The next day.
"The Legend of the Condor Heroes" went live on schedule.
The discussions online had also quieted down considerably.
The entire book was over a million characters long, and it would take some time to finish it all at once.
However, Su Yu did not pay attention to the fans' discussions; he had more important things to do.
The live broadcast of the third episode of "Love Song King" was scheduled to start tomorrow. Lin Yanyu, who hadn't been home for a while, had flown back early.
Su Yu had booked a flight for the afternoon because he had someone to meet now.
"Haha, after only a few weeks, you've become a global superstar."
Zhang Yang was as flamboyant as his name suggested.
As soon as he opened the door, he gave Su Yu a big hug.
"Are you making fun of me too?" Su Yu pushed him away with mock disdain and said grumpily.
"No, this isn't teasing. I have a lot of face now when I go out. Everywhere I go, I say I have a global superstar brother. And it's not just me; Xiao Gong really worships you like a god now." Zhang Yang was holding two bags of steamed buns and handed one to Su Yu.
Su Yu took it and took a bite.
The familiar taste.
"Wei Ge's buns are still the best. I've been thinking about this taste while I was at school during this time." Zhang Yang walked into the house, biting into a steamed bun.
In front of Su Yu, he never stood on ceremony, because he knew no matter how Su Yu developed or how long it had been since they last met, they would still be brothers like before. He had never doubted this.
"Not bad, you've been working out those muscles." Su Yu followed him and teased.
It was already June, and Zhang Yang was wearing a tank top, revealing his muscular arms. He looked much more solid and clearly had been exercising.
"Hey, it's because Brother Yang is an actor now, so naturally, I have to manage my physique. I have to say, I'm surprised by my own progress during this time," Zhang Yang waved his hand and said.
He had been studying Monkey King performances recently and had also squeezed in time to go to the drama club. Under this high-intensity training, his acting skills had improved by leaps and bounds.
"That's good. It seems you genuinely like acting. You weren't this enthusiastic when I asked you to be a singer before," Su Yu said with a slight smile.
"It's not that I like acting, but I feel like every time I act, it's like living a different life. I really like this feeling." Zhang Yang was unusually serious.
Since entering the film and television industry, he had found his life's purpose.
In the myriad of life's experiences, he found his own joy in his roles, which was the best state for an actor.
Su Yu was naturally happy for him. "As long as you like it, I can give you enough scripts even if you act until you're old."
He said this from the heart. Having two or three close friends in life was enough, and Zhang Yang was one of them for Su Yu.
"I do believe that," Zhang Yang nodded, then leaned back on the sofa and chuckled, "Why does it feel like I've lived half a lifetime in the past two years? I never imagined we'd become stars, and you're now a world-class star. Plus, Xiao Gong, Zhou Tao, Zhao De, Xiao E, and the others. In just two years, I can hardly believe our current achievements."
"What, you think we've flown too high?" Su Yu teased.
If he couldn't even do this, then he would be letting down his "cheater" reputation.
"Of course not," Zhang Yang shook his head, then smiled at Su Yu. "I'm just speaking from the heart. Honestly, we're all so amazing because of you, there's no doubt about that."
Su Yu took a bite of a steamed bun and leaned back on the sofa. "At least you have some conscience. You know who the real boss is."
Zhang Yang said grumpily, "I know you're amazing, but what about the script this time?"
He had come this time because he heard Su Yu was going to start filming "A Chinese Odyssey" and wanted to discuss the acting with him.
After the last time with "A Chinese Ghost Story," Zhang Yang knew how amazing Su Yu was at directing actors. He could fully grasp a character in just a few hours.
"This drama doesn't have grand scenes, but your role is crucial. For this drama to be successful, your performance needs a certain charm." Su Yu finished the remaining steamed buns in two bites, took out two tissues to wipe his hands, and then took out a stack of prepared storyboards from under the coffee table.
"I've learned a lot at the drama club recently. At least I'm not as clueless as I was in the first drama," Zhang Yang said confidently. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and leaned closer to Su Yu, asking mysteriously, "Guess who I met at the drama club this time?"
Su Yu was stunned. "Who?"
Zhang Yang grinned. "Brother Ma!"
Su Yu: "Who is Brother Ma?"
"You know, that former traffic idol Zhang Qingyun. This kid has become a lot more low-key now, and he's working very hard to hone his acting..."
When Zhang Yang talked about Zhang Qingyun, he immediately became interested. He told Su Yu about Zhang Qingyun's current situation.
The current Zhang Qingyun was completely different from before. He had terminated his contract with his company, and all the money he had earned previously had been lost to endorsement fees. He had essentially gone all-in to hone his acting skills.
Moreover, he no longer had the arrogance he once had and had become humble.
"He's fallen on such hard times?" Su Yu did recall the former top idol.
"Hardly just hard times. He now calls me Teacher Zhang Yang when he sees me." Zhang Yang had a smug look on his face.
No matter how bad Zhang Qingyun's situation was, he was still a former top idol.
Just thinking about a top idol calling him teacher was incredibly satisfying.
"You mean...?" Su Yu heard a hint of something else in his words.
"Your cast is still missing someone. Are you interested?" Zhang Yang asked.
Su Yu was stunned. "You want to help him out?"
Zhang Yang said, "I just feel that someone who has experienced failure will be eager for opportunities. If you think it's suitable, you can give him a small role first. After all, even a starved camel is larger than a horse. Zhang Qingyun himself still has a lot of topicality, and it can also improve your reputation. Of course, if you don't think it's appropriate, just pretend I never said anything. I've just interacted with him during this time and feel he knows how to play the game."
Su Yu immediately smiled. "It seems you've learned a lot of industry knowledge recently."
What Zhang Yang was talking about was a marketing strategy. Although Su Yu had never considered Zhang Qingyun a rival, from the public's perspective, Zhang Qingyun was Jiangnan's former rival.
Helping out a rival when they are at their lowest ebb would indeed build goodwill.
After pondering, Su Yu said, "I don't trust him, but we can try to give him a role. You ask him if he's willing to sign with Xinghui, and it must be a long-term contract."
Zhang Yang grinned. "Based on my understanding of him during this time, if you ask him, he'll even sign a contract to sell himself."
Zhang Qingyun had been convinced by Jiangnan, and it was a sincere conviction.
He had always wanted to find an opportunity to join Jiangnan's team, and then he happened to meet Zhang Yang.
Knowing that Zhang Yang was an actor heavily promoted by Jiangnan, he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. He showed all sorts of deference to Zhang Yang, hoping that Zhang Yang would recommend him to Jiangnan.
He was so persistent that Zhang Yang had no choice but to agree to mention it casually, and whether it would work out depended on Su Yu.
"Actually, if he can put aside his idol baggage, he could be paired with you in this drama." Su Yu opened the actor list in his hand, leaving it on a hand-drawn character image.
The character's name was written as "Second Boss."