191-195

Chapter 191: The Broadcast of “The Long Ballad”

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

It was the weekend. Everyone woke up lazily in the afternoon and took their phones to see if there was any gossip they could gossip about today. In the end, they saw a message sent by the video website.

“‘The Long Ballad’, a huge martial arts novel in the country, has been released. Come and explore Young Master Fu Yi’s chivalrous life together!”

Everyone suddenly woke up from their daze. This drama had been going on for so long, and it was finally released. Many fans clicked on the drama with some trepidation.

After the buffering, with the melodious sound of the flute, a painting of mountains and rivers that was inky ink gradually appeared in front of everyone.

In the ink-black mountains, a small boat slowly sailed over. At the bow of the boat stood a tall and elegant young master with a long sword on his back.

A white heron flew down from the mountaintop and created a ripple on the water surface. As the ripple spread, the mountains began to turn green, the small boat began to turn gray, and the character gradually became lively from the ink painting.

Just from the beginning, everyone felt that the production team of “The Long Ballad” had still put in a lot of effort. They used ink as a medium and created the unrestrained charm of the martial arts world. Furthermore, although the Mo Feng Music Studio had declined in the past few years, its foundation was still there. The music it played matched the mood.

The beginning of the drama was like many martial arts novels. On a night where the night was dark and the wind was strong, thunder and rain fell, the male lead’s family was destroyed. The loyal servants risked their lives to send the male lead to Cangyuan Mountain.

Then, the dark camera disappeared, and the scene suddenly became bright. The camera gave Cangyuan Mountain a distant view, and the words “Eighteen Years Later” appeared on the screen.

The camera zoomed past the forest, and the audience felt as if they were in a mountain range. Gradually, the sound of flowing water came from beside their ears. The camera followed the sound of flowing water and a kite appeared in their view.

Thinking of the publicity film that the production team had posted, everyone knew that a man and a woman were about to appear.

As expected, as the camera zoomed in, a woman’s bell-like laughter came from the corner of the mountain. Tian Ying Er, who was dressed in green, appeared in the camera first.

“Senior Brother, run faster and raise it a little higher.” Tian Ying Er smiled as she turned around to speak to Lin Xiao, who was addressed as Senior Brother.

The camera zoomed in again, and the male lead, Lin Xiao, officially appeared. He was dressed in plain clothes, but one could still see how handsome and confident he was. Lin Xiao looked at his little sister dotingly, his eyes filled with the innocence of a young man.

About a minute later, more people entered and the comments started to get lively.

[ Why didn’t you post the comments? I thought there was a problem with my software. ]

[ This opening is pretty good. Up until now, the scene special effects are still pretty good. ]

[ Little Junior Sister is so cute. I love her. She’s so beautiful. This is the Little Junior Sister in my heart! ]

[ She’s probably average. I can only say that she didn’t fail. My little junior sister isn’t so dull in my heart. ]

[ The person in front, if you’re so good, you should do it. ]

The drama had not been broadcast for three minutes when the comments began to argue again.

The first two episodes of the drama usually explained the background of the story. The first episode of “The Long Ballad” mainly allowed the main characters, Lin Xiao, and the female lead, Tian Ying Er, to appear on the scene to show their childhood sweethearts.

By the second episode, the background of the era had begun to unfold. Someone from the Imperial Court came to Cangyuan Mountain and asked to send a person with excellent martial arts to help the Imperial Court escort an important item.

Lin Xiao, who had never seen the outside world, wanted to visit the outside world, so he volunteered to follow the people from the imperial court to Beijing.

Chapter 192: The Princess’ Veil falls

[ Is my goddess, the Heavenly Spirit Princess, about to appear? ]

[ The male lead is about to discover his identity. ]

[ Little Junior Sister’s appearance isn’t too good. I think she’s alright looking at the publicity posters. Why did she become a little ugly in the television drama? Could the Heavenly Spirit Princess also be fake? ]

[ The person in front, if you’re so good, you should do it. Why are you comparing here? If Little Junior Sister doesn’t act well, go and act yourself. ]

[ I don’t think air conditioning is good enough for cold treatment, so I have to start with air conditioning?? Little Junior Sister is ugly, Little Junior Sister is ugly. I told you, come and hit me. ]

The comments were still noisy. In the drama, Lin Xiao entered the escort team of the Imperial Court.

