Chapter 1564
Too Much
Back in 08, many film and television companies got involved in the Beijing Olympics.
Anyone with a connection will try to find some material to piggyback on.
Given Huayi's connections, she naturally wouldn't let him go.
They provided numerous promotional songs after accepting an "invitation" from the Organizing Committee.
It's all about connections, so of course it's called an invitation.
We are all fair, open, and impartial.
For example, the Olympic theme song "Me and You".
It was selected from thousands of songs through a nationwide audition, and only after multiple expert reviews and unanimous approval was it brought to the stage.
It's definitely not because the composer, Chen Qigang, was the music director for the Beijing Olympics and also had a close relationship with Zhang Yimou.
Absolutely not.
Asking questions ensures fairness and transparency.
Huayi proposed Xiaoming as their promotional song.
We commissioned Jin Zhiwen to compose the music. Zhiwen is capable, and the music he composed was quite good.
The song is called "One World One Dream," and it's an English song.
And then... everyone knows what happened.
In particular, Huang Xiaoming was associated with a famous meme called "Nao Tai Tao".
It's not that he doesn't work hard, it's that he works too hard.
Sometimes, when you lack ability, the harder you try, the worse things get.
This means that you shouldn't be afraid of being diligent or stupid, but you should be afraid of being both stupid and diligent.
Another issue, as Huang Bo mentioned, is that after becoming famous, everyone around you is a good person.
A so-called good person is someone who is praised and flattered by everyone around them.
You spend money on them and give them good treatment, and they still don't speak well of you?
They'll be all sweet talk if it's not for you, but for money and benefits.
Then a big problem arose!
When singing this song, Huang Xiaoming's English wasn't completely nonexistent, but it was better than nothing.
It also carries the flavor of oysters from my hometown, Qingdao.
If it's not good, then practice.
But he was surrounded by a large group of "eunuchs" and "palace maids," who would say good things even if they weren't good.
Xiaoming has a weakness: he lacks self-confidence at heart.
He has an underlying sense of inferiority. No matter how famous he is or how much money he makes, it's his nature, something he was born with or developed during his upbringing, and it's hard to change once he grows up.
People with low self-esteem are easily influenced by external factors.
He felt it was just average, but everyone around him was clapping and cheering, so he started to doubt himself.
"Could it be that I really sing very well?"
"Did I underestimate myself?"
That's why the phrase "闹太套" came about.
People around you may fawn over you, but the audience won't.
It made everyone laugh!
But there were too many big events in 08.
Heavy snow at the beginning of the year, a major disaster in Sichuan in the middle of the year, and the Olympics in the third quarter—the heat of this matter quickly died down.
Xiao Ming was depressed for several days, but he got through it.
He never expected that, a few years later, his dark past would be brought up again!
He was puzzled as to why this song had suddenly been brought up again.
Zhang Yuan: Yes, why is that?
And this time it's even worse than the one in 08!
It's not just forums; people are talking about it on Baidu Tieba as well.
His heartfelt singing has even been turned into memes and widely circulated.
Right now, QQ is still the most popular QQ account. If WeChat existed, it would probably be even more widely used.
The combination of the wicked and arrogant expression and the distorted lyrics caused this meme to spread rapidly, driven by a mysterious force.
But this is not the end, because there are now even newer "promotion" channels.
Suddenly, a lot of parody videos of this song have appeared on Bilibili!
Various pranks and voice-changing techniques have emerged one after another.
It even sparked a small trend, with everyone rushing to imitate it.
This led to the range of parodies extending beyond the song "Nao Tai Tao" to include other works by Xiao Ming Ge.
It is known as the "Cult Leader Series".
The title "Master" is quite bizarre, taken from the Ming Cult in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," because Huang Xiaoming's fans are called "Ming Cult."
He also publicly acknowledged the title.
The "Master" series became a hit, extending beyond parody videos to include parody videos of Xiaoming himself.
Many of his film and television works were also "victimized".
For example, the exceptionally "greasy" acting in "The Deer and the Cauldron" and "Summer's Desire".
These two films are as oily as the Strait of Hormuz.
As for why his parody videos suddenly appeared on Bilibili...
If you ask, it's because the masses did it spontaneously, out of interest.
This has absolutely nothing to do with Zhang Yuan being a shareholder of Bilibili, just as the selection of "Me and You" has nothing to do with the author's position.
Of course, Zhang Yuan felt that all of this was a bit excessive after seeing it.
He already has a weak mentality, and you guys are still teasing him!
Hurry up and buy some melon seeds for Brother Xiaoming.
But what can you do if the audience loves to watch it and the creators love to make it?
Bilibili also received a lawyer's letter from Huang Xiaoming's studio.
After Zhang Yuan learned about this, he asked Xu Yi to suppress it and handle it discreetly.
