I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 255 - 255 254. Interview Program_1

Chapter 255: 254. Interview Program_1 Chapter 255: 254. Interview Program_1 “Weekend Appointment” is an interview-style program, hosted by Jiang Xia. The content mostly involves her interviewing celebrities and through conversation revealing their mental journeys. At first, the show was quite popular—after all, it was the best way for ordinary people to hear celebrity gossip.

But as time went on, with the show airing increasingly more episodes and interviewing people from a wider range of industries, Jiang Xia’s lack of knowledge became apparent. Along with some of her own issues, the show often faced criticism.

However, this was a program broadcast by the TV station, with a wide audience. Lu Ban felt that it was quite beneficial for his own promotion and could spark more interest in his movies, so he agreed to the interview.

You see, although there are over a billion people in the country, there aren’t actually that many internet users. Many people still get their information from the television, which remains one of the most influential media outlets.

On the second Thursday in May, Lu Ban arrived at the Xiangnan TV Station building.

Xiangnan is known for its spicy food in the southern province and was one of the earliest TV stations to reform. It launched many variety and talent shows and produced a raft of dramas that became popular across the country, at one time almost rivaling the national television viewership ratings.

In the internet era, Xiangnan TV Station still ranks as one of the better local channels, with a higher interest in the entertainment industry than other local stations.

When he arrived at the studio, Lu Ban was greeted by a young girl who said she was Jiang Xia’s assistant.

“Hello Director Lu, here are some of the questions we will be asking later. You can take a look beforehand.”

She handed Lu Ban a document.`

After a quick glance at it, Lu Ban saw that these were all common questions, the kind he could answer in his sleep.

But he had researched beforehand and knew that “Weekend Appointment”‘s host liked to ask spontaneous questions on the fly, some of which were rather pointed, often putting guests in awkward positions. Moreover, she wouldn’t edit out these segments, creating the impression that she was very sharp, and that the guests were hiding something.

“Are there going to be questions asked that are not on this list?”

So, Lu Ban was direct right from the start.

“?”

The assistant looked puzzled.

Was this person a bit too blunt?

“Our Jiang Jie sometimes thinks on her feet, so she might come up with questions in the moment.”

The young assistant explained.

“That’s pretty high emotional intelligence.”

Lu Ban nodded.

“It’s not bad, Jiang Jie is really good at dealing with people.”

The young assistant added.

“No, I was talking about you.”

Lu Ban clarified as if it was a matter of course.

“Ah?”

The assistant was confused again.

After the wait was over, Lu Ban quickly started recording the show.

As he had seen in previous episodes of the program, the host Jiang Xia first asked some questions about his latest work, “The Madman’s Mouth”.

Jiang Xia, “What do you think you wanted to express with this work?”

Lu Ban, “Love and hope.”

Jiang Xia, “Ah?”

Lu Ban, “Love and hope.”

Jiang Xia, “But according to the film critic, this movie is actually a story of despair. It seems a bit inappropriate to say the theme is love and hope, doesn’t it?”

Lu Ban, “If one has not experienced despair, they won’t understand the importance of love and hope.”

Jiang Xia, “You mean to say, your works are meant to let people feel these warm emotions, and that’s why you portray such dark human nature?”

Lu Ban, “All of my works are filled with positive energy. If anyone in the film industry continues to uphold positive energy, my name would surely be among them.”

Jiang Xia, “???”

Lu Ban, “Have you seen my movies?”

Jiang Xia, “I’ve seen ‘Cry’. I found it to be a chilling, frightening movie. For a long time after watching it, I dared not go to a hospital.”

Lu Ban, “Do you dare to go to hospitals now?”

Jiang Xia, “Of course.”

Lu Ban, “Congratulations, you have overcome your fear.”

Jiang Xia, “Ah?”

Lu Ban, “My movies can create fear. Those frightening things will resonate with your innermost feelings, leave a mark, but in the end, everyone can overcome the fear induced by the movies and return to their normal lives. Isn’t that a great thing? You’ve conquered your fear. How’s that for positivity?”

Jiang Xia, “… Let’s talk about creativity. Many say your films are very imaginative, and the story progresses in an interesting way. Can you discuss your thought process or method?”

Lu Ban, “There’s no special thought process or method; it’s all from my personal experience.”

Jiang Xia, “Are you referring to the ideas that stem from your own experiences? Then, in this type of creative process, have you ever encountered a lack of inspiration, or a lack of good stories?”

Lu Ban, “No.”

Jiang Xia, “Really? I don’t believe it.”

Lu Ban, “Indeed, there hasn’t been.”

Jiang Xia, “Then when you come across some good inspirations in your everyday life, do you collect and record them for future use?”

Lu Ban, “No.”

Jiang Xia, “Really? I don’t believe it.”

Lu Ban, “Good inspiration won’t be forgotten. If it’s forgotten, then it obviously wasn’t very good. It’s that simple.”

Jiang Xia, “…”

Jiang Xia, “In your works, apart from you as the protagonist surviving, many other characters often meet tragic ends, including some popular characters. Why have you set it up this way?”

Lu Ban, “I’d like to save them too, but they really did die.”

Jiang Xia, “… Are you saying that their fates in the story have been determined, so they can’t be changed?”

Lu Ban, “Next time, I want to give everyone a story where no one dies.”

Jiang Xia, “That’s really something to look forward to. Does that mean you already have plans for your next work? Your production speed is quite fast; some people suggest you’ve already prepared a stockpile of works. Is that true?”

Lu Ban, “No, I don’t have a stockpile. I start the next one after finishing one.”

Jiang Xia, “Your production speed is really fast then. Can you share the reason you choose to create horror movies?”

Lu Ban, “The reason I create horror movies is simple because those eerie things are actually all around us. But many people either choose to ignore them or are unable to see them. People are generally either fearful or dismissive of the unknown. Nowadays, most people take a dismissive attitude towards those things, which is not good. I feel that only when everyone recognizes that these horrors truly exist will the world become a better place.”

Jiang Xia, “Are you talking about the settings in the movies?”

Lu Ban, “No, I’m very serious. For instance… ever since the start, I’ve been wanting to say, Ms. Jiang, there seems to be a dead baby lying on your shoulder.”

With that one sentence from Lu Ban, Jiang Xia suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder.

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