Chapter 184: It

In the lens, the photos in the album were clearly visible—they were photos of Wang Danfeng from childhood to her youth. Her shining, peerless appearance in her youth formed a sharp contrast with the paralyzed old woman flipping through the album now.

This was also the reason Wu Yu insisted on choosing her; this kind of contrast could cause a greater shock in the audience's hearts.

The old lady flipped through slowly with her withered old hands and sighed: "So beautiful!"

Ge Cunzhuang, who was eating on the side, looked up and asked: "What?"

"Life..." the old lady replied.

As she continued to flip through, she said: "Too long."

Ge Cunzhuang was silent, staring fixedly at his wife. He heard his wife's subtext: happiness is short, but pain is long, and she didn't want to continue anymore. But how could Ge Cunzhuang bear to let his wife die?

Everything was left unsaid.

At this moment, two cameras were aimed at the two elderly people, capturing their facial expressions and eyes.

"Cut! Very good, two teachers, the emotion this time is just right!"

Wu Yu praised. This kind of micro-expression wasn't easy, and it was shot several times in a row. Come to think of it, the two elderly actors found this time were indeed excellent; their temperaments matched, but it wasn't that fast to shoot.

On one hand, although this film didn't have many scenes, the emotions the actors needed to express were very delicate, which in itself wasn't easy; on the other hand, the two elderly people also needed guidance on their understanding of these constantly progressing emotions, and they often sat down with Wu Yu to discuss whether this mindset and emotion were correct.

After all, *Love* was Wu Yu's attempt at the Oscars, and he wanted to make it as perfect as possible, so it slowed down. Now, a month later, it was only halfway done. However, Wu Yu felt that being slow was quite good; it was conducive to the two elderly actors better understanding the protagonist's emotions. Slow work produces fine products!

After Ceng Li returned to school, she felt a bit lost. The direct cause of this loss was, of course, losing the casting of Yu Jiaolong to Zhang Ziyi. This made her have some self-doubt, not knowing if she was really capable.

Although she had acted in *The Grand Mansion Gate* before, if you really wanted to talk about it, that opportunity was internally designated for her by Wu Yu, not something she had truly conquered Director Guo Baochang with through acting skills. Therefore, even though she felt she had gained a lot from this training camp, she inevitably felt some frustration and doubt, wanting to return to school to calm down and think carefully.

And just at this time, *The Grand Mansion Gate* aired during the prime time on CCTV.

The promotional movement for *The Grand Mansion Gate* this time wasn't small. The leading actors Chen Baoguo and Siqin Gaowa weren't surprising, but one promotional clip grabbed all the attention.

It was just a small edited clip. Wu Yu appeared first, smiling and saying: "Watch *The Grand Mansion Gate* with me!"

Just 5 seconds later, Zhang Yimou appeared on screen: "Watch *The Grand Mansion Gate*!"

Then came Chen Kaige, Jiang Wen, Li Xuejian, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Ning Jing, and many other famous directors and big-name actors in the circle, all condensed into this 1-minute promotional video. This immediately stunned many people who didn't know the inside story.

It was just a TV series, yet all the big directors and many big names in the country were cheering and promoting it. Who else could have this kind of treatment?!

This promotional clip was suggested by Wu Yu at the time, and everyone who came to guest star recorded a few seconds, forming this simple yet powerful promotional segment. No one had played like this in this day and age, and once released, the effect was indeed full!

CCTV's mass base was already huge, and this promotion was quite effective. Before the TV series even started airing, many newspapers had spontaneously mentioned *The Grand Mansion Gate*, which was crowded with "famous directors," making the audience full of anticipation.

"A sound of laughter from the beginning, love opens two doors, the wind and clouds of troubled times, the soul of troubled times. No regrets for a heart of blood, intending to save the common people, a hundred years of wind and rain in the grand mansion gate."

The opening sang out a majestic and atmospheric charm. And when it entered the main film, with the appearance of vivid characters like the Second Grandmother, Bai Jingqi, and Third Uncle Bai, the wonderful content made the audience unable to stop watching.

