novellhall Chapter 99 Prelude
Chapter 99 Prelude
Chapter 105 Prelude
In September 2018, the first season of "Joy of Life" officially entered its promotional period.
Xinli Media and Tencent Video have joined forces to launch a massive pre-launch campaign.
First, a concept poster was released—in the center of the image is a palace gate, with golden light shining through the cracks in the gate. Outside the gate is a vast snowfield, and inside the gate is a majestic palace, with a lone wild goose flying across the sky.
The poster bears the inscription: "I am fortunate to have met you in my remaining years."
Next came the character posters, with one lead actor announced each day.
The first to be released was naturally Chen Daomin's Emperor Qing—wearing a black dragon robe, with piercing eyes and an imposing aura.
The comment section exploded instantly: "Chen Daomin playing the emperor is the epitome of emperor!" "I could watch a hundred episodes of this Emperor Qing!"
Then there's Wu Gang's Chen Pingping, sitting in a wheelchair with a sinister and profound look in his eyes, the shadow of the Supervisory Commission behind him.
"Wu Gang's gaze is absolutely brilliant!" "Chen Pingping is my favorite character from the original novel; looking forward to it!"
Finally, the grand finale is Fan Xian, played by Chen Nianbei.
It was a poster featuring his profile. He stood in the snow, wearing a dark cloak, his head slightly turned, gazing into the distance.
Snowflakes landed on his eyelashes, and there was an indescribable complexity in his eyes—the clarity of a youth, the depth of a wise man, the unruliness of a wanderer, and a trace of loneliness.
The hashtag #ChenNianbeiFanXian# immediately surged to the top of the trending searches, followed by a bright red "Explosive" sign.
The anticipation online is overwhelming.
"That look in his eyes!! This is the Fan Xian I've always imagined!!"
"From Prince Jing to Fan Xian, is Chen Nianbei going to become my go-to ancient costume male god?!"
"Fans of the original novel are ecstatic! Chen Nianbei's eyes, which have seen the world yet remain clear-headed, are such a perfect match for Fan Xian!"
"Chen Daomin + Wu Gang + Chen Nianbei, what an incredible lineup!"
"My expectations are through the roof! Director Sun Hao and Chen Nianbei—I'm ready to stay up all night binge-watching!"
Discussions about "Joy of Life" are everywhere on various forums, communities, and short video platforms.
Some people analyzed every shot in the trailer, some interpreted the details of the character posters frame by frame, some started to list the classic lines from the original work, and some started to bet on whether "this show will become the hit of the year".
The number of people who marked "Want to Watch" under the Douban entry for "Joy of Life" exceeded 200,000 in just one week, setting a new record at the time.
On Zhihu, the question is, "How would you rate the trailer for the TV series 'Joy of Life'?"
This question has received thousands of answers. Among the top-rated answers, some analyzed it from the perspectives of costumes, props, and sets; some from the cast; some from the difficulty of adapting the original novel; and some even wrote lengthy analyses of Chen Nianbei's "Fan Xian's gaze"—
"There was so much in that look: the boy from Danzhou, the power struggles in the capital, the shadows of the Censorate, and the father he never met. Chen Nianbei portrayed Fan Xian's entire life in just one second."
But amid the overwhelming anticipation, some dissenting voices have also begun to emerge.
At first, there were just a few scattered posts in some inconspicuous corner of a forum.
Some people questioned Chen Nianbei's appearance, saying it was "too modern and lacked the feel of an ancient person." Others said he was "good enough to play Prince Jing, but he couldn't handle a dashing and romantic character like Fan Xian." Still others sarcastically remarked, "It's another popular star playing a big IP character; it's a pity for the original work."
These posts didn't initially attract much attention.
However, as the popularity of "Joy of Life" has grown, these voices have also begun to be amplified.
One night, a post titled "Let's uncover the little-known stories about Chen Nianbei" suddenly went viral on a popular gossip forum.
The post listed so-called "dirt" on Chen Nianbei.
It was said that he got into the "Battle of Changsha" crew through connections, that he stole the role of Prince Jing from another actor, that he acted like a diva on the set of "Better Days", that he "suppressed younger actors in the same crew", and even that he "had ambiguous relationships with several actresses" (several blurry group photos were attached).
The comments below the post quickly split into two camps.
One group consists of Chen Nianbei's fans, who refuted each point, posted evidence, and demanded that the original poster provide solid proof.
Another group consisted of bystanders who loved watching the drama unfold, or some malicious accounts that started stirring up trouble: "So that's what kind of person he is," "Disappointing," "The entertainment industry is indeed not clean."
Even more disgusting, some people started maliciously editing his clips from "Back to Field".
The conversation between him and Huang Lei was edited out of context and given a sensational headline: "Chen Nianbei is acting like a big shot in the Mushroom House? Huang Lei's expression changed."
