msmithbooks Chapter 96 Is Lu Ran Gay?
Chapter 96 Is Lu Ran Gay?
This comparison video immediately went viral upon release, generating unprecedented buzz.
Many viewers who have watched several episodes of the show can relate to this sentiment.
The industry trend has completely reversed.
Film critics who were previously pessimistic about Xingyao have now turned their guns on the production quality and operational wisdom of the TV series "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".
"@Film and Television Observer: Facts have proven that good content is always the best weapon. Xingyao's 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' has taught all practitioners a lesson."
"@Drama critic Lao Zhou: The success of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' is not accidental, but inevitable. From the script to the filming, from the actors to the soundtrack, every aspect was done to the extreme. Such a work deserves to be a huge hit."
At the same time, the theme song of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", "Iron-Blooded Loyal Heart", also became a hit and went viral.
On major music platforms, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" immediately topped the new song chart, the Cantonese song chart, and the movie soundtrack chart.
In particular, the original version sung by Lu Ran and Liu Siqi has been played on repeat by countless viewers.
"This song is so energetic! Every time the opening theme plays, it gets my blood pumping!"
"Lu Ran's male vocals are powerful and commanding, while Liu Siqi's female vocals are incredibly tender and affectionate—a perfect match!"
"I always skipped the songs when I watched the show before, and I accidentally missed such a great song!"
"The producer of this song is Lu Ran. What kind of monster is this Lu Ran? He can write songs, sing, and write scripts all at once."
"I hereby declare that, from today onwards, Lu Ran is my new husband!"
...
In an instant, the music industry's attention was completely ignited.
The success of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" has once again solidified Lu Ran's status as a top producer.
Music critic Erjun published a lengthy analysis overnight:
"The success of 'Iron-Blooded Loyal Heart' lies in its perfect alignment with the martial arts core of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes.' The melody is grand and majestic, the lyrics are chivalrous and inspiring, and Lu Ran and Liu Siqi's performance is the icing on the cake. But it's worth noting that after pop love songs, folk songs, and Chinese-style songs, Lu Ran has successfully mastered the realm of martial arts OSTs. Where exactly are the boundaries of his creative output?"
It was only then that people noticed that Lu Ran was not only a songwriter, but also a very versatile one.
As the song became a hit, Liu Siqi, one of the lead singers, also saw her popularity soar.
She had already garnered a very high reputation due to the competition for the title of "Queen of Pop," and now, with "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," her popularity has reached a new level.
With over 20 million Weibo followers, its commercial value has skyrocketed.
In Liu Siqi's studio, her assistant, holding the latest data report, exclaimed in a trembling voice, "Sister Siqi, three top-tier endorsement deals have come our way, along with two variety show invitations. Her fee has increased by fifty percent!"
Liu Siqi remained calm in the face of this news.
Looking at the playback data of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" on the computer screen, she said softly, "Actually, all of this is thanks to Lu Ran."
If Lu Ran hadn't given her this song, if Lu Ran hadn't ultimately decided to let her sing it, she wouldn't have the popularity she has now.
It seems that her popularity has been soaring ever since she met Lu Ran.
Thinking of this, Liu Siqi picked up her phone and sent Lu Ran a message: "Lu Ran, thank you for the song this time. When are you free? I'll treat you to dinner. Don't refuse this time."
A few minutes later, Lu Ran replied: "I've been a bit busy lately, let's do it later."
Looking at this brief reply, Liu Si felt inexplicably disappointed.
But she quickly composed herself and replied, "Okay, I'll wait for you."
Liu Siqi sensed that Lu Ran seemed to be avoiding her lately. She didn't know that such a beautiful woman like herself was of no interest to him.
Seeing that Lu Ran usually only got along well with his younger brother and a few others at the company, Liu Siqi suddenly had a bold guess in her mind.
Could Lu Ran be... gay?
I shook my head frantically, trying to shake off this audacious idea. It really was too daring.
...
Just when "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" was gaining popularity, Lu Ran received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello, is this Mr. Lu Ran?" A middle-aged male voice answered the phone, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance.
"It's me, and who are you?"
"I'm Li Hongda, the director of the artist management department at Starlight Entertainment," the man introduced himself. "I'd like to discuss something with you, Mr. Lu. Is this a convenient time?"
Starlight Entertainment?
Lu Ran raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this was quite novel.
"What are you going to talk about?"
"You said it wasn't convenient over the phone, how about we meet in person? At the coffee shop downstairs from your office, in twenty minutes, how about that?"
Lu Ran checked the time; it was exactly three in the afternoon, and he didn't have anything urgent to do.
He wanted to see what the people from Starlight Entertainment really wanted from him.
"OK."
Twenty minutes later, Lu Ran appeared at the coffee shop on time.
By the window sat a middle-aged man in a suit, his hair neatly combed, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a cup of Americano in front of him.
Upon seeing Lu Ran, he nodded slightly but did not get up.
"Mr. Lu, please have a seat."
Lu Ran sat down opposite him and ordered a latte.
"Director Li, what brings you here?"
Li Hongda adjusted his glasses and got straight to the point: "Mr. Lu, I'll be frank. Starlight Entertainment greatly admires your talent and would like to invite you to join us."
Lu Ran laughed: "Poaching?"
"You could say that." Li Hongda took a document out of his briefcase. "We've looked into your situation at Xingyao. We heard you were previously in the short drama department and were only recently promoted to the eighth long drama department, and you're only a department head there?"
He paused, his tone laced with obvious superiority: "It's a real shame that Xingyao is wasting talent like this. We're different from Xingguang; we value every person with potential."
Lu Ran picked up his coffee, took a slow sip, and didn't reply.
Li Hongda, thinking he was interested, continued, "If you come to Starlight, we can directly offer you a director position, in charge of the entire long-running drama production department. As for the annual salary..."
He held up three fingers: "Three million as a starting point, plus project bonuses. How about that? Much better than what you'd get at Xingyao, right?"
This salary would have been tempting for Lu Ran when he first arrived in this world, but now, three million is nothing to him.
Lu Ran put down his cup, a half-smile on his face: "Director Li, your intelligence work isn't quite up to par."
"What do you mean?" Li Hongda didn't understand.
He had taken the initiative to ask the production director for the job of poaching talent at Zhou Ran's request.
Zhou Ran also promised that if he could successfully poach Lu Ran, he would give him a kickback of 100,000 yuan in private.
It just so happens that their department has done poaching before. Basically, if they offer good terms to any artist, the other party has no reason to refuse.
So Li Hongda readily agreed.
The information he had about Lu Ran was all provided to him by Zhou Ran.
"What do you mean?" Lu Ran looked at him and smiled, "Would you give up tens of millions for a mere three million?"
...