Chapter 126

This clown was most likely him.

Liu Liu Wenjing could guarantee that this piece of news was worth at least 200,000. As long as he brought a picture, no matter which portal website he sold it to, they would pay immediately without a second thought.

As long as this news broke from his mouth, the next day—no, the same day—it would definitely be the headline of all entertainment news in the country.

That is the current market value of that master.

Who told him to inexplicably negotiate a super blockbuster from Warner? After landing the role of the Joker, his whereabouts became extremely elusive.

It was fine during the New Year, as there was still some news coming out of Long'an, but after the New Year, he truly vanished into thin air.

No one knew where he was or what he was doing, and even fewer people could interview him.

Now, across the country, apart from those close to him, Liu Liu Wenjing was likely the only one who had discovered this secret.

Liu Liu Wenjing's heart was like a stormy sea, with many ideas popping up at once.

What should he do to maximize his own interests?

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard a voice from the side: "Dig him over."

Liu Liu Wenjing's brain was spinning at high speed, and he hadn't reacted yet, so he asked that question.

Chen Senlin chuckled and said, "Cousin, of course, I mean digging over that beauty you took a fancy to just now. I know who she is; she's a newly recruited singer for the Su Mingming Comedy Troupe, helping to warm up the stage. As long as you give me some time, I guarantee I'll make your wish come true."

Liu Liu Wenjing nodded and said, "So those people just now are all from the comedy troupe you were in before, your competitors, right?"

Chen Senlin smiled smugly: "That's right. I remember telling you about it back then, Cousin Liu Wenjing. Their troupe leader is called Su Su Mingming; he used to be an extra, then returned to our Langfang to put on comedy shows. I even took him as my master. Later, following your advice, after I left him, I almost broke his troupe up in the last two years. But I didn't expect that a centipede dies but never stiffens. I don't know where he found those two people."

While Chen Senlin was talking, Liu Liu Wenjing listened very carefully and finally asked, "Which two people?"

"That clown and the woman dressed in ancient costume."

Liu Liu Wenjing nodded thoughtfully and said, "You mean that clown and that girl are both newcomers who have only recently appeared, right?"

"Yeah," Chen Senlin said with a smile, "their level is very poor. Although that woman sings terribly, she looks pretty good, very fresh and tender. That clown... haha, he's nothing, he doesn't know a thing. I went to watch his performance, and it almost laughed me to death."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed his always-serious cousin revealing a trace of a smile.

Liu Liu Wenjing chuckled: "Do they have any more performances later?"

Chen Senlin checked his watch and said, "The morning session just finished, the afternoon session won't start until 3 o'clock."

Liu Liu Wenjing nodded slightly and said, "That's not too late, I'll go take a look then."

Chen Senlin let out an "Ah" and asked, "Cousin, aren't you in a hurry?"

Liu Liu Wenjing smiled: "I suddenly remembered that things aren't actually that urgent."

In the afternoon, Zhao Zhao Liying's performance remained excellent. Because the mall had more foot traffic in the afternoon, it even caused a blockage on the sidewalk, making the merchants and event planners grin from ear to ear, constantly praising the Su Mingming Comedy Troupe for being worthy of Manager Wang's recommendation and truly having some skill.

There was just one request: could they stop letting that clown come up to make a mess and let the "Princess Princess Taiping" return to the stage a few more times?

Troupe Leader Su had previously scolded the clown for being worthless, but now he wouldn't have it. He only agreed to add two songs for Zhao Zhao Liying.

Finally, after five songs, Zhao Zhao Liying left the stage.

By this time, Liu Liu Wenjing had long been impatient.

That little girl did look good, and her ancient costume was stunning, but so what?

Liu Liu Wenjing had seen all kinds of beauties in the entertainment industry; there were plenty who could stun people.

For example, that Fan Fan Bingbing—at least ten times more stunning than this little girl, and then what?

Nowadays, it's still just those three words, "just like that."

Besides, wasn't that girl named Zhou from noon quite flavorful too? It made his legs feel a bit weak and sleepy now. These girls in their 20s are really too desperate for a role, using both hands and feet, sigh.

When the time comes, he'll just throw a small role with some screen time to her.

