Chapter 99

"Despite having written several popular works and accumulated a considerable fan base, the hardworking Gu Yongsheng seems to be making a determined effort to destroy the important style that is gradually forming."

"He may face the readers' overwhelming anger, may face the readers' endless criticism or even departure, but regardless of all this, Gu Yongsheng resolutely presents a completely different martial arts story, perhaps to pursue a deeper level of martial arts novels, or to explore the ultimate meaning of literature. We don't know, but what we do know is that in the world of martial arts novels, Gu Yongsheng is still Gu Yongsheng."

This passage was the promotional text from Qianhong's public relations department. On the first working day after the New Year's holiday, it was released through official Weibo, the official website, forums, and other channels. Once the advertisement was released, it immediately caused a chain reaction, once again dealing a direct blow to Xue Muliang, who was selling his book with great enthusiasm. However, Xue Muliang had been in the industry for a long time, with deep-rooted connections and a vast network. Coupled with his years of careful cultivation, his strong influence had only grown, so Qianhong's promotion of Gu Yongsheng's new book, although it seized some media resources, was not yet on a scale to rival him.

Until the involvement of Xingyue Television!

The day after Qianhong issued the announcement, Xingyue Television's long-planned正面宣传攻势终于来临：

第一波，GTV在黄金时段为《萧十一郎》做了整整十秒钟的广告！十秒钟，听起来似乎是很短的时间，可是如果大家知道，有商家曾拿出一万块一秒的价钱购买这段广告时间，一定会有不同的看法。

第二波，Xingyue's artists who follow a literary route began to mention "Xiao Shiyi Lang" intentionally or unintentionally on their personal homepages or microblogs, which is a form of soft advertising.

第三波，the hosts of several popular variety shows on GTV began to tease Gu Yongsheng in their programs, even bringing up his previous "hehe" as a new gag, and eventually leading to a natural mention: "I hear that Mr. Hehe is about to release a new work called 'Xiao Shiyi Lang,' which is a collaboration with our channel."

"Where is it 'Xiao Shiyi Lang'? I think Mr. Gong is about to cut you without mercy. Do you still want your salary next month? It's clearly 'Xiao Shiyi Lang.' Listen carefully, Xiao, Shi, Yi, Lang!"

One comedian and one straight man, the advertisement was done so skillfully and... without any principles.

第四波，Xingyue's entertainment magazines and private media began to exert their efforts, introducing in their own style a martial arts author named Gu Yongsheng who is about to write a martial arts novel called "Xiao Shiyi Lang."

至于第五波，本来是采访作者，但是因为“呵呵君”神龙见首不见尾，所以这关无法通过，只能呵呵一笑而过。

Even so, this comprehensive and multi-dimensional promotion still spread like wildfire, pushing "Xiao Shiyi Lang" to the forefront of public attention, making it one of the hottest topics online and offline. This topic was not just a mechanical topic list on microblogs, but a real, tangible topic discussed on the streets, in alleys, and over tea and meals.

This was just a side promotion by Xingyue, which also showed that compared to the giants of the film and television media industry, any book publishing company could only be a small goldfish. This was the gap between industries, just like how the remuneration a third-rate actor gets for shooting an advertisement might be equivalent to what a top-tier author earns from writing a book for a year.

Therefore, Xue Muliang, whose momentum and topics were completely overshadowed, could only face the screen of his laptop with a blank expression, quietly staring, silently thinking.

Xue Muliang's journey to this point showed that he was not someone who would easily accept his fate, complain, or give in. In fact, entering the film and television industry had been on his to-do list for a long time, but the timing had never been right, and preparations were not yet sufficient. It was only with the "Xiao Shiyi Lang" incident that he realized the urgency of this matter.

通常来说，图书公司和影视媒体的合作，最普遍的方式就是出售小说的影视版权，但这种方式的合作是非常浅层的合作，内容的原创者基本是没余力插手后期改编的，即便是改成一坨狗屎，原作者也只能不痛不痒地发两句牢骚，毕竟丰厚的版税刚装进腰包，总不能表演得太过分。

Xue Muliang had a work adapted into a TV series before, but due to the thinness of the topic and the story itself, the series did not create much of a splash. When Xue Muliang sold the TV rights, he seemed to have realized this, so he never followed up after the sale.

However, from now on, he had to put the plan to enter the film and television industry on the agenda because he vaguely felt that his colleague, Gu Yongsheng, might be ahead of him.

