Chapter 93: Zhang Wuji

After watching the movie, Cheng Chen and Gao Yuanyuan left the cinema hand in hand.

Just as they stepped out, Cheng Chen suddenly remembered that last time, the same scene had occurred—watching Chen Da's *Together with You*.

Now again, he watched Lao Mou Zi's *Hero* with Gao Yuanyuan.

I wonder if next time it'll be Feng Dapao's movie.

Of course, Cheng Chen had no interest in Feng Dapao; he doubted he'd even go see the new film if it were released.

"By the way, sis, has Bao Qiang contacted you since then?"

Cheng Chen had given Bao Qiang his and Gao Yuanyuan's contact info back then; counting the time, that kid should be mining coal in a coal mine by now.

"Bao Qiang? I remember… he never called me."

Gao Yuanyuan shook her head.

"That kid's just like that—too proud to ask for help, stubborn!"

Cheng Chen nodded.

"Why do you care so much about him?"

Gao Yuanyuan asked.

"Him… well, we used to be extra actors together, looking out for each other; now I look back and see myself in him."

Cheng Chen spoke as they walked, recalling that in his past life, after Bao Qiang became famous, he had reached out to him.

But back then, Cheng Chen's pride was high—his little brother had made it, while he was still just an extra.

He didn't want to cling to Bao Qiang's resources; he even deliberately cut off contact, determined to earn fame on his own, just like Bao Qiang.

But among hundreds of thousands of extras, only Wang Baoqiang became famous; Cheng Chen had acting talent, but came from a makeshift troupe.

He was handsome, but had missed the era of young idols, and among hundreds of thousands of actors, there was never a shortage of good-looking men or campus beauties.

Without connections or resources, he would spend his whole life as a supporting actor.

Sensing Cheng Chen's melancholy, Gao Yuanyuan gently linked her arm through his and smiled:

"You're already very excellent now. By the way, when we promoted in Wan Sheng last time, Min Min and Su Youpeng asked me about you."

*Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre* was a cross-strait co-production; it premiered first in Wan Sheng, and has been out for over half a month now.

During the promotion, Lai Shuiqing had called Cheng Chen, but he was busy filming and the matter was dropped.

"I'll tell you something funny: *Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre* premiered first in Wan Sheng, and at first, the response was lukewarm, ratings were low."

"Then our crew went to Wan Sheng for promotion; at the press conference, Su Youpeng directly told the audience that if the show's ratings broke 7%, he'd strip and run naked."

We were all shocked—you know, Su Youpeng was hugely popular in Wan Sheng, and the atmosphere in the room was electric."

Gao Yuanyuan laughed until she couldn't breathe; the usually quiet and reserved Su Youpeng had dared say something like that at a press conference.

Cheng Chen grinned widely, able to picture Su Youpeng's solemn, righteous expression at the time.

In private, Su Youpeng was very different from his public persona, but hearing him say that still shocked anyone who knew him.

"There's even more: our crew stayed in Wan Sheng for several days, and just after Su Youpeng said he'd run naked, *Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre*'s ratings skyrocketed, jumping straight to 6.34%."

With the 7% mark within reach, Su Youpeng added fuel to the fire, publicly saying, "If you still think that's not enough, I'll drag Jia Jingwen along with me!" Ha ha ha, Min Min was furious, wanting nothing more than to beat him to the ground."

Cheng Chen had heard about this incident in the future; there was a follow-up:

Soon after, *Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre* premiered in Mainland.

Unlike the indifference in Wan Sheng, it instantly became a hot program on every TV station.

Ratings soared all the way to 26%.

Media outlets rushed to interview Su Youpeng,

asking when he'd fulfill his promise and go for that spontaneous naked run.

But Su Youpeng just grinned foolishly and laughed it off: "Just watch the show—what's so interesting about me?"

Zhang Wuji was backing out!

But since in this life he'd gotten along well with Su Youpeng, hearing this news now stirred deep emotion.

With Gao Yuanyuan's description, Cheng Chen immediately pictured Jia Jingwen lashing out wildly while Su Youpeng scrambled away, begging for mercy.

It felt as if he'd returned to the days on the *Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre* set.

After Gao Yuanyuan said that, the image of Jia Jingwen waving her claws about and Su Youpeng scrambling away in a sorry state begging for mercy immediately surfaced in Cheng Chen's mind.

Cheng Chen took a taxi to the CCTV Building; the Spring Festival Gala's numerous rehearsals and screenings happen N times a year.

Without exaggeration, as soon as this year's Spring Festival Gala ends, preparations for next year's begin.

After all, the Spring Festival Gala isn't just a variety show—it's a live broadcast.

So it must succeed on the first try, and the prerequisite for that is endless rehearsals and practice runs.

After all, every Chinese person around the world watches it by their TV on this national celebration day.

For major rehearsals, the Spring Festival Gala only has five, held just before the Lunar New Year, when all acts come together.

Of course, there was an exception: the very first Spring Festival Gala in 1983.

No script, no rehearsals—all improvised on the spot; the performances were chosen by viewers calling in to request them.

Whoever the audience called for had to go on stage.

The 600-square-meter studio held no more than sixty performers and staff.

Yet it produced the most brilliant performances in Spring Festival Gala history.

When he found the music and dance section, the room was already full.

Inside were veteran artists—Song Zuying, Zu Hai, Zhang Ye, Liu Huan—all long-established masters in the music world.

Cheng Chen, the Heavenly King of pop, dared not breathe loudly before them, lowering his head like a junior.

The whole room was full of veteran artists—people like Song Zuying, Zu Hai, Zhang Ye, Liu Huan—all of them were seniors who had long since made their names in the music world.

Cheng Chen, this Heavenly King of the singing world, didn't even dare to breathe heavily in front of them, and could only bow his head and play the role of a junior.

The only one who didn't make Cheng Chen feel quite so pressured was Zhang Baizhi, sitting alone over there.

Seeing her, Cheng Chen brightened, ducked down, and slipped into the empty seat beside her.

"Hello, Cheng Chen."

"I've heard your songs. I'm Zhang Baizhi."

Zhang Baizhi's Mandarin wasn't standard, but it was still far better than that of a certain big-bearded fellow.

By this point she had already starred in *King of Comedy* and *Wish Upon a Star*, and was hailed by Hong Kong and Taiwan as the Jade Girl Sect Leader, with plenty of halos to her name.

The reason she received an invitation from the Spring Festival Gala program team this time was, apart from the political balancing of Mainland–Hong Kong–Taiwan relations.

It was also because her starring film *Screaming of the River East* had been a smash hit on the Mainland that year, and the movie had also opened up the Mainland market for her.

But although she was now laden with honors, a faint trace of worry still lingered between her brows.

Mm, she'd just gone through a breakup.

She'd split with the hottest rising star Xie Tingfeng, and Xie Tingfeng had also withdrawn from the entertainment circle because of the "substitute-driver" scandal.

Cheng Chen knew about this. He also knew that the following year, she publicly denounced Xie Tingfeng, admitting she'd been blind to have loved the wrong man.

That couple was a real piece of work—one couldn't forget the old flame, the other was off doing "human-body photography" with Teacher Chen.

……