Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Before an NBA game between the Philadelphia 76ers, a blonde little girl stood at center court, singing the national anthem at the top of her lungs.
Her youthful voice carried the stirring lyrics, evoking an inexplicable sense of emotion.
"What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?"
What was it that made them so proud, cheering in the last light of dusk?
"Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight?"
Whose flag had remained flying high through a night of gunfire?
Most Chinese people were unfamiliar with "The Star-Spangled Banner," yet the spirit of bravely pressing forward through cannon fire was unexpectedly shared by both.
Having finished her performance beautifully, Taylor Swift stepped off the stage, only for her gaze to be immediately drawn to an advertisement playing on the massive screen at center court.
It was an inserted commercial.
Viewers watching the game broadcast could see it on television, while it was also shown simultaneously in the arena.
The ad promoted an obscure Chinese-language film currently in theaters. Its title seemed to be Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?
Taylor normally had little interest in commercials, but this one simply felt too novel.
That damned yet mysterious Eastern flavor was exactly Taylor's kind of thing.
Beside a stream valley blanketed in red autumn leaves, a handsome Eastern youth stood tall and proud.
Clang!
With a crisp metallic ring, a sharp sword left its sheath, and a sword dance unfolded.
Thrust, lift, slice, chop, sweep, parry...
Accompanied by nimble footwork, the sword techniques flowed one after another from the white-clad youth's hand, graceful as drifting clouds and flowing water.
The blade gleamed with a chilling light that inspired fear, yet the youth's beautiful sword dance made people unable to resist being drawn closer.
Beauty amid deadly danger was the most irresistible kind.
The camera cut to a close-up of the youth's face. With sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a strikingly handsome, heroic visage, he was surely the dream lover of countless girls. But why did he look so lost? What was he struggling over?
His sword dance grew faster and faster, his movements increasingly fierce, as though he possessed the momentum to devour the world.
I have a sword that can cut down every injustice in the world!
Yet at the very peak of the performance, the youth suddenly stopped and tossed the sword in his hand forward.
The treasured sword, green as jade, traced a beautiful arc through the air before plunging into the pool and vanishing without a trace...
The white-clad youth stood with his hands behind his back. His expression could not be seen; only his silhouette remained, looking unbearably lonely and forlorn.
Then two lines of text appeared on the screen.
"My sword can cut through all things in this world, yet it cannot sever the obsession in my heart."
"Only by letting go can one gain."
Immediately afterward, the title Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and its release information appeared on the screen.
The white-clad youth in the commercial was Lin Yuan.
This sword-dance promotional commercial had been planned and choreographed by Lin Yuan, then filmed by Ang Lee.
After receiving the task of increasing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's box office revenue, Lin Yuan initially had no idea where to begin.
As a newcomer to the film industry with barely any resources, even if he wanted to help, there was little he could do.
But when he thought of the film Hero, inspiration struck at once.
Hero would premiere in North America two years later and ultimately earn more than 54 million USD at the box office.
Its North American box office performance would be second only to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon among Chinese-language films.
Hero's success proved that before audiences grew tired of it, Director Zhang Yimou's visual aesthetic had enormous killing power in the North American market.
So Lin Yuan had planned this commercial in that style.
The promotional film featured breathtaking scenery, with the red of maple leaves and the deep green of the valley establishing two intensely contrasting dominant colors.
Dressed in flowing white, Lin Yuan blended his sword dance into the scenery, creating a harmonious beauty as though man and nature had become one.
Yet the greatest highlight of the film remained Lin Yuan's sword dance.
After all, it was a gift from the system, equivalent to the results of a genius specializing and training diligently for over thirty years.
Thus, in swordsmanship alone, Lin Yuan's Master Swordsmanship was already peerless in the modern age, beyond anyone's reach.
This sword dance was elegant and lively, carrying a free-spirited sense of roaming unrestrained between heaven and earth.
But it was not merely a flashy performance. The fierce gleam of the blade constantly declared that this was genuine combat swordsmanship.
