Huayu 2015, the Artist of Light and Shadow

Chapter 46: Ratings Break 5%! The Birth of a Drama King! New Project: "Le Mans: High-Speed ​​Racing"!

Magic City.

Wang Cherished her grandmother as they stood at the entrance of the Zhouhuang Tea Restaurant, unsure whether to go in or not.

"Why are there so many people? I remember there weren't this many people before."

Grandma looked on in disbelief when she saw so many people lining up for breakfast at the door.

"Yeah, why are there so many people? There's a Congee King Tea Restaurant at our school, but it usually doesn't seem to do much business."

Wang Churan was also somewhat dumbfounded.

Unexpectedly, the Congee King Tea Restaurant became an overnight sensation after the TV series only aired last night.

Since there were so many people, she decided not to join in the fun.

At that moment, Wang said to her grandmother in a low voice, "Grandma, this restaurant has become a popular spot online. With so many people, the quality might not be guaranteed. The restaurant might even deliberately lower the quality in order to rush production and make more money."

"You make a good point."

Grandma agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "We can't be the ones to suffer this loss. Whoever wants to queue can queue. Grandma will take you to the front to eat seafood noodles."

"I like seafood noodles."

Wang Ran smiled and nodded.

The grandfather and grandson chatted and laughed as they headed towards the noodle shop across the street.

Besides the Zhouhuang Tea Restaurant becoming popular due to the TV series, many tourist attractions in Hangzhou also saw a surge in visitors because of the show's popularity.

The New Year's Day period is a holiday.

As a tourist city, Hangzhou experiences a surge in visitors during holidays.

This year's New Year's Day saw an exceptionally large number of people.

"Is this the seat Tang Yan sits in during the TV series?"

"I'll open a book too. Can you take a picture of it for me?"

That was the top-floor observation deck where Tang Yan and Lu Yunzhou first met.

That little table, which is usually ignored, has now become a popular spot for internet celebrities to take photos.

Countless people lined up to take photos and check in.

They imitated the female protagonist in the TV series, sitting there elegantly, looking at the Qiantang River outside, and then lowering their heads to open a book.

This scene marks the beginning of a cycle of destiny!

"That's not right!"

"The scenes in the TV series aren't like this. Be serious. Take another picture. Find a better angle."

Many girls came with their boyfriends.

To take this photo, the girls got up early in the morning to put on makeup and wear pretty clothes.

They had meticulously prepared for so long, all to recreate the beautiful scenes from the TV series. But soon, they discovered that the photos their boyfriends took were absolutely bizarre.

But none of them can compare to the light and shadow atmosphere created by Lu Yunzhou.

"Honey, aren't you making things difficult for me?"

Those boyfriends who came to take photos are really starting to get impressed.

The TV series was produced with a large budget. They hired a professional cinematographer and specifically waited for the sunset scene, changing the angle several times and selecting the most perfect shot from more than a dozen clips.

They took the photos with cheap mobile phones.

Can you achieve the same effect?

Are they gods of photography?

"I don't care."

"Take the picture again!"

If the photos are so bad, isn't it like we came for nothing?

Some young girls are so obsessed with beauty that not even nine oxen could pull them back.

Especially since we've finally made it to this popular spot for social media check-ins, how can we just leave like that?

Because their boyfriends' photography skills were poor, these girls had to line up again and again to take the photos.

Thus, this popular spot for internet celebrities has been caught in a cycle of repetition, much like the scene in a TV drama where the female lead, Tang Yan, is constantly tortured by Lu Yunzhou.

However, in reality, it turned into a scene where the boyfriend was constantly questioned by those young girls.

West Lake.

No matter the time, there are always many people by West Lake.

During holidays like New Year's Day, the thing to be careful of at West Lake is to avoid being pushed into the water while taking photos on the Broken Bridge.

"Are you kidding me? Why is it suddenly raining?"

"Boss, a Paradise umbrella."

"What? It's 50 yuan? I remember it being 35 yuan? Is this a collaboration with Tang Yan, so it's a bit more expensive?"

-

"Alright, I'd like to see what's so special about this collaboration."

A light rain suddenly started to fall in winter.

Moreover, it may be colder indoors than outdoors.

This is Hangzhou's unique winter.

Many tourists from the north suddenly felt the hostility of the city, and then they went to some small shops on the street to buy umbrellas.

Then they will find that the umbrellas are also particularly expensive.

"However, the design on the umbrella is indeed quite beautiful. Is it a painting of a lady in ancient costume? It seems to have the style of the Song Dynasty?"

