Chapter 183: Liu Shishi

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The promotional tour for Kung Fu nearly consumed Cheng Chen an entire month.

But during this time, he didn't do nothing else.

After the "lawsuit" incident, China Weibo's user base grew geometrically.

But it was still far from Cheng Chen's goal—he wanted Weibo to become an internet giant like in the future.

To become the primary way young people went online for entertainment.

So he mobilized his friends, urging them all to join Weibo.

People like Su Youpeng, Jia Jingwen, Gao Yuanyuan, Fan Bingbing, and Liu Tianxian all registered Weibo accounts under his persuasion.

He also tried inviting some less familiar friends, such as Wang Fei and Zhou Dong.

Fortunately, everyone was very accommodating—it was just registering an account, a trivial matter, and no one minded.

After all, even if they didn't want to use it, they could just hand it over to their agents to manage—or leave it untouched entirely.

But when fans saw their idols had registered Weibo accounts,

they joined the Weibo crowd too, eager to get closer to their idols.

Every day they flooded the comment sections, urging their idols to post updates.

Besides inviting celebrities to join Weibo, Cheng Chen also did his best to refine all kinds of rankings.

Such as the Real-Time Hot Search List, Rising Trend List, Music Chart, and others.

After all, people came to Weibo for entertainment and gossip—he did his best to satisfy the public in this regard.

When people talked about a hot event or topic, and you sat there dumbly, unable to join the conversation,

that would be embarrassing.

So you pull out your phone, log into Weibo, check the Hot Search List—and suddenly you feel included!

After all, humans are social animals; completely withdrawing from society,

hmm… unlikely!

…

"Boss Cheng, the CCTV Spring Festival Gala team is on the line."

Su Qingya walked into Cheng Chen's office, holding a folder and the phone.

Cheng Chen nodded and took the phone.

"Hey, Director Luo, hahaha, hello hello, I'm Cheng Chen…"

After hanging up, Cheng Chen rubbed his nose bridge and chuckled bitterly:

"Looks like I can't escape it again this year—the Spring Festival Gala."

Su Qingya nodded; she wasn't surprised the Spring Festival Gala had invited Cheng Chen.

After all, since his debut, his popularity had never waned, and his works kept coming.

He had participated in films, TV dramas, and music alike.

In his three years since debut, he'd been invited to the Spring Festival Gala every year.

Aside from the perennial Spring Festival Gala fixtures, how many others had received such treatment?

Among the younger generation of artists, no one could match him.

"They suggest releasing a new song for the Gala—ah, but new songs aren't that easy to write, and yet I can't refuse."

Cheng Chen sighed helplessly.

In Gang Sheng, CCTV had helped out a lot.

Cheng Chen learned about these matters only after returning, from Su Qingya's mouth.

So now was the time to repay the favor.

Su Qingya smiled faintly—others would kill to get on the Spring Festival Gala, yet her boss was complaining.

She placed the folder on the desk and walked behind Cheng Chen.

She placed her two thumbs on the back of his head, her other fingers slowly massaging his scalp, and said:

"If someone else said that, I might believe them.

But for you, Boss Cheng, writing songs is as ordinary as drinking water or eating meals—relax, there's no rush in these next few days."

Listening to his secretary's words, Cheng Chen leaned back, his head resting against the headrest.

Feeling the soothing pressure on his scalp, he exhaled and said:

"Thank goodness the Kung Fu promotion is finally over. By the way, what have Ning Hao and his group been up to lately?"

"Director Ning has been finalizing Crazy Stone—it's already completed.

He and Huang Bo recently went out wandering and ran into a producer needing an ad shoot.

They needed a typecast actor and a director, so they went over—before leaving, they told me about it."

"Looks like they're getting impatient too."

Cheng Chen smiled.

Ning Hao and Huang Bo had already been signed under Xinghuo Media, but lately Cheng Chen had been busy filming and touring, so he hadn't paid much attention to them.

He planned to start preparing his next film after Crazy Stone's release, so he'd definitely need them then.

"By the way, how's Wulin Waizhuan coming along?"

Cheng Chen suddenly asked.

"Director Shang has everything arranged—they're selecting filming locations and will start shooting next month,"

Su Qingya said slowly.

"Good, tell Director Shang that for Wulin Waizhuan, he has full authority."

Cheng Chen spoke slowly.

Wulin Waizhuan was Xinghuo Media's first attempt in the television field.

They chose Wulin Waizhuan as a test because it aligned with the current market.

The Editor's Office, broadcast in 1992, had not yet formally introduced the concept of "situational comedy."