This promotional film had been shot perfectly. Lin Yuan believed no other action actor could have pulled it off.
What kind of inspiration would Director Zhang Yimou feel upon seeing it?
He would surely marvel inwardly that someone's ideas could align so perfectly with his own—and be executed so brilliantly.
That was also Lin Yuan's other goal: to use this commercial to showcase himself to Director Zhang Yimou and gain an early advantage in the future casting of Hero.
Today was the first time this film commercial had been shown to audiences. How effective was it?
The answer was: absolutely breathtaking!
When the commercial, which lasted less than thirty seconds, ended, every audience member on-site, Taylor included, was reluctant to look away and continued staring blankly at the screen.
Only after a long while did the audience come back to their senses and begin talking among themselves.
"Oh my God! What did I just see? Amazing Eastern kung fu!"
"I swear, this is the most beautiful film I've ever seen in my life!"
"This ad is way too short, isn't it? It's completely not enough! Couldn't they have made it longer?"
"Damn it, I didn't see it clearly just now. Can you play it again?"
If Lin Yuan had been there, he would surely have said apologetically, "Sorry, our promotional budget is severely lacking. We only bought enough airtime for one showing."
But not long afterward, the huge screen actually played the commercial again—and it was shown twice in a row!
After the previous commercial aired, the television station's phones had immediately been overwhelmed by a flood of calls.
A huge number of viewers called to ask about the film and request that the station air the commercial again.
Would a television station promote something for free without being paid for advertising?
The answer was: if there was something in it for them, they would.
The station was not stupid. So many viewers calling in showed that the commercial was not riding on the program's ratings; rather, it could help raise the program's ratings in return.
Why not make it a win-win situation?
So the station aired the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon commercial twice more for free.
Taylor Swift watched it twice more without blinking, wishing she had a camera in her hands to record every frame.
"That big brother is so handsome! I officially declare myself his fan. If I ever get the chance to meet him, I'll definitely ask for his autograph!"
"I want to see this movie in the theater. I wonder where it's playing? Should I call the movie theaters and ask?"
After watching the commercial, quite a few people shared little Taylor's thoughts.
They all began calling local theaters to ask whether they were showing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
As the first domino fell, a chain reaction began.
Word of mouth spread, theaters began scheduling screenings, attendance boomed, word of mouth improved further, and the number of screenings continued to rise...
By the film's second week in theaters, more than five hundred cinemas across North America were showing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Its screening share had reached 20 percent and was still climbing.
It vastly surpassed the original result of opening in just thirty-one theaters during its second week.
At that moment, Lin Yuan had just returned home to New York when he received a call from Ang Lee.
"You really are something, kid! One promotional film, and you completely raised this movie's profile. Do you know how many theaters have contacted me, hoping to add more screenings?"
"It's because your movie was made so well, Director. What does my little contribution amount to?"
"Stop being modest. It's not like I didn't know how bleak things were before. I've seen everything you've done. When the box office earnings are settled later, I'll give you a big red envelope."
After hanging up, Lin Yuan could only smile helplessly.
Lin Yuan felt somewhat undeserving of Ang Lee's gratitude.
Because he knew that even if he had done nothing, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would still have fought its way out through its own outstanding quality.
Yet by a strange twist of fate, Ang Lee had credited more than half the achievement to him.
The key was that Lin Yuan had no way to explain it. He could hardly say that he was a reincarnator, could he?
Before he could think any further, golden system text suddenly appeared before Lin Yuan's eyes:
Host has completed the mission. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's North American box office is projected to increase by 40 million USD. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon originally earned 128 million USD in North America, ranking twelfth on the annual box office chart. Now, due to the effect of Lin Yuan's promotional film, its projected box office has surged to 168 million USD. This result is enough to propel Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon into the annual box office top ten, achieving an excellent seventh-place ranking! For the first time, Lin Yuan felt as though history was being created in his own hands. Host has received 2 attribute points as a reward.
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