Chapter 84 (084) - The premiere of "Major Cases"...
Chapter 84
Gentlemen, I have discovered a pattern.
Lin Yuan has been relentlessly attacked by Wink and his group all the way to where he is today, but the more they attack him, the more popular he becomes.
On the homepage of a certain forum, a post about Lin Yuan was prominently displayed.
Recently, the focus of the forum has been on Ye Liuchuan, and netizens have come to the conclusion that Xie Yu is bad, but Ye Liuchuan is truly cunning.
Xie Yu's benefits are obvious, but what about Ye Liuchuan? He gained popularity from Wink, he did bad things, and yet, in the end, his reputation is better than everyone else's.
Thinking about it carefully, after Wink disbanded, the true nature of those people was revealed. Ye Liuchuan was caught in the middle; could he really be a good person?
[It's all an act. Judging from his actions, I think he's even worse than Xie Yu. At least Xie Yu directly shifted the blame, while someone like him, who indirectly caused the death, won't even know how he died.]
[I can't stand this. Lin Yuan is lucky; if it weren't for his good fortune, he and "Major Cases" would be finished.]
Ye Liuchuan started out as an idol, and one of the responsibilities of an idol is to help fans realize their dreams.
In the hearts of his fans, Ye Liuchuan has always been a wonderful person. Whether during his Wink days or after he went independent to pursue an acting career, he has never let his fans down.
Each member of Wink has their own scandals, but Ye Liuchuan is the only one who is completely clean, making him a breath of fresh air in Wink.
But now, the fans' world has collapsed.
They would rather Ye Liuchuan be a fool like Xie Yu than have him be cunning and use his mind to harm others.
Ye Liuchuan did explain in the fan group, asking the fans to believe him.
While some people can certainly turn a blind eye and pretend nothing happened, there are still some fans who can remain rational.
After all, Ye Liuchuan had already betrayed his fans once before.
This person clearly insulted Lin Yuan and used his fans as pawns, yet he later apologized to Lin Yuan behind his back.
This time he said he didn't.
Fans are now unsure whether they should believe Ye Liuchuan or not.
The trust built up since "Stars Are Coming" collapsed at this moment.
Everything Ye Liuchuan said seemed to be tinged with falsehood.
[I think Ye Liuchuan... should focus on filming. Lin Yuan has already reached a level you can't reach, so why not let yourself off the hook? There's no need to keep staring at Lin Yuan.]
This person once told his fans that he would be happy as long as they were happy. Now that I think about it, that was just a lie. Whether Lin Yuan, who participated in "Tomorrow's Star," is more famous than him, or the other members of Wink are more famous than him, he can't feel happy. It's a real shame that I only realized this now after being a fan for five whole years.
On this day, countless fans quietly disappeared again.
Ye Liuchuan's gaze remained fixed on Lin Yuan—
After the facts were made public, "Major Cases" gained maximum attention without any additional marketing from Xingyao Video.
AIR and Xingyao are clearly competitors, yet they've teamed up for marketing—the cast and crew of "Major Cases" are all giving "The Phoenix Hairpin" a shout-out.
"It's pointless to keep tearing each other apart; a win-win situation is better for everyone."
"It's all a Ye Liuchuan victim alliance, how awesome!"
"Lin Yuan is so pitiful. He did nothing wrong, yet he was scolded like that. Just how far will that wicked Ye Liuchuan go in harming Lin Yuan?"
Lin Yuan and Zheng Mian have no personal relationship. To some extent, the interaction between the crews of "Major Cases" and "The Phoenix Hairpin" was also a way to try and gain popularity during the summer.
Since the audience enjoys seeing their harmonious and win-win situations, they take the initiative to showcase them.
Moreover, the slogan "Ye Liuchuan Victims Alliance" is indeed effective, and both "Major Case" and "The Phoenix Hairpin" have garnered a lot of sympathy.
Lin Yuan was heavily criticized a few days ago, but in the past few days, his past works have been dug up and praised, and his achievements have been thoroughly publicized.
Everyone knows that Ye Liuchuan framed Lin Yuan.
On video websites, netizens continued to analyze "Tomorrow's Star" frame by frame, and finally concluded that Ye Liuchuan had been jealous of Lin Yuan since the beginning of "Tomorrow's Star".
