Start with a pop song

Chapter 237 Baozi's Wish; The Legend of the Condor Heroes Fades; Journey to the West Reigns Supreme; Everyone Awaits the Monkey King; New Songs for Graduation Season!

Early April.

Spring has already arrived in Beijing, and flowers are in full bloom.

Young women are starting to dress up when they go out shopping.

Wearing a baseball cap, Song Dao sat with Baozi in the breakfast shop, eating Baozi while looking outside.

"Hey boss, look at that guy, his legs are so long!"

While munching on his bun, Baozi peeked furtively outside.

This guy is a bit of a closet pervert.

When we first met, he acted like a very upright gentleman.

However, after seeing that the boss had two female confidantes, he seemed to have suddenly awakened.

Unfortunately, I've always been extremely busy.

Even so, when Song went to see him, he found that the guy was pale and had dark circles under his eyes like a panda.

Going out at night can scare people.

Song forced me to come out and get some sun every day, and also, I absolutely cannot stay up late.

"You even know how to look at a girl's legs, that's good. But you need to be careful. If you keep going like this, when you have money and become successful, you won't be able to get an erection even when a girl pounces on you."

There weren't many people in the store, Song said in a low voice.

Baozi looked horrified: "Really? I thought it was okay, it got rock hard when I masturbated!"

Song Dao gave him a look of disgust.

Baozi chuckled and said, "I definitely can't compare to you, Boss. To put it bluntly, we're not from the same world."

“It’s not that strange,” Song Dao said, taking a sip of tofu pudding. “I can make money and become famous because of my work. You are the same, except that I started a little earlier.”

"Hehe, I'll just take it as encouragement from the boss!" Baozi slurped down his tofu pudding, then looked out the window at the young ladies and said, "Actually, I'm not in a hurry. The boss's script is too good! As long as I finish it, I'll definitely succeed!"

As he spoke, his panda eyes gradually hardened: "I will become the number one animator in China!"

Song said, "Yes!"

Baozi: "Then find lots of pretty girls!"

Song arrived: "..."

He pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth and said casually, "What a loser, looking for a pretty girl?"

Baozi looked at him.

"At that time, countless young ladies will rush towards you, as long as your body can handle it," Song Dao said.

Baozi shrugged her thin shoulders, and her already pale face became even paler.

"Don't worry, boss, I understand what you mean. I'll start exercising as soon as I get back today, but it's so boring..."

Song Dao glanced at him and said, "I'll have President Yan find a few sparring partners with big breasts, perky butts, and long legs."

Baozi's eyes suddenly widened.

"Really?"

"What's the big deal? Are you motivated now?"

"Yes, it must be!"

Baozi got excited.

After calming down his older brother, Song Dao told Baozi to take a taxi to the company, while he strolled along the street.

In fact, he has been working on the original script for "Lurking" recently, which has taken a lot of effort.

In addition, she has two goddess-level sisters around her who not only enjoy the taste of sex but are also single-mindedly eager to have children.

He has also been somewhat neglecting exercise.

Having finally found some free time recently, he plans to resume his habit of exercising every day.

No matter how good the gym equipment at home is, it can't compare to natural exercise by breathing in fresh air outside.

……

It's about nine o'clock in the morning.

Song Dao was looking at reports in the company.

A vice president from the film company suddenly contacted him via carrier pigeon.

"Boss, are you in your office?"

Song replied, "It's on the top floor."

He has separate offices at Fiyan Music, Listen to Music, and Earth Pictures.

There's no way around it; this building is too big. Even though each company has many employees now, it's impossible to leave out an office for the CEO.

Song told Xiaobai to go down and bring the person up.

Soon, the vice president, a man in his late thirties, full of energy, knocked on the door and entered with a happy expression.

"Sit down," Song said, pointing to the sofa.

The vice president's name is Sun Zhe. He came to the company not long after it opened. At that time, the company was preparing for the Legend of the Condor Heroes project, and he performed very well.

They are senior executives who were promoted based on their abilities.

"Boss, a friend in the industry just called me and said that Times Media is interested in settling with us."

"Reconciliation?" Song Dao raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Well, the gist is that our film screenings will follow market rules and won't be haphazard; and the ban has been lifted, meaning our actors won't be prohibited from working with us anymore; thirdly, my friend said he'd help us if we wanted to use those film studios for filming..."

"Oh, that's good. Is there anything else?" Song asked.

But in my heart I was thinking: Is this some kind of reconciliation with me? This is clearly self-redemption, isn't it?

He knew about the fact that the film and television dramas produced by Times and Starlight, which involved large investments, were being blocked.

How should I put this?

It was pretty cool.

After all, he doesn't have a saintly heart.

Just as he was not qualified to forgive Miao Xiu on behalf of the deceased original owner.

You don't know the pain until the punishment falls on you.

Advising people to be kind is likely to get you struck by lightning.

Besides, Sister Zhou is always meticulous in her work.

She couldn't bring herself to use her power to deliberately create obstacles for someone.

Godfather and godmother wouldn't allow it either.

Ultimately, the problem lies with them.

Of course, some problems can be big or small, and if there's no real grudge, they might just be overlooked.

But what if there's a grudge?

Why should I let you pass?

So, in the end, the so-called "era" that sent people to relay messages, wanting to reconcile with them, is fundamentally about getting their own large investment projects approved.

That's why Song asked, "Is there anything else?"

“They said they wouldn’t go against us anymore. We’re all in this circle, we see each other all the time, there’s no need to make things so awkward.”

Song nodded, thinking to himself that it was indeed so; the first few were mild, but this one had a slightly warning tone.

It's only a little bit.

More often than not, they chicken out, worried about getting beaten up again, and weakly say that if they really wanted to get angry, they could be super fierce...

"Well, I understand, go and do your work."

Song Dao nodded calmly, thinking to himself that he would find a suitable opportunity to talk to Sister Zhou about the matter of the next generation admitting defeat.

