In the past few months, they had been keeping their heads down and working hard so that they could show the world what they could achieve!
“It’s not only ‘not bad’!” Manager Zhuo smiled drily and shook his head.
“I was impudent in the past. I didn’t realize that you were a talented person! I’m really ashamed!” He walked forward and shook Trendy Taoist Master’s hand apologetically.
“Don’t worry about it!” Trendy Taoist Master waved his hand and chuckled.
“All of you have worked hard!” Tang Hao said to the Taoist masters.
“Ha, don’t mention it! I had fun!” The Taoist masters laughed.
To them, filming a movie was a chance for them to show off.
“You’ve all worked hard too!” Tang Hao addressed the crew.
After they shook hands, Tang Hao sat in front of the computer, and with a click of the mouse, he posted the trailer on Weibo.
Everyone in the office cheered and applauded.
Someone said weakly, “Will anyone watch it? Our Weibo account only has a few hundred followers!”
The office instantly fell silent.
“Ahem!”
Then, there was an awkward cough.
Tang Hao took a closer look. Indeed, the account only had a little more than three hundred followers, and many of them were bot accounts. It was quite pathetic.
“When was it registered?” Tang Hao asked.
“Well… it’s been quite a while. The account was registered not long after the movie started production. However, no one paid attention to it,” a crew member said.
“…” Tang Hao and Trendy Taoist Master were speechless.
“Haha! That’s fine. We have money. We can buy influencers and paid commenters to advertise for us!” Liu Yan said with a smile, but her expression was awkward.
On the Internet, “Mao Mountain Taoist Master” had a bad reputation. People had labeled it as a bad movie even before the movie was filmed. No one would pay attention to their Weibo account.
“That’s true!” Tang Hao nodded.
They immediately started discussing how much money they should spend on advertising.
Meanwhile, in a university classroom somewhere in Huaxia, a male student sitting at the back was scrolling through Weibo with his head lowered.
“Tsk tsk, another divorce? It’s like there’s one every day! The entertainment industry is messy!”
He quickly scrolled through Weibo with his thumb, completely engrossed in it.
He was a veteran Weibo addict. If he did not scour Weibo for a day, he would feel uncomfortable all over.
As he scrolled through Weibo, he was surprised by an unfamiliar Weibo name suddenly popping up on his screen.
“The official Weibo account of ‘Mao Mountain Taoist Master’? What the hell is that? Since when was I a follower?” He cursed under his breath.
He did not recall that he had followed the account.
After thinking for a while, he remembered.
“Oh, ‘Mao Mountain Taoist Master’? isn’t it that big piece of cow dung from Haotian Pictures?”
He remembered the ruckus on Weibo a few months back.
“What? The movie is done in a few months, and the trailer is out? Is that even watchable? What nonsense!”
He curled his lips contemptuously.
“I’d better unfollow this piece of sh*t!” He muttered and was about to unfollow them.
He hesitated. He was quite curious about how bad the movie might be.
Once his curiosity was aroused, he could no longer suppress it.
He hesitated for a moment, took out his earphones, and played the video.
He was stunned by the rousing music and the explosive battle scenes.
As he watched it, his mouth opened wider and wider. The shock in his heart grew to an extreme degree.
The action-packed scenes and passionate music were too impactful. It made one’s blood boil.
Eventually, he could not hold it in anymore. He stood up and exclaimed, “F*ck!”
The drab classroom was instantly alarmed by his exclamation.
Everyone turned around and looked at him in surprise.
On the podium, the teacher adjusted his glasses and looked at him. He knocked on the table and said, “Students, focus on the class. Don’t play with your phones!”
The student came to his senses and quickly sat down.
“What’s wrong? Did you have a wet dream?”
A few boys from the row in front of him turned around and teased him.
“Look at this!”
He excitedly handed his phone over.
“‘Mao Mountain Taoist Master’? What’s that? It doesn’t even have a single comment. How pathetic.”
They mumbled while playing the video.
Then, they were all shocked.
“F*ck… F*ck! This is awesome!”
“It’s so awesome!”
After watching it, they could not help but exclaim.
More people came over, and the excitement spread. Half of the classroom was in an uproar.
“Quick! Retweet it!”
They were extremely excited. They took out their phones, followed the account, and retweeted the video.
Soon, the excitement spread out of the classroom.
The retweets and comments spread like a wildfire.
Chapter 606 - Soaring Popularity
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Look, Chairman Tang! Someone left a comment!”
A crew member shouted while Tang Hao was discussing with Liu Yan and the others.
“A comment?” Tang Hao was surprised. He rushed to the computer and took a closer look. There was indeed a comment.
Tang Hao read it and laughed.
“That was awesome!”
Just those three words, followed by a series of exclamation marks.
“Look, it’s not like no one is watching! There’s at least one person!” Tang Hao said with a smile, feeling quite pleased.
If no one watched it, that would have been really awkward!
Ding! He received a new comment notification and a new follower just as he stood up.
