My ‘Healing’ Game
Chapter 161: The Newcomer Who Made History!

Chapter 161: Chapter 161: The Newcomer Who Made History!

The Xinhu Old City District was particularly lively tonight, with smiles apparent on many faces.

Through the bustling crowd, Han Fei arrived by car at the location he and Director Jiang had agreed on—a rather upscale hotel.

Upon reaching the sixteenth floor, Han Fei stepped out of the elevator only to see a stagehand in a suit standing in the hallway, who warmly led him to the largest private room on the floor.

Even before entering, Han Fei could hear bursts of laughter coming from the room, indicating that many from the crew had already arrived.

Pushing the door open, Han Fei entered with a smile, politely greeting everyone before finding a corner seat to settle into.

He was not fond of being the center of attention, nor was he comfortable in lively settings.

In contrast, Zhan Lele thrived in such an environment, expertly livening the mood, often drawing laughter from everyone—befitting someone professional in variety shows.

In the drama "Twin Flowers," the actors had no airs about them. Han Fei was modest, to say the least, and the other two actors, Zhan Lele and Jinnian, had good temperaments and got along well with the crew.

At ten to eight, with only ten minutes to go until the film premiere, the hotel waitstaff wheeled a cart into the private room, arranging the beverages and drinks. A huge projection screen on the wall also began showing the trailer for "Twin Flowers."

Yet, even by then, the guests Director Jiang had invited had not arrived, leaving his seat next to him empty.

"Director, shall we start first?" the stage manager approached Director Jiang.

"Let me make another call," Director Jiang had just taken out his phone when noisy footsteps came from outside the room.

Not long after, the private room door opened. A middle-aged man, appearing about the same age as Director Jiang, entered with a handsome male actor.

The middle-aged man was short and portly, dressed meticulously; however, there was an inexplicable greasiness about him.

"Jiang Yi, sorry for being late," the middle-aged man chuckled as he shook hands with Jiang Yi, "I’ve been really busy lately. The drama I shot recently got several nominations, and I’ve been inundated with invitations—it’s been hectic."

"Qian Cheng, I’ve seen your new drama, it’s quite good," Director Jiang’s guest was Qian Cheng, one of the most famous directors in the thriller genre.

Though he had no massive hits, he succeeded by the sheer volume of his work, with each project generally ensuring no losses. Many companies were willing to collaborate with him.

"Attending the awards ceremony was just for show, there’s a limit to how high suspense themes can go," the middle-aged man admitted with inherent pride, as his drama stood out during a downturn in the mystery market, showcasing his capability, "This is Wu Li, an actor who attended the awards ceremony with me. We’ve worked on several dramas together, and he’s the only male actor to be nominated for ’Best Newcomer’ from a mystery film this year."

"Please, have a seat," Director Jiang didn’t expect the other party to bring an actor along. It seemed the director wanted to politely decline Jiang’s offer through this action—as he already had a frequently collaborated actor, he didn’t need any others.

The middle-aged director expertly mingled with everyone at the table, creating a harmonious scene, while the male actor beside him seemed somewhat bored.

Many popular dramas would book an entire hotel floor for celebrations, with hosts specially guiding the guests, but for the "Twin Flowers" crew, even booking this large private room had been a financial hesitation.

Everyone settled down, and the projection screen began displaying data and trends provided by the online platform.

In January alone, a total of 47 new dramas and web movies premiered, but the platform’s resources were limited. Some of them became like stones thrown into the sea—making only a small splash before disappearing without a trace.

Previously, many suspense and horror web films ended up in similar situations, sometimes turning into jokes with low ratings, troubling directors and actors alike.

In the current online suspense movie rating charts, the top ten were still dominated by classics from years past.

January’s new dramas usually competed in categories like youth love, urban workplace, fantasy adventure, and diverse life dramas, but this January, a dark horse with the words "mystery thriller" seemed out of place on the expectation chart!

"Twin Flowers," without any hype and far less promotional spending than other dramas, ranked second on the new drama expectation chart, just behind Wuwu Entertainment’s "Urban Secret Love."

"Jiang Yi, your drama is gaining strong momentum. I’m afraid it might break my record for the first-day premiere," Qian Cheng praised Jiang Yi outwardly, yet he was skeptical. Unaware of the actual situation, he believed that with enough promotional spending, even trash could rise to the top, but the real test of a drama was in the VIP revenue sharing afterward.

"I remember when your ’Dormitory No. 4’ premiered, the first-day VIP on-demand was two hundred and thirty thousand," Jiang Yi raised his glass.

"’Dormitory No. 4’ was a peak for me, and these past few years I’ve been unable to break that record," Qian Cheng sighed with resignation, "Suspense and horror are niche genres after all, and there’s only so high they can go. Seeing the popularity of your drama, I estimate you could break three hundred thousand."

