Chapter 160: The Cavalry Company Commander and the Seven Fairies Appear on the Spring Festival Gala

Seeing Yan Li became an internet celebrity within circles after quarreling with Big Hu Zi Zhang.

He discovered that the benefits of hype and fame were numerous: the development of "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" progressed more smoothly, and securing investment for "The Investiture of the Gods" became easier.

Jingcheng, a certain café

Seeing Yan Li met with Zhang Zhilin and his agent; due to the man's demeanor and temperament, he was willing to chat further.

If the other party was willing to exchange some resources, Lu Xiaofeng wasn't out of the question for him to play.

Zhang Zhilin debuted as a singer; his most famous role was Guo Jing in the 1994 version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

He had also appeared in some TVB dramas and a few films, making him a second-tier artist from Xiangjiang, with influence mostly radiating in Cantonese-speaking regions.

In the past two years, Zhang Zhilin began developing in the mainland, focusing on Wu Xia themes; this year's moderately popular "Ni Shui Han" featured him as the male lead, but he was overshadowed by the second male lead, Zhong Hanliang.

Seeing Yan Li actually had little impression of him beyond Guo Jing; his biggest label was Yuan Yingyi's husband.

To be honest, although Yuan had somewhat faded in recent years and had few works, she had once been a leading actress of the Hong Kong circle; her status and fame still overshadowed Zhang Zhilin's.

But precisely because of this, even with the Hong Kong and Taiwan premium, Zhang Zhilin's fee was not high.

Similarly, in terms of selling dramas, Zhang Zhilin was not as effective as today's mainland superstars Chen Kun or Huang Haibing.

Many mistakenly believed that Hong Kong and Taiwan actors were better at selling dramas.

The statement wasn't wrong, but it depended on the person!

Hong Kong and Taiwan artists like Xie Tingfeng, Zhang Weijian, Lin Zhiying, and F4 were indeed stronger than mainland young male leads, but some second- or third-tier Hong Kong and Taiwan artists simply couldn't compare to those hot mainland young stars.

TV stations weren't foolish; they cared about popularity, not Hong Kong or Taiwan ID cards.

Several years ago, because the mainland entertainment industry hadn't yet developed, there weren't many young male or female stars with commercial appeal, and resources were scarce; additionally, many related commercial projects were produced by Hong Kong and Taiwan teams, so they preferred Hong Kong and Taiwan artists.

That's why a phenomenon emerged where even second- or third-tier Hong Kong and Taiwan actors were more sought-after than some hot mainland young stars and actresses.

But in the past two years, new talent in the mainland entertainment industry has continuously emerged, and more and more artists can carry major projects.

Leaving film aside, in the TV drama field, more and more mainland production teams prefer mainland artists; the overall trend has shifted from Hong Kong and Taiwan dominance a few years ago to a standoff, even a slight reversal.

Seeing Yan Li was undoubtedly inclined toward the mainland side, but he didn't despise Hong Kong and Taiwan artists.

He wouldn't force them, but he wouldn't reject them either!

Zhang Zhilin himself had little to offer Seeing Yan Li in terms of exchangeable benefits, and his wife was also mediocre.

The reason Seeing Yan Li was willing to chat with him was because of his company—Zedong Film.

The name wasn't well-known, but the company's two bosses were famous: Hong Kong directors Wong Kar-wai and Liu Zhenwei.

Their status in the Hong Kong film industry needed no elaboration, and their connections were extensive.

Yi'an's current main business was TV dramas, but it couldn't completely abandon film; artist management also needed consideration, especially Fan Xiaopang—she needed film resources to push her toward the top tier as one of the Four Dan and Two Bing.

Wong Kar-wai, Seeing Yan Li had little hope for; he was an auteur director, difficult to deal with.

Liu Zhenwei was different—he made commercial films, deeply understood the game, and had wide connections in Hong Kong; even if he couldn't land a role in his film, getting other resources introduced would be acceptable.

So the meeting was brief; Seeing Yan Li nearly said outright: if Zhang Zhilin wanted a role, he'd have to exchange for Hong Kong film resources.

Zhang Zhilin's expression wasn't good; he didn't refuse, but he couldn't make that decision himself.

His company might not be willing to sacrifice its own interests for him; even for exchanges, he hadn't gotten much from his company's own film resources.

"Director Yan, I'll try my best to secure it. Please give me some time."

Zhang Zhilin didn't want to give up; this opportunity was genuinely good for him.

Director Ju Jueliang, who directed "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng," was familiar with him and privately urged him to pursue it, believing it could become a milestone in his career.

No actor didn't want fame; after years of mediocrity, Zhang Zhilin also wanted to taste what it was like to be a top star.

"I'll try to hold time for you, but others might change their choices, so hurry up."

Seeing Yan Li had a good impression of Zhang Zhilin—perhaps even a very good one; among the Hong Kong and Taiwan artists he'd met, this one's speech, conduct, and personality were among the best.

