Chapter 39: New Drama

Online discussions about vulgar songs intensified, and finally, under duress, A Du had no choice but to step forward and issue a statement.

The gist was that the elder artists were right, and he gently admitted his songs indeed had shortcomings; in the future, he would devote himself more earnestly to creating works to repay his fans.

This statement immediately won praise from the Huayu Yinyuehui, which commended him for understanding propriety and reason, and actively invited him to participate in next month's song competition.

Although A Du's "He Must Love You Very Much" was still being distributed, it didn't matter—what mattered was that he bowed his head and rode the wave of publicity, which was already the goal achieved.

Everyone had originally thought that once A Du stepped forward, Cheng Chen wouldn't last long, but this newcomer seemed to have some backbone—he never showed up or issued any statement.

Every day, large crowds of media gathered outside Tianhai Records' building, waiting to interview Cheng Chen, but he never returned to the company at all.

"Disrespectful to elders! Disrespectful to fans! Disrespectful to music!"

The head of the Huayu Yinyuehui made this evaluation of Cheng Chen during an interview.

Suddenly, news about Cheng Chen surged into a frenzy—people cursed him, praised him, mocked him, and said all kinds of things; the online populace displayed every possible face, each different from the next!

"A Du stepped forward to issue a statement because he's a foreign singer—he has to bow down for the sake of the domestic market. I don't care; even if I stop singing, I can still earn my living through acting."

At home, Cheng Chen explained to Gao Yuanyuan while eating.

He had moved into his new home, and after Gao Yuanyuan's arrangements, the house finally had a touch of domestic warmth.

Seeing Gao Yuanyuan still looked worried, Cheng Chen patted her handback and comforted her:

"Don't worry—a bunch of old guys won't smash my livelihood. Good works will always find buyers. Come on, sis, eat up—Lai Dao told me to go to the set after dinner."

"Is Lai Dao offering you a new drama?"

Gao Yuanyuan nodded. After finishing her role in "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," she returned to her old profession: Flat Model.

Sometimes she did endorsements, shooting commercials for clients.

"Hmm… Lai Dao didn't clarify over the phone—we'll know when we get there."

After dinner, Cheng Chen headed for the set.

……

"Director, you wanted to see me?"

Cheng Chen walked confidently into Lai Dao's office and asked with a smile.

"Oh, you're here, Cheng Zai. Sit down."

Lai Shuiqing put down his storyboard and smiled:

"Since Yuanyuan wrapped, you haven't come to the set much. If I hadn't called, I bet you'd be wandering somewhere right now."

Hearing this, Cheng Chen sighed helplessly:

"It's not that I don't want to come—the paparazzi camp out at my door every day; stepping out is a hassle."

Lai Shuiqing nodded and joked:

"I heard about your situation. Now you know how tough the entertainment industry is, right? You can still come back and be my Assistant Director if you want."

"No, no, no, Lai Dao—don't even joke. Right now I just want to stay home, reflect deeply, think about what those veteran artists said, and figure out exactly where I went wrong."

Cheng Chen chuckled bitterly.

"Hahaha, you won't even take a role?"

"A role?"

A spark flashed in Cheng Chen's eyes as he asked eagerly.

"You're the type who won't act until he sees the rabbit—there's a role, but the part's small, and the production quality's decent."

Lai Shuiqing scolded with a laugh.

"Hehe, that's called being obsessed with roles. If there's a role, no matter how small, if it fits, I'll climb mountains of knives or walk through fire!"

Cheng Chen patted his chest and vowed.

"Good spirit—that's exactly why I like you. Here, take a look."

Lai Shuiqing handed Cheng Chen a stack of papers from his desk.

Cheng Chen stared in surprise at the script:

"Director Wang Rui, Screenwriter Yu Fei… It's this drama… 'The Story of the Criminal Investigator.'"

」

Looking at the information on the script's first page, Cheng Chen recalled details about this drama—he'd once stayed up late watching it.

"The Story of the Criminal Investigator" starred Li Chengru, who had delivered standout performances in "Serious Case Six Groups," and he continued using the same character name: "Da Ceng."

Yes, Li Chengru was the "Ru"-word master of sarcastic idioms—the man who made Xiao Si cry pitifully in "The Actor Please Take Your Place," leaving him feeling like thorns in his back, a fishbone stuck in his throat, and sitting on needles.

As for director Wang Rui, Cheng Chen didn't remember him well—besides "The Story of the Criminal Investigator," he had another work called "The Story of Beiping"; Cheng Chen had no strong memories of anything else.

But screenwriter Yu Fei… he was a genius.

Classic crime-thriller masterpieces like "Serious Case Six Groups 3 and 4," the renowned "The Never-Fading Radio Waves," and the acclaimed "Circuit Inspector," hailed as the sister series to "The People's Name," were all written by him.

So, with all these main creators having impressive track records, this TV drama was destined not to flop.

In fact, "The Story of the Criminal Investigator" was truly outstanding—it carried forward the tense, thrilling style of "Serious Case Six Groups," using a dual-case parallel narrative structure.

When it premiered in 2003, it crushed "My Fair Princess III" in its time slot and became a ratings sensation.

"Not bad, right? … I'm good friends with one of the Producer Directors."

"I was asked to help him find a singer from Gang Sheng to write the theme song for this drama."

"I thought, why go far when there's someone close? You're a singer—so I recommended you."

"Later, when I learned they still needed actors, I got you a role—but you'll have to audition…"

Lai Dao poured Cheng Chen a cup of coffee and smiled beside him.

"Even an audition's fine—I really appreciate it, Lai Dao!"

Cheng Chen accepted the coffee with both hands, grateful.

"I just provided a channel—if you land the role, that's your own ability. It shouldn't be a problem. Get ready on both fronts—the audition's in two days…"

……

After leaving the set, Cheng Chen went to Luo Tong's siheyuan once more.

The new drama had been settled, but the album still hadn't been resolved; since he decided to enter the song competition hosted by Huayu Music Concert, he needed at least one heavyweight song to anchor it.

The song was already prepared.

He was just waiting to come to Luo Tong's place for a buff.

"This song is excellent, really great!"

Looking at the lyrics and melody Cheng Chen handed over, Luo Tong was unusually excited, gazing at Cheng Chen as if he were a treasure:

"Pop, rock, or folk—add this song to it… I've seen many brilliant geniuses, but you're even better than them!!"

But after a moment, Luo Tong shook his head in disappointment and said:

"This song involves some technical issues—I can't teach you the chorus part. Here, find this person using the business card; she can teach you."

Luo Tong handed Cheng Chen a business card.

Cheng Chen respectfully took the card and looked curiously at the address on it:

Central Academy of Drama?