The documentary was still in production, but the promotion had already begun. The three-minute promotional video, which was released first, garnered a lot of attention because of Fang Zhao, a popular celebrity.
"I heard Fang Zhao composed the background music for the promotional video. Impressive. Are there any professionals? What do you think of the song's quality? Give me a more professional review. "
"I'm not a professional, so I can't give a professional review. I just think it sounds good. Watching the promotional video gives me a lot of feelings. Sigh, it's not easy for the patients and their families. "
"Are there any charity events related to the Hull virus? I want to donate to the research center, but I can't find anything online. I wonder if they have enough funding. The treatments are all free. "
"There's no need for a donation. Large research centers are backed by major foundations. Tackling the Hull virus doesn't lack funding, only talent."
"It's time to study medicine... No, I think I should study music. I want to save lives like Fang Zhao."
"Let's get down to business and study medicine. There's only been one Fang Zhao in the 500-odd years of the New Era."
Of course, some people had different concerns.
"The director said the song was a gift from Fang Zhao. Does that mean Fang Zhao composed a song for the documentary for free and didn't charge a cent?"
"It's more of a donation. After all, the production of a documentary requires money to compose the music. Master musicians don't come cheap."
"Fang Zhao's net worth isn't cheap. A custom-made song would cost at least 10 million, right? I remember one song of his sold 10 million in the past. Ten million. He gave it away just like that. "
"Ten million is too low. That was a long time ago. He'll surely fetch more after winning a Galaxy Award. Plus, given his current popularity, he brings traffic with him. The documentary's producers are clearly using Fang Zhao to attract attention. I don't know how high Fang Zhao's artistic value is, but in terms of commercial value, it's definitely more than 10 million. It's at least double. That director is smart. This gift from Fang Zhao will save them a lot of money on publicity. "
"Fang Zhao is like a god. One moment, he's playing games and stirring up trouble. The next, he's mining and fighting monsters on an alien planet. If you're not paying attention, you'll find out he's starring in a blockbuster TV series. His songs can cure diseases! My knees haven't been able to straighten ever since I started chasing this star. "
"I wonder what product Fang Zhao will endorse next."
For most people, the cure for the Hull virus was just a casual conversation that would be forgotten after a while. Even with all the major media outlets reporting on it and Fang Zhao pulling in traffic, it was none of their business. They would move on after a quick chat.
Hull virus patients and their families saw Fang Zhao as their savior. Ming Cang had publicly declared that he would support Fang Zhao unconditionally on many matters. Their feelings were not something others could understand.
Thanks to the bombardment of the news, the four movements of the "100-Year Period of Destruction" series, hailed as the key to curing the Hull virus, rose in value.
As Fang Zhao's management company, Silver Wing Media once again made a name for itself on a global scale. Silver Wing Media's first-generation virtual idol, Polar Light, was once again trending in Yanzhou.
There were also many people discussing this matter online.
"Is the copyright of the '100-Year Period of Destruction' series with Fang Zhao or Silver Wing? How many have you sold? "
"If it hadn't been sold, the price would have doubled."
"Bullshit! At the very least, it would have tripled. "
"Come to think of it, I remember Leizhou's Big Idiot Sa buying the rights to the third movement of the 100-Year Period of Destruction for one of his films."
"Are you talking about Zaro? That crappy film producer? A crappy film paired with a divine song. What a waste! "
"Leizhou natives are used to it."
"I just found Zaro's video and watched it. Frankly speaking, when I singled out the third movement of the '100-Year Period of Destruction' as the background music, it was quite a sight to behold. The scene was especially majestic and shocking. The mecha armor was the real deal!
"Really? Let me do a search. What's it called? "
"It's called 'God of War.'"
Thus, the film that Zaro himself had forgotten about was dug up by netizens. In no time at all, the online views had shot to the top 10 on Leizhou's largest video streaming platform.
When Zaro saw the numbers his agent had provided, he was so shocked that his garlic dropped.
"That impressive? That can't be. When it comes to driving traffic, I can't be any worse than Fang Zhao. "Zaro was certain there was something wrong with the numbers.
Zaro's agent stared numbly at Zaro. "Read more political news. You haven't even seen the entertainment news lately." As he spoke, he pulled up some authoritative news reports on the Hull virus and Fang Zhao's Galaxy Award win.
Zaro skimmed through them quickly. He looked like he had just seen a 10-ton elephant fly into the sky.
Recently, Zaro had been reading a few novels and screenplays that Woo Tianhao had sent him. The two of them had been having a good time together promoting garlic and were planning to invest in a movie together.
For the past two days, Zaro had been pondering how to use garlic to aid in his acting when he suddenly heard the news.
When he browsed through the comments online, Zaro's nostrils flared.
"What do they mean by throwing money at a crappy film is better than doing charity work? I can do whatever I want with the money I earn. What's wrong with having fun? Did I eat their garlic? I didn't even miss a cent in taxes! These people are just salted fish worrying about nothing! "
"It's carrots."
"What?"
"Forget it. Salted fish it is."
Zaro's agent stopped Zaro, who had rolled up his sleeves and was about to start a war of words online. "Calm down, Senior Master! Actually, no matter what you say, why don't you show everyone what you do? You have to let everyone know that you have your own dreams — "
Zaro interrupted immediately. "I have money and a family background. Why don't we talk about picking up chicks, reading novels, and promoting garlic? Why are you talking about dreams?"
