Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 50

Shen Zeyu’s remarks completely elevated the project Night Lan to a national level. Following the press conference, videos of their production crew dominated every social media platform.

Specifically, her response to that one question—under the strategic promotion of Xu Luosu—practically carried the entire crew to viral fame, saving them a massive fortune in marketing expenses.

Since the middle of the last century, Xia Country’s film, television, and cultural industries had lagged far behind other nations. The 1970s and 80s, in particular, saw the birth of “Scar Literature,” which left a heavy, shameful mark on the nation’s cultural development. Even as the domestic economy skyrocketed in the early 21st century, a large number of young people still felt ashamed of their own culture.

Worshiping the foreign and fawning over the overseas became the hallmark of that era.

In reality, however, a brief look at world history reveals that—whether in ancient or modern times—the development of many other nations is essentially a series of chronicles detailing the atrocities of colonial plunder.

True wealth lies not only in economic prosperity, but in what a nation’s government can provide for the welfare of the people at the lowest rungs of society.

Countless historical accounts have proven one thing: the idolization of an elite structure where “the weak are prey to the strong” may seem to follow the natural principle of survival of the fittest. Yet, the reason humans rose to the top of the food chain is precisely because they abandoned individual elitism. They acknowledged the weakness of the majority and chose to form a collective society, using the wisdom of the weak to master tools and progress step by step to where they are today.

Collective life is vital. Only when an individual realizes they live within a collective and bear certain social responsibilities can the philosophical “self” truly sprout.

All great creators emerge from the masses. They draw nourishment from the crowd, condense it into their own wisdom, and weave it into “creations” to give back to human society. A good creator must necessarily be a good liver of life. Even if they occasionally live apart from the crowd due to specific reasons, they are inevitably hidden in the crowd’s shadows, hearts, and souls.

Shen Zeyu was exactly this kind of person.

Usually quiet and unassuming, she maintained a “whatever works” attitude toward most things. But when she truly needed to step up, she could vividly and eloquently express the core of her creative vision.

In an era where everyone felt domestic dramas were lacking in every possible way, Shen Zeyu’s words were like a drop of water into a boiling vat of oil, causing a massive uproar.

One group of people found her “bold” and “daring to speak the truth.” Another group felt she wasn’t all that special, arguing that her predecessors were humble while she was just being loud and arrogant. The rest were simply there for the drama, jumping between sides while derailing the conversation entirely:

“Holy crap, no wonder Jin Ze never shows her face. With looks like that, she could eat off her face alone! Why even bother writing scripts?”

“I heard she dated Shang Qiuchi, is that true? Shang Qiuchi, you ate well! You didn’t say a word for ten years!”

“The hands! Teacher Jin’s hands are so long! Her bone structure and proportions are great! She looks so elegant and upright!”

“Sigh… Is it my imagination, or does she look like she has great muscle definition under those clothes?”

“Boss Xu has muscles too. I saw in the behind-the-scenes footage that their entire crew are fitness-obsessed ‘mad dogs’.”

“Then our Sister Tang must also…”

Amidst the chaotic online battles, the manager, Lou Xiao, gathered data from various forums. Casting aside the useless gossip, she reported to Xu Luosu: “Based on current data, although some paid internet trolls have entered the fray, they don’t dare to be too obvious.”

Xu Luosu remained uneasy. “Is there no movement from Xinghai?”

Lou Xiao replied, “Nothing for now, but Before Dawn has pushed back its release date.”

Xu Luosu curled her lips into a slight smile. “So, they don’t want to go head-to-head with us.”

At that moment, Qin Zhiyue and Shen Zeyu were still in the machine room editing. Their stance at the press conference had been overly aggressive, and the pressure was now immense. It wasn’t just them; every project in the summer slot felt the weight. Given the current momentum of Night Lan, any show launching simultaneously was essentially waiting to be slaughtered in the ratings.

Everyone was waiting for the premiere. Under this global spotlight, on June 1st at exactly 8:00 PM, the first episode of Night Lan officially launched on the Zhuyu platform.