Lin Xiao, who had grown up on Cangyuan Mountain, was very interested in everything in Beijing.

Coincidentally, he happened to bump into the annual Lantern Festival in Beijing, so Lin Xiao went to join in the fun. The streets were filled with people, and all kinds of shops and vendors were peddling their goods.

Lin Xiao watched as he walked. Thinking of how his little junior sister pouted unhappily before he left, Lin Xiao smiled dotingly. He found a jewelry shop and bought a hairpin for his little junior sister with the money he earned from his part-time job.

Although the streets were lively, there were too many people. After strolling for a while, Lin Xiao found a large tree and lay down on a tree. Not only could he see the bustling city of lights, but he could also see a relatively peaceful world. Lin Xiao lay on it leisurely and hummed a song.

The camera gradually left Lin Xiao and gave the light market a long mirror. The lights were woven and warm.

[ Stop arguing, stop arguing. From the looks of it, Xia Wanyuan is probably going to appear soon. ]

[ Wow, our Yuan Yuan is going to appear! ]

[ The Heavenly Spirit Princess is my goddess. Don’t destroy my goddess, I’m begging you. ]

A melodious music sounded and a slender purple figure appeared in the camera.

As if understanding the audience’s thoughts, the camera zoomed in and described the purple-dressed woman’s stunning beauty inch by inch.

Her dress had many folds, and her long black hair was tied up by her light silver hair. A silver butterfly hairpin was inserted into her hair.

Her face was covered by a veil, but her eyes that were exposed seemed to contain a pool of spring water that was moving.

[ F*ck, are these eyelashes serious? ]

[ Ahhh, Yuan Yuan’s eyelashes have hooked into my heart! ]

[ Let’s talk about it. With this appearance, she really looks good. I wonder how it will be if she takes off her veil. If there’s no other choice, let Xia Wanyuan wear this veil and finish the rest of the drama. ]

The Heavenly Spirit Princess had snuck out this time. The pampered little princess had never seen so many delicious and fun things in the palace.

Although her expression could not be seen, the little princess looked at the bun that had just been cooked. Her bright and straight eyes made the audience’s appetite increase.

Looking at the small jewelry in the stall, her sparkling eyes made people wonder how precious it was.

The little princess looked around as she walked. Her beautiful eyes were indescribably lively and charming.

While the little princess was watching the performance, the thief secretly took her wallet.

“Return my wallet!” The little princess chased after the thief. Just as she was about to lose him, someone suddenly fell from the tree in front of her. He subdued the thief in a few moves and snatched the wallet back.

“Miss, here.” Lin Xiao’s eyes were bright and his handsome face made the little princess in the palace blush.

Her watery eyes were filled with obvious shyness and joy.

A gust of wind blew and the veil fell.

Lin Xiao froze.

The comments on the entire video website froze.

Chapter 193: Peerless Beauty!!!

The persona of the Heavenly Spirit Princess was known as the most beautiful woman in the world since she was young.

Otherwise, in the later scenes, the Heavenly Spirit Princess wouldn’t have controlled the military general single-handedly because of her beauty. In the end, because of her breathtaking appearance, the new emperor had taken a fancy to her. In the past, the new emperor had forced her into the palace as a beloved concubine because she had the body of a princess.

At that moment, the Heavenly Spirit Princess in front of the camera had completely let everyone understand what it meant to be the “peerless beauty” in the world.

Her shapely eyebrows made her skin look fair and smooth. The light red lipstick on her lips made her look beautiful.

Under the light, the little princess covered her veil shyly with one hand and nervously held the edge of her dress with the other. She stood tall and straight like a jade lotus, just like the saying, “You’re not tainted by the mud, you’re pure and innocent.”

Her intelligent big eyes were as black as ink crystals that had just been soaked. Starlight scattered everywhere.

There was no need for any rouge or makeup. The blush on her cheeks was the best decoration for a young girl.