...

"How about it, is this level of promotion satisfactory?"

Gong Cheng'en asked Gu Yongsheng over the phone, not without a hint of pride.

"It's okay, but aren't you a bit overconfident? No, he believes it?"

"What overconfidence, it's just confidence in you. The ratings for 'Yue Nü Jian' are there, and the project for 'Bai Fa Mo Nu Zhuan' has already been smoothly launched. We're striking while the iron is hot."

"I'm impressed."

"You should say that. Actually, our promotion is still on the periphery. The main reason for such a big impact is you. Also, I just finished reading the three chapters Qianhong sent over. I want to say, Young Master Gu, you always surprise us. Want to say something from the heart, do you mind?"

"Do you think I mind?"

"I'll say it anyway, ha ha. So far, among all your books, only 'Xiao Shiyi Lang' suits my taste. The previous ones made me so frustrated, I almost got a stomachache. Although Xiao Shiyi Lang has only shown a small face, I can tell you, I've been waiting for him for a long time. You got to make him dominate, invincible, okay?!"

Gong Cheng'en spoke in a melodramatic tone, and Liu Jingting laughed, "I thought you looked like a loyal dog in front of Wang Qianqian, I thought you liked strong women."

"It's because I'm suppressed in the real world, so I want to find balance and release in novels. Otherwise, wouldn't we, who write and shoot TV series, have no food to eat?"

"Suppressed, I thought you enjoyed it."

"You know what I mean, it's a common feeling among all men..."

"Alright, I can guarantee, this book will be satisfying."

"Okay, one last question, purely a personal matter between us, cough, will my Brother Xiao take down Sister Si?"

"Looks like I need to tag Wang Qianqian."

"Ha ha, just kidding, I have to go deliver the manuscript to Qianqian, you better hurry up and write."

...

Because the novel's plot was mainly driven by dialogue, and the transitions were almost all done with short sentences, and Gu's writing style was always full of wit and memorable quotes, Liu Jingting wrote with great satisfaction, and the speed was unusually fast.

After communicating with Lu Yichou, Liu Jingting knew that the opening of "Xiao Shiyi Lang" would be published in Han Shuo's "Yuan Shang Cao," and later it would be serialized alternately in "Yuan Shang Cao" and "Da Jianghu." This form of serialization was unprecedented, and Qianhong's reason was "not wanting readers to wait too long for updates," but in reality, it was to sell both magazines simultaneously.

Han Shuo jokingly asked Liu Jingting on WeChat: "The previous 'Bai Ma Xiao Xi Feng' hinted at Yi Shui An, will this 'Xiao Shiyi Lang' have my shadow? I'm being narcissistic, I know."

Liu Jingting replied, "If there are similarities, it's highly likely."

Then Han Shuo mentioned his love for the novel and his girlfriend's dislike: "She thinks the language is too direct and explicit, the narration is in a God's-eye view, constantly commenting and discussing the characters and story. In short, she clearly stated that she's looking forward to your next book."

"Looking forward to the next book" naturally meant "disliking this one."

Liu Jingting did not explain much, ambiguously replying, "I'll try my best."

"Someone leaves, someone comes, you'll get used to it in this circle." Han Shuo, in a senior's tone, gave Liu Jingting a warning.

Liu Jingting, of course, understood the meaning, as he had discussed this issue with Mi Hu before. Transitioning is something that requires a price, just like Xiao Shiyi Lang himself, who is cursed, hated, and loved by some!

"Truly, the man and the book are one, how fitting." Liu Jingting thought to himself.

...

On January 15, "Yuan Shang Cao" was released ahead of schedule.

All the promotions for "Xiao Shiyi Lang" stopped, because when the real test arrived, even the fanciest advertisements would lose their power.

It was at this moment that Liu Jingting realized the wisdom of Lu Yichou's choice to publish the new book in "Yuan Shang Cao." Since it was called a transition work, publishing it in a different place first gave readers a psychological hint: "We didn't choose to publish it in 'Da Jianghu' as usual because this work is different from the previous ones." This way, readers would have a buffer, thinking, "It's indeed very different from before, no wonder it's published in a different place."