With a heart full of trepidation, Xu Luosu led her entire team to huddle in front of their computers, monitoring every major forum.

Almost simultaneously, nearly a hundred video influencers across various social networks started live streams to watch Night Lan. Forums updated with real-time commentary. In less than twenty minutes, the first hashtag for Night Lan surged to the top of the trending lists.

Two hours later, Night Lan occupied eight of the top ten trending spots. Five hours later, the total views surpassed 100 million. The series was a massive hit.

The forums were going insane:

“Crap, crap, crap… who did these special effects? They’re explosive!”

“Who the hell said Qin Zhiyue and Jin Ze were a stingy duo? Is this stingy? I swear they’re burning through the budget faster than joss paper!”

“Tang Qingyue is too beautiful this time! Even in a simple outfit, she’s prettier than any ‘Great Beauty’ she’s played before. Did Jin Ze handle the cinematography herself?”

“Oh my god, the Little Flood Dragon character is so captivating! The pacing of the story is so flavorful!”

“Who said Jin Ze couldn’t write comedy? Dammit! This fantasy comedy is gold!”

“Does anyone understand? I actually fell in love with that bickering little demon dragon in just two episodes! How can she be so handsome, so cool, and have such a wicked tongue?”

“Meng Fei’s hair and makeup design this time is incredible!”

“Heaven help me, the hand seals and formations look so professional. No wonder Jin Ze dared to speak so boldly!”

“How is this not a masterclass in cultural export!”

At 6:30 AM, after receiving the data from all sides, Xu Luosu pushed open the door to the machine room. “Director Qin… Senior Sister…”

Light spilled into the dim room. Shen Zeyu, who had been busy all day, squinted and looked toward the door through her amber rimless sunglasses.

In that shadowed world, Xu Luosu held her tablet, her entire body trembling slightly with excitement: “Night Lan… is a hit!”

Qin Zhiyue thought she was about to say something dire and let out a dismissive “Hah,” turning back to her work. “What’s the big deal? It’s just a TV show. It’s normal for it to blow up.”

In truth, if the two of them joined forces and still managed to produce a flop, they would have won all those awards for nothing.

Shen Zeyu’s response was equally perfunctory: “Yeah, yeah, I know. We still have a bit more to finish. Go out and play for a while. We’ll celebrate later.”

Their calmness made Xu Luosu feel like she was overreacting. Pouting, she walked up behind Shen Zeyu and tapped the back of her chair.

Shen Zeyu looked up at her, expressionless. “What now?”

Xu Luosu snorted and looked down at her with a mournful expression. “This is our first collaborative work! Aren’t you even happy that it’s a hit?”

She was acting spoiled.

Shen Zeyu was exhausted. She reached up to pat Xu Luosu’s face and said dismissively, “Fine, fine. I know you’ve worked hard and achieved great things. Be a good girl. Once we finish editing the last episode, we’ll have a victory banquet, okay?”

Thanks to the work, Shen Zeyu’s mental state was much better than the previous year, and she had developed many more ways to handle Xu Luosu’s whims.

Xu Luosu was instantly cheered up by the coaxing. She nodded happily, “Okay, I’ll wait for you to finish.”

Shen Zeyu nodded back, and Xu Luosu hummed a little tune as she walked out.

The door closed, leaving the quiet room filled only with the hum of machines and the sound of staff clicking on keyboards. Shen Zeyu stared at the screen in front of her, watching the final rendering with intense focus.

Suddenly, Qin Zhiyue, sitting beside her, nudged her elbow. Shen Zeyu turned, looking at her with confusion.

In the darkness, Qin Zhiyue’s slightly haggard face broke into a knowing smile. “A few days ago, Little Boss Xu showed me the script for Misty Rain on a Spring Night. If all goes well, filming starts in September. But I haven’t settled on the actors yet. Do you have any thoughts?”

Shen Zeyu glanced at Qin Zhiyue, then silently looked back at her screen. “I’m not the director. What thoughts could I have on casting?”

“Bah.” Qin Zhiyue wasn’t buying her nonsense. She gave a haughty snort. “I suggested to her that she should act in it with you.”

