Bai Lu got scammed, but I became a superstar through e-commerce.

Three days after the first draft of the script was finalized, Yu Zheng invited Qing Xiao to the office at Huanyu BJ headquarters.

Several printed script outlines were laid out on the long table, and next to it was a pot of Longjing tea that had just been refilled with water.

Yu Zheng sat at the head of the long table, the script in front of him turned to the last page, the foot of the page folded over and over again.

"President Qing, I have no objection to the overall framework of the script. You did a great job revising the storyline from the parents' perspective; it immediately sets the emotional depth of this online film apart from other projects. Mr. Sun from the investor side also said that the biggest selling point of this film is not romance, but family affection—the final farewell that the parents give for their daughter."

Yu Zheng turned a page and pointed to the last paragraph of the script.

"Now let's talk about the ending."

Qingxiao put down his teacup and sat up straight.

"The current ending shows Lin's parents handing the USB drive to Gu Nian, who is sitting alone in her room watching the video. This part is well-written, and the editing style is also right. But after watching it, the audience's emotions are focused on the empty room and someone they will never see again. The audience will say, 'It's good, but it made me cry so much.' They will wipe away their tears, turn off the video, and then post on their WeChat Moments saying, 'This is a good film,' and that's it. They won't come back to watch it a second time, nor will they share it with others."

Yu Zheng picked up his purple clay cup and took a sip, slowing his speech: "Online movies are different from theatrical movies. With a theatrical movie, once you've finished watching it, it's over; the emotional memory of the audience doesn't immediately disappear after leaving the theater. But online movies are different; viewers watch them on their phones in their dorm beds, and swiping away is the next second. If the ending leaves viewers feeling stifled and with nowhere to release their emotions, the data won't lie—there will be a gap between the retention rate in the first ten minutes and the total play rate. So we need to give the audience an outlet. Not to resurrect Lin Xiao, but to leave a little bit of hope."

Qingxiao frowned slightly: "How can we keep him?"

"After the scene of visiting the grave, add a bonus scene in the middle of the end credits. In spring, on the cemetery steps, sunlight shines on the newly sprouted weeds between the stone slabs. A girl about the same age as Lin Xiao bends down and places a bunch of small white flowers in front of the tombstone, reaching out to wipe Lin Xiao's name on the tombstone. She stands up, looks at the tombstone, smiles softly, and says, 'Sister, I'm back in China.'"

Qingxiao leaned back in his chair, letting the sentence circulate in his mind.

"This girl's background doesn't need to be explained; the audience will guess for themselves. She might be Lin Xiao's fellow patient, a fellow internet addict, or a friend who played games with Lin Xiao back then. Her appearance sends a signal to the audience: Lin Xiao is gone, but she still lives in the hearts of those who knew her. That love hasn't ended. At the same time, the phrase 'returning to China' lays a useful hook for the sequel. The audience will be curious whether this cousin will find new relics, whether she will bump into Gu Nian on the game forum, or whether she will slowly help Lin Xiao reach the rank she didn't achieve."

Qingxiao didn't respond immediately, but quickly went through every possible structural node in the script that might change.

When he noticed that the girl said, "Sister, I'm back in China," someone in the live chat would definitely type, "Lin Xiao, did you hear that?" and someone else would say, "Is this the start of a sequel?"

"Teacher Yu, this Easter egg ending is good. It provides an outlet for emotions, foreshadows a sequel, and doesn't ruin the original sad tone; it just gives the audience a little something to look forward to."

Yu Zheng perked up: "You know why I'm talking to you about this. The core audience for online movies is women aged 18 to 24. What's the most important behavioral characteristic of this group?"

"What?"

"They celebrate the protagonist's birthday. On the anniversary of Lin Xiao's death, these girls will hold online memorial services, write letters, and share their game achievements in her fan community on the same real-world date. This is more effective than any paid advertising."

Qingxiao leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a few seconds. Then he reached out and took the folded-corner script in front of Yu Zheng, turned to the title page, picked up a pen, and wrote two words in the screenwriter's section: Yu Zheng.