[!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[ F*ck, I was pouring water just now. The moment the veil fell, I didn’t even hold the kettle properly. Water! Hot water! My feet are red from the heat! ]

[ AHHHHH! This is the Heavenly Spirit Princess in my heart! Oh my god! She’s too beautiful, too beautiful! I can’t breathe anymore! Save me! ]

[ I always thought that it was impossible to find a female celebrity in the entertainment industry to act as the peerless beauty in the novel. Now, I think I was wrong. F*ck, how does Xia Wanyuan grow!! How can she be so good-looking? F*ck. ]

[ Let’s not talk too much. This is my goddess. In the future, whoever defames her will first ask if Boss Wang of New Street agrees. ]

[ Did she go for plastic? ]

[ The person in front, let’s not talk about whether Xia Wanyuan has undergone plastic surgery or not. I think your eyes look like they were made by a human. You must have spent a lot of money, right? What a pity. You’ve become a blind person after plastic surgery. With that lively expression and temperament, why don’t you find a face for me to act in? ]

When Xia Wanyuan’s veil fell from the second episode, everyone’s appetite was whetted. Just as they were about to continue watching, the ending song came out.

While everyone was cursing in their hearts, “The unscrupulous editing is my son”, they flooded to the Weibo account of the production team of “The Long Ballad”. “Father, hurry up and update!”

Back then, when the production team released the publicity film, it was only the fans of the novel who were amazed by Xia Wanyuan. Now that the drama was broadcast, within a day, Xia Wanyuan’s scenes were edited and spread across the Internet.

The trending topic “Xia Wanyuan’s stunning beauty” directly rushed to the top of the trending topic.

Under the deliberate provocation of netizens, the trending topic of “Xia Wanyuan’s plastic surgery” that had appeared a while ago was also pushed up.

The first trending topic of “Xia Wanyuan’s plastic surgery” was a Weibo account posted by a marketing account named The Duck Prince. He had intercepted photos of Xia Wanyuan in past television dramas where some of her expressions were misplaced, making her look stiff and ugly.

The Crown Prince compared these photos with the photos posted in the Milky Way and concluded that Xia Wanyuan had undergone plastic surgery.

There were nearly 5,000 comments below this Weibo post expressing their agreement.

[ Duck? Are you still there? Come out and take a few steps? ]

[ If he still wants to say that Xia Wanyuan had plastic surgery after watching ‘The Long Ballad’, then he should be blind and incurable. ]

[ Duck, can you talk? Don’t you have to be legally responsible for spreading rumors? ]

[ Perhaps she’s ugly, so she subconsciously thinks that parents who look good have plastic surgery? ]

It had to be said that works were the most solid foundation for an artiste to establish themselves in the entertainment industry.

In the past, no matter how Xia Wanyuan clarified or defended herself, in the eyes of everyone, it could not change her inherent image. Now, the drama had only broadcasted two episodes, but many people had already spontaneously stood on Xia Wanyuan’s side.

————

“Do you know when Xia Wanyuan was referring to when she said she wanted to break the contract?”

Star Creation Entertainment still didn’t know that Xia Wanyuan had recruited a new manager. After discussing with Tang Yin, Chen Yun also helped Xia Wanyuan hide it from the company.

When Xia Wanyuan first entered the entertainment industry, Star Creation Entertainment bullied her for not knowing the contract and signed a ten-year contract with her.

Tang Yin knew that Xia Wanyuan did not lack this sum of money, but if Star Creation Entertainment wanted to cause trouble after breaching the contract, it would be very unfavorable for Xia Wanyuan’s image.

However, Xia Wanyuan seemed to be very confident. She told her to just prepare everything. The time to terminate the contract was almost here.

But no matter how hard Tang Yin thought, she could not think of where this opportunity was.

“If I’m not wrong, it should be when Xie Rou released her new song.” Chen Yun thought for a while. Thinking of how confident Xia Wanyuan was when she discussed the album with Liu Can, he felt that Xia Wanyuan must have kept something back.

“Xie Rou? Release a new song? What has it got to do with Xia Wanyuan?” Tang Yin was completely confused now.

“Let’s wait and see. There’s no hurry. We’ll slowly collect the evidence first. When the time comes, we’ll catch them all in the net.”