Secondly, while there is some overlap between the readers of "Da Jianghu" and "Yuan Shang Cao," their tastes are still different. Lu Yichou's second purpose in choosing "Yuan Shang Cao" was to attract new readers for Gu Yongsheng, because in the foreseeable future, there would certainly be a loss of readers like Han Shuo's girlfriend. The addition of new readers could balance this trend to some extent.

Finally, it created the illusion of a collaboration between Han Shuo and Gu Yongsheng. Even if it was just a nominal collaboration, it would have an unexpected effect. For fans, seeing their idol team up with a powerful friend would create a sense of pride.

Han Shuo and Gu Yongsheng, one a veteran and the other a rising star, their strong collaboration sparked endless imagination. Most importantly, this collaboration could merge their readers—this was Lu Yichou's little secret.

So, when "Yuan Shang Cao" was released, readers who liked Gu Yongsheng but were not fond of Han Shuo, though they might feel a bit resentful, would think that Han Shuo was a renowned figure and would not tarnish their idol, and thus feel relieved.

As for Han Shuo's readers, they would try Gu Yongsheng's work out of curiosity, since Han Shuo was the magazine's editor-in-chief, and the magazine's selection of Gu Yongsheng's work indicated that it had its unique merits.

...

Since the "Chuanqi Cup" writing contest, Song Xiaoyu had become a reader of Gu Yongsheng. Fortunately, he had been a fan of Han Shuo since high school, so when he learned that Gu Yongsheng's new work was published in "Yuan Shang Cao," he happily went to the bookstore to buy a copy.

"Promoted for so long, finally seeing the real face of Mount Lu." The quiet college student thought to himself.

After getting the magazine, he did not immediately flip to Gu Yongsheng's serial but first looked at other articles.

This was a very peculiar mindset. Because of high expectations, he was afraid of disappointment; because of high expectations, he was afraid of finishing it too quickly.

However, curiosity soon took over, and Song Xiaoyu, after pretending to browse through the magazine, quickly turned to the "New Face" section, where "Xiao Shiyi Lang," which had been hyped up, finally appeared.

After reading a few hundred words, the old reader Song Xiaoyu felt a strange atmosphere. When he finished the first chapter, the college student, like the character "Fast Knife Hua Ping" in the first chapter, gazed into the distance and said, "Xiao Shiyi Lang!"

The difference was that Hua Ping was talking about the person Xiao Shiyi Lang, while Song Xiaoyu was talking about the book "Xiao Shiyi Lang."

After finishing the three serialized chapters, Song Xiaoyu felt as if he had drunk a large cup of strong liquor, feeling a warm and intoxicating sensation. This feeling was not exaggerated or embellished; he truly fell in love with the story, feeling a sense of regret for not meeting it sooner.

Under the pillow, lying in a woman's boudoir, the thief; singing a sad song, the swordsman with a knife casually hanging from his waist; grinning and joking, teasing the beautiful woman...

Isn't this how men should be?

Isn't this how swordsmen should be?

Xiao Shiyi Lang! Xiao Shiyi Lang! I'm not Feng Sini, but I love him too.

...

Zhang Tao is a second-year high school student at a provincial key high school. He started being a fan of Han Shuo in junior high, familiar with every book, every blog post, and every magazine edited by Han Shuo.

He just picked up his pre-ordered copy of "Yuan Shang Cao" from the newsstand. He heard that a rising martial arts author would be publishing a new book in this issue, and Xingyue Television had helped with the promotion. Although Zhang Tao liked watching period dramas, he had little interest in martial arts novels. However, out of curiosity, he tried reading "Xiao Shiyi Lang."

...

"Damn, this..." After finishing it, Zhang Tao couldn't help but curse, because he never imagined that martial arts novels could be so nuanced and moving, with such insightful character psychology. This Feng Sini was too bold and too adorable, and this Xiao Shiyi Lang was truly charming and captivating.

Thus, Zhang Tao, a second-year student at a key high school, made a decision: to follow this book until the end!

...

In the following days, readers like Song Xiaoyu, new readers like Zhang Tao, and other readers who came due to the advertisements, one after another, went to bookstores and newsstands to buy "Yuan Shang Cao." They did so out of curiosity, personal taste, love by association, or to follow the trend...

Regardless of their motives, "Xiao Shiyi Lang," which had been promoted for nearly a week, finally appeared lazily in the world, in front of everyone's eyes. (To be continued. Please search for Piaowen.com for better and faster updates!)

翻页上AD开始

翻页上AD结束