There's no question of reconciliation or non-reconciliation.

He has too many things to do.

I never intended to have any conflict with these "native indigenous forces".

If those people are sensible and truly refrain from provoking him in the future, he will naturally be too lazy to waste his energy on them.

Have you ever seen a giant dragon spending its days wrestling with ants?
Sun Zhe left with excitement in his eyes.

Although he only became a senior executive at the company when he was nearly forty, he had already been immersed in the industry for more than a decade.

They know better than anyone how terrifying companies like Times and Starlight are.

To be honest, if Earth Pictures wasn't founded by Song Dao, he wouldn't dare to come even if offered three times the industry salary.

After arriving, they faced suppression and exclusion, and lived in fear for a long time.

On the one hand, it's unclear whether Song Dao is just dabbling in this.

On the other hand, nobody likes changing jobs all the time.

He feared that this talented young man wouldn't be able to hold on.

There are many talented people in the industry who are suppressed to the point of despair.

Fortunately, the Legend of the Condor Heroes project was completed first.

Even with that "ban", the male and female leads are still top stars in the industry.

Then, the "Lurking" project was also established under heavy pressure.

Moreover, the "major shareholder" and most important investor behind it is a behemoth like Xia Guo Publishing and Media Group.

It wasn't until this moment that Sun Zhe truly realized that his young boss wasn't just dabbling in this.

Not only that, but every step of the plan was so clear!
He watched the Legend of the Condor Heroes series, and he thought the plot, the actors' performances, and the soundtrack were all fantastic!
The theme songs and insert songs, in particular, are absolutely amazing!
He is confident about this drama.

Making money is inevitable.

It all depends on how much we can ultimately earn.

As for the TV series "Lurking," although the boss said it was for the sake of reputation and also for the sake of nostalgia.

They didn't aim for box office success or awards.

But he had read the script, and it was exceptionally well-written!

I can't say how high the box office will be, but the word-of-mouth will definitely be good!

A film with a strong "mainstream" theme and a good storyline is almost guaranteed to win an award, provided it doesn't have any major problems!

Despite the chaotic state of the Xia Kingdom's film and television awards, the fact that the buffs are almost fully stacked and there are powerful external supporters means that unless someone wants to relive the "Xia Kingdom Music Awards" incident, no matter how unhappy they are, they will still have to send over the trophy!
The only thing that worried him was the animation team.

I really have no idea whether that crazy, money-burning "Monkey King" movie will ever be a success.

Fortunately, it wasn't the company's money that was being burned, but rather the boss's, General Manager Lin's, and General Manager Yan's money.

Therefore, Sun Zhe has been in a very good mood recently.

But he really didn't expect that the era would actually back down on its own initiative?
The key point is that even after hearing this news, the young boss himself remained completely calm and composed.

"So, if you can't lead the times, then following closely behind those who can and being a follower is also a huge success!"

Sun Zhe thought to himself with a smug satisfaction.

Bai Yue, who was seeing him downstairs, looked at the film company's vice president with a silly grin on his face, but she didn't have the slightest thought of mocking him.

This is a company vice president with a base salary of tens of thousands, year-end bonuses, and even stock options if you do well!

He's so happy to be working for the boss, how lucky am I, a female veteran with no real skills?

However, Sun Zhe's good mood only lasted for a little over half an hour.

Back in his office, he made several phone calls to inquire about the progress of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" at the television station.

The answer I received was: It's very pessimistic!

"Mr. Sun, I've been accompanying the leaders from Orange TV to select programs these past two days, and I'm almost drinking myself into a stomach hemorrhage, but they still won't budge. They've been hinting that they want to find some young, fresh-faced actors, but our company has a bunch of veteran actors under contract. Where would we find young, fresh-faced actors?"

Sun Zhe frowned.

He wasn't surprised by this.

The television station operates on a completely different system.

It's really not something that companies like Times and Starlight can control.

Wherever there are people, there is a social hierarchy; and wherever there is a social hierarchy, there will inevitably be conflicts of interest.

Everyone in different positions has different needs.

Back when the TV station's program selection manager was a man, major companies would bring several young and pretty girls to their dinner parties.

—The kind of person who is willing to put in the effort.

Those young girls didn't feel like they were at a disadvantage.

On one hand, they can receive a high salary from the company, and on the other hand, they can also get in touch with important people that they would normally never see.

Therefore, most of the time, the result is a "win-win-win" situation.

The film company sold its movie; the boss was pleased; the young woman's wish came true.

But that hasn't been the case in recent years.

The television drama market is basically dominated by women.

Housewives, office workers, innocent college girls... in short, the number of men who like to watch TV dramas, especially adult men, is far lower than that of women.

As the saying goes, only women truly understand women.

Therefore, the leaders in charge of program selection at major television stations quickly became women.

then.

Ok.

The reason is the same.

It's just that Earth Pictures is "unreasonable." In the past, many companies would even bring along the popular young male celebrities from their department to dinner parties when they sold films!

Don't want to go?
I paid you such a high salary, which included overnight fees. Don't you have any self-awareness?
As the largest orange-selling platform in the Xia Kingdom, this trend is even more pronounced.

As a company vice president who had just witnessed Times Media back down, Sun Zhe was furious.

Even those with powerful connections back in the day were timid. As a leader of a local TV station, don't you have any self-awareness?

He was about to tell his subordinates: If you don't want to buy, fine, our company doesn't do this kind of thing!

But the words that came out of his mouth were: "Wait a minute, let me ask the boss what he thinks."

This wasn't to announce good news; I was too embarrassed to go upstairs. I just sent a message via carrier pigeon and briefly mentioned it.

Song quickly replied: Tell them to get lost.

Sun Zhe, a grown man nearing forty, felt a surge of excitement upon seeing those four words.

It still has to be my boss!
That's so cool!
He picked up his phone and called his subordinates: "Let's make one last effort. No need for meals or gifts. Just ask them if they want it. If not, go find someone else!"

