I really don't want to be the top streamer anymore

"This year really is Xu Kong's year. So many of Xu Kong's works have been broadcast, and every single one of them is a masterpiece."

"That's normal. As for Feng Ge now, you can only say that he has completely taken on the shape of Xu Kong. He writes and produces almost every drama."

"That's good. Otherwise, under normal circumstances, if Xu Kong only worked as a director, he definitely wouldn't be able to shoot that many works in a year."

"All I want to say is, you movie fans are having a good time, but why don't you consider how we music fans feel!"

"Didn't 'The Masked Singer' just end recently? Although Xu Kong himself releases songs less frequently than before, he still writes quite a few songs for the singers in his company, right?"

……

The immense popularity of "Hanzawa Naoki" is actually a good thing for many netizens.

Especially for viewers who weren't initially interested, once they actually got into the show...

Instead, they started to enjoy it.

They even complained that the pace of updating two episodes a week was too slow, with only ten episodes in total, although each episode was almost an hour long.

But in the eyes of many people, it is still not quite enough.

Of course, the happiest one was definitely the kiwi.

The initial weakness was followed by a recovery thanks to its overseas reputation.

The feeling of ultimately turning the tide against all odds made Qin Xian feel that it was somewhat similar to the experience of the protagonist in the drama.

……

As time goes by, the popularity and data of "Hanzawa Naoki" are rising steadily.

Of course, this was because there were almost no competitors at the same time.

This period of time has actually felt rather boring.

However, there are limitations due to the subject matter.

The popularity of "Hanzawa Naoki" still cannot compare to that of the "Ghost Blows Out the Light" series from the previous summer season.

In fact, if you look closely at the user groups, the overlap between the audiences of the two shows is not very high.

Of course, this is not a bad thing.

This only made Qin Xian feel more terrified.

Xu Kong's current target audience is not entirely the same for almost every drama he stars in.

It can be said that the scope and scale have even given the impression of completely covering all kinds of audiences.

……

Finally, the second half of September arrived.

The anime series "Hanzawa Naoki" has also reached its final episode.

In the end, Hanzawa is transferred by the bank president to Central Securities, a subsidiary of the central bank, where he is promoted from vice minister to minister, though his rank remains unknown.

This ending sparked considerable discussion.

Some viewers believe that Hanzawa successfully avenged himself, but also ruined his future by being exiled to the frontier.

Of course, some viewers felt that this might actually be a good thing.

After all, given Hanzawa Naoki's personality, if he were to remain at the Central Bank, he might still encounter even greater difficulties in the end.

Transferring him away is also a way to protect him.

Despite the heated discussions surrounding the ending, the overall reception of the series remains very positive.

Subsequent data and results fully demonstrate the success of this drama.

Most importantly, this drama is a national phenomenon in Japan.

Even Xiang Tianlei, the lead actor, became an overnight sensation thanks to this role.

He's now on par with Japan's national heartthrob.

……

"I really didn't expect that I would become so popular in Japan..."

Xiang Tianlei couldn't help but sigh.

He now has far more followers on overseas media than on domestic media.

Although the number of fans in China has also increased by nearly two million.

But overseas, the figure jumped directly to over five million.

And almost all of them are fans of the Japanese drama "Hanzawa Naoki".

"Brother Lei, isn't this a good thing?"

Some of the other actors from Feng Ge spoke up.

There was a hint of envy in his eyes.

……

"Of course I know."

Xiang Tianlei nodded.

The Japanese language he learned on his own during university actually played such a crucial role in his destiny.

"Brother Lei, for the next movie, let's just win an Oscar from Japan!"

Someone said.

However, Xiang Tianlei quickly waved his hand.

"Forget it, I know my own limitations."

"It was just good luck that I found a role that suited me. I have to thank Director Xu for that..."

Xiang Tianlei's words surprised the people around him.

This is nothing like the arrogant personality they used to have.

In the few months since I last saw him, Xiang Tianlei seems like a completely different person.

Before he became famous, he was incredibly arrogant, and his daily routine consisted of bragging about which famous director had invited him to audition.

On the contrary, it has become incredibly popular now, even overseas.

He has become so humble.