After the host spent a long time on stage with activities, she said, "Next, let's welcome our gorgeous clown who has come from afar in Europe to make a grand entrance and bring us a funny and cute comedy performance. Please welcome him."

Chen Senlin almost laughed out loud—"from Europe," "grand entrance." He turned his head and said, "Cousin, there's nothing left to see, why don't we..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw Liu Liu Wenjing staring at the stage with a serious and focused expression.

Chen Senlin immediately turned his head back to look, only to see no one else on stage but that same clown with dark red hair in a suit, juggling balls. Chen Senlin felt that not to mention compared to Guo Peng, even if he went up to juggle a few times, he would be more professional than the person up there.

At least he would dare to walk a few steps and do a few moves. What's there to see?

Chen Senlin looked at Liu Liu Wenjing again, only to see the other party expressionless, watching quite seriously.

What does this mean? Chen Senlin was confused to the extreme. Is it that good? Why can't he see it?

After a while, the clown's performance ended, and he left the stage in an awkward atmosphere.

Liu Liu Wenjing was also 100% certain.

Although the Liu family's ancestral grave didn't have blue smoke rising from it, the location must have been chosen correctly for it to bless his descendants for so long. Otherwise, how could he have bumped into this master on the streets of Langfang?

If it wasn't for the ancestral grave, what was it?

"Senlin, wait for me here for a while."

After Liu Liu Wenjing finished speaking, regardless of how confused Chen Senlin was behind him, he walked toward the back of the stage.

Chen Nuo had just left the stage and was preparing to be scolded. But he didn't expect that Optimus Prime didn't pay him any mind at all and was discussing the song selection for the next day with Zhao Zhao Liying. He even said he planned to find a photographer tomorrow to capture Zhao's grace to use in the Su Mingming Song and Dance Troupe's brochure.

Chen Nuo was just about to find a place to rest when he suddenly saw a somewhat familiar face looking at him with a gentle smile.

Isn't this that...

Who was it?

Chen Nuo couldn't remember for a moment.

Oh, right, surnamed Liu.

The assistant director of "Perhaps Love"—he had actually gained so much weight.

Chen Nuo could tell immediately that the other party had recognized him.

He calmly observed his surroundings, and seeing no one paying attention to him, he slowly walked toward Liu Liu Wenjing and brushed past him.

Liu Liu Wenjing spent his days on set observing people and being a director's lackey; how could he not have this much awareness? He immediately followed behind.

Chen Nuo walked to a corner on the left side of the mall and smiled: "Liu Dao, why are you here?"

Liu Liu Wenjing's smile was both gentle and sweet. Chen Chen Kexin called Chen Nuo "Nuo Zai," but he didn't dare to, so he hesitated and said, "Chen Laoshi, entertainment reporters across the country are looking for you. I didn't expect you to be in Langfang."

Although Chen Nuo was a bit depressed, he wasn't panicked. If his identity was exposed, it was no big deal; he could just go somewhere else.

Hearing the title "Chen Laoshi," he really got goosebumps all over. "Liu Dao, don't. You'd better call me Xiao Chen. I really can't afford to be called 'Teacher'."

Liu Liu Wenjing said: "Are you currently... for the role?"

Chen Nuo nodded: "Yes."

Liu Liu Wenjing looked very embarrassed: "Then that was truly abrupt. Sigh, if I had known, I shouldn't have come to disturb you. It's just that it's been a long time, and seeing you is really heartwarming, so I couldn't help but come up to say hello. Please don't mind."

Chen Nuo smiled: "What are you talking about? How can it be a disturbance for an old friend I haven't seen in so long? Liu Dao, are you here in Langfang for something?"

Liu Liu Wenjing said: "To tell you the truth, the leader of that Senlin Comedy Troupe, Chen Senlin, is my cousin. I haven't seen him in a long time, so I came to see him. I didn't expect to run into you so coincidentally."

Chen Nuo nodded: "I see."

Liu Liu Wenjing immediately said: "Don't worry, I guarantee I won't reveal a word about you being here to the outside world."

"Then thank you, Liu Dao."

For Liu Liu Wenjing, he had gone to great lengths for this one sentence.

He had figured it out: selling a photo to the media could certainly get him some money. However, if he did that, he would only have this much achievement in his life.