"Then I’ll take that as a good omen," Jiang Yi glanced at Wu Li sitting next to Qian Cheng, with the intention of speaking in favor of Han Fei, "Old Qian, our lead actor in this drama is incredibly talented, his acting is impeccable, and if ’Twin Flowers’ succeeds, he deserves most of the credit."

"I’ve heard about him, a promising young man, but isn’t he involved in a lawsuit with Wuwu Entertainment? They’ve made statements about investigating the contract, right?"

"Rumors, those are absolutely rumors!" Jiang Yi was about to call Han Fei over, but upon hearing Qian Cheng’s words, he immediately stiffened, "Old Qian, you’ve been in this industry so long, can’t you see what’s clear?"

"Of course I can, let’s drink to that!" Qian Cheng tried to gloss over with a toast, and as he raised his glass, the clock struck eight.

Han Fei’s leading role in "Twin Flowers" marked its premiere on major online platforms!

The huge projection screen on the wall split accessibly, the left displaying the movie while the right showed the real-time performance data of "Twin Flowers" across major online platforms.

It had only been a few seconds.

For Qian Cheng, it was merely the time it took to move a wine glass from the table to his lips, yet "Twin Flowers" VIP on-demand view count had already broken ten thousand!

Countless netizens seemed to have been eagerly awaiting this moment,

and the viewership began to skyrocket irrationally, taking the lead and sweeping across 47 new dramas of the same period!

His eyelids twitched, and the fatty flesh on his cheeks lightly spasmed as Qian Cheng unconsciously gulped down the wine in his glass.

It was fiery in his throat! It reddened his eyes! Somewhat heartburn-inducing!

"Hiss..."

Today’s wine seemed particularly strong!

The entire private room was silent; everyone’s eyes were glued to the violently rising viewership numbers.

In one minute, it broke through thirty thousand, and in six minutes, it surpassed one hundred thousand. By the nineteenth minute, the total online view count had exceeded two hundred thirty thousand!

Qian Cheng also stared blankly at the projection screen; he could hardly imagine.

What he had always considered the limit was merely someone else’s starting point!

Picking up a tissue from the table, Qian Cheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced around, searching the room for Han Fei.

As a commercial film director, he had already sensed the scent of money.

Half an hour after the premiere, "Twin Flowers" total online view count had surpassed three hundred thousand, whereas the second-ranked "Urban Secret Love" had only just reached two hundred thousand.

What was even more absurd was that the view count increase for all new dramas was slowing down, while only "Twin Flowers" continued to accelerate.

Initially, Director Jiang was looking at the suspense thriller movie section on the online platform, but subtly, the name "Twin Flowers" had appeared in the overall ranking.

In just one hour, the on-demand view count of "Twin Flowers" had broken through five hundred thousand.

Playing dual roles, Han Fei also appeared on the trending search list; the last time he was trending for his heroic act, this time, it was for his acting.

The characters Meng Changxi and Meng Chang’an were perfectly portrayed by him, each subtle gaze filled with interpretation of the characters.

Netizens were dazzled; a comedic actor known for his heroic act managed to convincingly portray such complex, mentally deranged, yet charming characters.

On the trending list, both Han Fei and "Twin Flowers" continued to climb in ranking.

In the private room, Director Jiang’s phone suddenly rang; upon checking the call display, the caller turned out to be a very famous veteran director.

In the presence of Qian Cheng, Director Jiang answered the call. The director graciously congratulated him and then began inquiring about Han Fei’s schedule. He mentioned his latest show involved criminal psychology and featured an extremely complex character.

As Director Jiang began searching the room for Han Fei, both the stage manager’s and Jinnian’s phones began to ring as well, from calls made by Sister Long and other companies. The originally quiet private room instantly became exceptionally busy.

"Jinnian! Give the phone to Han Fei immediately! Also ask him about his intention to sign with Longyou Culture; we can discuss everything!"

"Hello, we are from Qianding Entertainment. We’d like to discuss something with Han Fei, he hasn’t signed with any other company, has he?"

"Lele, is the male lead of your drama group around? I heard he hasn’t joined any entertainment company yet."

"Brother Liu, you’re working on the set of ’Twin Flowers,’ right? Hand your phone to Director Jiang! His line is constantly busy!"

The private room had turned into complete chaos; everyone was searching for Han Fei, but he was not inside the room.

The night wind ruffled his hair; Han Fei, who had left the private room early, stood next to a window at the end of the hallway.

He could faintly hear the incessant ringing of phones inside the private room, his name being mentioned repeatedly.

"Can I finally tell everyone now, ’I am an actor’?"

Gazing out at the brilliantly lit city through the window, Han Fei’s gaze eventually settled on the window glass.

He silently watched his reflection in the glass, reminiscing about all his past experiences.

Ten years of obscurity, then achieving fame that’s recognized by all in one fell swoop!