Chapter 66: Big Brother, Don't Mess Around!

Twin Dragons of the Great Tang?
Wang Jing?
Shen Yan instantly recalled something...
Could it be that version starring Louis Koo and Alex Fong?
My brother, please don't mess around...
That version directly caused the shelving of a huge wave of Huang Yi's adapted projects.
Twin Dragons of the Great Tang was the first mainland-produced work based on Huang Yi's novels. If the reception was good, Overseas Swordsman would definitely have been greenlit next...
Compared to Twin Dragons, Overseas Swordsman had far fewer plot points that drew criticism...
In the ending of Twin Dragons, Kou Zhong and Li Shimin were forced to make peace and shake hands, and Kou Zhong practically begged to become the live-in son-in-law of Song Que. Weren't Shang Xiufang and Shang Xiuxun wonderful? Not to mention Xu Ziling being toyed with by Shi Feixuan—their spiritual romance couldn't compare to Wanwan, let alone Shi Qingxuan...
Overseas Swordsman was one of the rare, flawless masterpieces in Mr. Huang Yi's martial arts series.
The opening was concise and sharp, the ending left lingering imagery of artistic conception, and the middle plot was treacherous, ever-changing, full of dramatic ups and downs, twists, turns, and gripping suspense. It could be considered his most complete and finest work.
Especially the description of Lang Fanyun in the final chapter:
'When the moon filled the River Lanyang, the mist that locked the island day and night dissipated in an instant, as if slowly pulled apart by a fierce gale. Roaring waves crashed against the rocks, towering to the skies.
Lang Fanyun stood atop the stone peak, the world-shaking Overturning Rain Sword slung diagonally across his waist. Moonlight sprinkled down from above, and the wine flask in his hand swayed gently.
Only by reaching the extreme of emotion could one reach the extreme of the sword.
It was once again Xixi's anniversary.
The bright moon of those bygone days once illuminated the return of colorful clouds.
That was the last time people ever saw Lang Fanyun.'
Ahem... Wang Jing's version of Twin Dragons of the Great Tang didn't just drag down Huang Yi's works; many martial arts projects greenlit at that time suffered miscarriage, and some were even halted midway to cut losses...
Even CCTV combined with Wang Jing couldn't save it, causing the martial arts television genre to directly decline...
This production could well be called a milestone of tragedy for the martial arts genre!
Even Wang Jing stopped touching martial arts after that...
And you actually found such a project for me?
Shen Yan wanted to flatly refuse, but felt that if he spoke too harshly, it might make Ji Xiang uncomfortable...
After all, Ji Xiang mentioned it was directed by Wang Jing, produced by CCTV, and co-produced by Tiefo...
Randomly combining this group, their past works included The Proud Twins, Royal Tramp, Fast Steppers, and Fox Volant of Snowy Mountain...
Presumably, before the final cut was completed, no one could have guessed that Wang Jing would actually serve up a steaming pile of crap!
Who knows what happened...
In any case, Wang Jing achieved an extraordinary feat: shooting completely at random!
By the way, he also interrupted the mainland television careers of Louis Koo and Alex Fong...
After Twin Dragons of the Great Tang, neither of them ever took on a mainstream mainland drama that gained widespread traction again.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Yan replied to Ji Xiang: "Wang Jing... the director, do you know him well?"
"...Not bad, we've had meals together..."
"Then please help me vie for the male lead!"
Ji Xiang immediately said: "It'll definitely be the male lead, we won't play supporting roles!"
"I estimate it's unlikely. Wang Jing doesn't really use mainland actors."

Ji Xiang was slightly stunned: "...We still have to strive for it... Besides, Fox Volant of Snowy Mountain used Nie Yuan!"
"Is that the same thing? Fox Volant of Snowy Mountain was copyright-owned by Ciwen, and Wang Jing was just hired help!"
"...I sense you aren't very keen?"
"Twin Dragons of the Great Tang is longer than Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, and The Deer and the Cauldron combined... The adaptation difficulty is quite high," Shen Yan changed the subject. "Brother, after filming for Architecture 101 wraps up, I plan to release an album..."
"...Release an album?"
"It's already written... 12 tracks!"