The subordinate gave a wry smile: "Mr. Sun, if that's the case, it definitely won't work out. Orange is the last company that can afford to buy this drama. The others who are interested can't afford it..."

Sun Zhe suddenly thought of a TV station and asked, "Have you asked Northeast TV?"

The subordinate was a bit confused and hesitated for a long time before saying, "Northeast TV? Where would they get the money? They've been buying fourth and fifth rounds of programming all year round... They can't even afford the third round."

Sun Zhe said, "You should ask them first and see if they're interested. If they are, a profit-sharing arrangement isn't out of the question!"

"Splitting the profits?" The subordinate was even more confused.

In recent years, it has become a common practice for film and television companies to sell their completed films to large and medium-sized satellite TV stations, or even before filming begins.

This kind of splitting is truly unheard of.

It's not about understanding.

The so-called revenue sharing is nothing more than the money that comes from advertisers when a show becomes popular.

The question is, will this work?
"First ask Ju Zi. If they don't want it, don't force them. Immediately contact Northeast TV. They have a good relationship with the boss, so there should be room for negotiation."

Sun Zhe's ability is evident in his rapid promotion.

After making this decision, he immediately reported it to Song Dao.

……

Song Dao, who was chatting with Lin Fei upstairs, was also a little surprised when he heard the suggestion of splitting the profits.

However, he quickly replied: "Sure, you can try talking to them."

He did not completely relinquish power to Sun Zhe.

Although I think highly of this person, I still need to investigate him more thoroughly.

"Revenue sharing? To be honest, it seems like a pretty good idea." Lin Fei said with a smile, "For Northeast TV, getting a big-budget TV series to premiere on a satellite channel is like a windfall."

Song nodded: "Well, let Lao Sun go and talk to him. Anyway, it doesn't matter whether it works out or not."

The Legend of the Condor Heroes has a total of sixty episodes.

"Kan Video," which also has an investment stake, attaches great importance to this drama and gave it the highest rating when it invested in it.

I was very satisfied after watching the finished product.

The price was also set at the highest standard: twelve million per episode!

Sixty episodes, 720 million.

The condition is that the online and television platforms cannot be synchronized, and the television station must be at least ten episodes behind the online version.

In other words, this TV series has already recouped all its costs.

They even made a fortune!
The reason why they charge such a high price for watching videos is partly because they have their own investments and are financially well-off.

On the other hand, it's also because they genuinely have high hopes for the future.

The current situation of being disliked by TV stations is actually something that websites are happy to see.

If a powerful local TV station like Orange TV were to take notice of it, they might demand simultaneous online and TV broadcasting.

That would draw away a lot of users!

Especially new users.

Zou Jianbo, the CEO of the video company, is now hoping that this drama will be like Song Dao's song "In the Name of the Father," making the entire website a hit!
Zou Jianbo didn't hide this thought at all, even when he was having dinner with Song Dao.

Song Dao also supported this.

If this series can truly boost the popularity of "watching videos," it will not only prove Earth Pictures' strength but also allow them to make a fortune while forging a positive relationship with "watching videos" and the e-commerce group behind them.

why not?

Because this matter was just finalized, Sun Zhe was not yet aware of it, only knowing that the drama had a safety net.

Otherwise, they will only become more confident.

Therefore, Song Dao never really paid much attention to the TV station's reaction.

If Orange TV really wants to buy the rights and then demands simultaneous broadcast on both the TV and online platforms, then he'll really have some trouble.

It doesn't matter now.

As expected, things turned out exactly as predicted.

First, Orange TV refused to buy The Legend of the Condor Heroes, followed by Northeast TV's ecstatic celebration.

They've already tasted the sweetness of the "Feiyang faction" in the past two years!
Although the TV station's overall ratings haven't improved significantly due to its limited resources, whenever a variety show featuring the Fei Yang group airs, it easily achieves ratings of 1.x or even over 2.

Northeast TV is practically becoming the backyard of the Fei Yang faction!

This collaboration made both parties incredibly wealthy and delighted.

How could we possibly refuse a TV series that Earth Pictures offered to us?

They simply couldn't afford much money; one or two million per episode was an astronomical sum for this impoverished television station.

With a guaranteed minimum of several hundred thousand, plus advertising revenue sharing, you could easily make a fortune by getting a top-tier cast of veteran actors and screenwriter Song Dao to premiere a martial arts drama on a satellite TV channel.

Without any hesitation, he didn't even ask Sun Zhe to go over.

Several leaders from Northeast TV flew to Beijing that afternoon and booked a very high-end hotel.

That very evening, the matter was settled over drinks!
……

"Teacher Song!"

When the two sides met, a deputy director of Northeast TV shook Song Dao's hand and said, "Our director is busy with other matters and couldn't come, so he entrusted me to bring them here. He repeatedly told me that there was only one requirement: make sure the deal is done!"

Song did bring Sun Zhe with him.

He said with a smile, "As long as you don't mind that the show premieres online, it only needs to be ten episodes ahead of schedule."

"Haha, you're disgusted? We were laughing our heads off when we got Mr. Sun's call, okay?" This deputy director surnamed Tang had a very cheerful personality and spoke with the unique humor of a Northeasterner.

Holding Song Dao's hand: "President Sun said to watch the film first, but I said there's no need to watch it. Song's script has an S-level rating from the video, Yang Siyuan is the director, and Qin Ge, Zhao Xue and Fang Zexi are the main actors. The whole cast is veteran actors... I don't know why such a martial arts drama would be disliked by those big TV stations, but we don't dislike it!"

Although Director Tang's tone was somewhat exaggerated and seemed a bit like flattery, his words were actually agreed upon by everyone in the station!

However, they actually knew why those big stations didn't want them.

On the one hand, rumors of a ban on Song Dao are still circulating in the underworld; on the other hand, those big TV stations have become too arrogant.