'

Although he felt a bit ripped off for spending 50 yuan on an umbrella, it was indeed different from the umbrella he bought back in his hometown.

The handle feels great, the canopy is thick, and the ribs are very sturdy. Most importantly, the canopy has a unique pattern—it's quite nice. Spending 50 yuan shouldn't be a bad deal.

After all, that's just how people are.

If you've wasted money, you need to find a reason for it. Otherwise, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting you were ripped off?

As the plot of "The Day Is Coming" unfolds, Tang Yan takes all the viewers on a tour of more than a dozen scenic spots in Hangzhou.

Hangzhou was originally a tourist city.

As the TV series became a hit, these scenic spots became increasingly popular.

Local cultural and tourism authorities naturally wouldn't miss this promotional opportunity, frantically uploading clips of Tang Yan from the TV series to various video websites.

It brought a huge influx of traffic to the city.

As a popular online city, how could the local cultural and tourism department not understand this most basic internet activity?

In addition, the leaders of Zhejiang TV have also been looking radiant lately.

At the very beginning of the year, he received many warm greetings from his superiors, as well as praise from his subordinates!

The popularity of the TV series "The Day Is Coming" and its boost to the cultural and tourism traffic of Hangzhou are clearly visible.

Although the greatest credit belongs to Lu Yunzhou, the leaders never get to see him, so he has to accept the praise on their behalf.

The TV station leaders who received the praise were very pleased.

On his first day back at work after New Year's Day, he went to the head of the purchasing department at the TV station.

"Go ask Director Lu Yunzhou when his next film will be shot. Has he chosen a topic yet? Secure it in advance. Don't let other TV stations snatch it up."

Since the "one drama, two channels" rule was introduced, all TV stations have been vying for high-quality resources, causing the value of top stars to continue to rise.

Although there are many celebrities and directors in the entertainment industry, only a handful can consistently deliver hit dramas.

There are dozens of satellite TV channels across the country!

The first-run broadcast rights for a TV series can only be sold to two satellite TV stations.

This has led to fierce competition among all TV stations for popular actors and directors with a track record of creating hit shows.

"Yes, sir!"

The head of the TV drama acquisition department was somewhat surprised to hear this.

After all these years as a purchasing manager, all he's ever done is have production companies flatter him, give him red envelopes, and treat him to food, drinks, and entertainment to keep him happy—when did things turn out the other way around?

"I'm warning you. Don't take this lightly."

"Do you know that the short film that director Lu Yunzhou shot in Hangzhou, the one he shot for the G20 organizing committee, won an award in Busan and then reached the highest levels of government?"

"Director Li and his group were all commended at the year-end conference. They'll be promoted and get raises after the G20 summit in September—the rest is up to you!"

Understood.

Lu Yunzhou definitely has a powerful background!

And it's part of the broader context!

After the New Year's Day holiday.

The plot of "The Day Is Coming" has fully entered the real main storyline.

Viewers soon discovered that the protagonist's transmigration and rebirth were not random; everyone she possessed was embroiled in a conspiracy.

This finally gave the emotions of the whole story an outlet.

All the suffering that the protagonist Tang Yan endured in the cycle of reincarnation was utterly useless in her attempts to take revenge on the Death Messenger—because the Death Messenger was invincible, and Tang Yan could only be repeatedly and frustratingly tormented by him.

But if this kind of torture continues, the audience won't be able to take it anymore.

They quickly found a "scapegoat" in the TV series, namely the young master of the Wang Group played by Zhou Yiwei, a complete villain!

A rich second-generation with antisocial personality disorder!

A character that is hated by both humans and dogs.

-

With a clearly defined villain, the pacing of the entire series instantly becomes incredibly tense.

The audience's enthusiasm also increased.

Everyone had a clear goal: to take down the villain.

Although the characters possessed by Tang Yan died time and time again, the audience no longer felt tortured. Instead, they felt that they were getting closer and closer to becoming justice and eliminating the real villains!

Episode 22.

The character played by Zhou Yiwei, the young master of the Wang Group, used connections and traps to distort the truth, slander the protagonist, and then evade justice for a while.

In this episode, the darkness of the soul reaches its peak.

Viewers launched into a tirade of abuse, mercilessly criticizing director Lu Yunzhou, and were so busy deleting posts on Weibo that they couldn't even keep up.

Overnight, Lu Yunzhou became the most hated director by audiences across the country.

Amidst a barrage of criticism, January 11th arrived, and episode 23 aired, achieving record-breaking ratings!

Although the audience verbally abused him, they still wanted to see evil punished by justice—and in the final two episodes, Lu Yunzhou stopped playing tricks on the audience.

