Giving Taylor Swift a Taste of Eastern Shock

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Before the start of the NBA game featuring the Philadelphia 76ers, a young blonde girl was singing the national anthem at the center of the court.

Her innocent voice sang the passionate lyrics, evoking an inexplicable sense of emotion.

"What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?"

"Whose broad stripes and bright stars, Through the perilous fight?"

For most Americans, this song, "The Star-Spangled Banner," was not familiar, yet the spirit of bravely advancing through gunfire unexpectedly resonated with them.

Having completed her singing performance excellently, Taylor Swift came down from the stage and was immediately drawn to an advertisement on the large screen in the center of the court.

This was an inserted advertisement.

Viewers watching the live broadcast could see this ad on television, and it was also playing simultaneously at the game venue.

The advertisement promoted a niche Chinese film currently in theaters, its name seemed to be "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"?

Taylor usually wasn't interested in advertisements, but this one felt incredibly novel.

The mysterious, captivating Eastern elements were exactly to Taylor's taste.

Beside a stream valley filled with red maple leaves, a handsome Eastern young man stood tall and proud.

"Clang!"

With a clear metallic sound, his sword was drawn, and a sword dance began.

Thrust, parry, slash, chop, sweep, block…

The sword moves, accompanied by agile footwork, were displayed one by one by the white-clad youth, as elegant as flowing water.

The sword's edge flashed with a cold light, inspiring awe, yet the young man's beautiful sword dance also drew people in.

Beauty amidst deadly danger was the most irresistible.

The camera cut to a close-up of the young man's face. His handsome features, with sharp brows and bright eyes exuding heroic spirit, were surely the dream of countless girls. But why was his expression so lost, and what was he struggling with?

His sword dance grew faster and faster, his moves becoming more and more fierce, as if possessing the might to swallow the world.

"I have a sword that can slay all injustices in the world!"

But at this peak moment, the young man suddenly stopped and threw his sword forward.

The precious sword, like a piece of green jade, drew a beautiful arc through the air before embedding itself into a pool and disappearing without a trace…

The white-clad youth stood with his hands behind his back, his expression hidden, leaving only a solitary and lonely silhouette.

At this moment, two lines of text appeared on the screen.

"This sword of mine can cut through all things in the world, but it cannot sever the obsession in my heart."

"Only by letting go can one obtain."

Following this, the screen displayed the movie title "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" along with its release information.

The white-clad youth in the advertisement was Lin Yuan.

This sword dance promotional advertisement was planned and choreographed by Lin Yuan, and then filmed by director Ang Lee.

When tasked with increasing the box office revenue for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," Lin Yuan initially didn't know where to start.

As a newcomer in the film industry with few resources, he couldn't offer much help.

But when he recalled the movie "Hero," inspiration struck immediately.

"Hero" would be released in North America two years later and eventually grossed over 54 million US dollars.

This was the second-highest box office performance for a Chinese film in North America, second only to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

The success of "Hero" proved that Director Zhang's visual aesthetic, before it became oversaturated, had immense destructive power in the North American market.

Therefore, Lin Yuan planned this advertisement based on that style.

The scenery in the promotional video was breathtaking, with the red of the maple leaves and the deep green of the stream valley establishing two dominant visual color palettes.

Lin Yuan, clad in white, integrated the sword dance into this setting, creating a harmonious beauty of unity between man and nature.

The biggest highlight of the film, however, was focused on Lin Yuan's sword dance.

After all, it was a gift from the system, equivalent to the result of thirty years of dedicated practice by a genius.

Therefore, solely in terms of swordsmanship, Lin Yuan's master-level skill was already the absolute best in the world, unmatched by anyone.

This sword dance was beautiful and agile, possessing a sense of unrestrained freedom as if traversing heaven and earth at will.

But at the same time, it was not merely a superficial display; the sharp sword light constantly showcased it as a genuine combat technique.