It's perfectly normal to find it difficult to cooperate with someone like Song Dao, who doesn't like to indulge others.

Another senior executive from Northeast TV said with a smile, "Those big stations are used to being fawned over. Even with Teacher Song's current status and position, many people still can't see the bigger picture. This is a good thing for us. If they hadn't refused, we wouldn't have had a chance."

The two sides finalized the cooperation plan right there at the dinner table.

Northeast TV paid 500,000 yuan in cash per episode, totaling 30 million yuan for 60 episodes.

Then, regarding the advertising revenue sharing, it's split 30/70, with Northeast TV receiving 30% and Earth Pictures receiving 70%.

Both sides were happy.

Even if the show becomes a hit and generates hundreds of millions in advertising revenue, the TV station won't be envious.

Because what they really want is no different from "watching videos".

All of them are new users!

With more users and higher viewership, advertising revenue will naturally follow suit.

In the long run, Northeast TV has already secured a place in the music variety show field. If it can also make up for its weakness in dramas... then this poor TV station, which was once ranked almost at the bottom, is really going to take off!
Viewers tend to watch television based on habit.

Once users get used to a TV station and can find the programs they want to watch there, they will develop a sense of belonging over time.

Once we have more money, we can produce even better programs, wouldn't that be great?

All the satellite TV channels across the country, in the end, have only emerged in the last twenty years.
Why can't we become popular?
……

a few days later.

Mid April.

While Song was attending the opening ceremony of "Lurking", a message suddenly spread on the Internet.

It quickly became a trending topic.

Although it wasn't the top story, it quickly made it into the top ten.

#Song's first TV series suffered a major setback#
The video blogger who broke the news is a very famous entertainment influencer on my show.

It has more than 17 million followers.

In this field, he is basically the biggest top streamer.

Because he also has an account on the audiovisual platform, and although he has more than 3 million fewer followers than me, he still has more than 14 million followers.

The videos from both sides were posted almost simultaneously.

It quickly became a trending topic and sparked heated discussions.

In the video, this handsome young man, known as the "Entertainment All-Knowing," confidently tells the camera: "The god-like figure in the music industry, that man you all know, is going to have his first TV series flop!"
"I know a lot of people will criticize me, saying, 'You haven't even watched the TV series, how dare you say such things?'"

"Why would I leak this information if I didn't have some serious inside information?"

"First of all, Song Dao wrote and produced this martial arts novel adaptation, which was invested in by 'Kan Video' and will be broadcast on the Kan Video website. As we all know, although Kan Video claims to be one of the top three, it is not even worthy of carrying the shoes of the first two."

"I'm not just making this up; just look at the user data."

"In other words, they are backed by the largest e-commerce platform and have a powerful parent company. They have been burning money like crazy all these years."

"Unfortunately, it was all for naught. The shows we bought were simply indescribable. To be honest, I'm starting to suspect that the people who bought them were taking kickbacks?"

"Haha, let's not go into this topic too much, otherwise they might sue me, and I can't beat them."

"Song Dao's decision to collaborate with 'Kan Video' was a terrible move. He is indeed invincible in the music industry, a figure of the level of a human emperor."

"But the film and television industry is not something he can easily navigate."

"He chose the worst platform, but perhaps with his fame, his lavish spending on video streaming, and the cast of Qin Ge and Zhao Xue, he won't skimp on the money."

"But a TV series that not many people watch is almost bound to flop."

"I think that relying on Song Dao to bring in new users through videos is just a dream."

"That was a terrible move."

"Then, according to reliable sources, The Legend of the Condor Heroes has been politely declined by major TV stations, including Orange."

At this point, the "entertainment expert" in the video seemed quite excited: "They said it was a polite refusal, but who doesn't understand why?"

"It's simply because we failed to satisfy the leaders who were selecting the films!"

"As for whether the dissatisfaction stems from the people or the show, it's no longer that important."

"The important thing is that a very poor website, coupled with no major platform willing to take it, the outcome was almost predetermined."

"The key issue is that Earth Pictures has made an even more outrageous move: they actually chose to collaborate with Northeast TV!"

"Hahaha, this is hilarious!"

This handsome young man owns the account of a top-tier internet celebrity, "Entertainment All-Knowing," earns a very high income, and has a very flamboyant personality.

Laughing unabashedly at the camera, she continued, "I know that Fei Yang's group and Northeast TV have been in a honeymoon period for the past two years, and the cooperation between the two sides has been very pleasant. But I really want to ask, what were you thinking? Why did you give them the first broadcast of this drama on TV?"

"That's why I said The Legend of the Condor Heroes would definitely fail. If they had any confidence, they wouldn't be in such a hurry to sell, right?"

"If, and I mean if, The Legend of the Condor Heroes really becomes popular on 'watching videos,' then in the second and third rounds, many TV stations will definitely be vying for it, and the prices they offer will definitely be higher than those offered by Northeast TV!"

"So, I want to reiterate that I am not a hater of Teacher Song. On the contrary, I am a fan of him and Fei Yang's music."

"It's a bit heartbreaking that I made a video specifically about this."

"I've read The Legend of the Condor Heroes, and to be honest, it's really well-written! I even suspect that Song Dao was the author of this book!"

"The reason is simple: the book contains a large number of ancient poems that I have never seen before. Some are complete, and some are fragments. These are definitely not poems that ordinary people could write."

"Furthermore, Song Dao acquired the copyright to this novel with ease, so I have reason to believe that the book was written by Song Dao!"

"He's truly talented, I admire him immensely, and he's doing incredibly well in the music industry, he's really amazing." "But this step into the film and television industry, you've made a terrible mistake... Although I'm not a professional, I've been an entertainment anchor for several years, and I sincerely advise you, after this loss, don't bother with the film and television industry."

"Wouldn't it be better to go back to the music industry and be our heir or godfather?"

