Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

……

July 22, 2015, Shanghai.

The weather wasn't too hot, but there were showers, making it stuffy and humid.

Lu Yunzhou leaned back on the sofa, his eyes fixed on the television.

He is watching the drama "Diamond Lover" which airs tonight.

But soon, he sensed that something was wrong.

"How did this show turn out like this?"

Before Lu Yunzhou traveled through time, he had watched this show in another time and space, but he didn't have any particular feelings about it at the time.

But after he traveled through time, when he watched the show again, all of its weaknesses naturally came to mind.

"The emotions weren't right."

"The editing is terrible."

"Tang Yan almost completely missed the mark in terms of key acting moments."

"The director also had a problem. Where a long take should have been used, a quick cut was used instead, disrupting the emotional outburst that Tang Yan was supposed to deliver."

After finishing his review, Lu Yunzhou silently closed his eyes and looked at the system within his body, [Light and Shadow Artist].

He pulled out the [editing level].

The system rated him as [A+].

At the beginning of the year, after being reborn through time travel, Lu Yunzhou discovered that he had a system with him.

This system is crippled.

You can't spend money or cultivate your character, but you can improve through learning.

It took him several months to finally master how to use the system.

The biggest advantage of the system is that it can help him avoid ineffective learning.

Therefore, after he mastered the system's gameplay, he had a very clear motivation and goal over the past few months, just like when he was studying hard in his senior year of high school.

Their understanding of film and television production has reached a professional level.

……

"Big brother, you called me here so you could watch idol dramas with me?"

After the two episodes finished airing, the 17-year-old basketball player sitting next to Lu Yunzhou finally couldn't take it anymore and turned off the TV.

This boy's name is Cai Xukun.

That's right.

In another time and space, there was Kun Ge, who was famous throughout the martial arts world and had been practicing for two and a half years.

However, at this moment, he is still a 17-year-old boy.

Hearing this, Lu Yunzhou turned to the basketball-playing boy beside him: "Akun, do you prefer the female lead, Mi Duo, or the second female lead, Gao Wen?"

Does it matter?

What is Jin Ke La Lover?

Utterly boring.

Cai Xukun didn't want to watch it at all.

At this moment, he angrily turned off the TV, grabbed Lu Yunzhou, and asked somewhat agitatedly, "Big brother, when are we going to find a female lead for our short film 'Super Cleaning Hero'? If we can't find one soon, I'm going to debut in South Korea!"

In the summer of 2015, 17-year-old Cai Xukun returned from the United States and met a guy on the basketball court who had a particularly stylish fadeaway jump shot.

This guy is not only good at basketball, but also has unparalleled musical talent, which makes him feel like he can see his future self.

When this man told him that he was going to slightly adapt Beethoven's famous piece "Pathétique" and make a short film full of spiritual power, he was instantly thrilled.

He felt like the protagonist in a novel, who went out for a casual walk and accidentally picked up a super old man.

So he used his remaining pocket money from the United States as the starting capital for this short film.

The title of this short film was also particularly to his liking.

It's called "Super Cleaner".

During this period, he worked with Lu Yunzhou on a lot of preliminary planning and preparation, and felt that this short film would definitely win an award.

Everything is ready now, except for the female lead.

As a basketball enthusiast, Cai Xukun has a fondness for female celebrities with long legs.

Without saying a word, he directly called out Tang Yan's name.

He thought he was just joking and that Lu Yunzhou wouldn't take it seriously. He figured that if he found a female model with long legs to shoot the short film, the effect wouldn't be much different.

Who knew that Lu Yunzhou would actually do it for real?

Two weeks ago, when the drama "Diamond Lover" was being promoted, Lu Yunzhou took him to Tang Yan's studio and submitted the shooting script and character cards.

Next, we just wait...

I waited for half a month, but there was no response.

All of this was within Cai Xukun's expectations.

How could a popular female celebrity possibly film their low-budget, unofficial short films?

It would be a miracle if Tang could respond.

Just as Cai Xukun was about to back down and was about to persuade Lu Yunzhou that if it really didn't work out, he, as the investor, could accept a different female lead.

However, the eldest brother, true to his word, said something that left him speechless: "Believe me, Tang Yan needs this short film more than we do."

However, from Cai Xukun's perspective, Lu Yunzhou was just being stubborn.

Thinking about it carefully, he was the one who started this whole thing. Lu Yunzhou probably did it just to satisfy his little bit of vanity.

At that moment, he felt immense warmth and even an indescribable sense of emotion.

Cai Xukun sighed, offered Lu Yunzhou a bottle of Gatorade, and said apologetically, "Brother, now that things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore. I participated in the 'Asia's Got Talent' talent show half a month ago. I was selected, ranked 15th, the same draft pick as Leonard. I have a feeling that I will become a historical superstar like Leonard!"

"At that time, I will release my own singles and albums, hold concerts, and even perform at the Bird's Nest stadium. I'll become a global sensation!"

"If that day ever comes, and I form a band, could you be my lead singer, big brother?"

Cai Xukun feels that although he is not particularly professional in music, after all, he is still young. Although his future is bright and promising, at this stage, he is still a novice in the practice period.

However, as a future great singer, he always felt that his appreciation ability was world-class!

He had personally witnessed Lu Yunzhou playing Bach.

That melody, a nightmare for those preparing for exams, became like a spring in Lu Yunzhou's hands, full of order and vitality.

"When are you going to Korea? I'll see you off."

Lu Yunzhou took a small sip of the Gatorade; it was peach-flavored and not bad.

"No need for gifts. We're all chivalrous heroes, we respect each other, let's not stand on ceremony."

