BXBX NOVEL Chapter 116 - PEOPLE RARELY PAY ATTENTION
The blackout shades were withdrawn, but everyone still seemed spell-bound by the high tension of the movie trailer. Even though the clip was short, it had an aspect that caused anticipation from deep within. It roused emotions.
The Sonata Publishing publicity director, who was also the coordinator of the press conference, felt satisfied by the awestricken looks on their faces. Under normal circumstances, she did not get to be involved directly in the entertainment industry when a book was turned into a movie or TV drama.
However, for some unknown reason, the entire movie announcement and press conference had been placed entirely in their hands. The dissatisfaction of the people from Illusion Entertainment had been tangible, but they could do nothing. For once, Sonata felt that they had won.
Since the publishing company was acquired by Zhong Industries, a couple of movies, animations and dramas had been made from books. However, no one ever paid attention to the people who brought the book to the public. This time, it was different.
"Let us welcome the staff and cast of the highly anticipated movie, The Queen of the Apocalypse." She spoke with a smile after the shock of the trailer wore off.
The reporters and other guests in the hall clapped enthusiastically as a group came in. The six people smiled and bowed slightly before taking one of the seats placed on the stage. Three of them were actors and the other three were members of the film staff.
Among the actors, Bei Gong Hai was the most famous. He was young, handsome, and his background was great. So, it was expected that his popularity was off the charts. However, the main character was not any less amazing.
Unlike her male counterpart, Wang Yue did not have a good background. She was not a member of the elite in Supreme City. She had come from the countryside and made a name for herself. She was beautiful and likable, and there were no scandals surrounding her life.
The other actor was a man named Dai Li. There was nothing exceptional about him, but that was part of his charm. Though he was not a master in anything, he was a jack of all trades. In a way, he was also a genius. He was liked by countless girls because he seemed like the nice guy. He also seemed not so out-of-reach like other celebrities.
On the other end of the table, there was a famous director. Even people who did not pay attention to these matters in movies had heard of him. Beside him was a producer with a significant reputation. Finally, there was a talented scriptwriter. She had made her break into the industry by writing a poignant artistic story which won her an award in an nternational film festival.
However, she said that she had no interest in artistic films, much to the disappointment of the critics. In her words, she wanted to entertain by creating movies that real people want to watch. In this way, a loss for the artistic film industry became a win for the commercial movie scene.
"Mmmh… why is the seat at the middle empty?" one of the reporters asked his companion.
Slowly, people began whispering about it, wondering whether it was a mistake, or there was another person in the cast.
"I know you are curious about the final seat. I will welcome the Sonata Chief Editor to introduce our final guest." The coordinator announced.
Some of the cleverer individuals in the room had realised where this was going.
"They are probably going to introduce the author of the original story. It is not uncommon for authors to attend these things, even though people rarely pay attention to them." One spoke softly to his companion.
"I have read the book. No one has ever seen this author plus there has been no word about them for the last three years." A woman responded.
The murmurs continued until Bo Qian made an appearance on the stage. Then, everyone was silent. Even the people on the stage paid attention. After all, everything about this project had been a little too mysterious.
Bo Qian smiled at the crowd.
"I am sure that most of you have already figured out who our final guest is." He paused. "The author of The Queen of the Apocalypse has always been a mystery. However, her stories have continued to entertain us for years. Today, for the first time, I would like to introduce you to the author of TQA, the Little Ninja Cat."
Some of the people did not know who this author was because they were not readers. They only knew authors who were often trending in Supreme City entertainment circles. However, the trailer coupled with the momentum of Bo Qian's words caused loud applause.
As Hu Lei stepped onto the stage, she smiled as the cameras flashed. She remained composed as she stood before the crowd for a moment, showing appropriate courtesies.
All the people who had read her books, including the staff and the cast, were all surprised by her appearance. In general, Little Ninja Cat wrote books with a certain dark side. Her work leaned heavily towards science fiction with a thrilling and horrific edge.
When they looked at the real her, it was difficult to reconcile the image. She was small like a fairy creature, even on her raised shoes. Her small face and large eyes did not spell gorgeous. But she had that incredibly cute look that made one think of innocence and sunshine.
Though she seemed to be wearing cosmetic contact lens, her pure appeal was not affected. The bright face was framed by her black hair. Her long locks were thick and glossy and fell below her waist, increasing her ethereal charm. The photographers kept taking pictures as if they were possessed.
Finally, Bo Qian indicated that she could sit down. She nodded and took the empty seat left at the middle. On her right side, there was Bei Gong Hai. She had seen him in a few films, and he was a good actor. However, she could not bring herself to be a fan of a person related to that woman.
The man looked at her with apparent casual interest. But Hu Lei felt that there was a certain discomfiting quality in his gaze. On her left was the script writer. She kept glancing at her with glowing eyes. It was almost as if she wanted to crawl into her brain.
For some reason, Hu Lei felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. She chose to stiffly focus forward and look at the crowd with a gentle smiling look. Unfortunately, it was difficult to ignore the burrowing gazes of these 'desk mates'.