Chinese Entertainment: Becoming a Superstar After a Breakup

Chapter 88 Zhang Xianzong Arrives

Flipping through the script, Zhou Shengan and Bai Qingmei—the names seemed familiar, and the plot seemed familiar too. Shen Ze finally realized what this "Summer of Fender" was all about.

No wonder it felt familiar, but not a classic. I finally understand, this is a short drama. He doesn't watch short dramas, he thinks they're too mindless, but he knows two of them, even though he hasn't seen them, he's heard of them.

Then he understood why "The Rose Thief" was chosen as the song of the year. If it's not a classic, what makes it comparable to "A Little Happiness" or "The Light Chaser"?

It's definitely not comparable, but "The Rose Thief" comes with its own resources. Shen Ze hasn't filmed many bad movies, but he's not stupid. Normal bad movies would never have a script.

However, this thing seems to have been around for ten years, but now it's here. But I'll understand soon enough.

"After hearing your 'The Rose Thief,' I had this inspiration—a story with little conflict, just a very ordinary, peaceful tale filled with small moments of happiness," Da Ma explained.

"Teacher Ma, the story is very exciting, but I have a question. We're filming a gay romance, right? What's the script for this?" Shen Ze asked.

"Yes, it's a movie about men, but I've added more details to the backstory. Of course, I also have a personal motive. After directing movies for a few years, I've gotten a bit ambitious. Who doesn't want to make movies and TV shows, right?"

I'm also a little embarrassed. I wouldn't have given this notebook to anyone else, and I feel bad about it, but I really wanted you to see it.

"Without your 'The Rose Thief,' I wouldn't have had this inspiration, and when I wrote this story, I based it on your image." Da Ma didn't shy away from saying it directly.

"The story is good. If possible, I would like to participate." Shen Ze was a little flattered. The system's ability is really strong. A song directly inspired people. He just didn't know if this Malaysian was the original creator of "Summer of Fendra".

Regardless, this is a system reward. He doesn't have the ability to be picky now. If you can't get any roles, it's a good thing that someone is extending an olive branch to you.

"That would be great. Sorry, I'm being a bit long-winded. I'm talking about GG (boyfriend/girlfriend). Qixi Festival is coming soon, and The Beast, as a relatively high-end flower brand in China, wants to do a GG marketing campaign that matches the brand."

I got the chance to do this pre-Qixi Festival photoshoot because of this abridged version of the story, and I immediately thought of you. Are you interested?

"Of course I'm interested."

The question was pointless. Since they were already here, why bother talking about interest? Shen Ze understood that this guy wasn't a spokesperson; he was just preparing for Qixi Festival. However, the pay was pretty good, around tens of thousands of yuan.

That makes sense. The Wild Beast brand is quite high-end. How could someone who hasn't had any films released possibly get an endorsement deal?

"Then let's not lose contact. GG should be filmed and released by the end of next month. We can keep in touch anytime. I'll go back and ask for the budget." This GG should be a sure thing, but it's a bit disappointing. His performance last year was indeed not good. It doesn't matter if the annual bonus is poor, but it can't be this bad. The economic impact is tens of thousands of dollars.

Shen Ze wasn't idle either; he started looking for a place to live. He was staying in a hotel for now, and once he got the money, he would rent a place. He was trying to look like a reincarnated person, but Shen Ze didn't think that way. He had indeed been reincarnated for several years, but his gains were not bad.

I experienced a complete college life, had a perfect romance, and didn't neglect my studies. Now, I'm a recent college graduate, and there's still plenty of time for everything.

Two days later, he arrived at his destination, a movie theater. It was quite interesting to see a TV series being shown in a movie theater, especially since it was an edited version.

On the same day he met with the Malaysians, there was also an advance screening in Shanghai, but it was a fan screening with only Han Dongjun and Wang Yanlin present.

This time, the media screening was a real gathering of everyone, mainly to give them a chance to appear in front of the media, which is a legitimate publicity channel.

This wasn't the first time Shen Ze had met Cai Yinong. She was an ordinary-looking woman, but she seemed gentle. However, Shen Ze knew this was just an illusion. A woman who could directly address disputes on Weibo, and who was also the founder of Tangren Media, was no ordinary person.

However, there weren't many opportunities to meet. She visited once or twice when "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" was being filmed.

"Old Shen, let's go sing karaoke after work, are you okay?" It was great to see my friends again. With Wang Yanlin around, there was no awkward silence, even though we hadn't seen each other for almost half a year.

Aside from when we were taking graduation photos, I hadn't had a chance to chat with Chen Yao. Dilraba was watching us closely, so I was just pretending I didn't exist while you were talking to other girls.

"Okay."

"Shen Ze, everyone speaks very highly of you." This was Shen Ze's greeting to Cai Yinong, and Cai Yinong's words of praise for him.

Everyone chatted and laughed while waiting for the show to start. Shen Ze even exchanged a few words with Cai Yinong, but it was really just polite small talk.

What followed was like watching a movie, but not the entire series, just a pieced-together segment. It was the first time Shen Ze had seen his Zhang Xianzong, and he was quite handsome.

"Zhang Xianzong is a complex character. He's a pure villain with no bottom line, but his love for Yue Qiluo is exceptionally pure—I'm Shen Ze, the actor who plays Zhang Xianzong." After watching the trailer, it was all about promotion, with each lead actor sharing their understanding of their character and some interesting anecdotes from filming.

Shen Ze had prepared for this part, but it seemed that all the preparation was useless. Tangren Film and Television's projects naturally had to promote their own people.

It was mainly Han Dongjun, Jin Chen, and Chen Yao who said that when he and Wang Yanlin worked together, for example, when there were funny stories, it was quite reasonable. It's understandable that they acted this way when they weren't on the same side.

After work, the group went out for dinner and karaoke. Everything felt so natural, without any pressure. However, it was clear that things had become a bit awkward, and it was difficult to get back to the feeling of filming together.

The drama "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" has premiered and gained popularity on its first day, but this has nothing to do with Shen Ze, the other actors, or even the plot.

There's a scene in the second episode of Wu Xin where the characters take off their clothes and shower, which generated some buzz, and of course, the company is definitely promoting it.

In the first four episodes, Shen Ze appeared in the drama for less than two minutes, which was a bit pitiful. However, Shen Ze's family members were already very happy, as they finally got to see their son (brother) (ex) in the drama.

The guy from Wild Beasts has been in touch, and Da Ma keeps recommending Summer of Findlay to Shen Ze, but it's no use. You don't have the money to film it, and I don't have the money either.

The ratings for "Wu Xin: The Monster Killer" are pretty good. As time goes by, it's already mid-month, and the seventh episode has been released, marking the official arrival of Zhang Xianzong.

(Three more chapters to go, will be finished before midnight. If you're sleepy, you can go to sleep now and read them tomorrow.)

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