...
"Look closely at Ye Liuchuan's eyes here. Lin Yuan is doing well; his eyes are constantly darting around. How come I never noticed that before?"
"Wow, what a hidden gem! The more you dig, the more you discover."
Ye Liuchuan: "..."
He was absolutely furious.
That's certainly not true.
During the "Tomorrow's Star" era, he was a truly popular contestant, consistently ranking in the top three in several polls, never falling behind Lin Yuan. How could he possibly be jealous of Lin Yuan at that time?
Even if netizens are just speculating, Ye Liuchuan's pride cannot accept it.
Even if Lin Yuan is stronger than him now, he was stronger than Lin Yuan at some point in the past.
Netizens simply erased that past relationship.
It's as if... all the popularity he once had, all the votes he received... never existed.
That was clearly Ye Liuchuan's source of pride.
Ye Liuchuan was already in a bad mood, and then Xie Yu sent him another message on his phone—
"I've always been curious when your fake skin was finally exposed, but I didn't expect it to be so soon."
Xie Yu sent three emojis in a row to express her happy mood.
Ye Liuchuan snorted coldly: "You're getting roles now? If you keep dragging this out, even the male lead's father won't get any roles in the future."
"How much better can you be than me?" Xie Yu retorted. "Isn't 'Locking Hearts' scheduled for garbage time?"
Ye Liuchuan pressed down on his phone, his anger barely concealed.
Xie Yu's words really hit a nerve.
After his reputation plummeted, Xingyao Video gave him feedback—"Locked Heart Window" was launched at noon on a certain day in September, and during this period, Xingyao Video would not cooperate with Ye Liuchuan's marketing.
In other words, if Ye Liuchuan expects "Locked Heart Window" to achieve any success, he has to pay for marketing out of his own pocket.
Marketing expenses are a major expenditure during the broadcast of a TV series. Some shows seem to be very popular and go viral online, but when you look at the financial report, they are still losing money. This is largely because they have spent too much on marketing.
Some actors are also used to buying marketing, not only buying positive trending topics for themselves, but also buying negative trending topics for their rivals.
This expense is too high. If the platform doesn't contribute, it would be too expensive for the celebrity to pay for it alone.
Ye Liuchuan isn't famous enough to be indifferent to marketing expenses.
The company is unlikely to pay this money for him.
In the past few days, Ye Liuchuan has gradually begun to feel the company's cold treatment.
In other words, even if "Locked Heart Window" were broadcast, it would be an ineffective broadcast.
The competition between dramas is so fierce that even dramas airing on the same platform like Xingyao Video will be wary of each other.
If the platform doesn't promote "Locked Heart Window" and Ye Liuchuan's appeal isn't strong enough, the show will be essentially a flop.
Ye Liuchuan sighed deeply.
Compared to "Locked Heart Window", "Major Case" enjoyed extremely high treatment. After the drama finished airing on Xingyao Video, "Major Case" took over. Lin Yuan's face appeared repeatedly on the homepage of Xingyao Video, making him look like a superstar.
The online version of "The Powerful Minister" was also sold to Xingyao Video. This drama had already been broadcast on Xiaguang TV once, but its online performance was actually quite good, even better than some new shows.
Where did Lin Yuan get such good luck? Ye Liuchuan asked from time to time.
The only conclusion he can draw now is that Lin Yuan has encountered a better role than him.
If he could have encountered a role like Shao Jing, if he could have been chosen by director Qin Panyun, everything would be different now.
Lin Yuan just got incredibly lucky.
Seeing Ye Liuchuan like this, the manager couldn't help but sigh.
Having been an agent for so many years, he would rather encounter an obedient fool than someone as headstrong as Ye Liuchuan.
Having big ideas and ambition is not a bad thing, but ambition must match one's own ability.
Take it slow.
A male actor's career is long; if he encounters the right role and perseveres, he may well succeed in the future.
Ye Liuchuan's problem was that he joined Wink too early and experienced the feeling of instant success, making it difficult for him to return to a normal life.
He wasn't sure if he could persuade Ye Liuchuan, but if things continued like this, Ye Liuchuan was very likely to ruin his career.
...
Throughout August, Sangzi eagerly awaited the broadcast of "Major Cases".