Unfortunately, Zhang Zhilin had too few cards; Seeing Yan Li giving him this opportunity was already somewhat exceptional, even biased.

As they were about to part, his agent took a phone call and stepped away; Seeing Yan Li thought for a moment and asked Zhang Zhilin a question.

"Mr. Zhang, you've been developing in the mainland recently—why not consider switching to a mainland company?"

"This…"

Zhang Zhilin opened his mouth slightly, but Seeing Yan Li said nothing more; he smiled and left first.

To be honest, Zhang Zhilin's personality and ambition didn't align with Seeing Yan Li's requirements for Yi'an artists.

But Seeing Yan Li believed "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" would significantly boost his career; signing him in to make some money was better than letting another company's artist play the role.

Chen Kun's Rongxinda was still quite cooperative; there were many potential collaborations.

Huang Haibing's company was mediocre, but he himself was principled; his fee and future cooperation could be negotiated, and he was even willing to help bring Yi'an artists into other productions and so on.

Honestly, Seeing Yan Li didn't realize how complex casting was behind a medium- to large-scale production until he started operating.

It was said that during the casting of "The Return of the Condor Heroes," Nie Yuan and Huang Xiaoming competed for the male lead, involving behind-the-scenes power struggles among the copyright holder, production team, and producer.

The role of Xiaolongnü was originally set for Zhou Young Master; she even publicly stated in interviews that she was preparing for it, but later someone else was cast.

Seeing Yan Li couldn't help but wonder: if even a 30-million-investment project was this chaotic, how fierce would the competition be for billion-yuan projects in the future?

The main roles in "The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng" were male; Seeing Yan Li prioritized profit.

If a future drama focused on female leads…

Actually, he had experienced this once with "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies," but those were minor actors and newcomers; Seeing Yan Li really wanted to see how those famous actresses operated.

————

In December, the "Bright Sword" production team officially began filming in Hebei Province.

Seeing Yan Li's role was also confirmed; as "Bright Sword" was set to be next year's most popular drama, he wanted to appear in it.

"The Legend of Xue Rengui" intended to cast him as the male lead; Seeing Yan Li had confidence in his appearance and acting, but his fame and ability to carry a drama were still lacking.

Fortunately, "Emperor Wu of Han" and "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" were about to air; he could then use "Bright Sword" to boost his visibility.

He didn't need to become wildly famous, but at least he couldn't drag down "The Legend of Xue Rengui" due to being undervalued by TV stations.

Originally, Seeing Yan Li was supposed to be cast in a role with substantial screen time, either Wei the Monk or later Duan Peng.

But the next two months happen to be when Seeing Yan Li is busiest, and with the New Year coming, he simply has no time to stay long on "Bright Sword," so he reviewed the script and chose a character with limited screen time but strong impact.

Captain of the Cavalry Company, Sun Desheng!

In terms of screen time, this role isn't painfully minimal, but he doesn't appear often—yet his presence is powerful, whether in his dispute with Li Yunlong over joining the bayonet charge, recounting his joining the Eighth Route Army, or his final charge, all of which stand out vividly.

Seeing Yan Li even felt that playing this role would be easier for audiences to remember than playing Duan Peng.

Meanwhile, Seeing Yan Li's horsemanship is solid, perfectly matching the cavalry captain's profile.

The only issue is that Seeing Yan Li is slightly young, but it's not a big problem—since deciding on the role, Seeing Yan Li has been growing a beard, and with makeup, he can meet the character's requirements.

In fact, according to the setting in "Bright Sword," Sun Desheng followed Shi Yousan at age twelve, fought for over a decade, later refused to become a traitor, joined the Eighth Route Army, and died in battle during the 1942 anti-encirclement campaign.

So Sun Desheng's age should be only in his early twenties, at most early thirties.

Seeing Yan Li's age is roughly similar, but soldiers of that era, hardened by countless battles, would certainly look older—his appearance must not seem too young.

Since his screen time is limited, Seeing Yan Li doesn't need to rush into production; joining in January is fine.

Besides this, Seeing Yan Li did not insert any other actors into "Bright Sword."

There are only two substantial female roles: Xiucqin and Tian Yu.

Tian Yu is played by Hai Run's newcomer Tong Lei, an old acquaintance of Seeing Yan Li's, almost a friend, and it was thanks to her that Seeing Yan Li obtained the "Bright Sword" information.

More crucially, it was rumored that Zhou Yi and she had a heated romance in that Hai Yan drama, and Zhou even asked him about Tong.

She might become his "sister-in-law" someday; Seeing Yan Li hesitated, and did not snatch her opportunity.

Still, Seeing Yan Li couldn't quite understand it—Zhou Yi had clearly seen "Sui Tang Heroes," yet still fell for Tong Lei, making Seeing Yan Li find that drama even harder to watch.