“You’re right.” Tang Yin nodded and no longer dwelled on Xia Wanyuan. She returned her gaze to the computer and intercepted the photos of Crown Prince Duck’s Weibo posts about slandering Xia Wanyuan one by one, saving them in the documents and waiting for Xia Wanyuan to terminate her contract.

——

“What should we do now?! I’m the female lead. Look at what’s happening now. Everyone on the Internet is talking about Xia Wanyuan. Who still remembers that I, Ruan Yingyu, am the female lead of ‘The Long Ballad’?!”

In the hotel, Ruan Yingyu was throwing a tantrum at her manager. Even though she had a feeling that Xia Wanyuan’s reputation would be very good, she did not expect the response to be so enthusiastic.

Almost everyone’s focus was on Xia Wanyuan. No one thought of Ruan Yingyu at all.

The manager pursed his lips and thought to himself, ‘It’s all because you’re not as good-looking as her and your acting isn’t as good as hers’. However, on the surface, the manager still had to comfort Ruan Yingyu.’

“Don’t worry. Don’t worry. The company has backup plans. Just wait. Remember not to show your unhappiness when you go out these few days. It’s easy for others to make an issue of you.”

“Got it.” Ruan Yingyu flipped through the comments online again and saw that the “Little Junior Sister is Ugly” formed a sharp contrast with “Xia Wanyuan’s stunning beauty”. Ruan Yingyu threw her phone away angrily, and her manager rolled her eyes and picked it up for her.

————

In the manor, Jun Shiling was reading documents in the study when Lin Jing’s WeChat message suddenly came in. Jun Shiling clicked on it and realized that it was not a job but a video link.

Looking at the words “The Long Ballad” on the link, Jun Shiling recalled that this was the drama Xia Wanyuan had acted in.

Jun Shiling barely managed to watch the beginning. The moment Ruan Yingyu appeared, he began to drag the progress bar back until the end of the second episode before he saw Xia Wanyuan’s scenes.

Initially, he was still watching Xia Wanyuan step by step with warm eyes. When he saw Qin Wu make a move, Jun Shiling’s expression darkened.

When he saw the little princess looking at Lin Xiao shyly, Jun Shiling’s expression turned cold.

Coincidentally, Xia Wanyuan knocked on the door.

Chapter 194: Entering the Painter Association

“Come in.”

Xia Wanyuan pushed the door open and entered. Jun Shiling switched off the video and stood up.

“Are you busy?” Xia Wanyuan came in with a plate.

“I’m done.”

“I made some cake for Xiao Bao, but he didn’t finish it. Do you want to try it?” Xia Wanyuan handed the cake to Jun Shiling.

“I just watched your drama.” Jun Shiling scooped a spoonful of cake and placed it in his mouth. It was not sweet and emitted a fragrance. Although he never liked sweet food, he felt that Xia Wanyuan’s cake was not bad.

“How is it?” Xia Wanyuan had yet to take a look and had only heard Tang Yin say that the response was okay.

“Your acting skills are not bad.” Jun Shiling’s gaze was deep as he said meaningfully, “Your other actor acted pretty well too.”

Qin Wu? His acting skills are indeed quite good and he’s not bad either. He’s considered one of the better male celebrities in the new generation.” Xia Wanyuan gave an objective evaluation when she heard Jun Shiling mention Qin Wu.

Jun Shiling paused in his actions and felt that the cake in his mouth suddenly had no taste.

Looking at Xia Wanyuan’s elegant side profile, Jun Shiling wondered when she would be enlightened. Should I add fuel to the fire?

The room fell silent.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” Xia Wanyuan suddenly turned around and asked an unrelated question. She met Jun Shiling’s deep eyes and felt an inexplicable panic.

“Nothing much,” Jun Shiling replied.

If the management of the Jun Corporation were present to hear Jun Shiling’s words, they would definitely be laughing in their hearts. CEO Jun, you must have forgotten about the meetings that required you to attend personally.

“Then come back early.”

“Okay.” Although he didn’t know why Xia Wanyuan had asked him to come back early, Jun Shiling felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation.