The ratings for *The Grand Mansion Gate* reached 13% as soon as it aired. You have to know that the average rating for *Yongzheng Dynasty*, which aired at the beginning of the year, was only 14.39%, with a peak rating of 16.7%. Now, *The Grand Mansion Gate* hit 13% as soon as it aired. Undoubtedly, the early promotion and the people in the circle led by Wu Yu standing up to cheer played a significant role.

Of course, the excellent quality of *The Grand Mansion Gate* also held up this high starting rating, and it rose steadily with the development of the plot, increasing by 0.3% every day. You have to know that this was CCTV's national rating, not comparable to regional ratings.

When Yang Jiuhong, played by Ceng Li, appeared when the plot was nearly halfway through, the ratings for *The Grand Mansion Gate* had already risen to 19%, easily breaking the highest record of *Yongzheng Dynasty* from a few months ago.

Although Ceng Li's Yang Jiuhong appeared late, she had many scenes and was the second female lead existence second only to Siqin Gaowa in the whole play. The original version of He Saifei was nearly 40 years old when she appeared in this play. Although she acted very well, due to her age, she didn't have that stunning feeling of a top brothel girl when she first appeared.

And Ceng Li's bright and moving appearance appeared, immediately leaving an impression of a great beauty on all the audience in front of the TV, especially when she looked back at Bai Jingqi upstairs, her look was charming—beautiful but not demonic, charming but not vulgar, truly peerless. Only such a beautiful woman could attract Bai Jingqi to fight for her and snatch her away!

With the development of the plot, the bumpy fate of Yang Jiuhong, a concubine from a lowly background but daring to love and hate, was also revealed, making the audience love and hate her, sighing and lamenting.

But one thing was certain: with the role of Yang Jiuhong, Ceng Li became popular instantly!

The hot reviews in the newspapers, classmates and friends around her clamoring to treat her to dinner, parents and younger sister calling one after another to celebrate—all made Ceng Li feel as if she had eaten honey. What made her even happier was that even Teacher Chang Li, who was usually very strict, specifically came over to praise her for acting really well!

After this experience, Ceng Li felt that the previous confusion was swept away. These recognitions were like a shot of adrenaline, making her instantly have much more confidence in herself. She could walk the path of an actor and wouldn't be worse than others!

At the end of May, *The Grand Mansion Gate* reached its finale, with the highest rating hitting 24%, making CCTV smile from ear to ear!

Although the TV series reached its finale, the discussion and topic degree caused by such a high-popularity, high-rating, and high-reputation classic drama as *The Grand Mansion Gate* couldn't go down for a while, and many related news were also dug out by the media.

For example, the story of Guo Baochang experiencing bumps and bruises for *The Grand Mansion Gate* for decades, for example, his origin with the fifth-generation directors, for example, his being deceived by black-hearted businessmen this time, and then fortunately receiving Wu Yu's generous donation and full support to be able to shoot *The Grand Mansion Gate*!

When the audience saw that there were such wonderful stories behind the shooting of *The Grand Mansion Gate*, they were also discussing it, and it also led many reporters to run to interview relevant personnel.

I saw Chen Baoguo, who became popular through Bai Jingqi this time, giving a thumbs up: "Wu Dao is impeccable, righteous!"

Afterward, he continued: "As far as I know, it's not just our *The Grand Mansion Gate*; many small projects that couldn't get investment have also received support from Wu Dao. Now, whoever mentions Wu Dao in the circle has to say he is righteous!"

Even the relatively low-key Guo Baochang publicly stated when facing reporters that the person he was most grateful to this time was Wu Yu; without him, there would be no *The Grand Mansion Gate*.

Just like that, with the popularity of *The Grand Mansion Gate* and the promotion of newspapers, the reputation of Wu Yu's righteousness and the story of his generous donation were not only circulating in the circle but also began to be talked about by the public.

On the mainland, *The Grand Mansion Gate* was popular, and on the opposite shore across the sea, *My Fair Princess 2* was even more popular after airing in Taiwan. From airing in April to now, it had already finished two rounds, but the popularity hadn't faded at all, leading several TV stations in Taiwan to continue fighting for the third and fourth rounds, and no one could compete with it.