Perhaps because "Major Crimes" involves several criminal cases and has many secrets, the production team only released a trailer before the series aired.
Sangzi has already watched the trailer ten times, and she's counting on watching "Major Crime" to watch while eating.
As a die-hard fan of Lin Yuan, Sang Zi knew that in terms of cast, "Major Cases" was not particularly strong. Apart from Lin Yuan, most of the actors in the cast were not well-known.
But in Sangzi's heart, the name Lin Yuan was a guarantee.
Besides looking forward to "Major Cases", she is also looking forward to the musical in which Lin Yuan is starring, which seems to be called "Golden Spear"... The production team has not yet revealed any information, but Sang Zi is already prepared to grab tickets.
Based on her past experience, tickets... probably won't be so easy to get.
It was almost lunchtime, and Sangzi watched the trailer for "Major Cases" again.
In the dimly lit alley, a girl was thrown into a well, a murderer fled under an assumed name, a death message came from the other end of the communication line, a crazed killer evaded surveillance... Everything in the shadows was silent, and blood stained the night red.
At the same time as all of this, there is a drumbeat that imitates the sound of a heartbeat, and every shot change seems to make people feel the approach of death.
The next scene, however, cuts to blue skies and white clouds.
The sleepy-eyed, disheveled young man seemed to have nothing to do with the word "reliable." The only striking feature was his bright eyes, which he occasionally opened.
It shines so brightly it's dazzling, like crystal.
At this point, appearance is no longer so important; hair and styling can be completely ignored, but those eyes are unforgettable.
The contrast between the sleepy, somewhat dazed state and the bright, sparkling eyes makes one eagerly anticipate "Major Crimes."
This is a completely different role from Shao Jing, but it lacks the melancholy that Shao Jing had later in the story.
Surprisingly, just watching the trailer, Sang Zi couldn't help but imagine that Lin Yuan's character in "Major Cases" was probably the cute type?
Although the trailer doesn't show this at all, Sangzi couldn't help but have this idea.
In short, Lin Yuan is just so cute!
This drama would probably be a perfect match for "Hibernation".
With anticipation for "Major Cases," Sang Zi kept staring at the calendar.
As the days went by, she finally made it to the day when "Major Cases" was about to air.
Lin Yuan has also been much more active in his work. Xingyao Video held a premiere party for "Major Cases". Although the party was not broadcast, Sangzi received a lot of pictures of Lin Yuan at the event.
He's... very handsome, just plain handsome.
Although Lin Yuan himself said that he stayed up late the night before and had dark circles under his eyes, the dark circles actually made him look more like the character in "Major Cases".
"Quickly play this video, I want to see Officer Kobayashi!!"
"expect!!!!"
Sangzi couldn't help but reply with "+1" countless times to these comments, which perfectly reflected her feelings at that moment.
The day has finally come.
Interspersed among the reports about "Major Cases" was news of "Locked Heart Window" being abandoned by Xingyao Video. Sang Zi used to pay some attention to it, but now she completely ignores the Wink group represented by Ye Liuchuan.
Lin Yuan had already looked ahead; as for that group of people, let them continue to rot and stink!
Besides underhanded tactics, what else can those people do?
Sang Zi was very glad that she didn't watch "The Next Star" live, otherwise, with the filter of the show, she might have become a fan of one of Wink's members, and if she continued to be a fan, she would probably have wasted several years of her youth.
Sangzi sometimes thinks that some celebrities' fans are idiots, but other times she also thinks that it's not easy to accept that someone you like has fallen apart overnight.
The idol profession exists to provide support for people.
...
"Major Cases" was a highly anticipated ancient costume drama that Xingyao Video took seriously. However, perhaps due to audience fatigue or the overemphasis on "reverse romance" in this genre, the show's popularity, while decent, fell far short of the platform's expectations.
Next, the pressure fell on "Major Cases".
Xingyao Video had high expectations for "Major Cases" and invested a lot in promotion, but the platform was also aware that the cast of "Major Cases" was only average.
The platform only hopes that "Major Cases" can ride the wave of popularity of "The Powerful Minister" to reach new heights. The platform does not have any expectations of it becoming the summer hit or the year's hit.