In the film and television circle, there isn't a single assistant director who doesn't want to be a director.

He was the same; he dreamed of being able to take on a film to direct.

Whether it lived or died, whether it was a hit or a flop, he would own it as long as it was his work.

Even if he couldn't live to be Zhang Zhang Yimou, he would die like a 007.

However, this stepping stone was incredibly difficult to obtain.

Hong Kong recently had a new director support program with a lot of hype, and he had submitted a script and shooting plan to try, but unsurprisingly, it was rejected.

After all, there were more directors starving to death in the country than dogs; why would the cake fall on his head?

He used to ask himself this question often.

Now he knew the answer.

Because I'm quite close to Chen Nuo, and he still remembers my kindness.

Liu Liu Wenjing smiled: "Don't be polite. Sigh, it was my impatience. Well, that's it, I'll go first, I won't disturb you anymore."

"Okay, Liu Dao, take care."

Chen Senlin waited for a while and saw Liu Liu Wenjing suddenly appear from somewhere, looking both serious and relaxed, with a very complex expression, as if he had accomplished something major, or as if he were thinking about something.

After walking over, Liu Liu Wenjing only had a solemn expression left on his face. He pulled Chen Senlin aside and said, "Senlin, Cousin has something I want to ask of you."

Chen Senlin's mind instantly thought of the deposit figures in the bank, then thought of Chen Chen Kexin, Jin Jin Chengwu, and Zhang Zhang Xueyou, thinking that if you don't risk the child, you won't catch the wolf. He gritted his teeth and said, "Cousin, tell me."

Liu Liu Wenjing said earnestly: "Senlin, this matter is very easy for you, but it relates to my future prospects, and can even be said to be the fate of my life. As long as you help me this once, I'll owe you a huge favor. From now on, no matter what it is, as long as you speak up, whether I can do it or not, I will definitely do it for you."

Chen Senlin was truly startled by these words and said hurriedly: "Cousin, what exactly is it? As long as I can do it, I will definitely do it."

Liu Liu Wenjing said: "Can you stop looking for trouble with that Su Su Mingming and his subordinates from now on?"

Chen Senlin never expected the other party to say such a thing, and couldn't help but be stunned: "Ah?" Liu Liu Wenjing stared into his eyes and repeated: "Don't interfere with them, can you? Don't ask me why. Just this one thing—if you can do it, from now on, we two brothers will be like real brothers."

Chen Senlin hesitated for a moment, many different thoughts floating in his mind. Finally, under Liu Liu Wenjing's deep gaze, he sighed and said, "Cousin, since you've said so, I won't ask why. Fine, from now on, I'll pretend I don't see them."

Liu Liu Wenjing patted Chen Senlin's shoulder and said, "Good brother."

When Chen Nuo walked back to the backstage of the Su Mingming Song and Dance Troupe, he saw Su Su Mingming looking into the distance as if facing a formidable enemy.

He said to Huo Huo Xiaosi and Zhao Zhao Liying: "See that? Chen Senlin really came over. I told you, he couldn't just sit by. I know him very well; this person is the most unscrupulous. That fat guy talking to him doesn't look like a good person either. They're probably plotting some scheme against us. From tomorrow on, we must be 100 times more alert."

As it turned out, the next day, the other party had moved their stage to another location, leaving Su Su Mingming completely baffled.

It was the same afterward; the two troupes, which were originally at daggers drawn, seemed to have suddenly returned to a state of peace, each earning their own money.

Su Su Mingming felt as if he were in a dream.

Just like that, unknowingly, time arrived at mid-March.

At this time, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" finally began airing on various television channels amidst the anticipation of the masses.

The premiere of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" was on the Film and Literature Channel of Sichuan Television, starting on March 12th, airing two episodes every night at 8 o'clock.

The start of this drama attracted the attention of media professionals across the country.

Because this 42-episode Jin Yong martial arts series had been in the news constantly since it was put on the shelf.

Initially, the producers were negotiating with CCTV, but after CCTV watched the preview, they directly offered a sky-high price of 650,000 per episode.

This absolutely belonged to the top tier among satellite TV dramas in recent years.

Unexpectedly, the producers of "Condor" actually refused.