This video, which quickly went viral and trended on social media, seems to fall short of being a direct attack on Song.

But it's definitely not praise.

After he posted this video, many other streamers quickly followed suit.

Just like before, they relentlessly criticized the Legend of the Condor Heroes.

In the comments section, almost the entire majority of people were very pessimistic.

"If Song Dao's drama becomes a success, I'll do a live stream of myself washing my hair while doing a handstand!"

“‘Brother Wan’ is right. During his previous live streams, he played music from the Fei Yang group, so he’s definitely not a hater. I can only say that I also don’t have a high opinion of Song Dao’s scripts and the TV series he produces.”

"If Song Dao really wrote The Legend of the Condor Heroes, then he's far too ambitious. The author is an expert on the entertainment industry, and Song Dao wants to be the king of the entertainment industry!"

"Hehe, I laughed when I first heard about this. Song really is overestimating himself."

At the same time, there are also many people who support it.

"Although video streaming platforms are wealthy, they have become much more cautious about buying dramas in the past two years, not to mention investing so much money. Jin Qifeng of YiNet is definitely not the type to be foolish and rich. Even if Song Dao's script is just average, it still has Qin Ge and Zhao Xue as the lead actors, and a big director like Yang Siyuan personally directing it. I don't think it's really as bad as the original poster said."

"Those who laugh at Song Dao, you may have forgotten one thing: Song Dao has never lost since his debut!"

"The original poster is using mortal thinking to infer the behavior of a genius. Don't forget that Song Dao is a genius!"
Forget about people from the music industry; find me someone like him who has achieved international renown in the piano field and become a top master.
It can make the suona popular all over the world, and then become the supreme king in the field of pop songs.

Not only is it powerful itself, but it also makes anyone it promotes famous.

Shui Ji San Qian is his pen name. He is unparalleled in poetry. If it is true, as the original poster said, that Jin Yong and Gu Long, who wrote The Legend of the Condor Heroes, are also his pen names, then if he can write novels of this caliber, why can't he write good screenplays?
Don't forget, many great screenwriters are also writers!

There's something else that many people might not have noticed: Song's diving ability is also quite strong!

If it weren't for him during the recording of "Singing While Walking," that child who fell into the water would most likely have perished!
I'm saying this simply to prove that Song Dao is truly a genius!

Song Dao, who has recently been somewhat absent from the public eye, has once again become the subject of heated discussion due to this post.

The crew of "Lurking" didn't seem too concerned about whether the TV series he wrote, invested in, and produced would actually flop.

The original cast members are full of confidence.

Director Zhang, who had also watched several episodes, praised it highly.

For those who "open the champagne halfway through" and desperately try to jinx the results before they're even out, everyone just doesn't care.

Song Dao knew all about those people's tactics.

For example, this guy who calls himself "Entertainment All-Knowing" is actually just trying to ride on his popularity.

If I guess right, then it's a divine prediction!

It's okay if you guess wrong. You can record a few more videos later, apologize first, then admire the show, and then pretend to be a "fan" and analyze the plot and what makes the show so good.

I wouldn't dare say more, but I've already had over ten episodes!
Either way, they're winners.

As for Song Dao, this doesn't matter at all. Every bit of buzz generated because of him will eventually turn into his reputation.

To contribute to his "permanence" and "youthfulness".

So at the press conference for the start of filming of "Lurking", he was not annoyed at all when faced with many reporters' questions that had ulterior motives.

"Entertainment All-Knowing's video? I've seen it. My assistant told me about it, and the analysis was quite good."

"I also think it'll flop? How could that be? I think it'll be a huge hit!"

"I said he made a good point; the reasons he gave were sufficient, and his views were relatively objective. However, we all have confidence in that drama."

"Let's wait and see after it airs. This is the press conference for 'Lurking' right now, so I think we should respect others."

That being said, since the main cast remained the same, when Fang Zexi, Qin Ge, and Zhao Xue were interviewed, the most frequent questions they were asked were related to The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

In the end, Director Zhang proved to be the most astute and experienced.

The top director of Xia Kingdom, facing a group of media, said: "Instead of speculating here, I think you should all go back and see for yourselves. You have no right to speak without investigation. As journalists, even entertainment reporters, you should remember this. This is the crew of 'Lurking.' If you are only interested in 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes,' then please leave first. I will ask Teacher Song to hold another Q&A session for you later, how about that?"

Old Zhang still has power.

After these words were spoken, everyone indeed stopped pursuing the matter of The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

However, the questions regarding "Lurking" were not very friendly.

They didn't become more polite or courteous just because the director was Lao Zhang.

"Ms. Zhao Xue, I'd like to ask, although you've acted in some movies before, the results have been mediocre. Are you confident in taking on the lead role in this movie?"

Zhao Xue remained calm; as a television personality, she had been mentally prepared for this from the beginning.

"Of course I'm confident. I've been spending a lot of time with the real-life inspiration for the film's female lead recently, and I'm moved by her story every day. I believe I have the ability to play this role well."

"I'd like to ask Professor Song, do you think this movie will do well at the box office?"

Song Dao said calmly, "I just want to tell everyone this touching true story. As for the box office, I hope it will be good, but that's not my main goal."

The reporters on the scene quickly took notes; they had already decided what to say.

Song Dao has no confidence in the box office performance of "Lurking".

……

More than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

In mid-May, the weather in Beijing was already very hot.

But what's hotter than this weather is the heart of the steamed bun.

Baozi, who aspires to be the number one animation director in Xia Kingdom, with many young girls throwing themselves at him, has finally finished making the Monkey King!
It took almost a year in total.

The top-notch team, the most abundant funding, and the most cutting-edge technology of this era.

This animated film, which would have taken at least three to five years to fully develop if it had appeared ten years ago, was completed at an "incredibly fast" speed!
However, during this process, many people in animation companies were "driven crazy," and a large number of people in the team chose to quit midway.

But Baozi has weathered all of these storms.

