Chapter 25: The Journey of Flower

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"The Journey of Flower?"

Gu Qing's finger froze abruptly, and his pupils contracted slightly.

If he remembered correctly, this drama was a phenomenon-level blockbuster of 2015!

Not only did it pioneer the "Xianxia Idol" model, but it was also hailed as the last Xianxia drama that took "saving all living beings" as its primary mission.

After this,

Most Xianxia idol dramas turned into "defying heaven" plots where characters would constantly say things like, "I will slaughter all beings in the Three Realms to bury you with me!"

Holy crap, what did the beings of the Three Realms do to offend anyone?

Why does every immortal have to kill us just to add some excitement to their lives?

Because of this, netizens frequently criticized such shows for being "brain-dead."

"Sister Li, I want to take this role!"

Among a crowd of nonsensical scripts, Gu Qing chose the only one he could actually make sense of.

"The Journey of Flower?"

Li Li leaned over to take a peek, her face showing disdain. "This one won't work. The role they're offering you is the second male lead: Sha Qianmo. But even though they call him the second lead, his screen time is barely different from the third lead."

"And it's not just that he has little screen time; the pay is also the lowest among all the scripts. They're only offering thirty thousand yuan per episode. They're clearly planning to exploit your traffic for free!"

Among all the scripts handed to him, this was the only one with a second male lead role.

If it weren't for the fact that the investor had a significant reputation and it was confirmed to air on Huangguo TV, Li Li wouldn't have even brought it to him.

"Sister Li, being the second lead isn't bad. If you really made me play the male lead, I wouldn't know how to do it anyway."

Gu Qing was relatively content; he had a clear understanding of his own level.

From the moment he transmigrated until now, counting it all up, he had only attended three classes with Teacher Zhang.

Whether he could actually perform in front of a camera was another matter entirely.

Furthermore,

If Gu Qing remembered correctly, the character of Sha Qianmo had gained a massive amount of popularity back then.

After the TV version of *The Journey of Flower* finished airing, the actor who played Sha Qianmo, 'Ma Ke,' even filmed a modern urban version titled *The Journey of Flower 2015*.

Of course, the drama was truly terrible—clearly a cash grab—but the viewership ratings were quite good.

This was enough to show just how much of a hit the original drama had been.

"Baby, do you want to reconsider?"

Li Li did not believe this drama had any chance of becoming a hit.

The male lead, Huo Jianhua, had gained some fans in his early years through *Chinese Paladin 3* thanks to his "white tofu" (pure/innocent) image.

But since his character in that was only the second lead, it didn't prove his ability to carry a show.

His appearance in last year's *Swordsman* had even drawn a wave of criticism; the adaptation was so heavily modified it was practically insane.

Not only was Dongfang Bubai turned into a woman from the very beginning,

But as the male lead, Huo Jianhua's performance wasn't even as good as the female lead's; he was completely overshadowed.

Including the eye-searing cross-dressing, which had been ruthlessly mocked by netizens.

As for the female lead of *The Journey of Flower*, 'Zhao Xiaodao,' she was facing the lowest point of her career.

She had been publicly backstabbed by her own manager, who spread rumors that she relied on "crying for roles" and hinted that she had engaged in "low-end work" before becoming famous.

After the public opinion fermented,

It led to Zhao Xiaodao being under massive attack by anti-fans, some even calling for her to "get out of the entertainment industry!"

With a failing male lead, a cursed female lead, and terrible public perception,

What was Li Li supposed to tell him? How could this drama succeed?

"Sister Li, even if the drama flops, the audience will only blame the production.

But if it's good, the anti-fans who hate them will definitely come to praise me. Either way, I don't lose."

Gu Qing knew that conventional arguments would be hard to convince Li Li, so he added, "Besides, this drama is scheduled for Huangguo TV. It won't lack viewership."

"This..."

The power of Huangguo TV was significant. Li Li hesitated, feeling a bit tempted. "Since that's the case... I'll listen to you. But we still need to talk about the price!"

