Superstars of Tomorrow

Entertainment media did not focus on what the truth was. What they focused on was whether it could attract the attention of the masses, and if it couldn’t, they would stir things up.

A photograph with Fang Zhao, who was currently very popular in Yanzhou and played an important supporting role in "Founding Era."

A further glance at the source: a Neon Culture celebrity!

Neon Culture and Silver Wing Media were old rivals. Just investigating back a few years, one might discover that shortly after Fang Zhao had graduated, he’d had some issues with Neon Culture. Now Fang Zhao had such good relationships with Neon Culture’s actors?

Normally, even if one had good relations in private, they would not frequently bring it out into the open, let alone reveal it on such a public social platform.

In actual fact, fans didn’t think too much about it when they saw this photograph. What was the big deal about actors having a good relationship, helping one another, or giving thanks? There were many actors that had good relations with others, even if they were from different companies.

However, in no time, many editors of entertainment media outlets turned a "no big deal" into an "earth-shaking event," and they even dug out the incidents back when Silver Wing’s gaming department had been recruiting. Evidence of Fang Zhao’s poaching ability was brought up, and even the recent incident of Silver Wing poaching an outstanding actor from another company was also pinned as Fang Zhao’s doing.

Regardless of whether he had been involved or not, all of these were pinned on Fang Zhao. Wasn’t it his own fault for flourishing in the limelight now?

If these were not pinned on Fang Zhao, how would discussion be generated? How would attention be drawn?

At the same time, the entertainment media groups knew that it was rather inconvenient for the casts on planet Wai to get internet access, so before Si Lu could get internet access and before his team could craft a proper response, these people did their utmost to stir stuff up.

Afterward, Si Lu’s manager cleared up the situation using Si Lu’s words and once again earnestly thanked Fang Zhao for his help. Something written by a professional manager was definitely more thorough than something written by Si Lu, whose IQ and EQ weren’t that high. Also, he expressed regret for having caused a misunderstanding and giving rise to these discussions. At the same time, he made sure it was satisfactory for the company.

Neon Culture had a few actors in the cast, including first-rate and top-rate superstars within the continent. However, the only one who had been able to help Si Lu truly find his form was Fang Zhao. However, on the surface, this would not be revealed. If this information was brought to light, it would be disgraceful for the company’s experienced actors, who were seniors in the showbiz circles.

Once public relations teams had started to make their move, the matter also quieted down. There were many things happening every minute online, and discussion regarding "Founding Era" never ceased. Diverting the public’s attention was very easy.

After entertainment media were satisfied with their increased traffic, they moved on.

The teams behind Si Lu had also gained a few benefits from this matter.

Fang Zhao... Fang Zhao had become a scapegoat.

Even if this matter had already passed, in the eyes of many entertainment media companies, Fang Zhao already had this image: this is a dangerous person! Each and every company would be more guarded and would get the celebrities under their flag to stay away from him. Especially celebrities who were slated for crucial development—they should have as little contact with Fang Zhao as possible. What would they do if Fang Zhao poached these assets in a moment of carelessness?

When thinking about it, it was seemingly like those entertainment reporters had said. Silver Wing’s development in the past two years had gone very well, and their global influence had increased. Indeed, they were heading toward becoming a comprehensive entertainment juggernaut, and apparently, these developments had sped up when Fang Zhao had entered Silver Wing.

Naturally, while these companies were guarding against Fang Zhao, they were also thinking about how to poach Fang Zhao over to their own company.

Planet Wai cast and crew.

Si Lu had specifically gone over to Fang Zhao’s to extend an apology for causing trouble due to him not thinking things through before posting, thus harming Fang Zhao’s image.

Fang Zhao wasn’t angry. The entertainment circles were just like this, and he had already gotten used to it. Furthermore, for people who had experienced the Period of Destruction, such trivial matters couldn’t be considered a big deal. Besides, Silver Wing’s teams were not just for show. Even if the matter blew up, they would be able to resolve it.