As for Xiucqin, the director explicitly said he wanted a female actor who wasn't particularly beautiful, but rather plain and rustic.

None of the actresses Seeing Yan Li recommended were suitable, so he gave up.

As for Lin Jiachuan and the others, each had their own roles, no standout parts, and didn't necessarily need to act in "Bright Sword."

…

Just as "Bright Sword" began filming, promotion for "Emperor Wu of Han" and "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" also began.

Both dramas were officially scheduled.

One is CCTV's New Year drama, premiering in early January; the other targets students on winter break, premiering in late January.

As lead actor and producer, Seeing Yan Li had to appear in promotions for both dramas.

First he went to CCTV-8 for "TV Drama Sync," then turned around to appear on Shandong TV's "Sunshine Express" and Tianjin TV's "Variety Food Street."

Back then, variety shows were relatively few.

Facing provincial terrestrial channels was easier, but star-channel satellites, competing nationwide, might only have a few programs per week.

Many programs were first aired on terrestrial channels, then selected high-viewership episodes broadcast on satellite channels.

So many drama crews had no habit of doing variety show promotions before their series aired.

On one hand, they didn't value it enough—most crews didn't understand this area; on the other hand, they simply lacked the ability.

TV stations' variety shows weren't something you could just join; many crews couldn't even sell their dramas without entrusting distributors, let alone promotion—many couldn't even get invited onto the stations.

Only highly anticipated crews with buzz were invited to appear on multiple shows before airing.

Like "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" and "Huanzhu Gege 3," they were frequently invited to variety shows before and during broadcast.

Ordinary crews usually just had the TV station cut a few trailers or air a few interviews with the main cast, then broadcast the drama.

But if a drama became wildly popular, some shows would actively seek out crew members to appear and ride the wave of popularity.

"Conquest" was like that—no one cared at first, but after it became a hit, several shows came to interview the crew.

"Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" wasn't the most watched drama in the industry, but it wasn't bad either—it had received plenty of media coverage and was mentioned in various roundups.

More importantly, Seeing Yan Li placed great emphasis on publicity exposure; when negotiating contracts, he specifically fought with satellite channels for variety show promotion opportunities.

So the promotional burden for "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" was still heavy.

There were seven or eight assorted TV variety shows or interviews, over half on satellite channels, the rest on provincial channels targeting one province's audience.

Although promotion was tiring, most of the main cast of "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" cooperated fully.

Why wouldn't they? Except for a few, most had never had the chance to appear on satellite variety shows—this was a rare opportunity to shine.

But precisely because everyone cooperated so well, a new problem arose.

"Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" had too many leads; having them all appear together created too large a scene, scattered attention, and scheduling was hard to coordinate.

Seeing Yan Li decided to group them in pairs or teams—either a male team, a female team, or several couples—four to eight people per group, randomly assigned according to availability.

This satisfied promotional needs while ensuring everyone got as much screen time as possible.

At the same time, he had a private motive: he wanted to save the "Seven Fairies" gimmick for the Spring Festival Gala.

As a result, during promotion, "Huan Tian Xi Di Seven Fairies" deliberately never assembled all seven fairies—usually only three or four appeared together, and at most five.

The goal was scarcity.

If you casually gathered all seven fairies and went through every variety show, what surprise or value would remain?

Later, when it became clear they might appear on the Spring Festival Gala, Seeing Yan Li made sure each appearance featured three fairies or fewer, and never in costume.

Some expressed dissatisfaction, but upon hearing Seeing Yan Li was working full force to get them on the Spring Festival Gala, their complaints vanished instantly.

The Spring Festival Gala!

The best and highest stage for year-end shows in China, where countless popular stars and big names line up hoping to appear before the nation's audience.

Even the most popular "Two Bings" couldn't resist this temptation.

Or rather, a rising young actress appearing on the Spring Festival Gala was itself a plus, proving she was truly popular.

The Four Little Fairies—Xiao Yanzi, Zhou Young Master, and Guoji Zhang—all appeared on the Spring Festival Gala during their peak careers; only the unconventional Xu Jinglei lacked this credential.

Although it was the Seven Fairies appearing together, it was still the Spring Festival Gala; Fan Xiaopang and Li Bingbing showed extremely high enthusiasm, going to great lengths to clear their schedules to cooperate.

Others didn't need to be mentioned—Jiang Xin turned down a drama for this, and Li Lin even appeared while pregnant.

That's right, this girl is pregnant.

Luckily her belly hasn't shown yet, otherwise Seeing Yan Li would have considered finding someone to replace her.

Even so, because Li Lin is pregnant, some aerial wire stunts and flying dance sequences had to be abandoned, and a gentle song and slow dance approach was adopted instead, which also perfectly conveyed the fairy's elegant aura...

————

PS: One chapter today; I'll make up the ten-thousand-character posts over the next two days.

(End of chapter)