Chapter 262: Red Hot
The Smile of the Rose was originally a web series produced by an unknown company. The budget was insufficient, the actors were not famous enough, and even the director was third or fourth-tier, known for making bad films. And among all this, perhaps the most famous was the credited screenwriter, Shion-sensei. Although she was only credited, she was still responsible for most of the plot. The script was also her creation, and the director didn’t make many changes.
Most of the people who watched this TV series went for Shion’s fame. Because it was a script written by their idol, Shion-sensei, many fans paid for a membership specifically to watch the first episode. This was a rare phenomenon for a completely unknown work, let alone a romance film.
The Smile of the Rose tells a story about a long-distance relationship, or rather, an online romance. This was a little different from traditional romance films, setting the story’s background in the era of young people falling in love online. Such a theme was highly sought after by many fans upon its broadcast. Coupled with Shion’s popularity, many fans gave it a high score. And this web series had ten million views when it was broadcast, and it was still rising, its popularity still increasing. This TV series scored 7.5 points on the Douzi website, which was quite good for a web series.
Without a doubt, Shion had succeeded again. She once again proved to people how strong her ability was, how good her vision was. Any work in her hands basically never failed. Previously, she had only written novels, Ballad of the Enchantress and Zixuan and the Paper Airplane, and her audience was limited to those who read novels. But The Smile of the Rose was aimed at a larger group, and more young people came to know this talented writer. Although she was only a credited screenwriter, people couldn’t help but be amazed by her talent.
Industry professionals even commented, “This is a name that will not be unfamiliar in the next ten years.” It was clear how resonant Shion’s name was in the media’s eyes. This time, with this major move, her name was on the hot search again, her popularity leaving the popular celebrities far behind. The popular celebrities desperately hyped themselves up, but in the end, it was not as effective as one of her works.
She had succeeded again.
This was only the first episode, but the first episode had already created a considerable number of views. What kind of development would follow was also highly anticipated.
…
Tang Yumeng finished watching the first episode and felt it was not bad. Although the actors’ acting was still very immature, not as good as hers, the plot was really good. Such a good story actually came from her hand. As expected, this Yu girl was talented, a rare talent. Perhaps she would have no problem being a screenwriter.
The people who watched this TV series were not just Tang Yumeng. Nangong Ying also watched it at the first opportunity. She didn’t fast-forward a single second, didn’t skip the opening theme, and watched it directly to the end. When she saw the screenwriter’s name, Shion, her heart skipped a beat, and then she silently finished watching it. Although she was busy with work and her schedule was tight, she still tried to find time to watch it, just because this was a TV series that Yu Linna had participated in.
After watching it, she felt it wasn’t bad. Such a work, even if it were put into a production line industry like Chenghe’s, would still be a masterpiece. Who would have thought that an actress who was not favored by Chenghe in the past, a girl who was almost subjected to the casting couch by Chenghe, had now reached such a height, such an achievement? It was impossible for Chenghe not to be moved. It was said that after this drama became popular, many directors had sent her invitations, wanting to ask her to write scripts as a screenwriter. It was clear that they were very optimistic about this writer’s future.
Her current popularity, it was not an exaggeration to say that it had surpassed Air-sensei’s. One had to know that before she appeared, Air-sensei was hailed as the representative of the younger generation.
But Yu Linna did not accept the invitations at the first opportunity. She was still considering, considering what theme to write. Because her schedule was very full, she had to arrange it properly.
“Your friend?”
Li Yuexin made her a cup of coffee, her eyes glancing over slightly. She saw that she had been staring at the screenwriter’s credit, the two words “Shion,” on the TV series’ opening and ending credits for a long time.
“She is my friend. She used to be.”
“Used to be?”
“Yes. You wouldn’t believe it, but although she only stayed for a short time, she was also considered an actress signed by Chenghe.”
“No way? Then… this Shion-sensei, is a woman?”
“Yes. Later she left, went to a place she should go. You see, she succeeded.”
“Then why did she leave?”
“Because I pushed her away.”
After she said this, she was no longer willing to say more, nor did she answer her questions, just staring at the screen. She sometimes thought, if she were still here, how wonderful it would be.
Nangong Ying had never thought that she would be in such a sorry state now.
…
And Nangong Ying’s recent movie was also not bad. The police action film she starred in, Blue Pupil, was scheduled for Christmas, December 25th. Because of the accumulation of the previous two movies, her popularity was also very high. She had also made guest appearances in other movies a few times, and was even invited to be a supporting actress in other movies. She accepted all the roles she could, because she also wanted to accumulate popularity. And the pre-sale box office of the movie she starred in had even exceeded 80 million, which was a very terrifying pre-sale volume.
