Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 211, page 209: *The King of Comedy*

February 16, 1999, the first day of the Lunar New Year, night.

Qingdao, Fan Xiaopang's home.

After the two episodes of "My Fair Princess" had finished airing, the melody of the ending theme song "Rain Butterfly" still lingered in his ears. Fan Xiaopang's complex emotions, a mixture of surprise, indignation for his senior sister, and a little bit of "this show is actually a bit addictive," lingered for a long time.

She chatted with her parents for a few more minutes about her impressions of the TV series, but her mind was already wandering far away.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going back to my room to make a phone call." Fan Xiaopang finally couldn't hold back any longer, grabbed the cordless phone on the coffee table, and slipped into his slippers to go back to his small room.

After closing the door, the first person she dialed was Wang Liyu, who was far away in Hangzhou.

The phone rang seven or eight times before being answered. Wang Liyu's gentle voice came from the other end: "Hello, who is this?"

"Liyu! It's me, Xiaopang! Happy New Year!" Fan Xiaopang's voice was clear and bright.

"Little Fatty? Happy New Year! What made you think of calling me?" Wang Liyu's tone was full of surprise.

"Hey, I just finished watching TV, and I can't hold back from telling you all about it." Fan Xiaopang lowered his voice, his tone filled with excitement and disbelief as he shared gossip: "Guess who I saw? Senior Sister Zhao! Our Senior Sister Zhao from Xie Jin Hengtong School!"

"Senior Sister Zhao? She was on the Spring Festival Gala?" Wang Liyu asked in surprise.

"It's not the Spring Festival Gala! It's a TV series! A Qing Dynasty drama called 'Princess Pearl,' which is airing on Qingdao TV." Fan Xiaopang spoke faster: "My God, you would never guess that the famous Zhao Shijie, who played the lead role in 'Sisters and Brothers in Beijing,' is playing a maid in this drama! Her name is Jin Suo! And she's a supporting actress to Jia Jingwen from Taiwan!"

"what?!"

Wang Liyu on the other end of the phone was clearly stunned by the news, her voice filled with disbelief: "No way? Senior Sister Zhao is going to play a maid? Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

"Absolutely! It's her! Although she doesn't have many scenes and is dressed plainly, how could I mistake her face?" Fan Xiaopang said with certainty, "At first, I thought I was seeing things! What was the production team thinking? With Zhao Shijie's qualifications and experience, she shouldn't have been reduced to a maid, right? Was she tricked?"

The two of them sighed and lamented about this topic for a while, feeling a little sorry for their senior sister, and gaining a more vague understanding of the realities and opportunities in the entertainment industry.

Then, Fan Xiaopang dialed Qian Duoduo's number again.

Qian Duoduo, who was in Chengdu, reacted even more strongly, with Trump jumping out: "What?! Senior Sister Zhao is playing a maid? Are you kidding me! With her looks, she's destined to play a young lady or princess anywhere! What's wrong with this casting director?!"

Fan Xiaopang found common ground and even commented that Jia Jingwen's performance as Xiao Yanzi "lacked a bit of madness," while Zhao Shijie's Jin Suo was "a pearl covered in dust."

Finally, after hesitating for a moment, she dialed Gao Yuanyuan's number in Beijing.

Compared to the pure shock and indignation of the old classmates.

Gao Yuanyuan's reaction, however, was much calmer.

"Princess Pearl? I think I heard someone in the company mention it. It was produced in Taiwan and has some connection with Hunan Economic Television." Gao Yuanyuan's voice came through the phone line, with the sweetness unique to young girls: "Senior Sister Zhao is playing Jin Suo... I think I heard President Li say that there have been some changes in the cast of this drama. The original Xiao Yanzi is not the one who is playing her now."

Mr. Li is Li Tingting, the vice president of Shengying Media, in charge of the artist management department and the general manager's assistant group.

"Huh? Is that so?" Fan Xiaopang immediately perked up his ears.

"..."

After chatting about gossip for a while, and then exchanging a few more words about the Chinese New Year and the upcoming filming of "The Legendary Twins," Fan Xiaopang reluctantly hung up the phone.