……

Of course, what they didn't know was that Xiang Tianlei's thoughts were completely different now than they had been back then.

When I went to the audition, I was given a good talking-to by Xu Kong.

For the first time since graduating, Xiang Tianlei has finally been able to calm down.

He was so desperate to become famous.

Moreover, he firmly believes that he is the so-called protagonist.

But the facts have proven that, many times, for many roles, he is not indispensable.

There are also many people who are more outstanding than him.

The best example is Liu Yue, whom he looked down on back then, who has now become a huge star thanks to his role as Hu Bayi in "Ghost Blows Out the Light".

Oh, and he also wanted to thank Liu Yue.

If it weren't for Liu Yue, seeing how far the other party could prepare for a role...

He won't suddenly have an epiphany.

And now, although he has achieved the fame he desired.

Instead of being as excited as I had imagined, I've actually remained surprisingly calm.

……

What Xiang Tianlei didn't know was that with this change...

The atmosphere in Fengge now is completely different from when Xu Kong first took over.

It is not only thriving, but also attracted by its fame.

It can truly be said that the area is teeming with talented people.

And most importantly, although there will be some people who still take chances and try to be clever.

However, most of them have gradually come to realize that only by improving their professional skills, that is, the most crucial acting skills for actors, can they truly succeed.

Is the most important.

In Fengge now, as long as you are well prepared, you will have no shortage of opportunities.

Liu Yue and Xiang Tianlei are good examples.

……

However, this period is a critical time for the film industry.

The second largest film season of the year, the National Day holiday, is just around the corner.

For many films, although it is only mid-to-late September, some related publicity and promotion have already begun.

This year's National Day film season wasn't particularly competitive, but the variety of film genres was quite impressive.

There are low-budget romance films starring popular young actors, as well as big-budget productions with a host of big names.

There are even art films that focus on suspense and mystery while satirizing social realities.

The final outcome is truly something no one could have predicted.

……

However, none of the film production companies had anticipated this.

A movie that had been completely unannounced before suddenly announced its release date for the National Day holiday.

That is "The Warlords," which garnered much attention from the very beginning of its filming.

"Holy crap, the main cast includes Xia Yuze, Chen Shuang, and Xu Kong. What an amazing lineup!"

"Incredible! An investment of over 300 million, three top actors in the lead roles—a truly luxurious cast—and a script personally written by Xu Kong, who could resist watching it?" "Those movies scheduled for release during the National Day holiday probably felt like the sky was falling when they opened Weibo and saw this news!"

……

Just as the audience expected, the film producers at the same time were all completely bewildered.

Brother, this is a movie with such a big investment.

There was no prior announcement about its release date; it was suddenly scheduled.

This is really embarrassing for us!
Xu Kong was already someone the industry feared.

Not to mention that this time, not only Xu Kong himself, but also martial arts superstar Xia Yuze, and Chen Shuang, who has become incredibly popular in recent years thanks to several of Xu Kong's works.

With just these three actors on the cast list, their box office appeal alone is enough to guarantee a minimum of one billion.

Many film studios are already considering an emergency withdrawal and postponement of the film's release.

It's not that I don't want to try, but there are all sorts of vivid examples out there.

……

Of course, the producers of these films released during the National Day holiday are all complaining about Xu Kong and Feng Ge's inhuman behavior.

But in reality, it wasn't intentional.

As the director, Guo Jiayu was truly at a loss.

As per Xu Kong's request, this film, "The Warlords," had to find a way to pass the censorship.

Guo Jiayu subsequently made many efforts regarding this matter.

Ultimately, the integrity of the entire film was preserved.

This is partly due to Xu Kong's own reasons, and also because Fengge is a company that has been deeply rooted in Beijing for so many years, and even Song Quanfu was involved.

That's how it finally passed the review.

However, this matter will definitely not be publicized extensively.

However, the reason for scheduling the film for the National Day holiday is because it missed that time slot.

The release date will be greatly delayed.

……

On the other hand, with National Day approaching...

The filming of "Chinese Paladin 2" has finally wrapped up.

For Xu Kong, there was naturally not much energy to care about other things during this period.

The main reason is that Feng Ge is currently working on too many projects at the same time.

He can't possibly keep an eye on everything all the time.