——

It was rare for Xia Wanyuan to have a free day. She practiced for a while and gave herself a long day off. She laid leisurely on the sofa and watched “The Long Ballad”. Before she was halfway through, Professor Zhang called.

“Little friend Xia, let me tell you a piece of good news. The Painter Association intends to recruit you into the association. I wonder if you’re willing to come?” If the peach blossom painting was to let everyone know that there was a person with excellent painting skills like Yuan Wanxia,

Ink Bamboo and Cold Plum Blossom Painting allowed people to get to know Yuan Wanxia even more. The “Map of Songxia Fisheries” that was auctioned a few days ago had truly made everyone realize how profound Yuan Wanxia’s skills were.

Perhaps in the eyes of the outside world, 10 million was already a high price, but to those who knew the trade, many of the ancient techniques hidden in that painting had already far exceeded this price.

Unfortunately, everyone could only see the picture of this painting in the video at the auction. They could not personally understand the essence of the painting.

The initiative was initiated by Li Qian, the president of the Painter Association. Everyone agreed to recruit this extraordinary talent.

Even though the name Yuan Wanxia had already become popular in the painting and calligraphy world, only when they decided to recruit her into the association did everyone realize that they had no idea where she was.

In order to avoid arousing suspicion, Professor Zhang could only lie that he had obtained the painting from a stall. Now, it was not convenient for him to reveal that he knew Xia Wanyuan. He could only secretly leak this news to Xia Wanyuan and get her to draw another painting and send it to the Painter Association. This way, she could contact the Painter Association.

“There’s no need. It’s useless for me to join the association.” Xia Wanyuan knew that she was not old in this life, but her painting skills had decades of foundation. She was afraid that it would cause some controversy.

“Little friend Xia, let me tell you something too. Qing University has always wanted to recruit a guest professor. Back then, I recommended your painting to the Painter Association because I wanted you to be a member of the association. With your ability, it’s more than enough for you to be a professor here.”

Professor Zhang really felt that Xia Wanyuan was a talent and didn’t want to let go of this good opportunity. He tried his best to persuade Xia Wanyuan.

Hearing Professor Zhang mention the Qing University, Xia Wanyuan’s heart skipped a beat. Since ancient times, China had always respected knowledge, especially a top school in the country like the Qing University. Xia Wanyuan was quite willing to attend this school.

“Alright, Professor Zhang. I will contact them.”

“Alright! Then it’s settled!” Seeing Xia Wanyuan agree, Professor Zhang was overjoyed.

——

Ever since she had been amazed by Xia Wanyuan’s camera last night, there had been rumors on Weibo about that stunning beauty who smiled under the light.

For marketing accounts, the news media saw that they could gain popularity, so they followed the trend and promoted this small clip on the entire Internet. It attracted the attention of many passers-by.

A professional statistical platform learned through monitoring that the second day after the drama “The Long Ballad” was released, the number of viewers increased by 50% compared to the first day. This was already a considerable number.

And these new viewers were basically attracted by Xia Wanyuan’s shots.

[ I’m here, I’m here. The front row is occupied. ]

[ Three minutes left. Qin Wu husband, I’m here! ]

[ I saw the news and came to take a look. Is Xia Wanyuan, the female lead, really that good looking? ]

[ What female lead? Can the person in front clarify things before speaking? Xia Wanyuan is just a supporting role. Ruan Yingyu is the legitimate female lead, okay? A slut who can move many people to be the female lead? Pfft. ]

[ The person in front, is your brain eaten by a pig? The author set the Heavenly Spirit Princess up as a bitter princess. She was just someone who had no choice but to bow down to fate. Why is she becoming a slut here? Are you blind other than seeing the relationship between a man and a woman in your eyes? ]

Many passers-by thought that the clips that were pushed across the Internet was the female lead of the drama. Now that the comments were so noisy, they thought to themselves, ‘Even the supporting role looks so good. How beautiful is the female lead!’

This was a world where appearances mattered.

Everyone was immediately excited and waited expectantly for the drama to start.

With the familiar sound of the flute, the drama began to broadcast on time.