In the storyline, the Deathbringer finally did something good.

He did something righteous on behalf of Heaven.

He blew a gentle breath, and the arrogant young master of the Wang Group, played by Zhou Yiwei, was instantly blown away, all his bones were broken, and he was left severely disabled.

They can only eke out a living on life support equipment.

The character possessed by Tang Yan, after completing the mission of justice triumphing over evil, was also diagnosed with cancer and was not long for life.

By the time the final cycle ended and the ultimate villain was defeated, the audience had already lost interest.

Because all the story threads have already been explained.

The reasons why Tang Yan committed suicide out of despair, as well as the tragic stories of all the characters in this series, have already been explained.

However, the final episode—

When the protagonist opens his eyes, he finds himself reborn into his father's body.

The audience immediately became interested.

The viewership ratings for episode 24 surged again, breaking 5!

In this episode, all the emotional turmoil is brought about by the protagonist's father, causing the female protagonist Tang Yan's mindset to undergo another huge change.

The plot doesn't tell how the protagonist fights against evil or tries to defy fate. Instead, it takes a first-person perspective, allowing the audience to experience firsthand the life of a lonely old father after losing his daughter.

"Director Lu Yunzhou, I'll remember you!"

"Brothers, did you watch the last episode? The old father went to sweep the grave alone, looking at the photo of his daughter when she was young on the tombstone, her sweet smile—the setting sun cast its rays, stretching his lonely shadow long and obliquely among the graves."

Even the birds startled in the forest fly in flocks.

"He was all alone."

"Losing a daughter in old age is truly painful."

If the first 23 episodes presented a sharp and cold atmosphere, then the 24th episode...

In the final episode, Lu Yunzhou changed all the lighting and shadow effects.

Even the camera slowed down considerably.

In this episode, he used a lot of long takes and long empty shots, as if he were filming a documentary about an elderly person living alone.

His camera, following the perspective of the elderly father, shows the little moments he has spent with his daughter over the decades.

There was an extra set of chopsticks and a bowl on the table when we ate.

Occasionally, when he opens the closet, there's an old piece of clothing his daughter bought for him. Although it's torn, he just can't bear to throw it away.

Late at night, all alone, watching the Zhao Yazhi version of "The Legend of the White Snake" that aired decades ago, a scene suddenly flashed through my mind.

His lovely daughter once asked him, "Can snakes really turn into people?"

There's also the bicycle his daughter used to ride when she was little. Even though it's broken, her father always tries to fix it, waiting for the day when his daughter might need it.

Watching my father's figure, it's like being an NPC trapped in a single-player game, living his monotonous, repetitive life day after day.

The days seemed endless.

The female protagonist, Tang Yan, who possessed her father's body, personally experienced this pain and felt her soul trembling.

"Waaah~~ Daddy~~"

In an instant, a torrent of remorse, guilt, and pain transformed into endless tears, making her cry like an ugly monster.

at the same time.

The background music that Lu Yunzhou chose here once again allowed the audience to experience what it means to be struck by a soul-piercing blow.

He no longer used the piano or the cello, but instead used the pipe organ.

The organ's tone, without dramatic fluctuations, is like the flowing years, calm and lingering, carrying a faint trace of sadness.

This perfectly matches the atmosphere of the final episode, which is plain and realistic, yet subtly moving.

"I can't take it anymore!"

"When Tang Yan possessed my father, I initially just watched with a 'let's see what happens' attitude. But after 5 minutes, I realized I was wrong."

"I cried for a full half hour. My mom even asked me if I'd broken up with my boyfriend again? I wanted to kill that bastard director!"

"This is terrible! I think I've fallen in love with Tang Yan!"

"Although she cried terribly in the TV series, at this moment, I really wanted to rush into the TV and hug her."

"Our Lao Tang has finally made it! She has finally found the role that suits her best. Sweetie's outburst of crying actually made me so sad."

"Sure enough, it always makes people feel sorry for beautiful women when they cry."

After the female protagonist Tang Yan possessed her father's body, she lived as the father for another 20 years, personally experiencing the responsibilities and duties of being a parent.

In the endless sunset.

The father lay in his wheelchair, gazing at the sunflower field in the distance, and quietly closed his eyes, passing away peacefully.

The screen gradually went black.

The story then returns to reality.

In the real-life scenario, superstar Tang Yan gently exhaled a breath of stale air and closed the last page of "The Day of Death Is Coming".

The camera slowly zooms out.

-

It was as if a pair of eyes in the sky were watching Tang Yan.