At this moment, in front of the TV, Huang Huang Xiao Ming stared blankly at the lively Little Swallow on the screen, doubting in his heart whether he could really catch up with her footsteps?

Afterward, he thought of *Meteor Garden* he was shooting, and couldn't help but clench his fists. Having trained hard for half a year, Huang Huang Xiao Ming touched his 8-pack abs and two bulging pectoral muscles, full of confidence in himself!

On the rooftop, with the clapperboard sound of the script supervisor, the actors began to perform.

Two bullying extras pushed Jia Jingwen away, causing her to bump into Dao Mingsi, who was following, which was Huang Huang Xiao Ming.

I saw Huang Huang Xiao Ming wearing a flashy red headband, wearing a very cool printed shirt. The collar of the shirt wasn't buttoned, and a very cool pendant shone between his faintly exposed two pectoral muscles. His whole person appeared domineering.

Huang Huang Xiao Ming took a step forward, looking at the two girls unkindly: "Who allowed you to bully her? I tell you, this woman belongs to me! If you dare to touch a hair of hers again, I'll make you look good!"

The two girls were shocked and flustered. One girl shouted in despair: "Dao Mingsi, how can you like a plain girl like Shan Cai?!"

"Humph! I, Dao Mingsi, do things in my life, why do I need to explain to others!" Huang Huang Xiao Ming said with a cold expression, full of arrogance.

After the two girls left, Huang Huang Xiao Ming held Jia Jingwen's hand, his expression turning gentle: "Don't worry, with me here, they won't dare to bully you again!"

Jia Jingwen pushed Huang Huang Xiao Ming away, her face full of anger: "Go away! Who do you think caused me to be like this! You big idiot!"

"What kind of attitude is this! I'm here to save you!"

"I didn't ask you!"

Huang Huang Xiao Ming revealed an evil smile, a flash of light in his eyes:

"No one has ever dared to talk to me like this! Very good, woman, you have successfully aroused my interest!"

"Cut!"

Hearing the director shout cut, Huang Huang Xiao Ming stepped down to rest.

At this time, Zhong Hanliang handed him a bottle of water and joked: "Huang Xiao Ming, I really admire you! You can say such shameful lines so well. If it were me, I couldn't say it. Fortunately, I'm playing Hua Zelei~"

Wu Kequn on the side said: "Brother Huang Xiao Ming is a professional actor! Don't you remember what the performance teacher taught before? Actors must liberate their nature and overcome their shame! Look at Brother Huang Xiao Ming, he doesn't feel embarrassed at all; this is an excellent actor!"

Huang Huang Xiao Ming looked at the two with a puzzled face, then asked back: "Ah? Don't you think it's cool?"

"Cool?!" Zhong Hanliang and Wu Kequn said in unison.

"Yeah, these lines are super cool! I was trembling with excitement just practicing!"

Huang Huang Xiao Ming had been well protected by his family since he was a child. Perhaps the more you lack something, the more you want it. He had long been yearning for this kind of "cool" behavior. In his previous life, when he was interviewed in his forties about why he played a domineering CEO, he replied that he felt this style was cool from the bottom of his heart when he was a child, and he wanted to play it once.

Looking at Huang Huang Xiao Ming's sincere eyes, Wu Kequn and Zhong Hanliang looked at each other.

Zhong Hanliang had been in the industry for many years, and Wu Kequn's family background was poor since childhood, so he was also very mature early. Therefore, both of them felt it was very childish when they saw this bridge, and in fact, they felt that this whole TV series was quite childish. But they had already signed the contract, and the crew was renting luxury cars and mansions, so it was clear they had invested money. Plus, the songs already recorded were of good quality, so they couldn't question the company's decision.

But they didn't expect that these lines they felt embarrassed about were super cool in Huang Huang Xiao Ming's eyes!

Zhong Hanliang opened his mouth, then patted Huang Huang Xiao Ming on the shoulder and sighed: "Huang Xiao Ming, I finally know why you were designated to play Dao Mingsi."

Wu Kequn also gave Huang Huang Xiao Ming a thumbs up: "Brother Huang Xiao Ming, admire, admire!"