Shen Zeyu whipped her head around to stare at Qin Zhiyue. “Are you serious?”

Seeing the disbelief in her eyes, Qin Zhiyue curled her lips with delight. “What, don’t you think my decision is brilliant? The prototype of the character playing alongside the boss—it couldn’t be more fitting.”

It didn’t surprise Shen Zeyu that Qin Zhiyue had guessed the character was based on her. She replied crossly, “You want me to act? Are you worried I haven’t embarrassed myself enough?”

“Hey, what are you saying? How are you embarrassing? You’re such a heartthrob. Even that Lin Pei came to flirt with you when she already had someone.” Qin Zhiyue was a master of biting remarks. In the past, Shen Zeyu would have been fuming.

But perhaps because Xu Luosu had stayed by her side for a month, her hatred for Lin Pei had faded significantly. The opposite of love isn’t hate; it’s indifference. She had gained a new understanding of that.

Shen Zeyu sighed and said to Qin Zhiyue, “Stop teasing me. You know that wasn’t how it was.”

“I get it, I get it.” Seeing her get serious, Qin Zhiyue stopped joking. “You and Lin Pei were just two puppies caught in the rain, huddling together for warmth and mistaking that process for love. People always expect others to save them and then label that emotion as ‘love.’ But that’s not love; it’s just extreme dependency. You needed a doctor, not that kind of relationship.”

Qin Zhiyue saw through things even more clearly than Xu Luosu.

Shen Zeyu nodded in agreement. “Mm.”

Qin Zhiyue gazed at her young face. “But I truly think the Little Boss is a perfect fit. In the matter of loving you, she is incredibly clumsy—she hasn’t even had her ‘awakening’ yet. Lin Pei was the same. She had many partners, but she didn’t actually know what love was; she was just applying a formula to her interactions with you.”

Hearing this made Shen Zeyu unhappy. “Talk about Su Su if you want, but why bring up Lin Pei? Are you mocking me for falling for Lin Pei’s routine? Or are you saying Su Su and Lin Pei have the same number of tricks? That they’re similar? They are fundamentally different. Lin Pei only treated me as a transition phase; she never planned for a long-term future with me. She even told me once that I’d forget her soon. And look what happened—she was the one who forced the relationship to end so quickly. Everything between us was like a progress bar controlled entirely by her! But Su Su is different. Su Su, she…”

Shen Zeyu suddenly stopped talking.

She saw Qin Zhiyue’s expression. In the dim light, Qin Zhiyue was watching her with a very motherly, knowing look. “I get it, I get it. Su Su loves you.”

The bluntness of it left Shen Zeyu feeling awkward. “You don’t need to make that face. I find it a bit revolting.”

“Get lost!” Qin Zhiyue swatted her arm.

Shen Zeyu snorted and turned back to her screen.

Seeing that Shen Zeyu didn’t want to talk anymore, Qin Zhiyue didn’t take offense. She mumbled, “Anyway, I’ve decided on her. Whether you act or not is up to you. Besides, your original script has so many bed scenes. When the time comes…”

Shen Zeyu whipped around again, her eyes practically shooting fire. “Change the script!”

Qin Zhiyue was overjoyed, leaning back lazily with a smirk. “Don’t do that. You wrote the bed scenes so well, why change them? And since it’s your script, I’m sure the Little Boss would be very willing to sacrifice herself for art!”

Shen Zeyu glared at her fiercely. “You act in it! I’ll change the script! If you don’t act, I’ll tell Su Su to find someone else to film this movie!”

They had worked together for ten years and knew each other’s temperaments perfectly. Qin Zhiyue hadn’t come to her just to watch a show; she truly wanted Shen Zeyu to film it.

But Shen Zeyu refused to act. When she finished the script, her plan was to trick Qin Zhiyue into playing the lead.

Qin Zhiyue cursed, “Holy crap, you’re turning the tables on me! If I’m the lead, who’s going to handle the camera? Who’s going to direct? I protest! I loudly protest!”

Shen Zeyu pointed at herself. “Me. There’s still me. This time, you act, and I’ll direct you. Don’t even think about running away!”