Lin Yuan currently only has one drama, "The Powerful Minister," so the term "carrying the show" is inherently untenable.
Male actors and female actors are still different.
Many male actors become famous overnight with a single drama, but very few can maintain that success. Moreover, "Major Case" is a professional drama without any romance, and relying solely on Lin Yuan to carry the show might not be enough.
However, the platform also acknowledged that "Major Cases" was of good quality and that Lin Yuan's acting was excellent. Among the male actors in the summer season, Lin Yuan's acting was top-notch.
The day "Major Cases" premiered was the hottest day of the summer, with temperatures reaching over 40 degrees Celsius in various places. Viewers, who didn't like going out, inevitably stayed at home to watch the show.
This summer vacation is quite important to Xingyao Video. Last year, Xingyao Video didn't even want to spend money on marketing. During the summer vacation with the Olympics, it would be a waste to spend more money on marketing. No matter how much money is spent, the audience will only watch the games.
...
Yan Yu was complaining to his girlfriend, "Can't I play video games?"
Why would he have to watch dramas on Xingyao Video on such a perfectly good day?
In Yan Yu's memory, Xingyao Video was always broadcasting those fantasy romance dramas with the lyrics, "If you don't love me, I'll destroy this world, and everyone in the four seas and eight wastelands will die."
Yan Yu stated that if he were to actually do that, he would first offer up his leadership position.
In short, he had absolutely no interest in those shows; he'd rather watch a game stream.
Yan Yu used to enjoy watching dramas. He could watch five or six a year, including detective dramas, war dramas, martial arts dramas, and even some romantic idol dramas.
He doesn't really like the dramas airing now, even those with good reviews. He finds realistic dramas too profound and idol dramas too childish. In the past, there were many dramas that fell somewhere in between, with both plot and fun, heavy but touching. Now, however, they are too polarized.
"That's prejudice!" his girlfriend yelled at him. "Isn't 'The Powerful Minister' quite good? You never watch it!"
Yan Yu touched his nose: "I don't like historical dramas."
Moreover, his girlfriend has recently become too obsessed with Lin Yuan, which has caused him to develop a rebellious attitude. He is willing to watch other people's dramas, but he just doesn't want to watch Lin Yuan's dramas.
It wasn't until Lin Yuan's face appeared in the center of the screen that Yan Yu realized the drama he was going to watch that night was also starring Lin Yuan.
"Do you need me to turn on the tablet to heat up his temperature?" Yan Yu asked.
His girlfriend glared at him: "Lin Yuan doesn't need it, okay? Let's watch together."
Yan Yu: "Alright."
Although Yan Yu knew from the title and opening credits that this was a crime drama, perhaps because Lin Yuan's face was too young, or perhaps because he was too disappointed with the professional dramas starring young actors in the past two years, Yan Yu had very low expectations for "Major Cases".
However, he still started reading it.
Yan Yu actually grew up watching "Young Justice". He really liked crime dramas with young actors, especially those with a team investigating cases. But in recent years, this type of drama seems to have disappeared. When you mention crime dramas, the main characters are those middle-aged people with serious faces and wrinkles.
The pace of "Major Crimes" was faster than he had imagined; it wasn't one of those slow-paced dramas.
To be precise, in the first episode, the professional aspects take up a larger proportion, while the reasoning aspect is much less prominent.
But... it's quite appealing.
The show had been playing for about 10 minutes, and Yan Yu had no intention of getting up from his seat—in the past, when he accompanied his girlfriend to watch a show, he could only stay in his seat for that long at most.
The first story in "Major Crimes" is a murder case that occurred more than 20 years ago.
The elderly woman, on her way to the police station, greeted each police officer in turn, and then looked at each one expectantly with her aged eyes.
The police officers who met her gaze felt a pang of pity, but they still couldn't give her a definite answer regarding the case.
After all, more than 20 years have passed.
If the victim is still alive, he would be nearing retirement age by now.
Every year before, the middle-aged couple would come to the police station together, entrusting their hopes and seeking the truth. Gradually, the middle-aged couple became old people, supporting each other as they came. Now, only the white-haired old lady remains.
No one wanted to lose the case, but too much time had passed. Time can erase all traces, especially since it had been more than 20 years.
The clues came suddenly.