Huang Huang Xiao Ming smiled, feeling he acted quite well. To be honest, after coming to Hong Kong and coming into contact with the different performance ideas taught by the teachers here, he felt as if he had been enlightened.

Huang Huang Xiao Ming actually had a good foundation in the first two years, but the academic actors in the mainland were all trained according to realism. He was very tight, and his life experience was insufficient to play it out. But the Hong Kong performance style was more street-oriented, more casual and exaggerated compared to the mainland, making him seem to suddenly let go of himself. This time, playing Dao Mingsi felt like a fish in water!

"Wrap!"

After Wu Yu shouted this wrap, he hurriedly went over to help the old lady Wang Danfeng, who was lying on the bed, up. He thanked the two old seniors repeatedly:

"Teacher Wang, Teacher Ge, thank you two for your hard work this time, tossing you for a full two months!"

Wang Danfeng shook her head gently, then sighed and said:

"Playing this role this time also had a big impact on me. It was like really experiencing these various psychological changes after paralysis. I was thinking whether I would make this choice when the time comes, sigh!"

Wu Yu hurriedly said: "Teacher Wang, Teacher Ge, you two are still in good health, no need to worry about things that don't exist, live in the present!"

Ge Cunzhuang also said: "Wu Dao is right, living in the present is the most important!"

In the evening, it was naturally another celebration banquet. The crew members had a good meal, while Wu Yu chatted with the two old seniors. Several people used tea instead of wine, quite harmonious.

After Wu Yu returned to the hotel, he suddenly received a call from Cai Yinong.

"Cai Zong, what's the matter?"

"Wu Dao, it's like this, CTS over there found us and wants to take the premiere rights of *Meteor Garden*."

"How are the conditions?" Wu Yu asked upon hearing this.

"15 million Hong Kong dollars, and they can give us prime time."

"Hmm? Conditions are so good?"

Wu Yu felt a bit surprised. After all, *Meteor Garden* didn't have any big stars, and it wasn't like the previous *Handsome Siblings*, which was Gu Long's big IP. Being able to offer 15 million plus prime time was clearly exceeding the standard.

"Wu Dao, the other party also has conditions, that is, the ratings must be the champion of the same period, otherwise there will only be the first 5 million, and the remaining 10 million cannot be obtained. This time, CTS has also been beaten back by *My Fair Princess* for two consecutive years, and they are a bit annoyed. Now *My Fair Princess 2* has been broadcast for the third round, and they still can't beat it. I think it's an opportunity, so I found them and fought for the prime time."

Listening to Cai Yinong's explanation, Wu Yu nodded. This was correct; otherwise, how could they give such good conditions.

Wu Yu smiled and said: "Cai Zong, you did a great job, promise them. By the way, is *Meteor Garden* finished?"

In fact, compared to the money earned by *Meteor Garden* itself, Wu Yu and Cai Yinong valued the condition of prime time premiere more, because the benefits of making F4 popular were greater.

"More than half shot, Taiwan is shooting while broadcasting, our progress is no problem, completely in time!"

"Good, Cai Zong, everything is left to you. When the time comes, you must be prepared to be the godmother of idol dramas, hahaha!"

Wu Yu smiled and hung up the phone. He wasn't worried at all about whether *Meteor Garden* could win the ratings champion of the same period. After all, this was the *Meteor Garden* that swept across Asia!

If it were to collide head-on with *My Fair Princess 2*, he would still hesitate, but *My Fair Princess 2* had already been broadcast for several rounds in Taiwan, so there was nothing to fear.

Although the things in *Meteor Garden* were very childish, British social psychologist Malory Warber's conclusion: the less brain power needed, the more stimulating the content, the easier it is for the audience to accept and appreciate.

This was almost an iron law of entertainment program ratings behavior in the future. Regardless of China or foreign countries, the development of the next few decades would move towards simple, brainless, and stimulating. Near there was *My Fair Princess*, far there was America's Marvel. They had no connotation, but weren't they still popular?

Therefore, don't look at the various lines in *Meteor Garden* as if they were embarrassing and shameful, but that was exactly why they could tease the audience's nerves more. What brain does an idol drama need? ===== CHAPTER 185 =====