Zaro's agent: "…" You must be trying to piss me off so you can find a new agent.
Ignoring his agent's sour expression, Zaro felt aggrieved. He had thought he had been doing well recently and had kept a low profile. Who knew he would get shot while lying at home and reading novels?
"It's all Fang Zhao's fault!"
Still, Zaro was confident. "Once the Hull virus incident blows over, Fang Zhao won't be as popular anymore. The official media won't help, and the entertainment industry refreshes quickly. Who will remember him in a few days?"
Zaro's agent attacked Zaro mercilessly. "Film festivals and award ceremonies are starting soon. Fang Zhao acted well in 'Founding Era.' There's a good chance he'll win an award."
"Film festivals? Let me make this clear. I'm not going if it's not cool. "
Zaro's agent: "…"
Who the f * ck cares if you go? You didn't even get an invitation to the cool film festivals. I had to resort to trickery to get them.
But Zaro's agent only dared to roar these words in his heart. If he said it aloud, Zaro would explode again. If his boss didn't like to hear it, he wouldn't say a word.
Just as Zaro's agent had said, Fang Zhao had received invitations to film festivals all over the country. He had only acted in dramas, not movies, but he still received invitations. Some were hoping to collaborate with him, others were interested in Fang Zhao's recent ability to attract attention. But Fang Zhao rejected most of them. He didn't have the time.
The advanced course wasn't idle. There weren't many classes, but there was a lot of work to do. After composing a song for the documentary on the Hull virus, Fang Zhao wrote an academic paper. The thesis represented their regular course credits and was considered part of their daily homework. If they didn't have enough credits, they wouldn't be able to get a graduation certificate.
Nanfeng had told him about online trends, but Fang Zhao didn't pay much attention to them. Even though there had been a lot of news about him lately, Fang Zhao and Zaro agreed on one point. Things would cool down in a few days.
Even though there were still film festivals to come, and Fang Zhao would be participating in a few of them, celebrities from all over the world wouldn't pass up this opportunity to make their presence known. Studios from all over the world had been warming up, but little did they know that the Hull virus incident would push Fang Zhao into the headlines of every continent's entertainment industry. But that was the only surprise. Studios from all over the world were gearing up to go all out and see who would shine the brightest on the red carpet. After filming on planet Wai for so long, now that he was back, it was time to shine.
But no one, including Fang Zhao himself, expected that a week later, this name that had been pushed out of the limelight would once again make headlines on every continent's entertainment news.
A week later, Will, who lived next door to Fang Zhao, finally came out of seclusion.
He'd been cooped up in his dorm room for seven days. Apart from sleeping and eating, Will had devoted all his time to painting. When he came out again, he looked pale and weak. He had clearly lost weight, as if he'd been through a serious illness. But his mental state was excellent, and his expression was relaxed.
When he came out, Will showed the drawing to his instructor.
When the old professor saw the drawing, he was so shocked that his mouth opened and closed a few times, but he couldn't make a sound.
The contorted lines looked exaggerated on their own, but when put together, they were rather harmonious. Black, which could explain everything, combined with the paper's original whiteness, made the drawing seem strange and intense, full of dynamic tension. When one stared at the drawing, they felt a dizzying impact, but they couldn't quite put their finger on it.
The old professor stared at the drawing for a long time, took a deep breath, and said to Will, "Can I keep the original drawing for two days? Take a good look. "
"Sure." Will nodded without hesitation.
After obtaining Will's approval, the old professor took the drawing back to study it. Out of a desire to show off and for academic exchange, he called over an old friend to discuss it.
"'My Neighbor'? Who lives next door to Will? "that person asked.
"Fang Zhao, the one who was really popular recently. He's the same batch as Will, and he's also the youngest advanced student who's been admitted in recent years," the old professor explained.
"What's so good about Fang Zhao … No, does Fang Zhao really look like his drawing? The person in the drawing gives off a complicated vibe, and it makes people fear him. "
"I checked with Will. It's really Fang Zhao."
"All right … I didn't expect Will to choose this kind of drawing style. His drawing skills have improved quite a bit. His control over the lines is top-notch, and he seems to have the momentum to surpass existing concepts. It's really rare to have such insights at such a young age. As for this drawing, we can put it on display and let other art schools know the standard of our Twelve Tones advanced course students! "
"This … we still have to seek Will's opinion. Usually, when it's displayed on the academy's platform, there will be buyers."
"Then open up the auction channel. This drawing definitely won't be cheap. It just depends on whether Will is willing to part with it."
Thus, the old professor personally came looking for Will with the drawing and asked if he was willing to put it up for auction on the academy's auction platform.
Every week, HuangArt would bring out some outstanding works and display them on their platform. If the author agreed, they would open up the auction channel.
Will's expression didn't change as he said, "Bring it up for auction."
The old professor was flabbergasted by Will's casual attitude. "You're willing to sell it now? Not keep it for a few more years? "
"No," Will said with certainty.
After confirming that Will really didn't mind, the old professor was puzzled. "You probably spent a lot of effort and time on this drawing, and you're going to sell it right after you finished it?"
Will had a puzzled look on his face, as if he couldn't understand the old professor's words. "This is just my short-term goal. Drawing Fang Zhao is just the first step. My ultimate goal is actually to draw his dog."
For Will, drawing Fang Zhao was just a transition. Once the drawing was successful, he could toss it aside. What was the point of keeping it?
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