Seeing that Si Lu had actually had no ill intentions, Fang Zhao consoled Si Lu instead and asked about his future plans.

"I will still be staying here for a period. Dr. Dai still wants me to come back a few more times," Si Lu replied sheepishly.

For actors like him that had had considerable scenes and had acted for four to five seasons, once their part in the series was over, they would receive some recommendations from the psychologists.

Si Lu might have seemed all right now, but he had not completely gotten out of character. The psychologist wanted to observe him for a while more and allow him to leave only after everything was in order. Si Lu was also advised to leave the cast right away once he was given the all clear.

For people that were immersed too deeply in character, even after shedding the role, continuing to stay on with the cast might result in them falling back into character again.

Si Lu was actually very reluctant. He had originally wanted to stay on with the cast to learn more, but now the psychologist and his manager had both advised him not to stay on. Si Lu trusted the judgment of these professionals.

"I will be returning once Dr. Dai tells me that I can leave. Oh right, Fang Zhao, what was the name of the tune you played that time? I don’t think I have ever heard it before." Si Lu was asking about the tune Fang Zhao had played on the keyboard when he had come over to consult Fang Zhao and better understand the historical character Qi Guan.

"There isn’t a name," Fang Zhao replied. "That was also my first time playing it. It has never been released on the internet before."

"An impromptu composition? Impressive!"

Now Si Lu really admired Fang Zhao. He had heard from musicians from his own company that Fang Zhao had also been invited to join the "Founding Era" music team. That meant to say that if Fang Zhao composed any pieces, he could compete with others for his music to be used in scenes inside the series. For example, the scene where Qi Guan, the character Si Lu portrayed in the series, died in battle had accompaniment music created by a musician from Yanzhou.

Before, Si Lu had not understood, but now he felt that as long as Fang Zhao wanted to compete, he might not necessarily lose to those precursors in the music circles.

A consultant team member and music team member, and he was even acting in an important supporting role—Fang Zhao was really a talented person.

Si Lu’s admiration for Fang Zhao was increasing. Fang Zhao was genuinely capable, and Si Lu was almost becoming a Fang Zhao fan.

Some 10-odd days later, Si Lu received an all clear from the psychologists. He went through the cast and crew procedures, collected his luggage, and boarded a transport ship headed from planet Wai back to Earth along with others who had received their bento box.

On returning to Yanzhou, Si Lu first went to the Cemetery of Martyrs to pay his respects.

Qi Guan’s grave number had already been engraved in his heart. After he arrived at the Cemetery of Martyrs, he went straight to Qi Guan’s grave and bowed deeply.

He knew that there was only a knife inside the grave—not a prop knife but the actual one that Qi Guan had used. In the eyes of many people, Qi Guan’s character might be very flawed, but in Si Lu’s heart, he no longer felt so. Perhaps his sentiments were from being too immersed in the character, as Si Lu felt like Qi Guan was another him who had wandered that hell on earth as he’d pleased.

When the Yanzhou chapter’s season five was aired, the episode with Qi Guan’s death scene earned quite a lot of tears from audiences.

A tragic hero always created a deeper impression. In the eyes of the people, he had already exceeded the ordinary and had become a fable.

Before the fifth season aired, some people had created a list of the names of those that would die this season according to the real process in history.

Fans of Si Lu and of the historical character "Qi Guan" all watched it as their hearts shuddered.

There was a main music piece for the episode where Qi Guan died. The piece had been composed by a celebrated musician in Yanzhou, and the quality of the tune was very high. Many people felt that this storyline was very fitting to the music piece and that it was especially tear-inducing.

However, after listening to it a few times, Si Lu felt that the accompaniment piece in the series was not as profound as the one he had heard Fang Zhao play.

Although he could not remember every single note clearly in his head, every time he recalled the song, there were always some faint sounds. He also sensed that these sounds had gradually vanished when he’d stepped out of the character of Qi Guan.

As for which of the two tunes was better, the two could not be compared.

The accompaniment music in the series focused on "tragic" and "sacrifice" and had a thicker artistic embellishment. As for the piece that Fang Zhao had played, that truly belonged to the person Qi Guan. The two pieces had different orientations.

