Reborn as a comedic artist

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the gap in the loosely drawn curtains, shining directly onto Wang Shuo's buttocks.

"Well……"

Hangover and exhausted, Wang Shuo opened his eyes groggily, feeling his eyelids swollen like two walnuts, so heavy he couldn't lift them at all.

Although the beating I received yesterday was less forceful, I still suffered a lot of physical pain.

It wasn't very intense at first, but the aftereffects started to show today. Now, even the slightest movement causes a burning pain.

"Ouch...it hurts...it hurts...!"

Wang Shuo groaned as he propped himself up, subconsciously touching his thigh.

It's alright, it's just that it hurts to spend the money.

He looked around and saw the computer still in sleep mode.

Despite the aches and pains in my body, I moved to the computer desk like a clumsy bear.

Shake the mouse and the screen lights up.

The webpage is still showing the video backend management interface.

Wang Shuo extended his thick fingers and gently slid them down on the touchpad to refresh.

The page froze for a second.

Immediately afterwards, the previously static numbers began to jump wildly before finally freezing.

Views: 638.6 million.

Likes: 108 million.

Coin-operated: 21.

Shared 43 times.

Attention count: 89.

And this was only fourteen hours after the release.

"Holy crap...?!"

Wang Shuo's already small eyes widened instantly, the corners of his eyes being stretched open.

Ignoring the soreness in his thighs, he lunged at the screen, his face almost touching the LCD screen.

"Six million three hundred and eighty thousand...!"

Wang Shuo's voice cracked with excitement.

"Old Cheng! Old Cheng! Wake up! It's blown up! This time it's really blown up...!"

Wang Shuo turned and walked into another bedroom, unable to contain his excitement.

It's fortunate that this is Chengdu in a parallel world; if this were in later times, it might easily cause misunderstandings...

Completely bewildered by the sudden attack, Cheng Ming sat up abruptly, his eyes still glazed over: "Damn it, Fatty, are you trying to kill me? Can't you just calm down a bit...?!"

"Calm down? How can I be calm? It's already over six million views, and that's only been one night, Godfather...!"

Wang Shuo's hands were trembling.

Cheng Ming rubbed his messy hair, yawned, and slowly walked to his room, groggily glancing at the screen.

"Hmm, not bad, slightly better than expected, so all that effort wasn't in vain..."

Cheng Ming's tone was calm. After all, it was a classic film by Stephen Chow, and with his team's best performance, such results were not surprising.

........

"Not bad? Dude, that's over six million! In just fourteen hours, you've already gotten almost 900,000 followers. Your 'cafetish son' video only got a little over two million in a day...!"

Wang Shuo spoke with spittle flying everywhere, his fat face trembling with excitement.

He felt like he was about to have a heart attack.

That's six million views! If it gets a little more attention, it could easily reach ten million, or even make it into the top ten for the whole year. I've become a million-viewer in just half a month. I never even dared to dream of this before...

The guy in front of me just casually replied, "It's alright...".?

"Don't worry about the basics. Wait for the next episode to be released, then wrap things up. I guarantee the data will multiply several times over..."

Cheng Ming unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, tilted his head back and took a swig. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his expression was as calm as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.

He reached out and patted Wang Shuo's broad shoulder, pointing to the screen: "Scroll down and look at the comments section, that's the important part. After all, this filming style is different from the usual simple pranks..."

Wang Shuo took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart, and gripped the mouse with trembling hands, scrolling the wheel down.

The comment section has been completely overrun.

The atmosphere was even more explosive than the bar last night, with colorful avatars and IDs crammed together, creating an unusually noisy marketplace.

The top comment has already garnered 1.6 likes, with its gold profile picture and ID standing out prominently.

[ID: Escaped Director of Mental Hospital]: I originally thought I was just here to watch some funny videos, but after watching them, I fell into deep thought. This isn't just a video; it's a true reflection of contemporary art students...! That kind of unwavering pursuit despite facing hardships and difficulties—it's so damn relatable! I suggest applying for UNESCO World Heritage status!

"Suggest applying for World Heritage status? Hahaha, this guy knows his stuff, his reading comprehension is perfect...!"

