I really don't want to make bad movies!

Back in the classroom he hadn't been to in a long time, Xia Ming had just sat down when A Bei and Xiao Liang surrounded him.

"Xiaoming, I heard you went to film a web series?"

"I saw it posted in the group chat, what's it called 'The Scammer'?"

Looking at the two men's lewd appearance, Xia Ming knew they had the wrong idea.

"We just finished filming, and it should be available online next week."

"Great job!" Abei patted Xia Ming's chest. "You've really had your luck getting Jiang Xixi and Yan Shu in the cast, haven't you?"

"What are you saying?"

Xia Ming slapped his hand away: "A serious drama, an urban crime drama."

"Where do you get the money to make movies?" Xiao Liang asked curiously.

"Low cost".

Xia Ming said casually.

In today's online drama production, my show "The Swindler" can indeed only be considered a low-budget production.

"Wow, that's amazing! We're still learning the theory, and you've already directed two films!"

Ah Bei spoke with a smile, interpreting Xia Ming's "low-cost" as a self-produced web series costing 50,000 to 100,000 yuan.

Xiao Liang sighed and put his arm around Xia Ming's shoulder: "Everyone's been talking about 'Chinese Paladin 4' lately, the timing of your release is really bad!"

"How come Xiaoming's low-budget web series can't be compared to 'Chinese Paladin 4' at all?"

"Let's not talk about that. Today, 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4' is launching!"

"You're watching it during class?"

Xiao Liang patted his chest confidently: "Definitely! I'm number one, Tangerine! I have to contribute to the viewership immediately!"

"Mandarin oranges? Ju Jingyi?" Abei leaned forward.

"Is it good?" Xiao Liang lit up the theater.

"It's been heavily edited, right?"

Xiao Liang's expression immediately changed, and she slapped him on the head: "Bullshit! Don't you understand what it means to be naturally beautiful? Don't you understand what it means to have a beauty that appears only once in four thousand years!"

The two were arguing fiercely. When Xia Ming noticed that the teacher hadn't arrived yet, he picked up his phone.

I originally wanted to ask Huang Xuke for some inside information about "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4" to see if I could get any firsthand information.

However, Huang Xuke has probably been busy with the promotion of "Chinese Paladin 4" these past few days and hasn't replied to messages for a long time.

After thinking for a while, Xia Ming contacted Xiao Cheng, who was in charge of account promotion.

Can I post web series commentary videos on the "Sun and Moon Commentary" account?

Xiao Cheng first sent a shocked emoji, surprised that Riyue Commentary would take the initiative to contact her, before replying: 【Of course!】

[I know you want to make a video about "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4," right? A lot of people are trying to ride that wave of popularity lately.]

No, it's another work.

[Another one?]

Xiao Cheng was puzzled. With the release of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4" just around the corner, a large number of her creators were asking her for information and news, preparing to ride the wave of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4"'s popularity as soon as possible.

Why is Sun and Moon's explanation different from others?

You can post whatever you want, but for streaming, you can only get the second tier, because the first tier of traffic is now being allocated to "Chinese Paladin 4".

【it is good】

After receiving the reply, Xia Ming began to ponder in his mind when to upload the promotional video for "The Swindler" to Green Fruit Short Video.

Kiwi's Star Map promotion plan is also a significant source of traffic, and it's free, so why not take advantage of it?

He is not planning to release videos of "Mao Pian" on Bilibili and Yin Fu for the time being, as it would affect the verticality of his fanbase.

"Here it comes!" Xiao Liang shouted excitedly.

Xia Ming looked up, thinking he was being told that the teacher had arrived.

As a result, Xiao Liang buried his head under the table, and only a low voice could be heard: "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4 is here! Ju Jingyi, I'm here!"

After saying that, he fell silent.

"This idiot's gone mad." Ah Bei was speechless.

Xia Ming and A Bei exchanged a glance, shook their heads helplessly, took out "The Grammar of Film Directing," and began to study under the instructor's film analysis guidance.

……

When the bell rang, Xiao Liang finally pulled his head out from under the desk.

"Holy crap!"

"What's wrong with you?!"

Seeing the stares coming from all around, Abei quickly pressed Xiao Liang's head back down.

"Let me go! I have to say it today!"

Xiao Liang struggled to pop his head out again: "Too! Too damn..."

"Is it really that good-looking?" Even Xia Ming was puzzled.

"It's fucking awful!"

Xiao Liang pulled out his phone and placed it on the table: "What kind of shitty male lead did they choose? Does he even deserve our Xiao Ju?!"

"They started spouting artificial sweeteners right off the bat without any build-up, it was so awkward!"