He put down his pen and pushed the script back.

"Teacher Yu, since you provided constructive suggestions on these key turning points in the script, your name should be credited as the screenwriter."

"No way, this script is yours," Yu Zheng firmly objected.

Qingxiao naturally knew that the martial world was not just about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions, so he persisted in this action.

Yu Zheng stopped pretending and said, "But you wrote it backwards."

"It's not written backwards."

"President Qing, there's no need to be so polite. Please put your name first."

"No." Qingxiao put the pen into his coat pocket.

"If it weren't for Teacher Yu's first interview with Bai Lu, the female lead in this script would never have had the chance to stand in front of the camera. From then until today, your groundwork in this project is the origin of the first line in the screenwriter column."

Yu Zheng leaned back in his chair.

He knows many young investors who hold copyrights and capital titles. Some say "I admire your vision" and then immediately turn to the profit-sharing clause in the contract. Others even fuss over font size in the end credits.

The person in front of me is different—he understands the nuances of social etiquette.

Yu Zheng declined again, but Qing Xiao resolutely pushed the pen back, and finally nodded.

"President Qing, I won't treat you like a novice anymore after this movie."

"With Teacher Yu guiding me, I'm sure I'll improve quickly. Teacher Yu, who are you planning to have as your mentor?"

"Chen Yu. He directed the short film, which has a healing and beautiful style and an extreme pursuit of visual quality. Expanding the online film requires a stronger sense of rhythm, but his aesthetic genes are a natural match for this project. Moreover, he is the director that Bai Lu trusts the most."

On the day of the joint innovation meeting, Yu Zheng's conference room was packed with more than a dozen people.

Representatives from the production company and investors were on the left side of the long table.

Mr. Zhou from Huaxia Vision rolled up his sleeves again, Mr. Sun from Mango TV pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and Mr. Chen from Asia Pacific Pictures had a cup of strong tea that he hadn't drunk much of in front of him.

On the right are Huanyu's production team and casting director.

In the innermost seat against the wall, Chen Yu opened the script in his hand.

Qingxiao sat on one side of the long table, and Bailu sat opposite him, with two printed lists of potential actors between them.

Yu Zheng sat at the head of the long table and placed the purple clay cup on the coaster.

"Today's co-creation meeting will mainly focus on two things: first, script registration; second, finalizing the cast."

After he finished speaking, he opened a folder in front of him.

"Mr. Qing did a lot of research on the filing process beforehand. Let me briefly go over it: 'Film Script (Outline) Filing,' which is a legally required prerequisite for all film and television productions. After applying for a broadcast and television program production and operation license, the legal entity intending to produce a film should apply to the relevant film authority for film script (outline) filing in accordance with relevant regulations before filming begins."

He turned a page, his gaze sweeping across the long table.

"This online film filing is spearheaded by Huanyu Entertainment, with Tianmen Film & Television as a co-producer. I've already had my legal team prepare the filing report, and it will be submitted to the State Administration of Radio and Television in the next few days. We'll extract a section from the script to add the plot synopsis. This step doesn't require too much effort from everyone; just go through the process."

Qingxiao jotted down a few words in his notebook: lead party for filing, co-production party. He recalled that when he opened a Taobao store, he also needed a stack of qualification reports to join Tmall. The industries are different, but the underlying logic is actually the same.

Yu Zheng closed the folder and pushed it to the side.

"After the filing process is complete, the entire project will enter the preliminary preparation stage. The first core task in the preparation stage is to assemble the main creative team. Regarding the director, Mr. Qing and I discussed it last time and tentatively decided on Chen Yu. Today, everyone will vote on it."

Mr. Zhou rolled up his sleeves, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down again. Director Sun adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting light for a moment. Brother Chen was silent for a few seconds, then nodded first.

"President Qing said that Director Chen and Bai Lu collaborated on the short film 'My Girlfriend is a Little Wild,' which I've seen. He filmed the scene where Lin Xiao pushes someone into the water with great tension and mature camerawork. I agree."

