12: Special appearance and online debut

“Special appearance? Online media conference?”

Lin Da held the phone, his eyebrows slightly raised, a hint of surprise on his face, but mostly calmness.

In his previous life, having been in the entertainment industry for fifty years, he had seen many instances of actors’ billing being adjusted and exposure increased due to outstanding roles.

He just hadn't expected that in this life, happiness would come so quickly, so suddenly.

“Exactly! Lin Da, you little rascal, you’ve really hit the jackpot this time!” On the other end of the phone, Director Wang’s loud voice was still deafening, filled with barely suppressed excitement, “The producers said that Bandit A and Shop Assistant, roles you played, were simply strokes of genius! Especially Bandit A, he’s practically gone viral online, there are memes of you everywhere! They think you have unlimited potential, so they’ve exceptionally promoted you from ‘friendly guest star’ to ‘special appearance.’ This treatment is completely different!”

The four words “special appearance” in the film and television industry are usually given to actors who are well-known, have limited screen time, but play a crucial role in advancing the plot.

Lin Da was currently an unknown newcomer, and receiving this title was undoubtedly a huge affirmation of his acting skills and commercial value.

“As for that online media conference,” Director Wang paused, his tone even more excited, “it was added by the producers at the last minute, tomorrow afternoon at two o’clock! At that time, reporters from several online media outlets will ask questions online, mainly targeting you, this ‘Divine Extra’! You need to prepare well, this is a great opportunity for you to show your face!”

Lin Da took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, “I understand, Director Wang. Thank you for telling me this, and thank you to the producers for their recognition.”

“Thank me for what! It’s all because you’re so capable!” Director Wang laughed heartily, “Alright, I won’t talk to you anymore, I still need to keep an eye on the launch here! Remember, tonight at midnight, “Jianghu Xiaoxiami” goes live across the entire network! Go watch it yourself then, and feel how popular you are now!”

After hanging up the phone, Lin Da’s heart remained unsettled for a long time.

Zhou Xingxing, who had intermittently overheard some of the conversation, was now staring wide-eyed at Lin Da, his face full of disbelief: “Da… Lin Da, are you… are you really going to be famous?”

Lin Da looked at his complex expression, a mix of envy and happiness for him, and smiled, patting his shoulder: “This is just the beginning. Xing Zai, this road is still long.”

He paused, his gaze becoming serious: “And, I believe, it won’t be long before you also have such an opportunity, even better than mine.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xingxing’s cheeks flushed slightly, and he lowered his head a little shyly, but his eyes sparkled with a light named “desire.” Lin Da’s words, like a seed, quietly planted themselves in his heart.

“Lin Da, then your media conference tomorrow…”

“When soldiers come, use generals to block them; when water comes, use earth to cover it.” Lin Da smiled calmly, “It’s just a few questions, I can handle it.”

He had attended countless press conferences and exclusive interviews in his previous life; what kind of tricky or bizarre questions hadn’t he seen?

Such a small scene really couldn't stump him.

That night, at midnight.

Lin Da and Zhou Xingxing squeezed side by side on the narrow single bed, each with one earphone, intently staring at the screen of Lin Da’s old mobile phone.

“Jianghu Xiaoxiami” was officially launched!

As a low-budget web drama, it didn’t have many promotional resources, but due to the unexpected popularity of the “Divine Extra Bandit A” in the early stages, it still attracted many curious netizens who rushed to watch it immediately.

The bullet comments on the video website were exceptionally active from the opening song.

“Here to see the legendary Divine Extra!”

“Where is Bandit A? I’m here only for him!”

“I heard Shop Assistant also acted well, looking forward to it!”

When the plot progressed to the scene where Bandit A appeared, the bullet comments instantly exploded!

“He’s here! He’s here! It’s him!”

“High energy ahead! Meme alert!”

“That gaze! That acting! I’m kneeling!”

“Hahahahaha, that crooked-neck kill, I could laugh for a year!”

“Apple rolling, highly praised! Details, full marks!”

“Director, give this actor a chicken drumstick!”

Immediately after, the Shop Assistant played by Lin Da appeared, and the bullet comments boiled over again.

“Holy cow! This Shop Assistant and that bandit just now are played by the same person?!”

“Amazing acting! Can’t tell it’s the same person at all!”

“These little expressions, these little glances, so vivid!”

“Love it, love it, this Shop Assistant is so cute!”

“Who’s the protagonist? It doesn’t matter anymore, I’m just watching this Shop Assistant!”

Watching the dense bullet comments on the screen and listening to Zhou Xingxing’s occasional exclamations and silly laughs through the earphones, a long-lost sense of accomplishment welled up in Lin Da’s heart.

The feeling of being recognized truly felt good.

Especially when he saw his name appear in the “Special Appearance” list at the end of the credits, even though he was mentally prepared, his eyes still became slightly moist.

“Lin Da, you’re amazing!” Zhou Xingxing excitedly grabbed Lin Da’s arm and shook it hard, “These two characters you played practically stole the spotlight from the protagonist!”

Lin Da smiled, saying nothing.

He knew this was just the beginning.

A bigger stage, more exciting roles, were still waiting for him.

At 1:30 PM the next day, Lin Da arrived half an hour early at a temporary small conference room arranged for him by Director Wang, preparing to participate in the online media conference.

Though called a conference room, it was actually just an ordinary office rented by the production crew, temporarily furnished with a table and a laptop.

Director Wang personally oversaw things, even more nervous than Lin Da, constantly handing him water and reminding him not to be nervous, just to perform normally.

Lin Da adjusted the camera and microphone, took a deep breath, and straightened his posture.

He knew that on the other end of the lens were countless curious eyes.

His performance today might directly affect his future development.

Just then, a system prompt suddenly sounded in his mind:

“Ding! Detecting that the host is about to face his first public media Q&A, triggering the special auxiliary function [On-the-Spot Think Tank (Elementary)].”

“[On-the-Spot Think Tank (Elementary)]: During the media Q&A session, the system will selectively provide the host with ‘best answer’ reference suggestions based on reporters’ questions (three times daily). Simultaneously, it will slightly enhance the host’s language organization and logical reasoning abilities.”

Lin Da was slightly startled, then a knowing smile appeared on his lips.

This system was truly becoming more and more thoughtful.

At exactly two o’clock in the afternoon, the online media conference began on time.

On the laptop screen, avatars of reporters from several different media outlets quickly appeared.

“Hello, Teacher Lin Da, I’m a reporter from XX Entertainment. First, congratulations on “Jianghu Xiaoxiami” achieving such great success after its launch. Many netizens say you are the biggest surprise in this drama. How do you view the title ‘Divine Extra’ yourself?”

The first question was directly posed to Lin Da.