It is said that Zhang Zhang Jizhong even said in some small circles that this price was far below expectations and that CCTV's reviewers had lagging recognition, because 650,000 per episode only reflected the quality of the film itself and didn't reflect the current popularity and market value of the male lead at all.

This statement was actually quite arrogant, because this price already far exceeded the 400,000 per episode of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils." If Zhang Zhang Jizhong believed it hadn't reflected the male lead's market value, it meant he believed that Hu Jun, Lin Zhiying, and Gao Hu combined couldn't compare to one Chen Nuo.

But after this statement spread in small circles, unexpectedly, no one publicly questioned it.

On the contrary, there were many who were openly envious.

After all, they found a male actor to film a drama, and before the drama was sold, this male actor became the new male lead of a Wong Kar-wai film.

Such a thing could be said to be a fairy tale, the kind of beautiful fairy tale that could make producers wake up from their sleep laughing.

Afterward, the "Condor" producers chose to broadcast on local television stations and invited nearly 30 interested local stations to Jingcheng.

As a result, unexpectedly, yet seemingly within reason, after three rounds of bidding, they sold the first-round broadcast rights to 10 television stations across the strait and three regions at a price of 80,000 to 110,000 per episode.

Just from this alone, the copyright fee for "The Return of the Condor Heroes" reached over 40 million, and plus the audio-visual copyright which was definitely over 10 million, the initial distribution income of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" of over 50 million was already a certainty.

Plus the second-round satellite broadcast, and even the third and fourth-round rebroadcast rights, there was no doubt that the investors would make a fortune.

But afterward, something that made all domestic producers gnash their teeth in envy and be so jealous they couldn't sleep at night happened again.

Less than half a month after selling the first-round broadcast rights, the "Condor" producers and Hunan Satellite TV terminated the satellite broadcast negotiations that were already almost finalized.

The reason given by the "Condor" side was that, upholding a responsible and pragmatic attitude, they decided to postpone the negotiations until after the first-round broadcast concluded.

At that time, they would restart based on the first-round ratings, which could more effectively protect the interests of the television stations. At that time, major satellite stations were welcome to come and negotiate.

Everyone knew this was bullshit.

There was no other reason than that the male lead, who was always causing a stir, had launched another satellite.

Having just finished filming Wong Kar-wai's film and immediately about to cooperate with Warner, the producers' spirits, which were already sky-high, had now broken through the atmosphere, and they were dissatisfied with the satellite broadcast price they had already negotiated.

In contrast, those television stations that bought the first-round broadcast rights were all beaming with joy.

This was truly what it meant to buy and earn.

Zhang "Big Hu Zi" now walked around with the air of an immortal and a prophet.

There was a rumor that Zhang "Big Hu Zi" had actually given a generous red envelope to a patient surnamed Huang to commend the other party's illness.

It was probably fake; otherwise, it would be too wicked.

But everyone had to admit, who could have imagined today back then?

Under these circumstances, the local ratings for the first day of the Film Channel of Sichuan Television were 11%, which was excellent for other dramas, but for the highly anticipated "Return of the Condor Heroes," it could only be called mediocre.

But the media didn't hype it, and no one on blogs rolled up their sleeves to mock it.

The reason was simple: the adult Yang Guo would appear in the third episode, which was the second day.

On the night before the adult Yang Guo appeared, the results of the second round of the Yahoo Search Star competition were also out.

Zhao Zhao Liying indeed didn't make it to the third round.

The reason was simple: the competition in Zhang Zhang Yimou's group was truly too crazy, so crazy that its 50th-place vote count was higher than the 3rd place in Feng Feng Xiaogang's group.

No matter how beautiful Zhao Zhao Liying looked in Zhou Xun's old clothes singing "Blue and White Porcelain" in the video, in front of these RMB players, she was like a chicken or a dog, completely vulnerable.

Finally, when Zhao Zhao Liying learned she had been eliminated, her reaction wasn't actually big; when she went on stage that day, she sang "Fable" even better.

That night, the adult Yang Guo appeared.

The average ratings for the Film Channel of Sichuan Television reached 18%.

The highest ratings occurred during the adult Yang Guo's first appearance, which was when Chen Nuo was at the water pool practicing the "Heavenly Net" technique, and after a mischievous conversation with Xiaolongnü Liu Qi Yifei, he spat water at her.

