You were supposed to have a fake marriage with the diva, so how did you become her father?

Chapter 177 Super Girl ● Nationwide Auditions

Hero is in its third week of release.

Although the box office figures are still being crushed by "Reign of Assassins," the tide is quietly turning on another front.

In TUTU's martial arts community, the post "The Sweeping Monk Doesn't Sweep the Floor" has been pushed to the top and has become a legendary post with over 20,000 comments.

Even more frightening is that people who watched "Hero" two or three times started posting their ticket stubs in the community, and some even posted records of watching it seven times.

"Seven viewings???" Lu Ran nearly spilled his coffee when he saw the post. "Does this guy live in the movie theater?"

Zhou Mingzhe looked up from the pile of code and adjusted his glasses: "He's not the only one. Backend data shows that in the past week, 37% of the active users in the 'Martial Arts World' circle have watched 'Hero' at least twice. There was also a user who posted that he took his parents to watch it twice, and as a result, his parents went back and reread 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'."

"..." Lu Ran was silent for three seconds. "Could this be considered a way to indirectly drive traffic to 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'?"

"Yes." Zhou Mingzhe adjusted his glasses more frequently now. "And guess what? The online viewership of 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' increased by 15% this week."

Lu Ran leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, a slow smile curving his lips.

This cup of Shaoxing wine is finally starting to taste sweet.

I just hope this situation doesn't evolve into fan culture.

Having grown accustomed to fan culture, Lu Ran didn't want this toxic element to taint her work.

However, given the current favorable situation, Lu Ran is at least happy.

When Shen Yuege pushed open the door, this was the scene she saw—Lu Ran was leisurely resting in a chair, Zhou Mingzhe was typing code on three screens, and a group of interns were running around in the office area, resembling a missionary scene of some new religion.

"It's quite lively here." She placed the insulated food container she had brought on the table. "My mom made pork rib soup and insisted that I bring it over. She said her son-in-law is too thin and needs to be nourished."

Lu Ran sat up straight, opened the insulated food container, and a delicious aroma wafted out. He took a deep breath: "Mom is so good. Better than someone else, someone who used to eat takeout every day."

"Who is this person?" Shen Yuege narrowed her eyes.

"That person is me." Lu Ran immediately changed his tune, picked up a piece of pork rib and stuffed it into his mouth, "I reflect on myself, I examine myself, and I will start learning to cook tomorrow."

Zhou Mingzhe silently raised his hand: "Um... can I have a bowl with you?"

"Eat!" Lu Ran pushed the insulated food container over. "Everyone gets a share."

Shen Yuege smiled as she watched them serve the soup, then suddenly remembered something: "Oh right, my dad called yesterday and said that the overseas rights to 'Hero' have been sold."

"Sold to Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, totaling over eight million US dollars."

Lu Ran was taken aback: "So fast?"

Although I know "Hero" is good, isn't this happening too fast?

"They say some film critics over there wrote long articles analyzing the cinematic language of 'Hero,' saying it's the culmination of Eastern aesthetics." Shen Yuege sat down next to Lu Ran, picked up his phone and scrolled through it a couple of times. "Look, on your TUTU, there are even Japanese users who have bypassed the Great Firewall to post."

Lu Ran took the phone and saw that there was indeed a post written using translation software:

[Audience from Japan]

"I'm sorry, I only speak Japanese... but 'Hero' made me cry. The meaning of the sword lies in peace. I will remember this sentence for the rest of my life. Thank you to the Chinese filmmakers."

The comments below have already exceeded a thousand, all of them saying things like "Welcome to friendly exchanges," "Sino-Japanese friendship relies on movies," and "Did you go see 'That Rabbit'?"

Lu Ran stared at that post for a long time.

Although he opposes Japan, why not make money from the Japanese if he can?

If... I mean if, the show "Those Years, Those Rabbits, Those Things" could be introduced to Japan, it would definitely have a greater impact on Japan. Perhaps then, the Japanese wouldn't even need to lift a finger; their own people would burn down the sacred toilets.

Hmm! Cultural invasion isn't bad either!

However, the most urgent task is to enhance our influence.

Seeing Lu Ran lost in thought, Shen Yuege leaned closer and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking..." Lu Ran put down his phone, "Shouldn't we start that 'Super Girl' competition we mentioned before?"

Shen Yuege was taken aback: "Now?"

"Right now." Lu Ran stood up, walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and said, "The word-of-mouth for 'Hero' is growing, more people are remembering the name of Xingyue Studio, TUTU's user base has surpassed six million, and I just approved the content budget for Xingyao for the next quarter... Everything is in place."

Lu Ran excitedly wrote several large characters on the whiteboard:

[Super Girl - Nationwide Auditions]

"Moreover," Lu Ran turned back to look at Shen Yuege, his eyes shining, "this time we don't just have resources from Xingyue Studio."

"At Xingyao, I'm the executive director, so I can legitimately allocate funds and channels. At TUTU, we have a user base of six million as our traffic pool."

He paused, then said, word by word:

Three words: Go big.

Shen Yuege looked at the words on the whiteboard, then at Lu Ran's serious expression, and suddenly smiled.

"Sure," she said. "I happen to be free lately, so I can be a judge or something."

"A judge?" Lu Ran raised an eyebrow, mocking, "You're not participating this time?"

"I'm going to participate?" Shen Yuege's eyes widened. "Me, someone who's already won 'The Voice of China,' going to participate in an amateur talent show? Do you want me to be torn apart by netizens?"

"That makes sense." Lu Ran nodded. "Then you can be a judge. And by the way..." Lu Ran thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Sing the theme song."

"Theme song?"

"Yes. I've already thought of a name." Lu Ran added a few more words to the whiteboard:

Sing if you want to sing

Shen Yuege stared at those four words and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she said, "This song...you haven't already written it, have you?"

Bingo!

Lu Ran pulled a piece of paper from the drawer and handed it to her.

The sheet music is simple, with neat lyrics and a clear melody.

The top of it reads: Sing if you want to sing - dedicated to all those who dare to dream.

Shen Yuege looked at the paper, then at Lu Ran.

"When exactly did you write this?"

"Last night," Lu Ran confessed honestly, "after you fell asleep."

"..."

Shen Yuege took a deep breath, folded the paper, and put it in her pocket: "Okay, I'll record this song. But..."

She squinted at Lu Ran: "What time did you go to sleep last night?"

"Uh..." Lu Ran's gaze darted around, "One point? Two points?"

"Lu Ran!"

"I'm sorry! I'm going to catch up on my sleep right now!"

Lu Ran dared not say that it was the system upgrade that made him so excited that he couldn't sleep.

Watching Lu Ran flee in disarray, Shen Yuege shook her head, both amused and exasperated.

Zhou Mingzhe silently raised his hand: "Um... do you still want some soup?"

"Drink." Shen Yuege pushed the insulated box over. "It's all yours."

...