Chapter 95: Living with the Model

  In response to Xiao Fang's question, He Mu gave two examples.

  "What was the hottest TV series last year?" He Mu asked.

  "It should be 'The Legend of the Condor Hero' then." Xiao Fang replied.

  "What about last year?"

  "The Sharp Sword". Xiao Fang first thought of this anti-Japanese drama.

  At this time, Datang added a sentence: "The 2005 'Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan' was also very popular."

  He Mu snapped his fingers, "That's right, I'm talking about 'The Legend of the Condor Hero' and 'The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber', I say these two are martial arts dramas, do you have any objections?"

  Xiao Fang thought for a moment: "I'll barely make it."

  "He Mu said: "The Legend of the Condor Hero" tells the story of the martial arts world, while "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" tells the story of a heroic swordsman. They are both considered martial arts stories, but they are not traditional martial arts stories - they are variations of martial arts. "The Legend of the Condor Hero" is a martial arts comedy that takes place in an inn, but it encompasses all aspects of the martial arts world. "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" is a fantasy martial arts drama that expands the scope of the martial arts world, allowing characters to fly through the air and traverse the heavens. It can be said that these are two vastly different martial arts worlds that audiences have never seen before, and they are full of curiosity about them. As soon as they were released, they sparked widespread enthusiasm and achieved unprecedented success."

  He Mu paused for a moment before continuing: "It's undeniable that the success of 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy' and the popularity of 'The Story of Cooks' are related. The craze surrounding 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy' is also due to its numerous original elements. However, what makes them most attractive is their novelty, their unconventional approach. These new ideas make people who are used to Jin Yong's works feel fresh and interesting, so they are willing to chase after them. Even though the special effects in 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy' were poor, it still captured the hearts of countless young men and women."

  "You mean we should also push out the old and bring in the new, create a new world of martial arts?" Xiao Fang asked hesitantly.

  He Mu shook his head, "It's not necessarily about creating a new martial arts drama model, as long as it's full of new ideas. Let me give you another example, two years ago, the director Wang Jing made a martial arts drama 'The First in the World', which was not adapted from anything, but a purely original script. This play broke out of the traditional Jin Yong Liang Yusheng martial arts routine and presented a martial arts world about the four great detectives of the heavenly secrets with a new and strange perspective, which both I and Li Bo liked very much. There's also 'The Storm Riders' from several years ago, adapted from a comic book, its absurd story left people amazed and caused a viewing frenzy. In the end, it all comes down to one word: 'new'."

  "What's new?" Xiao Fang muttered to herself, thinking.

  Everyone has a psychology of loving new things and hating old ones. When one type gets old, people always want to find something different to look at. The works of several martial arts masters have become a bit clichéd for today's audience. We can completely break free from their frameworks and seek inspiration in comics, games, or explore the works of other martial arts writers, such as Huang Yi or Bu Feiyan, Cang Yue, these new forces. Speaking of Huang Yi, I think of another genre - time-travel dramas. Except for Gu Tianle's "The Legend of Qin" and Xu Zheng's "Love Across Time and Space", which were popular back in the day, there haven't been any similar works in recent years. The market will definitely have a big reaction to this type of work.

  Xiao Fang said: "When talking about martial arts dramas, how did we end up discussing time-traveling dramas? Let's get back on track."

  "Okay," He Mu said, "the writers I mentioned earlier are just examples, whether their works are suitable for film and television adaptations remains to be seen, but they can definitely inject new blood into martial arts dramas. Even if Jin Yong's works were adapted with a fresh twist, it could still be a hit on the screen. For example, making Dongfang Bubai from 'The Smiling, Proud Wanderer' a woman and having her fall in love with Linghu Chong would be interesting. I've had this idea since watching Lin Qingxia's 'Dongfang Bubai' when I was young."

  "Your idea gives me goosebumps." Xiao Fang shivered.

  However, He Mu's words indeed inspired their thoughts and broadened their horizons. Da Tang was the first to speak enthusiastically, "When it comes to game adaptations, the first thing that comes to mind is 'Xuanyuan Jian', which has a huge influence alongside 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy'."

  Xiao Fang immediately pulled out a martial arts novel he had recently read, "Have you guys seen 'The Legend of Hero'? People say that Jin Yong has retired and Gu Long has passed away, but the Jianghu only has The Legend of Hero. This is also a very wonderful book."

  You spoke one word and I spoke another, everyone was delighted. He Mu's astonishing amount once again shocked the two of them, almost no martial arts he didn't know. Finally, Xiao Fang gave He Mu a task: "After New Year's return, recommend to me a suitable martial arts story for adaptation, with good market prospects and relatively low cost, whether it's a game or comic, whatever you like."

  "What's going on here?!" He Mu protested.

  "Who made you so arrogant, blabbering on and on? Those who don't know might think you're the boss. And aren't you supposed to be well-read? I ask you, is there anyone more suitable than you?"

  "But I..."

  "But what if I think the story you recommended is suitable and the male lead is still you? Aren't you going to film it? This will be your next movie."

  "Alright then." Although Xiao Fang had high demands, requiring a good market prospect, low cost, and innovation, for the sake of the new play, he could only grit his teeth and take on this task. After all, if things didn't work out, he could always ask Li Wen Hua to help him out - when it came to reading books, He Mu wouldn't dare compare himself to Li Wen Hua.