The so-called low-key approach means ignoring it and telling people to go ahead and sue.
Regardless of whether you win or not, you most likely won't win.
Anyway, the company has a legal budget, so we deal with this kind of thing all the time.
These kinds of copyright infringement cases are very difficult to handle. Unless there's a major crackdown from above, even celebrities can't win.
Moreover, Zhang Yuan's request for the platform to handle the matter discreetly was not to scam anyone, but to protect him.
Celebrity sues author?
Have you not seen the story of the poet Chen?
If his friends on Baidu find out, Xiaoming will be truly ruined.
They're getting more and more aggressive with each lawsuit!
Zhang Yuan wanted to call Xiaoming himself and tell him to "reorganize the studio team and make them more professional."
Don't be indulgent, don't believe everything you hear, use your own brain.
In Zhang Yuan's view, the popularity of "ghostly" videos is also due to the envy, jealousy, and hatred of these male creators.
You are a big star, rich and powerful, with all the advantages of timing and location.
Women these days are still so beautiful.
To be honest, Yang Tianbao was quite handsome during his peak.
Regardless of whether she's had surgery, if it looks good, it looks good.
Zhang Yuan had personally experienced this and commented that you have to sleep with the lights on because you have to see your face.
Ultimately, these "propaganda" efforts led to Huang Xiaoming's constant depression.
I force myself to stay awake when I have work to do, but once I get back to my rest area, I close the door and don't dare to leave.
They don't even dare to go out on the street.
Because insecure people are very sensitive, if someone glances at them on the street, they feel that the person must have seen memes and parodies.
He thinks that someone who laughs at him is watching his funny videos and mocking him.
When attending press conferences or briefings, I always dread the next question someone will ask.
"Master, have you seen those videos on Bilibili?"
This feeling can only be empathized with by people who have low self-esteem; naturally confident people will never understand it.
Even a passing dog glancing at him would think Ah Huang was laughing at him.
Xiao Ming has to drink until he's dizzy before he can fall asleep at the hotel. He always sleeps with his head pressed down by a pillow, afraid to hear any noise.
Even the sound of his assistant's footsteps made him feel like someone was mocking him.
It was just a hair's breadth away from collapse.
Doing this serves as a "minor punishment" for Brother Xiaoming.
Regardless of whether you attributed the stuntman's death to me online, whether it was done by your former employer or the PR department of your studio.
In short, you are the beneficiary.
Rights and obligations are complementary. You've benefited, so it's only right that you suffer a little now.
But punishment is not the goal, but merely a means.
Unless the other person eventually realizes that even a gentle wave of the hand is an unbearable burden for them, it is still a heavy weight in their life.
There are other uses for doing this.
He just didn't expect that his normal attack would land a critical hit, and that Xiaoming's special attack would be both extremely damaging and humiliating.
On the other side, the film crew...
bang bang bang...
Inside a private airport in Germany.
The film crew booked the entire venue to shoot the final battle scene. Dozens of extras, fully armed, engaged in a passionate shootout with the lead actors.
Small explosives were everywhere; the demolition team could set off a series of crackling sounds with the push of a switch.
Even if you don't film it, just seeing it in person, even knowing it's fake, is still thrilling.
At this moment, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but marvel that he had basically never seen such a large-scale display of kung fu in China.
Americans excel at gunfight scenes; after all, they have real-life experience.
Zhang Yuan really wanted to call Wu Jing over to see how the explosion scene was filmed.
Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis fired shots together in front of the camera before taking cover together.
"I've run out of ammunition," the governor said in a low voice.
"I will be back!"
Zhang Yuan automatically added the Terminator BGM to the other party's mind: "Deng deng, deng, deng deng".
Bruce then turned to look at the other person.
“YOU BE BACK ENOUGH”.
"I will be back!"
From playing with the meme to debunking it, it was all done in one go.
The veteran artist was extremely composed.
These guys know exactly what the audience wants to see.
As soon as the signature line is uttered, the longtime fans in the movie theater cheer.
But not yet. After we've finished with the governor joke, it's time for the other side to make their turn.
As soon as Bruce Willis stood up, the governor immediately chimed in.
"Yippee-ki-yay!"
This is a signature line from Bruce Willis's masterpiece, "Die Hard".
The complete sentence is "Yippee-ki-yay, motherf***er!"
The two big shots bantered with each other, quoting each other's famous lines; that alone is worth the price of admission.
But that's not all!
Chaco Norris, a veteran from the Bruce Lee era, stepped forward and joined the governor, who had risen, in a frenzy of firing.
After delivering his message, the governor glanced at the veteran.
"who is the next?"
"Rambo?"
When writing lyrics, Stallone didn't spare himself either.
The real big shots are very open and don't put on airs at all.
They know perfectly well that if they can make money, why wouldn't they do it?