At that moment, she hesitated for a moment, then took out her phone and called her father: "Dad, I'll be back in a couple of days. Is there anything you'd like as a gift?"

On the other end of the phone, the father hurriedly replied, "No need, no need. I have everything. By the way, when are you coming back? What do you want to eat? Have you found a girlfriend yet? Old Zhang's granddaughter next door can already call me 'Grandpa'—"

Upon hearing this, Tang Yan immediately broke down: "Dad, my signal is bad, I'll hang up now. I'll be back next Sunday, you don't need to prepare anything—"

"Why."

With a soft sigh, Tang Yan, like all older single women being pressured to get married, wore a helpless expression.

The next second, she turned around, her gaze momentarily stunned.

The camera tilted up, revealing the answer.

Lu Yunzhou was standing there, dressed in a suit and tie, talking on the phone to someone, his tone somewhat helpless.

At that moment, Lu Yunzhou hung up the phone, looked up, and saw Tang Yan.

The two looked at each other, as if they had both heard the other's phone call, and gave each other a slightly awkward smile.

The scene gradually fades into nothingness, and the end credits song begins.

The finale.

The story ends abruptly here.

As a TV series, this show has a very complete structure, but for the audience, they are left wanting more and feeling that something is missing.

They were eager to know what kind of sweet love story would begin between the death messenger Lu Yunzhou and the unlucky reincarnated Tang Yan in the real-life plot.

They met because of a book.

This is reminiscent of the Hollywood movie "Notting Hill".

-

"Director Lu Yunzhou suddenly changed his ways and gave us a sweet ending. Does that make sense?"

"He thought I'd watch his second TV series? I can only say—yes, he guessed right! I swear to God, from now on, whatever he films, I'll watch!"

"Leaving aside the plot of this TV series for now, the soundtrack is really good. I heard that the director himself composed the score. This guy may not be very human, but he is indeed very talented."

"It's broken 5! Sisters, the combined ratings of Hunan TV and Zhejiang TV have surpassed 5! This is even stronger than 'My Sunshine,' and comparable to the finale of 'The Legend of Mi Yue'!"

"Our Lao Tang is truly unstoppable now! She's accidentally become the queen of ratings! And this time, no second female lead has come out to put Lao Tang down."

"Although Lao Tang looks ugly when he cries, after watching this show, I suddenly felt that Lao Tang has a very feminine charm when he cries."

"Let me be blunt. This TV series is a hit, but what does it have to do with your 'Silly Sugar'? From beginning to end, 'Silly Sugar' barely appears on screen. Apart from the few times she cries at the end, she's just eating, drinking, and traveling to various places. The Hangzhou Cultural Tourism Bureau is practically plastering the words 'We've paid' on the opening credits. If Yang Mi had starred in it, this show would have been even more of a hit."

"Upstairs, even though you're trying to hide, I can smell your sly fox scent right away. Stop jumping around for your master! That old lady is using 'Eternal Love' as a marketing ploy, trying to piggyback on our success. We, Zhouzhou, aren't buying it!"

"You've mistaken me for someone else. I'm a member of 'One Family' (Liu Yifei's fan). Not a 'Little Bee' (a fan of Liu Yifei)."

"Haha—you dare to say that all the little bees are brainless idiots who love pulling wisdom teeth. Then I'll believe you."

The noise online.

Lu Yunzhou completely ignored the squabbles between the fans.

Anyway, Ji Rujing will take care of the marketing matters for him.

He only does what he is good at.

Huace Film & TV.

As the company is a listed company, after the year-end financial statements are completed, a board meeting is required to summarize the achievements of the past year and look to the future.

-

Miss Fu Bingxing, as the head of the film department, also attended the year-end board meeting.

She didn't say a word throughout the entire meeting.

Because the film division's performance last year was indeed terrible; the only film worth mentioning was "To the Fore."

Unfortunately, Huace was only a co-producer of this film, not the main producer.

The commercial and brand value it brings to the company is not high.

Meanwhile, several senior vice presidents from the Croton Group spoke eloquently during the meeting, because their performance last year was excellent.

The drama "My Sunshine" helped them achieve all their targets at the beginning of the year.

In 2016, they planned the modern urban idol drama "Love O2O" and the fantasy costume idol drama "Eternal Love".

Internally, they believe that these two projects have a very high probability of becoming hits, and will definitely not lose to "My Sunshine".

Croton Media is indeed very good at producing TV dramas, and has single-handedly made many big stars famous.

Unfortunately, the young actors they signed themselves have remained relatively unknown.