淮"Alright then, I'll arrange it... However, Xiao Shen, physical albums don't sell well nowadays... Many singers have crossed over into acting..."
Shen Yan: "It's fine, my albums are very cheap to make. The lyrics, composition, and arrangement are all done by myself..."
Since he had put it that way, Ji Xiang had nothing more to say and could only offer: "Suit yourself..."
...
The recording industry was depressed, and singers' development routes, song themes, and album release methods had undergone obvious transformations.
Many singers simply released a free album on Weibo or Kugou Music, providing free downloads exclusively online...
Why not release physical albums?
The production cost of an album was at least around 1 million...
If they shot a few music videos, the price would be even higher!
Joker Xue once stated that the production cost for an EP with three songs was 3 million...
And this price could only be considered upper-middle tier!
How to make money then?
If you have fame, you hold concerts; most of the time, they teamed up to hold joint concerts...
Record companies directly organized touring concerts, most typically Rock Records, which directly gathered dozens of singer groups under the banner of Rock Records to take turns performing...
What about those without fame?
Change careers, of course!
Even Joker Xue went off to open a hotpot restaurant...
After all, the current unit of measurement for physical album sales was in the thousands...
Shen Yan... wasn't particularly obsessed with singing either; he simply felt that singing was quite interesting.
To be honest, Shen Yan himself had a bit of a stage complex.
After all, he had spent several years as a trainee...
He had learned a whole set of musical skills: singing, dancing, rap, basketball... scratch that, everything was fine!
He hadn't even given up web novels, so there was no reason to abandon his music career.
...
Shen Yan's daily routine in the crew consisted of filming and writing code when back at the hotel...
Occasionally bickering with Shishi.
The frequency of their intimate life wasn't high...
Even when they did it, it was at most twice...
After all, for The Vigilantes In Masks, Shishi had action scenes almost every day, and Shen Yan didn't want to exhaust her. In case her legs went weak and she encountered danger while hanging on wire harnesses...
The next week basically passed by just like that...
Entering December, Shen Yan felt that the crew's filming was going smoother and smoother...
In about another week, Shen Yan would wrap up his scenes...
On the set of The Vigilantes In Masks.
Finishing the morning shoot, Shen Yan was about to drink some beverage when he saw his assistant Chen Xu leading Ji Xiang over...
He was a bit surprised...
"My god, why are you here? Something the matter?"
Ji Xiang was speechless: "...I'm your manager, do I need a reason to come check on you?"
Shen Yan: "...Spit it out, what's up? You never visit unless there's an issue!"
"Two things..."
Shen Yan wore a look of 'I knew it': "Go ahead."
"...I've secured a spot for you at the Jiangsu Satellite TV New Year's Eve Concert..."
"Jiangsu Satellite TV?"
"Right, you'll sing two songs..."
Shen Yan hesitated for a moment, then asked: "Who are the hosts?"
"Jacky Wu and Aya..."
"Fine then..."
The reason for his hesitation was precisely Xu Song's experience at the Jiangsu Satellite TV New Year's Eve concert back then...
After Xu Song performed his song Plain White, he was awkwardly left hanging on stage, waiting endlessly for the hosts to come up and control the atmosphere. When the hosts finally arrived, they only cared about interacting with the audience down below, still leaving Xu Song standing off to the side...
This was a grave disrespect to the artist!
Of course, that incident was mainly due to the hosts' incompetence...
Ji Xiang asked again: "Which two songs?"
"Mountains and Seas and Roaming, I suppose..."
"Roaming is too bland. Change it to Better Go Home and Drink Tap Water instead!"
淮"...Did they request that?"
"Just a suggestion..."
"You handle it as you see fit," Shen Yan waved his hand indifferently, then casually asked: "...Are there many singers invited by Jiangsu Satellite TV this year?"
"Quite a few... Chen Chusheng is there too!"
淮"...Tsk tsk..."
Chen Chusheng was truly wildly arrogant in his youth!
Back at the Hunan TV New Year's Eve concert, as the finale act performing three songs live, no less, he just up and left...
Wasn't he blacklisted for eight years?
Shen Yan suddenly remembered something: "...Help me set up an appointment with Chen Chusheng; I want to duet with him..."
Ji Xiang shook his head: "...He's not easy to book, plus his relationship with Hunan TV..."