Make him smile, and the money arrives—it's wonderful.
Chen Long even dressed up as Chun-Li.
I would say that Jackie Chan's version of Chun-Li is the most classic, whoever supports it or disagrees!
Actors who generally prefer a serious, aloof demeanor are often those who work in serious dramas or art films.
Action actors are considered to be making a living through shady means in the eyes of these people.
But the action actors Zhang Yuan had met, especially the big stars, both domestic and international, were all incredibly fond of playing around.
They get really crazy when they're happy.
Even Li Lianjie is actually quite playful in private.
The only one who seemed relatively serious was Zhao Wenzhuo; it's just his personality.
The scene changed in no time.
Bruce drove up to Schwarzenegger in a SMART car.
The governor turned around, raised his hand, and tried to pull the car door open... but couldn't.
The two old men laughed, and Bruce patted the steering wheel.
The design depicts the car door being ripped off.
Even if Schwarzenegger is incredibly strong, it's still quite difficult for him to pull a car door off with one hand.
The props team quickly stepped forward and loosened the hinge screws a little more.
Click!
That was it; he ripped the car door off.
"This car isn't even as big as my shoebox!" the governor complained after getting into the car.
Bruce Willis then turned around and kicked off his own side of the car door.
The two old men were putting on a show in front of the camera, neither willing to concede to the other.
Viewers and fans love watching this!
Previously, it was a battle of wits from afar, with each side praising their own idol.
Some say Rambo is powerful, others say the Terminator is fierce.
Now, if we focus on a single drama, it needs to portray the struggle for cooperation in order for the audience to be satisfied.
They were determined to fight, and they went from their own film set to this one, turning their off-screen rivalry into a real-life conflict.
That was awesome... That's how the audience felt.
They did have a fight, but they reconciled a long time ago, and the three of them now run restaurants and hotels together, making a fortune off their fans.
What's the point of fighting? Making money together is the real business.
The two big shots sped through the airport terminal in a doorless SMART car, followed by a camera crew filming them the whole way.
Seeing this scene, Zhang Yuan suddenly remembered that he had several colleagues in his previous life.
Some bought a SMART car, and some bought a MINI.
However, when these colleagues introduce their vehicles, they always say "Mercedes-Benz SMART" or "BMW MINI," instead of simply stating the brand.
It's truly vanity and makes one a laughingstock.
Moreover, both of these colleagues are women, and quite young and beautiful.
I don't know if they were deceived by someone else, or if they were deceiving themselves.
He nodded repeatedly, appreciating his good looks, saying, "You're absolutely right."
Not only did she get a free ride several times, but she also had the opportunity to become his "male best friend".
I just ended up here before I even had a chance to go through the process of sleeping with my male best friend.
The sight of two burly men crammed into a small car was truly comical.
But this isn't mocking the car; it's advertising!
SMART paid for it, and company specialists were on-site to observe.
They even laughed while watching.
Look at how smoothly the implant is done.
Millions were made in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Wen should be taught something.
The airport battle scene took about half a month to film.
After the filming wrapped, the crew would move on to other outdoor locations.
However, his trip ended there.
"Zhang, it was a pleasure working with you." Stallone and the others came to see him off as he left the film crew.
"Me too, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I hope this movie will be a big hit, especially in China."
"Haha, of course, definitely."
At this moment, the assistant and Jiang Yilang were already pushing the luggage into the car.
"And I wish you continued success in your love life as well." Stallone glanced in Ms. Jiang's direction.
“But be careful,” Bruce said with a smirk, glancing at the governor out of the corner of his eye.
"Be extremely careful not to let a woman get pregnant."
Arnold from California snorted with a straight face, mocking me and the nanny again.
"Yes, we need to be careful," the governor said earnestly after taking a puff of his cigar.
“Some women will use tricks to get pregnant with your child and then demand child support, or they will do it to become famous.”
While seemingly reminding him, she was actually shifting the blame for his infidelity onto him.
It's all women's fault for ruining me, for scheming against me.
Why didn't you just throw it against the wall?
But things are often not that simple. When someone is prepared but not prepared, all sorts of tricks will come up.
While the three older men were helping him wait for the bus, they gave him a rundown of Hollywood anecdotes and tips on how to be a womanizer.
It really broadened his knowledge.
This also brought him much closer to these three old guys.
Sharing embarrassing stories and gossiping about others are among the most effective ways to build relationships.
This also shows that these three women recognized his wealth and fame to the point that he was being targeted by older women.
Following his earnest advice, Zhang Yuan decided to be more careful in the future.
Especially when dealing with some clever and witty girls.
We must not give them the opportunity to control the emperor and command the feudal lords.
After receiving the elder's teachings, he boarded a plane and returned to China.
Little Ming, engulfed in agony, was unaware that "hell" was slowly approaching him... (End of Chapter)