"Xingxing did a great job today, she didn't argue with Boss Fang and the others."

After the board meeting, Miss Fu Bingxing went home for dinner with her parents, the major shareholder of Huace Film & TV, and the chairman of Huace Film & TV.

Mr. Fu and Mr. Zhao were quite impressed with their daughter's performance today, feeling that she had finally grown up and matured.

"Dad, Mom, have you watched the really popular TV series 'The Day Is Coming'? It's okay if you haven't. You must have seen the data, right?"

"Both channels surpassed a 2.5 rating, with combined peak viewership exceeding 5!"

"This Weibo topic has surpassed 50 billion views!"

"The online viewership data for the kiwifruit platform exceeds 30 billion! And that's without any inflated figures. Wait a while, and if they inflate the numbers, it'll definitely exceed 100 billion!"

"I think that Chinese TV dramas may be about to undergo a transformation."

-

"Long-winded TV dramas like those of the past, with their tedious and rambling content, may not be popular with audiences in the future."

"Netflix, the most popular video streaming service abroad, focuses on high-quality content. In my opinion, domestic video websites that want to adopt a paid model must also focus on creating high-quality content."

Miss Fu Bingxing studied in the UK in her early years, so of course she was exposed to the Netflix model.

However, a rich second-generation like her, even if she goes to study in the UK, is unlikely to be a serious student; she'll probably just be wasting her time.

However, it doesn't matter if she just drifts through life.

As long as she can find an industry expert to analyze the situation for her, that will be fine.

"Who told you these things?"

Mr. Zhao and Mr. Fu were just casually listening to their daughter's ramblings when they gradually realized that her words were full of deeper meaning, and they couldn't help but turn to stare at Miss Fu.

Mr. Zhao and Mr. Fu's expressions gradually became serious.

Seeing her parents' expressions change, Miss Fu Bingxing gave a haughty smile: "Never mind who told me. Just tell me, does it make sense?"

President Fu did not speak.

But after a moment's thought, Mr. Zhao said, "What about television stations? Television stations are the main force behind domestic viewership. These viewers have grown up watching free dramas. Although high-quality dramas are very good, it's impossible to get these housewives to pay for them. Therefore, video websites nowadays basically rely on GG (Gross Media Platform)."

"No, no, no."

Miss Fu Bingxing had a different opinion: "The free model can indeed retain a large number of users. But, Mom, have you considered one thing?"

"The television set has changed. The traffic source for television stations has undergone a fundamental change."

"Look at our TV. When it's turned on, does it jump directly to the TV channel? No, it goes into a smart TV box."

"These TV boxes don't initially promote free TV dramas. They prefer to promote premium paid dramas. And all of these require a membership."

"Capital always tends to move in the direction of highest returns. The companies behind these TV boxes are no exception."

"These companies will soon find that after users subscribe to cable TV, they sometimes cannot access free TV channels and have to subscribe to another membership."

"It brings them a second source of income."

"In this situation, to maximize profits, they will hide the entrance to free-to-air TV channels very well, making them almost impossible to find."

"Gradually, once the habit is formed, the new generation of users will basically give up watching TV and instead choose to purchase a video membership that can be used on both mobile and TV. Compared to free TV, memberships offer richer content..."

More exciting, and more competitive.

"Under this unequal competition, television stations will gradually weaken."

"After all, those TV stations can't even control the traffic sources. How could they possibly win in the end in this kind of competition?"

Upon hearing this, both General Manager Zhao and General Manager Fu frowned.

Although these words may sound sensational, as leaders of top companies in the industry, they have actually heard some expert analyses.

There is indeed such a trend.

Mr. Fu felt that his daughter had made great progress recently, and he smiled with satisfaction.

With a hint of scrutiny, he asked, "So what should our company do?"

this----

Lu Yunzhou hasn't told me yet.

Miss Fu Bingxing was stumped by the question and stammered, "Well, I'll think about it some more. But I think a movie with a unique style is definitely more popular than a poorly made and lengthy TV series."

She's in charge of the film business herself, so of course she has to speak up for the films.

The group's resources are limited.

If all her limited resources are devoted to Croton's TV series, her film business will inevitably be affected.

Mr. Fu didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he poured himself a cup of tea and said meaningfully, "You've made a new friend recently, haven't you?"

"This friend is quite good; he has excellent taste."

"Much better than those shady friends you used to have in England."

"Given your recent good performance, I will ask the board to allocate more project funding for your film division next year."

Thank you, Dad!

The major shareholder speaks with authority.

"Dad, I won't let you down."

