Chapter 18: Popularity +1
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Interview…
Shen Yan suddenly remembered something: authors featured in the Wuxia Edition usually accompany their interviews with a photo…
Cang Yue was the most outrageous!
She actually provided an artistic portrait…
And then… maybe it was confidence in the photo or a requirement from the publisher, but for the next few years, Cang Yue’s novels typically came with collectible cards featuring her artistic portraits.
Proper artistic portraits…
In a way, this was also a marketing strategy!
Of course, Cang Yue had one advantage—she landed the endorsement for Tengwu Digital’s martial arts game, “Ink Fragrance,” thanks to her looks…
A wuxia novelist securing a game endorsement?
Well, Tengwu Digital later produced “Kung Fu Online”…
Given Shen Yan’s appearance, even if he couldn’t get a game endorsement, he could at least become a writer with idol-level appeal!
Selling books with his looks!
Back to Lotus Pavilion…
Since the Wuxia Edition was in decline, Lotus Pavilion’s breakout potential was quite limited…
That’s perfectly normal. “Vast Sea” had a much lower breakout index than “Kunlun.”
For a simple example: many have read novels about Kunlun’s world, but hardly anyone has read about Vast Sea’s…
Many say that both Vast Sea and the Lingfei Classic are merely continuations of Kunlun’s popularity.
Ahem, even discussions about Vast Sea are scarce, let alone for an emerging writer like Shen Yan!
However, with the quality of Lotus Pavilion, and its blend of detective wuxia with a touch of horror, it still attracted many fans…
Especially the character Li Lianhua, who was truly remarkable…
Yangzhou Slow, a top-tier internal skill capable of reviving the dead; Xi Yi Tai Sword, unrivaled in the world, no one could survive more than three moves against it; Bosuo Steps, supreme lightness skill that prevents any expert from getting close.
Moreover, he was resourceful, well-versed in all martial arts, privy to the secrets of noble families, and keenly perceptive.
The ultimate male lead!
And he was a proud man!
He did not seek conventional social outcomes.
Life itself was dispensable, let alone love, status, or fame…
Poisoned with a deadly toxin, with only a year left to live…
The classic tragic hero with strength and suffering…
The editor believed Lotus Pavilion had a high chance of breaking through…
Hence the arranged interview!
Having an interview was good; at least Shen Yan’s fame would increase by one notch…
As for the National Anthem crew… hardly anyone knew about Shen Yan’s published works…
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Rumors about Shen Yan had mostly died down recently; the extras were all busy discussing the filming of the neighboring project, “Dream of the Red Chamber,” specifically the Li Shaohong version…
That show had been shooting for six or seven months and was still ongoing!
There were many dramas surrounding the production of Dream of the Red Chamber, such as luxury cars shuttling actors around…
Zhang Wuchou once casually told Shen Yan, “Dream of the Red Chamber is a key project. Many actors want to be in it, hoping for a breakout role…”
Shen Yan didn’t quite understand: “Dream of the Red Chamber? How does that make one famous?”
“It’s a classic adaptation…”
“…So, it guarantees fame?”
“This is Dream of the Red Chamber!”
Shen Yan had no comeback…
At this stage, the roles most likely to explode in popularity were urban dramas or ancient romance dramas!
What’s the point of acting in Dream of the Red Chamber?
He Run Dong had played the ultimate manly dream roles: Xiang Yu, the Overlord of Western Chu, in The Legend of Chu and Han; Lü Bu, the fierce warrior in New Three Kingdoms; and Li Shimin, the great general and Emperor Taizong of Tang, in Qin King Li Shimin…
Yet he remained a secondary-tier TV actor!
Regardless of the quality of Li Shaohong’s Dream of the Red Chamber, Shen Yan simply could not grasp why people thought it was such a big deal.
What good is playing Jia Baoyu anyway?
Yu Xiaotong and Jiang Mengjie both played lead roles in Dream of the Red Chamber, and now they’re all but forgotten.
…
The National Anthem crew was filming smoothly, and Shen Yan continued as an extra…
His serialization in Wuxia Edition had no impact on his standing within the crew.
In the entertainment circle, he was still a fringe figure!
However, the reporter had read Lotus Pavilion and was quite interested, asking about the plot ahead…
“Keep reading to find out. I told you, you wouldn’t be interested…”
“Does Li Lianhua die in the end?”
“…Yes, his internal skill, Yangzhou Slow, taken from ‘Yangzhou Slow: The Famous Capital of Huai Left,’ speaks of ‘abandoned pools and tall trees, yet still weary of war…’”
“Hmm…”
“It’s hard to write wuxia better than Jin Yong or Gu Long, so I focus on the characters… Most protagonists are young geniuses who face setbacks but have happy endings, or ordinary people who succeed after trials and battles. I wrote one who starts out fallen, poisoned by Bicha toxin, with only ten percent of his former strength.
But I don’t see hatred in him, no complaints or self-pity, no giving up or self-destruction. Maybe there are moments of world-weariness, especially when he encounters those with ill intent inside the Si Guo Gate, but he never abandons himself. He always holds onto his original intention and life’s rhythm. Such a character certainly draws people in!”
Hearing this, the reporter asked, “…Do you want to make it into a TV series?”
“Not really, for now!”
“Why not?”
Shen Yan shrugged, “…I’m not short of money anymore. There’s no need to sell adaptation rights… Moreover, even if I sold them now, I’d have no say in adaptation or casting!”
Upon hearing this, the reporter nodded, “That makes sense…”
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“So…”
The reporter changed the subject: “…After finishing National Anthem, any plans?”
Shen Yan nodded, “I’ll play a small role in The Living Buddha Ji Gong…”
“‘The Living Buddha Ji Gong’?”
“Yes, starring Chen Haomin, produced by a Taiwanese team…”
Curious, the reporter asked, “How did you get involved? Through the crew leader?”
“No,” Shen Yan shook his head, “Through a sister I knew before. She introduced me!”
“Who?”
“Yang Quan, do you know her?”
“Of course! She’s also with Sister Hua’s team. How do you know her?”
“I worked before on Director Zhang Li’s ‘The Right Path of the World’s Changes,’ and she was part of that crew…”
The reporter raised an eyebrow, “Did anything happen between you two?”
“No way…” Shen Yan quickly waved his hands, “She just saw I was about to starve, so she helped… Besides, Sister Yang just got married!”
“…I see… Ji Gong, huh. Hey, our crew’s Tu Liman’s next project is also Ji Gong…”
“We probably aren’t in the same segment…”
After a brief chat, Shen Yan picked up his violin: “…Brother Wen, what do you want to hear today?”
“Play anything you like… Oh, your salary will be credited tomorrow…”
“Okay, thanks, Brother Wen!”
A smile spread across Shen Yan’s face as he took the violin and began playing Pachelbel’s Canon…
The reporter started chatting with Shen Yan’s assistant…
Lost in the music, Shen Yan’s phone rang…
“…Brother Wen, I need to take this call!”
“Mm-hmm…”
Shen Yan put down the violin—it was the Wuxia Edition editor…
He answered the call…
Well, they were already here.
“Wait a moment, I’ll meet you at lunch!”
“…I’m working right now.”
After hanging up, Shen Yan prepared to resume playing violin, but the reporter suddenly said, “Come with me tonight… I’ll take you to meet someone!”
“…Alright, Brother Wen!”