The footage of him quietly by the campfire was paired with the caption, "Chen Nianbei is unsociable and has a cold expression throughout."
These videos spread rapidly on short video platforms, and the comment sections were filled with a chaotic mess.
Chen Nianbei was reading a script in her studio when she saw these.
Old Zhao handed him the phone, his face grim: "Nianbei, look at this."
Chen Nianbei took the phone and read through the messages one by one.
Those posts, those comments, those maliciously edited videos.
He watched calmly, his face expressionless, only occasionally furrowing his brow slightly.
After reading it, he returned the phone to Lao Zhao.
"It's alright," he said. "I expected it."
Old Zhao was taken aback: "You're not angry?"
Chen Nianbei smiled, a hint of helplessness in his smile: "What's the use of getting angry? They just want to see me angry, want to see me jump up and down, want to see me come out and explain, and then seize on my words and make a big fuss about them."
If I don't respond, they'll be out of options.
Old Zhao looked at him, his feelings a mix of emotions. He had managed many artists, and in this situation, most people's first reaction was anger, resentment, and a desire to immediately clarify the situation.
But Chen Nianbei was different; he was too calm, as if he had experienced it countless times before.
"So we're just going to put up with this?" Old Zhao asked.
Chen Nianbei thought for a moment and said, "Let's have the studio issue a statement saying that those are all false information and that we reserve the right to pursue legal action."
No need to be too aggressive, no need to refute point by point; doing so will only give them more attention.
Old Zhao nodded and went to make the arrangements.
But the matter did not end there.
Those smear posts seemed to be organized and began to spread across various platforms.
Some are multiple accounts registered from the same IP address, while others are paid trolls using similar language.
Instead of directly criticizing Chen Nianbei, they used "questions" and "hearsay" to package the fabricated "dirt" as "insider information."
"I heard that Chen Nianbei and Chen Daomin didn't get along on the set of 'Joy of Life'? Does anyone know?"
"I heard that he got the role of Fan Xian because he had powerful connections?"
"Wasn't Liu Haocun someone he promoted? Is there something going on here—"
Under these posts, there are always some people engaging in "rational discussions," making things that didn't actually happen seem real.
Chen Nianbei's fans were furious. They organized themselves and began clarifying, refuting, and reporting the matter on various platforms.
Wang Churan, Liu Haochun, and Tian Xiwei, three veteran members, stayed up almost non-stop in the super topic, guiding fans to respond rationally and not be swayed by rumors.
"No insults, no online arguments, just post evidence."
"Don't forward negative posts, and don't give them any attention."
"Trust Nianbei, let our work speak for itself."
At the same time, some unexpected support also began to emerge.
The first to step forward was Huang Lei. He posted on Weibo: "The production team of 'Back to Field' and I are very satisfied with Chen Nianbei's performance during the recording."
He is humble, polite, and earnest; he's a young man we all like. Please don't believe those videos that take things out of context.
The accompanying photo shows Chen Nianbei picking vegetables at the Mushroom House, with sunlight shining on him and a clean smile on his face.
The second one is sung by Peng Yu.
He posted a video clip of himself and Chen Nianbei feeding Xiao H together at the Mushroom House.
In the video, Chen Nianbei is squatting on the ground, gently stroking Xiao H's head, while Peng Yuchang laughs beside her.
The caption reads: "Nianbei is my idol and my friend. Every day he's at the Mushroom House makes me feel warm."
Those who speak ill of him, do you really know him?
The third is Sun Hao.
He published a long article titled "A Few Words About Chen Nianbei." In the article, he detailed Chen Nianbei's experiences on the set of "Joy of Life"—arriving at the set early every day, reviewing scenes after work, her nervousness and dedication while acting opposite Chen Daomin, running over twenty takes in the snow in Inner Mongolia without complaining of fatigue, and standing alone on the edge of a cliff for a long time on the last day of filming.
Finally, he wrote: "I have been making films for more than 20 years and have met countless actors."
Chen Nianbei is the most serious, hardworking, and eager-to-be-a-good-actor young person I have ever met.
To those who slander him, I don't know who you are or what your purpose is.
But I want to say that what you're slandering isn't Chen Nianbei, but the acting profession itself.
This article has been shared millions of times.
In the comments section, countless people began sharing their acquaintances with Chen Nianbei—some were staff members who had worked with him, some were strangers who had bumped into him, and some were his classmates.
friend.
A person claiming to be a production assistant for "Joy of Life" wrote: "I spent five months on set and personally witnessed how Chen Nianbei filmed the scenes."
He arrives earliest and leaves latest every day, never loses his temper, and is always polite to everyone.
Once, I tripped and fell while moving props, and he was the first to rush over to help me. Would you call someone like that arrogant?
A passerby commented: "I ran into Chen Nianbei at the airport last year. He was wearing a mask and was very low-key."
A fan asked for an autograph, so he stopped and signed it.
