Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 312, Section 310: Popular Broadcast 2
In August, two boulders of different weights were thrown into the ocean of public opinion in China.

One of them is "My Sassy Girl," which boldly crossed the finish line with a total national box office of approximately 9654 million yuan (earned during its first run).

This achievement not only broke Wang Sheng's personal box office record, but also propelled him to third place on the all-time Chinese film box office chart, second only to the epic films "The Birth of a Warrior" and "Life and Death Choice," both of which bear the marks of a special era and have the advantages of their subject matter.

In previous years, or even just a few months ago, such achievements would have been enough to spark a media frenzy that lasted for weeks and dominated the national entertainment pages.

Headlines like "Box Office King Surpasses Himself," "Wang Sheng's Law Reappears," and "A Powerful Dialogue Between the Twin Stars of the 98 Beijing Film Academy Class" should be everywhere.

However, this time, the situation was completely different.

The ripples stirred up by this boulder seemed to lose their momentum when they reached another, wider, and deeper body of water.

Although related reports still appeared in the entertainment sections of major newspapers, their length and placement seemed to be compressed and shifted to the back by an invisible force.

Even the small-scale celebration banquet prepared internally by Shengying Media was made exceptionally simple by Wang Sheng's words, "Handle it discreetly and shift the focus."

Almost all the noise was swallowed up by the silent yet powerful pull of another work—"Lurking".

Since its premiere on August 15th on CCTV-8's prime time slot, "Lurking" has captured the attention of hundreds of millions of viewers across the country with an almost overbearing attitude.

Unlike "My Sassy Girl," which spread virally through topicality and laughter, it was like a deeply rooted vine that quietly entwined itself around the time after dinner in every family, seeped into the casual conversations on the streets, and eventually spread to the fabric of public opinion throughout society.

The initial discussion focused on the plot itself.

"Yu Zecheng's situation is so difficult; it made my palms sweat!"

"When will Cuiping stop messing things up? I'm so worried!"

"Is Station Chief Wu a good guy or a bad guy? His smile is giving me the creeps."

"Li Ya is such a terrifying character, Chen Daoming's performance was absolutely brilliant!"

"Feng Yuanzheng's portrayal of Lu Qiaoshan is so funny."

"Mrs. Ma is indeed beautiful!"

With the series airing two episodes a day, progressing steadily and with high quality, the depth of discussion has begun to transcend the plot and touch upon the core themes.

The newspaper's commentary section began to feature analytical articles, such as "On the Human Struggle and the Power of Faith in 'Lurking'" and "The Idealistic Brilliance Under the Cloak of Espionage."

Mainstream newspapers, which usually focus more on social news and economic policies, have surprisingly published reviews of the drama, praising it for "hearing thunder in silence and excavating a deeply moving spiritual power from the folds of history."

The film and television sections of forums such as Xici Hutong and Tianya Community were almost "flooded" with posts about "Lurking".

Netizens spontaneously pieced together the timeline, analyzed the characters' motivations, and debated the plot's direction.

Every time Yu Zecheng escapes danger, every time Cui Ping grows, or even a single line from a supporting character can spark dozens of pages of online discussions.

A peculiar "ritual of watching TV series" has formed simultaneously online and in reality. Every night at eight o'clock, as if by an invisible tacit understanding, countless people are gathered in front of the screen.

This craze even caught the attention of higher-level official media outlets.

The People's Daily published a major article in its literary and artistic review section entitled "Lurking: An Aesthetic Breakthrough and Contemporary Echo in Mainstream Narrative".

The article highly affirmed the artistic achievements and ideological value of the drama, believing that it "successfully created a vivid and steadfast image of our Party members, achieving an organic unity of artistic innovation and spiritual inheritance in the creation of revolutionary historical themes," and praised it for "exploring an effective path that makes mainstream values ​​visible, audible, and deeply believed."

This practically set the tone for the official approval of "Lurking".

In a short time, seminars and expert interviews organized by television stations and cultural institutions at all levels emerged one after another. The "latent phenomenon" quickly escalated from an entertainment topic to a cultural event and a social phenomenon.

In this sweeping torrent, the box office success of "My Sassy Girl" at 9654 million is like a buoy thrown into the deep sea. Although it has an astonishing weight, it can only stir up a ripple that is quickly swallowed up by the huge waves caused by "Lurking".