He was under tremendous pressure.

Girls are something I can only think about occasionally.

Even if Song Dao really keeps his promise and has Yan Yu find several amazing personal trainers with incredible figures and even more amazing faces to lead the production team in fitness training.

Those shut-ins were only interested for a day or two, and then they got bored and went back to their computers.

This benefited those old perverts like Fei Yang's Music and Jingting Music.

Because the money has already been paid.

Those fitness enthusiasts also found the gyms in the Fei Yang area to be very comfortable.

Of course, they were even more eager to get to know that heir of the entertainment industry.

Anyway, these girls are having a great time here.

The animated film "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" had not been promoted beforehand.

There wasn't even a whisper of it.

The other major film and television companies only knew that Earth Pictures, in addition to that TV series and movie, also had an animated film.

Nobody really cares about this!

Animated cartoons?

Isn't that thing for kids?
Even though Hollywood has produced many classic animated films, it is still Hollywood!
In the history of Chinese cinema, there has never been a truly blockbuster animated film.

However, some classic old IPs release one film every year during the New Year's season. These family-friendly animated films can still rake in hundreds of millions of yuan at the box office.

This is already the ultimate!

Major companies weren't unafraid, but after several failed attempts, no one paid any more attention.

So there hasn't been much activity online.

If that were true, it would probably only elicit even louder ridicule.

Because the film had already passed censorship, Song Dao had the company's distribution department contact major cinema chains immediately after the finished film was released.

It is scheduled to be released on June 10th.

That means I'll be online immediately after the college entrance exam!

At the same time, the publicity and promotion work finally began.

This time, he recorded a video himself, but instead of directly promoting "Monkey King: Hero Is Back," he recommended a book.

Journey to the West

In fact, before Song Dao recommended it, this classic novel, one of the Four Great Classical Novels from another world, was already popular in this time and space.

Not only did "Journey to the West" become popular, but "Dream of the Red Chamber," "Water Margin," and "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" also became very popular among avid readers!
Discussions about these works have been extremely heated.

In particular, the Water Margin, written by Jin Yong and Gu Long, which is also set in the Song Dynasty, has attracted much serious study by literary scholars, critics, and historians.

Everyone feels that this "Song Dynasty" is alluding to a certain dynasty, but the original model can't be found at all.

But these works are already sufficient in terms of their literary merit alone.

"Journey to the West" first became popular among junior and senior high school students, and then gradually spread to adults who enjoy reading.

Having worked for a publishing group is quite impressive.

As soon as this book was published, it was quickly listed as one of the must-read novels for middle school students.

There might be some controversy surrounding Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margin, and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, but there's absolutely no problem with mythological novels like Journey to the West.

What truly made it popular were the voice actors and narrators who were authorized to tell the story of Journey to the West online!

The decline of printed books in this day and age is inevitable.

However, audiobooks still have a wide audience.

Yan Cheng even specially invited the most popular audiobook narrator at the time to record the best version.

It also has a large audience.

The charm of monkeys is undeniable.

When those junior and senior high school students learned about this story through various channels, they quickly grew to like it.

Then you can listen to it through the "audio" channel.

Before we knew it, in just a few months, even many elementary school students started to say "I am Old Sun" to the "rebellious" yet powerful Sun Wukong.

However, none of this is as eye-catching as various entertainment news, nor does it frequently trend on social media.

All of this happens gradually and imperceptibly.

So when Song recorded a video recommending this book, it went viral instantly.

The sudden surge in popularity of Journey to the West left many film and television companies feeling bewildered.

What is Song Dao up to now?
Could this mythological novel that suddenly appeared out of nowhere also be his work?

No way, no way!

Previously, when the online entertainment anchor "Wenyu Wanshitong" speculated that Jin Yong and Gu Long might also be Song Dao's pen name, it scared them quite a bit.

Dominating the music scene, making inroads into the film and television industry, are you sure you don't want to let the literary world go either?
Fortunately, not many people are paying attention to this matter; most are focusing their attention on The Legend of the Condor Heroes and Song Dynasty's new drama.

After a period of silence, this guy suddenly reappeared and solemnly recommended the novel.

Those colleagues who hadn't paid much attention to Songdao Film Company's animated film before suddenly had an idea—

That animated film...could it be an adaptation of Journey to the West?

As it turns out, they were right!

Two days after Song Dao released that video, he first promoted Chen Meng, the company's youngest apprentice who had no official representative work, by promoting her newly released song "My Loulan".

Then he turned around and posted a short trailer of about ten seconds on his personal account—

"Monkey King: Hero Is Back" is scheduled for release on June 10th.

"This is an animated film adapted from the 'Journey to the West' book I recommended. The monkey in this film is even more lifelike. Everyone is welcome to go to the cinema after the middle and high school entrance exams to experience the charm of the Monkey King!"

Song Dao posted on various social media platforms such as Water Expo, Audiovisual, Woxiu, and Zhifou.

The entire Fei Yang group, along with his friends, including Director Zhang, all shared the post.

Director Zhang: I watched the film and was moved to tears. This will definitely become a classic film that will go down in the history of Chinese cinema. If I had read the novel "Journey to the West" earlier, I believe my love story with demons would have been even better! I won't say too much to avoid spoilers, but believe me, this is a film worth seeing in theaters.

Peng Chuan: Is it an animated film produced by Teacher Song's company? Although I haven't seen the complete film, this short trailer has already made me incredibly eager to go to the theater to see it.

Gao Qun: I support "Monkey King: Hero Is Back"! Journey to the West is a fantastic show! I'm confident that Song Dao will deliver a visual feast for everyone!
Director Bao Chunlai: This young man is remarkable and talented. I believe that what he produces will definitely be excellent.