Cai Xukun picked up a bottle of Gatorade and toasted Lu Yunzhou with great enthusiasm.

Seeing that it was almost time for him to go back, he knew it was time for him to return.

Once on the subway, Cai Xukun sent Lu Yunzhou a message: "Brother, I paid half a year's rent for you. Wait for me to come back. See you there."

Cai Xukun and Lu Yunzhou are both from Wenzhou.

For people from Wenzhou, there are only two things that matter most in life: making money and having sons.

Cai Xukun overheard Lu Yunzhou talking to his parents on the phone, saying that the leather business in Wenzhou was becoming increasingly difficult, with the overall market for leather goods declining by more than 20 percentage points this year.

Lu Yunzhou's parents are ready to go to Italy to stay with his uncle and work together on a cross-border e-commerce business.

This is the current business trend.

Cai Xukun was afraid that Lu Yunzhou would also flee to Italy.

This is absolutely unacceptable!

Their "Super Cleaner" movie hasn't even been filmed yet!

"Worried I'd run away? You paid six months' rent for me first?" Lu Yunzhou was both amused and exasperated upon receiving the text message.

He opened his [Light and Shadow Artist] system once again.

No one knows who left this system for him; in a corner of the system, there is also a line of small print.

—Whatever I touch, I will change!

"Well said!"

"I was a musician in my past life, but I didn't make a name for myself. So in this life, I at least want to leave my mark on film history!"

……

Meanwhile, in Tang Yan's studio.

The atmosphere, however, was as oppressive as the dark clouds outside the window, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

Tang Yan sat on the sofa, scrolling through her phone incessantly, her brows furrowed.

Her agent, Ji Rujing, sat on the other side.

The employees in charge of publicity and planning huddled in a corner of the studio, heads down, not daring to utter a single word.

"Here she comes again! Dull, naive, and her lines are always mumbled!"

"Just as I expected, absolutely no surprises! She once again delivered the 'Three Treasures of Tang's Acting Skills'!"

"Haha, I won't even mention 'My Sunshine' from the beginning of the year, 'Lady & Liar' is already finished, and 'Legend of Fragrance' is completely unwatchable."

"However, Old Tang is at least a little clever; there aren't any particularly eye-catching female characters in those three dramas to steal her spotlight. But..."

"Who plays Gao Wen, the second female lead in 'Diamond Lover'? She's absolutely adorable! She completely outshines Tang Yan, doesn't she?"

"Compared to the 'green tea' (scheming) female lead Mi Duo, the second female lead Gao Wen's bold and outspoken nature is definitely more endearing!"

"Old Tang is really getting worse with age; his acting is even worse than a newcomer's. It's good this way, he's finally free. He probably won't have the chance to disgust the audience anymore."

……

After "Diamond Lover" aired, it was on a good trend and had the potential to become a hit. However, it wasn't Tang Yan who became popular, but Dilraba, who played the second female lead, Gao Wen.

For Tang Yan, after the TV broadcast, the barrage of negative comments that appeared overnight was endless.

As for controlling public opinion?

The more you control it, the more you gain!

The power of technology cannot silence public opinion.

2015 was a breakout year for Tang Yan. From the beginning to the end of the year, she had eight TV series and one movie, and her schedule was completely full.

However, only halfway through 2015, her reputation was already completely ruined!

However, only half of her unreleased dramas have been aired!

There are four TV series and one movie left.

What to do in the second half of the year?

Thunder had started outside, and the rumbling thunder felt like it was pounding on everyone's hearts, making them want to escape this oppressive environment as soon as possible.

At this moment, Ji Rujing broke the silence and changed the subject: "Tangtang, you've been losing a lot of hair lately. You should pay attention to your appearance."

Tang Yan put down her phone and sighed, "Sis, I'm having insomnia every night now. I'm terrified that every drama I air will be like this. What should I do?"

Improving acting skills is, of course, the only way.

Only when she can convincingly portray any role can the audience find it impossible to criticize her acting skills.

But this path is clearly not a viable one for Tang Yan.

This morning, I discovered a gift from an unsung hero.

Ji Rujing smiled gently, took out a shooting script from his pocket, and placed it on Tang Yan's lap: "Take two days to shoot a public service short film to turn around our reputation."

"Trust me, this short film will definitely be a success. I just wonder which studio submitted it to me? The quality is so good, it can't be a small company."

Filming a public service announcement is equivalent to giving back to charity for free, so who can say that her acting is bad?

Ji Rujing truly lives up to her reputation as my top agent of ten years; she's incredibly reliable.

However, when Tang Yan excitedly opened the first page of the shooting script and saw the name of this public service short film, her eyes widened instantly.

An ominous premonition arose spontaneously.

Because the name of this public service short film is "Super Cleaning Hero"!

"this……"

This is ridiculous. Are you sure this will work?

Tang Yan glanced at Ji Rujing silently, her face full of question marks.

Ji Rujing gave her a reassuring look, encouraging her to continue watching.

……

10 minute later.

A bolt of lightning ripped through the night in Shanghai, followed by a deafening rumble of thunder outside the window.

This woke Tang Yan up instantly.

"very nice."

"As a short film, its excellence is beyond words. But, he cast me as the female lead because of my popularity, right? Why did he only give me such a small role?"

Tang Yan looked at every shot and every marked rhythm in the script, and then glanced at the hundreds of negative comments that kept popping up on her phone every few minutes.

She gradually realized that this time, she seemed to have met a savior!

Not just junior directors.

……

Meanwhile, at Lu Yunzhou's home.

He had just finished showering and was about to go to sleep when he suddenly received a phone call from an unknown number.

"Hello, I'm Tang Yan's agent, my name is Ji Rujing!"