“Look, not bad! Another comment, and a new follower!”
Tang Hao was amused.
Just as he was about to click on it, he was again surprised by a string of notification alerts. The number of comments instantly rose to more than ten.
The number of followers also increased by ten.
Tang Hao, Liu Yan, and the others were stunned.
“Um… what’s going on?” Tang Hao stammered.
Ding! Ding! Ding! the notifications continued. The number of comments and fans continued to increase. The growth was quite slow at first, but it nonetheless increased.
However, the speed became faster and faster. The numbers increased by three or four every time.
Tang Hao and the others were all dumbfounded.
“It’s increasing again. We’ve just broken through four thousand followers! It’s still increasing faster and faster!”
“Damn! We’re almost at two thousand comments! The retweets are also going crazy!”
Everyone was excited.
They have not done any marketing, but the comments and followers were increasing like crazy. That also showed how impactful the trailer was.
“Chairman Tang, at this rate, I don’t think we need to spend any money,” Liu Yan said.
The numbers continued to rise as everyone was talking.
In the office, cries of surprise could be heard. The atmosphere was very lively.
“Ten thousand…”
“Twenty thousand…”
In the afternoon, everyone gathered there and watched as the number rose from ten thousand to twenty thousand, then thirty thousand, then forty thousand…
The comments were even more heated. Many of the comments were praises and exclamations, but there were also critics.
Among the new followers were influencers with followings in the hundred-thousands or even millions. That boosted the growth rate even more.
In one afternoon, the number of followers skyrocketed from three hundred to one hundred and fifty thousand. The trailer received close to twenty thousand comments.
Haotian Pictures’s popularity was exploding.
Everyone was in disbelief. They had never expected to grow popular that fast.
“Crazy! This is crazy!” The Taoist masters were stunned.
People on Weibo were discussing the trailer.
“Who said this is a bad movie? It’s not bad at all. The trailer is amazing!”
“Who is this Xuan Yang? He’s so good!”
“That’s Haotian Group for you! They never fail to amaze!”
“Wow! Those old Taoist masters are so cool!”
By night time, the number of followers had increased to more than two hundred thousand. The trailer also became the top trending topic.
However, more and more naysayers appeared.
The film critics and directors who had once ridiculed Haotian Pictures said their piece.
“It’s just a trailer! What’s there to be excited about? It’s not a real movie! Think about it. They’ve only shot the movie for less than three months. What good could possibly come out of it?”
“It’s a bad movie. It’ll definitely be the worst movie of the year! After watching this trailer, I’m even more certain! What I said last time was right!”
“They must have blown their entire special effects budget on this trailer. What else is there to watch? It’s a total scam! When the time comes, only idiots will watch it!”
At first, several third- or fourth-rate actors voiced their opinions. Later, several renowned film critics and directors also spoke up.
“Shame! This is the biggest shame of the film industry! Do some directors think that they can scam the public by shooting a trash movie and a half-decent trailer?
“Haotian Pictures is underhanded for doing this!”
Tian Qiuming also retweeted the trailer and commented. “Trash will remain trash.”
Many people began to waver after reading those opinions.
Then, public opinion began to polarize.
Some people firmly supported it, while others mocked and despised it.
Tang Hao sneered when he saw Tian Qiuming’s comments.
“Dammit, this Tian guy is a master of bad movies. Who Is he calling a piece of trash?” Trendy Taoist Master slammed the table angrily.
“He spent more than one hundred million on ‘The Legend of Deification”, but we all know that it’s a real piece of sh*t. Does he think that he can be the box office champion? Dream on!”
The Taoist masters cursed angrily.
Tang Hao smiled and said, “Don’t be angry. When the movie is released, we’ll know who is the real trash!”
He looked at the computer screen and said, “The results are not bad. We have gained so many fans and managed to drive up the hype for the movie. Let’s go. Dinner’s on me!”
“What are we eating, Chairman Tang?”
“Magical cuisine. Let’s go!”
The people rushed out of the office in joy. They drove their own cars toward the main branch of New Magical Kitchen.
Dinner was a very lively affair.
When Wu Tian heard about it, he also went there.
“Boss Tang!”
Wu Tian had changed a lot. He was calmer and more reserved.
“I have to thank you, Boss Tang. Your words have pointed me in the right direction in life! Now, I’m acting in a drama. I need to hone my acting skills further,” Wu Tian said gratefully.
Tang Hao was surprised. He smiled and said, “You have a future! Don’t worry. Once you’re a better actor, I’ll definitely look for you.”
It was almost nine o’clock when they left the restaurant.
Tang Hao’s cell phone rang a while after he left the restaurant. It was from Tang Dashun, the village elder of Tang Village.
Tang Hao was surprised.
“Lil Hao!” Tang Dashun’s warm voice was immediately heard after Tang Hao picked up the call.
“Hey! What’s the matter, Elder?”
“Well… there is something. We’ll be getting new plots of land soon, and you’ll also get a plot of land. When will you come back? We can discuss it,” Tang Dashun said.