Yang Siyuan: Being near the water tower, one gets the moon first. I've seen this film. I originally thought it was an animated film specifically for children, but after watching it, I was truly amazed. I never expected that an animated film based on our own mythology, full of Eastern thinking and spiritual core, could achieve this level. This is a great movie that you don't need to know much about the original work to understand, enjoy, laugh out loud, and be moved to tears. Suitable for all ages!

Several renowned film and television directors, both those who had seen the films and those who hadn't, offered their praise.

It went viral online immediately.

More information was uncovered.

For example, the director of this animated film is Baozi, who was quite famous on the 2C Yuan website.

For example, its main investor is Song Dao.

Meanwhile, many people from animation companies also posted videos, posts, and live streams to recount the process of making this animation.

Those who dropped out halfway through complained wildly, saying that director Baozi was a perfectionist with extreme obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"Honestly, I believed this animated film would be a huge hit, but the production process was so painful that I almost became depressed and quit halfway through. Several colleagues who persevered through the pain actually became genuinely depressed!" A well-known animation company CEO and a big name in the animation industry revealed in an article.

"The production quality of this animated film is unbelievable. You'll see for yourselves when you go to the theater. Damn, they even have standards for every single hair. A special effect that lasts only a dozen seconds took eight months to make, even in this age of AI! Yes, I was the one who was wronged in making this special effect, but when I saw the finished product, I burst into tears! This movie is going to be a hit!" Another big name in the animation industry complained on the live stream.

As more and more information is revealed, the plot remains highly confidential.

But this animated film, which no one took seriously before, has already become a hit even before its release!

For kids, it's cartoons!
Want to see it!

For young people, it's also a script personally written by Teacher Song!
You have to see this!
Is it really that amazing for adults?

We'll have to see.

As a result, reservations for "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" have exceeded two million on some ticketing apps!

This level of publicity and distribution left countless people in the film and television industry speechless.

That’s ridiculous!
Is this the power of Song Dao, this "non-mainstream top influencer"?
Why does it seem like Song Dao, who never manages a fandom, has fans who are even more fanatical than the actual fandom?

It's simply incomprehensible.

This is a movie!
Even if a mythological novel that has only been published for a short time is well-written, it shouldn't cause you all to go crazy like this, right?
So ultimately, it's all because of Song Dao?

Is he really that awesome?
Can just anything make you all so enthusiastic?
I don't understand, I can't understand even a little bit.

This incredible popularity has also affected the song "My Loulan," which also emerged out of nowhere, and its singer, the exceptionally talented Chen Meng, to some extent.

The song has extremely high play counts, even easily topping the music charts and music charts where no new songs have been released for a long time.

Before, this would have easily made headlines!

Top-tier talent, exceptionally good-looking, a sophomore at the Central Conservatory of Music, and a newcomer personally promoted by Song Dao.

The key point is that it's a truly outstanding hit song!
Chen Meng's clear, bright, and incredibly powerful voice is absolutely amazing.

Despite all these topics, it only ranked eighth or ninth on the trending searches of major websites.

The entire entertainment industry suddenly "skipped" whether "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" and "Lurking" would flop, and whether Song Dao would suffer a Waterloo, and directly became whether "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" was really that good.

……

In the days that followed...

The entire "Feiyang Group" began to exert its strength continuously.

No matter who it is, they will recommend "Monkey King: Hero Is Back" to everyone whenever they have the chance, keeping the animated film's popularity high.

It's that time of year again – the college entrance exam season and graduation season.

Song Dao, who has recently had some "free time," was once again invited by his alma mater, the Central Conservatory of Music.

So-called leisure is definitely self-inflicted!

Recently, Zhong Yutong and a large group of people have been eagerly awaiting his new song.

However, no one dared to urge them.

Everyone knows that their master is busy with his "grand film and television career".

In addition, this group of people is also quite busy.

As a singer, Song had no shortage of popularity, which allowed him some peace and quiet for a while.

Actually, I wasn't that free.

I'm still quite busy tonight.

Even with everyone else in good health, the two older sisters still showed no signs of pregnancy.

They've all given up.

I feel that if we keep pushing them like this, Teacher Song will get tired of them.

So recently, both the diva and the mature woman have been busy with their own things.

However, it hasn't been long, so Song Dao certainly won't get tired of it.

Especially Kong Xi, the adorable cat who does somersaults.

Upon receiving the invitation from the Central Conservatory of Music, Song Dao began to ponder.

Those two songs from last year have become classics in the eyes of graduates.

Whether it's "The Road Where Phoenix Flowers Bloom" or "My Deskmate," these are almost always the songs these students request when they go to karaoke.

In fact, back in early April, many people were already calling on Song to stop messing around with his film and television dramas and hurry up and go back to the music scene to release some new songs.

This also includes Lin Fei.

Both of them are so lazy!
They were fiercely criticized by their respective fans.

They all sang a new song on the Spring Festival Gala stage during the Chinese New Year in February.

But it’s not enough!
After playing it on repeat for a while, you'll eventually get tired of it.

Many people's appetites have become spoiled.

Even with exceptionally talented newcomers like Chen Meng, people still hope to hear more.

Especially Song Dao and Lin Fei's new songs.

then.

After deciding to continue attending my alma mater's graduation party.

Song posted a message on his Water Expo account—

"I'll be attending my alma mater's graduation party in a few days, but in order to give everyone something new to listen to and sing before graduation, I've decided to write a few songs and release them in advance. What do you think? Don't I love you all?"

This news has once again demonstrated Song Dao's immense popularity, making him a top-tier celebrity.

The comment section exploded instantly!
"Brother, we understand, we all understand. When you release a new song, we'll go to the cinema to support the Monkey King!"

"Don't worry, we understand the rules. As long as you release a new song for us to listen to, we will definitely go to the cinema to support you."

"Tears streaming down my face, where did the diligent Dog Bro from two years ago go? It's been months! Take a good look at yourself, how long has it been since you released a new song? And you still have the nerve to brag to us?"

"Don't scold me, please don't scold me, or Brother Gou will go and mess with his movies and TV shows again..."