The ratings there reached 38%, the highest ratings since "My Fair Princess."

It left everyone following the drama laughing and crying.

Bloggers on Sina were laughing like crazy, one after another taking screenshots of this segment and analyzing it frame by frame, among which there was no lack of sowing discord, leading to a battle between the fans of both sides, while also gaining a lot of heat.

On the third day, the average ratings for the Film Channel of Sichuan Television reached 23%, and it never dropped afterward.

At this time, other local television stations also began airing it one after another: Shandong Qilu TV, Chongqing TV Film Channel, Zhejiang Education and Technology Channel, Guangdong Public Channel, BJ Channel 4, etc., including Hong Kong TVB and Taiwan CTV.

Although troubled by online piracy, once aired by major mainland television stations, they all set new local ratings records.

In particular, the results of Hong Kong TVB Jade Channel exceeded everyone's expectations.

On the night of the premiere, like the Sichuan station, it was mediocre, with ratings of only about 30 points. Although good, it wasn't that good.

As a result, the next day, that classic scene of playing in the water appeared, and the highest ratings that night surged to 45 points, setting a new ratings record for foreign-purchased dramas in Hong Kong and simultaneously topping the list for the highest ratings of all Hong Kong dramas in 2006.

Following closely, the headline of Apple Daily was "Yang Guo parties with young model girlfriend Wen Wen Yongshan at a yacht party last December."

Below the headline was a photo of Chen Nuo and Wen Wen Yongshan sitting on a sofa, where their faces could barely be seen clearly.

That's right, the explosion of "Condor" ratings made Apple Daily determined to purchase various gossip about Chen Nuo during his time in Hong Kong at a high price, and finally, someone who was on the same yacht as Wen Wen Yongshan and Chen Nuo that day was tempted.

Other Hong Kong gossip weeklies now had a direction to ride the heat.

Wen Wen Yongshan went from an unknown little model to having the treatment of wearing sunglasses and taking a nanny car when going out, followed by gossip reporters wherever she went every day.

Whether leaving home or the company, there were always five or six microphones stuck in front of her mouth.

Making one of her best friends envious to death.

Logically speaking, such fame was what Wen Wen Yongshan had dreamed of in the past, but when this moment truly arrived, she found she wasn't happy.

Not only because the questions these gossip magazines asked her every time weren't serious, and not a single magazine truly believed she and Chen Nuo were real boyfriend and girlfriend.

More importantly, she hadn't been in contact with Chen Nuo for a long, long time.

Although she knew he was doing this for the role.

But a woman's longing for her lover will not change for any objective reason. Truly loving someone, a woman's greatest wish is always for him to be by her side.

Amidst the ratings frenzy set off by "Condor," the days reached April.

At this time, Zhao Liying resigned from the comedy troupe and went to Hengdian, becoming a glorious "Hengdian drifter."

Before leaving, she treated Optimus Prime, Giraffe, and the Clown to a meal at her home, which she cooked herself, making a Hebei famous dish said to be a family secret recipe: pot-stickers with pork knuckle.

It was really delicious.

At the dinner table, she drank a bottle of wine and cried like rain.

Afterward, the four people at the table, three of them cursed Chen Nuo wildly together, forcing the other one to echo a few times.

After Zhao Zhao Liying left, the Su Mingming Comedy Troupe recruited another flower fairy.

This time it was a real flower fairy, not Princess Princess Taiping. Su Su Mingming took all of Princess Princess Taiping's clothes home.

Afterward, Chen Nuo stayed in Langfang for more than half a month.

At the beginning of May, Qi Yuntian came to pick him up.

Chen Nuo said on the phone to Su Su Mingming that he had something at home and needed to resign.

Su Su Mingming asked many times on the phone if he needed help, and Chen Nuo said no. Finally, Su Su Mingming told him that if he finished his business and wanted to come back, he could come back anytime.

Chen Nuo didn't take a single thing from his rented room, except for the script that had been flipped through until it was worn out and that brown notebook filled with words even in the margins.

After getting in the car, Qi Yuntian observed him in the rearview mirror for a long time, and his first sentence was: "Are you still Chen Nuo now?"

(End of chapter)