Director Sun chimed in, tapping his finger on the table: "Mango Sub-platform has its own review standards for directors' resumes, but I think Director Chen's years of experience are sufficient."

The motion passed unanimously, and Yu Zheng allowed Chen Yu to sit on the left side of the long table next to the production team.

"The director is the core of the creative team. Next, the editor-in-chief and director will be mainly responsible for revising the script and selecting the main actors. The casting director and casting team will be responsible for the open auditions and contracts for supporting roles, featured extras, and extras. The location producer will find filming locations, and the production manager will coordinate equipment and personnel. Today, let's finalize the lead actors and key supporting actors."

He opened the casting list.

"The male and female leads have already been cast—Bai Lu will play Lin Xiao, and Qing Xiao will play Gu Nian. We won't discuss that. Today, we'll mainly finalize the roles for a few characters who haven't been confirmed yet. Among them, the two most crucial positions..."

Chen Yu continued, "Lin Xiao's parents."

There was silence on the long table for a few seconds.

Chen Yu opened his notebook, where he had written a few notes, and read aloud some of his material analysis. He listed three pairs of combinations that explored the aesthetic preferences of the meeting room from different perspectives.

"My idea was to find a veteran stage couple, a pair of tear-jerking supporting actors recognized in the industry, and a powerful couple known for their gentle and restrained acting style. He pasted past collaborations of each name on a sheet of paper and pushed it to several investors to review. All three groups were recognized in the industry as guarantees of high viewership ratings and had a solid reputation."

Discussion began to rise at the long table.

"The first couple came from a theatrical background, so their acting skills are beyond question."

"The candidate for Teacher Kou has a temperament very similar to Lin's father's restraint, but his wife has rarely taken on online film roles in recent years?"

"The pairings of Lü Liang and Song Yining are mostly in the cool color tone, while Lin Xiao's parents need more natural and lifelike dialogue."

Mr. Zhou leaned back in his chair and flipped through the three printed sheets. He spoke first: "From the platform promotion perspective, I think both of these sets will bring a lot of positive exposure. However, the core of Lin Xiao's parents' story isn't about tear-jerking, but about silent dedication and sacrifice. Kou Shixun's cast is closer to the visual feel I want. His father's back view squatting in the milk tea shop can instantly remind the audience of their own fathers."

Brother Chen put down his barely touched teacup and pressed his thumb against the rim: "I prefer the other couple. They've played too many ordinary parents in the past, and none of them seem like acting. For the scene where Lin's mother is stabilizing the DV camera behind the scenes, she needs someone who can make the audience believe 'that's how she takes care of her home.'"

At this point, he shifted his gaze from the script to Jiang Lei.

"We can work on casting simultaneously, and keep two sets of backup plans."

After everyone shared their opinions, the final decision was to make a bold combination of candidates.

On the evening the meeting ended, the printed materials were laid out again on the long table—Kou Shixun and Lü Zhong, Lü Liang and Song Yining, Liu Peiqi and Meng Tianjiao, the dust had settled, and the framework of the characters was finally complete.

After the co-creation meeting ended, the evening sunlight streamed through the gaps in the blinds and fell on the carpet in the meeting room.

Bai Lu stood by the window, looking at the street scene of Beijing outside, while Qing Xiao leaned against the conference table, organizing today's meeting minutes.

"No one sitting at this table today sees you as that Taobao model anymore."

Bai Lu had her back to him, looking at the traffic outside the window.

Qingxiao didn't see her eyes gradually reddening.

"Qingxiao".

"Um?"

"Unbelievable, how did you manage to do all this? You were able to discuss cooperation with Teacher Yu face-to-face, you were able to face capital with neither arrogance nor servility, and you were able to complete the co-creation meeting for our first online movie just like that."

Bai Lu smiled, a happy, almost dreamlike smile.

"It all feels like a dream, so unreal."

Qingxiao gently tapped Bai Lu's nose: "This is just the beginning. Your dream of becoming a big star is still a long way off."