Chapter 15: It Doesn't Matter
Every expense in the project had to be approved by May Li.
In the early days on the show "A Date with Lu Yu," Liu Yun mentioned that even buying a guitar required May Li's approval.
On "Happy Camp," during an off-site live segment, Wen Zhang called May Li to say he had always wanted to raise a dog, but May Li publicly refused his request, and he never ended up getting one.
After their divorce, Wen Zhang finally got to keep dogs and shared pictures of two corgis online.
Wen Zhang’s hiring of Shen Yan surely had May Li’s approval.
So it was perfectly normal for May Li to visit the set and take the opportunity to see Shen Yan.
Shen Yan didn’t feel much about May Li—just one thought: this woman has a serious smoking habit!
She hardly put the cigarette down.
Wen Zhang smoked too, but not nearly as heavily.
Within moments, the entire lounge was shrouded in smoke.
“Have you signed with an agency?” May Li asked.
Shen Yan shook his head. “No.”
“You have a good look... Have you thought about signing with a company?”
Still shaking his head, Shen Yan replied, “I’m not a graduate of a professional acting school.”
“You don’t need a degree for acting. After a few roles, you’ll get the hang of it. How old are you?”
“Twenty-one.”
May Li gave him a once-over.
Shen Yan was indeed handsome, with clearly defined facial contours—a full forehead and perfectly arched brow bones.
His nose was sharp and straight, with a gentle yet distinct slope from the bridge to the root, and the line from bridge to tip was crisp, as if carved by a blade.
His lips were thin, and when not smiling, he exuded a cool, somewhat ascetic aura.
Especially his eyes...
She couldn’t help but say, “At your age, if you polished your image a bit, you'd be perfect as an idol.”
Shen Yan argued, “I’m not very obedient!”
“I’m just saying. If you’re interested, call this number... I can introduce you to Sister Hua.”
“Thank you, Sister!”
“Don’t you play the violin? Play me a Canon...”
“Sure!”
Canon, to be precise, refers to a musical form highly regarded in the music world, where the same melody is played by different parts staggered by two beats or a measure, creating interlaced, imitative, and chasing effects.
The Canon in D major is a well-known piece composed by Johann Pachelbel.
Its characteristic is that all parts imitate the same theme, creating a continuous, intertwined melody that feels both flowing and lingering.
Within this seemingly simple rhythm lies an endlessly varied vitality.
The charm of the Canon is that when you’re happy, you can hear sorrow; when you’re despondent, you can hear hope.
Shen Yan liked the Canon himself, so he played with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
Listening to his performance, May Li seemed to recall something, a subtle shift in her expression.
In truth, the legacy of Fu Xi isn’t just wisdom, but also an enchanting charisma and an elegant bearing.
This is understandable since Fu Xi is one of the nine dragon sons and naturally possesses certain dragon attributes.
The ability to captivate the mind is innate to dragon offspring.
As for the elegant presence...
The phrase originates from Du Fu’s poem “The Eight Immortals of the Wine Cup,” describing a refined and handsome young man standing like a jade tree in the wind—a metaphor for a graceful and striking appearance.
Fu Xi, after all, is a dragon son!
One must remember that all nine sons of the dragon are remarkably handsome.
Thus, the portrayal of the fifth son in "Soul Ferry" feels a bit lacking.
Besides these traits, there’s also a certain lasciviousness...
Dragons are inherently lustful and indiscriminate in their desires!
Fu Xi is somewhat better... or rather, Shen Yan doesn’t yet entertain many such thoughts.
In any case, whether intentional or not, Shen Yan’s playing exuded a subtle allure.
That’s why May Li saw potential in him and considered signing him.
“Send the sample issue to the XX Hotel at Huairou Film City...”
“Yes, I work here!”
“The film industry... well, not exactly working in film, more like a supporting actor...”
At lunch, Shen Yan received a call from the editor of "Wuxia Edition." "Lotus Pavilion" was going to be published. The editorial office would send some sample copies and asked for Shen Yan’s address.
They also inquired about his job and were excited to learn he was working on a film crew.
Once a novel from "Wuxia Edition" gets adapted and successfully crosses over into mainstream, its status changes dramatically!
Some novels from "Wuxia Edition" have been adapted before. Xiao Fu’s "Sui Hou Zhu" (originally published in "Modern Legends: Wuxia Edition," late July 2005) was turned into a TV movie called "Warm and Cool Pearl," starring Liu Yijun.
Since its first broadcast in 2007, it has aired several times on movie channels and received decent reviews, but its impact was limited.
One reason was that "Sui Hou Zhu" was only a novella, limiting its influence; another was that TV movies rarely break out widely.
Actually, Xiao Duan’s "Pomegranate Tale" (published in "Modern Legends: Wuxia Edition," early April 2005) also had its adaptation rights purchased, but it wasn’t until 2018 that it was released as a web movie—and it was so heavily altered that it failed to make any splash.
Later, there was also "Autumn Chill in the South," produced by Chen Jiashang and directed by Luo Yiwei as his debut, also a web movie with little impact.
The editor probably assumed Shen Yan wanted to simultaneously develop a film or TV adaptation of "Lotus Pavilion," but that was wishful thinking.
Even at a low estimate, Shen Yan couldn’t afford to fund a TV series.
Zhang Wuchou, eating nearby, asked curiously, “Your work’s getting published?”
“A wuxia novel... serialized in 'Modern Legends: Wuxia Edition'...”
“...But don’t you write web novels?”
“Both,” Shen Yan dodged and continued eating his boxed lunch.
Actually, Shen Yan could have enjoyed some of the better boxed lunches with Wen Zhang, but as always, one must know their place.
His connection to Wen Zhang was purely professional; why should he eat his lunch?
“I heard you met May Li?”
“Yeah, we chatted briefly.”
“Tsk tsk, you’re about to take off!” Zhang Wuchou said enviously. “If you ever get rich, don’t forget us!”
Shen Yan was speechless. “We only talked a little.”
“She didn’t sign you?”
“No.”
“Everyone’s saying May Li noticed you... that you’re about to take off!”
Shen Yan waved it off, “That’s not true.”
“So you’ll keep working as a supporting actor?”
“Yes, definitely.”
Zhang Wuchou whispered, “Be careful...”
“What’s up?”
“Someone will definitely talk about you tomorrow.”
“Talk about me?”
Curious, Shen Yan asked, “What would they say?”
“...That you don’t know what’s good for you, or something like that...”
“So what? Doesn’t matter!”