Then the fan said they wanted to take a photo together, and he said there were too many people now, could we wait a while? Later, he actually waited until the fan found a less crowded spot and took a photo together.
I was right there and saw the whole thing. Could someone like that be a bad person?
Amidst the overwhelming voices of support, the negative posts began to be buried.
Tech experts have uncovered the IP addresses of those malicious posts and found that many of them originated from the same place, clearly indicating that they were manipulated by a PR company.
Some people began to dig deeper into the driving force behind it and found that it might be related to a certain drama that was about to be broadcast at the same time, and that the lead actor of that drama was in competition with "Joy of Life".
But Chen Nianbei no longer cared about any of that.
That night, he sat in his study, scrolling through the support messages on his phone.
Huang Lei's Weibo post, Peng Yu's singing video, Sun Hao's long post, and countless comments from ordinary people.
As he looked at it, his eyes welled up with tears.
It wasn't that I felt wronged, it was that I was moved.
It turns out that, unbeknownst to him, so many people were willing to stand up for him.
Those who worked with him on set, those strangers who bumped into him, and those fans who have supported him since 2013—they are all protecting him in their own ways.
My phone vibrated. Naza sent a message: "I saw those things. Don't be sad, we all know what kind of person you are."
Chen Nianbei replied, "I'm not sad. I'm actually very touched to see everyone speaking up for me."
Dilraba's message arrived too, a series of angry emojis: "Those people are so mean!! Teacher Chen, don't pay them any attention!! We all support you!!"
Chen Nianbei smiled and replied, "Thanks, I'll ignore them."
Dilraba replied instantly: "That's great!! Once your 'Joy of Life' airs, let them see what a real actor is!!"
The next day, Chen Nianbei posted a Weibo post.
There was no explanation, no anger, no resentment.
There is only one photo—a picture of his back taken on the set of "Joy of Life," wearing Fan Xian's clothes, standing in the sunset, with the sky full of rosy clouds behind him.
The accompanying text consisted of only one line: "I am fortunate to have met you in my lifetime. Fan Xian, we will meet soon."
Within ten minutes of being posted, this Weibo post had garnered over a million likes. The comments section was filled with supportive voices.
"Nianbei, keep going! We're waiting for you!"
"Now that Fan Xian is here, those haters will shut up!"
"I am fortunate to have met Chen Nianbei in my later years."
"Let your work speak for itself; you are the best Fan Xian!"
The tide of public opinion has completely turned.
Those passersby who were initially observing started to side with Chen Nianbei after seeing so many people speaking up for him.
Those netizens who were misled realized they had been used as pawns and turned around to criticize the trolls.
Under intense public pressure, those online marketing companies also disappeared.
A meticulously planned smear campaign was thus neutralized without a trace.
In October 2018, the release date for "Joy of Life" was set for November 15.
On the day the trailer was officially released, it garnered over 100 million views in just three hours.
In the video, Fan Xian travels from Danzhou to the capital, from a boy to a powerful official, from naive to profound.
Familiar faces flashed by one by one—the oppressive aura of Emperor Qing, the sinister ruthlessness of Chen Pingping, the complex nature of Fan Jian, the gentle grace of Lin Wan'er, the cunning of Wang Qinian, and the cold indifference of Yan Bingyun—
Finally, the scene freezes on Fan Xian's glance back.
He stood in the snow, turned around, and looked at the camera. There were so many stories in his eyes.
The last line of the trailer—
"I am fortunate to have met you in my remaining years."
The comments section went completely crazy.
"Fan Xian!! My Fan Xian!!"
"Chen Nianbei's gaze... I'm dead!"
"Finally, you've arrived!"
"It's my great fortune to meet you in this lifetime! See you on November 15th!"
Those past negative posts have now been drowned out by an overwhelming wave of anticipation.
There were occasional snide remarks, but they were quickly swept away by the fans' enthusiasm.
On November 15, 2018, the countdown to the release of "Joy of Life" began.
Chen Nianbei sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window of her apartment, looking at the night view of Beijing outside.
On my phone, there were countless messages from people: Naza said, "I'll watch the premiere with you tonight," Dilraba said, "Teacher Chen, I've prepared snacks," Zhang Lei said, "Brother Bei, you're going to be famous again tonight," and Wang Hao said, "Brother Nian Bei, I've invited the whole crew to watch the show together."
He read them one by one and replied to them one by one.
Then he put down his phone and looked out at the starry sky.
Fan Xian, it's time to meet.
All the past criticisms, malicious slanders, and tireless clarifications—all will be put to the test by the true works of art tonight.
He recalled what Sun Hao said on the day filming wrapped: "After this show, you will be different."
Yes, things are different now.
It's not because he's become more famous, or because he'll have more resources, but because he knows that no matter what happens, so many people are willing to stand behind him.
This is enough.
Outside the window, the night was deepening.
And Fan Xian's story is about to begin.