After this long-distance call across provinces, her surprise dissipated, replaced by a stronger sense of urgency—even someone like Senior Sister Zhao had to start from supporting roles or even maids, so she had to seize her chance as "Tie Xinlan"!
……

Here.

Wang family.

Wang Sheng was sitting on the sofa, having just finished watching "Princess Pearl".

The melody of the ending theme song, "Rain Butterfly," still lingered faintly in the air. He stroked his chin, his eyes filled with professional scrutiny and assessment.

Alyssa Chia's portrayal of Xiao Yanzi is lively and charming, but it lacks the carefree "crazy" spirit and grassroots wildness of the original.

The production quality of this drama is quite good, and the plot conflicts and character relationships are also captivating. Judging from the current effect of its broadcast, it is highly likely to become a hit drama.

But to achieve the phenomenal, all-age-range, and even culturally symbolic level of popularity found in the original timeline...

Wang Sheng shook his head slightly, making a judgment in his mind: difficult.

The trajectory of history seems to have taken a subtle detour here because of his intervention as a butterfly.

Without that unique and impactful core performance, the fate of this "Princess Pearl" will most likely be that it will be a hit rather than a sensation.

Just as I was lost in thought, my phone rang.

Wang Sheng glanced at the caller ID; it was an area code from eastern Guangdong.

"Hey?"

"Brother Sheng! Happy New Year!" On the other end of the phone came Cecilia Cheung's clear voice with a slight Cantonese accent. The background noise was a bit noisy, and you could vaguely hear traffic and people talking, so it was obviously not a quiet indoor place.

"Ah Zhi? Happy New Year." A smile unconsciously crept onto Wang Sheng's lips. "You're not in Hong Kong?"

"I just crossed the border into Shenzhen this afternoon!" Cecilia Cheung said quickly, her voice filled with the joy and excitement of sharing her happiness. "I spent Lunar New Year's Eve and Lunar New Year's Day at home on Hong Kong Island. After finishing the promotion for 'King of Comedy,' I came here to do some gigs and earn some money. It's so lively here, and the festive atmosphere is so strong!"

King of Comedy.

In this life, because Cecilia Cheung was signed by Wang Sheng's Enlight Media early on and accumulated great popularity through "Super Girl", when Stephen Chow was preparing for "King of Comedy", after comprehensive consideration and perhaps also due to the intangible influence of Wang Sheng's resources, the role of Liu Piaopiao still fell to her.

It seems to be a kind of inertia of fate, but it is also mixed with different causes and effects in this life.

"How's 'King of Comedy' doing at the box office? I'm on holiday here and haven't had time to keep up with the news from Hong Kong yet," Wang Sheng asked casually, leaning back in his chair to adjust to a more comfortable position.

"Great! Absolutely fantastic!" Cecilia Cheung's voice immediately rose eight octaves, filled with excitement. "Released on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and up to today, the fifth, the box office is soaring! The newspapers are calling it the dark horse of the Spring Festival season, predicting it will surpass many blockbusters! Stephen Chow is amazing, I've learned so much from him..."

She chattered excitedly about the excitement of the film's release over the past few days, from the lively premiere to the media reviews and audience reactions, her tone filled with joy and pride at her successful debut on the big screen.

"Oh, and Sheng-ge, let me tell you something funny."

Cecilia Cheung then changed the subject: "Because of the popularity of 'King of Comedy,' the pirated DVD stalls on the streets of Hong Kong Island are selling 'The Four' compressed DVDs like crazy! Many housewives and students are buying them, and the cover even distorts my face!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng chuckled and teased, "The rampant piracy just means you're popular."

"That's true."

Cecilia Cheung laughed on the other end of the phone, her voice clear and crisp: "It just feels so magical. Walking down the street, I can hear people discussing Ruthless, Iron Hand, or imitating the movements of Ji Yaohua, the character I played..."

The two chatted for a few more minutes about the film's follow-up promotion and her work arrangements in mainland China.

Cecilia Cheung's voice gradually lowered, and the background noise seemed to fade away, as if she had walked into a relatively quiet corner.

"Brother Sheng..."

A subtle softening and dependence crept into her voice: "Brother Sheng, I miss you so much..."

I was so tired of it for a while.

In short, it itches.

(End of this chapter)