"Thirty thousand per episode? Are you trying to tip a beggar?"

As long as the momentum of the upcoming episodes of *Running Man* didn't decline and it maintained its top 2 viewership ranking,

Li Li was confident that after a few more episodes, she could double Gu Qing's remuneration.

However,

Li Li probably never dreamed that,

The momentum of *Running Man* would not only fail to decline but would instead soar uncontrollably.

In the final two episodes of the first season of *Running Man* in his previous life, the viewership ratings incredibly broke the 4.0 mark!

It was simply a miracle in variety show history.

It caused the status of all the members to skyrocket. Even "Big Baby," who was previously unknown, shot straight to the top tier of female celebrities in the domestic industry!

By then, let alone a few tens of thousands per episode,

Even at a million per episode, production crews would be fighting to get him!

……

"Baby, let's leave it at that for now. If you're tired, go back to sleep for a bit."

Li Li prepared to leave. "We have filming this afternoon."

"Sister Li, wait a moment."

Gu Qing stood up to stop her.

"Can't bear to see me leave?"

Li Li turned back, pleasantly surprised.

"No, I just wrote... I wrote a song, and I want you to listen to it."

Gu Qing awkwardly held up his phone.

"A song?"

Li Li asked in confusion, "Why on earth are you writing songs all of a sudden?"

She didn't believe that a kid not even twenty years old could write any kind of good song.

"Sister Li, I said when we signed the contract before, that being a singer has always been my dream."

Gu Qing said seriously.

He shared this trait with the original owner of this body!

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll listen, I'll listen, okay?"

Li Li treated it like she was coaxing a child.

Sitting back down on the sofa, she naturally took Gu Qing's arm and casually crossed her left leg, clad in black silk, over her right. "Play it."

No matter how bad the song was, she would lie through her teeth and praise it.

Of course,

As for the company paying to release an album, that was definitely out of the question.

Gu Qing, unaware of Li Li's thoughts, clicked on the demo he had recorded last night

The soothing sound of the guitar intro entered Li Li's ears like a trickling stream.

"Not bad."

Li Li was slightly surprised.

She had thought the songs Gu Qing composed would be the rock music that young people love—the kind with intense drumbeats and restless shouting, which was her least favorite type.

She didn't expect it to be so tranquil and peaceful.

"We cried..."

"We laughed..."

"We look up at the sky,"

"How many stars are still shining?"

A clean, warm voice, yet carrying a hint of sadness, as if it were a nostalgia for the passage of time.

But how could a youth understand the passage of time?

They were in the prime of their youth.

Yet for some reason...

The boy's youthful voice was far more moving than the weathered singing of an adult.

"Is this... a love song?"

Li Li's eyes grew hazy, as if deep memories were surfacing.

"We sing..."

"The song of time..."

"Only then do we understand why we embrace each other,"

"In the end, for what purpose."

The romances of student days, when remembered, are hazy and beautiful, but when you are in them, they are so sour and painful.

Why is it that only upon parting,

Do we understand the importance of an embrace?

Time...

Where exactly has time gone?

"Because I happened to meet you,"

"Leaving footprints makes it beautiful."

"The wind blows, flowers fall, tears fall like rain~"

"Because... I don't want to be apart!"

The high-pitched, flowing operatic vocals hit like a heavy drumbeat against Li Li's heart.

The regret in the song seemed to reach its peak at this moment.

The word "happened" was the core of this song.

It emphasized the coincidence of the meeting, yet implied the inevitability of fate!

This sense of contradiction ran through the entire song.

It was both a lamentation of the fickleness of fate and an realization that "meeting is beauty."

"Because I happened to meet you,"

"Leaving ten years of expectations."

"If we meet again..."

"I think I will remember you."

If the previous section was the regret of emotion,

The next section was the release and acceptance of emotion.

Even if we meet again ten years later,

I will still not forget the "footprints" and expectations left behind.

"I think I will remember you..."

Unknowingly, the song reached its end.

The entire room fell into a dreamlike silence...

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(End of Chapter)