After thinking for a moment, Miss Fu decided to tell the truth: "My new friend, Dad should have heard of him too. He's Lu Yunzhou, the director of the recently popular drama 'The Day Is Coming'."

"Last week, I invited him to go horseback riding and fishing at Qiandao Lake, and we talked a lot."

"Although he is a little younger than me, he is very talented, especially in the film and television industry, where he has unique insights."

"I'm trying to persuade him to come to our company and work with me on a film project. But he seems to have some reservations."

Miss Fu's parents had certainly heard of the name Lu Yunzhou.

The sudden popularity of "The Day Is Coming" is a testament to the fact that no one in China had ever made a TV series like this before, giving viewers a great sense of novelty.

They are also studying the format and framework of this drama internally, to see if they can make a similar one?

Upon hearing their daughter mention Lu Yunzhou's name, President Fu and President Zhao immediately took note and asked in unison, "What are his concerns?"

Miss Fu sighed and said, "He has already reached a verbal cooperation agreement with Audi to make a youthful and passionate racing movie based on the WEC World Endurance Championship."

"A racing movie?"

After listening, Mr. Fu nodded slightly: "It's somewhat similar to 'To the Fore,' which we co-produced with Emperor Entertainment last year. However, that was about bicycles. To film real racing cars, the investment would likely be much larger. At least two hundred million?"

"You don't need that much."

Miss Fu hurriedly started doing the math for Lu Yunzhou: "Audi will provide the venue, car models, a modification team, and race car drivers. This can save at least 100 million yuan in hardware costs."

"So, the cost is reduced to just 100 million? And it's a car-themed project, sponsored by Audi—"

""

Mr. Fu and Mr. Zhao, a married couple, exchanged a glance, their brows slightly furrowed.

After a while, President Fu muttered to himself, "Seems like there's some potential?"

After a long silence, Mr. Zhao finally spoke, "Has anyone filmed this before? It seems like no one in China has ever filmed a similar subject. Isn't it quite risky?"

Ning Hao once directed "Crazy Racer," but he directed a film about bicycles.

"To the Fore" also features bicycles.

"What risks could there be? Mom, your thinking is a bit too old-fashioned."

Miss Fu, however, had a different opinion: "Lu Yunzhou is incredibly popular right now. Look at that Zhouhuang Tea Restaurant across the street from us, it's packed every day. There weren't this many people before. This shows just how popular he is."

"He's very popular right now. If he directs and stars in it, he'll definitely attract a lot of fans to watch it, thanks to the popularity of 'The Day Is Coming'."

"As for production costs, we don't have to pay for them ourselves."

"Audi has already confirmed its intention to buy shares in Lu Yunzhou. This movie is essentially a major failure for Audi's China operations. Audi should be able to afford 5000 million, right?"

"Then, we sent lead roles to Yang Mi and Tang Yan respectively, so that they could not only bring their own investment to the production, but also leverage the brands behind them to do product placement, killing two birds with one stone."

"Yang Mi and Tang Yan make a lot of money from TV dramas, but they don't have many film resources, especially racing-themed movies. Nobody in China makes those kinds of films."

"Racing must be paired with beautiful women, and top-tier beauties at that. This is a universally accepted formula for commercial films."

Just like James Bond, there has to be a Bond girl.

"After this project was established, I sent invitations to Yang Mi and Tang Yan respectively, letting them compete for the female lead position. Given their current fierce rivalry, neither of them would give in."

"At that time, the brands behind Yang Mi and Tang Yan might also be attracted and provide product placement for our movie. This could bring in at least 5000 million yuan."

"There's another hundred million here, inside and out. What risks are there?"

The elderly couple were immediately impressed by their daughter's transformation.

Although Miss Fu's words were incredibly eloquent and seemed quite feasible,

But both CEOs are seasoned veterans and won't be easily fooled.

"Wait a little longer. Good things come to those who wait."

"In any case, this is a major project involving at least 2 million in investment. We'll have an internal meeting to discuss it in a couple of days."

Although they said that, President Fu and President Zhao secretly felt that the chances of this project succeeding were very high.

Magic City.

After the holiday, Lu Yunzhou returned to Shanghai, ready to start working hard on his next project.

He never imagined that he would only make TV dramas for the rest of his life.

Although having Tang Yan, a top female celebrity, as a backer makes making money from TV dramas very stable and almost impossible to lose, one's own skills will gradually decline after filming many TV dramas.

Because TV dramas are free.

The audience's expectations for the plot are not particularly high.

As for the lighting effects? The audience doesn't care at all. Lu Yunzhou essentially spent an extra 2000 million yuan on production costs just to make himself happy.

