CH 014

TL: Moonlit

Ran Xing’s advertisement was quickly released into the market, causing a great response.

While «Sword Immortal» was in its hot broadcast, fans had nowhere to release their love. Just as the official advertisement was released, fans flocked to it.

“Ah ah ah, Xing Xing looks so handsome! Today’s a different kind of handsome!”

“Xing Xing finally stopped being stingy and got an endorsement, so touched.”

“This brand really suits Xing Xing’s temperament. They both have a special classical beauty.”

“This brand is really good, a bit expensive, but their designs are worth the price. Sisters who like Chinese style and unique designs can go for it.”

“Wuwu, Xing Xing looks so good in traditional Chinese clothing. Fashion really depends on the face.”

The praise was overwhelming, and Lin Hanchuan was very satisfied. The brand was also pleased, and the fans of Ran Xing were also delighted.

On the other hand, the endorsement of Qiu Hongguang, being a big brand, didn’t have much impact on the already well-known brand. Whether it was sales or reputation, it only boosted Qiu Hongguang’s popularity and became a topic for fans to boast about.

In Qiu Hongguang’s fan group, many fans were raging and cursing Ran Xing as a bloodsucker.

“I knew he was just sucking our brother’s blood. He clings to Qiū Qiū for everything. Can’t he walk on his own?”

“Infuriating! Those people really have no taste. Clearly, Qiū Qiū looks better.”

“Yeah, they don’t know how to appreciate. So vulgar. Qiū Qiū’s appearance is more comfortable to look at. The more you see, the more you appreciate. Unlike that guy, he looks good at first glance but gets boring on the second.”

“Ran Xing is leveling up by picking fights.”

While they were cursing, the small fans suddenly noticed that a previously active big fan had not participated in the discussion. They mentioned her one after another, asking what happened.

As soon as the big fan came online, she saw a bunch of mentions. She paused for a moment, pretending not to have seen anything, and silently switched accounts to create a new social media account. She posted her first update.

“Wuwuwu, «Sword Immortal» is really good!”

The big fan, full of guilt, opened «Sword Immortal» again and bought a clothing item endorsed by Ran Xing, silently repenting in her heart: Qiū Qiū, I didn’t mean to betray you. Both you and Xing Xing are my babies, and I will treat you equally!

Originally, she was Qiu Hongguang’s fan and despised Ran Xing. She found joy in insulting Ran Xing every day and wished he would disappear into thin air.

Being someone who only played with her phone and tablet, she accidentally discovered that her parents were watching «Sword Immortal» every day at a fixed time. This made her angry, so she took the opportunity to enlighten her parents about Ran Xing’s negative news–

And then she was pushed away because she blocked the TV.

But the big fan couldn’t resist and sat in front of the TV as well, hoping to find flaws in «Sword Immortal» and make her parents watch «Jiuge» instead.

As she watched… she couldn’t find any flaws. On the contrary, it became more and more captivating. With a guilty and self-reproachful mood, she sat in the living room with her parents for a few more days. She couldn’t hold back any longer and opened her tablet, downloading the first few episodes of «Sword Immortal».

It was so good!

As the big fan caught up on the episodes she hadn’t seen before, she couldn’t find anyone to share her thoughts with. So, secretly hiding it from her sisters, she created a new account and became a fan of both Qiu Hongguang and Ran Xing.

The rivalry between these two fanbases was intense. If anyone from either side found out, they would be scolded as fools. The big fan cautiously put on a disguise and looked at the rainbow farts from Ran Xing’s fans and their post-drama reflections.

However… the big fan was a bit puzzled. Why did several new fans of Ran Xing have such familiar writing styles?

Maybe it was just an illusion. Dismissing the strange feeling, the big fan joined the «Sword Immortal» drama fan group and Ran Xing’s fan group, happily starting to surf the internet.

…

The movie set was mostly set up, with only some finishing touches and details left. Lin Hanchuan brought Ran Xing to the set to audition for the male lead. Zhou Xishan and Ye Wenjun had already prepared everything. They looked up and down at Ran Xing, considering how well he matched the role.

“Director Zhou, Director Ye,” Ran Xing respectfully bowed and greeted them.

Zhou Xishan made a sound of agreement and said, “Although you’re a Starlight Entertainment artist, it doesn’t mean you can get the role directly through connections. You still have to audition.”

“I understand,” Ran Xing replied cautiously. He had always been an insignificant presence in the entertainment industry and had never come into contact with directors of Zhou Xishan and Ye Wenjun’s level.