Wang Shuo slapped his thigh and laughed wildly, his vanity greatly satisfied.

The gaze continued downwards.

Second most popular comment:

[ID: Eye Protection Squad]: Who can compensate me for my eyes? That fat guy in the yellow bodysuit, that voluptuous body of his is lingering in my mind. Now, when I close my eyes, all I see is that alluring, seductive crotch. Help!

Wang Shuo's laughter stopped abruptly, like a duck whose neck had been grabbed.

His face instantly darkened, and his lips twitched: "How dare this guy talk like that? What do you mean by 'voluptuous waves'? This is called voluptuous artistic tension! You're only focused on my seductive dance moves, haven't you noticed the hardships I endured sacrificing myself for art beforehand? Vulgar...!"

Cheng Ming chimed in, "It really had a lot of tension, almost making the camera explode. It's a good thing you added a slimming effect when you were editing, otherwise the screen wouldn't have been able to hold it all."

"Get lost!" Wang Shuo rolled his eyes and continued scrolling down.

Third top comment:

[ID: Shuyin Admissions Office (High-Quality Imitation)]: Student, we suggest you turn left and go to the Sports Institute next door. We at Shuyin can't afford to lose face like this... Wait, does this really seem to be from our school? Oh no, Shuyin's reputation is being damaged...!

This was followed by a highly charged comment with a significant number of likes, clearly representing the views of a segment of the population:

[ID: Passerby A]: What's wrong with art students these days? They're just trying to get attention! This garbage can be called art? It's an insult to photography and music! I suggest they be banned...!

Upon seeing this, Wang Shuo's previously excited brows instantly furrowed into a deep frown. Pointing at the screen, he cursed, "Old Cheng, someone's insulting us, saying we're insulting art. Who's this bastard? A keyboard warrior, huh?"

Cheng Ming laughed, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed, his smile carrying a deeper meaning:

"Go ahead and criticize. In this industry, the worst thing isn't being criticized, but being ignored. Controversy generates traffic, and being infamous is still fame. Besides, most people are just using memes; look at the comments."

At that moment, the video was playing the climax of Wang Shuo's "twitching dance".

The screen was filled with dense, overwhelming text, making it impossible to see the image clearly. All that could be seen were colorful blocks of text flying around like locusts, completely obscuring the view.

[Warning: High-energy content ahead!]

[Non-combat personnel, evacuate immediately!]

I waited forever, and you just started showing off your acting skills right from the beginning. But to be honest, it was surprisingly good!

[Who says it isn't? I was practically pulling my pants off when you showed me this, but I have to admit it's really clever...!]

[Combining photography, singing, and cliff jumping is a ridiculous idea, but it definitely has potential...!]

My eyes! My eyes...!

[Is this something carbon-based bioenergy has come up with...?]

How long can this condition last...? Can we continue to try and improve it...?

[I can skip the medication, but I can't stop living. I can even handle a higher dosage...!]

[Shu Yin Art! Breathtaking!]

This is hilarious! Hahahaha!

Especially the part where Cheng Ming gets his head blown off and Wang Shuo rolls on the ground.

The style of the comments suddenly changed, from a screen full of "hahaha" to a strange sense of emotion, as if the netizens had collectively suffered a mental breakdown at that moment:

[My family is moved to tears.]

[It's hilarious, but why did I feel like crying while watching it...?]

That's life, isn't it? You get beaten black and blue, but you still have to smile and say goodbye...

This is art! This is damn art!

[These young actors in the film and television industry should come out and take their beating! Look at what acting is! Four years of acting have been a complete waste of time; they're not even as dedicated as the cinematography students...!]

Look at this dedication to the performance! Filming on location, even being beaten like this, he still finished filming with tears in his eyes. This spirit of sacrificing for art is simply...!

Looking at these comments, Wang Shuo touched his still throbbing thigh and suddenly felt that the beating he had taken was worth it.

"Old Cheng, are we... really becoming artists?" Wang Shuo murmured to himself, his eyes unfocused.

Cheng Ming stood up, stretched, and cracked his knuckles: "I don't know if he's an artist or not, but I know the school is probably buzzing with excitement..."

……