For the sake of increasing the video length, the video platform at Watermelon Platform edited the preview for nearly three minutes.

It was a good thing for the new audience who had yet to watch the first two episodes, but for the old audience, it was undoubtedly filling in the blanks.

After floating for three minutes, the three words “The Long Ballad” finally appeared in front of everyone’s eyes.

The drama used Lin Xiao’s growth line as the main storyline of the drama. Hence, ten minutes had passed, but the drama was still talking about how the male lead had discovered the mystery of his birth.

The standard of filming for “The Long Ballad” was not bad, and the plot was more compact. While everyone watched with interest, they were still looking forward to Xia Wanyuan’s appearance.

Another ten minutes passed, but Xia Wanyuan still did not appear.

Everyone began to panic.

Chapter 195: The Imperial Garden

Many passers-by had been attracted here by Xia Wanyuan, who was on the news. They had been watching for a long time, but Xia Wanyuan had not appeared.

[ Where is she… ]

[ How side must her role be? It’s been so long and she’s still not out. ]

[ The person in front, calm down. ‘The Long Ballad’ was originally adapted from the male-frequency language. Female characters don’t appear often anyway. Wait patiently for a while. Could it be that Qin Wu’s acting isn’t good? ]

[ Qin Wu’s acting isn’t bad, but I still want to see how beautiful the legendary peerless beauty can be. ]

Just as the comments were discussing when Xia Wanyuan would appear, the scene in the drama suddenly changed. A golden glazed roof and the roof of the palace gradually appeared in the camera.

A girl’s tinkling laughter could be heard from the screen. It was innocent and pure. The camera zoomed past the red walls and golden tiles, finally showing the source of the laughter.

In the imperial garden, countless palace maids and eunuchs were waiting on the side respectfully. There were people holding fans, fruit plates, and pots of water. Everything one could think of was there, which showed how noble the person being served was.

It was March and the spring sun was shining brightly in the garden. The sun shone warmly on the garden and the pond not far away was shining.

On the swing, a woman in luxurious clothes was sitting on the swing as she was pushed into the sky by the maids. Her ink-black hair flew up, and the sunlight fell on her golden palace robe, shining brightly.

[ I’m so anxious. Where’s her face? ]

[ Is this how all television dramas behave? Why must they be so suspenseful? Can you hurry up? ]

[ Even her back view is so good! Her face must be even better! ]

The camera gradually moved forward and the woman’s face finally appeared on the screen.

It was different from the gentleness and beauty of casual clothes in the street lamps.

At that moment, the Heavenly Spirit Princess was wearing a bright yellow princess gown with a satin veil that was embedded with silver threads. Her beautiful hair was tied into an exquisite bun and a peach blossom flower ornament was carefully pasted on her forehead, making her look even more beautiful.

On both sides of the bun was a gold-threaded peacock hairpin. Under each peacock’s mouth was a string of gemstones that shone under the sunlight.

The Heavenly Spirit Princess’ laughter spread to every corner of the imperial garden. It was as if there had never been any worries in her world. Her every move was filled with elegance. This was what it looked like to be raised by all the pampered children.

[ Mommy, I’m in love. ]

[ Wow, it’s so beautiful! ]

[ This Heavenly Spirit Princess is really amazing!! Why is Xia Wanyuan so good-looking? ]

[ I take back what I thought about Xia Wanyuan’s lousy acting skills in the past. The little princess today looks delicate and naive. She’s clearly different from the Heavenly Spirit Princess who wore civilian clothes and looked ignorant and curious last night. ]

[ Tsk, that’s all. What are you bragging about? She’s just a supporting actress. ]

[ That’s right. What’s the use of being nice to look at? The male lead doesn’t like her anyway. The male lead likes the female lead, okay? ]

With everyone’s reminder, many passers-by who had come because of her reputation remembered that Xia Wanyuan was only a supporting role. If the supporting role was already so beautiful, what did the female lead look like?

Hence, a curious audience asked in the comments when the female lead would appear.

[ Female protagonist? Didn’t the male protagonist recall the time in Cangyuan Mountain just now? The one who flew the kite with him was the female protagonist. ]

The expectant passers-by were speechless.