"I've already received the offer, now I'm just waiting for Dog Bro's new song, I must learn it as quickly as possible!"

“I’m graduating soon, and the good days are coming to an end. My dad said that these four years of college are the best and most carefree four years of my life. I didn’t understand it before, but now that I’m about to leave school, I really understand.”

"Brother, your new song isn't going to be one of those really heart-wrenching ones, is it? I'm both looking forward to it and afraid..."

"Brother Song, I'm a student at Hong Kong University. I really love the songs you create. Could you write a song in Cantonese for us?"

Because Song Dao's previous Cantonese songs were very good, this post received many likes and was pinned to the top.

After seeing it, Song Dao also gave it a thumbs up.

This, however, elicited cheers.

……

In Fei Yang's recording studio.

Song Dao, Kong Xi, Chen Meng, and even Lin Fei and Zhong Yutong, who haven't released a new song in a long time, are all here at this moment.

Kong Xi is recording a song right now.

The cat girl who loves love is in excellent condition lately.

She also received an invitation to perform with Chen Meng, Xiang Rui, and Leng Suning, who are still students at the time.

The Central Conservatory of Music even wanted to invite Hu Wei back, but Hu Wei has been quite busy lately, preparing for his wedding while participating in various variety shows.

A man in his thirties becomes more career-oriented and wants to provide a better life for his wife.

So he really doesn't have time.

The song Song Dao gave to Kong Xi is "The Sea of ​​Stars," a graduation song for this year, which he wanted to bring joy to his juniors.

It's pointless to keep hurting people, isn't it?

So he gave Zhong Yutong, who hadn't released a song in a long time, a song called "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart," even though this girl wasn't invited by the Central Conservatory of Music.

But the Central Conservatory of Music isn't the only institution that needs graduation songs.

There are so many graduates across the country every year.

Anyway, countless people online are clamoring to hear the new song.

So, before "Monkey King" is released, let's release these songs and let the disciples take advantage of the rising popularity to boost the movie's box office.

Yes, we must extract the value from our precious disciples.

Chen Meng, who just released a bang new song "My Loulan", was given a song called "Youth" by Song Dao.

This is also a very good song.

Apart from Hu Wei and those veteran divas and A-list singers, whose singing styles and types have been basically determined.

Song Dao actually hopes that these young apprentices can all become the kind of people who are hard to define, or even undefinable.

For example, someone with exceptional talent like Chen Meng.

To be fair, she is very similar to Kong Xi and Lin Fei in that she can easily handle many styles.

In fact, Zhong Yutong is the same.

They're good at so many different styles!

In fact, Song Dao had already experienced the awesomeness of professional singers in his previous life.

For example, Tengger's Iron Wings... That's a joke.

On many variety shows, there are many singers who were originally "typecast" but when they sing other people's songs, they sound amazing.

There's a saying that goes: Don't use your amateur perspective to question professionals.

Now that Song Dao has mastered the experience of a musician, he can see his apprentices more accurately.

And the performance of these people did indeed satisfy Song.

In fact, it was quite stunning!

For example, Zhong Yutong's performance of "Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart" is particularly wonderful!

Super exciting and super thrilling!

Chen Meng's rendition of "Youth" truly captured the sunny, youthful spirit of the character.

This rapidly growing new generation of Fei Yang exudes a strong sense of vitality at all times!
This is why the Faye Wong group is so popular; everyone in it has such a sunny and positive image.

However, these new generation members are still a bit lacking compared to Lin Fei, a top-tier diva who has already entered the hall of fame.

When she entered the recording studio and began recording the Cantonese song that Song Dao had written for her, all the girls present were stunned.

Songs are always a matter of personal opinion.

Turnip greens, all have love.

This is normal.

But there are always some songs that are loved by almost everyone.

You'll fall in love with it after just one listen!

For example, the song that Lin Fei is singing right now.

Kong Xi, Zhong Yutong, and Chen Meng's eyes were all bright.

This song has such a beautiful atmosphere!
They really, really, really... love it!

When Song Dao sang this song, the way he held his guitar and sang in the recording studio was inexplicably comforting.

……

On the evening of April 8, 2027.

That is, the college entrance examination of that year has ended.

Listen to the music while releasing four new songs.

The students who had just finished their exams were all incredibly excited.

It’s so cool!
That was so awesome!
"Dog Bro is so thoughtful. The reason he chose to release a new song at this time is that he didn't want to affect our exams."

"I love it! I haven't listened to it yet, but it sounds really awesome!"

"I'm so happy! I don't know how the results will be, but seeing four new songs all at once feels amazing!"

"Finally, there are songs for me, a graduate who is about to become a beast of burden."

"Song Dao, 'Friends'; Zhong Yutong, 'Chasing Dreams with a Pure Heart'; Kong Xi, 'The Sea of ​​Stars'; Chen Meng, 'Youth'... Ahhh, which one should I listen to first?"

"Dog Bro didn't get heartbroken this year? That's amazing! I listened to all of these songs, and they're all super good! 'Chasing Dreams' is so inspiring and passionate, 'Friends' is so heartwarming,' 'Young People Forever Keep Their Tears of Youthful Passion' and 'The Sea of ​​Stars' are simply a romantic ideal on a cosmic scale!"

"Brother Gou really showed his sincerity, and the Fei Yang Group is as powerful as ever. We should keep our promise and see you at the cinema on June 10th!"

"That's right, Dog wrote songs for us, and we support his movies. Even if they're not good, I'll still go to the theater to watch them!"

"Wait a minute, Brother Song, what about the Cantonese song you promised us?"

"Yes, yes, you liked that post, right? Why aren't there any Cantonese songs?"

Despite the many questions raised, students from Hong Kong even went to the comment section of the music video "Friends" to leave messages.

Rows and rows of crying emojis.

Two hours later.

Lin Fei suddenly released a new song.

(End of this chapter)