But it already possessed all the elements of a situational comedy, and after airing, it sparked widespread discussion and became a classic.

Especially its humorous and satirical dialogue, which wove social hot topics into the story, won it a large audience.

This point coincides exactly with Wulin Waizhuan.

In 1993, with the formal naming of "situational comedy," I Love My Family was born through the joint efforts of a group of accomplished actors.

Actors like Song Dandan and Ge Daye thus became the top male and female comedians in the industry.

Afterwards, situational comedies welcomed other excellent works such as Idle Man Ma Dajie and Northeast Family.

Idle Man Ma Dajie was wildly popular that year, with ratings second only to Weather Forecast.

Every household, from elders to children, followed Ma Dajie.

Then came Family with Children, a drama whose influence was no less than Idle Man Ma Dajie.

After that came Wulin Waizhuan.

These successful examples show that situational comedies have considerable market potential today.

Even after this year, Love Apartment, despite being plagued by accusations of plagiarism, still became a massive hit.

It even spawned a big-budget film that pretended to be one thing but was really another, earning money at an astonishing speed!

On the other hand, the copyright for Wulin Waizhuan is also extremely tempting!

In his previous life, due to ambiguous copyright, Wulin Waizhuan went through several lawsuits.

The movie rights were taken away, and this time, Cheng Chen would certainly hold them tightly.

The movie rights, needless to say, are among the most profitable; game adaptations, manga adaptations, audio dramas, and various merchandise also bring substantial income.

But what Cheng Chen truly cared about was the online copyright.

He remembered reading a report from the future:

Starting in 2015, massive capital poured wildly into the online video sector, driving up the price of TV drama copyrights.

The 2017 China TV Drama Industry Survey Report showed.

Video websites averaged 7.81 million yuan per episode for top-tier content.

Compared to Wulin Waizhuan from ten years ago, this was a more than 6,000-fold increase.

In 2006, the online copyright price per episode of Wulin Waizhuan was 1,250 yuan…

When Cheng Chen saw this news, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Youku, Tencent Video, and iQiyi fought fiercely in the future, each spending huge sums to acquire TV drama copyrights.

For a show like Wulin Waizhuan, the online broadcast price in 2006 was only 100,000 yuan.

Note: this was a buyout system!

Of course, this was also because people at the time did not value online copyright.

This time, Cheng Chen would not be so foolish—such a high-quality drama could never be sold as a buyout.

Selling playback rights by time period was the most suitable approach, allowing him to heavily exploit the big companies.

…

After handling the matters, Cheng Chen went to Modu again.

The post-production of Immortal Sword I was nearly complete, and he was invited by Cai Yinong to view the finished product.

"Chief Cheng, sorry to make you come all the way again."

At the company, Cai Yinong said with a smile.

Beside Cai Yinong stood a young girl whom Cheng Chen found familiar; he smiled and said:

"Chief Cai, you're joking—who is this?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce you—Shi Shi, this is Chief Cheng; aren't you still his fan?"

Cai Yinong said to the girl beside him.

The girl had large eyes; though slightly immature, she was clearly a future beauty.

"Hello, I'm Cheng Chen."

Cheng Chen said with a smile, though she had not yet become the breathtaking beauty of the future.

But Cheng Chen recognized her—Liu Shishi, the woman who brought countless hatred to Longlili!

Has she already joined Tangren?

Unbeknownst to him, although Cheng Chen had used his powerful connections to snatch Li Xiaoyao away from Hu Ge,

Hu Ge had still joined Tangren, and he and Liu Shishi were fellow disciples.

Because of Hu Ge, Liu Shishi frequently visited Tangren and was greatly favored by Cai Yinong.

After watching Liu Shishi's performance in Moon Shadow and Wind Lotus, Cai Yinong became determined to sign her to Tangren.

Speaking of Liu Shishi, she had been learning various arts since childhood.

As a child, her family had wanted her to study storytelling, but the storytelling teacher believed girls were unsuitable for it.

He advised her to study dance and acting instead.

So at age six, she began taking ballet classes at a part-time ballet school.

In fourth grade of elementary school, Liu Shishi was admitted to the Jingcheng Arts School.

Later, due to physical limitations, she gradually abandoned her original dream of becoming a ballet dancer.

She planned to become a ballet teacher after graduation.

Liu Shishi, who had originally planned to become a ballet teacher, was in her third year at the Beijing Dance Academy.

Then the Moon Shadow and Wind Lotus production team came to the school to cast actors.

