Xu Yuan asked.

"They posted it, a lot of actresses posted it, but nobody replied. Occasionally, some second- or third-tier women would inquire, ask about the pay, and then leave. I almost got into a fight with them," Cao Dun said honestly.

"That's good, just post it." Xu Yuan said, "Open Weibo, post this picture, and caption it, 'Because of the many problems that actress Yang Mouying may have in terms of acting skills and professional ethics, we finally chose the talented young actress Meng Xiaoxuan for the role of Tanqi, the female lead in The Longest Day in Chang'an. Hooray!'"

"Do as I say, and from now on, wherever there's a solitary beauty who doesn't appreciate herself, there will be 'The Longest Day in Chang'an'! Fifteen million in publicity funds, take it, you're welcome!"

After Xu Yuan finished speaking, he picked up his teacup and relaxed leisurely.

On the other side, Cao Dun and Chen Kewen were covered in sweat, and their hands were trembling.

This is damn good, it's going to start a war!

"If I do that, how badly will I be scolded?" Cao Dun felt that Xu Yuan was a devil, yet he was tempted by this devil.

"If the film is well-made, who will criticize you? Unless you lack confidence in your acting, if that's the case, I advise you to quit and change careers as soon as possible. Directing is not suitable for you! You should just be a cinematographer!" Xu Yuan said bluntly.

"But the industry will boycott us," Cao Dun shook his head.

Every industry has its own rules and circles. If Cao Dun does this, it will cause public outrage.

"What about the evidence? The court ruled that he plagiarized and made him apologize and pay compensation. But look at him, countless people are still paying him huge sums of money to direct their films. I'm not encouraging plagiarism, I just want to tell you, if your film is bad, you're nothing!" Xu Yuandao said. "Doing it this way, there's no plagiarism, no illegality, and no violation of social morality!"

"What wouldn't you dare to do? Remember, you're not the next Yu Zheng, you're the first Cao Dun! You're the first Chen Kewen! You're different from plagiarists; you have a clear conscience, you stand tall and firm!"

"Am I the first Cao Dun?" Cao Dun was dumbfounded.

"Am I the first Chen Kewen?" Chen Kewen was also stunned.

They looked at each other and finally made a decision.

Three minutes later.

With a whoosh, Cao Dun posted on Weibo, and Chen Kewen immediately reposted it.

Meanwhile, the entertainment reporters and friends in the industry they had just contacted also started to share the news.

Those three minutes were spent making these preparations.

Five minutes later, the Weibo post by "Solitary Beauty" became the second most searched topic.

The first one is the one about Cao Dun.

The internet exploded!

"OMG, her first role is the female lead! My Xuan is awesome!"

"Finally, this has happened! What's so great about relying on resources? I, Xuan, rely on my own strength!"

"The Longest Day in Chang'an, I think I've seen it before, the plot is very good."

"Compared to the mindless romance of 'The Lonely Beauty,' I'm more interested in the intellectually stimulating and nationalistic 'The Longest Day in Chang'an.'"

"I'm a fan! The director and second director teaming up is awesome!"

"What are they jumping around upstairs for? Two unknown old men trying to get attention, what's so exciting about that?"

"The person upstairs is really showing their lack of intelligence, isn't he? You don't even know Cao Dun? He's a famous photography master in the industry, Director Teng's go-to photographer, and a well-known figure in the circle."

"Exactly! Director Chen Kewen doesn't even know? You don't watch CTV programs, do you? He's one of CTV's top directors! He oversaw the song and dance programs for this year's Spring Festival Gala, and they got the highest approval rating! I heard that CTV has a big production next year, and he's very likely to direct it!"

This Weibo post caused a huge stir, the plot took a dramatic turn, and many people who were previously skeptical of Meng Xiaoxuan were now completely surprised.

The wind direction changed suddenly!

In any case, this move has been absolutely brilliant so far.

Hua Ce, the Gu Fang production team, and Yang Ying's side are probably furious right now.

Originally, they intended to make the most of her and then discard her, but unexpectedly, Meng Xiaoxuan found a new home so quickly and turned the tables.

They both knew that for a long time to come, there would be no clear winner or loser in this matter. Only when both works were released could a winner be determined.

While this debate did contribute to the popularity of the drama "General and I", the drama "The Longest Day in Chang'an" clearly benefited more.

They have almost no publicity resources, yet they are able to achieve the same level of publicity as Gu Fang.

Aren't you angry?

Soon, Chen Kewen and Cao Dun both received several phone calls. However, their attitudes were unusually firm. Whether it was complaints from their own people or questions from the other side, they argued their points forcefully and made their stance clear.

We're on Meng Xiaoxuan's side, what are you going to do about it!

"You two will probably be very busy for the next few days. I'll stay home with Xiaoxuan and wait for your call to start filming." Xu Yuan said with a smile as he left.

After he left, Chen Kewen and Cao Dun exchanged a few more glances.

Cao Dun was originally a friend of Chen Kewen; otherwise, his manuscript would never have reached Chen Kewen.

After all, it's ridiculous to expect a sky-high investment from a new director, a script without a fan base, and a group of second- or third-tier actors who have faded into obscurity or never even been famous!

"What do you think?" Chen Kewen asked.

"He's meticulous, unconventional, and ruthless. He doesn't strike unless he's sure of success," Cao Dun said. "This man's mind has probably already taken us both into account."

"Every move we made today probably went exactly as he predicted. He's truly a cunning and eccentric genius!"

Cao Dun has already retracted his previous opinion. With an agent like this, Meng Xiaoxuan will never be able to make a mess of things!

Strange, why does this sentence sound so familiar?

"Hmm." Chen Kewen nodded. "And did you notice? That poster was prepared well in advance! Costumes, styling, photography, and post-production—it definitely takes two or three days to complete. The fact that he was confident in preparing all of this beforehand, what does that mean?"

"This shows that he is certain that Tanqi is none other than Meng Xiaoxuan! He even foresaw Hua Ce and Yang Ying's backup plans." Cao Dun became more and more excited as he spoke.

Chen Kewen laughed and said, "Plus, those words he used to entice you and me to post on Weibo, that expression and that excitement, don't you feel like a figure is appearing in your mind?"

"Yes!" Cao Dun's eyes gleamed as he murmured, "That's the Long Bo I've been searching for!"

Long Bo!

He may not be the ultimate boss in The Longest Day in Chang'an, but he is definitely the second male lead and the main villain!

This role demands a lot from the actor.

The actors for Cao Dun are almost all found, but we're still missing Long Bo!

The people he wanted didn't like the role, not even the lead actor Zhang Xiaojing. And the actors who auditioned for the role of Long Bo, he didn't like either.

So even though filming is about to start, Long Bo still hasn't decided on the cast.

"It's a pity he's not an actor," Cao Dun lamented.

"How do you know he's not an actor? Life imitates art, and I think his acting is very good," Chen Kewen said. "Besides, whether he's good or not, we'll know after he tries a scene!"

Cao Dun immediately laughed.

The two raised their glasses and drank heartily, chatting and laughing over tea!