Media space is limited, and public attention is an even scarcer resource. When the entire society's conversations are dominated by figures like "Yu Zecheng," "Cui Ping," "Military Intelligence Bureau," and "Underground Communist Party," even the crown of "box office king" temporarily loses some of its luster. ...

Time flowed by day after day as the ending theme song "Deep Sea" from the TV series "Lurking" was sung.

On August 29, the final two episodes aired that evening. Yu Zecheng was ordered to continue his undercover mission on Taiwan, separated from Cui Ping by the ends of the earth. As the end credits song played for the last time, countless families watched in front of their televisions, sighing with regret and feeling deeply saddened.

Thirty episodes, half a month of companionship, and now it's all over, leaving behind endless aftertaste and an unprecedented sensation.

Although the ratings statistics are not yet fully released, feedback from within CCTV and the overwhelming praise from the public have already shown that "Lurking" has created another unparalleled peak.

It was also on August 30, the day after the finale of "Lurking", on the set of "The Fake Marriage".

As executive director Wu Yiyi announced in a slightly hoarse voice, "Cut! I hereby declare that filming for 'Fake Marriage' has wrapped!", the entire set was instantly engulfed in cheers and applause.

The cast and crew, who had worked hard for nearly two months, hugged and high-fived each other to celebrate the successful completion of the pre-production filming for this movie, which was destined to compete in the Lunar New Year film season.

Wang Sheng stood beside the monitor, looking at the excited crowd, a slightly relaxed expression appearing on his face.

His gaze swept across the room and landed on Wang Zhiwen, who was surrounded by several staff members offering their congratulations.

At this time, Wang Zhiwen was completely different from Yu Zecheng in "Lurking," who was deep, reserved, and always on edge.

He was wearing a slightly casual costume from "The Proposal," with some lingering traces of the character on his face, but his eyes were filled with relief and joy after completing his work.

Wang Sheng walked over slowly.

When the staff around him saw him, they automatically made way for him, and their voices were lowered subconsciously, showing respect.

“Teacher Wang,” Wang Sheng said, his voice calm with a hint of a barely perceptible smile, “Congratulations on wrapping up filming.”

Upon hearing the voice, Wang Zhiwen immediately turned around. Seeing that it was Wang Sheng, his smile widened, but he subconsciously softened his posture and bowed slightly: "Director Wang, congratulations! The crew has successfully wrapped up filming, all thanks to your excellent leadership."

Wang Sheng looked at him, his tone casual yet seemingly heavy: "Congratulations to you, Teacher Wang. If I'm not mistaken, after 'Lurking' finished airing last night, you are probably now... the most famous male actor in all of China."

These words are not false.

The popularity of "Lurking" is phenomenal. The character Yu Zecheng is deeply rooted in people's hearts, and Wang Zhiwen's performance is textbook-worthy.

With the popularity and conclusion of the series, his fame and reputation have reached an unprecedented peak.

On the streets and in the subway, everyone is talking about "Yu Zecheng." This kind of influence, which covers all age groups and social classes, is unmatched by any commercial film or any box office figure.

However, Wang Zhiwen dared not be arrogant in front of Wang Sheng.

He quickly waved his hand, his tone sincere, even somewhat fearful: "Director Wang, please don't say that! You're too kind, you're really too kind!"

He took a half step forward, lowered his voice, and his eyes were filled with sincere gratitude: "Without your guidance, Director Wang, and without you giving me this opportunity as Yu Zecheng, I, Wang Zhiwen, might still be in some film crew figuring out how to make a living."

It was you who trusted me, entrusted me with such a heavy responsibility, helped me refine the script bit by bit, and guided me into the role… This kindness and recognition is invaluable.”

He paused, then said clearly, word by word, "I will never forget it."

These words were not false in the slightest.

From the initial trepidation upon receiving the role, to the repeated clashes and adjustments with Wang Sheng during filming, and now to the huge response generated by the release of the work, Wang Zhiwen understands better than anyone what kind of platform the Grandmaster has given him and what decisive role it has played at a crucial juncture in his acting career.

Looking at the undisguised gratitude and awe in his eyes, Wang Sheng simply smiled faintly and patted his shoulder: "You've done well on your own. 'Lurking' was a success, and I think 'The Fake Marriage' is also quite good. Take a few days to rest, and when you face the media later, try to control your temper."

Wang Zhiwen bowed slightly and replied with trepidation, "Yes."

(End of this chapter)