He turned around and saw Lin Hanchuan standing behind him, which slightly calmed Ran Xing’s nervousness.

While Ran Xing went to get his hair styled, Ye Wenjun spoke up, “He’s too beautiful, not quite suitable for this role.”

Zhou Xishan had a different opinion. “His beauty carries a sense of wickedness, and he has a spirit of not accepting fate or surrendering. I actually think he’s very suitable for this role.”

The tentative title of this movie is «Wukong», a cyber mythological film that subverts the traditional mythological story. Naturally, the protagonist is the well-known Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King.

The story is set in a modern society where people with superpowers coexist with ordinary humans. The protagonist, Sun Wukong, is an orphan from the slums of Huaguoshan, raised by his grandfather, Bodi, and has become a small delinquent in the slums.

However, a superpowered individual hidden in Huaguoshan suddenly loses control of their abilities, causing the death of ordinary people within a few hundred meters, including Sun Wukong’s grandfather, Bodi.

Awakening his own metal-based superpower, Sun Wukong embarks on a path of revenge for his grandfather. Along the way, he encounters Tianting’s military leader, Tianpeng, Junlin, who was expelled from Tianting, Sanzang from the Xiaoling Mountain faction, and Xiao Bai Long, the heir of the Dragon Palace, who belongs to Tianting.

The storyline of this script is not complicated, simply telling the story of a young boy embarking on a path of revenge and saving the world after making friends. Both domestically and internationally, numerous different versions of this kind of story have been filmed.

But this movie is innovative in terms of mythological characters. Sun Wukong is a delinquent with the ability to manipulate metal. His golden cudgel is his metal-based superpower, and Huaguoshan is a chaotic slum. It can be foreseen that there will be much controversy once it’s released.

Compared to the relatively simple storyline, the focus of «Wukong» is on the exquisite and magnificent special effects—special effects for high-tech products, superpowers, fights, various backgrounds… As long as this film is successful, it will be the first step for domestic productions to enter the realm of large-scale special effects films.

Countless related mythological characters can also be explored to create different stories. This is the cyber mythological universe that Lin Hanchuan wants to create.

Once successful, the film universe, anime adaptations, and various merchandise… the «Wukong» series will become a unique benchmark in China.

No ambitious creator can resist this temptation.

Ye Wenjun was no exception. Part of the reason he came out of retirement was for the Poet Immortal’s authentic works, but the bigger reason was to see how far Lin Hanchuan could go.

The greater the expectations, the stricter the requirements for the lead actor in «Wukong». Ye Wenjun wasn’t quite satisfied with Ran Xing. “His beauty has already overshadowed the wickedness, and he doesn’t have the aura that Sun Wukong should have.”

“He has a certain force in him.” Zhou Xishan thought for a moment and said, “I saw a photo of him before. His gaze… it’s bright, with a fierce determination.”

Back then, when Ran Xing was drugged by Qiao Qingsheng, the marketing account uploaded photos of them being taken to the hospital. Zhou Xishan happened to see those few photos.

In those photos, Ran Xing’s gaze was incredibly sharp, like a trapped beast, unwilling to surrender, fierce, and stubborn.

It was also those few photos that sparked Zhou Xishan’s interest and made him want to give it a try. After Ran Xing disregarded his own celebrity status and imprisoned Qiao Qingsheng, Zhou Xishan was certain: this was the person.

The two couldn’t reach a consensus, so Ye Wenjun turned his head and asked, “Mr. Yan, what do you think?”

Lin Hanchuan looked at the two perfectionists who had inadvertently dragged him into the argument and helplessly said, “Mr. Ye, you can take a look at his audition first. If you’re not satisfied, then we can discuss it.”

This was clearly speaking up for Ran Xing! Ye Wenjun huffed through his nose, found a seat, crossed his arms, and decided to see what kind of performance Ran Xing would deliver.

After a while, Ran Xing came out with his hair styled.

His hair had been dyed a slightly dark shade of red using temporary hair dye. The messy red hair fell on top of his head, contrasting with his fair skin.

Ran Xing smirked at the people present, but there was no hint of a smile in his eyes, which caught Ye Wenjun off guard.

Standing beside Lin Hanchuan, Ran Xing moved with caution, his expression displaying a cautious and obedient demeanor. But now, his gaze was disdainful and arrogant, a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. He resembled a villainous character from a comic.

This appearance… surprisingly, it worked. Ye Wenjun let go of his crossed arms, but the next second, he crossed them again.

Ran Xing’s gaze turned towards Lin Hanchuan, and his eyes brightened. Suddenly, even his unruly red hair appeared somewhat obedient.