And after that, she also had new arrangements. First was a new movie produced by Chenghe, The Maze, a crime action film in which she was the lead. She had to play a ruthless woman, a complete change from her previous comedy style. The whole film was based on seriousness and bloody violence, and she was not a police officer, but a female gang leader.
Then there was a movie from Dongqi Film Productions, in which she was also the female lead, but the movie was a male-led drama. The movie was called The Suit, a police film, but positioned as a comedy. The story was set in 1984, a crisis concerning the theft of a national secret, with a lot of gags and an overall entertaining style. She played a newcomer agent who messes with the male lead during a mission, creating a lot of trouble.
Finally, there was a movie from Meishan Film Productions, a female-centric film called Soaring. She played a stubborn female pilot who would rather die than give up. The theme was action-comedy, but she had to play a serious, righteous character who, while the surrounding actors were trying their best to be funny, not only couldn’t be funny but also had to perform a comedic burden while being serious.
And so her subsequent schedule was arranged clearly, with basically no vacation. But she had also realized her wish to be a big star. At least this was the life she wanted, and she could accept it.
It was just that, occasionally, she would think of her.
Nangong Ying was doing better and better in the entertainment industry. She would meet more people, get more opportunities, more resources. Chenghe knew that a long-term contract was the only way to tie her down, but once the contract was up, no one could control her. She would fly to a higher place, and it would be difficult to keep her then.
Regarding this issue, Chenghe’s Yu Tianchen had also thought about it, but he said he would respond to changes with constancy. He would think of a way to keep her.
Recently, with the rise of The Smile of the Rose, many filmmakers were inspired to enter the entertainment industry and do bigger things. Among them was “Happy Fries,” which specialized in stage plays. They invested in setting up a company, planning to make a big splash. And the first female lead they used was their pillar, Shen Wenwen. This new film and television company wanted to make a comedy film to open up their fame.
But when they were watching The Smile of the Rose, they would never have thought that the screenwriter credited as Shion had also once acted in a play here, and had been mercilessly eliminated. Now, times had changed, and things were different. They were no longer the same.
…
“Congratulations, great author.”
This day, Ye Zhiyun specially came to find her and gave her a can of drink. Yu Linna just took it.
The classmates on the sports field were still keen on playing ball, sweating. She sat in the shade of a tree, quietly watching them play. She felt that this was the best.
“You’ve started to come and find me more often. Did something happen?”
Ye Zhiyun gave a noncommittal smile at this.
If it weren’t for her aunt being busy with work recently, flying all over the country, would she have this opportunity? Although Ye Zhiyun was also very busy, with many projects to discuss, many clients to meet, and countless contracts to sign, she still tried her best to find time to be with Yu Linna.
“I just came to congratulate you. You see, didn’t you succeed again?”
“Yeah, it’s quite incredible. I actually succeeded again. I thought I would fail, but I still succeeded. It’s hard to imagine. This is my luck.”
She pulled open the can and drank it down. She sometimes wondered if she had been possessed by someone. Why was her luck so good? Before, she couldn’t do anything. She was bad at acting, often got fired from part-time jobs, and the worst was that even her friends had betrayed her. Why did her life start to take off after she started writing novels?
Was it really luck?
“Aren’t these all what you deserve? You’ve paid, so you will definitely be rewarded. Think about it. you’ve been working hard, desperately. Why would you succeed? It’s not without reason.”
Ye Zhiyun hit the nail on the head, every word true.
Not everyone in this world can succeed, but successful people are never simple. If you don’t pay, you won’t have anything. This is the rule. God never takes care of everyone. If you want to climb higher, you have to use your own hands to climb up.
“Alright, let’s not talk about this first. Do you want to go to the radio station with me? I have a project to discuss. It’s a good time. I want you to see something.”
“Want to go on a date?”
“Something like that. So will you grace me with your presence?”
“Hehe.”
Yu Linna just smiled and didn’t answer, silently drinking her drink.
Going out with Zhiyun was something that hadn’t happened in a long time. She still remembered that she used to go out with her often, especially when she lived with her. That was a very frequent occurrence.
Should she, perhaps, relive it?
“Why are you inviting me?”
“Because I just want to invite you.”
“I’m very busy.”
“But I’m free. If you miss it, there won’t be a next time.”
“Hehe. Then I should thank you.”
“So will you grace me with your presence?” she repeated.
“Alright, I’ll grace you.”
Yu Linna stood up, smiled faintly, and answered thus.