This promotional advertisement was filmed perfectly, and it's believed that no other action actor besides Lin Yuan could have executed it.

How would Director Zhang Yimou react upon seeing this promotional video?

He would surely feel inwardly amazed that someone's ideas could align so closely with his own, and that the execution was so outstanding.

This was another of Lin Yuan's objectives: to use this commercial to showcase himself to Director Ang Lee and gain an advantage in future casting for "Hero."

Today was the first time this movie's promotional advertisement was presented to the public. How would it perform?

The answer was: astonishing!

When the advertisement, which was less than 30 seconds long, finished playing, all the audience members present, including Taylor, were reluctant to look away, staring blankly at the screen.

After a while, the audience members who had snapped back to reality began to discuss:

"My heavens? What did I just see, magical Eastern kung fu!"

"I swear, this is the most beautiful film I've ever seen in my life!"

"This commercial is too short! It's not enough to watch, can't they make it longer?"

"Damn it, I didn't see it clearly just now. Can you play it again?"

If Lin Yuan were present, he would have apologized and said, "I'm sorry, our promotional budget is severely insufficient, and we only purchased one broadcast slot."

But not long after, the advertisement actually played again on the big screen, and it was played twice in a row!

It turned out that after the previous promotional video aired, the television station's phone lines were immediately overwhelmed with a massive number of calls.

A large number of viewers called to inquire about the movie and requested that the station play it again.

Would a television station help promote something for free without receiving advertising fees?

The answer was: yes, if there were benefits.

The television station wasn't stupid. So many viewers calling indicated that this advertisement wasn't just piggybacking on the program's viewership; it was actually helping to increase the program's viewership.

So, why not create a win-win situation?

As a result, the television station replayed the advertisement for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" twice more for free.

Taylor Swift, who was present, watched them again with rapt attention, wishing she had a camera to record the scenes.

"This big brother is so handsome! I declare myself a fan. If I have the chance to meet him, I'll definitely get his autograph!"

"I want to go to the cinema to watch this movie. I wonder where I can see it? Should I call the cinema to ask?"

After watching the promotional video, many people had the same thought as Taylor.

They called their local cinemas to inquire if "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was being shown.

As the first domino fell, a chain reaction began.

Word-of-mouth spread, cinemas started scheduling screenings, attendance was booming, word-of-mouth improved further, and screenings continued to increase...

By the second week of the movie's release, over 500 theaters in North America were showing "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," with a screening rate of 20%, and it was still rising.

This far surpassed the original release in 31 theaters during the second week.

At this moment, Lin Yuan, who had just returned to his home in New York, received a call from Director Ang Lee.

"You're really something, kid! With just one promotional video, you've completely boosted the movie's popularity. Do you know how many theaters are contacting me, hoping to increase their screening slots?"

"It's all because you directed a great film, Director. My small contribution is nothing compared to that."

"Don't be modest. I know how bleak things were before. I've seen all your hard work. When we settle the box office revenue later, I'll give you a big red envelope."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yuan could only smile helplessly.

Lin Yuan felt he didn't deserve Director Ang Lee's gratitude.

Because he knew that even if he hadn't done anything, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" would have found its own path to success through its own solid quality.

But now, by coincidence, Director Ang Lee had attributed more than half of the credit to him.

The key was that Lin Yuan couldn't explain it. He couldn't just say he was a reborn person, could he?

Before he could think further, golden system text suddenly appeared before Lin Yuan's eyes:

[Host has completed the mission. Estimated increase in North American box office for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is 40 million US dollars.]

The original North American box office for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was 128 million US dollars, ranking 12th on the annual box office list.

Now, due to the effect of Lin Yuan's promotional video, the projected box office had increased to 168 million US dollars.

This achievement was enough to push "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" into the top ten of the annual box office list, securing a commendable 7th place!

For the first time, Lin Yuan felt like history was being created in his hands.

[Host receives 2 attribute point rewards.]