Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A few days passed, and all scenes set in the film city were completed.

The director gave everyone a three-day break. After bidding farewell to Xie Yezhou, Ning Yuyi returned to his temporary apartment.

—— And caught up on sleep for a full day.

The sleep was so deep and satisfying that when Ning Yuyi awoke, it was already turning dark.

Ning Yuyi stretched satisfyingly and shuffled to the kitchen in his slippers to pour himself a glass of water.

After drinking, Ning Yuyi squinted and stretched again, dispelling the lingering drowsiness from his body.

At that moment, his phone, tucked casually in his pajama pocket, rang. Ning Yuyi answered.

"Brother Zhou, what's up?"

"Director Zhang has officially announced the cast!" Zhou Erhe suppressed his urge to scream, "You're trending! Although it's only in the thirties, we're still fresh faces in the industry! Let me tell you...&*%￥3@"

Five minutes later, Ning Yuyi brought the phone back to his ear, "Done talking?"

"... You weren't listening at all, were you?"

"I only cared about the first part," Ning Yuyi replied. "The official announcement from Director Zhang."

"Exactly!"

"Alright, I'll check Weibo. When you come over later, bring me some dinner."

After hanging up, Ning Yuyi logged into his alternate Weibo account.

At the top of the trending list was the hashtag #SwordPathOfficialAnnouncement.

Ning Yuyi clicked on the topic and immediately saw a post from the official account of the production team, accompanied by a short edited video.

Beneath it were a slew of comments praising their appearances.

[Wow, I have to compliment Xie Yiezhou's looks. Absolutely stunning, so handsome.]

[Every time I see Xie Yiezhou's face, I can't bring myself to critique it. He's simply magnificent.]

[Although Xie Yiezhou's face doesn't quite match Cheng Xuan's character description, as a fan of the book, I'm totally buying into his looks.]

[Wait, am I the only one who noticed the third male lead? Where did they find the actor for Rong Xi? He's so spot on!]

[No, I noticed him too! I even took screenshots. He looks so good.]

[With all these mentions of Xie Yiezhou, I'm sorry, but I'm totally smitten.]

[Rong Xi's feelings for Cheng Xuan are brotherly, right? What's all this about being smitten? Respect the original work, please. The young actor's portrayal was great, there was no ambiguity. People are shipping them because of a promotional photo? Are you all crazy?]

[I was worried that this show would ruin the book "Sword Path", but the unexpected choice for the third male lead was excellent. Now, my beloved Rong Xi has a face.]

[Honestly, with such a comparison, Zhang Yang doesn't look all that special. Yet he's always hyped for his "godly looks".]

……

After ensuring there were no negative comments, Ning Yuyi chuckled softly while holding his phone.

Although he initially wanted to avoid the main lead and leave the entertainment industry when he first arrived, he had spent so much time in the industry in his past life and still desired fame.

If he couldn't afford the penalty for breach of contract, then he'd make a name for himself in showbiz. He refused to believe he was doomed to be a mere extra!

Huang Yumeng, after a tiring day at work, logged onto her main Weibo account as soon as she got home, hoping to ask her fans if there were any good-looking celebrities she could admire and unwind.

Vanilla Mud: My damn boss made us work overtime until now. Things that could've been done during the day got delayed. I'm exhausted. Send me some pics for consolation. (You know the drill.)

[Honestly, check out the top trending topic today. Two gorgeous faces.]

[Mud, come see my Zhouzhou's photos from today's drama shoot.]

[If I'm being honest, I prefer the looks of the third male lead. I think his name is Ning Yuyi. Even his name sounds so soft and sweet.]

As they spoke, fans even shared individual photos of Ning Yuyi as well as group photos of the entire cast.

The first photo Huang Yumeng saw was of Xie Yiezhou, dressed in the novel's white school uniform, holding a sword. His aloof appearance made Huang Yumeng squeal internally.

Damn, he's still so incredibly handsome.

As Huang Yumeng scrolled down, Ning Yuyi's solo photo suddenly came into view.

She paused for a moment in disbelief, then suddenly bounced up from her bed, exclaiming, "Oh my God, it's that adorable guy! He's part of the cast too!"

Huang Yumeng exited the photo viewer, found the comment, and rapidly typed a response.

——[Oh my gosh, yes, it's him! The cutie I mentioned the other day that I missed capturing on camera. He's just as handsome in person. Declaring it now: I'm his very first fan!]

——[Wait, seriously? (By the way, move over Yumeng, I'm his first fan!)]

But Huang Yumeng wasn’t bothered by the fans' replies. She navigated to the trending topic and landed on Ning Yuyi’s Weibo, embarking on a treasure hunt within his posts.

Finally, just before bed, Huang Yumeng edited the photos she'd found and posted a new Weibo update.

Vanilla Mud: I'm officially declaring myself the first 'mom fan' of this cutie. Let me introduce you all to my precious young master - Ning Yuyi. Also, check out these photos I found on his agent's Weibo after spending a hungry evening digging around.

[He feels so different from the drama stills, truly like a regal young master. Turns out Yumeng wasn't bluffing the other day; I thought she was just teasing us.]

[Hold on, I'm the real first 'mom fan' of Ningning! (I feel like we're missing the point, but I must argue this!)]

[Stop arguing! The mom fan who created Ningning's super-topic is here. Everyone else, step aside!]

[Officially a fan now! I don't know where to place all this motherly affection.]

[To all you 'mom fans', can someone direct me to his agent's Weibo? I'd like to follow my 'son's' agent.]

[Here's the link @hehehehehe__. Seems like we're all mom fans. Is it weird that I'm a 'wife fan' mixed in here?]

[Excuse me, he's too young for that! My son shouldn't be dating yet!]

[Sorry to break it to you, but Ningning is already 22; he's an adult (A proud 'wife fan' passing by).]

[You're all too slow. I've already joined the fan group. Ningning has gained so many fans today, and he's steadily rising in the trends.]

……

Of course, Ning Yuyi couldn't see Vanilla Mud's Weibo posts. He was cheerfully enjoying the dinner Zhou Erhe brought him.

After eating, Ning Yuyi looked at Zhou Erhe, who was still gleefully scrolling through Weibo, and said, "Zhou bro, can you stop grinning at your Weibo feed?"

It's starting to look a bit... simple-minded.

Zhou Erhe gave him a cool glance, "You wouldn't understand how I feel right now. The company has been contacting me non-stop, wanting to assign you an assistant."

"Hmph, so now they recognize your potential? Remember how arrogant they were when handling that major Zhang Yang fan issue? Now they're all rushing to me again."

"An assistant?" Ning Yuyi blinked, pondering for a moment, "Does this mean you won't be with me anymore, Zhou bro?"

"Of course I will. I don’t have any other clients, and the company doesn’t need me for much else. I'll handle the assistant duties. Plus, I don’t trust anyone else to be with you." Zhou Erhe wasn't keen on letting others accompany Ning Yuyi.

"Then can we just not have an assistant?"

"Sure, we won’t have one!"

Author's Note: Another exam tomorrow! Handing out 20 random red envelopes tonight. Wishing everyone performs beyond expectations, and passes all their tests!