Chapter 89

#The finale of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty"#

On the day of the TV series finale, the announcement that the series was about to end was already trending on social media before evening, and the comments section was full of people saying they were reluctant to say goodbye.

Even with only two episodes released per day, a TV series with over seventy episodes would take more than a month to finish. While this might seem like a perfect pace to Xu Ying and Zhou Xingyun, it's considered incredibly generous by netizens.

It's well known that many video streaming platforms like to drag out the pace of TV dramas, with some dramas even airing only one episode a week, making viewers anxiously wait.

Watching "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" is so much fun!

Watching two episodes a day, then having a great discussion with everyone online, and then being able to watch the next two episodes the next day—this kind of experience of being able to watch whatever I want is simply wonderful!

-Support the adaptation of Er Yuetian's novels into more films and television series.

-Isn't the TV series she co-starred in with Liu Mingchun going to be released during the winter break? I support Xilaiduo in trying to grab the online streaming rights!

I support it too!

- The rights to "Starting with a Bowl" have also been sold. At Zhou's pace, things won't be slow. Maybe there will be another of her dramas waiting for us next summer.

A passerby asked who Mr. Zhou was.

- She is a producer who frequently collaborates with Eryuetian. "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" and "Empress Wu Zetian" are both works by the two, and they are expected to collaborate for the third time.

......

Zhou Xingyun has indeed recently begun to consider filming "Starting with a Bowl".

She had already asked Xu Ying, and the novel was already halfway through its story, not too far from its end. Moreover, if there was a need for filming, Xu Ying could write out the subsequent content in advance.

Since that's the case, Zhou Xingyun had no more concerns: "Then the old rules apply, you can choose the actors yourself, and I'll bring people over to discuss it once you've made your selections."

"good."

This is Xu Ying's favorite collaboration model: she chooses the main actors herself, and it's perfectly acceptable to give the remaining minor roles to the investors as a favor.

"By the way, which director are you planning to work with this time?"

Zhou Xingyun sighed upon hearing this: "Speaking of this gives me a headache. I contacted Zhang Botian, and he does want to film, but he's not sure if he'll have the time. He currently has a film project that's expected to take another two months to finish..."

Zhang Botian was the director Zhou Xingyun worked with on "Empress Wu Zetian". He had a good temper and didn't like to take over or manage things, making him the best director to work with in Zhou Xingyun's mind.

"I always have to struggle to find a director."

During the filming of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty", it was thanks to Zhang Botian's recommendation that they were able to find director Zhou Yu.

However, after Zhou Yu's "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" became a hit, many collaborations came knocking on his door. I heard that he recently signed several jobs, and he probably won't have any free time for the whole year.

"We'll have to look for a new director."

Xu Ying and Zhou Xingyun exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other.

Of course, you can find new directors if you want, but new directors need time to adjust, and it's not as comfortable as working directly with these two veterans you've worked with before.

well.

It's a bit of a pity about Xu Ying.

If Lin Zhongxu weren't still a student and hadn't gone through any training, she would have wanted to let him film the movie right away.

Just as the two were lamenting, Zhou Xingyun's phone suddenly rang. It was Zhang Botian calling.

"There's been a problem with my actors; a lot of their scenes have been cut. It should be finished in a little over a month. Have you found a director yet? If not, wait for me..."

The mountains and rivers seemed to block the way, but then a village appeared amidst the willows and flowers.

It would be best if Director Zhang could come.

“Okay, it will take us quite a while to prepare, Director Zhang, don’t worry, we can wait even if it takes two months,” Zhou Xingyun said, his words full of pleasantries.

Xu Ying smiled. Who was that looking so worried just now?

Zhou Xingyun nudged her and laughed, saying, "Isn't she saying all this for the sake of this drama?"

*

With the finale of "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" over, the actors' popularity has begun a new surge.

When the drama was airing, most viewers' attention was focused on the TV series. But once the series ended, everyone transferred their affection for the characters to the actors, and Li Tingyu and other leading actors became incredibly popular overnight.

Then the audience noticed that in their separate interviews, the actresses all seemed to have mentioned the incense the screenwriter had given them.

-What?! You're telling me the fragrance of pear blossoms in a tent actually exists in real life?!

- Of course! There are dedicated merchandise stores for "Legend of the Qing Dynasty," didn't you know that it caused quite a stir a while ago?

-I only watch dramas, I don't know anything else, otherwise I would have bought it long ago.

- Hahaha, hurry up and buy it! When I placed my order just now, it was marked as running out of stock.

-I'm back, but I didn't get any.

- Haha, it's gone so quickly. It's okay, sister. It's just a matter of waiting another ten days or so.

-Any sisters who have actually used it, can tell me what it tastes like? I can't believe the shop's reviews are all positive, I always feel like they're shills.

-Is it possible that it really smells good...?

- I'm dying of laughter. This is the first time I've seen a store get dragged down by all the positive reviews.

Riding on this wave of popularity, the merchandise in the "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" shops quickly sold out. Zhou Xingyun urgently contacted Li Lanyou and asked them to work overtime to produce another batch as soon as possible.

Li Lan agreed and hung up the phone to start assigning tasks to each household in the village.

"Sis, I'll go."

Li Lanyou's younger brother returned in early July. At that time, "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" had only been airing for a few days, and it was obvious to everyone that the show had the potential to become a huge hit. So Li Lanyou asked her brother to come home immediately and get involved in incense making.

Now it seems that bringing him back was definitely the right decision.

Recently, everyone in their village has been extremely busy, but they are all happy despite their busy schedules. Compared to working outside and earning meager wages, they prefer staying at home to make incense and support themselves.