The most important thing is————

"The Day Is Coming" has already ended with 24 episodes, while Yang Mi's "The Interpreter" has only aired half of its 24 episodes. This drama has a total of 42 episodes!

Both Tomato TV and Zhejiang TV subtly hinted to Lu Yunzhou that such a popular TV series could have a second season.

Lu Yunzhou had no interest whatsoever.

Another important reason is————

The system settlement has not yet been processed.

Lu Yunzhou couldn't help but suspect that the system didn't want to see him play in low-level matches.

"My dear young master, do you know how famous you are right now? Why are you still driving that secondhand car?"

Ji Rujing's voice came before she even arrived.

Since Lu Yunzhou was running a shell company, he didn't set up a fancy office. He simply rented an office next to Tang Yan's studio.

He had only been there a short while when Ji Rujing rushed into his office, looking utterly helpless.

Under Lu Yunzhou's questioning gaze, Ji Rujing took out her phone and showed it to Lu Yunzhou.

"See for yourself. You were photographed on your way to work. It's trending on social media now!"

One [Lu Yunzhou, Used Cars]

——【Death's Ride】

Part 1: Waiting for the traffic light with Death

Lu Yunzhou glanced at the list and saw a bunch of photos and entries about him.

I don't know how these people managed to take those photos.

He drove to work from home, just like before.

Because the weather was nice today, he deliberately opened the car window and basked in the sun for a while while waiting at the traffic light.

So, this is why so many people took pictures of me?

How exactly did they film these people?

While he was waiting at the traffic light, he didn't see any suspicious people at all.

These people, were they using Nikon electromagnetic cannons to take these pictures from 200 meters away? They're practically snipers. So unpredictable and impossible to defend against.

"Even though they were pretty boring, it indirectly proves that our show was a hit, doesn't it?"

Lu Yunzhou quickly composed himself.

Having chosen to become a star, Lu Yunzhou was fully prepared for it.

So what if I get photographed? It's not a big deal.

"That's true. But you really should get a better car. Otherwise, netizens will criticize us as a heartless company."

As Ji Rujing spoke, she brought two contracts to Lu Yunzhou: "Take a look. These are the results of my hard work over the past few days."

A Laneige endorsement contract worth 1000 million over two years.

A brand ambassador contract for the Audi R8 series, worth 1500 million over two years!

In addition, Audi also gifted Lu Yunzhou a brand new R8, worth over 200 million yuan, as his free ride!

"Sign here. Take a couple of photos of guys whenever you have time, and all this money is yours."

"Believe me, this is just the beginning. You'll soon find out just how much money a top star can make."

"After a while, once Kiwi Fruit sells the copyright of 'The Day Is Coming' to Southeast Asia, I'll help you negotiate with other high-end brands."

"I won't even talk about those ordinary brands. Your endorsements must be top-notch. We'll go straight for the high-end market and leave no room for others to compete."

Lu Yunzhou won an award at the Busan International Film Festival right after his debut.

His first TV series, which he directed and starred in, became the king of dramas on the Kiwi platform, breaking the platform's internal viewing record.

In addition, the Hangzhou cultural and tourism sector has reached an extreme level of admiration for Lu Yunzhou.

Both of Lu Yunzhou's works depict street scenes in Hangzhou, bringing a large number of tourists to the city.

At this moment, Lu Yunzhou is as popular as Li Yifeng after the broadcast of "Swords of Legends"!

Because Lu Yunzhou has a better image and better temperament, his commercial value is obviously higher.

"By the way, Audi Greater China has a new president. The new president is named Josiam Weidler, and he has a Chinese name, Wei Yongxin."

"He personally confirmed your role as the spokesperson."

Ji Rujing enthusiastically told Lu Yunzhou about some of the changes at Audi.

The new official took office three fires.

This President Wei signed a huge deal for them as soon as he took office.

With Audi as an endorsement, it will be much easier for Lu Yunzhou to secure endorsements from other international brands.

"1500 million over two years, President Weidler is really generous."

Lu Yunzhou knew that Tang Yan's endorsement fee was basically 1000 million for two years.

Audi offered him a price that was 50% higher than the market value.

This shows that Audi is very sincere and willing to cooperate with him in the long term.

of course.

The main reason is that the drama "The Day Is Coming" made Lu Yunzhou famous.

After the show became a hit, Tang Yan was the biggest beneficiary on the surface. Especially after the last episode aired, her acting skills were praised by the media and fans recommended her like crazy. She has already been slated for major awards next year.