Si Lu decided that he would search for Fang Zhao’s concert and give it a listen when he got back.

Today, Si Lu was in a car headed back to the company after recording a program. He was listening to his manager tell him about what other arrangements he had this month when he suddenly looked out of the window.

An advertisement was flashing on the massive screen on the exterior of a high-rise building.

"Is that the latest earpiece that Fang Zhao is endorsing?"

Hearing that, his manager turned over to look and grudgingly replied, "Yeah. I heard that it is a luxury version. There were commercials and advance sales a short while ago."

Si Lu went online to search for the full video commercial.

Sunshine, mountain creeks; life, destruction, still water, daybreak; ancient temples and shrines, alpine glaciers; shrapnel splitting into pieces, guns blazing; day and night appeared fleeting, the vast starry sky seemingly right beside you... dream-like musical notes revolving beside the ears, a hand stretching out that looked to be able to pass through multiple worlds.

"Take off the earpiece and you are just a part of the world. Put the earpiece on and, you can possess the entire world! Diting Z Series; power arrives!"

Hearing the sounds from the commercial, Si Lu’s manager said, "I didn’t pay attention then, but after searching, this series of earpieces is rather high quality."

Entertainment circles had their own status hierarchy. Celebrities would endorse luxury goods to display their standing and let the masses have a much clearer idea of their status.

"Other people endorse luxury items too, either clothing, jewelry, makeup, or luxury cars and such, yet the first luxury item that Fang Zhao endorses is actually an earpiece!" Si Lu’s manager also felt that it was strange. "An actor endorsing an earpiece... No, I think Fang Zhao wasn’t an actor in the past—wasn’t he from the gaming circles?"

"Composer," Si Lu said, slightly animatedly. "Fang Zhao’s composing is especially impressive! When he was telling me about Qi Guan, he even improvised a tune. At the time, it was as if my entire self was brought into another world, and after that, I found my best form, all the way until I finished scenes. Don’t you think that is especially impressive and mystical?"

"...You definitely have been poisoned."

"Hey, there wasn’t any poison. Really. I drank the water he gave and was totally fine!"

Si Lu also did not bother to explain further to his manager. He had just seen the timing for the first round of advance sales for the Z Series. It was today at 2 in the afternoon. It was about time soon. Si Lu had been very busy traveling all over and attending activities, so he had spent very little time online and had not paid attention to news regarding earpieces. Thus, he only knew about it when he saw the advertisement outside.

Actually, Fiery Bird released a luxurious high-end earpiece model every year. That model would also represent Fiery Bird’s greatest accomplishment in manufacturing earpieces. This year, there had been an even bigger breakthrough, and they were releasing a new earpiece system, "System Z," which once more brought about a heightened hearing experience.

But at the same time, as a high-end series and being viewed by the masses as a luxury good, the Z Series’s price wouldn’t be low.

As of now, among all the high-end earpieces, the most highly anticipated one was the model that Fang Zhao wore in numerous commercials: Old Era–style headphones. The standard version already cost above 100 thousand, and the superior version was over 500 thousand. As for special custom-made versions... Those were the for the nouveau riche.

From what the masses saw, Diting System Z was a luxury item. As for fans of music, they were more curious about the newest system that Fiery Bird had to offer.

Anyone familiar with earpieces knew that the Diting Series had always been about pursuing a hearing experience, and now the Z-series earpieces would be equipped with the rumored most-up-to-date earpiece technology that was the System Z!

People that normally did not pay attention to this were so shocked their jaws dropped upon seeing the price range. However, for people that took note of earpieces, this was normal; it happened every year.

Some people could never go back after using a high-end machine, not only because these earpieces could satisfy their acute ears and their demanding requirements for sound quality but also because of the degree of comfort provided. High-quality earpieces could let the user forget that the earpiece was even there as it assimilated sounds into the ear, letting the user enjoy the sounds of the world.