Then, he continued, “Speaking of which, Lil Hao, it seems that you haven’t come back for a long time. The villagers all miss you.”
Tang Hao was taken aback. He pondered for a moment and said, “That’s fine. I’ll go over tomorrow afternoon.”
Tang Dashun was overjoyed and quickly said, “Alright, that settles it! I won’t disturb you. See you tomorrow!”
“OK!”
After ending the call, Tang Hao sighed.
Indeed, he had not returned to Tang Village as frequently as he did to Dragonrock village. It had been a very long time since he last returned there.
“I should bring Sis Xiangyi tomorrow too!”
Tang Hao pondered for a moment and made up his mind. Then, he called Qin Xiangyi.
After that, he called Assistant Han and told her to prepare for their trip back to Westridge the next morning.
Chapter 607 - Back to Tang Village
That morning, Tang Village was in an uproar.
The villagers walked out of their houses with rice bowls in their hands and gathered in the village square. They discussed in groups of twos and threes with excited expressions on their faces.
A middle-aged woman opened the door and walked out with a basin of laundry in her arms. She wanted to go to the riverside to wash the clothes.
She was startled when she saw the situation outside.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
She walked over with the basin of clothes.
The villagers turned around and looked at her with curious expressions.
“It’s Lil Hao! Lil Hao is coming back!” A woman said.
“Ah!” The middle-aged woman exclaimed in surprise. She was a little dazed.
After standing there for a long time, an embarrassed expression appeared on her face. She stammered, “It’s him!”
Then, she walked away resentfully to the riverside.
“I heard that Lil Hao is amazing now. Not long ago, he even started a company. The village elder and the others went to attend the dinner party. Oh, that was a momentous event! All the big shots were there! It’s amazing!”
“I’ve been to Haotian Group’s office building. You can’t imagine how magnificent it is!”
“Lil Hao! He’s the pride of our Tang Village!”
The villagers were discussing excitedly.
Many of them said to their children beside them, “Remember, you have to learn from Big Bro Hao! You’ll have to be a promising person in the future!”
The middle-aged woman overheard the discussions behind her. She was feeling particularly resentful and bitter.
She had looked down, scolded, and bullied that kid every day, but that kid had soared to unimaginable heights.
That kid was now the chairman of a group of companies. He knew many provincial leaders and even officials from the Capital.
All that was like a dream.
If she had treated him a little better in the past, she would not still be living in such a shabby house by now.
When she thought of that, her heart was filled with unspeakable regret and frustration.
The sky gradually brightened, and the atmosphere became even more lively.
Lil Hao was coming back!
The news spread through the entire village.
Many banquet tables were set up in front of the village council building. A group of people was busy organizing the feast.
The atmosphere was like a festival.
“Don’t spare any expense. We can’t let Lil Hao look down on Tang Village!”
Tang Das
hun barked orders as he patrolled the scene with his hands behind his back.
“Understood, Village Elder! Don’t worry!” Several chefs replied.
In the blink of an eye, it was eleven o’clock.
The villagers gathered at the village entrance. They looked toward the road and waited eagerly.
After a while, they saw a black Audi drive in.
“It’s Lil Hao! He’s back!” Someone shouted.
In an instant, the crowd was in an uproar. They rushed forward and waved at the car.
The car could not drive through the crowd and had to stop.
The car door opened, and Tang Hao walked out.
“Welcome back, Lil Hao!”
The villagers surrounded him and stretched their arms, wanting to shake hands with Tang Hao.
Tang Hao smiled and shook hands with each of them.
Meanwhile, the car door on the other side opened, and Qin Xiangyi walked out.
The villagers looked closely at her and were all stunned. Then, they exclaimed in surprise.
“What a beautiful girl! She must be Lil Hao’s girlfriend!”
“Oh, what a pity! I was thinking of matchmaking Lil Hao!”
“Hah! Save It! Don’t you know who Lil Hao is now? He won’t be interested in any of the girls you know!”
The middle-aged women were chattering.
“Hello, Uncles and Aunties!” Qin Xiangyi greeted them politely.
“Oh, what a sweet girl…” The middle-aged women laughed.
“Make way! Make way!”
Village Elder Tang Dashun came, followed by several members of the council.
“You’re finally here, Lil Hao! You’re here too, Ms. Qin! Come, come, don’t stand here, let’s go inside!” As he spoke, he led Tang Hao and Qin Xiangyi through the crowd.
“Look at that plantation, Lil Hao. It’s so grand! It’s all thanks to you. The villagers’ pockets are fuller, and their living conditions are much better than before.”
After staying at the village council building for a while, Tang Dashun brought Tang Hao and Qin Xiangyi to survey the plantation.
It was still some time before the banquet started, so Tang Hao brought Qin Xiangyi to his house.
“Uncle, Auntie!”
At the door of his house, Tang Hao saw his uncle and aunt.
The Mightiest Little Peasant c1-799 Page 269