But in reality, Lu Yunzhou was the biggest beneficiary.

Directing, starring, serving as creative director, art director, and composer—Lu Yunzhou is truly an all-rounder, showcasing his amazing talent to fans.

In addition, there's the cool and elegant demeanor he exudes in the drama.

It attracted a large number of new viewers.

Most importantly, someone leaked the news that Lu Yunzhou's mother was extremely worried because he had never dated, and arranged more than a dozen blind dates for him before his debut—which means that Lu Yunzhou is single!

Upon learning this news, the "Porridge and Rice Family" organization saw an influx of over 100,000 young women overnight.

My brother is single and doesn't seem to like dating.

This is wonderful!

"Sister Ji, since Audi is so sincere, I'll give them a gift in return."

As they were talking, Lu Yunzhou took out a film project proposal he had just finished and handed it to Ji Rujing.

The project is called "Le Mans: High Speed".

In another time and space, there is a movie called "F1: Racing," which has almost no plot and is simply a series of super racing scenes.

To create the ultimate audio-visual experience for the audience.

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Despite the downturn in the film industry, this film with its simple story still grossed $6.3 million worldwide.

This demonstrates the appeal of racing movies to audiences.

However, Lu Yunzhou did not choose the most well-known F1.

Among the world's three major motorsport events, besides F1, there is also the WRC rally, such as the Bayinbuluke circuit, which was filmed in the movie "Pegasus".

However, rally racing is geared towards grassroots participants, which doesn't suit Lu Yunzhou's personality.

F1 is a bit too specialized.

After much deliberation, Lu Yunzhou decided to film the WEC, one of the three major sporting events, and then chose the most famous one, "Le Mans," as his subject.

Endurance racing differs from the other two types of racing in that the rules are three people per car, driving continuously for 24 hours.

It requires teamwork, strategic planning, and perfectly performing racing cars, as well as physical fitness and psychological tactics, and is naturally full of dramatic conflicts.

Most importantly, the WEC Shanghai event will be held in March.

This is the biggest opportunity right now.

The General Administration of Sport would strongly support this subject matter.

The local cultural and tourism departments in Shanghai will also support this topic.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers will also provide strong support.

Lu Yunzhou can make this kind of promotional video for Audi now, and when China's automotive industry develops in the future, it will inevitably need similar films.

"A racing movie?"

Ji Rujing glanced at the proposal and her eyes lit up: "I knew it, your ambition is extraordinary!"

Tang Yan bought a novel about the pain of youth, hoping to ride the wave of youth movies and have a sweet romance.

Ji Rujing felt there was no problem.

Youth films are a low-risk genre; even if they lose money, it won't be too much.

However, youth films don't offer much of an advantage for a big star like Tang Yan.

It's more suitable for newcomers like Zhang Ruonan to debut.

But racing movies are different!

When people think of racing, the first images that come to mind are cool, elegant, roaring engines, and beautiful women everywhere.

It's very competitive.

This subject matter is naturally suited to big stars.

Luxury cars and beautiful women are always mentioned together.

The Fast and Furious series is one of Hollywood's highest-grossing action film franchises, and no domestic director has yet made a story of a similar theme.

Lu Yunzhou took out the project proposal, clearly wanting to challenge himself.

If he succeeds—he will soar to great heights!

"Mr. Lu, your proposal is absolutely perfect!"

Ji Rujing glanced through the proposal briefly; it wasn't actually a thrilling story.

Because it's based on a true story!

This true story comes from a driver named Cheng Congfu. This driver currently drives for the Audi team and is Audi's brand master!

This proposal sent chills down Ji Rujing's spine!

How could Audi refuse?

Lu Yunzhou wove such a huge net, all for the purpose of catching Audi.

At this moment, looking at Lu Yunzhou's young face, Ji Rujing felt that there was a cunning and treacherous soul hidden inside him.

On December 18th last year, at the Fashion Awards gala, when Audi revealed its intention to buy shares in Lu Yunzhou, everything was already predetermined.

"A favorable wind lends its strength, sending him soaring to the heavens."

Ji Rujing took Lu Yunzhou's proposal and left excitedly.

Tang Yan is Lu Yunzhou's wind.

Audi is also Lu Yunzhou's wind.

Even Ji Rujing was Lu Yunzhou's wind.

But they all did it willingly.

In order to perfectly achieve Lu Yunzhou's project, everyone did their best and gave it their all!

"This guy is practically magical."

Ji Rujing was even a little scared.

Fortunately, Lu Yunzhou wasn't particularly interested in Tang Yan; otherwise, he could have easily charmed her.