"Okay, go and come back quickly."

Li Lan didn't stop him. Her younger brother is now full of energy and grateful to her. She sees that he wants to help her with errands.

"I don't know how long these good days will last," Li Lan's mother said with some anxiety. She always felt that once this trend ended, no one would buy their incense online anymore.

Li Lan comforted her, saying, "Mom, don't worry too much. As long as our incense is of good quality, people will still buy it even after the TV series' popularity fades."

"Yes, yes, quality is our guarantee."

......

*

The TV series "Legend of the Qing Dynasty" caused a stir all summer. As soon as summer vacation ended and students returned to school, Liu Mingchun released the second trailer for "Code Name: Dodder Flower".

This trailer is more than ten seconds longer than the previous one, and it reveals more complete information, tending towards a faster-paced storytelling.

The trailer is told from the male lead's perspective. The first scene shows him looking at the female lead and falling in love at first sight. The next second, the female lead's husband is shot in the head, and the scene shifts to the male and female leads' wedding...

The entire trailer reveals that everything was a scheme set up by the male lead to win over the female lead.

-What did I just see? So the male lead isn't a good person...?

-What a charismatic male lead.

- It immediately aroused my desire to watch TV.

-The male lead killed the female lead's husband in order to be with her. What a dark story! I love it so much!

- It still has to be director Liu Mingchun.

......

As soon as the trailer for "Code Name: Dodder Flower" was released, it immediately attracted the attention of netizens. Xu Ying was also very happy to see the good momentum of the show.

It must be said that this drama only got the chance to be broadcast on a major television network because of Liu Mingchun.

Xu Ying's joy was short-lived, as Zhang Sandao released the second trailer for "The Record of Misty Rain and Mountains and Seas". At the same time, various marketing accounts jumped in, comparing "Code Name: Dodder Flower" with "The Record of Misty Rain and Mountains and Seas".

Having gone this far, Zhang Sandao's desire to ride the wave of popularity is so obvious that he doesn't even want to pretend anymore.

Liu Mingchun is a veteran in the industry, and he feels aggrieved to be dragged out and used to benefit others time and time again.

"Tell me about this Zhang Sandao. All I did was refuse his script, why is he clinging to me like this? He has no shame at all!"

"Director Liu, don't be angry. In the end, the quality of a TV series will speak for itself. Let him be arrogant for now. If the TV series doesn't air well, he'll be embarrassed later."

They won't even need to lift a finger; netizens will ridicule him to death.

Liu Mingchun sighed: "I do feel a little sorry for you. It's our first time working together, and you've already offended a senior figure in your screenwriting circle. Judging from his relentless attitude, he might try to trip you up in the future."

He'll retire after filming this movie, so what's there to be afraid of? He's worried that he's indirectly brought Xu Ying an enemy.

Xu Ying laughed and said, "Director Liu, you're overthinking it. If we're talking about obstacles, we've had them for a long time. Last year at the Feihua Awards, we were competing for Best Screenplay, and that's when we started to have a grudge."

"Is that so...?"

Liu Mingchun knew that Zhang Sandao had won the Best Screenplay Award at the Feihua Awards, but he hadn't paid much attention to who else was nominated alongside him. He was surprised to find that Xu Ying was also nominated at the time. According to the timeline, her nominated work must have been "Wu Zetian".

"Oh dear, Wu Zetian didn't win the Feihua Award? What's wrong with these judges?!"

What kind of scripts does Zhang Sandao write? They're all over the place, digging holes but not filling them. If you want to film his scripts, you have to drastically revise them yourself. He's too old to bother filling the holes, otherwise we might have actually collaborated with Zhang Sandao back then.

"Xiao Xu, don't be sad. An award doesn't mean anything. It was better in the early years, but especially now, the relationships behind these awards are complicated. It's no longer a simple competition of strength."

"Don't worry, Director Liu, I didn't take it to heart. I just won't participate in these kinds of awards that have no fairness in the future," Xu Ying said nonchalantly.

“You can’t not participate either. If you don’t participate, you’ll embarrass them. These people are petty. Be careful they don’t cause you trouble behind your back,” Liu Mingchun advised earnestly, then suddenly asked, “By the way, how’s Xiao Lin doing lately?”

He attends classes at school.

The topic suddenly shifted to Lin Zhongxu, and Xu Ying didn't react for a moment.

"It's a pity. If Xiao Lin had come out a few years earlier, I could have mentored him." Liu Mingchun quite liked this young man; he was hardworking, reliable, and talented.

Xu Ying suddenly had a thought and asked, "Director Liu, what do you plan to do with the studio staff if you retire?"

The employees who can work in Liu Mingchun's studio must all be truly capable.

If she could recruit them all, wouldn't that mean she would directly take over a complete film crew, a group of exceptionally capable and aesthetically pleasing personnel?

"What else can we do? Of course, we have to keep looking for work. All I can do is give them some money as compensation..."

"If Director Liu trusts me, then give me this group of employees. You know Lin Zhongxu will graduate next year, and I want to build a team for him. Lin Zhongxu has worked with your employees before, so everyone is familiar with each other and there's no need to worry about the integration issue."

Liu Mingchun hesitated for a moment: "I have to ask them first. Some of them have already found jobs, and I can't say much about where they will go in the future."

"It's alright, Director Liu, you can tell them about my situation. The rest is entirely voluntary. As many as you can come, that's fine. Don't worry, the treatment here will be the same as yours, it won't be any worse."

"Okay, I'll go to the studio for a meeting tomorrow and talk to them. I know Xiaolin and the others, and if it's a collaboration with Xiaolin in the future, I think they'll be quite happy..."