The show switched to a more upbeat piece of music to alert the audience that a clue had been discovered. Yan Yu was startled, but couldn't help clenching his fist.
In fact, as soon as the details of the case were broadcast, he knew which case it was.
Yan Yu had previously read reports related to this case.
He now understands that "Major Case" is indeed a major case.
The protagonist, Qiu Heng, also makes his appearance at this time.
He has a typical goofy face; he's absent-minded in everything else, but the moment the word "clue" appears, he suddenly becomes alert.
Yan Yu: "..."
Although it was his girlfriend who had a soft spot for Lin Yuan, Yan Yu felt that the protagonist of "Major Cases" was a bit like his little yellow dog. Usually, it would lie on the sofa and doze off, but as soon as the door opened, it would instantly spring up, full of energy, and want someone to take it out for a walk.
Qiu Heng was assigned to investigate the clues—because he had recently offended his superior.
Comparing facial and DNA clues is an incredibly complex task that requires a lot of time. Now that a clue has finally emerged, and we're only one step away from catching the real culprit, nobody wants to waste any more time.
In the dim light, the computer screen flickered with an unusual brightness, and the black pupils on the face reflected on the screen shone even brighter.
From the very beginning, Qiu Heng's gaze never wavered.
Another colleague was investigating the clues with him, but Qiu Heng showed an excitement that the others did not. Information about the murderer flashed in his mind, and names and pictures kept appearing on the screen. Finding clues related to the murderer in a sea of people was like finding a needle in a haystack.
However, Qiu Heng's movements became faster and faster, his fingers seemed to leave afterimages, and the images and words on the screen seemed to be projected into his pupils.
For some reason, Yan Yu suddenly felt that this scene was somewhat inspiring.
He was just looking for clues, but it gave him a feeling that was both childish and passionate.
For a moment, Qiu Heng slowed down: "Found it."
His movements were in sync with his equally slow tone of voice.
His colleague next to him looked astonished: "Found it?"
He had only looked at less than a tenth of it when Qiu Heng had already found it.
"It's him."
The confidence radiating from Qiu Heng's face almost made Yan Yu feel that he had nothing to do with the listless person in the first scene.
Are you sure?
"absolute."
Although Qiu Heng was usually carefree, he gained the trust of his superiors and subordinates under these circumstances. While he was confirming the information, the arrest operation was already underway.
Everyone knows that Qiu Heng is considered an "eccentric," but he is indeed very talented when it comes to solving cases.
Past examples have proven this.
The first case was just a small appetizer to open the series, so only two episodes were aired.
However, in Yan Yu's view, although there are not many episodes, the amount of information is very sufficient.
He even felt that the first case was only meant to introduce the background and the character of Qiu Heng, and also to highlight the killer's ruthlessness.
The story doesn't focus much on the murderer, but it left a deep impression on Yan Yu.
Because in the script of "Major Crimes", the murderer did not have a cold or evil smile, or act like a cruel demon. He simply raised his hands the moment the police appeared and let the handcuffs handcuff him.
In daily life, he is just an ordinary, unremarkable middle-aged man. Even if you walk past him, no one will pay much attention to him.
No one knew that this was a murderer who had committed serious crimes.
His behavior seems to indicate that he has also been suffering day and night for more than 20 years.
Just like a recent case, according to media reports, a spirited young man suffered from insomnia after killing his girlfriend, enduring immense psychological torment. Every time he tried to sleep, he would think of the scene of his girlfriend lying in a pool of blood.
Once full of vigor and ambition, now his hair is completely white.
The media's perspective is one of sympathy.
However, in the story of "Major Crimes," the "honest" murderer uses nicknames based on the dates he kills his victims.
He lived an ordinary and peaceful life, with a side of him that his wife and children knew nothing about.
Did he repent?
"No." In the footage, Qiu Heng showed a cold side. "Just like a murderer always returns to the crime scene, this murderer is reliving and reminiscing. In countless times throughout his life, he may still be hoping that this scene will be replayed. He believes that the peak of his life and the greatest passion were all left at that moment."
“Since then, nothing has excited him anymore.”
Yan Yu saw his own shocked expression reflected in his girlfriend's shocked eyes.
An unexpected angle.
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Author's Note: Here it comes! [Let me see][Let me see][Let me see]
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