She had only gone to the audition to watch the commotion, but was unexpectedly chosen.

Thus she landed her first film and television role, beginning her acting career…

"Hello, I—I'm Liu Shishi."

The girl had big eyes and a very lively personality; she grinned and said:

"Boss, your Weibo hasn't been updated in ages—I leave comments under it every day, have you seen them?"

"Uh…"

He received hundreds of comments on his Weibo every day and had indeed never noticed.

"Uh…my assistant handles my Weibo normally, hehe."

"Alright then, oh boss, can I take a photo with you later?"

Liu Shishi asked with eager anticipation.

"Of course."

Cheng Chen agreed at once.

Seeing Cheng Chen and Cai Yinong had something to discuss, Liu Shishi voluntarily took her leave.

Before leaving, she reminded Cheng Chen again about the photo.

"This girl is just a bit lively—please don't mind her, Manager Cheng."

Cai Yinong smiled.

"Hehe, I'm not much older than her myself—she's full of energy, gives off a fresh, youthful vibe."

Born in 1987, Liu Shishi was only seventeen this year.

At this age, Cheng Chen thought of Liu Tianxian.

In later years, it was said Liu Shishi debuted under the title "Little Liu Tianxian."

Both in appearance and aura, the two were very similar.

It was said they had directly or indirectly clashed over roles many times.

Liu Tianxian portrayed Wang Yuyan in Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre.

In a game, Liu Shishi also took on the role of Wang Yuyan, even dressing and makeup nearly identical to Liu Tianxian's.

Previously, Zhao Ling'er from Chinese Paladin 1 stood as the pinnacle of xianxia dramas.

Zhao Ling'er had become a classic in viewers' hearts.

When Long Kui's image from Chinese Paladin 3 appeared, she was equally delicate and pitiful.

Equally otherworldly, she instantly evoked memories of the earlier Liu Tianxian.

Though this role wasn't a direct clash, in both personality and character design, it was an indirect one.

Long Kui's sweet, fresh aura matched Zhao Ling'er's perfectly.

Then there was the Huangshan Woman versus Xiao Long Nu.

Liu Tianxian's Xiao Long Nu left many unable to forget.

And Liu Shishi's Huangshan Woman in Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre was repeatedly hinted to be a descendant of Xiao Long Nu.

Even their entrance styles were nearly identical.

Both arrived on a white cloth, gliding gracefully on white silk, like fairies descending from the horizon.

Some said this was Cai Yinong's deliberate move after signing Liu Shishi.

But from Cheng Chen's current interactions with both women, there were similarities, yet many differences.

Though it's possible Liu Shishi later joined Sugar Man and was deliberately packaged by Cai Yinong,

at present, their personalities differed greatly, and their appearances were only about thirty percent alike.

"Hehe, Manager Cheng, you're young and accomplished—please."

Cai Yinong smiled.

After entering the screening room, Cai Yinong spoke to the staff and began playback.

They screened the first five episodes; after watching, Cheng Chen nodded.

It was nearly identical to his memory of Chinese Paladin 1.

In terms of acting, it was certainly far stronger than the later versions.

After all, under Cheng Chen's guidance, Liu Tianxian's performance in this drama was excellent—a definite plus.

Speaking of Liu Tianxian, the girl was still filming The Legend of the Condor Heroes with Big Beard Zhang Jizhong and Huang Jiaozhu.

A few days ago, she called asking Cheng Chen to visit her set, but he declined with an excuse.

"No need to watch the rest—I think it's great."

After watching the TV drama for a long time, Cheng Chen stood up to stretch and said to Cai Yinong.

"I feel the same—old bones ache from sitting too long."

"Nonsense, Manager Cai is still young."

Cheng Chen chuckled.

Then Cheng Chen followed Cai Yinong to the office, where Cai Yinong pulled out the list of television stations that had purchased the initial rights to Chinese Paladin 1.

Unlike later years, with Cheng Chen's involvement and promotion, Chinese Paladin 1 did not end up premiering on a local station.

Back then, because the premiere platform was Taiwan CTV and Chongqing Television's film and television channel,

not a single national broadcaster offered it a slot.

But interestingly, when Chinese Paladin 1 premiered in 2005, it achieved an average viewership rating of 11.3% on local stations.

It crushed most of the TV dramas of the same period, yet still failed to get a satellite broadcast slot……

So Cheng Chen changed its tragic fate.

This time, several satellite TV stations threw it an olive branch, such as Xiang Province Satellite TV, Modu Weishi, Wan Province Satellite TV, and so on.

……