"The special effects are rubbish! That pig face that popped up scared me half to death!"

"The entire episode is filled with close-ups and extreme close-ups of faces; there isn't a single wide shot. It must have been filmed in a studio with a green screen!"

"Oh my god, what a disgrace to my little Ju!"

Abei was curious, so he picked up the phone and looked at it. The eye-searing special effects immediately made him shrink his eyes.

"What is this thing?"

He glanced back a few more times and couldn't help but complain, "Your Xiao Ju isn't much better. Several characters are standing together, yet she gets different lighting. Isn't that preferential treatment?"

"I forbid you to talk about her like that!"

Abei and Xiaoliang immediately started fighting.

Xia Ming glanced around the classroom and realized that not many people were as enthusiastic fans of Ju Jingyi as Xiao Liang, watching the show immediately.

To find out how others would react, Xia Ming opened Weibo.

The opening screen features three prominent trending topics.

#Chinese Paladin 4 premieres#, #Ju Jingyi Han Lingsha#, #Chen Zheyuan Yun Tianhe#

Unsurprisingly, the comments section was filled with nothing but "Celebrating the premiere of the new drama," "Sister is so beautiful," and "Absolutely amazing," with no useful information to be found.

Some neutral critics have remained silent, perhaps because Kiwi paid them hush money.

Only a few bloggers with relatively small followings dare to start a group buy immediately.

"Hilarious! They made a fantasy romance movie with a budget of 300 million, and they even had to make her fall in love with a nobody. It must have been tough on our 4,000 beauties."

"What's so hard about it? Ju Jingyi will take at least 200 million out of the 300 million budget. The special effects are comparable to the previous 'The Big Hornet'."

The comments below were a heated argument: "[Blogger, please don't flaunt your ignorance! There's a salary cap for actors; Ju Jingyi's highest salary won't exceed 80 million.]"

Follow-up comment: [Laughable, do they dare to disclose the actors' salaries? Probably the actors are paid 80 million each, but the studio is asking for a total of 200 million as a package deal?]

After browsing around for a while, I found an account belonging to the producer of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 1".

This account only posted one review, which read "...".

The comments below are practically an ancient battlefield.

[Idiot iQiyi is wasting public resources again. The first thing I do when I open Weibo is watch this crappy show. When I clicked in out of interest, it turned out to be just a bunch of noisy kids having a love triangle.]

[A timeless classic of Eastern fantasy, repackaged with a domineering CEO romance trope, and then recycled again—and this has a budget of 300 million?]

[A rational discussion: Ju Jingyi or Liu Yifei, who truly is a once-in-a-millennium beauty?]

The comments under this post were the most aggressive, with many of them being things Xia Ming couldn't even read aloud, and some even reaching the point of being real-life.

A small number of game fans offered a glimmer of hope: "Don't worry, at least it's progressing along the main storyline and hasn't been drastically altered..."

At lunchtime, on his way to the cafeteria, Xia Ming could hear people all around him discussing "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4".

Xia Ming then opened the Kiwi Fruit website.

The first thing you see is a huge poster for "Chinese Paladin 4", which stays there for a full five seconds before switching to other shows.

Both sides also feature banners for "The Legend of Sword and Fairy 4," and the recommendation section displays the game's special effects logo.

The search box is self-explanatory; the default search term is "Chinese Paladin 4," and the popularity bar below is also full of related content.

In just one morning after its premiere, "Chinese Paladin 4" garnered over ten million views, and its popularity soared to unprecedented heights.

It's important to know that the premiere requires a membership to watch, which is completely incomparable to movies like "The Big Hornet" that ride the wave of popularity and are released for free.

Looking at other social media platforms, unsurprisingly, the top headlines are the kind that immediately catch the eye when you open the app.

A rough estimate of the marketing and promotional value suggests an investment of over 100 million yuan.

With a budget of 300 million, actor salaries of over 100 million, and publicity and distribution of over 100 million, what's the point of making a serious drama?

Xia Ming carried his tray around the cafeteria and spotted a familiar figure sitting in a corner.

She wore a pure white fitted dress, white lace diamond-patterned socks, and black leather shoes, with a neatly folded light blue knitted cardigan next to her.

"What are you looking at?"

Xia Ming walked to Jiang Xixi's side.

Jiang Xixi looked up, blinked when she saw Xia Ming, picked up her sweater and moved it to the left.

She patted the spot next to her.

Xia Ming sat down, and Jiang Xixi said, "I'm watching 'Chinese Paladin 4'."

"Is it pretty?"

"Um……"

"The good looks aren't very obvious..."