  ——————

  It's already the 25th of the last month, and there are only a few days left before the New Year. He Mu will probably leave in two days, and tomorrow I'll spend another day with Zilin.

  With the heavy mission entrusted to him by Xiao Fang, He Mu returned to his apartment and opened the door. Hmm, the lights were on. Had he forgotten to turn them off when he left?

  No! The decorations in the room and the path to the front are a bit different, and there's an additional scent of a woman. As he walked further in, he heard the sound of running water from the bathroom, at which point he turned his head back to look at the bag on the living room sofa, which was clearly Zhang Zilin's.

  It must be Zhang Zilin in the apartment.

  "Heh heh." He Mu rubbed his hands together with a sinister grin, "Xiao Linlin, you're someone who wouldn't take the road to heaven even if it's available, but instead would barge into hell where there's no door. Since you've already washed up and are waiting for me at home, why not take a romantic bath together? I'm sure you won't mind."

  The bathroom door seemed to have no lock, as if waiting for her specifically. He Mu took a deep breath, gathered his courage and gently pushed it open. The beautiful body he had imagined was nowhere to be seen, but instead, a dark and eerie face stared back at him.

  The result of the great contrast was that He Mu was startled, let out a loud cry, retreated three steps in a row, bumped into the wall, got a big bump, and in short, was extremely embarrassed.

  Zhang Zilin, who was wearing a facial mask, held a fruit platter and exclaimed, "You're back!" Then, seeing He Mu's disheveled appearance, she asked, "What happened to you?"

  He Mu covered his head and carefully examined the monster in front of him, such a tall figure, such a delicate body, it was indeed his girlfriend, "Zi Lin, what's on your face? It's too scary."

  "This is a volcanic mud face mask, it's good for the skin, want to try it? I still have some in my room."

  "No need, no need," He Mu hurriedly shook his head. He wasn't very used to having mud smeared on his face, but he seemed to have caught a key phrase, "What do you mean by 'your room'?"

  Zhang Zilin put the fruit plate on the tea table, pointing to He Mu's room, "Now that place is my room, didn't you say you wanted me to move in and live here? I've already moved."

  He Mu's eyes lit up, and the word "cohabitation" immediately entered his mind. "So, I'm going to start my cohabitation days with Moke now!"

  Zhang Zilin nodded shyly, and at first she had made up her mind to make this decision. She didn't want to think that she would be leaving He Mu soon, and she was not willing to let He Mu have his way.

  Seeing Zilong nodding, He Mu got excited and wanted to kiss her face, but looking at the volcanic mud all over her face, he still retracted his pursed lips and replaced them with a big hug. Then he held on tight without letting go. When He Mu's hands were about to get out of line on Zilong's slender body, Zilong picked up an apple that had just been washed clean and handed it to He Mu to eat.

  He Mu hadn't even eaten half when Zi Lin had already run into the bedroom, He Mu followed in but was shut out.

  "Hey, you won't let me in, how am I supposed to sleep?" He Mu knocked on the door.

  "Your sleeping place is in the study room, I bought a small bed for you."

  "But I like sleeping in a big bed, let me go in, I definitely won't make trouble." He Mu begged.

  Zhang Zilin hugged her quilt and opened the door. With her face mask already washed off, she revealed her clean and pretty face. "In that case, I'll sleep on the small bed then."

  Seeing Zong Lin's face had returned to normal, He Mu tightly hugged Zong Lin and heavily kissed her lips, greedily inserting his tongue into Zong Lin's mouth. Zong Lin was also intoxicated, her body soft, the quilt in her hand falling to the ground without her even realizing it.

  Two or three minutes later, He Mu opened the panting Zhi Lin who was having trouble breathing, "You sleep in the big bed, goodnight baby." He Mu finally tiptoed and kissed Zhi Lin's forehead before entering the study with a very gentlemanly demeanor.

  Leaning against the door frame, looking at He Mu's back, Zhang Zilin was still savoring the taste of earlier. She jumped onto the bed with a smile, thinking that He Mu should be done for the night. But she didn't expect that after she had fallen asleep, He Mu came knocking on her door again. Looking at the time, it was just past midnight, and the sky was still dark - what did he want to do now?!

  Zi Lin kicked off her slippers and opened the door wearing a onesie, rubbing her sleepy eyes and asking: "What's going on again?"

  "Linlin, I thought of something and I have to tell you."

  "What's going on?"

  "Today is my birthday."

  "Come on, your birthday is after Valentine's Day, but it's not even Valentine's Day yet." Zi Lin was still confused.

  He Mu smiled slyly: "What you said is the solar calendar birthday, I'm talking about the lunar calendar birthday, it just passed 12 o'clock, now is the twenty-sixth of the twelfth month, my birthday."

  "What do you want?" Zhang Zilin had a bad premonition.

  "It's like this, I just made a birthday wish and I need your help to fulfill it." He Mu smiled as he entered his original bedroom.

  ……

  P.S: A bit late, sorry about that, by the way, asking for votes, recommending Sanjiang, I want them all, hehe~~