Therefore, delegating authority appropriately and focusing on one's role as a producer is the most worry-free approach.

Otherwise, we simply wouldn't be able to handle it all.

……

"That's not the case..."

Guo Jiayu was also somewhat surprised when she saw the news online.

Surprisingly, one of the films scheduled for the National Day holiday has actually chosen to postpone its release.

He knew perfectly well that the other party wasn't afraid of him.

In fact, the director of the entire film is currently the one who has received the least attention.

The main reason is that the lineup of three Best Actor winners is simply too intimidating.

Among them are supermodels like Xu Kong.

There's really no need to gamble.

Of course, there are still some movies that haven't had their release dates changed.

After all, the National Day holiday is the second largest film season of the year, and the market is still very large, capable of accommodating many films.

……

In the following period, Feng Ge's side hardly needed to worry about the various promotional activities for "The Warlords".

Its popularity has already far surpassed that of other films released at the same time.

Soon, it was the first day of October.

Without much hesitation, Ego immediately bought tickets for the movie "The Warlords".

This film is anticipated not only by ordinary viewers.

A film and television blogger like her is definitely something to look forward to.

Whether it's creating film reviews or getting more traffic.

Even from just her own perspective.

With a cast of three award-winning actors—Xia Yuze, Chen Shuang, and Xu Kong—it's hard not to have high expectations.

……

As the opening credits for Feng Ge ended in the cinema.

Soon the movie entered the main feature phase.

The story is set in that chaotic era...

The cinema was almost full.

As the movie began, Ego gradually became immersed in the story.

……

It wasn't until the final credits rolled that Ego snapped out of his daze.

Her feelings at that moment were extremely complicated.

There's so much I want to say.

But I don't know where to begin.

This film has big ambitions, or rather, it will be quite different from what everyone originally expected.

Although there are a lot of action scenes, the essence of this movie is actually its dramatic scenes.

The action scenes are more like an outer shell.

From Pang Qingyun's narrow escape from death, to the three brothers' sworn brotherhood and pledge of loyalty, to Jiang Wuyang, played by Xu Kong, being executed by slow slicing.

……

The entire story almost perfectly depicts the chaos of that era.

It also tells the story of Pang Qingyun, an idealist who ultimately succumbs to reality.

It's worth mentioning that Xia Yuze, a kung fu superstar, delivered what Yi Guo considers to be the best dramatic performance of his career in this film.

At the same time, veteran actor Chen Shuang did not hold back.

As for Xu Kong, although he was the youngest, he was not suppressed in the slightest.

The final monologue scene, in which he is subjected to the excruciating torture of slow slicing, is particularly shocking.

Ego had high expectations for this movie even before he came.

But after watching the finished film, I realized it still far exceeded my expectations.

……

It is certain that the core of the entire film is still Pang Qingyun, played by Xia Yuze.

Compared to the other two brothers, Zhao Erhu was foolish, Jiang Wuyang was simple-minded, and only Pang Qingyun was always determined to do what he wanted.

Unfortunately, he ultimately succumbed to his own idealism.

The fact that none of the three ended up with a good ending is truly heartbreaking.

This is undoubtedly a tragic story.

……

Of course, this movie still has some viewing barriers.

In particular, the inner thoughts of the protagonist, Pang Qingyun, are quite subtle.

Viewers unfamiliar with the historical context of that era, or those who didn't watch the show carefully, would likely find it all quite confusing.

Of course, Yi Guo was also very fortunate that Xu Kong was the screenwriter.

It did not fully adhere to the logic of commercial films, but instead chose to maintain this story pattern and ending.

This immediately boosted the overall rating of the film.

……

Xia Yuze has truly met a benefactor.

If it weren't for Xu Kong, I probably wouldn't have encountered such a character.

This will allow his acting career to be no longer limited to action films.

This one movie is enough for him to prove that he is not only good at action scenes, but also at the level of a movie star in dramatic scenes.

……

Of course, although Igor gave it a high rating.

However, Ego still couldn't help but worry about the film's commercial performance.

After all, sometimes, movies that require thinking don't have that many viewers willing to pay for them.

As for the specific box office performance, we'll have to wait and see how the market reacts.

...(End of chapter)