Probably only fanatical music lovers would purchase such high-end machines every year... purely for the sake of being pretentious.

"Fiery Bird only releases a high-end series every year. To think that they would actually unleash a System Z!" A certain music zealot exclaimed in a chat group.

"Your information is lacking. Do you even pay your broadband fees? How long has it been since you accessed the internet?"

"I just finished writing my graduation thesis. I have been so busy lately and only managed to find some leisure time today. I actually thought that it was the series that was hotly discussed last year. Two months back, I heard rumors that Fiery Bird was coming up with the Z Series. Now, it is actually real! A new system too! This isn’t something that happens yearly!"

"I heard that the manufacturing has been upgraded and that it is more resistant to harsh conditions. I don’t know whether it is an exaggeration, but it is rumored that the earpiece that Fiery Bird sent over to Fang Zhao can withstand the harsh climate at the sets of ’Founding Era’ and can still maintain perfect sound quality."

"I’m so envious of celebrities that endorse. We haven’t even seen the goods yet, but he has already used it."

"All right, this year’s magical object is about to be born. Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to fight for it?"

"You don’t say! I have already set an alarm. The moment I receive the notification, I will go out guns blazing! Every year, Fiery Bird’s first batch just has too few items. In each continent, there are only 500 pieces for each style, and they’re basically sold out in two hours. If you oversleep when the time comes, you won’t even have time to regret."

In their own words, if one was just a step too late and didn’t get to purchase it, whereas others did, then all one could do was stand aside and watch on with envy. Not only was it to be pretentious and to flaunt, these people hoped to be able to use this year’s magical object at the first possible time. Outsiders had no way of understanding the pressing sentiments they had.

For people with better conditions, splurging once a year on this was still affordable. They did not have much interest in expensive cars or other such luxury items.

At 2 p.m. Yanzhou time, music fanatics and earpiece lovers fixed their eyes thirstily on the screen, waiting to be the first batch to purchase the Z Series.

However, after sales opened...

"What’s going on? I just went to the washroom and there weren’t any left when I got back."

"The standard version was cleared immediately, and I only hesitated a little for the superior version, but when I went to purchase it, it was already out of stock! [Cry]"

"Why can’t we set the system to purchase it automatically! I want to complain!"

"Hahaha, I managed to snatch one! Luckily my fingers were fast! But I only managed to snatch the earplug-type standard version. I didn’t manage to get the classical headphone type."

"I managed to get the headphone type, but it is in green. There wasn’t any other choice. All the other colors were already sold out."

"If I can’t get the earplug and headphone types, then I shall purchase the speakers. In any case, it is also one of the three big magical objects released by Fiery Bird."

"Don’t even think about it! I just checked, and the speakers are also sold out! A bunch of gaming gods snatched our goods! Tsk, what are these gamers doing buying the Z Series! Isn’t using the other series better for gaming? What are they coming to join the fun for! A bunch of ignorant outsiders!"

"Not just that, there are also fans of the ’Founding Era’ series and fans of the ambassador Fang Zhao. This year’s competition is just too f*cking stiff!"

"I just saw a very popular article online, the one that says ’Z Series’ pairs up nicely with the ’epic flavor of ’Founding Era.’ It was released in the afternoon, and it already has a view count of a few hundred thousand. Just reading it, you can tell it is someone from within the industry. Who wrote it? Admit it now!"

The author of that article was currently at home staring helplessly at his ceiling. He also hadn’t been able to get the goods. The article he had written in the afternoon had been to help advertise a singer friend of his. The article had even listed a song list and supplementary evaluations. For the sake of adding a hint of pretentiousness, he had specifically mentioned the Diting Z Series. Furthermore, with the traffic count hitting hundreds of thousands so quickly, it was obvious that there were actually some operations going on. Fortunately, he had used a dummy account when writing this article. Otherwise, if he were to be found out by people in the industry...

He shivered at the thought before replying in the group: "It is all Fang Zhao’s fault!"

Whatever the case, he had to save himself first. For everyone that was unable to get the goods, the blame could be thrown on Fang Zhao.